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Kujou Sara was not having a good day.
The diligent general’s early morning work routine usually consisted of military drills and training, going through official paperwork as well as addressing any pressing matters that the good citizens of Inazuma would post in the city bulletin boards.
Training and paperwork had gone smoothly enough, albeit being routine and a little monotonous but all the familiarity of a usual and comfortable work day had ended the minute she spotted the flamboyantly designed poster hanging on the bulletin board.
The sick feeling in her gut solidified every step that she took towards it, and as the words ‘Almighty’ and ‘Arataki’ came into view, every instinct in her body told her that she absolutely would be working overtime today.
Sighing, she removed the pinned poster from the board and held it up to her face to better inspect it.
“To celebrate Shinobu's successful graduation and, y'know, show off the almighty awesomeness of the Arataki Gang, I've decided to book a grand venue in Ritou to organize a festival!
We're calling it ‘The Almighty Arataki Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival!’ How's that? Quaking with excitement already, I'll bet!
I can guarantee that this festival will be as massive as the Irodori Festival and more meaningful than Lantern Rite! Once it's over, the gang's name will spread far and wide, all across Inazuma!
And that's why I thought of you, buddy. I'd love for you to join in on the fun!
We can go nuts! Sing songs! Do some beetle fights! Grill some Lavender Melons!
How about it? Excited? Oh, I bet you are, so hurry down to Ritou, I'll wait for you there!
Ahahahaha!
Uh... Wait, Shinobu, I don't think we need that line about Lavender Melons. It just doesn't sound cool enough.
Hey, I said we didn't need it!
And we don't need this line either... Oh, come on...!”
She resisted the urge to slam her palm against her face. The crude poster looked like it was just a modified invitation letter, and based on the lines, the rambunctious oni wasn’t even the one who wrote it. As she was best wondering how to deal with the situation, a silky voice rang out.
“Sara?”
Turning around, her gaze rested on the figure who had startled her; an elegant looking noble clad in robes of purple, visage hidden beneath a large bamboo hat.
However, there was no mistaking her voice, especially when she had dedicated her life to carrying out her every command.
“Your Excellency?” she asked, dipping into a low and respectful bow.
The Raiden Shogun looked a bit hesitant, shy, even.
“Shh,” she hushed gently.
“None of that right now, I’m just taking a casual stroll around the town, and I’d rather not set the citizens on edge.”
“As you command your Excellency, but…could I ask what prompted this sudden stroll?”
Ei’s face steadily began growing redder by the second.
“Miko might have…kicked me out of Tenshukaku…” she trailed off softly.
Sara’s face twisted into an expression of horror and surprise.
“The Guuji kicked you out? Was it another one of her nefarious schemes? Do you need me to –”
Ei’s hand settled gently on Sara’s.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. I just may have…blown up a kitchen…”, she said, voice fading into oblivion once more.
“A kitchen, your Excellency? Surely it must have been a serious threat! I will have security tightened at once!”
In an attempt to save face, Ei shook her head vigorously.
“Ahh… yes, there was a looming threat to eternity, but I have seen to its resolution, therefore there will be no need- no need at all to resort to such drastic measures,” she said, as she lamented her ability to create her own ever elusive tricolor dango.
“If that is your will, so be it,” Sara nodded seriously.
Taking the opportunity to change the topic once and for all, Ei pointed to the poster in Sara’s hand.
“What’s that in your hand? You seemed very distressed while looking at it. Is there anything that I can assist with?”
“N-n-no, Your Excellency,” she stammered, hoping that she would not have to go into detail about her saga with her troublemaking ‘rival’.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle alone!” she added quickly.
“Can I see the poster?”, Ei asked, shooting Sara a curious gaze.
“Oh, er- yes, of course!”
“Sara, I would like to pay a visit to this…festival.”
“Your Excellency? Surely you have better things to do than to visit this…fiasco of an event.”
“On the contrary, Miko seems to be quite adamant about me exploring nature more. I have been advised to…touch grass on more than one occasion recently.”
“In that case, I will serve as your escort.”
Ei looked into Sara’s eyes. “I appreciate your vigilance as always, my general. But you being there would draw attention, and since I’m looking to blend in with the crowd…”
With great reluctance, Sara acquiesced. “I understand and wish you a safe and pleasant trip, your Excellency.”
The festival, if it could be even called one could be summed up in one word: sparse.
There were no stalls, nothing to contribute to a festive atmosphere, and the only decoration they had was a cutout of one of Miko’s Publishing House mascots, a Ms Hina which, apparently had also been stolen.
True to the advertising poster, the only food that could be seen for miles and miles was just grilled lavender melon. Not even candied lavender melon, or lavender melon milk tea.
Ei shook her head in disappointment and slowly trundled towards what little crowd had gathered at the event.
To the organizer’s credit, the ‘One and Oni Itto’ knew his way around a drum quite well.
Despite his oafish nature, he was dexterous and able to keep tune to a multitude of folk songs, which were punctuated only by occasional applause from the meager crowd.
When he had finished, he stepped down from the makeshift stage and began pestering one of the audience members to join him on stage.
This woman, green haired and clad in a shinobi suit was demonstrating great amounts of reluctance towards his request.
Nevertheless, after persistent pleas and puppy dog eyes, she heaved a resigned sigh and took to the stage. Her voice was lilting, and as she serenaded the crowd with a hesitant look on her face, the cheers and shouts of “THAT’S OUR SHINOBU!” intensified.
Finally, after a good number of songs, both of them stepped off the stage and leaned against a rock, each with a stick of grilled lavender melon in hand as they let out satisfied pants.
“Whew! You really still got it in ya, Shinobu, I’ll give you that!” the oni boomed.
“Don’t get used to it,” she returned in a casual voice.
“Eh, well, it’s something I could get used to doing again, what with the nonsense Vision Hunt Decree and what not gone now, don’t ya think?!”
Ei felt like she had been slapped square in the face. Reeling from the sudden shock at the mention of one of her biggest mistakes, all she could do was stare at him, her heart swirling in a vortex of tumultuous emotions.
Shinobu gave Itto a panicked look and slapped her hands across his mouth.
“Shhhhh!” she hissed. “You do know that we had to get the approval of both the approval of the Tenryou, AND the Yashiro Commissions in order to host this festival right? Are you trying to land us in jail?”
“I don’t see what’s so wrong about telling the truth,” he offered, a puzzled expression painted across his face.”
“’Sides! I’m already very used to prison! Sometimes when it rains, and I don’t feel like walking all the way back to Granny Oni’s I just run at a guard while wearing a menacing expression! Next thing I know, I’m under a roof and there’s even good food!”
Shinobu shook her head helplessly. “I’m going for a walk to clear my head. If you manage to land yourself in jail, I will be holding your allowance from Granny for TWO weeks! TWO, you hear?” and she strutted off, ignoring Itto’s pathetic sputtering protests.
Seizing the opportunity, Ei approached the pouting oni, hands trembling in trepidation.
“Hello,” she began unsurely.
He pointed at himself. “Are you talking to me?” he asked, head flailing from side to side to see if she had indeed meant to speak to him.
Her head bobbed up and down, unsure how to broach the elephant in her consciousness.
“Yeah! Yeah! Of course you would be talking to me! The One, The Only! Numero Uno Arataki Itto! So tell me, how can I help such a person of great taste such as yourself?”
“I heard you talking about the Vision Hunt Decree, and I was wondering…if I could ask you a few questions?”
Her voice was quavering, every muscle in her body screaming for her to run, to retreat to plane of Euthymia, to let the Shogun take over again, but she held her ground.
It would not have been what Makoto had wanted. It would not have been what they had wanted.
Flashes of a of the past began to assail her; a dark haired oni resting in her lap, an ivory haired kitsune winking mischievously, having to dismember the right hand of one of her best friends and learning to live with the lingering sense of desolation when corruption swallowed up the other.
She was brought back to the present with a sudden jolt; Itto was waving his massive fingers in her face concernedly.
“Hey Lady, Lady, are you alright?”
“Yes. My apologies, I must have dozed off for a second.”
“You wanted to know about the Vision Hunt Decree, right? But…your clothes seem like you’re from Inazuma. Have you been living under a rock?”
His face scrunched up further in confusion.
“Wait a minute, you’re not from the Tengu or the Yoyo Commitment, trying to get me arrested, are you? I’m on to you!”
“No, I do not belong to the authorities,” she lied.
“But you’re right, perhaps I have been living under a huge rock for a good period of my life. Would you do me the honour of enlightening me?”
“Sure thing lady! There’s no need to be so formal! So basically as you probably know, the Raiden Shogun, leader of the nation, went ham on the people, confiscating their visions and putting them on this huge statue in between the palace and the town! Kinda messed up if you ask me. Couldn’t tell you why she did it, but hey, it’s over now and I even got my Vision back so it’s not all bad!”
Fighting of the waves of mounting nausea, she managed to blurt out: "What did it feel like, when you lost your Vision?"
An uncharacteristically thoughtful face crossed his features.
“Hmm, that’s a good question. It’s pretty hard to describe but if I had to try I’d say it’s like…losing all the colour from your world, and the longer time passes, the hazier it gets. Sometimes it feels like your body’s stuck in mud, just sinking, and no matter how much you struggle, you can’t seem to move an inch.”
He shot her a subdued grin. “Eh, it wasn’t so bad. I had Shinobu and the gang to constantly keep me up and running! Also, beating the kids at onikabuto fighting and taking their candy helped too! I won almost every game…honest!”
Before she could interject, his expression turned grim.
“But having said that, I was one of those who really got off easy ya know? I heard many stories of people just losing the will to live, just becoming living zombies. Some of them even…yeah…”
He sliced a finger across his throat, looking crestfallen.
Her heart clenched as every word from his mouth piled yet another weight upon her conscience.
As she opened her mouth to speak, a shout rang through the air.
“Itto! Are you harassing people again?”
“Nope! Cross my heart Shinobu, I’m innocent…this time at least.” He averted his eyes and started looking as if the clouds were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
“We were just talking…yeah, talking about the Vision Hunt Decree.”
“The WHAT?! That’s the one thing I specifically told you NOT to talk about before I left!”
She turned her attention towards Ei.
“I’m so sorry if he was being rude, but he generally means well so please don- YOUR EXCELLENCY?!”
Shinobu blanched, colour slowly draining from her face.
“Wait who? Is that lady some kinda big sho- OOF!”
Shinobu had grabbed Itto’s head by the rear and forced him to the floor, both of their heads now pressed against the floor in a show of respect.
“That isn’t just any big shot, that’s Her Majesty, the Raiden Shogun herself!” she fired back.
“Your Excellency, please be merciful, this oni sometimes doesn’t think when he speaks!”
Abandoning all pretense, Ei replied: “Please, there’s no need for apologies. I…do have a lot to atone for,” she finished wistfully.
Pushing himself to his feet, Itto looked her in the eye.
“Look your Majestic Awesomeness (this elicited a huge facepalm from Shinobu), you did do a lot of bad things…
The rest of his words were drowned out by a sudden urge to break down in tears.
Nodding briskly, she said: “I…I have to go.”
“Alright! Have a nice day Your Awesomeness!”
The last thing she heard before she left was a pained yelp from Itto, who had been kicked in the shins by a very disgruntled Shinobu.
She didn’t know how long she had been wondering for; her surroundings blending into nothingness due to her lack of attention, but after what seemed like an eternity, she found herself at the foot of the Grand Narukami Shrine.
She smiled to herself, a rueful, pathetic attempt as compared to the smiles she had worn in the past, where times had been easier, and she hadn’t been so stupid-
“Ouch!”
“Ame, are you okay?”
She whirled around to see two children, one nursing a scrape on the other’s knee.
Angst forgotten for a second, she hurried over to them.
“Do you need any help?”
The child who was being nursed beamed at Ei through her injury.
“I’m okay Miss, thanks for asking! I’ve got my biiiiiiig sister Yuki with me after all!”
The other child gave her a bright smile as well.
“Thanks for offering miss!”
Ei stared at the identical-faced children in front of her, a lump rising in her throat.
As they turned to leave, she shouted weakly: “Take care of each other, okay?”
“Of course, Miss! That’s what sisters are for!” Yuki shouted, waving a cheerful arm before turning around and walking away.
Something ugly twisted in the depths of Ei’s heart, worming itself throughout her body and sapping the energy out of her.
Despite her miserable state, her legs still managed her to carry her up the stairs all the way to the entrance of the shrine, only to be greeted by the vulpine smile of the Guuji herself.
“Well Ei, I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. I don’t think that Tenshukaku has quite recovered yet from the damage that you dealt to it. Or perhaps, you’ve come to lay waste to the Grand Narukami Shrine instead, hmm?” she teased.
She lifted an eyebrow at the lack of reaction. Usually, Ei would offer her one of those adorable pouts, or pretend to stalk away in a huff.
This time however, she slouched up to Yae and all but collapsed into her arms, trembling uncontrollably.
“Ei…? What’s wrong?” she prodded, as she ran her fingers rhythmically through her hair.
Her tearducts could not stem the tide anymore, and the flood that she had been trying her hardest to stem crashed through the dam, causing a torrent of tears to stream from her eyes.
“Should…have…been me…not Makoto…at…at Khaenri’ah!”
“Oh, Ei…where is this coming from all of a sudden?” she whispered between caresses, glimmering tears trailing down her own face.
Amidst choked sobs she recalled the events of the day, from the brutally honest conversation with Itto, to the twins she had met at the foot of the shrine.
“One day I’ll serve up an udon with more tofu in it than noodles…” she muttered threateningly.
She composed herself with a sigh.
“Ei, look at me,” she said lovingly.
“You remind me exactly of a butterfly,” she continued with a flourish, conjuring an electro one in the palm of her hand before letting it take flight.
“You had this caterpillar phase where you were completely innocent, just living life amidst your friends (and yes, I would still love you even if you were a worm), she added, receiving a confused stare for her statement.
“Then, amidst great sorrow you wove a cocoon around yourself, one of desolation, loneliness and desperation, and you sealed yourself in it, driving away all efforts to reach out to you.”
Ei pulled Miko into an even tighter embrace. “I just-”
But before she could finish, Miko pressed her lips tenderly against Ei’s, effectively silencing her.
“Please let me finish. Although it took a lot of time and effort, and a lot of intervention, you’ve finally burst free from the cocoon, and your first actions after doing so were to acknowledge the damage caused by your own actions and take steps towards rectifying them, small as they may seem now.”
She placed her forehead against hers, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.
“Ei, do you know what the saddest thing is about being a butterfly?”
Ei shook her head hesitantly.
Intertwining their hands, she said: “The saddest thing about being a butterfly is that everything and everyone in the world can bear witness to your splendor…except yourself.”
Lost for words, Ei contented herself with burying her face into Miko’s shoulder again, inhaling the mildly fragrant scent of Sakura blossoms.
Gentle hands patted her back as Yae whispered, so softly that she had to strain herself to hear the words: “And I’ll be there to remind you as many times as it takes. After all, we’ve got all of eternity to navigate together on these beautiful, newfound wings of yours."