Damn, this took way longer than I expected to get finished.
Emotions...
It was one of, if not, the most important part of a human life. A thing that made someone a person.
In this world, a world where a vast variety of living creatures exist, emotions are something that is possessed by the majority of the living, even the smallest of all creatures like slimes may possess some degree of emotions as well. Such as when the jiggly little creature shows signs of fear upon meeting a foe that is much more stronger than them. And although some people may argue that it was just a natural instinct for one's self defense, there's no denying it that emotions do exist outside of the human race.
And as a testament for this... Then her existence is a great example for it.
Be it for her physical vessel, an intricate puppet made by a god's hand, a supposedly lifeless body who possesses it's own consciousness, a being crafted with a sole purpose of devoting itself into obeying and carrying out her master's one true command, to stood and guard the eternity she dearly desires for the sake of both herself and her people. Blank and dismissive as she may, even the fact that the puppet is willing to follow her master's orders, and even capable of reasoning and considering her orders, it is a proof that she was indeed capable of feelings in spite of what her actions shown otherwise.
And then, there's also the master of the said puppet. The Almighty Shogun of Inazuma, the God of Lightning and Eternity.
Compared to both humans or puppets alike, they were nothing compared to her. After all, she is no mortal, a divine being descending from the heavens at birth, striking the ground with such an impact that it gave birth to not just one, but two new life.
As the great incarnations of lighting, the twin sisters were gods even at moments after their birth. A being who were destined to lead and protect those who are weaker than them. And to strike and kill those who dare to oppose them.
But even so, Archons or not, they were still living beings, and both sisters do have an early stages of their lives that she went through after their birth. Both appeared as small babies when they were born, and both were raised and grown up until the day when they ascended into their current position.
They learned the much needed knowledge required for them to be an Archon, they learned and imitate as they observed the humans around them, and with time, they develop their own separate personalities, regardless of them being twins born from the same lightning that strike the ground of Tevyat that day.
Raiden Makoto would grew up into becoming the peaceful and kindhearted god that the people of Inazuma would come to love and cherished. A goddess who desired nothing but an everlasting peace for her dear nation, a nation of transience, who would find eternity inside every second that passed within a moment, be it a sorrowful one, or a delightful one.
And then, there's Raiden Ei, who would grow up into becoming her older sister's shadow, her dark counterpart, the other side of the same coin. A fierce warrior, who wields her spear in place of her sister's hand. A pair of hands she uses to smite their opponents, be it an overgrown snake who launched an unpredictable assault on her city, or an angry thunder wielding chicken, whose death caused an entire island to get ravaged by its thundering remnants, which still exists up until now.
Battle hardened warrior or a peace loving God, however, both sisters still have a number of things in common. Such as their cravings for sweet desserts, their tender lover towards their people, and strong bonds they shared between their circle of friends. Both sisters have went through a long rollercoaster of emotions together, sweet and painful memories come and go as time went by, until only one of them remained.
Being served as the warrior for her older sister, Ei is always known for her inability to express much of her emotions. A fact that both of her sister and her friends have pointed out in the past. She didn't need it much, that's what she's telling herself. Battlefield is not a place for emotions, it will only serves as a hindrance to her effectiveness as the blade of Makoto.
She shows no regrets upon slaying all of the gods that once stood on her way. Arriving at the battle field with a blank look on her face, and returned back to her city with an equally deadpanned expression, never letting herself getting sentimental with all the blood she spilled just moments earlier. And hence the reason behind why the almighty shogun is greatly feared just as much as she was loved.
But even so, her life do not always revolves around bloodsheds and battle. Back in the past, back to a simpler days when things aren't as complicated as they were now, there are moments when battle hardened Kagemusha of Inazuma could finally feel at peace, a time where a battlefield is not where she stood at, a time when those who surrounded her are not her loyal shogunate army, but those whom she considers as her friends, her family.
Being surrounded by bright smiles and laughter, even the famously known ruthless warrior would join in the fun. Able to freely express her emotions better than any other time, to laugh and smiles brightly as she enjoys a plate of sweet desserts, whilst telling each others interesting stories and jokes to fill the air around them with joy and happiness. Those were the good times, and she had wished for countless times with every fiber of her being that she desired nothing more but to feel those same atmosphere again, if not for her own selfish desire to be happy, then at least for her continuous pursuit of eternity, to ease this pain that's still exists in her heart.
It's been so long since the Goddess of lightning has let herself expressing her emotions again. After all, it's no use for her to use it while she was meditating inside her Plane of Euthymia, alone, without anyone else interrupting her. A state that has been constant for the last 500 years before her solitude was finally came to an end.
In order to achieve eternity, Ei had hoped so that her isolation would turn everything around her into a complete static, a condition where even the time itself will seemingly came into a stop, a way to preserve things so that it may remains as they were over the last centuries and long after. With her emotions also being preserved so that her mind wouldn't stray from the path she had chosen.
And yet, just like it always were, things do not easily went the way she planned.
Her centuries of solitude, her attempts to preserve herself to avoid erosion, it all came crumbling down in shambles within a span of just a couple of months. And it was all caused by the act of her friend no less.
A familiar face entered the personal realm where she meditates one day, a girl with short blonde hair, as bright as the glow of the full moon in the night sky, a sight that she and Makoto both loved when it was nigh time in Inazuma. Though this girl no longer the same as before, with how she appears not as brightly as before in the inside, getting a lot quieter and less cheerful and more gloomy and serious, she is still her dear friend, one of the few relics of the pass who somehow managed to get through the hardships that had befallen them five hundred years ago, something that Ei couldn't easily let go.
Aside from Makoto who is everything to her, Ei's friends are also the best thing that this world has given her. They are her world, the very thing that held her together as a person, and without them, she would be nothing, nothing but an empty shell, a living corpse without a purpose and nothing to live for. She may as well ended up like that in the past if it wasn't for her realization that the sacrifices that her friends made and their deaths cannot go in vain. And she should honor them by protecting what is precious to them. The nation, the shogunate, the Youkais, and the people. She took the mantle of the true Raiden Shogun just for their sake. The sake of her friends that she believes to have all left her behind to an even better world out there where no bloodsheds and death would exist anymore.
It is only natural for one to understand, the shock it was for Ei to see someone from her past, someone that she had thought to be either long dead or not living in the same world as her again, would just randomly appear inside the desolate mindscape of the Musou Isshin that she had created, without even the slightest of warning aside from the unpredicted commotion that was happening outside that day.
Though she is more than happy to see her again, their silent departure from 500 years ago along with the presence of the mark of Celestia hidden inside the girl's body aroused Ei's suspicion of her for being a ploy from the divine to mess around with her head. And act that she would slightly come to regret as it ended up leaving a bad first impression of her upon her later revealed to be amnesiac friend. Which also led to an animosity between the two that was at least lasted for a quick period of time where it can be resolved thanks to her and a certain fox lady whom is also missed the otherworldly girl just as much as she did.
And then... It was also during that time, when sweet maiden hailed from the stars, known as Lumine, regained her memories, and Ei finally find the courage to confess her feelings for her, to the girl that her heart has fallen for.
She just couldn't believe it, after years of isolation, after years of being alone in a constant state of preservation, never before Ei thought that she could regain such feelings like happiness again. It feels so good, really good, to be able to smile again, to be able to talk again with her long time friend. If it wasn't for her mind that is still fixed on her journey to attain eternity, Ei hoped with all of her heart that she wanted to be able to stand by her beloved side, forever, for all eternity...
...Something that she desired the most, yet cannot do it at the moment.
Standing on a high platform, the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma gazes down to the city of Ritou below, the city of docks where ships from other nations outside came and depart.
It has been about five months since the Vision hunt decree has been abolished, and it's also been a full month since the almighty Shogun has finally sets Inazuma free from the shackles of enclosure, making the once closed off nation free from any outside influences, becoming a open nation once more, just like the past, where anyone from outside can enter freely as they wishes without the fear of getting struck by the thunderstorms that once separated the islands with the mainland of Tevyat where some other bigger nations exist.
And so, as a way to celebrate this and to appeal the ancient Inazuman culture to the outsiders of the current generation, the Yashiro commission, with the approval of the other two commissions, had decided to held off the Irodori Festival right here in Ritou, a festival dedicated towards the Five Kasen of Inazuma, an ancient group consisted of five of the most gifted singers and poetry writers during ancient times.
Ei herself has known about them, as they lived at the same time of when Makoto was still the true Raiden Shogun who ruled Inazuma, while she was serving as the Kagemusha. She knows of what happened to each of them, what factors that made the group eventually disbanded, and then, like all things Inn this world, how their history eventually fades into legend until no one remembers of their true story.
But putting that aside, that is not the main reason of why Ei of all people is here in Ritou. Nevermind that her appearance here is a little out of character from the normally secluded Raiden Shogun that the people of Inazuma know of, Ei came here to observe a certain subject hers who had dared to laid his hand on her most prized possession.
Her deep purple eyes narrows down into dangerous level. Her gaze are sharp and serious, focusing solely on the form of two people below.
Today was supposed to be the climax for the Irodori Festival, supposedly street vendors or other sellers alike would lines up on the street of Ritou, as the people or the visitors from outside of Inazuma would gather up to enjoy the festivities atmosphere. No matter where she looks, everyone wears a kimono for this special day, given that the sales are booming for the last couple of days as more and more people from outside came to visit Inazuma.
Among these people crowding the streets of Ritou, a certain girl could be seen walking along the pathway just like everyone else. Her bright blonde hair and her beautiful pair of matching golden eyes helps her in becoming a distinguishable figure from the others, a well known blonde haired Traveler, who rumours had it, hails from another land far from the seven nations. The Honorary Knight of Mondstadt, the hero of Liyue, and then, the abolisher of the Vision Hunt Decree. Most people knows about the illustrious Traveler's reputation, given of her amazing deeds of saving three nations, or her wierd flying companion thing that was always by her side, or the fact that the girl is always having a blank stoic face wherever she goes in spite of the excessive kindness that she possesses for someone who rarely shows her emotions for people to see.
It's not a wonder why many people get swayed by the Traveler's charm, after all, what kind of person who doesn't want to help this girl, when all of lifetime worth of pain is always visible inside those dull darkened golden eyes. A pair of golden gems that are used to shining so brightly, so beautifully, only for it to get swallowed up by the darkness, dimming it if not almost completely extinguished it, if it wasn't for her strong resolve to regain what she had lost, who knows what she would become.
It also stands to reason why there might be some people out there who would be smitten by her too. No doubt that those kinds of people surely exist, but none of them has ever come clean with their feelings before Ei did. She was the first, she should be the only one allowed to in close proximity to her. After all, they're lovers, with festive atmosphere here, it should be right for the two of them to hold hands, going from street vendors to street vendors, enjoying snacks while chatting and laughing and enjoy this moment short but meaningful moments to the fullest, that is no doubt what Makoto would desire for her to do.
And yet... Those dainty white hands of the star-born maiden, is currently cradling another person's hand.
Ei could feel her grip on the wooden support beam gets tighter with any seconds that passed. She could feel her mouth turned into a pout as she continues to observe what's happening below. The blonde haired Traveler, Lumine, is walking around the streets of Ritou, sightseeing the decorations made into the street for this special day, while also buying snacks for her and her friends to eat. Unlike any other day where she usually dons her Traveling outfit wherever she goes, this time, the blonde girl favors to wear a kimono dress instead, just like any other people and her outlander friends.
The dress she wore in particular, is a dark colored one, with dark brown base colour and crimson linings, made perfect by the fade brown maple leaves design. Ei knew about that dress, it was the kimono that Lumine had chosen for herself in favor of the ones that both she and Miko chose a little while ago. Back then, the three ladies had gotten themselves into a quite heated argument regarding which kimono dress that Lumine had to wear. Ei had suggested for her to wear a light colored one, a white kimono with blue linings. Unfortunately however, Miko disagrees with her choice, and suggested for Lumine to pick a red colored one instead, something that Ei disagrees with since it doesn't match with Lumine at all.
In the end though, all their suggestions don't matter anymore. Because Lumine had picked the brown one instead and made up her mind about it. Leaving the two women to stand there in silence as their beloved starlight leaves the room with an audible huff, seemingly annoyed by of the two's pestering and choose to ignore them instead. She was in a hurry at the time so it's only natural that she would be angry at them for wasting her time.
But... Does her anger extended to the point of her to move on from Ei too?
Ei could see Lumine is smiling and laughing down there, she looks so bright for a girl who usually had a blank look on her face. Ei is aware that Lumine had regained most of her original personally since her memory are finally came back to her, but even that doesn't seem to be enough to completely heal her wounds. The hole in her heart is an endless be void, and her returning memories is but to fill that void with only a small grain of sand, that's what Miko said. She does smiles and chuckles when she was around Ei or Miko, since they are the closest person to her while in this world.
So, for Lumine to look so happy like this, Ei wonders... How close was Lumine to that kid she's clinging into.
Ei could vaguely recognize him, the white haired wandering samurai, the descendant of the long almost forgotten clan of bladesmith known as the Kaedehara clan. The boy who leads the resistance army alongside the general of Watatsumi Island that day when they tried to barged into Tenshukaku.
Ei still remembers how she handed Lumine to the boy when the girl passed out from exhaustion of the two battles she had to go through that same day, one against that Fatui Harbinger that the Shogun executed after Lumine came out victorious, and the other was against Ei herself in the hopes of demolishing the Vision Hunt Decree once and for all.
That day, the goddess of thunder have no any other thoughts regarding the boy aside from that he seemed to be a close friend to Lumine, given how worried and frightful he look when he saw the form of an unconscious and beaten Lumine resting on Ei's arms, that's the more reason she had entrusted him to take care of her, but who would've thought that their relationship is further beyond that... Ei now kinda regrets her decision that day, she should've hand over the smaller girl to that dog general, after all, from what she have seen in Watatsumi Island, Lumine is pretty much a celebrity for the populace there, the people there referred to her as the savior, thanks to her selfless deeds she has done during the warring period by balancing the lives of the ordinary people during the times of crisis.
CRACK
She could feel the wooden beam cracking under the pressure of her tight grip. The white haired boy just bought a candy apple for the two, and by that she meant only one, requiring them to share share it, with Lumine complied with no hesitation whatsoever. This sight before her... It is the most infuriating sight ever! So unforgivable!
"What's the almighty Shogun of all people are doing in a place like this all alone?"
As the very familiar voice comes from the purplenette's back, the sounds which escape her lips is something between a growl and a sigh.
Of course she would appear, no need for Ei to turn her head around, she already knows who is currently speaking behind her.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to show off her nearly murderous aura. Ei begins turning around to face the obvious newcomer. Those bright pink hair pair of downturned fox ears are the first that came to her sight, and the next thing she saw was the dress she's wearing, unlike any other day before, the mischievous fox lady isn't wearing her usual shrine maiden outfit, but instead, she choose to don a costumized kimono dress instead, to match with the festival atmosphere no doubt.
"What do you want?" Ei asked with a little sigh, her annoyance to this particular woman lingers in her heart.
"That's what I should've asked you." The fox woman replied with a slight shake of her head. "What are you doing here, all alone and stalking our little starlight from the distance? As far as I'm concerned, this isn't something that you usually do." Miko muttered with a slightly mischievous smirk.
The pink haired lady scoot closer to stand by the purplenette's side. Following the line of her sight, her deep purple eyes fell upon the small distant form of their topic of conversation. Miko saw the bright form of the blonde haired girl that her longtime friend had fallen for, and once her eyes laid upon the sight of how the smaller girl's arms are tightly wrapped around an arm of another man she knows, she almost couldn't suppress the laugh that was about to escape her lips. Covering her mouth with a single hand as her body shook from clear amusement.
"I hope that someone would come and pinch me now because I don't know whether I'm dreaming or not." Miko muttered out after while with a light shake of her head. "The Almighty Shogun of Inazuma, the feared god who controls the lighting, is jealous with a mortal?"
CRACK
An even larger crack appeared on the wooden beam, and Miko wonders if the building are going to collapse anytime soon.
"I am not jealous." Ei hissed back, the way her face scrunched up with her eyebrows furrowed and those purple eyes who stared at her with such an intensity reminds Miko of a stray cat who refused to be petted.
"Really Ei? Still denying it even with such an obvious expression?" Miko clicked her teeth, low-key amused by her friend's denial.
The purple haired woman didn't say anything, opting to continue gazing down to the pair below them instead, eliciting a sigh to come out from Miko's mouth.
"But on the other side though, I guess it does make sense for Lumine to choose him over you, huh?" The sly fox muttered, doesn't even need to turn her head to the side to know that those pair of eyes besides her have turned to look at her again, still as intense as ever. "That young samurai is a remarkable individual, he got quite the charisma enough to make people like him. The calm and serene personality, not letting grudges took the better of him even after witnessing the death of his friend right before his very eyes. It's no wonder why our dear Lumine would fall for such a guy, no?"
CRACK
"I feel sorry for whoever the one who owns this building. Having it almost broken down from your not-jealousy." Miko said with a little sad sigh, crossing her arms across her chest as she gave a quick glance to Ei. "Shall I prepare myself for your incoming not-anger?"
"Miko, would you please just stop talking for a moment please?" Ei replied back, veins are visible on her forehead and the tone of her voice sounds threatening. "Did you come all this way here just to try to tease me? Or did you actually have some good reasons to be here?"
"Personally, I believe you should not use the word "try" when I am clearly succeeding." The pink haired woman jokingly replies with a small chuckle, earning herself an even stronger glare. "But no, I was merely taking a stroll around these parts. While I do like the bustling atmosphere of the festivities, sometimes, a calm and quiet space also needed for one's mind. But running into you here is clearly something that I did not expect."
"Hmph, I see. So you just come up with all of your teasings on the spot then, just as usual." The Raiden Shogun huffed, closing her eyes to calm herself down and dispel the seething anger she showed just now.
Miko looked down once again, seeing Lumine finally parted with the boy that she has been clinging on to for the last couple of minutes. Now with her hands finally release their grip on his arm, the couple is finally separated for good.
"You know, it's not good for you to just stand here being all mopey with your not-jealousy like this." Miko start with another sigh escaping her lips. "If you really want prevent her from moving on from you, then you should better start to act now. Go talk to her, beg her to not leave you if necessary, just standing here and getting all jelly won't help it, you know?"
Ei paused a little, before finally, finally, releasing her tight grip from the poor wooden support beam. Now that Miko looks at it, the cracks on the wood has spreaded until it covered the entirety of it's surface. The poor house owner will surely scratch their head in confusion once they saw this, not that Miko has enough care to think about it.
"That... Was what I was thinking for the last couple of minutes actually." Ei muttered in response after a while. "I really wanted to go down there and separates the two after holding each others hands for so long. But every time the thought crosses my mind... I was reminded with the argument we had hours ago." The purple haired woman shook her head with a little sigh escaped her lips. "Lumine looks... Really angry at us, it is very likely that she might be still upset with us for delaying her time for this event. If I made an appearance, even if it's just because I wanted to talk to her, I'm afraid she'll be mad at me again, and I might ruin her mood."
"Oh please, you're thinking about it way too much." The kitsune roll her eyes on that. "I know that both of us has gotten into her nerves enough to make her upset, but I know that Lumine is not the type of person who gets angry at a such trivial thing for a long period of time. In fact, I have done plenty of things to her in the past, and never did she holds any grudges or prolonged anger to me. Well, maybe except for that one time when I tried selling multiple copies of her photos of when she served as a shrine maiden for a day. Tsk, and how did the little one choose retaliate against me."
She vividly remembers the look on Lumine's face that day when she finds out. Although the photos that were sold are innocent and free from any suggestive content, giving people a picture of her without permission is still something that is not easily forgiven. And to Miko's surprise and annoyance, the blonde haired girl had chosen to fight back. By releasing a new issue for the light novel that they had worked on together in the past, complete with illustrations for every chapter within the new volume, all about a certain mischievous, spoiled, little fox who got itself into trouble of which the fox would never forget for its entire life.
For the little one to release the said volume without even telling or asking for her help is shocking enough, but to read it's contents and heard people talk about it is on another level.
In the end though, both sides had agreed to stop their advances towards each other. With Lumine limits the volume's mass production and turns it into a special edition only. And then Miko who stops selling the photos, in conjunction that she had run out of stock after a certain ginger haired man decided to buy them all.
"Hmm... You may have a point. But still..."
"Well... If you still don't want to meet her. Then I guess I'll just have to go down there and talk to herー"
"On second thought, yeah, that is the best idea. I'll go meet her now, thanks for the suggestion, Miko."
Before Miko could say anything, the purple haired god had already turned her body around before leaving the scene, walking into the direction towards the city of Ritou below, leaving Miko behind to stand there all alone.
"Tsk, why did I even bother telling her." She said with a shake of her head, putting a hand under her chin. "Looks like I need to better up my game a little next time. Otherwise, she'll only have her sights on Ei and Ei alone forever."
~o~0~o~
The festive atmosphere is lovely, the decorations made around the streets are something new, and then the amount of people that had crowded the city, both from those who are and who are not beyond the sea. Such atmosphere is something that is nostalgic as well as new to Lumine.
It's just a shame that she could not attend it either Ei or Miko.
She knew that she had rather parted with them on bitter terms, but that was only because they had wasted her time by arguing about which kimono she should wear of all things.
Earlier that day, Lumine and her friends had promised each other that they would take a group photo together during the night when the Irodori Festival has reached its climax. The conditions for the group photo is that each of them must don a kimono dress to go along with the Inazuman theme. Even Venti and Albedo had bought one for themselves, with the latter bought one for the former since the drunkard had spent all of his money for the sake at the local restaurant.
And so, knowing that she also has to follow what they had all agreed upon. Lumine went to the Tenshukaku that evening, hoping to fetch that one Kimono that she had worn during the previous festival, one that she had given to Ei in hopes that the Archon would store it inside her Plane of Euthymia, both as a reminder that her dear friend and lover would always be by her side no matter what, and also as a way to preserve it from erosion. But Lumine would never expect however, that both Ei and Miko would actually prepare a stackful of kimono dresses with each having different designs, and forces her to just stand there in her underwear while listening to the two arguing over which one she should wear for over three hours.
In the end though, she chooses the one that she picked up herself. A brown colored one with red linings and maple leaves design. Leaving the scene with a huff as she left them there to stand in silence as she stormed off with silent anger.
By the time she arrived at Ritou, everyone was already there, waiting for her to come. And although some of them had complained to her about her late arrival, particularly Paimon whom everyone said is feeling uneasy and nervous as she was worried that something had happened to Lumine. Their group photo session went smoothly nonetheless, and everything was fine as it is despite her late arrival.
This also meant that Lumine's anger towards her two closest friends is a little unnecessary. Sure that they had made her head hurt a little with their arguments, but everything that Ei and Miko did was them trying to give what is the best for her. And Lumine was a little grateful for their care, such affectionate actions is all she needs in this world, especially when Aether is no longer around.
All of her other friends are currently busy strolling around the streets to play or to buy snacks, Venti and Albedo is somewhere, perhaps maybe spending time in the bar drinking or something. And then, Kazuha who she has spent the majority of time with, has left her since he said that he wanted to meet with someone. And so after some parting words, including a word of thanks from her for him who has accompanied her throughout the night. She is left alone now, still with this pang in her chest.
Well, Paimon still busy floating around the streets to grab herself a handful of Dangos and Takoyakis with Thoma and Ayaka accompanying her, she was left in good hands. Therefore, there should be nothing that Lumine has to worry about at the moment.
Lumine has decided, she will go back to the Tenshukaku, hopefully, Ei and Miko will still be there. She needs to apologize to them for getting angry, and then, spend the rest of the night with them, since the two of them can't come here, then it should be her to come to them.
Although she was tempted, using her teleportation magic here will surely shock the living out of the people who had no knowledge of her abilities. It's kinda creepy to imagine actually, seeing someone ominously standing there in one place doing nothing for a couple of seconds, and then they suddenly vanished into thin air... She doesn't want to cause unnecessary panic, and so Lumine decided that she should leave Ritou behind first, before invoking the magic after walking a distance away from the town.
And so she did just that. Walking towards the city border, entering a more deserted zone of the city, walking up a few steps of stairs and then... Coming face to face with the almighty Shogun of Inazuma... Well this is totally not what she expected to happen.
"Oh! Ei... It's... You...? Uh... That is you, isn't it?" Lumine stuttered, a little baffled and confused on whether or not the force that moves the puppet figure in front of her is either that of her lover Ei, or the consciousness of the Raiden Shogun.
"It's me, Lumine. I came all the way here just for you." The Electro Archon answered, putting a hand on her chest. Her voice is light and filled with certain emotions, confirming the fact that it truly is Ei who inhabits the body.
"Uh, well, that's good to hear I guess." Lumine muttered while scratching her cheek. "So then, what brings you here? I thought that you were going back to meditate again. Also, is Miko here with you? Where is she?" The blonde girl asked, putting both of her hands on her sides.
"Why? Well, I came here to see you of course, there's something very important that I need to ask you. And then, no, Miko is not here. I came here alone." The purple haired woman answered, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Hmm, is that so? Well, what do you wanna ask then?" Why did she suddenly want to ask her something? Has she forgotten something? Or maybe, is she going to ask for some snacks? Sounds like something Ei would do.
Ei didn't answer her immediately, she stood there in silence for a while, as if she was thinking carefully of what she should say to her, making Lumine a little nervous with her silence. After a while, as the fresh wind of the night air brushed against their hair, Ei's lips parted as she spoke.
"What is the relationship between you and that boy?" The Raiden Shogun asked, instantly making Lumine confused with it.
"Uh... What?" Lumine asked back, tilting her head in confusion, not understanding what the question was.
"I'm asking you, what is the relationship between you and the current descendant of the Kaedehara Clan?" The woman asked again, her purple eyes narrowed as they stated into Lumine's dull golden ones.
The added context for the question didn't bring an answer for Lumine's own question. Why is she suddenly questioning this? Does she have some business with Kazuha or something?
"You mean Kazuha? Well, we are friends obviously. But why did you want to ask this?" Lumine asked again, she saw the slight almost unseen twitch of Ei's eyes, as if her response had struck a cord within Ei's mind.
"Friends, huh? Is that really the truth?" The Archon questioned, skeptical. "Can you explain why are you sticking up close to him the entire time then? By holding his arms no less?" Ei asked again, watching as the confusion on Lumine's face turned into one of a shocked expression.
"Wait, you were watching me?"
"I did, from start to finish actually. I've seen you when you took a picture together with all your friends. And then, I was watching as you strode around the streets of Ritou, watching childrens play and buying snacks from street vendors, while having your arms consistently wrapped around that man. You're even smiling and laughing with him. Pretty odd considering that you rarely do those things, even when around me or Miko." The woman explained, her eyes unblinking as she does so.
So... She was saying that, she had been watching her the whole time?! Why would she even do that? Does she followed Lumine to Ritou to join her in the festival maybe? But decided against it once she saw what Lumine was doing? Or did she simply come here because she just really wanted to watch over her, only to be met with such sight instead?
Well, that matters aside for now. What Lumine did must've really affected her. To see when your lover is being so close with another person. Lumine guesses that perhaps maybe she does get out of line by sticking close and holding Kazuha's arm like that, or the occasional hugs she gave him. Surely some people might misunderstand them, like Ei right now. But still, for Ei to react this way, while no one else had ever confronted her about her, must've means that Ei in particular has a great reason to why she acts like this.
Could it be? That Ei was...
"Uh... Ei? Are you... Jealous? By any chance?" Lumine asked a bit hesitantly, trying if her guess was indeed correct.
The little gasp that escapes her lips, the slight widened eyes upon hearing the question, and then the way her expression quickly changes again a split second after that, it was all the confirmation Lumine needs to confirm that she was indeed correct.
"I-I am not! What are you talking about? Stop trying to change the subject! I was just merely asking." The purple haired woman replied with a yell, closing her eyes as she looked away, trying to hide the slight blush on her face but to no avail.
Silence filled the air after Ei's reply. Lumine blankly stared at the woman before her. A beautiful woman who was her lover, her dear friend that she had met many years ago, a friend that she had spent a short amount of time with, yet all of them were meaningful. And now, this lover of her is getting jealous, jealous because she had spent a night with someone else instead of her, someone that she had held hands with and smiled and laughed with. Ei, the almighty Shogun of Inazuma, the goddess of thunder, is jealous because of her.
Silence was still hung up in the air between them. And then, Lumine's lips quirk up slightly, a hum escaped from her lips. Ei then opens her eyes to see Lumine having a full smile on her face, which turned into a grin, and then before long, a full blown laughter. The blonde haired girl clutches her stomach as she laughed, while using her other hand to cover her mouth to reduce the sound slightly, while Ei watches her in slight confusion.
"Oh... Oh my, Ei... You couldn't be any more obvious than that!" Lumine said once her laughter calmed down, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Ei merely sighs at this and rolls her eyes a little. "Listen here Ei. I'm so sorry for putting up those acts in front of you, okay? I mean, I don't even know that you were watching me. But it's the truth, alright? Kazuha and I are really just friends. I was just really close to him because he has something peculiar that I liked very much about it."
"Such as?" Ei raised an eyebrow.
"Well... Have you noticed something from his looks?" Lumine asked, her golden eyes stared directly into Ei's purple ones, full of emotions. "He... Kinda reminds me of Aether..."
Ei's eyes slightly widened at this. Not expecting this kind of answer from Lumine.
"I know that he has a white hair instead of blonde, maple red eyes instead of gold. But still, from seeing his frame alone, I somehow find it deep within myself that his figure somehow greatly reminds me of my brother. Heck, even Paimon initially thinks he was, the moment she saw him, Paimon immediately lunges towards his face and grabbed both of his cheeks tightly, while shouting at me to tackle him to prevent him from running away again. Only later to realize that it was a completely different person." Lumine explained, smiling slightly while remembering the memory.
"Hmm... Now that I think about it... I guess he does quite resemble your brother." Ei muttered silently with a nod, her mind trying to compare Kazuha's appearance with the image of Lumine's brother from her memory, from the past when the two briefly met atop mount Yogou, when the elder twin of the star born Traveler came to pick her up.
"I know." Lumine said with a small nod. "During my trip across the ocean to Inazuma. I was plagued by nightmares about Aether, how he left me, how he abandoned me for the sake of his mission. And every time I see Kazuha's face, it only brings me pain as I keep getting reminded of my brother. Reminded with my encounter with him that day inside the god forsaken domain. And so, to try easing my pain away. I began to view him as Aether, treating him gently and with kindness as if he was my brother, spending most of the time talking to him casually, Just like when I did it with Aether. And even sometimes hugging him and holding his hand." Turning around, Lumine looked back towards the city square, where most of her friends are still there. "But of course, as I did that, the void within my heart only gets bigger the more I was pretending. I found myself conflicted by these feelings, and as I was pondering about it one night, Kazuha heard everything, he finds out that our friendship is a lie, that I was merely using him as a coping mechanism. And yet, he didn't get mad. In fact he was fine it, he didn't mind pretending, as long as it helps me in easing this pain a little. And that was how he came to be one of my most closest friend, or maybe the most closest, ever since I opened my heart again."
Ei listened to Lumine's explanation, her eyes looking at the back of Lumine's head, knowing well that despite of the calmness in her voice, there was a certain melancholy filled the blonde girl's voice. A well hidden sadness, that she tried her best to cover up.
"I see. So you only saw him as your brother then? Nothing more?" Ei asked, the tone of her voice is lighter than before.
"Yes, I do." Lumine said with a nod of her head, turning around to face Ei with a small smirk plastered on her face. "There's nothing for you to get jealous of here Ei. But I gotta say though, your reaction is pretty cute, hehe." The blonde girl chuckled earning a small huff coming out from the taller woman. "Oh, and by the way Ei, I brought these just for you."
Reaching out, a small pouch materialized on Lumine's hand, and after untying the rope around it, she opened up the pouch to show Ei what was inside it, and the purple haired woman couldn't help herself but for her eyes to sparkle when she saw the contents.
"These are... Desserts?" The woman asked, her voice sounded excited and full of bliss. Inside the bag are a bunch of Dango Milk and other kinds of snacks and desserts, all of it was bought by Lumine during her walks around Ritou.
"They are." Lumine replied with a nod. "Shall we... Find a quiet place for us to eat this together? Just before the night ends, I wanted to spend the rest of it together with you, Ei."
Ei nods her head in agreement. After Lumine dematerialized the bag out of existence, the taller woman reaches out to hold the smaller girl's hand into hers, finding comfort in the warmth those hands provided, in spite of them already doing it multiple times before.
"Yeah, and I know just the perfect place for us to be together. Come, let us go."
With their hands joined, and fingers intertwined with each other, the two lovers walked up the relatively empty streets of Ritou, heading out for the spot where their little date for that night is located. A night started with her surrounded by her friends, and ended with a time alone with her girlfriend. If anything, perhaps Lumine could say that this is one the best day she ever had in this world, but not as best as the day when she met Ei, of course.
I am so sorry for taking so long to made this chapter. There were complications along the way, mostly because I was busy with school and also my sickness that keeps holding me back from being productive. But at least I still managed to finish this one instead of not at all. :D