Chapter Text
Pain. White-hot agony the likes of which she hadn’t experienced before wracked her body as she lay prone, prostrate on the floor of Tenshukaku. ‘Undefeated’ was not an appellation that applied to General Kujou Sara even before this battle, but defeat remained rare, and never before had she lost a fight in view of her Shogun.
Sara could barely move. Parts of her body felt frozen, whilst others felt impossibly hot. None of that compared to the burning shame she felt in her heart. She lost. She’d lost, right in front of her Shogun. I failed.
It took far more effort than it should have to crack open one eye. Blinking through the pained tears, she made out the blurry form of the Traveller, her back to her, walking out of Tenshukaku. She grunted, pain flaring as she moved her head, face dragging against the floor until her Shogun was in view.
Electro energy crackled around her, staring at the departing Traveller’s back. The Musou Isshin was clenched in her left hand, the blade glowing with barely-contained energy. A few paces behind her, the floor of the throne room was scorched black, a black mask resting atop a pile of ashes.
“My…” Sara croaked out. She lifted her arm, reaching weakly towards her. The Shogun slowly turned her head to look at her. “My Shogun…” The Shogun said nothing. Neither her eyes, nor her expression showed the slightest hint of concern or sympathy for her injured general. She barely spared her more than a glance.
Then, the moment was gone. The Shogun turned her head back to the door, and wordlessly walked towards it, leaving Sara behind. Fresh tears, ones that had nothing to do with the damage to her body, began to flow as something in her chest collapsed. My Shogun…
The last fragment of strength fled Sara, and everything went dark.
She’s in here!
The Kujou General! Oh… Find a doctor, hurry!
That’s a lot of blood. Someone find something we can use for bandages, quickly!
Stay with us, General, just hang on!
Sara woke with a start, then hissed as pain throbbed across her body. Worst in her right arm and shoulder, it flared in several other places as well, causing her eyelids to screw shut. When the pain subsided enough for her to open them again, she realised several things at once.
She wasn’t in Tenshukaku, or the Kujou Estate. The wood was dark, much of the panelling white or purple, and decorations of golden flowers and flowing lines that suggested rivers featured on the screens and furnishings. She was lying in a bed of some description, the sheets soft. The scent of sakura blooms mingled with the harsh smell of antiseptics and medicinal salves.
The Kamisato estate? Between the surroundings and the soft sound of waves lapping against the shore, it could hardly be anywhere else. But… Why am I here? Another flash of pain caused her to look down. Her right arm was splinted and covered in bandages, as was much of the rest of her, at least as far as she could see.
Her clothes had been replaced with a soft white gown at some point whilst she was unconscious. That fact made her feel uncomfortably vulnerable for a moment, before forcing the feeling from her mind. Glancing to one side, she saw her mask resting on the table beside her bed, along with her Vision and some medical supplies.
The sound of a door carefully sliding open caused her head to snap in that direction, wincing as the movement caused her more pain. “Oh, you’re awake!” The delighted-sounding voice came from none other than Kamisato Ayaka, looking at Sara with wide eyes. “How are you feeling, General Kujou?” she asked, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind her. In her hands was a jug of water, and Sara was suddenly aware of how dry her throat felt.
“What…” she croaked out, coughing and trying to stand. She hissed, collapsing back against her pillows.
“Please, try not to move too much,” Ayaka urged her, quickly crossing the space to her bedside, placing the jug down on the table. “You’re still recovering from your injuries. Do you need some water?” she asked.
“... Please,” Sara said after a moment. Ayaka nodded, pouring some water into a cup and lifting it to Sara’s mouth. Sara glowered at her, pursing her lips and, with a tinge of pain, lifting her left arm to take the cup. She tried to make her first sip politely restrained, but as soon as the water hit her parched tongue, she couldn’t stop herself from greedily swallowing the entire cup.
“Would you like another?” Ayaka offered, smiling encouragingly. Sara held her gaze, and then nodded. This time she succeeded in not gulping all of it in one go, restraining herself to more modest sips.
“Why—” She closed her eyes, taking a breath. Remember your etiquette. “I thank you for your hospitality, Kamisato Ayaka,” she began politely. “But… Why am I here?”
“After everything that happened, and the on-going uncertainty, we thought it would be best for you to be away from Tenshukaku and the Kujou Estate whilst you recuperate from your injuries,” Ayaka explained, taking a seat beside the bed.
My injuries… Sara looked back down at her bandaged arm. Suddenly, everything came flooding back. Her clan’s betrayal of Inazuma, the defeat she suffered against the Harbinger. The cold, uncaring look in her Shogun’s eyes…
Ayaka frowned slightly as Sara’s expression went blank, her eyes staring off into the middle distance. “Are you… Ahem. How are your injuries? Are you experiencing any pain?”
“I…” Her right arm throbbed, causing her to grit her teeth briefly. “It's fine. What… What is the situation in Inazuma at present? How long have I been unconscious?” she asked, eyes fixed on the far wall. The Tenryou Commission… Takayuki…
Ayaka studied her expression for a few moments before she answered. “Roughly two weeks. After the Tenryou Commission’s crimes were exposed, some dramatic changes have occurred. Kujou Takayuki has been removed as head of your clan, a cease fire has been declared with Watatsumi Island, and… The Vision Hunt decree has been rescinded.”
The cup in Sara’s hand cracked, and then shattered under the force of her grip. Ayaka jumped in her chair slightly, eyes flicking to Sara’s hand as it began to bleed. “Ah, your hand—!” Quickly, she picked up some of the bandages and took Sara’s hand. Sara didn’t try to stop her, eyes boring a hole into the wall, her body starting to shake.
The Vision Hunt Decree… Rescinded? All of those deaths, the suffering… “How…” She swallowed again. “How is the Almighty Shogun?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Thanks to Sara’s intense focus on the far wall, she didn’t notice the troubled look that passed across Ayaka’s eyes.
“The Shogun is… Considering a change in course,” she answered carefully. “That’s the extent of what I know, beyond the fact that travel restrictions have been eased for outlanders. The Sakoku Degree is still largely in effect, however.”
Changing course? But, her eternity..? Everything I dedicated myself to… Sara swallowed stiffly, trying to fight the despair growing in her chest. She was aware, in a vague sense, that she should inquire about her injuries; how bad, how extensive they were. The larger part of her, however, couldn’t bring herself to care enough to ask.
Her eyes flicked to Ayaka as she dabbed disinfectant on the new cuts on her hand and began bandaging them. Why do you care? You were opposed to the Vision Hunt. I’d have come for yours eventually, the moment the Shogun ordered it. You have to know that, so why..? She swallowed again. Why are you here?
Just as the thought to ask Ayaka to leave occurred to Sara, there was a gentle knock at the door. “Ayaka?” a voice called through, a voice Sara recognised immediately.
Not her as well, she begged. Anyone but her… Her breath caught in her throat.
“Oh, Yoimiya! Come in!” Ayaka said, ignorant to Sara’s mounting terror. The door slid open once again, Yoimiya backing into the room carrying a box. The only mercy offered to Sara was the fact she couldn’t see her face yet, giving her a few extra seconds to try to compose herself.
“I’ve got the medicine you wanted— Sara! You’re awake!” she exclaimed as she turned around. Quickly, she put the box down before rushing over, Sara’s field of view almost completely filled by messy blonde hair, golden eyes, and Yoimiya’s bright smile. “Ohh we were so worried when you didn’t wake up after a few days, and your injuries! I’m so glad you’re awake!”
“I…” It wasn’t that Sara lacked the words, it was that there were too many she wanted to say. ‘Why do you care?’ was amongst them, certainly, but there were so many others. You actively resisted the decree! My men tortured your friend, almost killed him! I commanded the civil war that almost ripped this country in half! Why do you care about me?!
“Yoimiya, she needs space,” Ayaka gently chided her, one hand on her shoulder pulling her back.
“Oh, sorry!” Yoimiya apologised, retreating to a respectful distance. Even that, though, was far too close for Sara’s fragile state to cope with. Cruelly, her mind conjured an image of a Yoimiya who’d had her Vision taken from her. The ‘Queen of the Summer Festival’ reduced to a hollow shell of herself, bereft of so many of her memories, or driven to madness instead. It was a tortuous idea, one that Sara couldn’t force out of her head.
And it didn’t stop there. Unlike Ayaka, Yoimiya was more than just a reminder of the harm that she’d done and the damage she would have continued to do in the Shogun’s name. Yoimiya was a potent reminder of the times Sara doubted the Shogun’s dictates. Every time she had questioned the decree, but had soldiered on regardless. The only mercy she’d ever shown was letting Yoimiya and the Traveller leave with the counterfeit Vision crafter, and even that was only thanks to the consequences of her own soldiers’ cruelty.
For the first time since waking, Sara wished she’d died on the floor of Tenshukaku. It would have been kinder than this.
“Sara?” Yoimiya asked, head tilting and brow creasing in concern. “Are you okay?” she asked, worried by Sara’s prolonged silence.
“I’m fine,” Sara said, a little too quickly. “I’m just… Tired.” Ayaka and Yoimiya shared a look at that.
“That… Makes sense, you are still recovering. Speaking of which,” Ayaka said, rising from her seat and going to the box Yoimiya carried in. “We should discuss the extent of your injuries.”
Yes, tell me exactly how badly I failed Inazuma, Sara thought darkly. Regardless, she nodded; it would be exceptionally strange for a warrior of her status to be unconcerned with her injuries, and the last thing she wanted was them worrying over her even more.
“Your right arm was broken in a few places. Namely, your wrist and upper arm. There were a number of cuts and burns of varying severity; the most concerning injuries were a stab wound to your torso, along with a larger burn there,” Ayaka explained, bringing a small bottle over to Sara.
“You mentioned medicine?” Sara asked, trying to mentally tally up an expected recovery time in her head. Two weeks already bedridden. Depending on the severity of the breaks… It was something she’d figured out many times before. Injury was something she was intimately familiar with; whether figuring out how long her own would take to heal, or how long to keep a wounded soldier off duty. Today, though, her mind felt too sluggish to provide an answer. What’s the point?
“Your injuries were contaminated by cryo and pyro energy, and a lot of it is still in your body,” Ayaka said. “This medicine will help disperse it faster. Until then, the doctor said that you shouldn’t use your Vision, or any other elemental energy. You may also experience fevers whilst the contamination remains.”
She offered the small bottle to Sara, who took it carefully. Lifting the bottle to her mouth, she eyed it suspiciously for a moment. Then, she drank it. The bitter taste briefly made her consider spitting it out, but two decades or so of discipline under Takayuki forced her to swallow. Ayaka took the empty bottle from her, before offering her another cup of water, which Sara immediately drank.
Ayaka’s concerned frown then returned. “I… May I ask what happened?” she asked. “I’ve been told that I’m the strongest wielder of cryo in Inazuma, but even if I caused it deliberately, I doubt any cryo contamination I could inflict would last more than a day or so. For it to remain for two weeks and longer…”
Sara grit her teeth behind pursed lips. Shame burnt in her heart, strong enough that she could practically taste it at the back of her throat. With a trembling hand she set her cup of water down, not trusting herself to not break a second one.
“... I heard that a woman by the name of ‘La Signora’—” Sara couldn’t help but flinch at the name “—was behind a conspiracy involving the Vision Hunt Decree. Did you fight her?” Ayaka continued asking.
“‘La Signora’?” Yoimiya asked, tilting her head. “Who’s that?”
“A Fatui Harbinger,” Sara found herself answering. “And… Yes, we fought. She proved the victor in our bout.”
“Wait, she beat you?!” Yoimiya blurted out in disbelief. “I-I mean, I knew you got injured obviously, but… You’re Kujou Sara!” Sara grit her teeth again, a wave of anger and humiliation washing over her. She hissed in a breath, screwing her eyes shut.
“I would like to be alone to rest,” she said, barely restraining it from being a growl. Her skin crawled, and she could feel the two of them looking at her. With pity.
“Of course,” Ayaka said graciously, quickly retreating from Sara’s bedside and ushering Yoimiya out. “We’ll leave you to rest. There’s a bell by your bed; ring it if you need anything at all.” With that, the pair of them left Sara to her solitude.
Everything I’ve done… Takayuki, the man who raised me, betrayed the Shogunate. The Vision Hunt Decree, repealed. A ceasefire with the resistance. Even the Sakoku Decree has been eased… Was all of it a mistake? She shook her head. No. No, the Almighty Shogun does not make mistakes.
But… The Tenryou Commission deceived the Shogun. They collaborated with the Fatui, and gave her false information. The Shogun can’t be blamed for that, right? No leader can make perfect decisions based on incorrect information. She looked down at her bedsheets, furrowing her brow.
No mortal leader, maybe. But, a god? Shouldn’t the Almighty Shogun be above such mortal deception..? All the Visions we confiscated, all of my soldiers that died, all of the ones I killed… Was it all for a lie?
For the first time in her life, Sara had no idea what she was meant to do.