Work Text:
The Inazuman Kingdom was famous all across Teyvat for its festivals filled with booths, performances, and fireworks. Their fireworks were the best in the world - in all shapes and colors, they painted the sky every year. It was a sight worth seeing, attracting visitors from all kingdoms to see it at least once in their lives.
Yae Miko, the princess, had always admired them from afar. Never closer than within the safety of her chambers in the royal palace.
Her parents, the royal couple, prohibited her from taking part in any of these festivals. It’s for your own good, sweetie, her mother assured her. Her father simply nodded and said that a noblewoman like you need not see insignificant things like that or interact with the common folk. It would only sully your reputation and that of the royal family.
At some point, Yae simply stopped trying, resigning herself to simply observe from the balcony of her room.
But now, all of that has changed.
A few days before her twenty-first birthday, on the night of a festival, Yae accidentally discovered her parents having a conversation about her. As she listened from behind a corner, she realized - there was no doubt about it - they were arranging for her to marry some rich, influential man from one of the larger clans in the nation. The eldest son of the Kamisato Clan, to be exact.
Yae Miko was no idiot - she’d known that this moment would someday arrive and that it was her destiny to accept it and rule a kingdom alongside a man she’d never love. She’d been mentally preparing herself since she was a child. And yet, running to the safety of her chambers to release all the tears and anger that pooled in her eyes against her will, she couldn’t deny that her heart shriveled at the sudden reality of it all.
It was then that she finally decided to break one of the stringent rules her parents had impressed upon her. Before she was forced to marry a man solely for his connections and lineage, Yae would go to those festivals and see the fireworks that she’d always loved from afar. At least once in her life, she had to. She was determined and nothing could stop her.
Her plan was perfect. That same night, she would cover her hair and hide her face with a hooded cloak and dress herself in ill-fitting clothes that had none of the lavish gems and jewels that could give her status away. Then, she’d lie in wait for the very moment when the guards’ shifts changed to escape through the gate in the back gardens.
Unfortunately for the princess, few plans ever go completely as expected, and it became apparent that Yae had forgotten to account for one tiny issue: Raiden Ei, her father’s loyal right-hand man, Captain of the Royal Guard and General of the Inazuman Army.
And when the general saw a suspicious figure within the castle walls, she ran swiftly to capture them.
“Put your hands up and identify yourself immediately or I’ll have to resort to force!”
Yae froze at the sound of the strong, authoritative voice she knew so well. Her plan was foiled before it could even begin.
Afraid of the consequences, Yae raised her arms, still keeping her back towards the other woman. The general didn’t hesitate for a single second as she caught up to her and threw back the obscuring hood.
“Miko?”
Ei’s way of saying her name so casually…Yae still remembered it. Back from when they were kids and dodged the royal guards to play in the garden unhindered by the rules that would trap them in adulthood. Back from when they didn’t have any worries or responsibilities. The princess was sure that Ei wasn’t thinking of those times like she was.
Yae had never seen so many emotions at once in the ever-serious face now in front of her. She thought she saw genuine surprise before Ei’s features returned to that of the stoic general she was supposed to be. She bowed abruptly.
“I’m terribly sorry for how I treated you, Your Highness, I didn’t realize who you were. Please pardon me.”
Was the general really not going to mention anything about what she was doing dressed like a beggar or roaming suspiciously close to the gates in the dead of night? The princess, cunning as she was, got an idea.
“Oh, General Raiden, I believe you tore out some of my hair while removing my hood so brutishly. Do you think that’s any sort of way to treat a princess?”
“Of course not, and for that I am truly sorry, Your Highness. I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you.” The purple-haired woman didn’t consider her words before they left her mouth.
Yae always gets what she wants.
“Forget you saw me today, and I’ll be sure to return before anyone wakes up. Only then will I forgive your transgression.”
“I…I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I can’t do that,” There was a sense of inner conflict as she spoke. “As the Captain of the Royal Guard, I swore loyalty and protection to the crown. That includes you, Miko. I wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully knowing you were out somewhere alone in the middle of the night.”
Yae couldn’t avoid feeling a little warmth in her chest listening to the concern in her voice and the way she treated her with such familiarity, something she thought had disappeared long ago.
“It’s been so long since I’ve heard you call me by my name and not my title…” At these words, the princess noticed that Ei visibly tensed. Yae cleared her throat. “Then, I propose a deal: you come with me to the festival, so I won’t be alone and you can protect me.” The general opened her mouth in protest but Yae simply raised her hand, silencing her. “Listen. I have to go to this festival before my parents finally marry me off. I’m going whether you come with me or not.”
Any protest was quickly cut off and Ei seemed absorbed in her thoughts for a moment. Yae was nervous. She wasn’t sure if Ei would agree to her plan. What would happen if Ei refused the offer and told her parents about her plan to fly the coop? And yet…what would happen if Ei suddenly went along with her after years without a glance in her direction?
It wasn’t like Yae didn’t watch her gaze - those lovely purple eyes she remembered - but Ei never looked back at her.
“Alright. I accept,” responded Ei in a resigned sigh. Yae couldn’t contain her relief.
“Then let’s go, General,” said the princess, taking her companion by the hand. “I just know we’ll have a good time. Just like old times, right?”
Raiden didn’t respond, too caught off guard by the sudden contact. She focused on trying to escort the excited princess through the grand gates (although she was mostly just dragged along), headed towards Ritou where the festivities were to take place that night.
Ei and Yae walked together through the streets of Ritou. Well, more than walking, it’d be more appropriate to say that Yae was dragging Ei by the hand, pausing only to look at stands full of books with eyes shining with curiosity like a kid in a candy store.
Occasionally she would show Ei some book she’d picked up, something that immediately interested her as they shared the same taste. Although, if Ei were to tell the truth, no novel could be as interesting as watching the princess’ sweet smile when she saw some of her favorite titles or her adorable expression each time she read something that excited her.
Ei only left her position at Yae’s side to visit a small toyshop where something had captured her attention.
Bingo.
A small plush kitsune, with a soft pink body and a thick pelt. She knew that they were both a little too old for these things, but that didn’t stop her. She didn’t think twice before handing the vendor the exact change for the adorable fox cub. She couldn’t help it - seeing the precious item reminded her too much of Yae.
“I lost you for a second there, what could be so important to abandon your post for?” The General rushed to hide the stuffed animal from her, suddenly embarrassed of having thought of gifting such a stupid thing to a sophisticated princess. “Raiden Ei, what were you hiding just now?”
Shit.
“Uhm, this is-,” but she was too late. “-wait!” Yae had already made off with the small plush.
“Aw, Ei, is this for me?” Over the years, Ei had thought that she’d missed Yae’s evil teasing smile. And yet, in this moment, she couldn’t have missed it less.
“I…no, uh…,” Ei stuttered while pink rose in her cheeks and her eyes darted away in embarrassment. “...It is. It reminded me of you. Kitsunes are intelligent like you and it’s the same color as your hair, so I thought I would give it to you. Also…,” Ei seemed conflicted for a moment before adding, softly, “It’s adorable.”
Yae couldn’t hold in a giggle at the gesture from her childhood friend. She remembered all the old times when she’d felt a soft pressure in her chest. The awkward and stumbling Ei, the girl from her memories that stuck with her through everything, in adventures as in rainy days. Always running around her and covered in bruises from training with her tiny wooden sword.
Her best friend.
Her first love.
“Thank you, Ei. I love it. I’ll treasure it always.” Yae spoke with an uncharacteristic fondness in her voice. A fondness reserved solely for Ei.
“It’s nothing…” Ei responded shyly.
At that moment, Yae wondered if it was really the same woman, with years of military training, an unmatched master of spears and swords with the muscles to prove it, who was nervous to give her a stuffed toy.
It was possible that the old Ei she remembered and this new version weren’t so different after all.
They walked through the streets of Inazuma for hours, spending the night exploring the many stalls and games the festival has to offer. Recalling Ei’s soft spot for sweets, the princess insisted on buying dango for the both of them, squishy and shiny. No matter how embarrassed Ei might have been for acting like a little girl, nothing could dim the light in her eyes each time she tried the different candies. Yae, for her part, couldn’t suppress the giggle that left her mouth when she saw her friend, completely enamored with the dango.
It was then that the festival organizers announced the start of the firework spectacle. It was the moment that Yae had been waiting for over many long years. The whole point of this operation.
To her surprise, Ei took her hand, guiding her to a small clearing where they could sit down in the fresh grass. A place only a soldier with a perfect lay of the land could know about, it was the perfect spot to admire the sparking lights. Even more so since when they got settled, Ei’s hand didn’t leave hers.
The first of many fireworks launched into the sky, exploding in a way that tinted the Inazuman night sky in hues of red and green. More soon followed. Bursts of pink, blue, purple…
Yae’s eyes were glued to the precious sight, and an unconscious and genuine smile rose on her lips.
“They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?” The princess turned to her companion, who was already looking back at her.
“They are,” Agreed Ei. Once again, a glimpse of some unknown emotion was hidden behind her voice, an emotion that Yae couldn’t quite identify but could still resonate with.
The sparking lights continued to launch into the sky, making different shapes, sizes, and colors; Yae could see those very colors reflected in Ei’s eyes. Those beautiful eyes, inexpressive at the best of times and yet now filled with so many vivid feelings.
They were both unable to look away. A spectacle of this magnitude only happened once a year, hence why Yae had run away from the palace and her parents so recklessly. Ironically, now she could only look at Ei.
Her thoughts whipped about in her head: Ei’s eyes, Ei’s hair, Ei’s touch, Ei’s lips, Ei, Ei, Ei, Ei, Ei… Yae felt dizzy.
The general brought a hand to Yae’s face, cupping her cheek. Yae’s face burned just from the contact, but she rested her head into her palm, savoring the touch of her skin, calloused from years of training. Ei carefully pulled back her hood, glancing between her eyes and her lips in such a soft and tender way that it seemed uncharacteristic of a warrior like her.
“Miko…I don’t want you to marry him.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper. Maybe the fireworks were too loud, or maybe she was about to cry.
“I don’t want to either, Ei,” She sighed.
But it’s not my decision, she tried to say, but the words were stuck in her throat. They stung like bile as she swallowed them back down.
Suddenly, Ei’s arms surrounded her, firm and muscular from intense training, the general’s face buried into the side of her neck.
“I’ve tried, Miko. I’ve really tried to keep myself away from you, to protect you from a distance despite all these thoughts and…feelings…” Ei’s voice broke. It was the first time in all the years Yae had known her that she'd seen her cry. “...But I can’t. Having you so close and knowing that I’ll never get to be with you…I thought I’d accepted it but when you told me that you’re marrying I…everything got too real.”
Yae hugged her back as tight as she could, feeling like the worst person in the world for making someone as strong and valiant as Ei break like this. She didn’t know when she started to cry until she felt the trickle of a tear down her cheek. And another tear, and another. The princess clung to the General just as desperately as the General clung to her.
The fireworks had already ended while they were embraced like that, the laughter across the hill subsided into a deafening silence. The night seemed three times as dark as it usually was.
It was then that Yae broke away just a bit, just enough to see Ei’s precious face, beautiful and furrowed in between tears and flushed from crying. A sad smile rose in her lips.
“Ei, I’ve loved you since we were kids. I wish I’d known it was reciprocated sooner.”
“It wouldn’t change a thing.” Said Ei with a tinge of regret, unable to look her in the eyes.
“It would. I would’ve done this so much sooner.”
And without further delay, Yae kissed her.
It was a sweet kiss, slow, with the flavor of tears mixed in. Ei opened her eyes in shock before relaxing into the kiss and melting against Ei’s lips. The General’s arms wrapped around the princess’ waist while Yae’s hugged the General’s shoulders. The kiss deepened, them clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.
Yae felt like another round of fireworks went off somewhere in her chest. Ei was kissing her, and she was kissing Ei. Her childhood friend. Her protector.
Her Ei.
The kiss was brief, only a few seconds, and yet they both lost their breath. When they stopped for air, Ei couldn’t help but press tiny kisses to her lips and face like it was impossible for her to hold back her love for the princess after so much time waiting.
“What does this mean, Yae?” Ei’s eyes couldn’t break away from her lips, wanting more.
“It means I love you. That I want us to be together.”
“But you’re going to marry him…” The General raised her gaze to meet Yae’s, shining with some special kind of grief.
“I’ll take it up with my parents if it comes down to it,” Yae promised, cupping Ei’s cheek in her hand.
These words were enough to satisfy the doubts in Ei’s heart. Even if her rational half was screaming that it wasn’t possible and that Yae was a princess with responsibilities beyond just her and her feelings, she could enjoy this moment.
Yae’s touch, her smile, her lips, her warmth…all of it silenced the voice in her head that said that this was wrong.
They laid together in new clarity while the lights of the festival continued to dim. The cold night breeze of Inazuma brought them all the way back through the gates, right before sunrise.