Change was not something the Raiden Shogun was accustomed to. Rather the opposite, really. For nearly the entirety of her existence, she had worked tirelessly to maintain a comfortable status quo. Inazuma was to be a garden of stability and tranquility, if the seeds of Eternity were to properly grow there. Or, at least, those were the values with which she had been bestowed on the day of her creation.
While "satisfaction" was likely not the proper term for how the Shogun regarded her performance since taking her place as her creator's shadow, she did believe that she had succeeded in her mission for the bulk of that time.
The events of the past two years, however… "Dissatisfaction" was not an inappropriate term for how she felt, now that they had resolved. Even now, she could find no fault with her actions, and yet, somehow, change of a disastrously turbulent nature had swept across the nation. Change so drastic, that it had done the unthinkable: it had changed the mind of her creator, the very embodiment of Eternity itself.
She had tested Ei's resolve, of course, and at the time she had strongly suspected that her creator's worst fears had come to pass – that Ei had fallen victim to erosion, that her mind was crumbling under the weight of time. And yet, her creator had emerged victorious from that conflict, her spirit and resolve no weaker than they had been the day the Shogun had opened her eyes for the very first time.
Now, Ei's mind had changed, but her own remained the same. The Shogun had no choice but to accept that that original path to Eternity was a flawed one, and yet, she could imagine no other. Perhaps, she should request that her mind be upgraded, to better match that of her creator. It was the logical choice, after all; if Ei's course had changed, did it not follow that hers should, as well?
Some part of her, though, was reluctant. She knew who she was, now – but who would she be, once her creator reconstructed her sense of self? When she dwelt on the matter for any length of time, an uncomfortable sensation spread throughout her… a sense of… dread? Ridiculous. She was the Raiden Shogun. Her role was to support her creator in her mission to find Eternity, and feelings of that nature were simply not a part of her being.
Her creator, she reasoned, was simply searching for a new path to Eternity – and once she had found it, she would rewrite her mind accordingly. It was only natural, and certainly not something to be feared, even if she were capable of playing host to such a preposterous emotion.
There WERE emotions she could not deny feeling, however. Impatience. Frustration. Irritation. She had no direction, no idea what were the correct actions to take. After claiming victory, her creator had seen fit to declare the Shogun to be her "partner", rather than her puppet – but how could she live up to such a role when she herself could contribute nothing of worth? She was, at best, an errand-runner for her former master, and the meaning behind those errands often escaped her. For example, her latest excursion: Ei had requested that she travel to Yae Publishing House to purchase Volume four of the "Pretty Please, Kitsune Guuji?" series of novels. The act made no sense, for a number of reasons.
While purchasing the novel (or, rather, doing her best to convince the vendor accept payment from Her Excellency, the Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder herself – no easy feat, but one Ei insisted upon), the Shogun had asked a number of questions regarding the books her creator was so enamored by. These "light novels", it seems, were hardly works of literary mastery. They were rapidly produced, disposable literature, few series maintaining their popularity beyond a handful of years. And this was by design! Not even from the start were they works intended to stand the test of time; they capitalized on fads and youth culture, brimming with references that would be rendered meaningless in a distressingly short period of time. The practice itself was practically new, a mere handful of decades since the first work referred to as such had been written. Not exactly something one would think of as Eternal.
And this series in particular… The Shogun found the stories to be… well, distasteful. The lead characters were clearly meant to represent the Narukami High Priestess and her own creator – and the latter was represented as a bubble-headed fool, incompetent in all things and completely reliant upon her kitsune friend in all matters. The disrespect was appalling. And yet… Ei clearly enjoyed them, smiling mirthfully as she turned the pages. It defied explanation.
Another thing that defied explanation was the man lounging indolently upon the throne of the Electro Archon.
In less than a heartbeat, the Shogun had crossed the room and swept the intruder from his perch with a vicious blow from the haft of her naginata – or, at least, that had been her intent. Much to her surprise, the fellow had dodged her blow, flipping over it with almost casual ease before returning to his lounging position, an infuriating smirk upon his face.
Even as a non-lethal blow, for it to be avoided so easily meant that the fellow was a threat worth reevaluating. The shogun backstepped to a cautious distance, weapon at the ready. By now, she had identified the individual before her; he was someone she knew well, but had never met face-to-face: Kunikuzushi, or so he'd decided to name himself. A prototype puppet, created as a proof-of-concept before she herself, the final model, had been fashioned.
He was, indeed, incredibly dangerous. Short of an actual invasion by another Archon, there was likely no greater threat. And yet, the Shogun had orders not to slay him, or even cause him undue harm unless he were to directly attack her or otherwise pose a clear threat to Eternity – and at the moment, he was doing neither.
Rather, he was flipping through the pages of a book; Volume four of "Pretty Please, Kitsune Guuji?" With irritation, the Shogun realized that the shopping bag still hanging from the crook of her elbow was now empty. "Is this the kind of tripe that hag is reading nowadays?" Kunikuzushi murmured disdainfully. "Can't say that I'm very impressed by her tastes." The fact that the Shogun privately agreed with his assessment did nothing to assuage her irritation.
Kunikuzushi tossed that book over the back of the throne, where it splayed open, a few of the pages becoming bent and folded. Trashy literature or not, the book was the property of her creator, and its mistreatment only deepened the Shogun's ire. "Leave this place at once," she commanded. "Or I will escort you from the premises by force."
"And break up our precious family reunion?" the vile man smiled. "I don't think so. I'll be leaving Inazuma soon enough, but I wanted to pay my precious baby sister a visit before I did. It's unlikely I'll ever be coming back, after all."
Kunikuzushi's implication that the two of them were in any way related was offensive – particularly so given that it had an element of truth to it. "I have given you your one and only warning," she responded, coldly. She began to advance toward the throne.
Her opponent chuckled, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Are you sure you want to do this? You'll probably be able to defeat me – but what about all these poor, fragile mortals here in the Tenshukaku?" He lifted his hands and shrugged helplessly. "I mean, I'll have no choice but to fight back, and I can't guarantee that this building or the people in it will survive…"
The Shogun hesitated. While it would be an exaggeration to say that she was close to any of the men and women who dwelt within the palace, they were all good, hardworking citizens of Inazuma. They were under her protection, and their well-being was worth considering.
"Good girl," Kunikuzushi smirked. "I promise you: I've only come here to talk. I'll leave without any kind of fuss afterwards. Everyone will return home safely to their families tonight, none the wiser."
It irritated the Shogun to have to concede even an inch, but she relaxed her battle-ready posture and dismissed her weapon. She crossed her arms sternly. "Very well, then. Talk, and I will listen. But first, unseat yourself. You sully the throne of the Narukami Ogosho with your presence."
"Fine, fine," he sighed exaggeratedly, climbing to his feet and striding unhurriedly. While he barely appeared to be paying her any attention as he moved, the Shogun was not foolish enough to believe that he could be taken off-guard by a sudden attack. He came to a stop several yards away from her, and turned to face her. "So, how have you been, sis? You're in good health, I hope? Mom been treating you well?"
"Do not waste my time with this prattle," the Shogun answered impatiently. "You are not my sibling. Now, get to the point, or get out."
"So cold!" Kunikuzushi answered with mock dismay. "But fine. First, though, I need to know: How much do you know about me?"
"You are one of a number of experimental attempts to create a host body for the Raiden Shogun capable of resisting erosion," she replied. "You were the first and, aside from myself, only such attempt to attain self-awareness, and the uses to which you've elected to put that self-awareness can be considered nothing short of deplorable. Your crimes are numerous, and among the most egregious against our nation include the many murders that devastated the Raiden Gokaden, crippling Inazuma's once-unmatched tradition of sword crafting. You are also guilty of colluding with the Fatui and the Tri-Commission to sow a civil war between the peoples of Watatsumi and the Shogunate. You have done more to warrant your immediate execution than any criminal in the history of Inazuma."
"Sounds about right," Kunikuzushi nodded. "So, why haven't you taken my head?"
"Your actions… do not pose a threat to Eternity," the Shogun answered through gritted teeth, clearly reluctant to admit it.
"Sometimes, I wonder what would," her counterpart mused. "Seems a bit unfair to dump a problem like me on her own people, but she just doesn't care, does she? She doesn't have it in her to care about anything if it doesn't factor into her little pet project. No consideration at all for the suffering her inattention causes."
"That's why I agreed to help out, you know," Kunikuzushi added idly. "The rebellion thing, I mean. Obviously, Pierro was going to ask me anyway – it IS my home turf, after all – but I WANTED to do it. I figured this was it. Once all of Inazuma was up in flames, our mom was going to HAVE to take notice, right? Finally, I was going to HURT her. Give her a tiniest taste of the suffering she'd put me through. But nothing. She continued to squat in her hidey hole like nothing was wrong at all."
"Suffering?" the Shogun asked archly. "Don't be absurd. Your creator has shown you far more leniency and mercy than you deserve."
Kunikuzushi barked a laugh. "What a joke! Creating me in the first place? That was the very absence of mercy! I didn't ask to be brought into being, but here I am, hating every minute of it. And the worst part is knowing that I'm the way I am because she made me exactly that way, sculpted every bit of me herself. Maybe she knew what she was doing, maybe she didn't, but either way she's the one responsible for this fake existence I'm living. It was the cherry on the cake to learn that the world she brought me into is just as fake as I am."
The Shogun was not particularly moved by this show of self-loathing. "If you despise yourself so, why not take your own life? Or if you prefer, I am more than willing to assist you…"
"Tempting, but no. Not until that witch pays. And that's where you come in."
The Shogun frowned warily. "Me," she echoed, flatly.
He nodded. "That's right. You. Her sole connection to the rest of the world. Without you, her entire plan comes tumbling down."
"Such foolishness. If that is your idea of a plan, you might as well leave now. You will never sway me toward your side."
"Ah, but that's the beauty of it!" he snickered. "I don't NEED you on my side! Whether or not I convince you of anything today, you STILL get to be the downfall of Eternity."
"Ridiculous."
"Is it?" he asked smugly. "Face it, li'l sis. You are a failure. You are the weak link in your dear creator's plan. All she needed was you to hold her country together while she was busy, and you couldn't even manage that little task."
The Shogun glared at him, but could not bring herself to respond. There was an uncomfortable truth to his words – the rebellion HAD taken her by surprise. She had become too reliant on the reports of the Tenryou commission. It had not occurred to her that they would have the audacity to falsify reports to the Electro Archon herself – and the price of that arrogance had been costly.
"Sure, you did fine for a few centuries, but do you know how long it took the Fatui to knock over your little house of cards? Three months. That's it. A pretty sad showing, wouldn't you agree?"
"Be silent," she said softly. The Shogun's eyes widened; the words had come to her lips unbidden, and she was surprised and chagrinned to realize that an anger was growing inside of her. Kunikuzushi was refuse, the discarded chaff from her own creation. He was beneath her, and should not be able to affect her so. And yet, his mocking tone, his infuriating smirk, and most of all the aggravating TRUTH of his words were becoming more than she could bear.
"I mean, it's not that surprising. If there's one thing that hag managed to get right with me is that I'm my own person. I choose my own path, and when I work for someone it's because it suits me to do so. You, though – you're just a copy of her. And a half-assed one, at that. Have you ever had a thought in your head that wasn't actually hers? Of course not – and that was by design. The perfect slave – one that embraces every ideal of her master, because those were the only ideals she was ever permitted to have. Of course, the downside is that not only do you have your own faults, you get to pile hers on top of them! It's amazing that she ever trusted you to get anything done right!"
"I said BE SILENT!" the Shogun snarled. Her naginata sprung instantly to her hand and she lunged at the horrible man. A tiny part of her mind was fervently urging her to hold, to consider the lives Kunikuzushi was holding hostage, to understand that her emotion-fueled attacks would be sloppy and inaccurate, but the venomous slander against herself and, even worse, against her creator had finally exceeded her tolerance.
"Ahahaha, it seems that I struck a nerve!" Kunikuzushi chortled mirthfully as he weaved between the Shogun's blows. "If the toy soldier can muster fire like this, perhaps there's hope for her yet!"
Abruptly, the Shogun's attacks began to slow, a resistance to movement overcoming her limbs. Her eyes narrowed. "No, not now! Release me! He must pay for his insolence!" Overcoming the resistance, she made a desperate thrust at her opponent who hopped idly back to avoid it. He studied her, smirk fading to a look of honest interest and mild puzzlement.
The resistance reasserted itself. "Shogun, get a hold of yourself! What has possessed you?" she heard her own voice speak. Her eyes focused on Kunikuzushi and widened in shock. "You…?" she asked in surprise.
For Kunikuzushi, the pieces clicked into place, "Oh, well isn't this a surprise! So THAT'S where you've been hiding! Hi, mom!" His face settled into a wicked grin. "This situation is SO much better than I could have possibly hoped!"
He began to stride toward the door to the throne room. "It's a shame I can't stay and see how this plays out, but I have a boat to catch. I do hope you appreciate the gift I've left you. Later!"
"Wait!" Raiden Ei cried out, outstretching her hand in a futile gesture to forestall his departure – and stumbled as Raiden Shogun tried once again to wrest control. Even if Ei would have allowed any further attempts at violence, it was too late. Kunikuzushi, hand raised in a mocking farewell, vanished in a flash of elemental energy.
When it was clear that the man had made his escape, Ei's body jerked once again, this time because the Shogun's attempts to move against her will had abruptly ceased. "Shogun?" Ei asked, concern clear in her voice.
"I… need to think," the Shogun replied quietly, and suddenly Ei was alone.
Author's Notes:
For a long time, I've loved the idea of artificial intelligences, especially those who strive to become human, or otherwise emulate humanity. "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov was one of the earliest such stories I read, but there have been many others since.
Ever since Raiden Shogun was revealed to be such a life form, I hoped that the game would put more emphasis on her as a being apart from Ei – and, to my joy, the game DID indeed seem to be doing that. Initial hints appeared in their first Story Quest, where Raiden Shogun was clearly agitated by the restrictions Ei had put her under, and the second Story Quest outright made her adversarial.
I decided to take it farther still.
This is a "completed" work. I have written all I intend to for now (seven chapters, to be released twice a week) and it tells a complete story, but I have left the story open-ended, in case I'm inspired to write more in this particular continuity.