Chapter Text
A test of courage was a silly thing, in the eyes of The Raiden Shogun.
It was a game for children, something to be spurred on by dares and boasts, but it was also something that brought a sour taste to her mouth when she witnessed any adults taking part. She knew it was a petty thing to be annoyed with. This was a tradition, she reminded herself. A cultural affair as much as anything else. Perhaps those older participants she had seen were seeking a reminder of their childhood, rather than proof of their bravery.
For what was a walk through a forest in the face of a war? What true pride could be found in locating a box the Yashiro Commission had left in the woods? This country had just weathered such bloodshed, and now here were groups who thought a forest that they didn’t understand the significance of was the most frightening thing they could experience. It seemed so shallow to her, so fleeting.
Then again, she had been making an effort to embrace these passing fancies, if only in memory of Makoto.
It was nice to see the Traveller was there, at least. They had no need to prove their courage to any in this nation, no need to display further bravery than they already had, in facing an Archon in (mostly) single combat. However, despite the pleasantries, and how much joy it had brought Yae for her to attend and frighten the participants with her presence, she wanted to just be back within Tenshukaku. Sara was there, working away, and she liked to hope that her General missed her as well.
But before she could return, there was something she wanted to confirm. A feeling that had only been building since her arrival in the Chinju Woods. Something she was nearly certain was Yae Miko’s doing.
There were Yokai about, and a game of Akitsu Yuugei set up on the beach. It was almost enough to make her feel young again.
Kujou Sara did not have time for tests of courage, nor did she have time for the Yashiro commission’s scavenger hunts. Inazuma was starting to recover, and she was not going to let this momentum slip.
The Iradori festival earlier in the year had been a splendid success, despite a few hiccups and setbacks. The Yashiro Commission was doing… whatever it was that the eldest Kamisato had schemed up with Yae Miko. Trade routes with Watatsumi Island were well underway, and the influx of new merchants from across the sea was bringing in a much needed change of pace, both for trade and for communication. People had even stopped glaring at her so much on the streets when they thought she couldn’t see. While weathering a few sharp glances was well within her capabilities, it was… nice.
To some this would be a good time to take a rest. To savour the moment and enjoy some of the fruits of their labours. But Sara had no interest in risking all their progress by taking a few days off. Not when, at any moment, things could start to slip again. Sat within one of the rooms of Tenshukaku with a small mountain of reports laid out in front of her, she was the portrait of focus. Nothing could distract her from-
“Sara? Are you in here?”
Whatever thoughts she had been working through dissolved like petals off of a sakura tree as the general looked up and saw Ei in the doorway.
There was something so surreal about watching Ei sweep into a room, straight out of the silk prints and statues she used to (and still does) collect. The way her posture, tall and regal, would always relax when she spotted Sara. It was something so decidedly human, and something the Tengu found herself captivated by every time.
“Sara? Are you alright? You look out of it.”
The general blinked, head pleasantly empty as she processed that Ei was now in front of her table, peering down at her paperwork.
“I’m quite alright, Ei,” She said quickly, setting down her brush. A short break wouldn’t do any harm, surely. No sense in overworking herself, after all. The paper just… needed time for the ink to dry. That was it. She was just making sure the document didn’t get smudged. “I thought, ah, Yae Miko had called for you today? I assumed you’d be gone longer.”
“Oh, she turned me loose within Chinju forest and didn’t warn any of the participants that I would be there,” Ei gave a dismissive wave of her hand, picking up one of the papers Sara had just been looking over. Sara’s hanko sat nearby, the signature stamp carved with the symbol of the Kujou Clan, but this particular document had yet to be given final approval. “...have you been working this whole time, Sara?”
It was a foolish question, and they both knew it. Not that Sara would ever be so bold as to voice that, and not that Ei would ever admit defeat. The general’s idea of a relaxing day was practising her archery and swordsmanship with breaks for tea, rather than breaks for paperwork. Ei respected her dedication, admired it even, but it also brought her no end of concern some days.
“I am not one for tests of courage,” The Tengu spoke carefully, unsure if Ei had enjoyed her time at the event. Judging by the way her Archon chuckled and rolled her eyes, she figured it safe to proceed. “They seem frivolous. And I have much to do right now. Watatsumi Island is suggesting that-”
“There were Yokai present there, I could feel them.”
Ei had not exactly intended to interrupt, her excitement had gotten the better of her, but the silence that fell over the two of them after she blurted those words out was nothing short of deafening. Sara’s expression went perfectly blank, almost guarded, and Ei found herself suddenly feeling she had shoved her foot in her mouth.
On a normal day, were it anybody else, she might have just let the Shogun handle this. Slipped back into the Plane of Euthymia. A patented tactical retreat. But instead she decided to keep going, trying to pry out some hint as to what precisely she had said that had affected Sara so.
“Not particularly powerful ones, mind you,” She clarified. Sara’s expression remained unchanged, thus crossing out the potential idea that she felt threatened. “I don’t think any were Tengu, either.”
The general’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, but her eyes almost looked sadder at the clarification. Ei was beginning to panic, opening and closing her mouth once before she gave up and allowed for Sara to steer the conversation.
The silence dragged on, however.
Has she ever spoken of her people? Her childhood? She had spoken on occasion of Kujou Takayuki, rarely with much warmth to her tone. Her brothers too. But what of the other Tengu? How has this never come up before? Was she from Mount Yougou as well? Like Reizenbou and the Yougou Three? Or had she come from further, and the notion that a Tengu would be in attendance simply confused her.
So many questions, and so few answers. It was not that Sara never talked about herself with Ei, but it seemed she had been more selective than Ei realised, without the Archon fully catching it until now.
“...It seems they are trying to host a Mikawa Flower Festival,” Ei finally continued, searching Sara’s expression for any shred of recognition. And she found it, for just a moment. Something clicked, behind Sara’s eyes, and then her gaze slowly lowered back to the pages spread in front of her. “Have you ever attended one? Or… heard of it, perhaps?”
Once again, the silence stretched out between them. This time, however, Sara was the one to break it.
“Watatsumi Island is suggesting that trade vessels make more frequent trips, even if this means bringing less cargo each time, and supplementing the difference by encouraging visitors to travel between the various islands,” Sara spoke in the kind of tone generally reserved for other military personnel, not for Ei. It stung, for just a moment, but Ei knew her well enough to know that the other woman would slide back into old habit when caught off balance. Just as she herself would retreat back into her own mind. She nodded, a silent offer for Sara to continue, which the other woman seemed to accept. “I think it would have to be more of a seasonal arrangement, but it has some merit. When the waters are rough, the personnel on the boats should only be trained sailors. But during the calmer months, it could help people reconnect with family they grew separated from when the war began.”
Did you get separated from yours?
Ei ached to ask, but something told her she was better off not touching on that. Not now. Not when Sara was already on the retreat.
“I think your concerns have merit, I would hate for somebody to get hurt because they treated a working vessel as a pleasure cruise,” Ei nodded, setting the paper she had been examining back down on the table. Sara, rather than sealing it with her crest, instead rose from the chair. The sun had not yet set in the sky, this was early for her to be ending work without Ei suggesting it. “Are you alright? Is it something I said?”
Sara hesitated just a moment too long. Just a fraction of a second was all it took for Ei to have her answer, even before the lie left Sara’s lips.
“Of course, Ei, everything’s fine,” She spoke softly. This was not the Sara that had led an army. That had barged into Tenshukaku and tried to single handedly resolve a coup that had been festering for years. She seemed somehow defeated, and that thought broke Ei’s heart. “I might just go stretch my wings for a bit.”
“I will meet you back here tonight, then?” Ei asked, a hopeful lift to her tone sneaking in towards the end. Sara cracked a faint smile, nodding and leaning to touch a hand to Ei’s face for a moment before kissing her. Ei longed to just grab her, table between them be damned. To hold her close until Sara felt she could share what was bothering her. To keep her close. And safe. And… and that was not the eternity the two of them sought.
And so Ei smiled, brushing a stray lock of Sara’s hair out of her face, and giving her a reassuring little nod as her general turned and stepped onto the balcony. Sara vaulted the railing with a practised grace, dropping briefly before soaring suddenly upwards as her wings carried her.
Ei wondered, for just a moment, if Sara knew how much she fought with herself during times like these. How much she wanted to follow. Or tell her not to leave. It would be so easy to keep an eye on her, to see where she was going. See if she was crying.
But trust was something the two had needed to learn, both in themselves and in others. She would not break it over this.