Chapter Text
Ei was dramatic.
She knew this because that’s what Miko had told her over and over again for years.
And when it wasn’t Miko who said this, it was Kaeya.
The gentle, well-spoken man with a penchant for mischief.
Every week, he would make a visit.
And every week, she would get a gift and a story.
And every week, she would smile.
All the drama built up would surrender to a cup of tea, to the warm laughter of a Prince from a fallen nation.
But he tried to take it away from her.
When Ei first saw the evidence, she almost couldn’t believe it.
Even though the papers were in her hands, which drew attention to the other guilty party, there was this feeling of disbelief.
Takayuki was expected. He had been the primary suspect from the get-go, in fact, Ei expected him to be the only one.
But even though he was the one who created the plan, he had not been the one to plunge the sword into Kaeya’s chest.
That role had been placed upon another… someone who didn’t make sense.
It was like those plot twists in the books Miko would bring over, where the culprit was someone no one expected; who had covered their tracks so well that there was no way to determine who had done it until the last moment. Usually, it was the detective, or the protagonist themselves.
And sure, if this were a light novel, then this would be a brilliant twist.
But now? Ei was just confused.
And that confusion spun into anger, as quick as the first strike of lighting in an incoming storm.
And an incoming storm shall come indeed. It shall arrive fiercely, carrying her emotions in brutal waves. No one shall be prepared for the booms of thunder and the cracks of light, just as how she was unprepared to receive the news that it was Thoma who had stabbed the sword through Kaeya.
Thoma, who was trusted by nearly everyone, including her.
He had been spending his nights staying at Kaeya’s house, not as a manner of protecting himself.
He knew that he would have been caught sooner or later, at least before he decided to turn himself in.
There was a numbness in his fingers, in his chest.
Although he had been spending his time with Kaeya as a means of repenting, he knew that he would never be forgiven. Not by Kaeya, but by himself.
He didn’t mean to do it, he could claim.
It was an accident.
But it wasn’t.
He held the sword in his hands, he saw his face.
He had not stabbed Kaeya in the back, but rather in the front, just after he had gotten rid of the treasure hoarders.
Kaeya saw him, sword clenched in his hands, as he plunged it into the man, his brother's, chest.
He also knew that Kaeya saw the tears he had shed, his gargled apologies as he laid his body down in the water, but that didn’t matter.
He committed a sinful act, and it was only a matter of time.
Thoma left Kaeya’s house that day, the entire place spotless.
Not a pinch of dust in sight, not a piece of clothing out of place.
He was not planning on returning in a while.
Sara found Thoma easily.
He sat under the large Sakura tree in Inazuma City. He did not seem bothered in the slightest, despite the poor weather caused by the Raiden Shogun. That weather had rid him of his animal companions, who were all hiding away from the bad storm.
Thoma noticed her immediately but did not falter.
Instead, he smiled softly and nodded, standing with his hands out.
She bound his hands together silently, knowing that she probably didn’t have to do so in the first place.
She felt sick to her stomach.
This was the man who had tricked them all into believing he was innocent and yet managed to smile.
Had the guilt of being a liar not caught up to him? Did he not regret the actions he had done that day?
He had seen Kaeya, gaunt and pale. He had been a part of nursing him back to health.
And yet he smiles as if this were a game, make-believe.
Kujou Sara was disgusted that she had managed to fall for his mask, pretending that a killer was a kind soul.
And she knew that others felt the same way, seeing their horrified faces as she walked by, him in tow.
And she knew that Inazuma would never quite recover after such a betrayal.
Ayato didn’t need to be told; he already knew.
He already knew that Thoma’s hands were covered in blood, that he had been romancing a murderer.
Ayato already knew it; he just didn’t know how to deal with it.
Somehow, even though he was not the one to be attacked, he felt a stabbing in his chest, with the same sword Thoma had used with Kaeya.
It was fear.
A fear that all those late nights spent chuckling in his office, the nights where Thoma had been cuddled up to his side, the nights where Ayato would drift away to the sound of the blonde’s heartbeat, that they were all a lie.
A carefully constructed lie Ayato played into, to fulfill his own needs for love.
Ayato wouldn’t speak of the days he had cried silently in his office, burdened with a destructive knowledge.
He wouldn’t tell anyone of how he had kept Thoma’s secret hidden, how he struggled between the ideas of justice and protection.
He would not speak a word.
In all actuality, Ayato knew that there had to be a reason for Thoma’s sin.
Thoma was not the type to do something for no reason.
But a part of him also knew that Kaeya was innocent, no matter what Thoma was to convict him of.
And even if Kaeya was not, it was improper for Thoma to simply act upon instinct, to murder, rather than report the offense.
At this point, there was nothing that would clear Thoma’s name.
Not a note to explain, nor a note to ask for Ayato to “wait for me”.
There was nothing Ayato could do to help, and that might have been the thing that pained him the most.
Ei had dealt with Takayuki quickly.
There was not much about him that Ei didn’t already know.
His cowardness is a major point.
Without a second thought, she had sent him away to the jail.
In her eyes, he was not the major problem.
She didn’t even need to hear what he had to say about his partner in crime, because she wanted to hear it from him and him alone. Nobody else.
She wanted to hear him recite his crimes, admit his fault, to beg for forgiveness.
She wanted to hear his pleas, his cries.
She wanted to hear his suffering.
However…
She also knew that to some extent, Thoma was innocent.
Was it a crime to fall victim to blackmail? To place more importance on one thing than another?
Ei knew that if she were in Thoma’s shoes, where she had to pick between Makoto and Kaeya, she likely would’ve saved Makoto.
She knew that, logically, Thoma had picked the situation with less consequence.
“As head of the Tenryou Commission, I’m able to eliminate obstacles quickly and efficiently. No one will know where he would have gone, and no one would suspect me to be a part of the crime. I have the primary authority over the justice system in Inazuma – I control the officers that can arrest anyone at any time, as long as there’s evidence, which I can also provide.
Don’t misunderstand me, Thoma. You should be grateful that I’m providing you with an option. It’s between the lives of many, including your precious Kamisato Ayato, or help me with a plan.
I have faith that you would make the right decision.”
The looping words were an attempt to cover up the disgusting nature of the letter, a move that ultimately failed. So, to some extent, Ei understood Thoma’s actions.
On paper, the choice would be easy.
Ei knew how greatly he valued his relationship with Kamisato Ayato and the Kamisato clan as a whole, as told to her by Kaeya. And given that he wasn’t provided details as to what this “plan” was, Thoma would be far more innocent than Takayuki would be.
And yet… there was still this bitter taste on her tongue.
Letting him go free didn’t seem quite right, as this case was no longer just one of coercion, but rather one of betrayal.
He had time to evaluate, to change his mind.
Perhaps it was out of blind panic and fear that he didn’t, but that was something that she didn’t know, something that Thoma would have to claim.
The sound of the front doors opening brought her out of her trance.
He had arrived.
Thoma didn’t know the Shogun well.
They had only met once, after all.
Everything that he knew about her came from that brief meeting, and from conversations with Kaeya and Ayato.
He remembered once, that a stranger called her, “a cold, domineering figure, whose only passion is to seek eternity”.
That was before Kaeya’s arrival.
The whole of Inazuma could feel the switch, after the week that the Shogun had met with Kaeya.
There had been whispers of the ending of the Sakoku decree, despite its recent implementation.
Guards who had been silently discussing the potential vision hunt decree stopped.
Those who semi-frequently met with the Shogun saw her cold exterior begin to fade.
As described by Guuji Yae, “the ice that my god has surrounded herself with is beginning to melt, by the hands of a cryo-vision holder nonetheless”.
What a silly turn of events, that just as a cryo-vision user melts that shield down, a pyro-vision user builds it back up again.
Her stare, was indeed, cold – freezing, even.
It both froze and burned, a feeling that could bring a man to his knees.
And to his knees, he was brought, more out of custom than of fear.
His greatest fear had already come true.
Not that his crime would be revealed, but that he had lied.
He said that he would have been a good brother to Kaeya.
A better one than Diluc had been.
He had lied, and that hurt so much more than anything ever could.
And so, he bowed his head and accepted his fate.
“You had been the one to attack Kaeya.”
Ei stated. That had been a fact.
Thoma didn’t respond, electing to keep his head down, though Ei could see a slight tremble in his arm.
“He was lured to the location in order to get rid of some treasure hoarders, which was a request he was given from a Tenryou commission officer, who was working directly for Kujou Takayuki. After Kaeya had gotten rid of the treasure hoarders, you arrived and attacked Kaeya. You plunged a sword into his abdomen and left him there to bleed out. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Thoma whispered, head still bowed.
“Kujou Takayuki had a role in this, am I correct?”
“Yes, he had been the one to relay the plan to me.”
“Did you know it was going to be Kaeya?”
Thoma remained silent.
“I asked you a question, and I expect you to answer.”
The thunder pulsed outside.
“… No, but what difference does that make?”
Thoma laughs, a pained sound that caught her off guard.
“We both know the evidence. There’s no way to paint me as innocent, no matter how hard anyone tries, because I’m not.”
His tears dripped onto the wood, letting out soft sounds of agony.
“Do you mean to say that you already accept what punishments lie ahead?”
Ei could feel her rage dwindle as the regret overtook her.
Was it necessary to punish a man even more than he already punishes himself?
He had already shown his regrets, his guilt, in the form of tears and a bowed head.
Would it be virtuous to jail him; would it be virtuous to set him free?
Ei took in a deep breath.
Perhaps it was time to be cold once again.
Because betrayal is what happens to warm, kind-hearted people, and she refuses to be betrayed again.
“Send him to the jail, Sara.”
The general almost seemed shocked, before gritting her teeth together and lifting Thoma off the ground.
Just before the two left, Thoma whispered quietly.
“I’m glad that you did the right thing to a traitor like me, Almighty Shogun.”
The doors shut, and she broke.
Her head fell into her hands and she couldn’t help but feel as though she had made the wrong choice.
The lighting continued to cry, and the thunders continued to crash.
Perhaps this was eternity.
“Kaeya-”
The redhead was frantic, breath leaving his body as huffs and pants.
“Diluc?”
Kaeya turned away from the book he was reading to look at him.
“Why did I-”
He coughs,
“Why did I just see Thoma getting dragged away by-”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re here about.”
Kaeya sighed, brushing his hair away from his face.
“You… you already knew.”
Diluc took a step back.
“You knew that I knew,”
Kaeya croaked out a laugh,
“Why are you so surprised.”
“How can you be so carefree about this! Your close friend, hell, ‘brother’, nearly killed you.”
Kaeya watched as Diluc’s face turned red, as his composure started to slip.
He couldn’t help it, he had to laugh.
“It wouldn’t have been the first time.”
Diluc paused, standing perfectly still.
It was like he had seen a ghost.
Kaeya sighed,
“Look, Diluc, it was bound to happen.”
“I’m…”
He seemed lost for words.
“I should have known better than have believed that someone could have loved me, could have accepted me.”
Once again, Kaeya laughed.
“I mean, a monster like me? A sinner? We don’t deserve love, you know that, Diluc.”
Kaeya shut his book, unbothered by the loud closing sound.
“Kaeya… I didn’t…”
Diluc tried to find the correct words.
“I’m sorry.”
He let out a shaky breath,
“I’m sorry that I’ve made you feel like this, that you’ve had to suffer for so, so long. I’m sorry brother, I’m so sorry.”
Diluc was on his knees, pressing his head against Kaeya’s bed.
“You know, I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to keep that love I felt, no matter how fake it was. I’m so selfish, aren’t I?”
Diluc lifted his head, teary-eyed,
“Kae- Brother, please-”
“A part of me wishes, that he had killed me that day. Perhaps then, the world would be cleansed.”
Kaeya had a disturbing look on his face, one that didn’t match what he was saying at all.
He was smiling.
“Kae-”
“I suppose it is true then… no matter where I go, I’ll never reach freedom.”
For the final time that night, he laughed.
And that was the last time anyone had heard from him.