Chapter Text
The rocks scrape your knees as you inhale silt, the air crackling with electricity and all you can do is watch as the goddess draws her sword, parting the crowds as she steps through the seas of your fellow comrades. They all seem to be just as transfixed as you are at the divine display of power -- the air is alive, and it makes every hair on your body stand on end.
You were a soldier; she was a goddess. You had heard whispers among your ranks about the Archon’s power, but to see it displayed in front of you was something new. There were no words in the Inazuman language to describe how beautiful and horrifying it was.
To be divine, to be so strong that you needed no mortal companion. Lonely, but all-powerful. All-knowing. Baal’s eyes meet yours if for a second, and it is if at that moment she sees right through you. You shiver, unable to look away. If you could hold this moment forever in you mind, you would, but her right hand, Kujou Sara, steps in instead, brandishing her bow.
The fight is over in a moment. The vision wielder needing naught but one arrow to strike the fool down. To shoot arrows at heaven was a fool’s errand, but you wonder what it is he saw in his last moments. Whatever it was, you were sure it was beautiful -- worth dying for.
In that moment, your fate is secured. You want to pledge your whole self to the goddess.
You shiver as your vision glows in your hand. Electro, the vision of heaven. Maybe it was impossible to get to Celestia on your own merits, but now, with all your work done, you exhale. You have built your way up to the goddesses side, brick by brick, battle by battle. The Inazuman military was not forgiving.
But as Baal looks down on you, you cannot help but be filled with pride. Eternity was within your grasp.
The Goddess can be cruel.
The Vision Hunts are not something you do with pride. Duty is duty, and as a soldier and the left hand of the Almighty you hunt down those who defy the Goddess’s will. It was not your place to question it. How could you, when she was a deity, and you a mortal?
Your smile is like a snake’s, every word that drips from your mouth honey as you get on good terms with your targets. Befriending them before stabbing a knife in their back. The first time you did it you bent over and dry-heaved; it was Kujou Sara who took pity on you:
“It is never easy,” her hand lingers on the small of your back, “but we do what we must. It is our job to punish those who break the law. If they surrendered peacefully, perhaps this would have gone another way.”
You wondered if one day she, too, would take away you and Kujou Sara’s visions. When all is said and done would you both be at the end of her sword? Or would she accept the both of you as extensions of the divine? You cut the thought short, not wanting such musings to continue.
Sara allows you to collect yourself, before starting the journey with you back to Inazuma. The sick feeling in your stomach does not subside.
“You’re injured.” Sara says it simply, grabbing your arm and inspecting it. You hadn’t even noticed until she pointed it out — a scratch from a rogue arrow from the resistance’s general, no doubt. Your adrenaline was running high, so you didn’t feel it. “Come with me.”
She’s silent as she leads you through the halls of your makeshift house -- a shoddily made barracks on the outskirts of the rebel’s territory. The floor creaks under your sandals, and suddenly you miss your home.
Was an eternity not promised worth a mortal lifetime of struggle? Surely, it would be easier to sail off to Liyue or Fontaine and live a happy life, devoid of conflict.
But then Kujou Sara’s eyes meet yours as she motions for you to sit down, pulling out a few wolfhook berries and mashing them into a fine paste.
“Those are from Monstadt, right?” You break the silence, and she shoots you a glance. Sara dips a clean rag into the water bucket on the floor and wrings it out until it is damp. Your words hang in the air and suddenly you feel stupid, but then:
“Yes, they are. Why do you ask?” She pulls the ripped fabric from your sleeve away from the wound and dabs it with the cloth; cleaning off the dried blood. You wince.
“Do you ever wonder what it’s like over there?”
“...Why would it matter? We are loyal to Inazuma. It does not do to dwell on fantasies.” Her reply is curt, but it sounds almost rehearsed.
“But if you had the option to visit, would you? Say you had no duty, and were free to go anywhere you wish.”
She ponders for a moment, smearing the wolfhook ointment on your arm as gently as she can. It stings for a moment, but the soothing relief comes soon after. Her hand remains clutching your arm, her eyes shining with mischief, if just for a moment.
“I would stay here. And that’s my true answer.”
She pulls away, but not before pulling out fresh bandages to put on your arm. It is then you are aware of how close she is to you. Almost unnecessarily so; her legs between your knees as she patches you up. Even off the battlefield, she commanded respect.
“But why? You don’t wish to see the world?”
“Perhaps, but I would not wish to go alone.” Kujou Sara pulls the wrapping tight around your arm. “If I leave Inazuma, I would be leaving those I love behind.”
Those I love. You didn’t think on it very much, but even in the most hectic of moments Kujou Sara tries her hardest to save her men. You don’t know how many times she’s blocked a sword for you — she was fierce, she was unwavering, but there was also a kindness deep down, a love for her people. For her goddess…
“If you could take them with you, would you…?” Your voice is low, and Kujou Sara leans in closely, so that only you are privy to her next words:
“I don’t know, would you like to come see the world with me?”
You're stunned into silence, unable to speak a word, and it’s then she pulls back. The same, ever unamused expression she always wears, she turns and starts to leave.
“Make sure to get to dinner on time. Change those bandages every twelve hours.”
You can only nod.
The Goddess can be kind.
“Are you going to stand there or will you join us?” Baal sits perched on the edge of the baths, her wet hair cascading down her shoulders and sticking to the sides of her face. She is so beautiful that your breath hitches in your throat. No, beautiful was too lax of a word -- she rivaled the sun’s own radiance.
Sara stands behind her, a towel wrapped around her naked form, lathering Baal’s hair up with shampoo. The smell is intoxicating, filling up the room and making you feel even more hot than you were before. You fold your towel up and set it to the side, and then descend into the baths with her.
“Wonderful.” Her voice is monotone, her purple eyes settling on you. Compared to her, you felt dull. You sink deeper into the warm water. “It is not often I get to relax like this, so when I do I suppose it is… nice to be with the two of you.” She leans into Sara’s touch as she finishes conditioning her hair. Sara makes a motion for Baal to step back into the baths.
“I agree,” Sara’s towel is now shed as she steps in the water behind Baal. You can’t help but notice all the scars that litter her toned body. Proof that she had been raised a warrior, her clan’s champion and hope for divinity. Kujou Sara would be the daughter any Inazuman loyal would be proud to have. “It is truly an honor to spend time with you, my liege. And you too, general.”
“Sara, you’re always so formal,” your lips quirk up in a smile, getting the urge to tease her. “Here, you can call me by my name. I’d like to hear you say it, if once.”
“Are you teasing me?” She sends you an incredulous look as she rinses out Baal’s hair. It is so long it floats in the water behind her, wrapping around Sara’s wrists and forearms as she scoops water onto Baal’s head. “I don’t take kindly to such teasing.”
Suddenly sheepish, you rub the back of your neck, “my apologies, I just wished you to let go of formalities for once.
It’s then that she says your name. Slowly, enunciating each syllable. She says it with reverence, almost as if she’s addressing an old friend.
You feel electricity crackle under your skin.
Wind howls around you, the rain pouring down unrelenting. It chills you to the bone, but the Raiden Shogun does not seem to mind. A part of her eternity was that her schedule was the same each week. No matter the weather, no matter the setbacks. She would see every one of her duties through.
You knew she could change it if she so wished, but since it didn’t bother her you suppose she couldn’t be bothered. You wondered if she liked watching you and Sara shiver.
“Does the Tempest bother you?” Baal’s voice is even, as her eyes turn to you.
“No, I am fine.” A lie, but you know the goddess has bigger things to worry about. “I am used to it by now.”
“Hm, I would hope so.” There’s a silence between the three of you, before she speaks up again. “This is… my favorite part of the week. I did not wish to postpone it.”
The declaration is sudden, and you and Sara give each other a look. Baal was not one to have feelings on things, she hardly cared for anything except upholding eternity. For her to enjoy something as simple as your weekly intel meetups made you feel warm inside.
The goddess shows you favor.
“I am glad!” You speak first, “I do enjoy meeting with you too, Raiden Shogun. You are the most important person in my life.” It wasn’t a whole lie. Baal gave you a purpose, an ambition by bestowing a vision upon you. Your life’s work was service to her… But there was something else there. A spark of something that wasn’t reverent love for a deity, or platonic love for a friend.
Perhaps your feelings for Baal were something stronger than that. An all-consuming love for her, as a person. As a goddess. You weren’t sure where which types of love began and ended.
“Tell me, general, are you loyal to me out of fear? Or because you, too, believe in my ideals for Inazuma? You may speak freely.”
“I do not fear you, Raiden Shogun, because I know you do not incite violence for violence’s sake, but because you believe it is necessary. The means justify the ends…” You ponder your next words carefully, “And I believe in you, as well. You are strong, but most importantly you are someone that I enjoy being around.”
Thunder crackles in the sky, and for a moment, you swear you see a slight smile grow on her face. It mesmerizes you into silence.
“Come, let us get inside.” Kujou Sara speaks up, “I wouldn’t want any of us to catch a cold.”
You three follow her into the halls. For the rest of the war meeting you think of her smile, and are no longer cold from the rain.
You had failed your mission.
You and Kujou Sara had been forced to retreat, you did not account for the Traveler to aid the resistance’s efforts -- along with the Liyue mercenaries. It wasn’t a substantial loss, but a loss nonetheless. The trek back to your outpost feels long and arduous, your body aching with a need to rest.
“We did all we could.” Sara’s fingers brush against your arm, a comforting gesture that makes you shiver. “I am just glad you are safe. For a moment there, when Kokomi appeared, I thought you had…”.
“Were you… worried for me?” You don’t know why it comes as such a surprise, but hearing her say her feelings aloud made your heart flutter.
“Is that so strange?”
"No, it just makes me really happy. You mean a lot to me, I pray for your safety before every battle. Because... without you I'd go back to being lonely; how I was before I received my vision."
Sara turns her head, but you can make out the faint blush on her cheeks. "You know, seeing you almost get captured by the enemy made me realize something...". It is then you arrive in your camp, and as she begins to clear her throat, thunder crackles overhead.
Baal is there. It is odd of her to journey out this far, and the sight of her causes your breath to hitch in your throat. Sara orders for your soldiers to take care of the ones who were injured, the two of you would face the Shogun alone.
You expect some kind of divine punishment; for her to scold the two of you for underestimating your opponents, but instead she merely touches your head, your wet hair clinging to her fingers as she gently pats you. Kujou Sara looks incredulously at you.
“It was no fault of your own.” Baal’s eyes shine with determination. “Next time, we shall face these rebels together. And next time, we shall not be so merciful.”