Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The puppet of Tatarasuna
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Is a puppet that can feel emotions considered to have a heart?
Is a puppet having a heart considered human?
Can a puppet dream?
He had no answer. Since he was born, he has never stood up yet he has been through many stories. He has never been out yet he has seen so many things in the world. What is the human world, what is the meaning of life, what are people born for, under what destiny, he has never understood, all of these things seem to blend into a single tear when he witnessed this world, and he lost them when that tear fell down.
Between the boundary of dreaming and waking, the puppet's mind traveled throughout Inazuma. He had been at Narukami Island, an "eternal" citadel filled with cherry tree foliages which looked like pink clouds, he saw human lives passing by, including peaceful lives, or in pain and suffering due to life's tragedies, or demons. He heard his "mother"'s voice talking but couldn't remember what she said, was it to himself or to someone else? Spring turns to summer, fall turns to winter, rain turns to sunshine, birds sing, and tree branches rustle outside. But then it all came together in one place, an old house with branches stretching up the walls and a wooden roof like a rising wave of fire, and cushions of falling leaves like blood spreading. The puppet is forever there, through a curtain peering out into life.
But one day, the leaves did not fall to where they should. The nameless puppet still lay there quietly, even though he can hear the sound of falling rocks and the faint conversation of a group of people.
"There is such a large space behind the rock. Could it be that it was left by the crystal marrow mining team?"
"No, that's not true, the inside is completely built and well preserved. This is definitely something normal people can not do."
The man who was speaking stopped and bent down: "Huh, why is there someone lying here?"
The puppet squinted his eyes and looked back: "You are..."
The strange man was surprised: "You know how to talk? How are you, did you injure and was locked up here?” He observed the boy carefully, a young adolescent wearing luxurious clothes and exquisite jewelry was sitting beside the wall, with that outfit and appearance, he must be a noble, maybe even a young master from a big family. In such a time of war, let alone a noble family, even a weak child can easily be taken away for blackmail. No matters why he was here, this place couldn't stay any longer. After pondering, the man waved his hand at the subordinates behind him and said: "I shall take you out of here"
“Out of here?”
"Right. This place is very dangerous. The pavillion has seriously deteriorated, not to mention your kidnappers could return here at any time.” The man could see the teenager's hesitation, perhaps he was shy, or injured somewhere. He smiled then bent down, “Are you able to walk? If not, I shall carry you.”
And so, with the puppet hanging on the back, the group left the Shakkei Pavillion. They left without knowing what they brought back to the barracks. The puppet doesn't know either. The summer light when not covered by trees is so bright, cranes fly in the sky, the chirping of birds interferes with the sound of ocean waves. The wind smells of the sea and of raspberries. He had no idea if the warmth he was feeling was from the sunlight or from the shoulder of the man carrying him. It felt like someone pulled down the scarf that was always hanging on his head and pushed him out of his dream. The puppet now truly came to life. This was the first human he ever really came into contact with. Next to the names of “mother” and that yokai, he engraved the name of this person - Katsuragi.