#exile.feather

Shouki no Kami

"And here I thought I'd finally have some peace."

The Traveler thought he was prepared for the sight of his huge opponent, one of which he had seen a glimpse in the short time he had transferred consciousness with the lesser lord, prepared to fight for his life against a newly born god.

But this? The unexpected sight had him hesitating a bit, had him staring after making sure that Paimon and Nahida were okay from the wind that swept them away.

Inside the constructed form stood the Balladeer, and a figure he had not seen before resting, sleeping in his arms. Even from this distance he could see the gentleness of his hold, a gentleness he never knew Scaramouche was capable of.

"I suppose this arrangement is also acceptable." Leaning down to the unconscious puppet, Scaramouche would close his eyes as he rests his head on top of yours, "When you awaken, there will be no further interruptions as you gaze upon the new world I create."

Only when Scaramouche removed the puppet string attached to your back did the Traveler notice it, their small group silently watching the hand of the Shouki no Kami reach with its palm up in command, and there Scaramouche reaches out to lay you gently.

"What... was that? Who was that?" Paimon finally spoke as the mechanical robot placed your still resting body on one of the elevators, tucking you away from the incoming battle, where he was sure you'd be safe. "Maybe we could -"

"No. That would be unwise." Nahida reasoned as she closed her eyes, hands close to her chest. "We should not stoop so low to use the same tactics as the Fatui, especially someone so innocent. And besides..."

Focusing back on Scaramouche, his gaze on them is full of malice at the realization that they had stared at the direction of where he hid you.

"I can't fathom what terrible calamity he might bring to Sumeru if they were to be harmed."

Mother...?

You watched the intimate moment quietly and a respectable distance away, smiling softly at the sight of Kunikuzushi sharing a heartfelt embrace with the electro archon. Whispers and mumbles you were not privy to were shared with each other.

"I am relieved to see that you have matured in your freedom."

"Don't - " But the puppet pulled away with a measured grimace, stepping back as he gestured an arm towards you. "Do not just forget about (Y/N), why do you not acknowledge them, mama?"

"Kunikuzushi, there's no need for - "

"(Y/N)?" Her wondered gaze looked at you whole, but you can only lower your stare with a slight frown. "I see. It looks like you've found your answers, at least."

"Ma-" You felt your throat tighten as the truth hits you. "You are not my mother." At this, the puppet clad in blue directed his bewildered stare at you, missing the melancholic gaze of Ei.

"Indeed, I am not Makoto." Yet your hand still shook as you gripped the petal close to your chest. "However, I am consoled with the fact that I didn't lose you with her."

Feeling an arm wrap around your shoulder, you turn to find that it was Kunikuzushi by your side, a worried look and a sad smile adorning his beautiful face. The tension leaves your shoulders as you look back at Ei.

"Welcome home, you two."

You two will be all right.

500 years ago

"As expected of my own child."

"Mama? Where are you going?"

Turning away from the red sky, you watch as the electro archon turns to face you, eyes softening at the sight of your yukata for bed. There is a smile on her face as she walks over, adjusting the haori that you seemed to have haphazardly worn to catch up to her.

You must have noticed her presence leaving.

Perhaps, you had also been blessed with visions of soon to be's.

"I am simply fulfilling my duty as the archon, my dear. You should go back to rest."

"Am I not allowed to come with you?" Her giggles were as soft as the wind that brushes past the sakura blooms, as soft as the petal that flutters to her reaching palm, as soft as her hand that cradles your own as she places the blossom on your grip.

"Fate has plans for you, my dear, and it does not end here." The kiss on the crease between your brows coaxes your eyes to close in slumber. "May your future shine as bright as a water moon, my (Y/N)."

The darkness that greets you brings fear in your incoherent mind, stumbling out of the unfamiliar estate in search of her, of your mother.

Her name spills out of your lips desperately as you trip on unfamiliar roots, and yet, she is still not here to wipe the tears away as she always does.

Where is she? Where are you?

Scared and alone, you curl up against the roots of the sakura tree, the lone petal in your hand being your only comfort.

The sky is not red anymore, so why is she not back still?

Bad Ending

"I simply facilitated a long overdue reunion, you can see it for yourself."

And he finds himself where he had been longing to go for years, finally, finally where he had always dreamed every night.

Holding his hat as he descended back to solid ground, Kunikuzushi almost stumbled in his haste to close the distance, hand pressed against the smoking ice to make sure.

Encased in a bed of ice together with the electro gnosis, despite your frozen state, Kuni breathed a sigh of relief. That energy, that connection you two shared is still brimming with life.

You're alive.

"Let's get you out of this uncomfortable place, then." Summoning the winds of his vision, he carefully aimed the slashes to carve away the ice like a sculptor, making sure that he wouldn't accidentally nick you.

Yet before he could make the final cut, cracks appeared on the ice until it exploded in a blizzard, forcing him to step back to shield himself. The cold air would have sent a chill down his spine.

"You're finally awake." He watched as you slowly straightened your form with obvious stiffness to your movements. The cold had always been cruel to you. "I'm here -"

A flash of purple light lit up the room, and the next thing he knew his left sleeve was singed and blown off, missing his body by mere inches. Following the scorched marks on the floor, the root ends on the tip of your sword still pointed at him.

"... Hah. I knew this would happen." If it were the old you, you would have noticed the solemnity in his laugh. But you stared at him with the same coldness he had been subjected to the day he met you in that village. As cold as the ice forming by your feet. "I suppose this is due punishment for all the things I've done, huh?"

"You are trespassing, leave at once. Or else." Your brows furrowed when he took a step closer.

"Or else what?"

A second slash this time chipped at his hip, but he didn't seem bothered by the damage at all. "I end you right where you stand."

You grit your teeth at the sound of his condescending laugh once more, watching him hold his hat down as he almost doubled over in laughter. The empty room filled with nothing but his bitter chuckles, so hollow even as he stopped.

"End me, huh?" Kunikuzushi lifts his head up to reveal a smile, framed by a cascade of tears that seems to never end. "It would be the greatest honor."

The sound of a bell warns the next move, as a slash to your shoulder forces you to stumble back. And the room would glow with bittersweet fury of violets and blues.

"Traveler, I think I found the Wanderer..."

The Traveler and his entourage filed in the room in dreaded silence, taking in the scene in front of them.

Cracks and parts chipped away and falling apart. It was a battle, lacking of blood but still just as gruesome, meant to be fought until the end. Yet it was clear there would be no victor.

But in the face of his demise, Kunikuzushi had a rare smile on his once porcelain face, his exquisite hat discarded as he's slumped forward.

And there on his lap cradled by his broken hands, a puppet lays what's left of its head to rest. Half of its face pulverized in the clash, yet even with the cracks of outlined gold falling apart, your face only reflects what seems to be a dreamer in peace.

At least here, it looks like the both of you had finally escaped your strings.

Details:

This section is focused on some easter eggs and clarifications of the original fic, which you may have already guessed from the scenes written on this post.

First and foremost, yes, you are created by Makoto thousands of years ago. In the second scene in Kintsugi (I), the conversation is between Ei and Makoto during the end of the Archon War. Makoto created you as proof of concept, to test whether she could create life after Ei insisted that she dies so that Makoto could take the throne of the electro archon.

Because of this, you are kept alive by Makoto's essence/consciousness/will, which translates to archonic essence/residue. This is also the reason why the sakura blossom you had throughout the story (from the 500 years ago scene) didn't wilt until you were separated from it. Sandrone and Dottore are the only ones who suspected something is up with you, the latter verifying it during the repairing scene in part 2.

During the lightning strikes, a failsafe of invoking the archon essence inside of you triggers whenever there is potential harm aimed towards you.

So why don't you remember the time between the Archon War and the Cataclysm then? Simple answer: a lil thing called Erosion :) which was showcased in the Bad Ending scene here.

Seeing as Scara/Kuni doesn't know who Makoto was, he believed you were also discarded by Ei, while you thought that the mother/creator/electro archon he was talking about was Makoto.

I also wanted to reflect Makoto and Ei's roles in Scara/Kuni and Reader's story, with how Reader carries the beliefs of Makoto and Scara/Kuni takes on the role of Ei being the shadow/fighter of the twins.

And the "I'm here" dialogues of Scaramouche repeating was actually unintentional at first but I kept it, it looked like a nice way to show the connection he feels between you. It's his way of assuring you that you're not alone, and reinforcing that he would be there for you for eternity.

The title of this post is actually from a play in the Kabuki theatre, Kunikuzushi vs the Spirit of the Cherry Tree (Barrier Gate) which I only found out after writing Kintsugi (I). Ironically, the name of the Kunikuzushi in that play is named Kuronushi, which is Scara's corresponding five kasen image. The coincidence is absolutely uncanny.

I also only remembered about the Dream Sakura (the petal in the dividers) while writing Kintsugi (II) haha.

Immerse yourself with the atmosphere of Kintsugi by listening to this song! It's what I had on loop while writing the fic, together with Scaramouche's boss theme lmao

Some other scene ideas that got scrapped: Scaramouche visiting his friend's funeral before the lightning incident, Columbina's singing reminding Reader of Makoto's lullaby, meeting Albedo in Unreconciled Stars, meeting Dorian/Rubedo, Irodori Festival (originally the timeline of the lightning incident), Dottore check up scene mentioned jn Kintsugi

Thank you again for reading my work, honestly I didn't at all expect the reception of that silly drabble from two months ago but here we are :')) It's such an enjoyable experience, more so your amazing comments and reception upon reading the whole thing <33

The fic was initially meant to end by the kintsugi scene, but I added the ending part after realizing it might be a bad cliffhanger as well as the fact that we got to learn more about him in 3.2 and his drip marketing!