The Puppet is in Love
Chapter 1
"Traveler. I wish to spar with you. Now."
Aether blinked, completely taken aback by the Shogun's words. She appeared out of nowhere while he was in the midst of his commissions, as if she materialized out of thin air. Raiden was staring at him, unblinking and unemotional. She was waiting for his reply. Paimon floated close by, an equal amount of surprise present on her face as well.
"N-Now? Right here?" Aether looked at his surroundings. A few villagers were not so subtly listening in to their conversation. It's not everyday that they see the Raiden Shogun herself after all, especially considering the fact that she was conversing with the Traveler.
"Yes. Did I not make myself clear?"
Paimon broke out of her trance, waving her hands frantically in front of her. "No way! We're in the middle of Konda Village! You two would tear the village apart!"
Raiden stared at Paimon, nodding. She struck a thinking pose, "I suppose you're right. Very well. In order to avoid any damage, we shall instead enter your… abode. The teapot, if I recall."
Aether rubbed the back of his head nervously. "U-uh, alright. Let me just finish this one commission and we can get to—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Shogun suddenly grabbed one of his hands. "Please. This is urgent. This is incredibly important for me to… resolve a few problems. It is integral to Inazuma's future." She pleaded.
Aether found it hard to resist her request—demand, rather—especially after seeing such a meek expression. He was unused to such an emotive look on the usually stoic puppet.
"Okay." He smiled. Raiden was stunned. His smile shone bright, giving her a warm feeling. There's that feeling again, she thought. Her resolve was strengthened. Now, she felt truly confident that this upcoming spar with him would help her understand the odd feelings she's been having lately. Curiously, she would only feel this way when it concerned…
Him.
"Hope this is okay, gramps. This'll only take a short moment, and then we can get back to fertilizing these crops."
"Oh, it's no bother to me. I have all the time in the world. Just don't leave me out here for too long, you hear?" An elderly man said. Raiden hadn't noticed his presence before, despite the man being there the entire time. She was too focused on the Traveler, uncaring of anything else. She even nearly forgot about his flying companion, only noticing when the fairy had spoken out loud.
Aether shook his head. "Of course not, Densuke-san. I'll be back soon, don't worry!" He and Paimon bid their farewells to him as they separated. Aether turned to Raiden, smiling. He motioned for her to follow him towards a grassy area near the village. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. "Yes. I have been ready since the moment I asked you."
He chuckled at her straightforwardness, an act that sent Raiden's mind further into a flurry. They stopped walking behind a small house, in a corner hidden from the main road. Raiden shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts before Aether could notice anything different with her. Magically, a teapot materialized right in front of Aether, floating ever so magnificently. "Here we are," he said.
Aether tapped the lid of the pot. "I have to tell you that I may have some guests staying over. Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. As long as we get to spar, I will be content. Although, it would be troubling if…"
Aether hummed, "Hmm? What is it?"
She shook her head slightly, "...No, nevermind."
Aether was curious as to what she was going to say, but left it at that. "Alright, if you say so."
Paimon flew around nervously. "Hrm..! Paimon doesn't like the sound of this! Just stay away from the places Paimon built, okay?! Paimon spent a lot of time on them!"
Raiden nodded. "Okay." She faced Aether, nodding. "Traveler, let us go."
"Alright. Entering is a bit dizzying at the start but I'm certain you've been here once or twice by now, so you should have no problems. Let's go!" Aether opened the lid of the pot. Smoke and mist covered the three, while their vision slowly warped. Raiden remained unflinching to the effects of the pot, as she soon drifted into a state of unconsciousness.
Waking up, she finds herself laying on a grassy plane, the soothing rays of the artificial sun blanketing her in warmth. She spots Aether standing over her, a smile on his face. He cheerfully asks, "Hey, you okay?"
Raiden sat up and backed away, her head colliding with Aether's in the process. He stumbled backwards from the impact while holding his nose, "Ow—"
Raiden immediately bows, "I apologize. I acted too quickly in waking." She offers Aether a hand, which he accepts.
"Ah, it's fine, accidents happen—" Aether stopped mid-sentence, staring at the scene before him. The Almighty Shogun, Archon and Protector of Inazuma, or at least her vessel… was sporting a flustered expression. Her cheeks had a light dusting of pink over them.
Raiden immediately let go of his hand as she faked a cough. Aether blinked as her features shifted into a neutral, unemotional expression in an instant. "What is it? Is something the matter?" She asked naturally, almost too naturally.
Was she..? Did I see—No, it must have been my imagination. Of course not, Aether thought.
He shook his head, "No, it's nothing… Where's Paimon?" Looking around, he spotted Paimon in the distance waving her hands, accompanied by someone else. They walked towards her as Aether soon realized who it was she was with.
"Ah, Ei, Paimon!" Aether waves at the two.
"Aether! Over here!" Paimon waves back, a grin on her face as she does so.
Upon spotting Aether, Ei smiled. "Good morning, Aether. As you can see, I've let myself in, like always." She said, dangling her Realm Dispatch in front of her. Beneath her was a checkered picnic blanket, with a large amount of Tri-Color Dango to her side. She seemed to have been reading a light novel before Aether called out to her. "I didn't expect to see you or Paimon this early in the morning. If I'm not mistaken, you're supposed to be doing commissions at this time of day."
Aether sheepishly smiled, "Ah, well… Things happened. Change of plans, you know?"
Raiden steps forward, as she meets eye-to-eye with Ei. Ei narrows her gaze, her smile dropping into a cold stare. Not quite a glare, but nowhere near the warm smile she was giving before. Raiden remained stoic, staring at her. She asks, "Why are you here?"
"Why should I not be? I am welcome here, am I not, Aether?" Ei looks towards Aether, who nervously smiles and nods. Paimon looks on, unsure if she should intervene in the conversation. She decides not to and instead flies behind Aether.
"We had discussed prior that today—"
Ei cuts Raiden off, "I am here almost everyday by now. Whatever it is that you have to say to him I'm sure you can tell him while I'm here."
The Shogun closed her eyes. She huffed, her eyes furrowed in frustration. "Fine. Traveler, unsheathe your weapon."
"W-Wha—Right now?"
"Yes. Did I not make myself clear?" Raiden said, feeling a faint sense of Déjà vu from her words. She pulls out the Musou Isshin out of her chest and readies her blade.
Dumbfounded, Aether tries to recuperate from his dazed self and takes a stance, materializing his sword in front of him. Paimon panics, rushing to get out of striking distance from the duel. She ran and hid behind Ei, who seemed to be making the most out of her day. She was taking bite after bite of her dango, whilst reading a light novel.
The Shogun and Aether stared each other down, fully focused and ready to start. Raiden makes the first move, dashing towards him at lightning fast speed. Aether dodges at the last second and attempts an overhead swing, which the Shogun parries with ease. She slashes forward consecutively, Aether deflecting every blow she tried. After the last hit, Aether counters and knocks her back a few meters.
Irritation seeps in the usually calm Shogun. Her eyes glowed purple, her hand sparking with Electro energy. "Enough games," she tears the air in front of her asunder, briefly marking the space with a glowing eye. "Shine down!"
Aether grinned. "Does this mean the use of elements is allowed?"
The Shogun swung her blade towards Aether, despite being meters apart. A shockwave of Electro energy resonated from her sword and was sent flying towards him. In its wake it burnt the grass beneath it. Using the power of Anemo, Aether propelled himself to the side just in time to avoid the wave of energy.
She narrows her gaze, "Of course. Since when did I say they weren't?"
Meanwhile, Paimon was watching the fight from the sidelines. She was incredibly terrified, reliving the traumatic memories of when her best friend was defeated while they were saving Thoma. She heard a faint chuckle sound to her right, and saw Ei laughing to herself, probably finding something amusing in her light novel.
Paimon yelled, "Hey! Aren't you the least bit worried about what's happening right now? T-This is really scary!"
Ei smiled at Paimon, "Of course not. I have full confidence in Aether. He did best both the Shogun and I in combat, after all."
Raiden began sprinting towards Aether, fully intent to swing at his throat. Aether leans back and twirls around gracefully, landing on his feet safe from harm. He wipes off a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, "Is this just a friendly spar or are you trying to kill me? That was awfully close to my neck, you know." He laughed.
She stomps, energy gathering at her feet. "Where did you learn that move? I have never seen it before." She started swinging yet again, as Aether countered every attack with a swing of his own. This went on as the both kept swinging and parrying each other.
Seeing an opportunity, the Shogun hits the Traveler's stomach with the hilt of her blade, sending him flying. "Oof!" Aether grunted as he stood back up. "Urgh… Which move?"
"That twirl. You looked like… you were dancing. Are you mocking me?" Raiden furrowed her eyes further, a frown fully formed on her face.
Aether shook his head. "Definitely not. I learned it from my friend, Eula. She incorporates dancing into her fighting style, so I picked up a few things from her. She's an amazing fighter. She'd be very interested in how you fight as well, I'm sure."
Somehow, this upsets the Shogun even further. That odd pleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach morphs into an uncomfortable sensation, murking her thoughts in a swamp of irritation and irrationality. Her grip on her sword tightens as she dashes towards the Traveler.
"I don't know why!" She swings her blade, nearly hitting Aether if he didn't put up a Geo Construct in time to save him. Aether was shaken up from seeing the expression on Raiden's face, one full of pure anger. He had never seen her this expressive before, especially one so full of rage. He didn't know if he did something wrong, but he was going to make sure that he would evade every hit she tried. He had a feeling that every swing of her sword had a tinsy bit of killing intent in it.
Only a little.
"Why!" She yells out, her sword clattering against the weight of Aether's. She pushes forward, as lightning strikes beside her, burning the grass nearby.
"Eek!" Paimon shrieks, cowering behind Ei. She takes a look at the Electro Archon and finds her staring at the duel in front of them, the light novel completely forgotten by now. She had a wistful expression on her face, something that urged Paimon to talk to her. "Umm…"
Ei looks behind her, her features unchanging. "Shouldn't we do something about this? This 'spar' isn't looking too good for either of them!" Paimon cried out.
Ei looked at her, before staring at the sky above. The warm sun and the bright blue sky were now replaced by cold, depressing gray clouds. A moody atmosphere replaced the once peaceful realm. She sighed, "I… I'm not sure. I don't know—"
"—Why!" The Shogun howled, attempting to pierce Aether's armor. Aether was able to keep up with her speed and prowess but was soon finding it harder and harder to do so. "Why do I feel this way! Why?" She continued.
Aether gulped, trying to find a way to calm the furious woman in front of him. "...Alright, take it easy, Shogun. I'm not sure what's happening but we can find a solution, I'm sure—"
Lightning struck near him, on both his left and right. He felt his nerves of steel melting in front of the intimidating presence in front of him. She took one step after the other, slowly making her way to the Traveler. "You."
"M-Me?"
"You are the cause. You… What have you done to me? I… I will make you pay!" She begins to levitate, an immense amount of Electro energy amassing within her. Her sword shined even brighter, as a storm started to encircle the area, lightning striking every few seconds with an intense wind blowing in every direction. "Torn to oblivion!" She said as she tore the land around her with lightning, setting the grass ablaze.
Aether puts up a few more Geo Constructs, managing to block every lightning strike that the Shogun was trying to inflict on him. There was no use in reasoning with her now, so it was time that he thought up a strategy.
Think, Aether. You defeated her before, and you can do it again.
After a while of dodging lightning and building Geo Constructs, Aether finally came up with a solution. He puts his plan into motion almost immediately. Building a Geo Construct in front of him, he leaps off of it as he whirls a few Anemo tornadoes in front of the Shogun. This distracts her, which gives Aether ample time to do the next stage of his plan. He absorbs the Electro energy he can gather from the lightning striking near him, and converges it into a ball of pure energy. While Raiden is busy fending off the swirls of Anemo, Aether balls up small Geo rocks and infuses them with both the Electro energy he gathered and Anemo. This should be a bit more effective with absorbed Electro energy rather than my own. Hope this works! He thought.
"I've had enough of your distractions!" She releases an immense amount of energy, destroying the Anemo tornadoes in front of her into nothing. She points her blade at him, giving him the most intense glare he's ever received, "You will pay. This I swear."
"I'm sure I will!" He grinned, sticking his tongue out. "But first, a little something from me to you!" He started hurling the infused Geo projectiles towards her, each one on a trajectory of its own. She sliced through them with ease, though even she had to admit that there were a considerable amount of them.
After cutting through the last projectile, she yelled, "Foolish! Did you really think you could defeat me with this?" She looked in front of her, finding no one in sight. She scanned her surroundings, finding no sight of him. "Have you started hiding? Is this really how you act in a spar? Where are you, answer me this instant!"
"Right here."
She looked above, as Aether was in the air hurling downwards at an incredible speed. Having no time to think, she tried to parry his sword but failed as he struck down, his sword slamming onto her blade with a thunderous boom. She fell, her body making impact with the grassy ground soon after.
The clouds soon parted, making way for the sunny sky once more. The sun shone on Raiden's face, covering her features in a golden glow. She opened her eyes slowly. As she opened them fully, the very first thing she saw was Aether, smiling warmly at her. "I win," he said. He offered his hand to her, to which she eagerly accepted.
Standing up, she sees Ei and Paimon approaching them, concern evident on both of their faces. Paimon immediately rushes towards Aether, hugging him with her small body as much as she could. "Paimon was so worried!" She began punching Aether repeatedly, albeit without much force in it.
Raiden looked at Ei, who appeared distraught. Her face was scrunched up, thinking about something. They shared a glance for a moment, before Raiden suddenly smiled.
"Eh?" Ei said.
Her smile soon turned into soft giggling, before it transformed into a loud, uncharacteristically boisterous laughter. Safe to say, seeing the ever so unemotional and unexpressive Raiden Shogun be the complete opposite of those two words definitely stunned the three other people near her.
"W-What's happening?" Aether asked, unsure of whether to approach Raiden or not.
"I-I don't know. I didn't program her like this. It must be a malfunction, surely."
"Paimon is scared! Paimon doesn't like hearing this!"
Before long, her laughter had died down, leaving her with a small smile on her face. A few seconds later and even her smile was dropped. Raiden glanced at Aether, telling him, "That spar cleared my thoughts. Thank you." She had then faced Ei. "I think I understand now."
"Huh?" Ei responded, evidently confused.
The Shogun's gaze remained on Ei for the slightest of moments, before turning her attention to Aether.
Suffice to say, none of them were expecting the next few words she had uttered.
"Aether, I love you."
…
…
"WHAT?!" The three yelled simultaneously, all three of them equally baffled.
Raiden tilted her head in confusion, "What? Must I say it again? Aether, I love—"
"Nonononono!" Ei ran to her, covering her mouth. "We heard it the first time! You don't need to say it again!"
Raiden tilted her head even further. "Then what is the matter?"
Ei waved her hands in front of her, her face a perfect red hue. "Everything! W-What—How is this possible? This was not in your programming! H-How… B-But…" Ei stammered, starting and ending sentences as quickly as she could. It seemed like she was trying to find a logical reasoning behind Raiden's spontaneous confession.
Raiden placed a finger on her cheek, completely oblivious to the quite surprising reactions she had caused. "Hmm… You say that, but you are exactly like I am. Is it not logical for me to feel the same?"
"W-What?" Ei took a step back. She had a feeling she knew what Raiden was going to say next. Unfortunately for her, she had no way to stop her.
Raiden smiled, "You love him too, don't you?"
…
…
"WHAT?!" Two voices rang out, equally as loud as before.
"Paimon doesn't get this! What does she mean, Ei?! Tell us!"
Ei shook her head vigorously, flailing her arms about wildly. "P-P-Preposterous! It isn't true! Don't believe a single thing she says! S-She's malfunctioning, that's all!" She faced Aether, entirely convinced that he would be on her side. "Y-You believe me, right Aether?"
As Raiden, Paimon, and Ei looked towards the man in question, they found him rendered completely speechless. His entire face was crimson in color, all the way up to his ears. He tried to say something, but it felt as though something was preventing him from doing so. Ei burst into an even redder hue from seeing the Traveler's expression, feeling even more flustered than before.
Aether scratched his cheek, still incredibly nervous. "U-Uh… I-I don't know what to say. Um…"
Paimon holds her head, bunching up strands of her hair in frustration. "Paimon doesn't understand!"
Raiden stepped forward, approaching Aether rapidly. Ei immediately intervened and blocked her path, her arms spread across. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
"I want to confirm something. I held his hand earlier. It felt pleasant. I was wondering if the same would happen now."
Ei pushed her back, pointing a finger at her. "Y-You… What is wrong with you?! Get away from him!"
Raiden blinked, a clueless expression on her face. "I do not understand. Why are you so adamant in hiding from the truth? Why can you not be honest, like me?"
Ei crossed her arms as she huffed. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Raiden looked up in thought, as if remembering something. "If I recall, you fell in love with him the day you and him took a stroll around Inazuma. You still remember that day longingly, yes?"
Ei's eye twitched. She felt her blush intensify even more, an expression she thought she would never adorn now fully exposed for the Traveler to see. "I—" Her breath hitched, unsure of what to say. She wanted to lie, to say it wasn't true. To say that the time she spent with him was not enjoyable, was not fun. To say that that day was easily forgettable.
But she couldn't.
Ei collapsed to her knees, her shoulders slumped. "I…" She looked at Aether, who gawked at the two, still absolutely astonished. She resolved herself to tell the truth. She maintained eye contact with him, never once did her gaze drop or stray from his. "Yes. I remember that day fondly. I will never forget it."
Aether could only stare at her. He was still recovering from the Shogun's confession, but he managed to muster a few words for the Archon. "I'm… I'm glad to hear that. I look back on that day fondly too."
To say that Ei was glad was an understatement. She was positively brimming with joy. But of course, she couldn't let it be seen. She placed a hand near her mouth, unwilling to show Aether the small smile she was wearing.
"Well now," Raiden dusted off any dirt she may have had on her hands, turning around. "I think it is time I take my leave. That duel helped me understand my feelings for the better. Inazuma shall be better off because of it." She bowed to Aether before walking away, "Thank you, Aether."
"W-Wait!" Ei stood up, catching up to her. "You can't just leave like that! There are steps to this!" Ei materialized a novel in front of her, shoving it into Raiden's hands. "Look, see here!" She opened the book, flipping a few pages ahead. "A-After a confession, you're supposed to wait for the other person's reply! After that… erm… you become… uh…"
"Lovers?" Raiden asked.
Ei yelped from the Shogun's bluntness. "E-Erm… Yes… If the boy accepts, at least…" Both Ei and her vessel turn towards the only man in the area. They looked at him expectantly.
Aether felt on edge from the intense gazes the two were giving him. They're expecting an answer, he thought. Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts, he replied. "W-Well… This is all so sudden… I'll have to give it some thought first…"
"I see." Raiden replied. If she was feeling something, she definitely didn't let it show on her face. Ei, on the other hand, looked clearly disappointed. She thought she'd be receiving an answer this soon, but understood given how sudden the confession was. Still, that didn't stop her from feeling the slightest bit despondent.
"But…" Ei looked up, feeling slightly hopeful. "Perhaps… if we got to know each other more? A hang out or a…" Aether blushed, "...d-date, maybe. I think that would help. I'd be happy with that first, I think…"
Ei almost jumped in joy, but restrained herself at the last moment. She nodded, "I would like for that as well. I'll arrange a time and date, rest assured." Ei smiled a large smile. Excitement exuded off of her like a child in a toy store.
"Hm? Why should you? Should I not be the one to do so?" Raiden asked.
Ei's brow twitched. "Huh? Why would that be the case? We're the ones going on a date, of course I should be handling those kinds of things! I'll just enlist the help of the Yashiro Commission, that's it!"
Raiden shook her head. "But the one he was talking to was me. Not you. Therefore, I am the one going to go on a date with him, not you."
"Hah?" Ei glowered, "That wasn't the case at all! He was talking to me!"
"You told me that in a confession, one should wait for the other's reply, yes?" Raiden asked, to which Ei nodded. "And he replied. To me. To my knowledge, it was not you who confessed, correct?"
Ei was taken aback, her mind shattered into pieces. She's right, she thought. "You're right…" She said. "I didn't confess… You were the one…" She started murmuring something to herself, her mood getting gloomier and gloomier by the second.
"Ei… Are you okay?" Paimon asked cautiously.
"No… no, no, no…" She was mumbling, saying something no one could quite catch. Suddenly, she stomped her foot. "No! No, no, no! I won't accept this!" She pointed at Aether, "You!"
"M-Me?" Aether took a step backwards. He felt like he heard this situation before already today.
"You will be taking me on a date!" She faced Raiden, "The semantics don't matter! I can't let the Shogun be the only one to…" She yelled as she looked back at Aether, "No! You will be taking us both on a date, okay?" She pulled Raiden along with her, walking away with the Realm Dispatch in her hand. "Come on, we have to start preparing! I'll tell you the details later, okay, Aether?"
Aether nodded. "Um… Okay. Sure!"
The Shogun waved as she was dragged alongside Ei. "Farewell, Aether. Until next time."
"Y-Yeah… See you." Aether waved back awkwardly.
The Archon and her vessel soon disappeared, leaving the realm empty with the exception of the Traveler and his companion. Silence reigned over their heads for quite awhile, before Paimon ended it.
"Paimon's… gonna go to sleep. Paimon doesn't want to do commissions anymore. Paimon feels like all her energy has been drained for today. Bye-bye." Paimon floated away, most likely going indoors to find a bed.
This left Aether alone, still silent and gazing at the spot where Ei and Raiden disappeared. Around him were the remnants of burnt grass and dirt holes that needed patching. It seems that their duel left a lot in its wake. It didn't matter too much to Aether right now, however, as only one thing was on his mind…
…
What just happened?
A/N: Now I did say I'd only start writing again after my school term ended, but I just couldn't help it. Hope you enjoyed!
I was partially inspired by pic_postcard Raiden Shogun series of short comics, so go check them out: /pic_postcard (From here, specifically: /pic_postcard/status/1449474100695502850 , just add twitter at the start)
AwHellNao also has a comic dub up on their YouTube channel which is pretty good, so check that out as well!: watch?v=mqq_q51kS5w (just add youtube at the start)
Keep in mind there are other parts to this small manga series that pic_postcard has made so I encourage you to check out their works!
I also haven't written in third person before, so this was at least good practice. Hope it was at least competent for you to enjoy, thank you again for reading!