to our eternity

a/n: buckle down boys because this is pretty emotional i think.

~

on a day when the lonely wind misses the fallen cherry blossoms, the boy sits beneath the dying sun, hair as white as snow, clothes as red as blood.

with a pen and paper in hand, he writes.

~

the weather was lovely today. clear skies stretching over the deep blue water underneath the alcor, birds soaring overhead as free as the wind, all of it reminded me of you.

when it comes to you, my mind becomes muddled. even until now i cannot seem to stay grounded to the reality in which you are no longer with me. memories from that day still linger. the violent violet lightning. your broken figure. the burning sensation in my hand when i took your dying vision and ran for my life.

i think...if it weren't for the shock of it all i would've stayed, to accompany you after death.

but recently, i've made a friend.

they're a traveler, with flowing hair as gold as the rice fields we used to frolick in back in the day when the sun dipped below the horizon. they carry the scent of the stars, undoubtedly from a faraway land, or perhaps even from another world entirely.

too much has happened and i'm afraid i do not have the time to pen it all down on paper, but long story short, it was because of them that i was able to return to inazuma. i had even reunited with my childhood friend gorou in the resistance, and other old friends; all whom i have missed dearly.

then, a big fight broke out in tenshukaku.

everything was a blur in my memory. the raiden shogun appeared behind traveler, ready to strike them with the famous musou no hitotachi.
the sensation of my skin tingling with electricity, the vicious motion of zooming forward, the pain in my arms when i blocked her undefeated blade.

i thought i was as good as dead.
but i felt your presence.
the scent of sakura blossoms. just for a split second, then it gone with the wind.

the raiden shogun abolished the vision hunt decree, which seemed to count as victory for the resistance.

everyone rejoiced and wanted to celebrate, but i just felt relieved that it was all over. exhausted from the whole ordeal, i told beidou that i wasn't in the mood for such celebrations, so she spared me by telling them i was a sad drunk who was better off drinking alone.

three nights straight, filled with sake and laughter.
there nights straight, i locked myself in my room and cried countless tears, just wishing you were here with me.

the insurmountable pain of losing my family and finally losing you came crashing down me again, and it broke my heart.

i am so tired.

i miss you.

i am so tired.

i love you.

i am so tired.

wherever you are, can you hear me?

i stayed there curled up in my bed until the sun rose for the third time until beidou came knocking at my door to check on me. upon seeing the sorry state i was in, she forced me to go out for a walk, which i did.

inazuma is always so full of inspiration, so i took the time to ruminate, to let nature listen to my thoughts. from chinju forest to the narukami shrine, i let the wind take me wherever it wanted me to go.

eternity.

the eternity the raiden shogun preached so often about is still so difficult to understand. i guess the way archons and mortals view the world differed vastly.
but even then, it is not impossible for mortals to shake the will of a god.

inazuma.

an unchanging homeland is too suffocating for a wanderer like me. yet the sakura trees and sunsets paint it in such a lovely light, one can hardly look away. no matter how much pain it brings me, i still walk among the people in this city of sadness.

and you.

my closest confidant. my dearest.
long gone, ashes buried under the sand.
if you saw me crying i think you would've laughed.
if you heard me say i wanted to die, you would've been so mad.
can you tell me?
what can i do to cure this aching weight in my chest?

~

north of mount yougou he arrives at the resting place.
at his feet a white cat snuggles against him.

with a dull vision in his hand and a bottle of sake on the other, he sits by the sword which sticks out of the barren patch of earth.
he opens the bottle and takes a swig.

"i hope you are not angry with me."

the wind blows, as if it is laughing fondly.

"do you like it here? beneath the sakura trees, just like you said you wanted."

the white cat turns around in his lap, playing with the maple leaf fastened on his hip.

"if you can hear me," his voice wavers, just a for a moment, "i love you."

i will love you forever.

he closes his eyes, a gentle smile on his face. a soft pink petal falls and lands on his shoulder.

everything will be alright.

~