For many days now, a sinking suspicion had wormed its way into Raiden's mind, burrowing and gnawing, digging ever deeper until at last demanding her attention.
She was naive, that much was clear, even without Miko's teasing or the Traveler's humorous, exasperated, fond little sighs. Yet, as she observed a colorful variety of people come and go, sometimes pouring their hearts out, other times with nary a word, Raiden understood that she was a charity case - one among many.
It was a strange sensation, to realize a truth so obvious.
Of course the Traveler would've invited other people to his realm - that was simply the kind of person he was. Why then, did it hurt to see him play with the child who dearly missed her mother? Why did it hurt to see him sit next to the broken Yaksha, his presence alone enough to soothe the warrior's tortured soul?
Today, it was a human woman that sought his company, not that one could tell. Red ropes bound her mind as tightly as they did her body, leaving her cold, devoid of emotion, little more than a doll clad in mortal flesh. Even the Shogun appeared fervid in comparison.
Raiden watched from a distance, silent as a mouse, as the Traveler began undoing the knots holding the ropes together. With each one that came loose, life returned to the woman's eyes, dull gray giving way to a deep, rich silver, and her hair, only a shade away from pure white, darkened until it grew indistinguishable from the night sky.
She laughed and screamed and cried, for a brief moment clenching her fists as a deranged expression spread out across her face. Raiden found herself tensing, already taking a step in their direction, when suddenly the woman froze.
"No." she whispered, looking into the Traveler's eyes. "Not you. Never you. Never again."
He smiled.
"You're doing so much better, Shenhe. I'm proud of you."
Why did it hurt so much?
Aether was feeling particularly contented, a small spring in his step as he returned to the mansion.
Not only was Shenhe making considerable progress, able to keep her emotions in check - if only when around him - but he'd heard news of a festival taking place in Inazuma. Guests from all around Teyvat were invited, including many of his acquaintances, and if not for the fear that he may never leave were he to set foot in Inazuma again, he would've returned there in a heartbeat.
Then he considered the all-too-real possibility that Klee may cross paths with Yoimiya, and decided it was for the best that neither he nor Raiden were there to witness the inevitable devastation.
He passed by the rock garden, wondering if Raiden might still be held up there. She wasn't, but the memory of the time they spent there in each other's arms still brought a smile to his face.
Aether kept on walking, his mansion coming into view, standing tall before the arguably pompous courtyard Paimon had insisted they set up. While he preferred a modest layout, his companion was all about status and grandeur.
'Paimon's worked very hard for this, you know! Several months worth of planning! It's only fair that Paimon gets to live the life of luxury she's always dreamed of!'
For once, he couldn't fault her - Paimon had worked hard.
"Oh! Traveler, you're just in time!"
Tubby floated towards him excitedly, the usually serene and composed housekeeper displaying uncharacteristic cheer.
"You won't believe what just happened! You've received mail!"
"What?"
"Yes!" said Tubby, materializing a large, carefully wrapped package out of thin air. "Let's see, it says that it's from a certain Lady Yae Miko, the Beautiful and Wise."
"W-What did you say?" stammered Aether, his blood running cold.
"Lady Yae Mi-"
"Tubby." he interrupted, his fears confirmed. "It's far too late to be dealing with that fox's shenanigans."
"Now, now… Is that any way to be talking about a precious friend?"
Aether jumped several feet high in fright.
"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Tubby, sneaking a peek from beneath the lid of her teapot. "A talking package - now I've seen it all!"
"Well? Aren't you going to… unwrap me?"
The box giggled.
Aether shuddered.
Raiden lay still in her bed - the Traveler's bed - eyes roaming across the wooden ceiling, polished to a sheen, obscured only by the shadow cast from a large, golden chandelier.
She pondered her latest woes, confirming her belief that life and suffering went hand in hand, pain being impossible to escape in its entirety. All one could strive for was to reduce it, to find whatever dulled it, whatever made one forget about it, and never let it go.
Once, that had been Makoto, and her friends, before fate would have her wicked way.
Raiden finally understood why it had hurt so - she couldn't bear to lose him too. Not to age, sickness or injury, nor anything else, least of all a rival.
"Miko, what is this?!"
Her dark thoughts were snuffed out almost instantly.
"Hm? Don't you like it?" replied a familiar, sultry and insufferably teasing voice.
"Of course I- That's not the point! How in the world am I supposed to explain this to Raiden?"
The door to her bedroom swung open, revealing the Traveler, who much to her surprise carried a large statue in her likeness.
"That, little one, is your problem entirely." said the statue uncaringly, using Miko's voice.
"You do know she has a jealous streak, right?" continued the Traveler.
He stepped inside the room, still oblivious to Raiden's presence, and looked around for a place where he could set the statue down.
"What if she sees me taking care of the figurine- I mean, The Statue of her Excellency the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder, and decides that I don't think she's good enough for me?"
"Oh my! Poor Ei… she must really be down bad."
Heat rose to her face, mirroring the Traveler's expression perfectly. In a way that only she could, Miko poked and prodded, effortlessly bringing out the child within her.
"I'll have you know I'm not down bad, Miko!" she snarked, leaping off the bed and stomping heavily towards the statue. In anyone else's eyes, that may as well have marked the beginnings of a tantrum.
"And you!" she exclaimed, facing the Traveler, who was now white as a sheet. "Explain!"
"Uh- Um… You see…"
The statue positively gleamed.
"Oh, my darling Ei, how I've missed you! Though not as much as the little one, apparently. He pestered me for weeks and weeks on end, begging me to devise a way for you lovebirds never to be apart."
"I did no such thing!"
Miko giggled.
"I'm joking, of course. Really, I'm only chasing the latest trends. Rumor has it that Traveler figurines are all the rave in Liyue these days, so I decided to claim a share of that market with bigger, shinier, and far more profitable Raiden Shogun statues."
In a mixture of embarrassment and indignation, Raiden threw herself at the Traveler, intent on snatching away the offending statue and having it disintegrated.
"H-Hey, wait a second-"
"Give it here, Aether! At once!"
"Wait- No, it's mine!"
Miko's delighted laughter rang throughout the room, and though she'd only notice it later, Raiden had forgotten all about her previous worries.
Perhaps they hadn't been all that founded to begin with.