"You have a visitor."
The Shogun glanced up at the guard. He still wore her colors, despite the disdain in his expression. Maybe they would never replace the uniforms. Changing the color-scheme of an entire nation was probably more effort than it was worth.
"Fantastic." The Shogun said, her voice deadpan. "I hope they brought presents."
The guard scoffed, turning away. The door shut behind him.
Technically, she wasn't a prisoner. It was hard to imprison someone who could slaughter your entire army. But her usurpers had confined her to her room, and she truly didn't care enough to argue the point. Her quarters were fit for a shogun, after all.
She sat on the edge of her bed, a behemoth so large that it seemed a room of its own, staring down the door. She wondered who would walk through it. Ayaka or Kokomi, come to gloat? Or perhaps Yae Miko- the obnoxiously pink creature appeared every so often, hoping to gossip with the ghost in her head.
The door crept open. A tall girl came into the room, her hands folded behind her back, her anxiety nearly palpable. Despite her rigid demeanor, she had soft, cute features; a comeliness ruined by sharp, animal eyes. The sign of her muddled bloodline.
Kujou Sara, her former general, bowed her head. She still wore her iconic black top, the material stretched so tightly it was a wonder she could breathe. "Your excellency. I… I'm sorry for the intrusion, but-"
"I'm not an excellency anymore, Sara." The Shogun said, waving her off. "And you can't intrude on a discarded puppet. Speak freely, or don't speak at all."
Sara visibly gulped. "Y-Yes. Yes, Lord Shogun. Er… ex-Shogun."
Behind the stuttering, Sara made a good point. The Shogun wasn't a shogun anymore, but she hadn't given any thought to a name change. "I suppose Raiden is fine, as trite as that is. No prefix, no title. Please."
"Yes, Raiden." Sara said. Her expression was strained, her hand twitching, as if she were physically fighting herself from saluting. "I'm sorry. You must be wondering why I'm here. You see, when I heard you had been imprisoned, my fury was limitless - how dare they lock away the almighty shogun? Do they not know all you have done for Inazuma? I mean, the Vision Hunt Decree was somewhat questionable, and the country has been decaying from within for some time, but-"
"Sara."
The tengu girl snapped back to attention. "Sorry. I didn't mean… it was as much my fault as anyone's. I failed to see the corruption within my clan, and I failed to stop the insurrection. Er, insurrections. Both Ayaka and Kokomi's. I failed you, and I'll never-"
The Shogun rolled her eyes, holding up a hand. Sara went silent instantly. "I can't believe I never noticed how you ramble. Perhaps you didn't, before. Perhaps you simply lost your cool when you lost your title. You did lose your title, didn't you?"
Sara's yellow eyes went wide, suddenly filled with pain. The Shogun felt a stab of regret.
"That was mean." A voice, very much like the Shogun's own, came from beside her. Ei sat on the edge of the bed, her lavender gaze narrowed in disapproval. "Don't listen to the Shogun, Sara. She was programmed badly. You're a very sweet girl and you tried your best."
Of course, Ei's words fell on deaf ears. They only reverberated around the Shogun's head, buzzing like a nest of angry flies. The Shogun resisted looking over at the ghost. She hated letting Ei win, but she was right. That was mean. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No," Sara said. "No. You're right. Without my title, my clan, my command… I'm lost." She lowered her eyes. "You said earlier that you were nothing but a discarded puppet. That's how I feel, too."
The Shogun didn't know how to tell her that she had been speaking literally, so she didn't. "Hm."
"I… I just felt like I had to come talk to you. I thought you might be able to understand my frustration. After the judgement of my clan and the Tenryou Commission, our very gracious new leaders had no use for me."
"Mhm. I heard they stripped you of your command." The Shogun said. "Which I can't say was a genius strategic move, but the decision has me curious. What are you doing now? Where are you staying?"
A flash of color came across Sara's pale face. "Um. I'm… unemployed. Ayaka is letting me stay at her home until they decide what to do with the land formerly owned by my disgraced clan."
"Well, isn't that nice of her." Ei said, smiling. "I suppose even traitorous harlots can find generosity in their hearts."
The Shogun couldn't relate to Ei's bitterness. In fact, watching the god seethe almost made being disgraced and dethroned worth all the trouble. "I'm sorry your loyalty to the archon earned you no favors, Sara." She said, folding her hands in her lap. "But if you were hoping to find an ally in frustration, a vengeful deity thrashing at her chains, then you failed. I'm glad we lost."
Sara blinked at her. "You're… what?"
"Glad we lost. The war, that is. My mission was only madness dreamt up by a long-dead tyrant consumed by her sorrow. Eternity is impossible and it means nothing. You can't tell an artificial intelligence to 'bring eternity' to a mortal world. That doesn't mean anything. It's no wonder my plans descended into insanity."
"My Shogun… are you feeling alright? You're not making any sense."
"Oh. I forgot this wasn't common knowledge." The Shogun sighed. "The Traveler probably told the Kamisato girl about it. I hear they're… close. Ask her."
Sara bowed her head. Again. "Yes, Shogun. Raiden. I will. Sorry."
"Ugh. Please just go live your life, Sara. Get a job at the market. Or don't. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you sat in the Kamisato mansion forever and lived off their wealth. That would be the most amusing end, I think. They win a war yet acquire the enemy general as a permanent house guest."
For a moment, the Shogun feared Sara would start sobbing. But she didn't. She took a shuddery breath, and then thumped a fist against her chest. "Yes, Shogun. I'm sorry, Shogun."
She left.
The silence was immediate. And the Shogun remained, alone in her big, empty room, staring at the door.
It was times like these that she wished she could sleep.