Shadow of Memories
Theodoric's treasury, the summoning of Lakshmi within the palace of Ala Mhigo and Fordola of all people helping defend those she had spent years despising. There seemed to be no end of things happening on our front.
While things had been busy here, tidings from the Far East soon had my friends travel back across the sea. When I first heard what had happened, I almost couldn't believe it.
Memories...make us who we are. So without them, can we truly be someone else?
I wonder what you have to say about that, Eni.
The first time she had laid eyes upon the Ruby Sea, there had been a sense of wonder at the sight of it. From the vegetation of the islands, made up of trees that she had never seen before, to the smell in the air, salt with a hint of sulfur from the oozing volcano to the south. And that didn't even account for the underwater settlements of the Raen and Kojin or the giant tower seemingly piercing the very sky.
It was a place that swore fealty to no one but itself.
Yet, as they stood upon the shores near Isari, it was another sight that drew her attention this time around; that of a beautiful woman, with long raven hair, standing lightly behind Gosetsu's large frame and looking around warily.
Almost like a child.
When they had heard that Gosetsu might not only be alive, but in Kugane, they had wasted no time trying to locate him, especially when they had learned that the Empire was looking for him as well. Little did they know it wasn't him they were looking for.
And while the elegant kimono had been replaced by a rather drab and unflattering and the makeup was gone, there was absolutely no mistaking her.
This was Yotsuyu, and yet she wasn't, as the same miracle that had seen to her and Gosetsu's survival, had also taken away her memory.
Or so it seemed.
Nothing can ever be simple, can it? S'eni wondered.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Soroban speaking up.
"This is where we part ways, my friends," he said to them, his voice carrying that inflection that seemed to be unique to Kojin. "I hope the remainder of your journey passes uneventfully."
He then looked at her. "S'eni, when you are less occupied, I would like to speak with you about my next business venture. It promises to be extremely lucrative and I do not say so lightly. And after the immense sum spent on acquiring a certain sword, it would present a great opportunity to refill the Scions' coffers and return the smile to Mistress Tataru's face."
"Oh come now," Alphinaud then said with a light chuckle. "Tataru was overreacting. How much could a single Katana possibly cost?"
"Far more than you think. A blade like Gosetsu's is worth a fortune, more than enough to buy a house and furnish it," Alisaie replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Which you would know if you had bothered to check the price."
"What? I-I had no idea…" the younger man stammered, clearly taken aback. He too then looked at her, a mixture of embarrassment, hope, and just a tiny bit of fear of Tataru's wrath in his eyes. "T-This business venture—I trust you will listen to his offer? He's been a great help to us, after all!"
Chuckling and shaking her head, S'eni looked at Soroban and said, "I'll contact you."
The Kojin nodded and raised his large hand in silent goodbye before returning to his boat. After he had left, Yugiri called for their attention.
"We should enter Yanxia as swiftly as possible, I shall scout ahead to make sure the road is clear and contact my lord of our coming. Meet me at the outskirts of Namai."
And with those words, she was gone, vanishing in a cloud of smoke.
A surprised gasp escaped Yotsuyu and she looked around with wide eyes. "Where did she go? Does she want to play hide and seek?" all of their eyes landed on her, making the woman hide behind Gosetsu's back once more. "W-What?"
"Nevermind that, Tsuyu. Yugiri is right, we should hurry, my friends," Gosetsu said.
"Then let's not waste any more time. "Alisaie uncrossed her arms, lips curling into a smile. "I'm sure Hien is already eagerly awaiting your return."
As they left the beach to begin their track into the heart of Yanxia, S'eni eyes came to rest upon Yotsuyu's back. She watched her for a time, trying to figure out if this truly was some sort of elaborate trick. But when the other woman began to stare back with large, round eyes, bereft of the cold hatred she had last seen reflected in them on that day in Doma Castle, she began to doubt that this was the case.
A sigh escaped her as she walked through the Doman Enclave. It was impressive, really, to see these ruins partly restored already. It spoke of the strength that the people of Doma had regained and the love for their country. She was sure Hozan and the others would be most delighted to hear of this. But—
She sighed again.
"Another one?" Alisaie asked next to her. "This must be really troubling you."
S'eni just looked at her.
"I get it. We barely manage to save Gosetsu—" the younger woman paused until two citizens passed by, then continued in a lower voice. "—and Yotsuyu from imperial troops. Then, no sooner do we arrive, a Garlean ambassador shows up to talk about peace and prisoner exchange and he just happens to be the former viceroy's step-brother? A little too many coincidences for my taste."
"Yeah..." And then there was that attack by the Red Kojin. While Asahi had valiantly gone ahead and defended Azami and Isse alongside them, it was one more coincidence upon the pile of coincidences and S'eni couldn't shake the feeling that something more than the simple lack of employment had driven them. "Something smells about this entire thing."
"He seems genuine enough about the peace treaty and the prisoner exchange," Alisaie said matter of factly.
She hummed. That he was. But pleasant faces and friendly demeanours could be the ones hiding the sharpest steel.
...Gods when had she become so distrustful?
They came to a stop in front of what she assumed used to be a marketplace of some kind, where a kind-looking Roegadyn woman was handing out food to the people.
Exhaling through her nose, she looked at Alisaie and pointed forward. "How about something to eat?"
"Sure."
After they received their food, a bowl of rice and some dried fish from the One River, nothing special yet still filling, they sat down at one of the few tables that had been haphazardly placed around the area.
"I suppose it will become a little quieter around Revenant's Toll soon enough," the younger woman said after taking her first bite and looking around for a moment.
"It'll take some getting used to not seeing our little Doman Adventurers Guild running through the streets." The Domans had become such a part of the townscape that their absence would be sorely felt. But they deserved to return to their homeland as free people, even if saying goodbye would hurt.
They fell silent for a moment, simply eating and listening to the idle chatter of some people nearby until S'eni broke it once again. "What do you think? About 'Tsuyu', I mean?" she asked while picking at her rice.
"I honestly can't say," her friend replied. "If this is a ruse, it's probably the most elaborate I have ever seen."
"I don't think it is."
"Oh? Awfully sure, aren't you?"
"Let's just say I've got some experience on the matter," she said.
The Elezen tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
S'eni looked at Alisaie. "I lost my memory once too."
She watched as the other woman nearly dropped her chopsticks, eyes growing wide at this revelation. "...Are you serious?"
"Hm." she nodded. "I think you remember what your grandfather said about what he had done at Carteneau. Well, when I re-appeared in the Black Shroud, my mind just...shut off, I suppose, because I couldn't deal with what had happened. So it locked those memories away. Maybe something like that happened to her as well."
Alisaie's mouth hung agape for a few seconds before she closed it and looked down at her half-eaten food. "I-I didn't know."
"Of course not. How could you?" S'eni chuckled. "By the time we were properly introduced my memory had returned again."
After saying that, she went back to eating. Her friend stared at her for a few seconds, before returning to her meal as well. "How did it feel to regain your memory?"
She popped a piece of fish into her mouth.
"Like waking up from a dream. Everything made sense again," she explained.
They fell silent once again, this time not speaking up until they were approached by the Roegadyn woman just as they were about to be done with their meal. "I hope it tasted well enough?"
"It did, thank you."
"Just wait until this place is properly restored, then I'll make you some proper Doman cuisine. But where are my manners? I'm Mitsuba," the woman introduced herself. "And you two must be the ones that returned Lord Hien and helped chase off the Garleans."
"I guess we're not exactly blending in aren't we?" S'eni asked with an amused tone and let her ears do a little wiggle. "Anything we can help you with?"
"Actually, I was just going to give you this," Mitsuba said and placed a small plate on the table, filled with—
"Dango?" Alisaie asked, eyebrows rising in surprise.
"It's not much, but consider it a little thank you for helping us." With that, she left once more to let them eat what little was left of their meal in peace.
When she was done, S'eni took one of the skewers of sweet little dumplings, holding out the plate with the other one towards Alisaie, who raised her hands.
"Oh no, thank you. I'm still trying to recover from Limsa Lominsa."
"Alright, more for me I guess." She raised the dango to her lips but stopped just shy of them to instead stare at the tasty treat, a frown forming on her features.
"What is it?"
Instead of answering, S'eni rose to her feet and began walking off, plate in hand.
"Hey, S'eni!" Alisaie called after her, rising halfway before sitting back down with a huff and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "There she goes again..."
She all but ran back towards the Kienkan, undoubtedly making for a strange sight for any she was passing by. Even the man standing guard in front of Hien's residence, while letting her pass, gave her a very confused look. As soon as she was inside, she looked around rather aimlessly until one of the servants approached her.
"Are you looking for something, my lady?" the woman asked.
"I do. Could you tell me where I can find our special guest?"
"The ambassador? He is currently resting from—"
"No no," S'eni interrupted her. "The other special guest."
Realization entered the woman's eyes, followed by hesitation, but thankfully the entire personnel had been instructed that she and her friends were to be trusted. "I see...follow me, please."
She was led deeper into the residence, into the part usually prohibited by visitors, and stopped in front of a set of sliding doors. "She is in here, together with Lord Gosetsu."
"Alright, I'll take it from here. Thank you," she said with a polite smile. The woman bowed respectfully before going back to her business.
Stepping up to the sliding door, S'eni rapped her hand against the wooden frame and waited for it to open up to reveal Gosetsu's imposing figure, looking much less so in the simple kimono he was wearing now.
He looked around for a moment before addressing her. "S'eni. What brings you here? Did my lord send for me?"
"Oh, no. Nothing of the sort. I've come bearing gifts!" she held up the dango still held tightly in her fingers, as well as the plate.
Gosetsu's expression remained neutral as he stared at her. "So you wish to speak to her?"
"If that's alright with you."
A few seconds of silence passed until he stepped aside to let her in. "Very well. I'm sure she will enjoy your present."
"Thanks," she said and stepped inside. Yotsuyu wasn't hard to find, as she was currently sitting on the floor and reading a book of some sort. "What is she reading?"
"The Tale of Tenzen. A well-known fairytale around the Far East." The Samurai let out a snort with a hint of amusement in it. "Being as she is, I wanted to see if she still retained her ability to read the written word. But as you can see..."
S'eni simply chuckled. Yotsuyu seemed downright transfixed by it, letting out little gasps at what she assumed must be an especially gripping moment.
"That is enough reading for now, Tsuyu," Gosetsu said, gaining the woman's attention. "You have a visitor."
Yotsuyu tilted her head and turned to look at her. "Oh, the lady with the cute ears and tail. Hello."
Her eyebrows and ears rose with comical simultaneity at those words, while the other woman gave her a friendly if a little uncertain smile. Even now, after it had sunk in, it was still hard to believe that this was the very same person that once forced someone to shoot his neighbour and, when he refused to do the same to his elderly parents, had him shot as another example of disobedience; whose pale yellow gaze, that once held a bottomless coldness, was now sparkling with childlike innocence.
"Do we know each other?" Yotsuyu asked, pulling S'eni out of her thoughts.
The corners of her lips curling upward, she walked over to the other woman and knelt down on the floor next to her. "Kind of," she said. "Tsuyu, right?"
A nod.
"I'm S'eni."
"Soo-eh-ni," Yotsuyu repeated, looking almost a little like Azami as she tried to pronounce her name correctly.
"And I know you like these," she said and placed the plate with dango between them. If possible, Yotsuyu's eyes lightened up even more. "Go on, take it."
Not needing to be told twice, the former viceroy grabbed the tasty treat and began to take little bites out of it.
S'eni watched her for a little while, before sitting down as well and finally beginning to eat her own dango.
"The book you're reading, do you like?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm." Yotsuyu nodded again.
"Would you mind telling me a little about it?"
The smile on the other woman's lips grew and she began to tell her the story of this man named Tenzen.
And as she listened to her, S'eni couldn't help but wonder what it would be that awaited their former enemy at the end of this road she was walking down.
Will you be Yotsuyu...or Tsuyu?