Chapter Text
The meeting was an accident thanks to the misguidance of your young mind. You had insisted that you could go to the shrine alone when mother was sick, but when thinking that the tree you always turn to was a little further ahead and ended up at the edge of a small, ankle-high creek, you’ve become lost.
What is a seven your old little girl supposed to do when faced with such a problem? When they’re lost, separated from their parents and surrounded by trees with moving shadows of yore.
‘If you ever lose me when taking a walk,
to the men that carry a spear you are to talk.
Tell them I’m lost and can’t find my mom
And to me they will take you with open arms’
But there were no men in purple suits anywhere you looked, only the rushing creek water swerving through the tree's roots. Tempted to sit down on a nearby rock to rest and huddle alone, you search for a secluded place, hidden from scary people and animals alike.
You part from the river creek when you see stone stairs and go to sit between them in the darkest corner to avoid being seen as tears start to finally form in your eyes as you notice. Usually your surrounded by people when this happens, having insisted you didn’t need your mothers hand when going to the markets before getting lost moments later. But here you’re alone with no one to ask for help, and having that option taken away from you made you… regretful? Afraid? Whatever it was, you hated it.
You sniffle as you burry your head further in between your shaky legs, eyes pressed against the knee as they get wet with tears. You refused to look up at the scary forest of trees so tall and bushy, they blocked all of the morning sunlight and left you in the night.
“I-I want my mom-my” a hiccup is drawn out of you as your body shakes, your cries building in volume. But before they could get too loud, you hear a push of air, almost musical if it weren’t for the fact that it was only one note. You look up the steps, vision blurry before wiping it away with the back of your wrists, and see a little bear with… a purple coat.
It looks at you, tilting its head before it makes another noise, dancing as a tune starts to form before it gesticulates with its paws for you to come closer. You hesitate, eyes casted up to the top of the stairs as you think.
He doesn’t have a spear with him… but he has a purple suit so it’s ok. Mommy said it was ok. Hesitantly, you get up, sniffling further before taking a step. The little bear hops up in joy before sinking down into the ground in a cloud of smoke.
“Wait! Little bear!” You run up the steps to look at the place where the creature had disappeared to, but the same tune starts to play and draws you in. You look up to see the same bear, only further up the pathway and dancing away.
Only when you come closer does it do another trick and disappear. Curiously, you follow it further up in hopes to find it again, and see it under a wooden arc, similar to the ones at the shrine! Maybe that’s where the creature is taking you!
“Wait for me!” You say, beginning to smile as you jog up the steps. If you’re taken to the shrine, going back would be no problem at all.
You go up another arc where the bear dances with his song, and another where he flips, one, two, three you catch up to it faster then the tune can even finish. With It always at your peripheral, you run up the last of the steps until you look up, expecting the bear to see a chest.
“Little bear…?” You ask as you look around, but find nothing. Suddenly unsure, you bring your hands to your chest but approach the chest nonetheless. Reaching for it, you open the wooden top and see a piece of paper inside. When you pick it up and open it, the chest puffs in a puff of smoke and the little bear runs away from the direction it came from.
You decide to look at the paper, and see an arrow pointing ahead. Just as you go to turn and look for the little bear, you hear the snapping of something and… a yell. You continue to listen, and hear the batting of sticks-very sturdy sticks from how many times they're being hit against something- and voices.
When you look up, there’s a house, and it’s the biggest house you’ve ever seen with a wall as tall as the trees with four-tipped stars decorated on it. And when looking to the side, you see-!
“Purple man!” You shout before running in the direction of the guard. Your footsteps seem to alert him and turn to see the newcomer, only to have his eyes go wide at the sight of a little girl.
“Purple man!” You shout again as you finally reach him, smiling in joy as you finally found someone that could take you back.
“Hey… where did you come from little one?” He asks as he looks around before crouching down, keeping a steady hand on his spear as he comes down to your level.
The batting from behind the wall distracts you a moment before you look at the man.
“Uhm- I was going to the shrine by myself but I got lost and- and I can’t find mommy… can you help me? She said ``purple man always helps little girls who need it and I really need it.” You plead and he opens his mouth to say something, but closes it with a humm and a scratch to his head.
“Do you know where you live?” He asks and you look behind you before shaking your head and look back at him expectantly. He sighs before getting back up again.
“Alright- stay here a moment so I can go ask for some help, alright?” He asks and you nod before he asks for you to stay where you are one more time as he leaves inside the big house. You follow him until you're at the edge of the stone platform, standing between the two walls and you are amazed at the sight. A massive front porch! With a table filled with snacks, a whole garden of baby trees going all around it, and teeny rocks everywhere you look. There’s a miniature puddle with some grass surrounding it, and another man standing in front of a board on another wooden platform.
You lean further in to get a better look, and your ears are assaulted by another whack of two sticks coming together. Well, that's what you had assumed, but when your eyes landed on the two kids holding them you were amazed to see how they hadn't snapped yet.
But, as anticipating a it was watching the two of them go at it, fearing that one of them would get hurt with how fast they were going, it looked like fun.
One of the two seemed to have spotted you- the girl- and she paused to make eye contact, but it was short lived when the boy had struck down on her wooden sword and made it clatter to the sandy floor they both stood on.
“Ayaka! Pay attention .” He chastised as he bent down to grab the fallen wood. “You could have easily deflected that.” he says but she only bears him a glance before her mouth moves, but you can’t hear anything. He looks up at the light haired colored girl from his crouched position, before turning your way and you, afraid of getting caught in someone else's home, hide behind the wall.
Momma always said to never go into other people's yards. You think as you bite at your thumbnail in nervousness when you no longer hear the kids play anymore. At least, that’s what you thought they were doing since they seemed to enjoy it from the smiles on their faces.
“Who are you?” A voice calls and you look over to see the girl, poking her head from the corner of the wall.
“Hey.” A harsher voice calls from behind her before her body seems to be tugged. “What did father say about talking to strangers?” the boy whispers loud from behind her- Ayaka you assume her name was. She barely gives him a glance as she comes out to stand in front of you fully, revealing an outfit you often see students at the building where they teach how to use a sword. One of her hands seems to be held by the boy from before, still lightly tugging at her to come back.
“I think it’s ok. She's our age… right?” Ayaka asks, questioning you at the end with a tilt of her head.
“I- i'm seven.” You answer, hesitantly before your eyes go to the other head that pops up from next to Ayaka, still holding her hand. He’s taller, and looks older too, but he’s a kid nonetheless. His hair is a darker blue, taking more of a pastel then the snow color Ayaka has.
“See?” Ayaka says with a smile as she turns to look up at the other, but the boy has a small, thoughtful frown on his face as he looks at you.
“What if she’s the daughter of one of the clans?”
“We’ve met all of the clan heirs, and I don’t remember her so surely she’s not.”
“Then- maybe they hid her so they could send a spy.”
Ayaka laughs, hand going to cover her mouth like the proper ladies you’ve seen walking around the city with their pretty dresses and sparkling jewelry.
“You really are something sometimes, brother.” She says as he groans at her.
Brother… so are they siblings? You look at the male, pondering. I want a brother.
“Don’t listen to him.” Ayaka says as she turns her attention back to you with a wave of her hand to the brother. “Are you hungry? We have some snacks to share if you want some.” She says and you think about your answer, eyes going to the interior before looking back at the forest. The omnicity of the trees makes you nod your head in agreement before you are tugged inside by the sister, two fingers having grabbed hold of your sleeve.
By the time you're seated on that table full of snacks, you learned two things: That the brother was named Ayato, and that he was the oldest one of the two by two years, making him around the age of nine. The second, was that Ayaka was only a year older, but was the same height as you.
You didn’t eat anything though. You just wanted to get away from the scary-ness the forest gave you.
No matter how delicious those little shrimps looked, deep fried with the crispy looking breading, along with the sliced lavender melon on the side. Your stomach grumbles as you look away from the dish, but before Ayaka can push the plate you’ve been eyeing closer to you, the door behind you slides open, making you all behind you to see a man.
You didn’t know what he was wearing, but it looked expensive with all of the robing, golden knots, red ribbons, and long overhanging sleeves that they almost dragged across the floor. The man looks at the two children, who immediately stand in attention with you still sitting in between them as you look at the two in confused wonder.
“Father.” The siblings say in unison as you quickly get up too, head switching to look between Ayaka and Ayato's bowed heads, their eyes batted closed.
“Why are you two no longer practicing?” The man asks, the sister going to open her mouth before Ayato beats her to it.
“I- uhm- I thought to welcome this guest, and that the sight of us sparring would be most unsightful as a greeting-“
“It is not ‘ ideal’, boy. The word unsightful does not exist.” The man reprimands and Ayato presses his lips thin but nods. “…continue.”
Ayato nods again before looking at you, briefly. “She just appeared at our doorstep, father. I… don’t know why she’s here.” He summarizes before he casts his head back down when he hears a sigh and some footsteps. You watch the man coming closer and looking at the boy.
“And you didn’t think to ask? With all the fuss with your training and ethics, to let such an important part of business slip past you?” He sighs before a hand raises to pat Ayato's head, fingers brushing through his hair and ruffling them before the tall man looks at you as his hand retracts with shuffling fingers.
“I hear that you’re lost, little girl?” He asks and you nod, noticing the man in the purple suit from before. He looked a little panicked-stricken at seeing you there in between the two siblings instead of the entrance where he left you.
Sorry I didn’t stay, mister. It was too scary out there by myself.
“Do you know where you live? What your home looks like?” He asks again and you twiddle with your clothes a little, clenching at the cloth from your rapidly beating heart.
“I-it’s small and colored like the stuff Mr. Imatani feeds his cow, Zhenzhen. My house is the one next to Mr. Teijima. He's growing tomatoes now.” You explain and the man nods, understanding.
“You live in Konda Village, then?” He asks and you smile, wide and bright at the name. He copies the action, but it’s more reserved as he crouches to your level and you find it’s more comfortable talking to him this way.
“And what do your parents do for a living? Any ideas?” He asks and you nod, proudly standing.
“Momma sells the best fish in the whole village! I help her with the money.” You say as your hands go behind your back and sway onto the balls of your heels.
“Do you now? Then we best get you back to your mother before her business goes to the ground without you there to manage!” He exclaims as he gets up, making a hand gesture to the guard before looking at the boy next to you.
“My son will come along as well while Ayaka finishes her training. Maybe he’ll learn a thing or two about hard work and picking times to relax more wisely.” He says, smiling, and you do too as you look at the younger brother.
“O-kay!”
“Yes sir...”
“Your hair came undone.” Ayato says eventually, and you pause to look behind yourself and put a hand to your hair to feel that the ribbon that was holding it up, disappeared.
“Oh… it must have slipped off somewhere.” You say, looking fruitlessly around your feet in case the ribbon would appear on the ground, but you shrug as you look forwards to follow the man in the purple suit. “It was old anyway. I’ll just let momma buy me another one!”
Ayato’s quiet for a moment and you turn in curiosity to see him stuffing a hand in his pocket. “Doesn’t she sell fish ?” He asks and you nod with a humm, not catching his tone.
“The best! She even catches them herself sometimes because-... because- i don’t remember why, but she does!”
“From what I recall, fish vendors don’t really make a lot. What’s on market now is Crystal Marrow, military rations, and metalwork of all kinds. Mostly for weaponry.” Ayato comments. “Fish is probably at the bottom of the incoming tax because, the many that need it during these times, just get their own. Inazuma does consist of various islands, after all.” He adds and, despite not… understanding everything he just said, you find some things offensive.
“My mom makes money .”
“That’s not-”
“I heard her tell the- the tax people that she makes 2 thousand mora every week .” You say, wanting to sound smart and prideful of what your mother does. Ayato makes a face, looking displeased.
“That’s not a lot of-”
“Young lord!” The guard behind them pipes up with newfound cheerness. “I’ve forgotten to mention that your father wanted us to make an additional stop after dropping off the little lady here.”
“Where would father want us to go to when he already told us today was going to be a revision day?” Ayato questions in clear confusion, but all the guard can do is stammer an excuse long enough to where the boy forgets all about fish.
When you do finally reach the village, your legs are tired and your stomach grumbles it's last demands as it basically eats itself, but youre overjoyed when you see your house, the very first one with the fish stall placed outside.
“Momma!” You call as you rush forwards, crossing the thin, stone bridge with ease as you turn to your home. The guards quicken their step just a little to make sure you’d make it back home safe, as per requested from their commissioner, but Ayato goes for a jog to see which house is the one you reside in, skipping steps in doing so.
He reaches your sight just in time to watch you open the door and go inside with an excited yell to your mother, stopping short at the doorstep. He takes notice of the little ghost attached to the corner of the door, made of hay covered in a ruined cloth with squibbles for the features.
“W-why are you here so late, hunnie?”
“I got lost.”
“Lost?! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m ok! I asked the guy in the purple suits just like you told me! Look!” Ayato sees you pointing in his direction after his eyes focus back on the both of you instead of the small, cramped, and cozy home.
Only one bed? Do they have to share?
“O-oh goodness!” Your mother gasps, the cloth on her forehead slipping onto the floor as she gets up in a flurry of motions and ends up bowing all the way down to the waist. “Y-young Lord- I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I-if it’s about the payment for the house, I believe i’ve already submitted it just earlier in the week to the Village Chief. Your word should go to him.” She says but Ayato furrows his brows, confused.
“Me, or any other member of the estate or commission, have no personal business with this village. We’re here to make sure your daughter made it back home after finding out that she lost her way.” Ayato answers with a hand going up, similar to how his father does it when trying to ease someone.
Your mother looks up at him with a gaping mouth before her hand shoots out to grab your head and force it into a bow, doing the same either on her own.
“Then please accept my apologies on behalf of my daughter.”
“Ow- but the-” her fingers around the roots of your hair tighten to turn your head back down, forcing you to submit further.
“It won’t happen again, Young Lord. Please accept my sincerest apologies.” She says before getting up and releasing the hold on your head. You scratch at the sore spot with a jutted lip, embarrassed that Ayato had seen such a display and run to a place behind the door, out of sight. Ayato's body inclines a little to follow you, but sags when you disappear completely in a little disappointment.
“Would you mind…” he starts, his hand going to his pocket as he grabs at a soft material, silk and smooth as he runs a thumb through it, but he hesitates to pull it out. I want to give it back to her… as a token of- for an apology. For getting her into trouble.
“Nothing. I think it’s best I go back and tell father that your daughter has made it back safe and soundly. Have a good rest of your day.” Ayato bows his head in goodbye, before walking back down the steps, the guards saying their goodbyes before following after him.