saudade; raiden ei

xɪ. home

Y/n left the room, her feet mindlessly carrying her towards her destination. She no longer had to stop and think about whether it was left or right, up or down.

The previously endless halls were now all too familiar, and before she knew it she was stood before a door.

The soldier glanced up through the large window beside her, her eyes meeting the hot rays of the sun. She had no idea as to why she would require- or even know- such a skill, but was grateful nonetheless as she had yet to stumble upon a clock in any of the oversized rooms Tenshukaku had to offer.

Stupid amnesia.

Deciding that it was roughly the right time, she opened the door to reveal a familiar kitchen.

As expected, the Shogun was once again sat in her previous spot, flawlessly going about her daily routine. Y/n first grabbed something from a shelf- a tea set- and lowered herself before the puppet, tucking her feet beneath her and resting her hands in her lap to immitate the Shogun's posture.

Noticing her presence, she looked up, purple eyes meeting Y/n's hard stare. The soldier noticed how similar they could've been to Ei's, if not for the lack of swirling emotions which made the Archon's breathtakingly beautiful.

After a few moments of searching Y/n's gaze, the Shogun nodded. She closed her eyes, and when they reopened the purple glow had returned. Within an instant, Y/n was in the Plane of Euthymia.

"Eii~!" She hummed the Archon's name, and her eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the soldier.

"Y/n! I was becoming bored.."

The soldier simply nodded in response, her mind flashing elsewhere. For a brief moment, she was back in the storage room, album in hand.

How long was 'a few years at most', truly?

It finally hit her that to an Archon, it may have been centuries.

"Y/n? Are you alright?"

She forced a smile.

"Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

Ei nodded, but Y/n was shocked to see an emotion that looked an awful lot like terror brush across her features.

"Did you.. remember something from your past?"

"No." 'Just someone else's...'

The silence returned, and the Archon was becoming increasingly aware of their shift in dynamics.

Something had changed.

"Oh!" The soldier looked down, finally recollecting herself and remembering the tea set in her hands.

"Care for some tea?"

"Is this.. did you make this for me?" Ei asked, still hesitant as of Y/n's strange behaviour.

She nodded, and poured a cup for the Electro Archon before placing it in her outstretched hand. Upon tasting the bittersweet beverage, her eyebrows immediately shot through the roof.

Ei seldom had time for tea, even before she entered the Plane of Euthymia. However, on the occassions that she did...

'This tastes...'

"Y/n, I..." Ei found herself unable to continue, suddenly overcome by a wave of homesickness. She cleared her throat, hoping the lump would disappear.

The soldier smiled. "So? How is it?"

'...just like Furuyama's..'

The taste, the scent. All of it reminded her of Makoto; of home.

Her home, before the change that was to shake Inazuma's core.