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The first thing Ennoshita noticed when he awoke was the calm sound of silence. No bustling, no yelling… just soft, almost ethereal silence. He sat up from where he had slumbered slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes… how long had he been asleep? The last thing he remembered was…
Oh… right… he ran away…
No wonder it was so quiet. He wasn't back at the Tsaritsa's palace, or where the Fatui held their meetings. He was… well, he hadn't the slightest idea where he was. it… looked like some sort of cave, or cavern. It was adorned with the brightest, luminescent flowers Ennoshita had ever laid his eyes upon. He felt… strangely at home here… like this was where he was always meant to be.
A soft brush on his hand caught his attention. he looked down and saw a sweet-looking kuuvahki flutter around him like a fairy… oh, it's been far too long since he's treasured such a divine being. He held out his hands, and the kuuvahki floated right into them as it belonged.
"Hello, little one…"
The kuuvahki chittered in delight, making Ennoshita smile.
"Do you live here?"
The kuuvahki floated down from Ennoshita's hands onto the flower-coated ground. It spun around for a moment, silently telling Ennoshita to follow. How could Ennoshita refuse?
Ennoshita floated down from where he'd slept, the action coming to him like second nature. He slowly followed the Kuuvahki around, basking in the feel and pull of the moon…
The moon…
Ah, that's right… The moon and him where one. It's no wonder the Kuuvahki was so calm around him. He allowed himself another smile.
"I've been gone for far too long, haven't I, little one?"
The kuvvahki chittered in agreement.
"I think so too…"
He stopped in the middle of a particular bed of flowers, the patch seeming brighter than any others. Ennoshita hummed a little under his breath as he spun around slowly in a mock dance. Life for him had never been this calm…
"Oh, Tori, isn't this place beautiful?" he asked…
No answer.
Ennoshita paused his movement, confused. "Satori? My love?"
No answer once more… Where had Satori gone?
"Satori!"
His voice only echoed back to him.
No teasing voice, no delicate kiss on the cheek in greeting… it was as if—
…oh.
"He chose to stay…?" Ennoshita asked himself quietly, not wanting to believe the words that came out of his mouth…
"By your side is where I truly belong, my darling."
If that were the case, why wasn't he here?
Ennoshtita Vuagley remembers the night before his leave… they had danced in one of the palace ballrooms, away from any prying Fatui eyes. The only music was the soft sound of Ennoshtita's humming.
And that was it… Why couldn't he remember the rest? How long had passed since that night? Was Satori still with the harbingers? Was the world finally under the Tsarita's rule? Could Ennoshita even go back… just to see his love one last time?
He sank to his knees, curling up softly in the bed of flowers. Though, as if responding to his sadness, the flowers dimmed. The little kuuvahki gave another chitter, this one more somber, as if sensing his goddess was in pain.
A goddess… yes, that's what he was… a goddess of the moon… oh, why must these memories come in fractions? Why can't he have all the answers now!?
…I guess it wasn't meant to be…
The flowers began to sway in a non-existent wind… Ennoshita noticed a fallen feather fluttering in an attempt to follow… He picked it up and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss… He let the feather go, watching it follow the wind's path that led to the outside…
"Oh, Tori… I'm so sorry…"
…
Had Sneznyah always felt this cold? He wasn't sure… Things had been different since Ennoshita's disappearance…
Satori leaned against his balcony railing and sighed… Why did he have to leave? Why must he leave Satori alone by himself in the shit storm that is the Fatui… Why did he stay and not go with him?
Perhaps Satori still has his stubborn loyalty to the Tsaritsa, and his love for the children in the house of hearth… but nothing truly compared to the love he felt for Ennoshita.
He was a coward, that's what he was… a cruel, stubborn coward because the Tsaritsa had all his harbingers wrapped around his finger…
"I wish you were here, my darling… You always knew how to brighten my mood."
The never-ending snow came down tonight in a soft flurry, winds soft yet still carrying that icy bite…
A knock on his balcony door caught his attention. He turned around, only to see Futakuchi's unpleasant face.
"Jesus, must you always wear that awful frown?" He teased.
"Ha ha, like you haven't used that one a thousand times already."
"You and Konoha, always such buzzkills."
"Okay, enough, the Tsarista has called for us."
"Again? That's the 3rd time this month."
"Yeah, well, considering our harbingers keep disappearing, it calls for dramatic measures."
"Someone else left?"
"That damn 'mad-dog' took his shit and left the other night."
"Kyoutani? Why are we worried about him? He's the weakest one of the bunch."
"He's still a harbinger on the loose with valuable information, if it gets out—"
"La la la, enough, I'm sure Kita will bust his balls in this meeting and explain everything, no need to hear it from you."
Futakuchi narrowed his eyes. "Grow up, Satori… just because he's gone doesn't mean you get to act like a child." With that, he left before Satori could say anything back.
Who does the bastard think he is? Grow up? Yeah, okay, you try having the love of your life run away and leave you here with a bunch of shoe-licking assholes—
The feather brushed his cheek ever so slightly, making Satori freeze… he grabbed the feather before it could blow away. He twirled it around in his hand, watching as it shimmered under the moon…
"My darling…"
He looked past the Snezhnayan walls, hope building carefully in his chest.
"Wait for me, my love… our story doesn't end here…"
He tucked the feather into his coat pocket and left for the meeting. He would play along for now. Sooner or later, fate would have them cross paths again. Satori still stands as number 4 of the Fatui harbingers.
Nothing will be getting in his way, not on his damn watch.