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Kokomi does her best to smile as she waits for the ship bearing the most distinguished guests Watatsumi Island has ever hosted to dock. The capabilities these visitors have are such that they could have made the trip without the boat, and much faster, but they had all agreed that it would be for the best that they not demonstrate that they have such easy access to the island.
After all, neither of them is exactly popular with Kokomi’s people, though she hopes that will change if all of the promises she’s been given are kept.
She dearly hopes they’ll be kept. If they’re not…
If they’re not, she’ll be forced to lead a war once more, but this time the Raiden Shogun really will be her enemy, and no chance of victory will exist.
“Are you sure about this, Your Excellency?” Gorou murmurs. “If it were just Lady Yae, then maybe… But her, too?”
Kokomi considers her answer for a second, furtively checking to make sure that the soldiers accompanying them are standing far enough back that they won’t hear the conversation.
“It must be done,” Kokomi says, projecting as much certainty as she can in her tone. “And I’ve told you, Gorou, my cooperation with both of them has been going very well… or have you forgotten that Her Excellency the Shogun has been working so hard for our sakes?”
“I haven’t,” Gorou admits, shaking his head. “I know we’d be in a much worse place if she hadn’t forced through that commodity bill for us. But… I can’t just forget what she’s done, either.”
Kokomi is silent, gazing out at the ship that draws ever closer.
“You haven’t either, right, Your Excellency?” Gorou presses. “All of the lives that were lost in the war…? Her cruelty with the Vision Hunt Decree?”
Kokomi swallows. She resists the urge to fidget, remaining as still as she can. She still can’t meet Gorou’s eyes, so she tracks the waves with her gaze instead.
“Your Excellency?” Gorou asks, hesitation in his voice for the first time.
“…I haven’t forgotten the war, no,” Kokomi says quietly. “I could never.”
How could she? She still sees the ones she failed die in front of her eyes every time she goes to sleep, still wakes up with hands covered in blood only she can see.
And the worst part is that, in her nightmares, she enjoys every second of it.
It’s not the Raiden Shogun that’s the monster here. Not the sweet, gentle woman that Kokomi has met and worked on policy with, the god so horrified by her failures that she’s been working non-stop to try to make up for them. The god whose heart aches every time she’s reminded of the fact that her people fear her as much as they love her, who’s latched on to Kokomi as one of the few who didn’t react to their meeting with terror.
Even if she had hated the Raiden Shogun (and she hadn’t)…
Meeting Ei, seeing how lonely and desperate for companionship she is, would have made Kokomi reevaluate things.
“So then why?” Gorou asks. “If everything’s been going so well with you meeting with them over there, and with your letters… Why do you have to invite them here? I understand why you don’t want the fighting to continue, and I support that! But shouldn’t you be holding them at arms’ length? You can’t trust them!”
Kokomi sighs.
“There was more going on than you know,” Kokomi whispers. “It’s not as clear-cut as you think.”
“So tell me!” Gorou begs. “Help me understand!”
Kokomi finally, finally turns, but she keeps her eyes locked on the bridge of his nose.
“Tell me, Gorou,” she begins softly. “…Would you believe me if I said that the Raiden Shogun didn’t even know there was a war?”
“…I wouldn’t,” Gorou confesses. “That’s not possible, Your Excellency.”
Kokomi smiles bitterly and shakes her head.
“Unfortunately, it is,” she sighs. “There’s a lot she didn’t know. Her Excellency the Shogun has made many mistakes, but she has never acted out of malice. When she learned the truth… she was horrified. You do remember the joint statement I put out with her, don’t you?”
“…I thought it was propaganda,” Gorou admits. “I didn’t think she could actually consider the war a tragedy, since it was her fault.”
“It was,” Kokomi agrees, nodding. “But not deliberately, and not knowingly. If she had known sooner… I think things would have gone very differently. She really does only want the best for her people. For us.”
Ei had made clear to Kokomi that she genuinely had believed that the seizure of Visions was for the best, that ambition lead to loss and hurt. But if the attempt to clamp down on that was itself causing so much more harm…
She would have chosen the lesser evil, and ended the Vision Hunt Decree.
And now? Kokomi had asked. What do you believe now?
That the dreams of the people should be cherished, Ei had replied. That as their god, it’s my duty to uplift and support them. I swear to you, Your Excellency Sangonomiya, I will never repeat this mistake again.
And Kokomi had believed her.
Ei is a remarkably open and honest person, far more than Kokomi ever would have expected. The truth in her eyes, in her voice, had been unmistakable.
Ei will make other mistakes, Kokomi thinks. Maybe some of them will be harmful, if not caught, if her sometimes-questionable beliefs aren’t challenged.
But that’s what Kokomi is for. What Miko is for.
Ei knows her own flaws, knows her own stubbornness, and in her desire to be better and be a ruler worthy of her people, she’s asked them to act as checks on her decision-making.
Kokomi believes in Ei. She thinks the god is a good person, someone worthy of her trust.
But she doesn’t know how to communicate that to her people, when even Gorou is unwilling to take her word for it.
She just hopes that this visit, that letting her people see that the Raiden Shogun and Divine Priestess are on good terms with one another, will be a good first step. That the takeaway won’t be that she’s been somehow compromised, or that the Almighty Shogun is controlling her in some way.
“She killed our god,” Gorou objects. “How is that what’s best for us?”
“‘Our god’ attacked her people first,” Kokomi sighs. “‘Our people’ attacked ‘her people.’ You know that, Gorou. Our ancestors broke the treaty that governed the inclusion of Watatsumi Island in Inazuma and started a civil war, and all that Her Excellency the Shogun did was put an end to it. Holding a grudge against her for doing what she had to do to protect the people two thousand years ago doesn’t help us at all.”
Especially when we’ve been allowed the level of autonomy we have, she doesn’t say.
Complete self-governance, without any commissioners from Narukami. Free worship of their ancestral god, with no demands that they worship the Raiden Shogun. Their own standing army, and sovereign territory into which the Tenryou Commission requires permission to enter.
While the Kanjou Commission had, in recent years, managed to cause them trouble by raising tariffs to an unsustainable degree, that’s another thing that Ei had immediately changed.
Two thousand years ago, Watatsumi Island started a civil war.
And they were not punished for it. Not at all.
The force sent to war was routed, but the people of the island faced no reprisal. Things had continued on exactly as they had been before.
Grievances have to be let go eventually, she had said to Lumine.
A two thousand year grudge based on distorted facts cannot be allowed to continue. All it will do is ensure her people are never able to accept the world as it is, will never be able to escape the shadows of the past and embrace the future.
“…I just hope you know what you’re doing, Your Excellency,” Gorou murmurs.
“I do,” Kokomi swears.
And Gorou nods, a small smile on his face.
“I believe you,” he says.
If Kokomi’s return smile has a slightly desperate edge, Gorou is polite enough not to comment on it.
Kokomi turns back to the sea, watching as the ship arrives, as its anchor is cast down, as the two most beautiful women she’s ever seen descend from ship to shore so gracefully that they might as well be coming down from the heavens to grace the unworthy soil.
“Your Excellency, Lady Yae!” Kokomi calls, striding forward. “Welcome to Watatsumi Island!”
While she has permission to use their names, it would be inappropriate to show that degree of closeness in front of her people. They need to demonstrate a friendly relationship, yes, but not one that suggests Kokomi has been swayed to their side by personal feelings. It needs to be clear that, while Kokomi is working to form a close and positive relationship with the Raiden Shogun, her interests remain aligned with those of Watatsumi Island.
Just thinking about the delicate balance she’ll have to strike is enough for her to mentally strike off a point of energy.
“Thank you, Your Excellency Sangonomiya,” Ei returns. “We’re honored to be here.”
Ei’s smile is just a little too friendly for the level of distance they’re trying to project right now… but it’s not like Gorou doesn’t have some suspicions about the truth, and the rest of the soldiers likely can’t see her clearly from their distance.
It’s probably fine. Hopefully.
“My, my… everyone’s gone so formal all of a sudden,” Miko says, hand elegantly rising to cover what appears to be a yawn. “And here I thought we were here to have a play date.”
Kokomi meets Ei’s eyes and sees the same resigned fondness that she’s feeling reflected back at her. She’s aware of Gorou half-shuffling behind her as if to hide from Miko’s gaze, as if such a thing were possible.
And sure enough…
“Oh, and Gorou’s here too!” Miko notes, a predatory smile splitting her lips. “How wonderful.”
A part of Kokomi is always amused by the terror that Gorou always demonstrates in the face of Miko’s teasing — he’s so brave, yet when faced with an ancient kitsune who sees him as little more than a dress-up doll he absolutely crumbles.
Yae Miko is worth fearing. Kokomi sees no shame in it.
She just also can’t help but laugh at the fact that Gorou could probably stand up to Miko in a combat scenario (albeit hopelessly — the Lady Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine would tear through the poor general like tissue paper), but in a social setting…
“Take the soldiers and go prepare the people of Borou Village for our return,” Kokomi murmurs to him. “They’ll be staying in the Shrine, so the people will see us on our way. We may end up taking the scenic route, so just to be safe, please don’t expect us until late. I promise I’ll be safe, there will be no need to start a hunt for me — if we don’t arrive until after nightfall, we likely ended up detouring, since I want to give them the chance to see the island. I have camping supplies with me for the worst case — if you start a panic before I’ve been missing until tomorrow night, I’ll be very frustrated.”
Gorou bows and departs swiftly, no doubt eager to be far away from Miko’s amused gaze.
“The Shrine isn’t far from here,” Kokomi says, returning her attention to Ei and Miko. “No more than an hour’s travel, if we take the fastest route, but there’s no rush if you’d rather go another way.”
For an ordinary person it’s probably closer to two or even three hours, truthfully, but… Kokomi is used to forced marches, and neither Ei nor Miko is exactly ’ordinary.’
“We should be off, then,” Miko says.
The kitsune presses a long kiss to Ei’s cheek and then promptly shifts into her fox form and stares up at the god, who giggles and scoops her into her arms immediately.
“Miko isn’t a fan of anything that can be construed as ‘exercise,’” Ei explains, laughing softly as she pets the fox’s head. “I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for my company alone for the trip.”
“That’s more than fine,” Kokomi promises, unable to resist a giggle of her own.
Expecting Ei to carry her is so Miko that Kokomi can’t bring herself to be at all surprised. She’s not sure she can imagine the older priestess engaging in physical effort.
“It’s been a long time since I was here,” Ei sighs as they begin their walk, gazing around her with an expression that Kokomi can only describe as ‘wistful.’ “It’s as beautiful as I remembered.”
“When were you last here?” Kokomi asks curiously.
She’s not aware of any records of visits by the Shogun in the time since that first disastrous civil war, so it must have been quite some time ago.
“…It’s been more than two thousand years,” Ei admits softly. “I haven’t felt like I had the right, after I… Part of me still feels like I’m blaspheming this land by setting foot on it, invitation or no.”
“You are welcome here,” Kokomi says firmly. “I’m the one who gets to make that choice, aren’t I? I am the Divine Priestess.”
“That you are,” Ei laughs. “That you are. If the inheritor of Watatsumi herself bids me welcome, who am I to say otherwise?”
“Exactly,” Kokomi confirms. “Is there anywhere that you’d like to visit while you’re here?”
“…The ruins of the Mouun Shrine, if it’s acceptable,” Ei says. “I’ve heard they still stand?”
“They do,” Kokomi confirms, turning onto a side path that will allow them to proceed straight to the ruins. “The ruins are in strangely good condition, given their age. I would have thought they would have decayed further, if anything was left of them at all.”
Ei chuckles as she gazes up at the sky.
“No… No, I’m afraid a shrine in which two deities were enshrined isn’t quite so fragile a thing, even when both have perished,” she says distantly. “They’ve survived two thousand years, and I imagine it will be another two thousand years before they’re just a memory.”
“…Both have perished?” Kokomi asks carefully. “But you’re here, aren’t you?”
Ei’s smile is sad enough that Kokomi needs to blink back tears of her own.
“The one enshrined alongside your ancestor wasn’t me,” Ei says. “It was my twin sister, Makoto, the original Raiden Shogun. I was simply her kagemusha, the blade directed at her enemies — it was she who ruled in the light. When she died, five hundred years ago…”
“…You couldn’t let the people know that the God of Eternity was dead,” Kokomi whispers.
Ei nods.
A lot of things are clicking into place for Kokomi. She had known Ei wasn’t aware of what had been going on in Inazuma and that she’d had some kind of proxy ruling in her place, but this is the first time she’s heard of a twin sister and the first time she’s heard of the tragic circumstances under which Ei came to power.
Lady Sangonomiya, come quickly! the attendant had begged. The Divine Priestess, she’s…
Kokomi knows what it’s like to be forced into rulership. Her predecessor had been old, but if not for her illness she likely would have had another decade in her. Long enough that Kokomi would have had more time to prepare, more time to gain the respect of her people. Long enough that her ascension wouldn’t have been accompanied by a power struggle as she sought to prove herself despite her youth. It had forced her to rapidly grow up and push past her shyness in a way she doesn’t think she would have otherwise.
She wonders if Ei, like herself, had never wanted the job.
And as kind as Ei has been, she doesn’t dare ask. Not yet.
“I wanted to thank you again for your help,” Kokomi says, hoping the change of subject isn’t so abrupt as to be offensive. “We’ve managed to significantly reduce our supply shortages, and that wouldn’t have been possible without your commodity bill.”
“No, no,” Ei disagrees, grimacing and shaking her head. “That was just me correcting an injustice. The level of taxation that the Kanjou Commission was enforcing on you was absurd. Hiiragi Shinsuke was as corrupt as Kujou Takayuki, and I was blind to the rot that had set into Inazuma.”
“You’re not wrong,” Kokomi agrees. “But another ruler in your place might have decided it was a fair punishment for a faction that started a civil war.”
Ei stops moving and fixes Kokomi with a harsh glare.
“I started the civil war,” she grits out. “I, who foolishly allowed Kujou Takayuki’s Vision Hunt Decree to move forward, even knowing of his dealings with the Fatui. I, who was blind to Hiiragi Shinsuke’s abuse of your people and of outlanders, who was unaware of the damage that his Sakoku Decree was causing. I, who could not be reached for negotiation, who didn’t even notice as a war ravaged my people for a year. What you did, Kokomi, was stand up against injustice. Nothing more. If I were to punish that, I would deserve to be overthrown.”
“And that’s why I trust you,” Kokomi says softly, smiling up at the furious god. “That’s why I believe we can move forward together and create a better Inazuma.”
Ei sags, the fury draining out of her expression, and Miko in her arms stretches up to lick her cheek. She offers Kokomi a weak smile, and they continue on in silence.
Right now, there’s nothing more to be said.
“Here we are,” Kokomi says, gazing up at the torii that marks the entrance to the old shrine. “I’m… sorry for its state.”
“There’s no reason to be,” Ei says, shaking her head. “The destruction of the shrine was a perfectly reasonable reaction to your ancestor’s death at my hands. How could the people of Sangonomiya be expected to continue worshiping the Raiden Shogun after that?”
“Even so,” Kokomi says.
Ei smiles, soft and sad, and steps forward through the torii. Kokomi trails after her, unsure what else to say.
The god lets out a long sigh as the shrine itself comes into view in all of its collapsed glory. Miko slips from her arms and darts over to rub herself against Kokomi’s legs as Ei reaches out to trail her fingers over one of the simple stone lanterns lining the path, the electro energy already glowing within it sparking out to meet her.
“These were relit recently,” Ei murmurs, casting her gaze back at Kokomi. “No more than a month.”
“Lumine did it,” Kokomi says, responding to the unspoken question. “She was very apologetic, she wasn’t sure if she’d accidentally done something she shouldn’t have… but I told her that it was fine. That I was glad she had.”
This shrine is an important part of Watatsumi Island’s past. Maybe, just maybe, if she can successfully redeem Ei in the eyes of the people, it can be rebuilt.
There is no longer a Watatsumi Omikami to enshrine, as the Divine Priestesses have long refused to take up that title and the deeper calling within it despite inheriting the divine blood and a measure of its power.
But there is still a Raiden Shogun.
“I’ll have to thank her as well,” Ei sighs. “It… It’s nice to see that someone still has some care for this place, after all this time. It used to be a lovely shrine, you know… So full of life and energy. It was a sort of community gathering spot, and the miko were always ready to help with anything the people needed. I expect the current Sangonomiya Shrine is the same?”
“It is,” Kokomi confirms. “Whenever possible, we do our best to ensure we can help with the wishes of the people.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Ei murmurs. “It’s a tradition that deserves to be upheld.”
Kokomi hesitantly follows as Ei continues forward.
“See that field over there?” Ei asks, pointing. “That’s where a feast was held to celebrate the joining of Sangonomiya to Narukami and the joint enshrining of Makoto and Orobashi. Everyone was smiling and laughing, so full of hope for the future…”
“You were there?” Kokomi asks quietly. “From what you said, I thought…”
“That I was a hidden figure?” Ei asks, a more playful element in her smile than Kokomi has seen all day. “I was. Orobashi knew of me, of course, but the people of Sangonomiya weren’t allowed to. I attended as Makoto’s pet fox, as I often did for important social functions.”
Kokomi breathes out a laugh, picturing Ei as a fox in the vein of Miko: tiny and fluffy and purple, held in the arms of a woman identical to Ei as a feast was held.
“How did Orobashi attend?” she asks, hungry for any details about her ancestor. “Given his size…”
Ei laughs loudly, shaking her head.
“Yes, a giant snake would have been quite the problem in an area this small, wouldn’t he?” Ei giggles. “But no, he was perfectly capable of taking on a human form, as most gods can, even those who might prefer a more bestial body — I’m standing before you like this rather than in my fox shape, am I not? Orobashi enjoyed being a giant serpent far too much for anyone’s good, given his love of sneaking up on people to surprise them, but he spent a great deal of time in human shape too. I assure you your ancestors didn’t need to discover a way to produce offspring with a snake the size of a mountain!”
Kokomi chokes, not having thought of that aspect. To her, the tales of her descent from Orobashi have always simply been a background fact — the actual mechanics of it had never been something she’d devoted any time to thinking of, because… Well, why would she? But once it’s been pointed out…
“Yes, him having a human form makes sense,” she mumbles.
Ei chuckles again, and despite her embarrassment Kokomi can’t help but smile at seeing her in lighter spirits. The god’s head suddenly jerks to the side, eyes going wide as they gaze at something on the ground, and suddenly a small purple fox is pouncing on a loach.
And then Ei is back in her human shape, loach still wriggling in her mouth until she lets it fall free into her hands, a sheepish look on her face.
“Um,” she says. “Makoto used to enjoy watching Orobashi and I do that, when he made himself smaller. You know, on diplomatic visits, when they were winding down with a drink…”
Kokomi throws her head back and laughs, imagining the little purple fox she’d gotten only a quick glimpse of and a small white snake chasing loaches around while Ei’s sister laughs and cheers them on, a saucer of sake splashing some of its contents onto the ground as she thrusts her hand into the air.
It’s such a vivid mental image that she almost thinks she can actually see it, her thoughts overlaying themselves on the reality in front of her.
But Ei is frozen, gazing at the same spot as Kokomi.
“Ei, focus,” a soft voice commands, and Kokomi realizes Miko has returned to her human shape.
The older priestess is gripping Ei’s shoulders tightly, but Ei continues to gaze past her at the empty air.
“Ei,” Miko repeats. “Remember who you are. Remember where you are. Remember when you are. Remember why you’re here.”
“M-Miko?” Ei gasps out, something so vulnerable in her voice that Kokomi feels horribly wrong for being here to witness this. “I…”
“Who are you?” Miko asks, tone gentle but firm.
“Raiden Ma—” Ei begins.
Miko slaps her, and Kokomi herself reels back at the visceral force of the sound.
“No. That was your sister. That’s who you were,” Miko says, a dark note in her voice that has Kokomi shivering. “Who are you? Who are you now?”
“Raiden… Ei,” Ei whispers, a strange note of doubt in her voice.
“That’s right, my love… Raiden Ei,” Miko confirms. “And where are you right now?”
“Sangonomiya,” Ei says, more confidently.
“It was called that,” Miko agrees. “Some still do. But it has another name now. What is it called, Ei?”
Kokomi’s mouth is dry.
She’s seen this before.
Watatsumi Island hadn’t seen a real war in many, many years, before the tragedy of the Vision Hunt Decree. But there were still battles. Still raids by pirates. There was still tragedy and loss.
And sometimes… sometimes when a soldier has seen too much, they retreat inside of themself. Drawing them back out can be difficult, if not impossible.
This is no mere soldier.
This is Ei.
This is the Raiden Shogun.
What has she seen? What has she experienced?
Miko’s method of helping her through it is… rather more violent than Kokomi is entirely comfortable with (she would certainly never allow one of her suffering soldiers to be slapped), but she has to trust that the older priestess knows what she’s doing, that this is what Ei needs. She supposes that, if nothing else, a slap like that is unlikely to do any kind of harm at all to a god, but…
“W-Watatsumi Island?” Ei says, the words more like a question than a statement.
“Yes, Watatsumi Island,” Miko repeats, pressing her forehead to Ei’s. “And when are you?”
The helpless look Ei gives Miko breaks Kokomi’s heart.
“When are you, Ei?” Miko asks gently. “What happened recently? What happened long ago?”
“Recently,” Ei whispers. “There was… a war. I caused a war?”
Miko nods.
“Long ago,” Ei continues shakily. “Long ago…”
She lets out a keening wail, and Kokomi can tell that it’s only Miko’s grip on her that prevents her from falling to the ground.
“Makoto’s dead,” Ei wails. “She’s—”
“Yes,” Miko declares pitilessly. “Makoto is dead. Makoto has been dead for five hundred years, and you’ve only just returned to me, to make up for your mistakes. Why are you here, Ei? Why are you here on Watatsumi Island, so soon after the end of a civil war caused by your foolishness?”
Ei visibly stiffens, then shakes herself free of Miko’s grasp and meets Kokomi’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for showing you such an unpleasant side of myself, Your Excellency Sangonomiya,” Ei murmurs, bowing. “I assure you, my… instability… will have no influence on our further business.”
Kokomi feels sick. How is it that Ei could think that’s Kokomi’s concern after witnessing someone she’s started to think of as a friend in such a state?
She opens her mouth to rebuke her, to ask if she’s okay, to ask what triggered the episode—
But the words don’t come.
“…Follow me,” she says instead.
And they do. They follow her to the edge of the cliff behind the ruins of the shrine and down a difficult path that nobody save Kokomi has tread for many years. She leads them to the water’s edge, then pauses to strip her legs bare before settling herself on the ground and letting her feet dangle in the water.
It’s a moment before Ei and Miko repeat her actions and join her, Miko immediately snuggling up to Ei’s side.
“I used to come here a lot,” Kokomi begins quietly. “When it got too much. I’ve got a little cave now that I use instead, I set it up as a home away from home… but before that, this was my refuge. When I was still learning from the last Divine Priestess, I would come here to escape from all of her expectations, and after I inherited the position I came to vent my fears and doubts to the waves. The ocean… it will accept it all, and continue on as it always has. I found some comfort in that.”
She turns and meets Ei’s eyes.
“I can’t even pretend to imagine what you’ve been through,” she says. “And I know we’re not so close that you could be at all comfortable spilling your secrets to me. But… I’m here, Ei. If you need another ear, I’ll always be here. Not for the sake of relations between Narukami and Sangonomiya, but because you’re my friend.”
Ei covers her face with her hand.
”…You remind me of him,” she says.
“Him?” Kokomi asks.
“Of… Orobashi,” Ei says, expression still hidden by her hand. “He was… a very kind god. His people were everything to him.”
“…But he attacked Yashiori Island,” Kokomi whispers, not entirely sure why she’s trying to argue against Ei’s words, but unwilling to let the sins of the past be forgotten.
“He did,” Ei agrees, voice pained. “I still don’t know why. It was… the first time I was forced to cut down one I called ‘friend.’”
The it was not the last remains unspoken, but Kokomi hears it clearly.
“That won’t happen with me,” Kokomi vows. “You’re stuck with me.”
Ei’s smile as she lowers her hand is shaky, but it’s real.
“Up there, at the shrine,” Ei murmurs. “I… saw it. An echo of the past. The leylines of Inazuma have been disturbed lately, old memories replaying themselves… It was simply unfortunate timing.”
…So it had been real, then, what Kokomi saw.
“I’m sorry,” Kokomi whispers.
“Don’t be,” Ei dismisses. “I need to move past it someday, if I’m to make Inazuma better. If I’m to be the kind of Shogun it deserves. And, besides…”
Ei gazes off into the distance, a small smile on her face.
“I’ve got a new friend to help me now, don’t I?”
Kokomi smiles as well, letting her eyes fix on the same distant point as Ei’s.
“You do.”
