The sea far and wide reflects the stars up above. Just below the Mouun Shrine, the sea roars in synchrony with my heartbeat. The night is windy, and as the waves hit the shore, hiding the crabs and washing my heels. The rock I threw skips thrice before it sunk deep into the sea. I sighed.
Watatsumi has changed so much ever since the events, the fishermen start going out to fish again. The crop's output is also getting better. We are also in progress in constructing their own harbour.
In my pocket, is the finest cor lapis ring. I do not remember how many ley lines I had to grind just to find enough mora for this.
And in the wind I felt it: her presence. It seems that I have picked up her sweet scent. I put the ring back into my pocket.
"Good evening." She lowered her hands below her waist, walking down from the hill.
"How do I look?" Beautiful as ever. My words slipped out.
"Well thank you, you flattered me." She bowed.
The wind moved her salmon-pink hair back and forth. I was stunned, I have resolved myself to propose tonight.
She took a deep breath. "Such fortunate weather, care for a walk?"
I shyly nodded.
"Aether?"
She looked at me closely and smiled, "There is something in your eyes". She wiped my eyes with her hands. I was about to explode but she walked away as if it never happened.
"Did you know, the Yae Publishing House has just released a new volume of 'A Legend of the Sword'. Ah, I'd like nothing more than to curl up with a copy in my room and read it from start to end."
I can go to the city and bring it for her.
"Ah really? Thank you so much, I will pay you for it."
Nah, I told her it is fine.
"Really? Thank you so much! You once told me that you knew the author of this book?"
Not only the author, but also the illustrator of the book.
"Woah! It must be fun to travel all over the world, meeting all sorts of people. If I ever get the chance to go, will you let me meet them?"
I nodded. I did not notice that she stopped walking the moment her sentence ended. I looked back, and she called me from a few steps away.
"Aether, Captain of Swordfish II. Be honest with me. You are fond of me, aren't you?"
She stopped smiling. And my heartbeat stopped. The waves moved back and front and I nodded. She must have seen it through me.
She then smiles one more time, but her eyes turn blank. "Will you really be able to feel the same after you knew that all this time, I have deceived you?"
Deceived me? W-why would she?
"Did you know the real reason I gave you power among my troops?"
Huh? What is she trying to say?
"Do you think I can just give anyone power in my command? Especially to someone who has never experienced war before? I can see it in your first battle. No matter how strong you are, in the real war it is rendered useless. But you have defeated the Fatuis before and even the ancient god of the sea in Liyue. Perhaps giving you power in my command can chain you here."
She smiled again and looked me in the eyes.
"That's right, the only reason I stay close to you is for your power. Now that we are no longer at war, there is no more need for you to be here."
Haha, this is not a funny joke. Is she testing me?
"I am tired, Aether. I told you before, my dream is to become an advisor, but to carry this much weight on my own... At first, my goal was to get you to like me enough and get you to stay here forever. If it was you, I am sure we can do it."
I cover my ears, this is not real.
"Will you stay in Watatsumi forever and ever if I agree to be your spouse?"
N - no, as much as I want too. My sister is still out there, and the way she put it sounds incredibly wrong.
"See? I already knew that you would say that. You don't belong here. Please leave as soon as you can. I will take care of the announcement of your departure. " She walked away.
I ran, the sands dampened the sound of my steps. I ran toward her and held her from behind.
"Waa, what are you doing?! Aether?"
My voice was stuck in my throat. I want to say that it does not matter, but it hurts so bad. Everything we did, everything we laughed at and have done together are lies?
"Aether..." She struggled. Under the moonlight, shining upon us. My heart crumbled to pieces.
I release my hug. I look at her deep blue eyes. I clench my fists. I asked her one more time, is everything she says true?
"Aether, I-"
Just answer me! I shouted with all my heart. Tears start to wet my cheek.
"Yes, everything I did was only to take advantage of your power." She does not miss a beat and does not waver. My stomach hurts, and I stop breathing.
I shouldered past her.
"Thanks for bringing me happiness even if it did not last long." This is too much to take. This numb sensation I feel across my body, it seems my heart is still in denial.
I did not remember anything after I went inside my homestead. It seems I passed out after crying too much. I washed my face with the water from the nearby river. That is right, I cannot stay depressed for long, my sister still needs me.
Just when I was almost finished packing my stuff, someone knocked on my door. I am not in the mood to answer anyone.
"Captain, are you still in there?" It's Gorou. I do not want to open it, but he keeps knocking on the door.
I slide the door open. It is not only him, but members of my soldiers as well. I asked him to state his business quickly.
"I heard everything from her excellency." I close the door back. I do not want to speak of that anymore.
"No no, listen to me!" Gorou holds the door with his fingers.
"Everyone here knows that whatever her excellency is telling you, it is a lie."
I refuse to add another piece of useless information in my head. I was about to leave, they should just mind their own business.
"You don't understand! She is in great peril!" Gorou shouted again.
"Last week, when you went away on a mission, the Takatsukasa Clan from the Tenryou Commission deceived us and forged a piece of evidence. If that is let out in public, the tension will be rising again."
And you guys want me to solve it for you again? I am leaving right now.
"High priestess promised that if she got married with the son of the clan leader, they would burn the evidence and promise not to make trouble with Watatsumi Island anymore."
"Captain," one of the soldiers spoke.
"We are not afraid of getting killed in war, but our high priestess needs your help," the soldiers begged me to help them. I told them that I am no longer their captain, I will leave now.
That is her decision, it is not my place to intrude. I ask them to excuse me.
I face my back toward them, I can hear Gorou faintly growling. "Don't fucking mess with me!" Gorou barked and bit my hands.
I prepared to hit him back, but the soldiers are trying to restrain us.
"I don't understand! Everything I did for her, I served her with all my heart and power. I am desperate for her warm embrace, I cared about her more than you. I love her way more than you ever will. And yet, all she ever sees is you!"
Does Gorou have feelings towards Kokomi? I never knew. He took me off guard. The soldiers' restraints are not strong enough to stop Gorou. He tackled me and pushed me to the ground. He punched me over and over again.
"Why wouldn't she take a look at me? And you think I do not know that your personal missions that took weeks or even months is actually a ruse to hide the truth that you were off exploring other nations? You don't deserve her nor her love!"
How did he know about that? I pushed him away with the power of anemo. He flung away and slammed the ground. I stood up, I did not want to fight him, I just wanted to leave.
He struggled to stand up, but the soldiers helped him. "You don't know how she dozed off when you are not around. You don't know how she keeps asking the maidens if you have returned from your adventure. You don't know how much she fears and prays for your return. In the end, I admit it. Her smile is the brightest when she is with you."
That has nothing to do with me. And so I leave the place. It is not like my feelings are all gone, even if what she said was a lie. She said it herself, a lie consists of some truth in it.
I wonder which part of that is true. I ponder to myself, the reason I love her. Her deep blue eyes woke me up in the morning, the moments she took care of my wounds with a worried look. Is it all really made up?
Alright, I made up my mind, I will help her one last time. Even if this is part of her plan to use me, I will let her use me one more time.
"Hey, who are you and what are you doing here!"
I slam the gate with geo power, I just need to make enough noise to make the leader arrive. After incapacitating most of the guards, Takatsukasa Susumu arrive
"What in the name of eternity is happening here?" It has been a while.
"You again!" He glared at me, but his eyes quickly changed into fear when I approached him.
I am in a terrible mood today, I asked them very nicely, to stop the wedding.
"We-wedding? Who's wedding? Yours?" He took the sword left by a fallen soldier but I flung it away, he thought I did not notice. I pulled him up and slammed him against the wall, enough games.
"Wa-wait until Raiden Shogun hears about this." Oh really? This guy has no nerve, he would never dare to meet the shogun again after what happened.
And now, I forced him to give me the forged evidence.
"Alright! Alright! here, I swear this is real." Even if it is not, I already swear to him that if we ever cross paths again, he knows what will happen to him. I put him down and left the scene.
I return to Watatsumi to give the false evidence to Gorou.
I walked over, and in the wind I felt it. Her presence. I stopped, asking her what she wanted. She walked out from behind the cliff. She frowned and was depressed.
"Aether, I-" I threw the forged evidence before she started talking. I look at her but she does keep her head down. If there is nothing she wants to say anymore, Good bye.
I heard her start sobbing. I cannot trust that her tears are real right now. Or is that another way to deceive me to stay?
"Aether, for the first time in my life, I do not know what to do. I never meant to hurt you like this. Tell me what am I supposed to do to make you forgive me?"
I keep walking forward, toward my ship.
"I do not know how I can repent for what I said, I am sure you won't hear anything I say right now."
She starts undressing herself. I ran toward her and stopped her from doing so. I asked her what she was doing.
She fell to the ground. I looked at her eyes, it was sore from tears.
"Aether, what should I do to make you forgive me?" She passed out in my hands.
I brought her back into the palace.
"Miss Sangonomiya!" The maidens and soldiers swarmed her and I told them to make way.
Gorou came at me and pulled my neck, "You really done it now."
Wait, I know what he was thinking but I told him that the Takatsukasa will no longer bother them.
He was shocked, he did not expect me to help them, but he thanked me. Just before I left Kokomi tried to stand up.
"Aether, just give me another chance to make this up, any time you are ready, meet me under the moonlight where the red flowers bloom, and swords buried in the sands."
I will think about it.
"Thank you. I will be waiting." She desperately tried to say something, but I just told her to get some rest first.
Ah, what have I done, Gorou is right, I never deserve her in the first place. Instead of easing her burden, I only brought more problems. However, in my deepest heart one thing has not changed, I love her. Instead, I-
What should I do? Time flew fast and it has been two weeks since I last saw her.
Memories are coming back for me bit by bit. Her deep blue eyes reflected the colour of the sea when we dived into the deep. Her sleeping face as she lies on the floor after reading a novel. Ah, I miss her. More than that, I need her.
Where the red flowers bloom and swords lay buried in the sands. Ah I see, back where it all begins. She sat by the sands looking at the stars. For two weeks, she has been doing this every single night, here goes nothing.
"Aether? You are behind me aren't you?" As I can feel her from afar and so can she.
"Do you mind sitting next to me?"
I obeyed and sat down next to her.
"The moon shines bright over the depths of the sea as the tides come and go. It seems that as I go from strength to strength, so does my state of mind flow. Thank you, Aether."
I was surprised. Why would she thank me? Was it because I helped her with the problem?
"Nope, you have done way more than that. Do you mind me telling you a story?"
"There was once a girl..." She took a deep breath. Go on, I urged her.
She stands up and starts to walk into the sea.
"There was once a girl, drowned and dragged over by the deep sea current. Her clothes are ragged, but not once does that girl..." I noticed that, but I let her go on.
"...ever thought of fighting it."
She held her hands out to me, offering me to embrace the ocean wave
"And then you showed up. You pulled that girl out from the deep blue sea and gave her the strength to go forward."
"And at that moment, the girl thought to herself, ah I am in love with this man. That man that pulled her out is awkward, does not speak a lot, and is shy but most importantly, everytime that girl is with him, she feels a burst of energy surging from inside. That girl feels like, everytime she is with that man, she can do anything."
Yeah, me too.
She released my hand. She is not blushing, instead she only smiles and continues walking on top of the seawater. I asked her, so everything she said that night is a lie?
"Everything. Everything except one part." Huh?
"You are not meant to be here Aether, as much as I love you, I am only a shackle to your progress."
Is that how she sees herself? A shackle to me and my progress? I cannot accept that. Without her guidance, I would have lost it ages ago. It is her that taught me determination and just like the people of Watatsumi, she is a symbol of hope for me too.
From my pocket, I pull the item out.
"What is that?"
This is my unspoken feeling that night. She gasps and covers her mouth with her hands, she bursts into tears.
"I understand if your feelings have changed now."
She kept repeating, "I am so sorry."
I am sorry too. It seems that I have just become like the people of Watatsumi. Forgetting that she is just a normal girl, there is no way she can predict everything and solve every problem, or to use people however she wants, if so, that is, she would have won the war without ever needing my help in the first place. She is but a girl whom I love with all my heart.
"Kokomi, will you be my wife? I cannot promise that our future will be filled with sugar and cheers, but I can promise you that you are the only one in my heart from then and forever."
"Are you really sure about this? After all I did?"
If I am not, I would never have brought this up in the first place.
I put the ring in her finger. "I love you Aether."
I love her too. But like I said, I cannot stay in Watatsumi, not now.
She nodded and wiped her tears, "I understand."
"I often used to succumb to self-doubt. I would think to myself. Can a person like me really hold the title of 'Divine Priestess'? Now, the thought hardly crosses my mind. When I'm with you, I seem to be able to cut straight through most problems. Please take care of me."
Not seeing each other for two weeks, I missed her so much, I cannot hold it anymore. I embraced her as she slowly let herself fall onto the sand.
**Author's note!**
I really like this chapter, but damn 3k words. Sorry for the long update, I have tons of work to do, and on top of that, my ears got infection recently.
I am afraid that the chapter onward will be longer and longer, commenting on what you think about that. and also, I hope you guys understand, I only wrote this because of my love for genshin and my addiction to sweet wholesome romance. If you comment awful things, it would hurt me as well. Stay cool.
P.S: IMPORTANT MESSAGE! BETA/EDITOR NEEDED! Seriously, I need help fixing my shitty grammar, adding detail to the story requirement: decent english, want to work without being paid, play genshin.