Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

01.

She remembers the first time she created him, and how he shed tears after storing the gnosis inside of him. She recalls the way her soft slender fingers reached up to meet his face, gentle and fragile like porcelain, and she wipes the wetness of his cheeks away softly. You are too fragile, her mind echoes, feeling pity for the boy laying in front of her. 

For a moment, in the silence of the secluded room, Raiden Ei holds her sleeping creation in her arms. She ponders for a moment what to do with him, knowing that he was not fit for the job. She needed someone ruthless, someone that can bear the responsibility without breaking. He was far too human, he feels too much. He sympathises, he feels happiness, sadness — all at once. It's not like she's looking down at him for what he can do, but Ei was aware that he'd be too overwhelmed if she'll let him rule Inazuma while she finds herself focusing on the prospect of Eternity.

Inazuma would be in shambles if Kunikuzushi was to rule.

She has to create a puppet that is ruthless; one that shows no emotion and gets the job done with no questions asked. He cannot fulfill that role.

Yae Miko had once interfered and suggested for Ei to destroy him instead and make a new one. The latter, she could agree on — but not the first. She was never one to go against Miko, but the first time she did, it was to defend Kunikuzushi. 

Ei, still holding him in her arms, had strictly insisted she would not lift a finger against her own creation, let alone destroy it. Anyone who tries to do so would perish instead, she claimed that the thundering skies would show their wrath. 

She spends a few moments with him, before eventually planning she’ll set him free. Freedom, yes, that’s what she selfishly thought the boy needed — unaware of what kind of path he’ll partake soon. She failed to understand that what he needed was her , to be there for him. But Ei was struggling with her own demons during that time, failing to see the consequences of her actions the moment she left his slumbering form in Shakkei Pavilion.

Before she could say goodbye to Kunikuzushi, she whispered her comforts in his ear as if he could hear them, and soon she found herself mumbling prayers under her breath, hoping he’d be safe. She abruptly stops, however, wondering who she was praying to — because does gods ever pray? And if they do, to whom? Ei shakes her head at these thoughts, then, she places a feather ornament around his neck. 

The ornament was a sign of a creator’s compassion; showing his connection to the Almighty Shogun. Perhaps, when someone sees him in this, they wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her Kunikuzushi.

She remembers . She remembers how she took one last glance at him, sleeping peacefully in Shakkei Pavillion, before leaving. And with every step she had taken farthest away from her creation, she felt her heart heavy and feet dragging along with the shifted weight in her chest. She wanted to turn back, but she knows she can’t — she shouldn’t — for there was work to do again in Tenshukaku; an experiment to take on, to create a better, stronger puppet Shogun for her nation.

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Perhaps, fate was far too cruel for Kunikuzushi, and all the good things in life were never by his side.

When Ei was contacted by the Dendro Archon, Buer, and informed her that he was in a coma, she had forcefully stopped everything she was doing and took a two day trip just to go to him. She was accompanied by a few members of the Shogunate for her safety (despite knowing full well she was capable of going herself), as per command of the Yashiro Commission. When she arrived in Sumeru, her visit caused quite a stir in the public, leaving the people in a frenzy and asking around what another Archon was doing in their region.

Ei paid no heed to the attention she was getting and immediately made her way to the Sanctuary of Surusthana, where Kunikuzushi was in the care of Buer. She was granted permission and headed straight in. There was an unmistakable tightening in her chest once again at the thought of him severely hurt, despite knowing that it was his actions that had brought him to where he was in the first place. Ei was aware of him previously joining the Fatui Harbingers and working under the Cryo Archon as the ‘Balladeer’, but it did take her by surprise when she found out that her creation became a test subject for the Akademiya scholars to become an archon himself using her gnosis. She can’t quite imagine how painful that process was — knowing full well that Kunikuzushi couldn’t take burning sensation of the gnosis, hence why he had shed tears upon his creation.

After walking a long hallway, Ei enters through an automatically sliding door and finds the dendro archon standing outside another door, waiting for her arrival. 

She had met her before, when she was just a kagemusha attending the gathering of the Gods, alongside her sister Makoto. Buer was rather a tall woman back then, elegant and kind, and even though the excessive use of her powers to save Irminsul during the Archon War turned her into a small form of a child, Ei still holds great respect for the tiny archon.

“Hello Buer,” she greets, all the formality lacing her voice. She tries to hide the worriedness in her tone, but the God of Wisdom has seen through it the moment she walked in that door. “Thank you for having me here.”

“Hi!” Buer says with a gentle smile. “Please, just Nahida is fine.”

“Then please address me comfortably as Ei as well.”

Nahida nods her head, before turning around to face the door, the smile on her face slightly dropping a bit. “I apologize for letting you come here on such short notice, but… the Bal— I mean, Kunikuzushi, has been in a coma for a month now. I'm sorry, everything happened so fast, and no one was able to catch him when he fell from the robot prototype.”

“You keeping an eye on him despite the destruction he's caused is kind enough, Nahida. You don't need to apologize,” Ei knows her fellow archon was doing a better job than she ever could. “How's he been doing?”

“It's normal for coma patients to be asleep for this long, but for the past few days, he's been mumbling incoherently in bed. I contacted you because I heard him calling for his mother. I was unsure who it was first… but when I looked into Irminsul's intel, in his early life, he was with you. He must have been calling for you. ”

Upon hearing Nahida's words, Ei feels her breath hitch and heart stop.

… Mother?

Kunikuzushi views her as his mother?

She had missed many things when she had gone into exile to the Plane of Euthymia, but only finding out that Kuni called her mother sent a whole shockwave down to her core. If she was being honest, she never thought she'd be a maternal figure ever in her life — but now that her creation sees her as one, changes everything.

“Ei?”

The woman is brought back to her senses when she hears Nahida call out her name, and she looks down to find her staring up in worry.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… apologies. I was just—” Ei clears her throat and stands back straight, trying to hide how she faltered just awhile ago. “I was just surprised by what you told me. I never knew Kuni called me his mother.”

It's because she was never present for him. She has never been there for him. Because she left him all alone.

Nahida sees through the sadness in her fellow archon's eyes, but she decides not to say anything or dwell about it. Instead, she just quietly nods her head and pushes the door open to where Kunikuzushi was staying.

Ei didn't realize she was holding her breath until she visibly exhaled at the sight of the boy laying on the bed. She walks in, quietly following Nahida while examining him. He was tucked gently in bed, with bandages wrapped around his head. She could see the rise and fall of his chest, shallowly breathing, before she immediately notices the way his eyebrows raise and furrow.

“With some help from my engineers, they were able to fix some parts of his body that were damaged from the fall,” Nahida explains as she goes around the bed, towards the other side while Ei stands in the opposite. “But some parts were unfamiliar to them, and the more they were to me, so I'm assuming there’s possible modifications that only you could access, correct?”

“Yes… that's correct,” It's been so long since she last saw Kunikuzushi, let alone fix modifications for him. She's unsure if she could fix what was wrong, but she could try. “I'll have to bring him back to Inazuma for it, though.”

Nahida nods, “Sure. You can leave with him once he's awake.”

Before Ei could reply, a voice transmission was sent from the outside into the room, calling the Dendro Archon's attention. Nahida turns to the taller woman and gives her a shy smile, scratching the back of her head adorably.

“Sorry… I'll have to deal with this first. There are some scholars who need to talk to me,” she says, hopping down the stool she had stood on. “I'll be back.”

“Of course. Take your time.”

When Nahida leaves and the door shuts close behind, Ei turns back to the sleeping form of Kunikuzushi, quietly studying him. She had been apart from him for so long — she wonders how he would react upon meeting her. He wouldn’t react all too happy, that’s for sure. 

She draws in a sigh, before absentmindedly reaching forward and gently rakes her fingers through his indigo colored hair. Ei had never been too sure with her own emotions, so whatever was stirring inside of her as she peered down at the sight of her creation for the first time after centuries , she couldn't pinpoint it. Her mind was still reeling from the information she had learned earlier — that he views and calls her as his mother.

A small grunt slipping past Kunikuzushi's lips startles her out her train of thoughts, and she instinctively brings her hand away from his head and into her chest, staring down at the shuffling figure laying on the bed.

“Kuni?” her voice was soft, like how one would speak to a child. She carefully places her hand back on top of his head, waiting for any violent reaction towards her touch, but there was none. Instead, he continues to shuffle a bit in the sheets, clearly struggling to open his eyes. Her purple eyes flash with worry. “...Kuni, I'm here. It's… It's Ei.”

She tried to say the word mother , but ended up saying her own name instead. She was hesitant to call herself that when she knew she didn't deserve that title.

She might only upset Kunikuzushi even more.

“ Mmmff… ?” the boy mumbles under his breath, the words coming out muffled. 

“I'm here. Can you hear me? Shhh,” Ei continues. Suddenly, the atmosphere inside the room was thick, and the woman felt herself sweating in mild panic. She has never been this panicked before — what else should she do? 

After a few moments of attempting to calm the boy down, he eventually stops shuffling in the sheets, and his breathing has become steady. Ei watches him once again, a frown tugging the ends of her lips.

Then, to her surprise, Kunikuzushi opens his eyes.

She didn't know why she felt fear once he did so. Was she scared he'd push her away?

“Kuni… are you okay?” Ei asks quietly, observing him as his eyes scan around the room, a confused look on his face.

“Mother?” Kunikuzushi breathes out, blinking tiredly and with uncertainty. “Where are we?”

Ei's heart drops. How odd. He didn't hesitate to call her mother, nor was he angry or annoyed at her sudden presence. The boy sits up from the bed, grunting loudly at the pain that had just shot up through his chest.

“ Ow! ”

The woman quickly rushes forward rather instinctively, holding the sides of his arms as she supports him upwards. There was warmth in her touch, and the boy beside her felt it.

“Be careful, you're hurt,” she mumbles.

Kunikuzushi locks eyes with her, confused. “Why am I hurt…? Mother, what happened to me? Where am I?”

“Kuni, do you not remember?”

A beat of silence.

Then,

“No…? The last thing I recall is that we were out for a walk on the way to Shakkei Pavilion.”

There was a look of horror in Ei's face that Kunikuzushi wasn't able to discern.

No.

Oh no.

What does he mean the last thing he remembers was their walk to Shakkei Pavilion? That was what happened before she… put him to sleep and left him. Did he lose his memories from the fall? Oh, Archons — was it even possible for a puppet prototype to do so? She wasn't prepared for this, nor was she sure if she could modify his memories right back in place because she hadn't thought it was possible. 

Indescribable panic shoots through Ei's veins like she was being electrocuted herself, her heart sinking further into her chest. So he does not remember she left him… he has no memories of his old life, past experiences, the Fatui… up to challenging Nahida and the Traveler.

“Mother… this doesn't look like Inazuma. How did I get here?” Kunikuzushi asks again.

“Sorry dearest,” she mutters, apologizing for ignoring his question earlier. The endearing nickname she had for him slipped out of her lips absentmindedly once again, and she does not notice it, but the boy in front of her does. He feels a warm sensation igniting in this chest as he stares at his mother. “You're in Sumeru. There's— There's just been a minor inconvenience that's why you're here. But now that you're awake, I can bring you back home.”

“Oh… okay.” was all Kunikuzushi said, and Ei wasn't sure if she'd be thankful he hadn't asked anything else. 

Suddenly, the door swings open, and Nahida enters the room once again. Upon the sight of the boy who has finally woken up from a one month coma, the dendro archon smiles, but it was seeing the grim expression on his creator's face that made her realize something was wrong.

“Ei? Did something happen?”

“Let's… talk outside.”

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“Ah, I see.” Nahida ponders for a moment, her small hand on her chin as her lips form a pout. Ei had just told her everything that had happened when she left them alone inside the room. “Memory loss… from a fall like that, it certainly could happen. I just wasn't expecting it to work on a prototype puppet like himself.”

Ei nods, sighing as she pinches the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming. “And I have no idea how to fix it. When I made Kunikuzushi, he was only a byproduct. So there were parts of him that weren't complete, unlike the Raiden Shogun.”

“How about you bring him back to Inazuma in the meantime? I'll try to find a solution if I can,” her fellow archon suggests. “Or maybe, his memories will just restore itself back as the weeks go by.”

Something clicks inside Ei's mind.

There was a part of her that wanted to start over with Kunikuzushi, especially that his memories at the moment were before she had left him in Shakkei Pavilion. She knows she cannot undo the past — but she wonders if she could make up to him right now, doing all the things she had failed to do before.

Become a proper mother this time around.

She has a lot to learn… a lot to apologize for. But if she could help Kunikuzushi somehow, she's willing to.

Ei tells Nahida her plan, in which the younger one gives a nod of her head. 

“I understand your intentions. I know the feeling of making up with lost time. But Ei,” the tiny archon steps towards her and clasps her smaller hands into the other's. She looks up at her with a gentle expression, with a tinge of worry in it. “I want you to know that this is extremely risky. What would happen if his memories come back sooner than anticipated? He might think he's being deceived all over again.”

Ah, the God of Wisdom truly is a wise and gentle archon.

“I'll make sure it won't come to that,” Ei replies. “Even if he does have his memories back, my intentions with him are pure. I won't make the same mistake as before.”

There was a slight pause between the both of them, before Nahida eventually nods once again. “ Okay . Good luck with you, and if you have any problems encountered, just reach out to me,” she says with a small, hopeful smile. “Do you want to have dinner first before you both leave?”

“That won't be necessary, Nahida. You've already been kind enough. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“Of course. I'll escort you to the port to send you off.”

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Once all things were settled and Nahida had dropped them off the port, both mother and son boarded the Inazuman ship together. Kunikuzushi hadn't let go of Ei's hand ever since they left the Sanctuary of Surusthana, and he was much more clingy than she anticipated — as he grips on to the sleeve of her kimono as well. Since he had lost his memories, Ei had thought this meant his older, fragile self was reverted back too. He was rather aloof and shy with the people surrounding him, and it didn't help that the Shogunate guards were staring and wondering who this boy was with the Almighty Shogun.

“It's alright, Kuni. They won't hurt you,” she reassures, giving a soft squeeze of his hand. He stares up at his mother with uncertainty on his face, but upon seeing the gentle gaze in her eyes, he relaxes and nods. “Let's get you changed.”

She leads him into her main cabin, where two helpers from the Yashiro Commission waited for them, with Kunikuzushi's new clothes laid neatly on the bed.

When one of the helpers had approached them, the boy stepped back, his face burning in embarrassment.

“W—Wait, I think I can change on my own, mother…” he says shyly.

Oh? But back then, it was always the helpers who had changed his clothes from day to day. Hm, Ei ponders, maybe there are some traits he developed that he still keeps even after losing his memory. 

“Alright, if that's what you wish,” Ei says, before turning to the helpers who had their heads bowed slightly towards them. “Please leave us, as per my son's orders. I'll handle him.”

As the helpers nod and leave the room, Kunikuzushi tries to hide the shock and sheer surprise crossing his face when his mother addressed him as her son, only just realizing that this was the first time she had said that. There was another weight in his chest — but it wasn't heavy, no. Instead, it emitted nothing but pure warmth and happiness that his creator equally sees him as her own.

“Go change Kuni,” the archon says, ushering him behind the folding screen divider at the corner of the room, while the boy clutches his clothes in his hands.

Once he had stood there, away from Ei, she sat back down at the bed and clasped both her hands into her lap. Only then does she realize that she was trembling. She was certainly nervous of how things would unfold, knowing that the Kunikuzushi with her now could possibly change within the next few days, or in a week or so, once he starts to pick up bits and pieces of his memories once again.

Raiden Ei had long since felt the fear of losing someone, and it was back 500 years ago when she was left all alone in this world with her sister Makoto. But now, with her wanting to start over again with Kunikuzushi — to treat him better this time around — she couldn't help but feel the spindles of fear prickling on her skin on what was to happen next.

But she shouldn't think this.

She should just focus on what's happening… right at the moment.

“Kuni, are you hungry?” Ei calls out, as she hears the boy shuffling from behind the screen. “I'll have them prepare food for you. It's a two-day trip back to Inazuma, so I made sure to pack whatever you needed.”

“Yes, please. Can I have some dango?”

Ei fights back the urge to smile, as the ends of her lips twitch upwards. Ah, she has forgotten that he has taken on some of her traits as well. 

“Dango it is. I'm hungry for some, too.”

Once done changing, Kunikuzushi steps out from behind the screen and shyly walks towards his mother. He wore a white kimono, with purple flowers engraved at the ends of it. He looks exactly like her, Ei had thought. Gentle, kind.

Ei stands up from the bed and meets him halfway, offering him a soft smile before summoning something from her hands. He watches intently, only to see that she now held a gold feather ornament in the palm of her hand. She places the ornament around his neck, like what she did almost 500 years ago — except this time, she wasn’t leaving him; then she rested her hand on his shoulder.

“This ornament signifies your connection to me, the Almighty Shogun,” she tells him, and Kunikuzushi stares down at it in awe. “You will be protected by this.”

Because this time, I will protect you.

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After two days, they arrived back in Inazuma, and they had to get off along the shore near Tenshukaku, with some aid on security from the Tri-Commision. Ei had strictly informed them that upon arrival, Kunikuzushi should not be seen in the public eye. Especially not after… his face is usually familiarized as the Balladeer of the Fatui Harbingers.

When Kunikuzushi exited the boat alongside his mother, despite the prying eyes of the Shogunate and the exclusive staff with them, he glanced up and basked in the sight and warmth of Inazuma — but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel like things have changed. Or maybe he was just imagining things. Of course, it was still as beautiful as he remembers, the islands full of red maple and cherry blossoms. Around them were the winding shores, and just a few islands away, thundering skies. 

He shakes his head. 

It is still the Inazuma he recalls. No, nothing changed at all.

As they walk up the stairs of Tenshukaku, Ei’s hand finds his again, and she clasps them tightly. He meets her eyes, and he couldn’t help but think how beautiful his mother is in the sunlight. He was lucky to have her, indeed.

“Kuni,” she says tenderly. “ Welcome home. ”

Chapter Text

02.

The rest of the day had been uneventful when they arrived, since Kunikuzushi had expressed how tired he was after the journey from Sumeru, so Ei just let him find a place to stay and be comfortable while she did some work. (She also took a mental note to spend time with him once she was done.)

Ei spent most of the afternoon in a meeting with the officers of the Tri-Commission — strictly telling them that her son shouldn't be allowed to go outside the gates until she tells them so. The Okuzumeshuu, the Shogun's bodyguards, are to keep an eye on him whenever he's on the grounds. If they fail to follow this order, they will have to deal with their Shogun's wrath themselves, and no one would rather dare to upset their archon.

She also mentioned to limit the ground staff around Tenshukaku, to avoid spreading any rumors with the sightings of Kunikuzushi, especially to the Fatui. Since the Fatui often move in groups, it will be no doubt that they are on high alert to find the ex-harbinger. Nahida had mentioned that the Doctor took off with the dendro and electro gnosis already, so Scaramouche should not have any more importance to him, but it was said that their men were still on the move to track him down.

Ei fought the annoyed expression on her face. The Cryo Archon had been nothing but trouble these past months.

When her meeting ended, the woman quickly made her way up to the room where Kunikuzushi stayed. His room was just near the throne room where she usually takes her rest to drink some tea and read books, and she decided to place him there so he was closer to her.

Sliding the wooden door open to the side, Ei lets out a soft ‘oh!’ when she finds him asleep on the futon, with an arm propping up to rest his head. A small book was beside him, its pages left open and untouched. Ei bites back a small smile and a chuckle, drowning in the sight of the boy sleeping soundly.

She makes her way to his side quietly, careful that the sound of her heels tapping on the floor won’t wake him up. She pulls the white sheets from the side and tucks him in, before slowly reaching up to gently run her fingers through his hair. Ever since Kuni arrived, there has been an imminent warmth in her chest that just wouldn’t go away — like everything she felt as if was missing before, was suddenly complete again.

The gentle wind hums outside the window, before letting itself in, the breeze kissing Ei’s cheek.

She sighs softly. Nights in Inazuma have always been so peaceful.

Now that Kunikuzushi is here, with her , it feels right. She couldn’t help but think that this should have automatically felt right before. She shouldn’t have left him. It was his lack of understanding of his own feelings, his emotions, and with the world that he had turned out how he was — because no one was there to guide him. He felt unloved, and rightfully so, despite Ei claiming that her intentions were pure.

It was the lack of communication on her part. If she had just talked to him properly back then, would things be the way it were right now?

Then, she feels her heart break. An overwhelming emotion overcomes her the more she watches him.

“I won't leave you,” she whispers, leaning down as her lips ghost over his forehead, pressing down a soft kiss. It happens so suddenly that Ei wasn't able to react immediately with her own actions, but she doesn't mind. She won't ever mind.

“Because mother will never let you go. Not again.”

It was the first time Ei finally addresses herself as his mother.

Shame that the boy was too deep in his sleep to hear it.

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The following morning came, and Ei had spent the night inside Kunikuzushi’s room reading a book, sitting by the table on the far left corner. Since she was currently borrowing her puppet’s body, she did not need to sleep, for this body was made to not feel exhaustion even the slightest bit. The Raiden Shogun’s mind had been dormant for almost a week now, and it’s the longest her puppet hasn’t taken over. But since the two of them had made an understanding that this physical body was for Ei’s to use as well, the shogun has no choice but to honor it. 

Ah, she just remembered that she’ll have to explain to Kuni about the puppet shogun, too.

But she’ll do it next time.

A sudden knock on the door separates Ei from her train of thoughts, making her sigh. She glances at Kunikuzushi to check if he's awake, but he's still sleeping peacefully. The woman stifles a laugh — he's been sleeping a whole lot. Poor boy must be regaining his energy after everything he's been through.

“Your excellency,” a voice says from behind the door, sounding nervous and tense. “I–I sincerely apologize for coming here so early, but it appears so that Lady Guuji Yae is outside and she urgently wants to speak with you…”

Ei's eyebrows raise. Yae Miko has had her habit of visiting unannounced, but never this early. Unless— oh, Archons, right . She hasn't told her dearest friend about Kunikuzushi yet, but it's not like she owes her an explanation… whatever decision she has made regarding him, the kitsune guuji cannot change her mind.

She sighs again and puts her book down. “Alright, I’ll meet her in a bit.”

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The moment Ei enters the throne room, Yae Miko was standing perfectly still, one arm crossed around the other — watching the archon walk towards her. 

Miko clicks her tongue, a sly smile gracing her lips but the other woman was unsure if she was teasing, or if there was a tinge of surprise and annoyance behind it. “My, my,” she starts. “A little birdie told me someone’s staying with you here, Ei.”

Ei fights the urge to frown, wondering where the kitsune has gotten the news from. She has made sure no word should go out regarding Kunikuzushi, but… here they were. No matter, she'll deal with this later swiftly and ask the source of this. 

“What you heard was right, Miko. Kunikuzushi is here,” she replies almost immediately. The other end of Yae's lips twitch further into an amused smirk, tilting her head to the side slightly in curiosity. “...But it is because he has lost his memory after fighting with the Traveler in Sumeru. I can't just leave him alone while he recovers.”

Miko hums, “Since when was this change of heart?”

“I am open to the thought of learning. I'm… trying to become a good mother to him. I know, it's centuries late but—”

“Mother? Goodness me , that's new. I never thought you'd be a maternal figure to anyone, let alone your puppet.”

“I don't like the tone you're using, Miko,” Ei comments, an annoyed scowl on her face as she crosses her arms. There was a slight shift in the atmosphere of the room, like a dark cloud had just loomed over them, as if raindrops were threatening to fall. The Guuji was sounding rather mocking, but Ei was unsure if she was just on edge because it was Kunikuzushi they were talking about. “If you have a problem with this, then please do not concern yourself with it. He is my responsibility alone, and I will handle him.”

This time, Miko's face drops, and her lips press into a thin line. “I'm just looking out for you, Ei. It is a disaster waiting to happen again, and again, and again ,” she argues. “And if it recovers its memories, what will happen? You don't think it'd come crying to you, won't it?”

It? Ei's eyebrows furrow once again.

“ He is my son,” the archon corrects. “And even if he remembers, I will be there for him. If he pushes me away, I will pull him right back, because that's what I should have done centuries ago. He misunderstood the freedom I gave him as a betrayal, and I cannot let it happen again.”

A cold silence envelopes the room. Yae Miko stood there, rather stunned, but she does not show it in her face, as she continues to don a stoic expression. It was only then did she realize that Ei had gone against her before in the past for Kunikuzushi, and she does it again now, but in different circumstances.

Then, Miko lets out a soft chuckle. She has never been one to be angry at Ei — although, if she was honest, the kitsune was rather worried. The moment Kunikuzushi was to recover the memories he had lost, it wouldn't be an easy task. But Ei was as stubborn as ever, always fighting for what she thinks was right. She had claimed in the past that Kunikuzushi was a disaster waiting to happen, but her archon would never listen to any word she says. 

The pink-haired woman only hopes that Ei can handle the situation properly in the future as she claims.

“Alright, alright. I'll stop blabbering to you now,” Miko says, a bashful — but teasing — sigh slipping past her lips. She sees Ei's shoulders relax, and she no longer looked tense, her defensive stance from earlier finally backing up a bit. “And what are your plans for the boy? He'll get bored here if you keep him in one place.”

Ei tilts her head to the side a bit, “But Tenshukaku is large enough. Surely, he won't complain… He can enjoy time in the courtyard, backyard, and roam around in rooms…”

Miko bites her tongue to hold back her laughter, adoring how extremely naive the woman in front of her was. 

“Dear me, having a child is hard, is it not? Good thing I don't have those.”

“ Miko! ”

The kitsune laughs loudly, a hand flying up to her mouth as she tries to suppress her giggles. If there's anything, as much as Yae is the only good friend she has left, Ei seriously could not keep up with antics. Her head hurts just thinking about the trouble she's stirring up inside her mind. 

“Okay, fine. I'll stop— for real, now. Anyways, I have some things to do back at the shrine, so I'll see you soon.” Bidding her goodbyes, Miko was about to walk away when Ei spoke behind her.

“You should meet Kuni once he's awake.”

Miko hums slightly under her breath, as if pondering, before she sends a side glance to the woman.

“I'll give it some thought, Ei.”

Then, she leaves.

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Kunikuzushi feels the sun’s rays slip through the tiny cracks of the window, kissing his face with warmth, and the boy wakes with a gentle smile on his face. When he does so, he immediately recognizes the designs and patterns of the room, making his heart leap in excitement. Right , he was back in Inazuma after a long trip from Sumeru — he was back home.

He pushes himself up from the bed, puts on his slippers, and walks out of the room. As he walks by the hallway, he looks around. Tenshukaku had always been a large place for him, but he couldn't help but feel like it had gotten bigger. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the things that have changed, because for some reason, his mind has felt and looked like nothing but a thick fog. He can’t remember what caused his accident, and his mother hasn’t told him anything yet, nor what he was doing before that. 

But Kunikuzushi — if he was being frank — didn’t mind. To him, being with his mother was all he needed.

He feels like they’ve been separated for an eternity, even if he convinces himself that it isn’t like that.

“Lord Kunikuzushi?”

The boy almost jumps at the sudden voice that spoke behind him, more so with the title used in addressing him, and he turns to find a young woman bowing her head slightly.

“I-I apologize for startling you!” she sounded rather panicked and tense, making him frown. He wanted to tell her it was alright, but he found himself a bit shy and no words came out of his mouth. “I just wanted to inform you that breakfast is ready. Her Excellency is waiting for you in the dining hall.”

Upon the mention of Ei, Kunikuzushi’s eyes immediately light up. Nodding at the helper’s words, he mumbles a soft ‘thank you’ before rushing past her and heading to the direction where the dining hall was.

Two members of the Okuzumeshuu stood there by the large doors, and upon seeing the shogun’s son, they immediately bowed their heads deeply and greeted him a good day. A shy chuckle leaves Kuni's mouth, before he scratches the back of his head and flashes them a kind smile. All the attention given to him by his mother's people wasn't uncomfortable, but rather surprising, and he felt a bit naked with all the greetings and stares.

As one of them opens the door, Kunikuzushi gives them another soft thanks before entering the room.

On the other hand, the Okuzumeshuu guards simply stared because they still couldn't process that their Archon had a son. Did she have a secret lover in the past years…? They simply wouldn't know, but it's not like it was any of their business. It was quite a sight to see the Almighty Shogun smiling inside the premises, as if all her worries ceased the moment her eyes lay on the boy.

“Good morning, Kuni,” Ei greets, reaching across the low table to pour hot tea in the cup that was meant for him. “Slept well?”

Kunikuzushi nods, a wide smile plastered on his face that Ei felt like she was going to melt right into the ground. “Good morning, mother! Yes I slept well, how about you?” he replies, sitting down on the tatami mat.

“I did,” she lies, knowing that if she told him her body needed no rest, he would ask about it. She still needs to think of a way to tell him about the prototype puppet that came after him. She clasps her hands in her lap, “I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend time with you yesterday. I was just so busy.”

“I understand, mother. Please don't apologize,” Kuni says, reaching for the lotus flower crisp. Ei watches as he happily munches on it, his cheeks slightly rounder than normal, making her giggle. He meets her eye, and frowns a bit. “Whatsh sho funny?”

This time, Ei laughs loudly. Kunikuzushi's frown deepens, and the sight of his cheeks sagging made her laugh even more. The sound of her happiness bounces off the walls, and even the servants at the far end of the dining hall couldn't contain their fond smiles. The boy couldn't help but feel the proud swelling in his chest, as if he just accomplished something and that was making her laugh.

“Darling,” she says in between breaths and chuckles. “Please don't talk when your mouth is full, you might choke.”

He swallows his food and pouts, “I'm not a baby.”

“Hmm. Right ,” Ei hums, before grabbing a napkin and reaching forward, wiping the leftover crumbs from the lotus crisps from the sides of his face. Then, she gently pinches his cheek, making his eyes widen. “You're my Kuni, though.” 

Kunikuzushi could see a glint of fondness in his mother's eyes, making his cheeks burn intensely — though he wasn't sure if he was shy or embarrassed.

“ Mom. Stop. ” he whines, gently swatting her hand away off his face.

Ei snickers, “Alright, alright. Sorry. Go eat your food.”

“What about you? Won't you eat?”

“I already ate an hour ago, don't worry about me,” she responds. “I got up early because your Aunt Miko came to visit. She just… wanted to discuss something important with me.”

Upon the mention of the kitsune guuji's name, Ei was quick to notice Kunikuzushi's face turning sour — the bright smile on his face quickly dissipating. Her heart drops at the sight, immediately alarmed, thinking that he's starting to remember something.

“Kuni? Is there something wrong?” the woman asks softly.

Kunikuzushi was unsure why he felt what he was feeling, either. He had first met Yae Miko before when his mother had introduced him to her as her puppet prototype, and as far as he can remember, she hasn't done anything that upset him.

So why…

Why does hearing her name bring such a foul taste in his tongue?

“Kunikuzushi? Sweetheart .”

He blinks, a bit startled upon the sound of his mother's panicked tone. His confused gaze meets with her worried ones, and he immediately relaxes when he feels the warmth of her palm enclosing his hand.

“...Is something the matter?”

“No, mother. Sorry to worry you, I just spaced out a bit.” Kunikuzushi says, trying to sound reassuring, but Ei wasn't convinced with his reply. 

Nevertheless, she lets it go and nods her head, sighing softly.

Did he remember something? Ei thinks. No, I don't think so. He'd react a lot more differently if he did.

“Alright. I'm right here if something's bothering you, okay?”

Kunikuzushi gives his mother a warm smile, nodding as well before he continues to eat his food. Ei returns the smile, watching him with content before she pours herself some tea. 

As they both continue conversing during breakfast, there was a tinge of anxiety in the archon's chest; as she couldn't pinpoint from which event centuries ago did Miko possibly upset Kunikuzushi.

Was it after she had left the mortal realm and went to the plane of Euthymia? What else had happened to Kunikuzushi back then when she had let him go?

She needs to find out.

.

.

.

.

.

“Please! Send help! Tatarasuna... Tatarasuna's in trouble!”

“I shall do my best to send help immediately.”

He waited… and waited…

And waited.

But the help never came.

***

EDIT 11/28/22: did some minor changes on the last part ! From 'Send help, the village is in flames!' to Tatarasuna being in complete chaos. More changes to be expected once 3.3 drops!

Chapter Text

03.

“Where are you going, Wanderer?” 

Kunikuzushi blinks at the source of the voice. He finds himself standing in the middle of a deserted island, probably Tatarasuna, but he cannot make out most of it. A cold, gentle breeze brushes past his cheeks, almost knocking the veil off his head. Was he dreaming? Is he in a dream? He might possibly be. The area surrounding him was a blur — like a thick, foggy haze.

“Huh?” he responds. Then, he thinks. Where was he going, really? He doesn't know. 

“Where are you going, Wanderer?” the voice repeats, echoing louder this time around.

He searches for the source of the voice, and before he knew it, his bare feet were already sinking in the sand as he ran. His footprints leave marks in the sand, then disappear a moment later. That voice… it sounds like a child was calling for him,  but he doesn't know who it was. It echoes in his head again, calling him wanderer, asking where he's going.

Kunikuzushi felt like he was running in circles, until a force of wind abruptly stopped him. 

When he turns, he is met with a faceless boy.

His breath hitches in his throat, but no scream slips past his lips. There was an unsinkable feeling in his chest, almost feeling terrified at the sight that greeted him. 

Who are you?

Wake up— wake up, wake up!

The faceless boy reaches out his hand, but Kunikuzushi takes another step back, his eyes wide and lips trembling.

Mother , he tries to call out, but he had no voice. Mother!

“Where are you going, Wanderer?” the boy questions again.

What is this? Why is he having a nightmare like this?

“Wanderer, why did you leave me?”

“I don't even… know you…” he tries to say, but the words had once again died in his tongue when the boy kept coming closer.

“Kuni!”

He pauses. There was another voice. It came from the far distance — one that illuminated light in the midst of the darkness. It felt… warm. The person calling out for him was warm, like the sun in a cloudy day, like the middle of spring as the sakura trees bloom.

“Kuni! Wake up!”

.

.

.

.

.

Inhaling a shuddering breath, Kunikuzushi surges forward from where he laid, before he finds himself being pulled into the warmth of an embrace. It takes a few seconds for him to realize that his mother was now holding him close to her chest, and it takes a few seconds more to realize that he was crying.

That was… a dream?

“Are you okay?” Ei asks, pulling away slightly to wipe the tears from his cheeks, and Kunikuzushi looks up to find her worried gaze meeting his. “It's alright dear, I'm here.”

“What… what happened?” he mutters, before snuggling close to her chest once again. His mother pulls him closer, gently raking her fingers through his hair.

Ei sighs softly, “You were screaming and thrashing around in your sleep. Was it a bad dream?”

Kunikuzushi nods his head. “Yes…” he replies.

There was a certain unfamiliarity in his chest. It felt incredibly heavy, as if what he just saw was more of a memory than a dream. It tugged on his heartstrings, like a healed wound being ripped apart — but it's too impossible for it to be a memory. He hasn't been anywhere but here , with his mother, right?  

The boy absentmindedly reaches for Ei's sleeves, gripping on them slightly, in which the woman responds with an even tighter hug. They stayed like that for a few more moments, just basking in each other's warmth, and only then did Kunikuzushi realize how comforted he was in her embrace.

 “Mother?” Kuni mumbles against her shoulder.

“Yes, dearest?”

“Can I go out for a walk?”

“Of course. I suppose the courtyard's already—”

He shakes his head. “No, I meant outside Tenshukaku.”

This startles her, catching Ei off guard. Kunikuzushi notices the way her eyebrows furrowed, making his chest tighten slightly — suddenly wondering if what he asked had upset her. But then, his mother's alarmed expression shifted, and she now looked at him with a gentle gaze once again.

It was to be expected, Ei supposed. He has only been inside the palace-like place for days, and it was only normal he'd grow tired of being around.

“Alright, but I'll have to come with you. We can take a walk together.” The woman eventually allowed, making a mental note that they were not to come close to the city just yet, and that they were to exit on the other side. Ei usually goes to the back gate if she'd like to take a stroll alone, like that time she had coincidentally met with the traveler.

Upon hearing Ei's permission, there was a spark of excitement that glistened in her son's eyes, before Kunikuzushi pulled away from the embrace and hurriedly exited the room to change. 

The electro archon muses a smile, fighting the urge to laugh. Her heart has already warmed up to him — like how it should have been decades ago . But there was that constant tug of fear deep in her heart, because as much as she enjoyed being with him, there was that part in her that feared what was to come. The situation was complicated as it is, just like what Nahida had warned her, but Ei will face it.

With the past week he had been staying with her, there were no signs of his memories resurfacing. That's what Ei assumes, but if he was to remember, then surely he'd say something — more or less treat her differently, too. He was still the same gentle and fragile Kunikuzushi she had picked up from Sumeru. 

There wasn't any news coming from Nahida, either. The God of Wisdom told her she'd visit in a form of a conscious dream if she had found anything that could help with Kuni's memory loss.

If he recovers his memories and pushes her away, she will pull him closer. With every tear he'll shed, she will wipe them away. The tapestry filled with nothing but love and longing Kunikuzushi had made that she tore, she will patch it back up. It's years — no, decades — that needs catching up, and as much as Ei cannot change the past, she can look forward to the future with her son by her side.

.

.

.

“Are you ready to go?” Ei asks, as she walks out the main doors of Tenshukaku and finds her son standing with a few guards of the Shogunate.

Kunikuzushi nods his head, “Yes!”

She smiles softly, “Alright. Off we go, then.”

As Ei extends her hand towards him, Kunikuzushi blinks. He stares up at her, and he finds his mother staring at him with an expectant gaze, with the ends of her lips still curled into a gentle smile. When she gestured her fingers for him to come closer, he finally figured out that she wanted him to hold her hand. Filled with excitement, he breaks into a warm grin and encloses his palm with hers happily.

Before they could walk down the stairs, one member of the Okuzumeshuu approached them, an enclosed fist in his chest as he bows his head slightly. 

“Almighty Shogun, should we come with you?” he asks.

“No need, I'll be with him, anyway. I'll make sure we're safe.”

“As you wish, Your Excellency!”

As the Shogunate guards step aside, Ei gives them a curt nod. Quietly observing his mother, Kunikuzushi nods at them as well, before walking alongside her down the stairs.

They proceed to the back exit of Tenshukaku, and as the two of them walked along the grassy terrain, the boy couldn't help but feel another wave of excitement crashing within him. He was happy, because apart from spending time with his mother, he was relieved that he didn't go another day stuck inside that castle-like place.

“Anything you want to do while exploring, Kuni?” Ei asks.

“ Hmmm, ” he ponders. After a few seconds, his eyes light up in excitement. “How about we pick some lavender melons?”

Ei scrunches her nose up, “Surely there's something more exciting to do than picking lavender melons?”

Kunikuzushi laughs. “Mother, don't be a killjoy. They are fun. Plus, I'm hungry for some,” he says in reply, then, for the first time ever Ei watches him grin in a playful, menacing way. “I wanted to go out, so you follow what I want to do!”

“Goodness, a little bossy are we? Well, if you just chose to eat breakfast first then you wouldn't be so hungry,” she frowns and playfully draws in a sigh, before quirking an eyebrow, but she was nowhere angry. Kuni tries to stop himself from bursting into another set of laughter. “Alright, alright. Let's go get some lavender melons.”

As they continued walking further from the city and into the forest, they were met with a sight of trees filled with lavender melons. Kuni lets go of her hand first and runs to them, before climbing up the bark of the tree and into the thick branch.

“Be careful.” Ei says. As she watches him pick out lavender melons and tuck them onto his arm, she couldn't help but wonder where her son's fascination regarding these fruits came from.

Still, she does the same, except she didn't climb. Approaching one of the smaller trees in the area, she simply reaches her arm out and gathers her own batch of lavender melons.

“Hey mom,” Kunikuzushi calls out from a small distance. She hums in reply, turning her head to face him. “Do you know these can be roasted? They taste pretty good.”

Ei tilts her head to the side, “Oh, do they? Where did you get that information? Did one of the servants give you this kind of dish while I was gone?”

The boy suddenly falls silent, and his excited expression shifts into surprise, as he blinks — with his lips curling into a frown.

“Kuni?”

“I… don't remember…” he says quietly, sounding rather confused, and there was an initial wave of panic that shot right through him.

Ei's heart drops at what she heard. Could he have found out about roasted lavender melons from someone he knew when he was wandering around? If that's the case, then Kunikuzushi could recall some minor memories, but not the people he was with.

“Mother, why can't I remember where I got it from?” he mutters. He was confused — he knows that lavender melons are delicious when they're roasted, but he wonders who gave him that kind of information. His head was in a haywire, because if it isn't his mother that told him that, then who?

“Maybe one of the servants told you about that, darling,” Ei says, as if in an attempt to soothe him. He looked rather frustrated, making her heart sink. “Don't think about it too much, you'll probably remember it soon.”

Though hesitant, Kunikuzushi nods and climbs back down the tree, the lavender melons still tucked in his arm as he supports them like a basket.

Ei smiles, “You picked a lot. Do you want me to hold them for you?”

“No. I'm strong enough, mother!” he huffs.

The woman laughs, “Alright. Should we go exploring again, or will we walk back home now to roast these?”

There was a hesitant pause, and Ei watches in amusement as Kunikuzushi fails to meet her gaze. “Let's… go home… I'm really hungry now.”

Trying to suppress her giggles, Ei nods.

“Okay, tough guy. Let's go home.”

Just like how the storms in Inazuma pass quickly, the frustration on his face does too. His mind was soon preoccupied by the thought of spending time with his mother that he didn't dwell on it for long.

.

.

.

.

.

She walks a few steps ahead of the puppet boy, hands clasped together at her back, her pose and body structure dignified and serious. Kunikuzushi was quite the opposite — he was rather excited to walk outside, admiring the view of Inazuma, with his indigo eyes flickering in amusement. He lets out tiny, excited noises at the sounds of birds chirping, trees rustling, the sound of waves being washed ashore.

Ei shuts her eyes. The boy was truly as fragile as a human.

Even without a heart, something deep inside him beats. It longs for happiness, contentment, praise. 

And sometimes, the woman is convinced he could feel her sadness. In nights where she had longed and cried for her sister, he takes a peek into the throne room, and Ei knows that he sheds tears along with her, too. Every cracked voice she lets out of Makoto's name, she knows Kunikuzushi's chest would tighten. All that — even without a heart.

They are connected, of course. The creator and the creation; like a mother and son.

Except Ei at that time didn't consider their relationship to be the latter.

“Mot— C–Creator!” the boy calls out, joy lacing in his voice. Ei wishes she could be like him. Carefree, without any mind in the world. “Let's go pick out some lavender melons!”

She feels a twist in her heart. Ei needed to remind herself that they were not just going for a walk.

“Maybe not now, Kunikuzushi. We don't have much time.” She replies as sternly as possible.

When she turns, she finds the boy's expression dropping into a frown, and she tries to keep that numbness in her chest to prevent her from letting her emotions win and bring him back home. 

Perhaps, Yae Miko was right. Ei did have a soft spot for her creation. She refused to dispose of him, and even made a commentary that those who dare touch him shall witness the thunder and lightning's wrath.

She knows that she cannot focus on her prospect of eternity if Kunikuzushi was to rule. This was Ei being compassionate, for that night, she will bring him to Shakkei Pavilion, where she will seal his powers and put him to eternal sleep.

As they continue walking, Kunikuzushi fiddles with his fingers.

“Where are we going, creator?” he asks innocently, not knowing what was to happen.

Another crack in her heart.

“Somewhere safe.” she replies.

“Will you be there with me?”

Ei absentmindedly digs her nails into the palm of her hand.

“I'll always be with you.”

When they arrive at Shakkei Pavilion, the boy does not say anything. He does not suspect anything — after all, he did trust his creator. She wouldn't do anything to possibly hurt him, right? 

The Electro Archon sits down cross-legged. Then, she gently pats on her lap.

“Come. Lay your head here.”

The puppet, once again, does not say anything nor does he question it. He just nods, before obediently following his creator's instructions as he lays his body on the tatami mat, with his head resting on her lap.

“Sleep,” she commands. Complying, Kunikuzushi closes his eyes. Ei feels her heart getting heavier inside her chest. The numbness that she tried to create had dissipated. “Don't be afraid. I will always be with you, Kunikuzushi.”

Ei places her hand on top of her creation's head, and a glow of purple releases from her palm, illuminating the room. A surge of power made the atmosphere heavy, and within a few seconds, Kunikuzushi was in a deep sleep.

When she moves her hand to place it on top of his chest so she could seal his own powers, Ei does not cry. But even without tears, one could see her grief. She keeps her eyes focused on the boy — that peaceful, gentle look on his face. 

She wonders if gods pray. If they do, she wonders who they pray to.

The Archon mutters under her breath. She says her 'sorrys', then, she releases a prayer, hoping he would forgive her.

It was not her intention to leave him, but her reasons were pure. She didn't want him to suffer with the shackles of being Inazuma's ruler. He needed his freedom. She will grant him this kind of freedom.

She was almost done in sealing his powers within. Ei's gaze flickers down to the boy once again.

Oh, Makoto, she thinks. You would have loved this boy.

But at that time, Ei was not Makoto.

Chapter Text

[ 3.3 WANDERER CHARACTER STORY SPOILERS, 

PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION ]

04.

The next dream Kunikuzushi finds himself in, he was walking with a few of Inazuma's samurai.

But, he doesn't see their faces. Like the dream he had of the boy, their features were blurred out too. He wonders what's triggering his dream with faceless people, but he supposes it's nothing to think much about.

This was much more pleasant than the one with the faceless boy.

Kunikuzushi was not plagued with redundant questions, nor was he in an unsettling atmosphere. He walks along the shoreline of Nazuchi Beach, feet crunching against the sand, the purple veil on top of his head swaying gracefully with the wind. He hears the samurai conversing about the recent battle they had engaged in.

When he had fallen a few steps behind them, a man with a red streak in his hair looked back, and waited for him.

“ Kabukimono, ” he says softly, the tone of his voice kind. It was calm, like the wind — comforting, like the sea. “ Remember what I have told you… do not reveal your identity to anyone else. ”

Though confused, Kunikuzushi finds himself nodding.

It was just a dream, after all.

The man offers him a kind smile. It was the only thing the boy was able to make out from such a blurry face. “ Good. That puts my heart at ease. If they find out who you are, they'll come for you, ” he states, and this time, his smile drops and he purses his lips into a thin line. Kuni was hoping he'd get to see the next expression he had. “ ...I cannot let that happen. ”

Both walking side by side and a few meters away from their fellow samurai, Kuni finally opens his mouth to speak. His own voice rings inside his head.

“Why?” he manages to ask.

“ Because you are someone of importance. ” The man had simply responded.

Kunikuzushi did not know if he was meant to be of importance to someone else — or an importance to the kind man in the dream.

.

.

.

.

.

Kunikuzushi, knowing he was a puppet, was still baffled by the thought that he had the capacity to dream. So when he wakes after that comforting dream he was shown, a small smile was plastered on his face. Though it still troubled him who those people were, for he has never seen them ever in his life. The past few nights he dreamt of the island of Tatarasuna, the images of its environment were so vivid and clear that he almost mistook it for a place he had stayed in for a long time. 

(Though he thought it was rather impossible.)

Shakkei Pavillion was his birth place, it is where his mother had created him. But they never stayed there — only for a few nights, as she did some final revisions into her prototype puppet. After she made him, she immediately sent him to Tenshukaku with the Shogunate Guards and some palace attendants.

(That is what he remembers, anyway.)

Kuni makes his way downstairs, and he is immediately greeted by the attendants. With a small, shy smile, he greets them back, but he searches along the small crowd for a familiar face.

“My Lord, the Almighty Shogun has left early, since she has an important matter to attend to,” one of the ladies speaks up, bowing her head slightly. The boy's lips twitch slightly. It's like she read his mind. “Although, she reassures you that she'd be back by afternoon, but for the meantime, please grant us to be of your company. She has allowed you to go beyond Tenshukaku in our care — though we were told not to pass through the city just yet.”

Where has mother gone? He wonders, though he does not fret it. He understood her position as the Electro Archon, but as silly as it was, he was already missing her.

“Where would you like to go, Lord Kunikuzushi?”

***

On normal days, if Raiden Ei had something of importance to discuss with Yae Miko, it was the latter who would pay a visit to Tenshukaku. But it was not just any normal day after all, for it was the Electro Archon who had given the shrine maidens a shock when she had shown up at the entrance of Grand Narukami Shrine.

“The Almighty Shogun!” Kano Nana was the one who mustered up the courage to speak first, and the other shrine maidens followed suit and bowed their heads. “To what do we owe the honor, Your Excellency?”

“Where is Guuji Yae?” Ei questions.

“Inside the temple, Your Excellency.”

“Please do inform her of my arrival,” She states, walking past the group of shrine maidens who were nervously standing still in the presence of their archon. “I need to speak with her at once.”

***

“My my, what a surprise indeed,” Guuji Yae Miko comments as she walks down the stairs of the temple she had exited from. Her gaze locked on to her dear Ei who was standing near the Sacred Sakura tree with her arms folded against her chest. “You could've just called for me and I would have paid you a visit in Tenshukaku.”

The Shrine was vacated not too long ago, as per the Electro Archon's demand. She wouldn't want to risk anyone hearing about her son — after all, the walls have ears. 

Ei waves a hand dismissively. “No need, Miko. I'm here now, am I? Besides, Kuni's there… I don't think it's best to show you to him at the moment…”

The guuji's eyebrows perk up ever so slightly, curiosity kicking in. 

“Oh?” She mused. “Did something happen?”

“He was familiar with you, though he had lost his memory.”

Miko now stands in front of the Electro Archon, also crossing her arms and leaning to the side slightly. “And wouldn't that be a good thing? It's a good sign he's regaining his memories slowly,” she states, but upon seeing the other woman's face drop slightly, she clicks her tongue. “Oh Ei, surely you're not wishing he'd stay in that state forever? You can't do that — it's very unfair to him. He's bound to regain his memories sooner or later. It could be tonight, tomorrow, next week.”

Ei dared to look away. “I know, Miko. I'm just… terrified. Who knows how he'll react?”

“He'll be mad, of course,” Ah , sometimes the Archon hoped her familiar wasn't too sharp on the tongue and in her words, but the youkai was right. “But you're decided to be a proper mother this time, aren't you?”

“I am. More than anything in the world.”

Miko nods, and her lips twitch in amusement. Seeing her dear friend like this was truly a sight to behold, and she wasn't expecting she'd be conversing with her about motherhood. Spare her with that, though. The Guuji thinks she won't ever be able to handle it.

“Then you have your answer, my dear Ei.”

Ei suffices a small smile. Then, she remembers why she had visited in the first place.

“Wait, Miko,” she starts. “I have something to ask you, too. It's the reason why I visited in the first place.”

The other woman gives a nod, “Go on. But let's get inside first, so we can talk comfortably.”

After they settle inside one of the spare rooms inside the temple, they take a seat across from each other, with hands clasped on their laps.

Ei starts, “Aside from meeting him a year ago in Yashiori Island to give the electro gnosis to him… you have met Kuni back then, didn't you? When the Tatarasuna incident happened.” 

This caught Yae Miko by surprise, but she knew denying it would not get her anywhere, so she nods once again. 

“When I was catching up with the events that has happened in the past centuries I was gone, I found out about the Tatarasuna Incident and the people being plagued with a certain sickness because of the Mikage Furnace,” Ei continued, in which the other just listened quietly. “...It has been said that a wandering eccentric had asked for help with a certain shrine maiden when things have gone haywire, but the help never came,”

“I'm assuming that you are the shrine maiden they were talking about, Miko?”

The Guuji was perplexed with the information her archon had just mentioned. Her lips curl into a frown.

After a short momentary silence, she replies— “Yes,” she says, the tone in her voice soft, but puzzled. “But Ei, whatever do you mean that the help never came?”

Ei meets her eyes. “So the help did arrive?” 

“Of course! I may not have been fond of the little puppet you had, but he was still… yours,” the guuji explains, and Ei feels her chest tighten at her words. “Ei, even when he thought you had abandoned him, he went straight to Tenshukaku to seek you. But he didn't know it was the same year you had left the nation in the hands of the puppet Shogun. He ended up calling for me instead, and I told him help would be sent — but he was so distressed that he thought I was making empty promises.”

Ei curses mentally. The year her son needed her most, she wasn't there.

“He fled back to Tatarasuna without listening to a word I've said. I listened to him and dispatched the soldiers, but when we arrived there, it was quiet… a mechanic from Fontaine had said that the fight had concluded, and Niwa Nagamitsu had fled,” she continues. “I found out Niwa was close to Kunikuzushi, so I worried for him. I had thought he wouldn't like to speak to me if I tried, .”

The Kabukimono had crossed the raging sea and braved the thunderstorm, with a chest so heavy as his tears mixed with the rain. When he arrived at Tenshukaku, he seeked an audience with the Almighty Shogun — begging for the Shogunate to let him through the doors. 

Though, they paid no heed to the boy that was protesting to them. He was continuously turned away, unaware that the person he was seeking for had already exiled herself in the Plane of Euthymia, and only a new puppet made from his template was made as the new ruler of Inazuma.

“Let me see her Excellency, please! Tatarasuna has been sabotaged! My family—” Kabukimono swallows thickly, that all too familiar ache in his chest whenever he called other people his family, knowing he could not address his mother as that. “My family is going to get killed!”

They ignored him like they were blind and deaf. They didn't care.

In a last resort of his raging desperation, he had pulled out the feather that his mother had left him: a significance that he was indeed connected to the Electro Archon.

He was told numerous times by Katsuragi and Niwa that he shouldn't show it, scared that people might use him for it, but he had no choice.

“If you won't let me go see the Shogun, let me talk to Lady Guuji Yae instead.”

Upon the sight of the golden ornament, the Shogunate guards were stunned. They had then decided to follow his orders and immediately called for Yae Miko, and she rushed down Narukami Shrine as soon as she had heard the news.

It was one of those moments where Yae Miko did not let her mischievousness take over, and there was genuine worry in her heart. A part of her knew she was doing this for Ei, but maybe—just maybe—there was a factor that she's willing to help her archon's creation no matter what.

When she arrived at Tenshukaku, the boy was seen frantically pacing back and forth, a distressed expression on his face as he failed to stop his tears.

“Little one, I'll be willing to dispatch the help you need, but you need to be patient,” she had told him. “The Shogunate's doing what they can to round up the soldiers who could help.”

He turns to meet her gaze, and Yae Miko couldn't help but notice the desperation and fury in his eyes — one that she saw back then when Ei had lost Makoto.

“How long would it take? I need them dispatched now!”

“I know you're frustrated, little one, but you need to know I'm doing everything I can—”

“If they don't go now, my family will die!” he screams, unstoppable tears running down his cheeks. Startled by the fit of rage, the guards surrounding them had lifted their spears and pointed at the boy. Yae Miko raises her hand to tell them to halt, and though she did not want to admit it, she felt her heart sink at the sight of him.

He truly was fragile, and though without a heart, he feels. He was someone Ei cannot use, and with his emotions taking a huge toll on him, he was someone Yae Miko had feared for.

Though she pleaded with him to listen to her, he did not. He was convinced the guuji was just making excuses—knowing that she wasn't fond of him at all—and with great despair, he had concluded that the Shogunate had already forsaken Tatarasuna.

“Forget it.” he said bitterly as he wiped his tears.

“Where are you going?” Yae Miko called out the moment the puppet had turned on his heel. “Little one!”

Kabukimono leaves Tenshukaku without a single word.

Yae Miko, obviously distressed, started cursing underneath her breath as she rubbed her temple. She then turned to the Shogunate guards, ordering them to pick up the pace so they could leave faster.

The dispatch was sent like what the Guuji had promised. Troops were mobilized, and they crossed the sea onwards to Tatarasuna. But when they arrived, they were greeted to no great disaster. The fighting had concluded, as to what the mechanic, Escher, had said — and Niwa Nagamitsu had left the area with fear of punishment for malfeasance.

The Kabukimono had already shut down the furnace in place of Niwa, and upon receiving the news that he was the family he spoke of, Yae Miko could only guess the heaviness in his heart and wished not to disturb him further, only sending someone to return the golden feather to him.

“...I did everything I could.” Miko finishes.

There was a certain pain that struck Ei inside her chest after the former concluded what happened. She feels her heart crack open and bleed, and the thought of his broken expression crossing her mind made the crack widen even more.

He has been so much . Ei regrets it. She regrets everything from the moment she had decided to leave him. He has been so much, and she wasn't there.

“Ei?”

Interrupting her from her own thoughts, Ei absentmindedly wipes away the tear that was already rolling down her cheek. She quickly covers it up by raising her chin a bit, but Miko has already seen it, though she does not say a word.

“Will you be okay?” the guuji asks.

Ei nods her head. “Of course. Thank you for telling me about this. When Kuni recovers his memories, I'll make sure to mention this to him as well,” she replies, before standing up. “Anyways, I'll get going now. I promised Kuni to be back by the afternoon.”

Yae Miko simply gives a smile, standing up after her. “Sure, Ei. You take care.”

Before the archon could walk out the door, she turns back to meet her friend's eyes — a small smile on her lips and a glint of kindness in her gaze.

“...Thank you for looking out for Kuni back then, Miko.”

Yae laughs, “You're 400 years late, and the damage has already been done, my dear. But I suppose you're welcome. After all, I did it for you.”

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When Ei arrives back at Tenshukaku's front gate, she sees her attendants and some Okuzumeshuu guards crowding at the main front yard. Puzzled by this, she picks up her pace and approaches them on where they stood. 

“What's going on?”

“Almighty Shogun!” one Shogunate officer turned to meet her gaze, immediately bowing his head. “Some guards and attendants encountered some Fatui with Lord Kunikuzushi and they—”

Ei does not hear anything after that, because the next thing she knew was that she started rushing up the steps — moving swiftly like lightning, not caring about anything else. She hears her heartbeat pounding inside her chest, and it pulsates through the veins in her head.

When she entered the building, the doors slammed open.

In front of her was Kunikuzushi's back facing her, and it didn't take long until her eyes moved down and lingered to the crimson blood that had stained his hands and clothes.

“Mother…” he starts, turning around to meet her gaze.

Ei takes in a sharp breath at how he looked at her. He seemed dazed and confused, as if just discovering something. She wanted to ask about what happened, why he was drenched in blood, but it died in her tongue when the next words he had spoken brought nausea and dread inside her stomach.

“...Who is the Balladeer?”

Chapter Text

05.

“My Lord, Chinju forest isn't really the best place to take walks in…” one member of the Okuzumeshuu, Hanako, protests as he walks side by side with the Almighty Shogun's son. He glances at Kunikuzushi, but the boy was too busy looking around.

Earlier that day, a servant had asked him where he would like to go for the meantime while his mother attended some business in Grand Narukami Shrine. After a few moments of thinking, he finally decided he'd want to go to Chinju Forest to take a stroll. Though the staff of Tenshukaku were reluctant, Kunikuzushi had a way with words that ended up pursuading them to go with him.

With him—aside from Hanako—were only one more guard, and two retainers. Chinju Forest isn't really much of a tourist attraction at all, because of its gloomy aura and how the sun never rises or sets in it. It was packed with monsters camping in the darkness, with some even claiming that the whole forest was haunted and filled with ghosts.

A cold gust of wind startles the small group, except for Kunikuzushi who had just casually let an electro crystal fly rest on his finger. Hanako, in slight panic, turns to him.

“We should just leave… We don't want to get in trouble with Her Excellency. Byakko Plain's safer and—”

“But Byakko Plain's boring,” Kunikuzushi huffs. He looks at Hanako, who looks back at him with utmost concern. “Don't worry, mother won't scold us. I'll let her know it was I who wanted to go here.”

Yuki, another member of the Shogun's personal guards, lets out a nervous laugh. “My Lord, with all due respect, your safety is in our hands. Let's please just go back.”

The retainers kept claiming that they might disturb the youkai (if not, the monsters) living in the forest if they proceeded further, and though Kunikuzushi was not afraid, he eventually ended up listening to their concerns.

“Alright,” he quips, giving in to their pleas. “Let's go back.”

The others in their small group breathed out a sigh of relief, and as they turned back to follow the road towards the exit, Kunikuzushi's mechanical ears ring slightly. Alarmed, he turns his head back, only to be greeted by the forest's darkness, and a few fireflies illuminating small portions of it. 

Strange, he thinks. He could've been sure he heard something.

“...Lord Kunikuzushi?” Hanako calls out, turning back when he realizes that their Archon's son stopped in his tracks. “Is something wrong?”

“Wait. Shh.” He says, raising a hand to silence them. They comply, only staring at the puppet boy whose expression suddenly turned serious, eyes wandering over the area suspiciously. 

The Okuzumeshuu Guards raise their weapons and put themselves in a defensive stance, knowing that based on Kunikuzushi's alarmed state, there were possibly enemies approaching. The retainers hid behind them, anxiety pulsating their veins in anticipation as their hearts thud against their ribcage.

Kunikuzushi inhales sharply, “Get down. Now! ” he orders.

A sharp projectile suddenly bursts past the trees, startling the rest of them — but the boy was able to dodge and catch the arrow with his hand, not feeling any burning sensation on his porcelain skin. He frowned, not being able to wrap his head around how fast his reflexes seem, as if he has been trained for years. The main purpose of his creation was to hold a gnosis, and as far as he can remember , Raiden Ei hadn't imbued any combat training onto him.

So why—

His thoughts were interrupted when the arrow he held now clattered to the ground, followed by sounds of approaching footsteps. Kunikuzushi steps back, while the two Okuzumeshuu—though startled with the former catching tbe arrow between his hands—stepped forward to guard him.

Emerging from the mist and fog of the forest were the Fatui. Kunikuzushi felt as if alarms blared inside his head and cursed mentally at the sight of them, lips tugging into a frown. There were about eight Fatui soldiers; 3 agents, 4 skirmishers, and 1 cicin mage respectively. They were outnumbered, and though he had planned to talk them out of the situation, the young man knew that it was far from possible.

“I told you it was him, Romanov!” one Pyro Fatui agent says, voice distorted from the mask he wore, but nevertheless sounded relieved when they had approached closer to the small group. He immediately gets on one knee, fist clenched over his chest. “We're so sorry about the arrow, Lord Scaramouche! It was an accident!”

The rest of the Fatui, immediately recognizing one of the Fatui Harbingers, scrambles to the ground to kneel. The sudden gesture made Kunikuzushi's frown deepen, confusion all over his expression.

“Lord Scaramouche! We have been looking all over for you!” This time, it was the Electro Skirmisher that spoke for the rest. He sounded as if he was trembling at the sight of him. “It– It was I who accidentally fired the arrow. Please punish me as you please!”

Kunikuzushi blinks.

Scara…mouche?

Despite the confusion, he shakes his head — the expression almost apologetic. “I'm sorry, you must be mistaken,” he replies. “I am not the Scaramouche you speak of. You must be looking for someone else.”

The group of Fatui turned their heads to look at each other, bewildered at his sudden change of behaviour. They were not mistaken—they are sure of it; though he was now clad in pure white and purple clothing, in contrast to the dark colors he wore before, they were sure that he was the Balladeer. The one they had been searching for since his disappearance in Sumeru. Though their Majesty, the Tsaritsa, had not said a word regarding Scaramouche's defection, it was the Jester that had deployed them to look for him.

And now, he is here. The group of Fatui were almost trembling in excitement at the thought that their Lord Scaramouche was finally found, and that they would have a reward waiting for them in Snezhnaya when they bring him back.

The only problem, however, is that he was claiming not to be him. 

“Lord Scaramouche, what are you saying…?” one of them says. “We must take you back to Snezhnaya at once! Lord Pierro has dispatched a lot of us to find you!”

Kunikuzushi suddenly flinches at the name the Cicin Mage had mentioned. Pierro?  

There was a tinge of familiarity in the name, and everything that he had heard today had made his chest sink further in disbelief and confusion. Who were these people? Who is Pierro? Who is the Balladeer — Scaramouche?

Why… Kunikuzushi thinks. Why do my memories not line up?

He feels a sharp pain shooting up his head, like tendrils reaching for his skull and squeezing the life out of him. He lets out a yelp of pain, shutting his eyes. Both the Fatui and the Okuzumeshuu became alert at the young man's sudden dilemma, but the Shogunate's guards were quick to step forward, protecting him. The two retainers immediately rush to Kunikuzushi's aid, asking him what was wrong. Though they were outnumbered, their sole duty at the moment is to protect their Archon's son.

“Please step away from Lord Kunikuzushi,” Hanako says threateningly. “He is the son of the Almighty Shogun. You do not wish to tarnish Snezhnaya and Inazuma's diplomatic standing the moment you lay a hand on him.”

A Cryo Skirmisher steps forward, enraged. “Preposterous! He is the Balladeer of the Fatui Harbingers — under the Tsaritsa's command!” he says, an accusatory tone in his voice. “Are you saying that you have turned into a traitor, Lord Scaramouche?” 

Kunikuzushi, despite the pounding in his head, looks up to meet their gaze—his glare icy and cold.

“Do not call me that name…” he mutters through gritted teeth, already fuming and had no more patience regarding the situation. “I do not know who this Scaramouche or Balladeer you are talking about, but that is not me.” 

He grunts slightly as more pain shoots through his head, and he could hear one of the retainers worriedly asking him if he was alright. He reassures them that he was, before he looks at the Fatui one by one. The group trembled seeing the scowl on Kunikuzushi's face, as it reflected nothing but the same as how Scaramouche would look at them, but the more they were convinced that they were not leaving this place until he went with them.

“What else are you waiting for? Leave .” he glowers, voice echoing in the dark forest. “Or do you want yourselves to be personally punished by my mother, the Almighty Shogun?”

There was a tense silence that followed, with heavy glares and nervous looks being exchanged. But just when Kunikuzushi had thought that they'd back off, the Pyro Fatui Agent had impatiently raised his blade, and in a blink of an eye, he disappeared.

It all happened so fast. Kunikuzushi sees a faint red aura, but before he can move, the two retainers behind him fall to the ground, shrieking in pain as the agent slashes their backs. The two Shogunate guards were quick to move on their feet despite being momentarily startled, deflecting the shots aimed by the other members of the Fatui who had also started to attack them.

There was a deafening sound that rang through Kunikuzushi's ears, clashing with the fight that broke out between the guards and fatui. They were outnumbered — he had already known that. He hears everything and almost nothing all at once; the pained screams of his retainers as they bleed on the ground, the grunts of his guards and clashing of weapon upon weapon, followed by the obnoxious laughter of the Fatui.

His head started to pound, and there was an overwhelming emotion that had washed over him.

He cannot let his people die— he can't—

*

“...Hey! Wh–What's wrong!?” Kunikuzushi suddenly reels, hearing a voice inside his head. It's… him . It sounded like him. A flash enters his mind, like some kind of faded memory, startling him as he stumbles backwards in the midst of the ongoing fight. Everything is a blur, but he sees an image of a child on the floor, lifeless and pale.

He sees himself running to the child, cradling him in his arms as he desperately searches for a pulse. He shakes him, sobbing, the uncontrollable tears running down his face — almost numbing his cheeks. He felt helpless. Hurt. Enraged. Betrayed.

“Say something!” He hears himself scream.

Something in Kunikuzushi's chest constricts.

What…? What is this?

“You promised me we could be family! You're no different from Niwa and the others! You…” The fighting around him has drowned out with the sound of his own voice in his head, and once again felt tendrils spiking up his brain. He hears himself plead desperately in between sobs, before his voice eventually dies down into a much colder tone. “You betrayed me, too!”

Then, he hears himself laugh. A menacing, sickening, painful laugh in a mixture of his own chokes and tears. The sound of it was the last piece for Kunikuzushi to be overwhelmed by the cacophony of clashing in the background.

What is this memory? Who is Niwa? Who is this child? He wanted to cry, his head throbbing. He wanted to close his eyes and hope to be in the arms of his mother the moment he opens them back again. It's mine, but why can I not fit the pieces together?

*

Then, something inside him snaps.

When he is brought back to reality, he sees the Okuzumeshuu on the cold ground along with the retainers, injured and bleeding. The Fatui's joyful and obnoxious laughter overlapping the sounds of their pained groans made Kunikuzushi's chest tighten even more, and in that moment, he feels nothing but pure rage.

“Lord Scaramouche! We have defeated these lowly beings!” one Geo Skirmisher exclaims, and Kunikuzushi wonders what was there to be so happy about. It sickens him. He wanted them dead. “Let's go back to Snezhnaya, Lord Sca—”

Kunikuzushi's fingers twitch, electro energy building up from his fingertips, before he raises his hand as a force pulls the Skirmisher away from the group. Not even in a heartbeat, he catches the man by the throat, his eyes darkening in fury as he tightens his grip around the Fatuus' neck.

The other Fatui gape their mouths in horror, frozen in place as they were absolutely mortified by the sudden change in his aura. If he was intimidating a few moments ago, he is terrifying now.

They still do not understand why he had taken another identity, nor why he pledges loyalty to the Electro Archon, but they would always be convinced that no matter what — this young man in front of them was definitely the Balladeer.

“I had told you numerous times not to call me that. ” Kunikuzushi says angrily through gritted teeth, indigo eyes now glowing bright purple.

“I'm so–rry!” the Geo Skirmisher rasped out an apology, trying to get away from his grip, but the other had tightened his fingers around his neck even more. “Pl—please for…forgive me!”

“I gave all of you a chance earlier, but my patience has run thin.” Kunikuzushi replies coldly, and the skirmisher thrashes around his hold, but he was traumatically strong.

Not even after a few seconds of struggle, he releases the power of electro that built up in his fingertips, and the skirmisher's neck snaps , followed by his body going limp.

Kunikuzushi releases him and he falls to the ground with a loud thump. He was blinded by rage that he had not even realized the consequences of his actions — nor would he care. The sight of his attendants bleeding out was enough for him to think that he should just kill them all.

An eye for an eye.

The other members of the Fatui, upon seeing the skirmisher dead, screams . And they lash out at the young man who had their comrade's blood on his hands, not caring whether he was still a Harbinger or not. Right at that moment, they wanted revenge, and Kunikuzushi almost laughed at the sight of them going ballistic.

“You hypocrites! You hurt my people, and you cry the moment I do the same to yours!?” He bellows furiously, dodging their attacks as he summons more electro energy from his hands, and releasing it towards them. The Fatui were thrown around — into the trees and some towards large rocks — and they were electrocuted as well.

Kunikuzushi was on a rampage. No— Scaramouche was.

When the Fatui were now on the ground, beaten and near death, he then let out a sickening, cruel laugh. One so mocking and distasteful; the type that would send shivers down one's spine.

“Wait until the Harbingers find out about this!” one of them cries out, coughing and choking on their own blood. “You'd… die… a thousand deaths for this!”

Kunikuzushi walks towards them, stepping over their bodies as they let out pained groans. He stares at them, feeling something he had never felt before. Was this satisfaction?

When he tilts his head to the side a bit, his gaze meets with the cicin mage who had whimpered underneath him.

He smiles, though it was nowhere genuine.

“I'd like to see you try,” he mutters. “Sadly, you all won't be there to see it.”

He releases one final shockwave of lighting, piercing the Fatui members' bodies like stabbing them in the chest with knives. Thick crimson splashes on Kunikuzushi's white clothes and hands, staining them in the process.

“You were looking for trouble. No one to blame but yourselves.”

When the color of electrifying purple no longer illuminated his eyes, the young man felt himself getting drained by the energy. His head started to spin once again, and in that moment, all the rage he had felt started to dissipate — but he was still puzzled by the flashes of memories he had experienced; from the Fatui calling him names he had never heard before, down to the lifeless, nameless child in his arms.

He calls for his mother as he slowly slips out of consciousness, and the last thing he hears were approaching footsteps of men, before everything went black.

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“...We noticed they were taking longer than promised, so when we were dispatched to Chinju forest, that's how we came across Lord Kunikuzushi, Your Excellency. He seemed to have fainted after fighting the Fatui, but when we arrived back here in Tenshukaku, he regained consciousness and kept saying he needed to speak with you first before seeking a healer.” Takeshi, the head of the Okuzumeshuu, finishes his report, watching as Raiden Ei sits by the bedside, holding her sleeping son's hand.

A sigh slips past Ei's lips, “Are the Fatui dead?”

“Yes ma'am. All of them.”

“And Kunikuzushi was the one who did it?”

“We're positive,” Takeshi replies with a frown. “When we examined the bodies, they had visible electro burn marks — mostly on necks, chests, and arms. We could provide you the photos we took on the Kamera after we submit it to the Tri-Commission. The Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions would most likely handle this affair, Your Excellency.”

Ei feels a headache coming. After the Puppet Shogun had obliterated La Signora into ashes, the diplomatic standing of Snezhnaya and Inazuma had been on thin ice. Though she does not have communication with the Cryo Archon, it was no doubt that the Fatui Harbingers wanted her dead either (though she'd like to see them try). Now that Kunikuzushi had come across some Fatui, Ei thinks the higher ups had not known the situation just yet, because he had killed them and not given them a chance to escape.

She had known that Il Dottore was responsible for unsealing the electro powers she had kept locked inside him centuries ago, and though he no longer had the delusion or gnosis to amplify it, his raw strength was still as powerful.

Which was why, considering there was a possibility that he was to soon awoke from his slumber back then, she had sealed his powers to prevent further destruction. (Though, that was too late now, was it?)

“What about the retainers and the two Okuzumeshuu guards, Takeshi? How are they?” Ei asks.

“They're in the infirmary being tended by healers, Your Excellency. They're terribly injured, but they'll be alright.”

The Electro Archon purses her lips and nods, before she spares a glance at her son who had been asleep for almost two hours now. Her fingers tighten around his, and she brushes her thumb against his skin.

“That'll be all for now, Takeshi. Thank you,” she tells him, and the head of the Okuzumeshuu bows his head deeply in respect. “Please do inform me once the Tenryou and Kanjou Commissions come to see me.”

Takeshi nods, before straightening himself up and turns around to walk out.

When the wooden sliding door closes, Ei looks back at Kunikuzushi, who was now clean from the thick crimson that had stained his hands and clothes hours ago. It was definitely a sight that met her when she walked in Tenshukaku, seeing her son tainted in blood, with her heart sinking in her chest.

Earlier, when he had asked her who the Balladeer was, Ei does not know what to say — and she felt like her whole world had begun to crash down on her shoulders. But then, before she could respond to his question, he started to claim that he was confused, that there were memories and voices inside his head that he does not know of. He said the Fatui called him Scaramouche, but he does not recall naming himself that.

He broke down in tears, and Ei had managed to catch him in her arms just in time before he collapsed to the floor. She felt something heavy that weighed in her chest, as if splitting her heart in two. She knew he was starting to regain his memories, and though he did not doubt her presence just yet, she knew it would soon come to that. 

When he had slipped into a deep sleep after crying in the arms of his mother, Ei carried him to his room and cleaned him up. She tended to his wounds, because even when he's just a puppet, he bleeds. She wipes away the tears in his damp cheeks and the crimson stains in his porcelain skin. 

Then, she would leave a kiss on top of his forehead, because in just a span of weeks, she had transformed into a maternal figure that loves. And because she loves, she will not leave Kunikuzushi.

Now, as she sits there by the bedside, watching the rise and fall of her son's chest while he peacefully lays in his slumber, she thinks. 

She cannot go on like this. Kunikuzushi cannot go on like this — having to be the one dazed, confused, and hurt in the process of regaining his memories. She had given it a thought before to just let things unfold as it is; for him to recall his memories in a progressive manner. But this method was hurting him, and the more he would fall into deception if she kept more things from him sooner.

The Electro Archon had been thinking about it for a while.

If she wants to go on in fixing this relationship with him, she would rather tell Kunikuzushi the truth. But even if there was that fear that he'd push her away, she will embrace him tighter. She will never let him go — not again.

She shuts her eyes, focusing herself to be devoid of any noise.

Then,

“Nahida, are you there?”

She searches for her via consciousness, just what the God of Wisdom had taught her before she left Sumeru with Kunikuzushi.

A small pause, before a voice echoes inside her head.

“Hello, Ei.”