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Sara released a long and low sigh as the chill of the night air nipped at their face. Now that the events of the day had simmered down, they were officially free to have some time to themself. Tension ebbed away from their muscles after they sat down, a silent tear rolling down their cheek. A gentle breeze blew sakura petals around their sitting form — gold eyes watching the petals dance in the wind.
“Ah, so this is where the little birdie flew off to,” Yae Miko’s mocking laughter caused Sara’s right brow to twitch in agitation. “…Want to talk about it — or rather, her?”
‘Of course, she knows the truth, why wouldn’t she?’ Sara internally groaned as they fidgeted with a blade of grass they had subconsciously plucked from the ground. “No.”
“No?!”
“I… Just want to enjoy the breeze. Alone.”
The silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps retreating — allowing the tengu the peace of mind that, for once, the Guuji listened. Kujou Sara took a deep breath as the familiar sensation of their wings extending caused their back to tingle. Despite how often they did this, they could never shake the memories of when their adopted father would catch them stretching their wings.
‘Don’t think of it,’ Sara told themself the moment the memories entered the front of their mind. ‘Just focus on the breeze — how it feels.’ A cool breeze blew against their face, bringing with it the familiar smell of ozone. ‘She got her anyway,’ A frown stretched over their face as an annoyed sigh left their slightly parted lips.
——
“General Kujou!” The voice was like nails on a board to the tengu warrior, yet still, they steeled their mask and turned their attention to the oni. “Where’s my rematch?!”
‘One.’ Sara took a slow, deep breath in.
‘Two.’ They held their breath.
‘Three.’
‘Four.’ A slow, inaudible exhale.
‘Five.’ Sara forced a thin, closed-eye smile.
“Leave.” This was very out of character for the general — they and those witnessing the display were very aware of that. “If I feel we need a rematch, I will accept your challenge. Until then—.”
“General Kujou!” Yae Miko’s voice cut through the air and effectively silenced the general. They knew to bite their tongue — upsetting the Guuji could upset the Shogun.
‘The Shogun-,’ Sara’s brain stuttered at the memories of the Shogun. ‘All this time…’ Their hand clenched into a fist at their side — memories of the day before resurfacing. They found out the truth about the Shogun and ‘Ei’ — as the Guuji kept referring to her — yesterday, which brought devastating thoughts to the surface of their mind.
The scene unfolding around them getting ignored by the tengu managed to catch the Guuji’s eye. Miko managed to coax the oni into leaving the area — which made getting the soldiers to let her leave with the general a lot easier. Once the two were far enough from Sara’s soldiers, Miko grabbed their hand and began pulling. Pulling Sara out of their memories. Pulling them along a path. A path they would soon find out would lead to Tenshukaku.
As the target building came into view, Miko picked up her pace — although still a ways away, she wanted to make sure to get there before the general fully snapped out of their daze. She was unable to accomplish that goal. It seemed as if the moment the two stepped into Inazuma City, Sara snapped back to normal — It also triggered a barrage of questions.
“Sara,” The kitsune growled under her breath. “Walk now. Questions later.”
“But-!”
“Walk. Now.” The growl increased in volume slightly and triggered Sara’s fight-or-flight instincts.
“Al-alright,” They internally cringed at their stutter but followed the Guuji nonetheless, managing to slip their hand out of hers in the meantime.
Once the two stood in front of the doors of Tenshukaku, dread washed over the tengu. How were they supposed to react to this knowledge? They barely even understood how it was all possible — and even that slight understanding came from a very frustrated Guuji. Said person seemed to notice Sara’s hesitation and discomfort because a moment after those thoughts started, a warm and delicate hand was placed on their arm — a soft hum of appreciation leaving the kitsune after feeling the way the tengu's muscles flexed at her touch.
“At least go inside and let her know you need time to process this, okay?” The guuji’s voice was uncharacteristically soft — a tone she took only with Ei most of the time, but one she was willing to let the general hear if it meant they calmed down. “You don’t have to do anything else — she just needs to know you don’t hate her for this.”
‘Hate her?!’ Sara’s eyes widened at Miko’s words and before either knew what was happening, the tengu was already making their way through the halls of Tenshukaku. ‘Her?! My archon?! Hate?! Me?!’ Their brain couldn’t process the thought — that the Shogun could ever think that they could hate her. Yes, the secret was major, but that didn’t stop Sara’s feelings. How could they be so foolish to let her think those things?
In an instant, the echoing of hurried footsteps came to an end — ending with the tengu warrior being face-to-face with the Shogun puppet. ‘Puppet.’ That word left an itch in the back of Sara’s mind — one they couldn’t get rid of easily. ‘Because she isn’t a puppet. Puppets don’t feel. She does. Albeit differently from others, there are still things she feels… Right?’
“General Kujou,” The voice started as the familiar, cold, and empty voice they had grown fond of before shifting into the unfamiliar voice of ‘Ei’. “I’m glad you decided to return — I know we threw a lot on you before.”
“Ei,” Yae Miko called from behind the general — having managed to catch up to the tengu who had ignored the calls of their name from the kitsune. “Let them speak to the Shogun first. I think it’ll be great for both of them.”
Sara watched as purple eyes dulled — a fleeting glimpse of fear was quickly struck down by the storm in the back of those captivating eyes. “Shogun-sama—.”
“My general,” The puppet took slow, calculated strides toward her general. “Do you-?”
“I don’t hate you!” Sara blurted before the puppet could continue, the leather of their gloves creating a sound that made them want to die on the inside — adding to their increased heart rate. “I-I’m sorry, Shogun-sama I just… I could never hate you. With my reaction yesterday — how I left so fast — it’s no wonder you came to that conclusion, but I promise you, Shogun-sama—.”
“My feelings for you,” Those words made Sara freeze. This was the moment of truth and they weren’t sure if they wanted to hear it or not.
Silence enveloped the room as the Shogun hesitantly lifted a hand to the tengu’s cheek — cupping their face the moment they leaned into her touch. Memories resurfaced for them both; Early mornings together, sparring. Afternoon tea together in the courtyard. Especially the late nights they shared. The cold lips of the Shogun ghosting over their skin. Worshipping them. Those nights would be burned into their memory until their inevitable demise.
Sara was the first to snap out of their thoughts — gloved hands lifting to rest atop the Shogun’s own. The action caused said being to suck in a sharp breath, effectively bringing her out of her thoughts. Her eyes refocused on her general as a familiar tug in her chest made her rest her forehead against that of her general. Sara found themself getting lost in the eyes of their Shogun — an invisible force seeming to push the two closer.
“Everything I said to you was genuine,” Although emotionless, the words held more weight to them than anyone outside of their tiny bubble would ever know. “Every touch. Every kiss. Every word.”
“Then…?”
“I don’t know what love feels like — but I do know I worry about you when you aren’t at my side. The thought of you getting hurt, or worse, makes me feel weak — like I need to lie down — and all I can do is wait until I’m able to hold you again.”
‘Archons,’ Sara bit the inside of their cheek as the Shogun’s lips brushed over their own.
“General Kujou Sara, I don’t know if this is ‘love’ or something else, but I do know that I care about you. Deeply. As more than just a general and their archon.”
“…The feeling’s mutual,” Sara managed to say — the Shogun sealing their versions of confessions with a kiss.
That was until a certain kitsune cleared her throat — reminding the two engulfed in their own little world that there was someone else with them. Sara separated from the Shogun with a clearing of their throat, a pink hue rising to their cheeks when the Guuji began laughing. Although normally a sound that would spell trouble for the general, in this instance, it was just a friendly tease at being caught kissing.
“Well, I’m glad you two talked things out,” Yae Miko nearly cooed. “…In your own way, but it worked.”
“Why are you still here?” The Shogun puppet sent a lazy glance to the Guuji.
“I wanted to see how things played out! You both needed me!”
“…Thank you, Guuji Yae,” Kujou Sara muttered loud enough for Miko to hear, stunning the room into silence.
‘Thank you for reminding me that the Shogun is more than just a puppet.’