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The higher Sara ascended Mt. Yougou, the more her resolve started to crumble. The snow fell harder and the wind grew more bitter the closer she got to the peak. Each step on the mountain's stone stairs had to be made with caution as they were sporadically covered in patches of ice. She kept her wings wrapped around her body, capturing as much heat as she could to keep from shivering.
The tengu was admittedly ill-prepared to be out in these conditions, but part of her felt as if this is what she deserved. She deserved to be frozen over, to feel every ache and pain in her body as it struggled to stay warm. To reach the respite that the Sacred Sakura provided, she needed to suffer in exchange. For what she’s done, for who she is, Sara needed to pay. Even if she had to pay with her life.
Pushing through, gathering up every ounce of energy she had left, Sara made it to the Narukami Shrine. With the Sacred Sakura in sight, she was ready to finally let her body rest. She walked towards the tree, sitting down on the steps leading up to it.
Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, Sara spoke to herself. “Although snow falls alongside these sacred sakura petals, may they guide me down the right path…”
Trying to clear the fog that clouded her mind, she sat still and silent. But as the snow continued to fall, so too did her tears. She squeezed her eyes tight, as if they could pull back the tears that already started streaming down her face. The last shard of her composure cracking under pressure, Sara leaned forward and buried her head in her knees. Fully crying, fully sobbing, her body was too wracked with despair for her to feel the snow begin to pile onto her back.
The tengu was crying so hard that she barely heard the sounds of a certain kitsune walking towards her.
“General Kujou?” Yae called out, leaning forward to try to find the tengu’s hidden face.
Sara’s heart dropped in her chest, her body going completely frozen in fear. She felt bile threatening to push up past her throat. Guuji Yae was the absolute last person Sara wanted to be seen in this condition. So badly did the tengu wish for an avalanche to befall over her, burying her pathetic body in snow so she could be hidden from the rest of the world, hidden from her.
But something within Sara wanted to be seen, some indescribable desire that caused her to lift her head. The confused and concerned look on Yae’s face made the tengu nearly feel faint.
“Guuji Yae…” Sara said as she sniffled up the last of her tears. “I apologize for being a disturbance here, I can leave if-”
“Why, it's only the two of us here, dear,” Yae lifted a hand and motioned around her, showing how vacant the shrine currently was. “Besides, you came to the Shrine for a reason… did you not?”
Shogun Almighty… Sara cursed to herself. How could she have the gall to be upset over Yae’s presence when she’s the one who came to her shrine? Like a bird flying into a fox's den, she fell right into Yae’s hands. Sara could never get a good read on the crafty kitsune, a woman with so much power and mystique. It honestly scared her, but she could never give Yae the satisfaction of knowing that.
“I only came here to receive guidance from the Electro Archon through the Sacred Sakura,” Sara said as she let out a sigh. “I’d prefer to be left alone at the moment.”
Yae clicked her tongue, a soft yet sinister look in her eyes. “Forgive me, but I simply can’t leave you alone in this state. Do you expect the petals of the Sacred Sakura to wipe your tears as they fall from above? As a Shrine Maiden, it is my duty to assist those seeking guidance.
The kitsune moved closer to the tree’s steps as she spoke, brushing some snow off an empty spot before sitting down beside Sara. As much as Yae wanted to revel in the sight of the tengu squirming in her seat, she knew this wasn’t the right time for that.
“So tell me, child… what seems to be troubling you?” Yae asked.
“I…” Sara trailed off, words escaping her. “Don’t-”
“Don’t what?” Yae leaned forward, trying to look into the tengu’s eyes.
Leaning her head back and staring up at the sky, Sara had to escape the kitsune’s intense stare. Yae’s glowing amethyst eyes burned into her soul, hot enough to melt snow. The longer she let the silence between them linger, the more she became overwhelmed. Wanting to scream out both nothing and everything at once, Sara turned to look at Yae.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” Sara replied, wanting to take back her words as soon as they fell out of her mouth.
“There’s nothing wrong with shedding a few tears,” Yae said. “It’s normal to feel upset like this, especially during this time of year… when the sun sets earlier and leaves us ruminating in the dark.”
“No, this isn’t because of the weather,” Sara took a deep breath, the cold making it look like fog coming out of her mouth. “All the time, for as long as I remember… I could never understand what’s wrong with me…”
Yae sat still, her expression unreadable. Although she tried to hide any morsel of emotion on her face, Sara could still see a spark of pity in the kitsune’s eye. The last thing Sara wanted to feel was the feeling of being pitied. Being seen as a tragic mess that nobody dares attempt to fix. The tengu began to feel anger bubbling up inside her, only for it to dissipate when she felt Yae’s hand gently placed over her own.
“You can’t understand what you refuse to face,” Yae said softly. “I can tell you’ve been holding in these negative feelings for some time. Let it all out Sara…”
The tengu’s eyes grew heavy, tears threatening to fall as she tried blinking them away. Her head couldn’t stop pounding, couldn’t quiet down the swarm of thoughts that raced inside it. The only thing that kept Sara grounded was the feeling of Yae’s thumb softly rubbing the back of her hand. Never in a million years would she have imagined finding comfort in the kitsune’s presence. This sense of security felt so foreign to her, yet she felt safe, safe enough to let her vulnerability shine through.
“I… I feel so alone in this world.” Sara said, staring down at her lap. “I’ve always told myself that I’m better off living a solitary existence. But despite how much I’ve grown accustomed to it… it still hurts.”
“Social creatures like you and I aren’t meant to live in isolation,” Yae replied. “Why do you feel like you need to live this way?”
“If by ‘social creatures’ you mean youkai, I beg to differ,” Sara wrapped her wings tighter around her, soft black feathers grazing along her arms. “Despite being raised by humans, I’ve never fit in among them. Even my own family… they never treated me as one of their own.”
No longer able to hold them back any longer, tears started to stream down the tengu’s face. Yae gently squeezed Sara’s hand, testing the waters. The kitsune tried to push away the urge to pull in Sara close, to give her a shoulder to cry on. But for now, all she could offer were words of support.
“You seem to forget that I too am a youkai…” Yae said with a playful smirk. “I’ve been around many humans over hundreds of years, for the ones that choose to treat us like outcasts, there are just as many willing to embrace us. Besides…”
Throwing her last shred of hesitation to the wind, Yae scooted closer to Sara, closing the space between them. She placed her free hand on one of the tengu’s cheeks, turning her head so the two were facing each other. Using her thumb to wipe away a stream of tears, Yae kept her touch delicate yet deliberate. Sara certainly would have been blushing if her face wasn’t already red from crying. With her eyes going wide in shock, she watched as the look on the kitsune’s face softened.
“...We youkai are always there for each other, from the tengu in the forest to the kitsune up in the mountains. You’ll never be alone.” Yae said as she stared into Sara’s golden teary eyes.
“Guuji Yae…” Sara whispered. With her heart rate quickening and her head swimming, she found it difficult to hold herself together. Her body began to tremble, both from the cold from the anxiety coursing through her. As much as she wanted to escape the kitsune’s touch, fly away to never be seen again, she also yearned for more. Before the tengu had time to stop herself, she pulled her wings back and let herself fall into Yae’s arms.
The kitsune sat shocked for a moment, looking down at the girl sobbing into her chest. However, it didn’t take long for her to fully wrap Sara in an embrace. Bringing out her pink fox tail, she wrapped it behind the tengu. The warmth between them was enough to melt the snowflakes that stuck onto them, a warmth that made both of their hearts feel full.
They sat like this for a while, Sara letting out the last of her tears. Wrapping her arms around the kitsune, she held on tight, as if the wind could break them apart at any moment. Yae softly stroked the tengu’s hair, pushing her bangs back and placing a light kiss on her forehead. It was so quick that Yae thought Sara wouldn't have noticed, a foolish assumption from an otherwise clever kitsune.
Sara lifted her head to Yae, her eyes puffy and red. “Guuji-”
“Miko,” Yae interrupted.
“Huh?” Sara asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
“Call me Miko. We’re past the point of formalities, are we not?”
“Right…” Sara let out a nervous breath, her eyes shifting to the side. “Thank you, M-Miko. I just wish there was a way for me to repay you.”
“Repay me?” Yae couldn't help but giggle, already having one option for compensation in mind. “Kindness shouldn’t be seen as a mere transaction, little tengu… although if you really insist, you can pay me back with a kiss.”
Normally such a snide remark would instantly set off Sara’s alarm bells, but instead, she felt absolutely captivated. She was fully under Yae’s spell, in a trance she never wanted to escape from. All she could do was stare at Yae’s mouth, marvel at how one of her fangs just barely poked out from her mouth, making a tiny indent in her soft plush lips. The tengu’s breath hitched, taking one last look into Yae’s eyes before leaning forward.
Yae’s eyes went wide as soon as Sara’s lips crashed with her own, before quickly fluttering closed. Sara moved her hands so they were on each of Yae’s cheeks, with Yae keeping her hands on Sara’s waist. The tengu’s inexperience started to show as she kept her lips still, letting the kitsune guide her as she coaxed her mouth open. Their tongues danced together, taking in each other's taste as if they were starving. Pulling away for a moment, a thread of saliva connected their lips before breaking away.
“Miko…” Sara gasped, trying to catch her breath. The kitsune’s name was the only thing on her mind, like a mantra. MikoMikoMikoMiko…
“Yes, little tengu?” Yae asked, taking a hand and brushing Sara’s bangs away from her face.
Although the snow had long stopped falling, the temperature remained just above freezing. Even as the two women remained in each other's warm embrace, Sara couldn’t ignore the chill that sent her body shivering. “I’m starting to get cold…”
“Oh dear, we don’t want you freezing out here, now do we?” Yae stood up from the steps, reaching a hand out to Sara. “Come, I’ll bring you inside and make us some tea. How does that sound?”
“That sounds good, Thank you.” Sara stood up and grabbed Yae’s hand, letting her lead the way into a nearby building.
“Hmm…” Yae looked over her shoulder with a smirk, her eyes sparkling with desire. “If you keep thanking me, you might just have to repay me with more kisses~”