Chapter Text
Gathering all her courage, Sara entered the Aisa Bathhouse, steeling herself with one last deep breath. She couldn’t believe this day had come, having expected it never would, but here she was, meeting once more with the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island.
It took all of her years of militant training and the strength of the power of her Tengu lineage to keep her wits about her as she stepped inside the building. It was unnaturally quiet all throughout the bathhouse. She froze at the door, looking around for any signs of life. A young lady in robes walked across the hallway on the opposite side of the building, her steps quiet, almost stealthy. Sara opened her mouth to catch the staff member before she passed, but before she could get any words out, the woman suddenly caught eye of her, jumping slightly.
“Ah, General Kujou!” she said, her light steps now treading toward her. “Please follow me, your reserved space is through here.” She began to walk down through another hall, in the opposite direction of the tea and dining rooms Sara knew were on the other end. We’re meeting in the bathhouse..? Sara wondered, her heart racing. She had suspected, and of course hoped Kokomi had wanted more from this meeting, and this felt like a sure confirmation. Shit, would she already be in the water? Sara did genuinely have some items of business she wanted to go over with Miss Sangonomiya today, and she feared she wouldn’t get through them all when sitting face to face with a bathing woman.
Sara followed the staff member until they reached the closed door to the bath. Kokomi’s shoes sat neatly by the sliding door, inviting Sara to slip her own off to sit next to them.
“All your accommodations have already been arranged by the reservation holder, so all your needs will be met during your stay. Please enjoy your visit!” The woman bowed, and without another word, quickly and quietly sped away down the hall. Sara stood, hand braced against the door frame, staring after her. She felt her wings twitch between her shoulder blades, an anxious ticking of muscles. Going once more through the countless years of training and meditation, she gathered her resolve and slid the door slowly open to see Kokomi sitting at a small table by the side of the bathing pool. If Kokomi had heard the door open, she didn’t show it, remaining perfectly still where she sat, holding a cup of steaming tea in her gloved hands. Sara stepped inside the quiet room, sliding the door quietly behind her. She was hit instantly by the delicate scent of sakura, as steam wafted up from the hot bath, pink petals floating on the surface. Her mind raced with the frantic search for something, anything, to say to Kokomi, but ultimately, she lamely settled on a clipped, “Miss Sangonomiya.” At that Kokomi turned her head slightly to the side, still not looking at Sara. Not yet.
“Please, join me,” Kokomi said, her soft voice rolling gently through the steamy air. The sound was just as sweet as the fragrance surrounding them. Sara wordlessly made her way to the table, feeling uncharacteristically nervous.
Sara’s entire life had been fighting, training, war, loss. Born into the life of a soldier, a weapon, she’d never had time for friends or love, not even pets. Now, being well into adult life with nothing so grand as even a first kiss, being suddenly thrown into a full on sexual relationship with arguably the most beautiful woman in all of Watatsumi Island was entirely out of Sara’s realm. She was relieved Kokomi was aggressive last time, it seemed to fit easily within Sara’s violent scope of understanding. The memory of their last meeting replayed millions of times in her mind since that day, making her burn up with both intense embarrassment and sweltering arousal. The arousal was easy enough to handle, her head spinning and fingers working inside herself, imagining Kokomi grasping her again, pulling her hair, replaying each gasp and whimper that fell from her lips. And then came the embarrassment. Sara found herself frequently clutching her head in agony at the memory of how she parted her lips in expectance of a kiss. What the hell was she thinking? The diplomatic relations between Watatsumi and the Mainland Inazuma were very tender, and as literal battlefield opponents, why the hell would Kokomi go for a kiss? Especially after having thrown Sara around like that, a kiss was the furthest thing from realistic. And even worse than that, the random bullshit Sara had spouted off when she got her bearings again. And Kokomi’s piercing gaze as she looked down at Sara humping her own hand. All around, it was mortifying and incredible experience, and Sara was terrified and delighted with the hope of a second go.
Sara knelt at the table, her skirt tails tucked neatly underneath her, as she settled across from Kokomi. Finally, glancing up from the tea set arranged on the tabletop, she locked eyes with Kokomi, and what she saw was electrifying. Her eyes were fiery today, bright and piercing. Sara resisted the urge to shrink away from the intensity of her gaze, resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably.
“Thank you for arranging this meeting,” Sara said cordially, trying her best to keep her head on straight. They had important things to discuss, so she couldn’t let herself get distracted by anything. Not even the way Kokomi’s finger traced the rim of her teacup. Or the way her hair seemed to glow in the soft lighting of the room. Or any other number of ridiculous fantasies that might race across her mind. Kokomi gave a small smile, and for a moment of weakness, Sara worried she might have read her thoughts.
“Of course, it’s a pleasure to meet with you again.”
A pleasure? Could that mean..? Sara could kick herself for already getting side tracked. Clearing her throat, while attempting to clear her mind, Sara began to pick nervously at the cords on her belt.
“The pleasure is mine. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get straight to what we had agreed to speak about prior,” Sara said, leveling her thoughts, trying to go into “General mode”. It took an inordinate amount of effort. Somehow, Kokomi made concentration an intensely difficult struggle. Kokomi took the pot of tea into her hands, and immediately Sara took hold of her cup, offering it towards her so she could pour some in. Kokomi filled her cup carefully, then filled her own in turn. Setting the pot down gently, she looked back up at Sara, serious as ever.
“I certainly don’t mind. Let’s begin.”
Sara started at once with her first questions, and the discussions between them flowed as naturally as water through a creek bed. It was never usually an easy feat to discuss steps to take moving forward, trade deals, reformation opportunities, and government aid, but the women felt so strongly on the same wavelength. While not agreeing on all points, the two were intelligent and well spoken enough to clearly communicate what they needed most for their lands and people, and compromises came easily on most issues.
Until then they reached the last topic on their list. Strategically placed at the bottom of the agenda, as to avoid the sure-to-be unpleasant discussion, was reparations offered by the Shogunate to the Watatsumi people affected by the Vision Hunt Decree.
“What are your thoughts on this, Miss Sangonomiya?” Sara asked, hesitant to breach the topic. Kokomi took a long, slow drink from her cup, then lowered it just as slowly down to the table again. Tapping the rim, she looked to be in deep thought. And yet, her eyes burned again with that same fire from earlier. It looked as if she knew exactly what she wanted to say, and was instead pondering how to say it in the calmest way possible.
"I believe that the Tenryou Commission should be actively involved in aiding the people of Watatsumi to recover from the damages caused by the Vision Hunt Decree," Kokomi said at last, her voice strained with the effort of withholding any unprofessional language. Though she kept a calm demeanor, her hands tensed visibly on her cup, and her mouth was pulled together tightly, as if desperately straining away a sneer. While of course Sara deeply respected the Raiden Shogun and her choices, she also understood the harm it enacted on the innocent people of Inazuma. It was conflicting for her; as much as she wished to believe she was in the right, a whispering voice of doubt lingered in the recesses of her mind, hissing horrific thoughts to her. Thoughts that she was wrong all along, and that she was the sole cause of so much suffering amongst her own people. And as much as she tried to push those thoughts away, now, sitting in front of the woman whose people she had caused so much pain to, those thoughts became fiery, screaming, stabbing. Still, as always, her duty and responsibility was solely with the Tenryou Commission, and all glory and honor must be given to the Shogun. She could play the devil's advocate. Swallowing down her uncertainty, Sara put on a serious expression, ready to debate.
"What do you have in mind for the efforts our forces should make?" she asked. She knew that hands and funding were limited, so there was only so much the Commission would be able to allocate before it compromised other initiatives they performed in Inazuma.
"I insist that each citizen of Watatsumi that was wrongfully harmed by the Decree be assigned a minimum of two Tenryou soldiers to assist them with any matters needed to recover their losses," Kokomi declared, her voice steel and her gaze even harder. Sara felt her jaw twitch with the urge to fall open in shock. Two soldiers? Minimum? There was no way she would have enough men to send to the island for this work and still have enough for her other needs across the nation.
"The Tenryou Commission does not have the resources to provide such reparations," Sara started to explain, her voice dropping low and serious. "Perhaps I could send out one soldier per unit, and we can work across the island in phases, but I cannot send that many men all at once." Kokomi looked fiercer than ever now. Something vicious was boiling up beneath her cool exterior, and Sara dreaded hearing any of it.
"Do you find that fair, Tengu Kujou?" she said, cold as ice. "That so many of my people lost their livelihoods, if not their lives, at the hest of the Tenryou Commission, but they must wait in phases to receive aid?" Sara swallowed hard, deeply uncomfortable. She knew in her screaming heart that Kokomi was right, but logistically it seemed impossible to accomplish.
"I agree, and I know where you're coming from, but it simply wouldn't be possible to enact this all at once," she said, trying to hold her ground as her conscience raged against her. "The Commission lost many men in the war, so we just cannot afford to-"
"Lost many men?" Kokomi interrupted, her eyes darkening. "You lost many men, did you? Many great, brave soldiers? Fighting your war for tyranny?" She was spitting venom now, and her grasp on her cup was tight enough for risk of shattering.
"Tyranny-"
"I watched innocent people die at the hands of your soldiers, Tengu Kujou. Not just my soldiers, but the farmers, the craftsmen. I watched their houses and lands be besieged. All in the name of an unlawful decree in pursuit of "eternity." I do not want you to tell me and my people to wait for reparations. You will make it work somehow. It is the very least you can do."
The room was utterly silent. Sara heard the blood rushing through her veins, became conscious of her breathing, of her fidgeting.
“I think… if you were able to send all your men to Watatsumi to battle us, you can send them again to help us. Most only need simple farm work done. Please consider what is right.” Kokomi said, her voice once again calm and level, completely in control of her emotions now. Sara marveled at truly how much Kokomi embodied the ocean; tumultuous waves one moment, and the next completely still.
“I…” Sara’s voice caught in her throat. Her mind raced with all the numbers and possibilities. Could this possibly work? Did she have enough resources to pull it off? If she took two men off each station in… took two off there… took… everything off… Took everything off? Kokomi was taking everything off. Wait, what?
Lost in thought, head spinning with calculations, she didn’t realize Kokomi had stood and begun to undress. She looked up right as she lowered her top, immediately jerking her eyes away, but not before accidentally getting an eyeful.
“Ah, General Sangonomiya, what are you…” Sara felt herself flush hot, fighting with all her might to look away.
“I’m making the most of my reservation,” Kokomi replied coolly, and Sara heard her step gently into the water. She looked back over to the water, watching Kokomi sink under the petal-speckled pool’s surface. Her eyes were closed in relaxation as she rolled her neck side to side, releasing the tension she had pent up during their deliberations. She cupped her bare hands, pouring water back into the pool slowly to watch the ripples. Sara watched silently, struck with awe at how she traced her fingers through her pale hair, at how at peace she felt in the water. It was clear to see she was a Hydro user, a true descendant of the Sangonomiyan lineage.
“You’re staring again.”
Kokomi’s quiet voice was laced with fire. Sara jolted, eyes flickering immediately back up to hers. She hadn’t realized she had zoned out like like that on her fingers tracing through the water. Kokomi’s eyes were blazing, with that same look as last time. Maybe Sara wasn’t crazy for hoping there would be a repeat performance. Burned by the intensity, Sara looked back down at her teacup, unable to keep eye contact. She wanted it, she wanted it badly, but she didn’t know how to initiate. Should she even try?
“I see you still have no manners,” Kokomi started, as she waded over to the wall towards Sara.
“I looked away, actually.” Sara could hear the water shifting around Kokomi as she moved across the bath.
“Yes, you did. Now you’re only showing disrespect for the reservation I’ve made for this meetingplace.” The shimmering sound of a Vision being activated filled the quiet air, and Sara glanced back over slightly to watch Kokomi trace circles with her finger, guiding along a Hydro fish. “Haven’t you noticed how quiet it is?” She made the fish circle over once more, before sending it slowly swimming through the air towards Sara. Her slender finger now pointing right at Sara, the fish made its way over gradually.
“I booked the whole bathhouse today. Every table, every room, every sauna, every bath. Paid off all the staff too.” The fish swam right up to Sara’s face, and planted a small Hydro kiss before Kokomi turned her palm and it swam back to her, circling her head. It nuzzled her forehead before dissolving into bubbles, while Sara flushed again at Kokomi’s admission.
“It’s just us here, General.”