Chapter Text
She let her neck go limp in Raiden's hands as her God tilted her head this way and that, examining every inch of her face. Her grip was gentle, but quite secure.
She felt her skin burn where it made contact with her God's palms.
"You have superficial injuries," Raiden stated, "but they are minor. Good. Allow me to examine your ribs."
A surge of panic "N-no! There's... there is no need."
Raiden's hands dropped to Sara's shoulders. She pulled back a little, eyebrows raised. "Are you sure? You appear ill at ease."
Sara might have laughed if she weren't rigid all over. Instead, a choked-off, odd little noise emerged from her throat. "Your Excellency, you... y-you are very close."
Between the rifthounds on Seirai Island and a storm-swept journey across the straight, General Kujou Sara arrived home drained beyond measure. She barely made it to her cot before she passed out, tengu wings bursting forth, lacking even the small measure of energy required to keep them hidden.
Sara awoke some time later to the sound of her door sliding open. She barely registered the identity of her guest before she found the Almighty Shogun atop her in her cot, straddling her thigh, examining her beloved General in her matter-of-fact way.
Though they had been lovers for some time, it seemed Raiden still failed to comprehend how her touch affected Sara, let alone... contact of this nature. She might have adapted faster were her partner anyone else, but the unreality of their situation still struck her senseless. Her God, the one she had sworn her life to, the Lord of Thunder who sat high above the nation, fighting and bleeding for her people as she defended them from foreign threats, ancient dragons and heaven itself was perched in Sara's lap, concerned over the state of her ribcage.
"I see," Raiden said, pulling Sara from her wonder. "I apologise for this lapse in manners." Raiden began to back away.
"No!" Sara blurted out, grabbing Raiden's forearm. "Please. Allow me to apologise, I was just startled upon waking, and..." She met Raiden's gaze. She took a moment to absorb the sensation of her presence – her warmth, her weight, her dense, earthy scent. She drank it in, and felt it settle like a heavy blanket, calming her nerves.
"I am glad to see you. Truly. I just..." She chuckled, freer this time. "Give me a moment to wake up."
Raiden smiled that tiny, subtle smile reserved for Sara alone. "Take all the time you require." Her hand returned to Sara's head as she ran her fingers through her hair, nails scraping gently against her scalp.
Sara hummed, a broken, airy sound. She sat up, then collapsed against Raiden, her face pressed into the crook of Raiden's shoulder.
"I thought my proximity was the cause of your distress," Raiden said. Her voice vibrated through Sara's cheek, and she could hear amusement in her voice.
"This is better," Sara said. "Now you can't see my face."
"Hmph." Raiden sniffed, bringing forth her most commanding tone. "And what of my wishes? I take great pleasure from studying your beauty."
Sara groaned, burying herself deeper against her God. "Stop, or you shall never see my face again."