A Maple's Return | kazuha x reader

00- Fleeting Consolation

A bite and a harsh swallow of your dango. That, and you had finished the sweet dessert. Using the stick to periodically stab the wooden bench you sat upon, you leaned back, tilting your head upwards to the canopy of brilliant scarlet leaves above you. The translucence of the fluttering maples cast a warm vermillion glow onto the street below as waning rays of daylight filtered through the delicate leaves, dotting the ground with small marigold blotches.

You mused of a certain someone witnessing this sight, his appreciation for the flame-coloured leaves ever present. Out of habit, you felt for the crimson maple hung from your hip, a gift from the adoring samurai. You'd picked up this habit shortly after his departure, perhaps in reassurance that a small part of him was still nearby, and not lost in the turmoil of the Shogun's grand plan of Eternity.

You hadn't opposed her eternal ideal originally, or even had an opinion. As someone born in Inazuma, the idea of eternity was something ingrained in you from birth. It was the norm, it was how things worked. People who lived here stayed here. Occasionally a mercantile ship would stop by Ritou's port, bringing along with it goods from a nation you had never dreamed of, but the businessmen would never be allowed past there. And if they did... The Electro Archon certainly isn't the god to pray to for their escape.

As a young child, sometimes you would question the effectiveness of this 'Eternity'. No outside threats or disasters had occurred and changed the land, yes, but people still lived and died. The natural cycle of life continued as usual, children taking on their family's businesses and legacies, generations passing by.

Was this her so sought-after Eternity?

Any doubts or questions were always hurriedly shushed by stern shrine maidens, parents apologising for your brash claims. As the years went by, the questions stopped as you began to understand that this was normal. This was a fair price to pay. Your Archon has your best interests at heart, paving the way for a realm of tranquil eternity that would remain unchanging forevermore.

This was your resolute understanding and acceptance.

Up until the Vision Hunt Decree that is.

You can imagine society's reaction to such a decree. Hushed whispers by the corners of streets and earnest conversations confined to the walls of homes. No one in their right mind on Narukami Island dared speak against it— it was the law after all. Yet even if the general public disapproved and Shogunate samurai questioned the morality of the law they were upholding, voices of protest were obsolete.

Besides, the Vision Hunt Decree existed for Eternity, it must have your best interests in mind. Right?

Never mind the uprising of a resistance, a civil war taking place, and peoples aspirations being stripped away, causing them to loose their minds. The Shogun didn't seem to care, and neither should've you as an ordinary Visionless civilian.

If only he hadn't had a Vision...

The goal of Eternity was in the name of the people, so that their lives remained peaceful and uninterrupted. But was this goal aimed for a future generation? Because no one seemed to care when hundreds died in war, ex-Vision holders lost their sanity, and loved ones were parted. Was this all part of the plan? To make us suffer for an eternal tranquility that we will never experience?

I never signed up for this.

You complained to the aforementioned Vision bearer the night the decree came about. He simply hummed in thought as he continued to pack a few belongings, not willing to give up his Vision and following others like him into hiding.

Ah, if only your shared friend hadn't stood up, sacrificing his life in hopes of sparking some sort of resistance.

Perhaps then your lover wouldn't have had to leave.

"Um... Excuse me..." a young voiced snapped you out of your thoughts. You looked downwards to a child standing about a metre away, awkwardly rolling on the balls of his feet. "I was just wondering if you were okay. You seemed a bit sad..." he shyly told you.

A soft sigh escaped your nose and you offered the child a small smile. "I'm okay, thank you for asking. Just waiting for someone."

"Oh!" the boys eyes lit up when assured you were fine, "Well, then, I hope you see them soon!" He quickly bowed before returning to a waiting mother.

Another sigh as you looked back up at the maple leaves. "As do I..."

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