Crack In The Sky

》*《 Eternal Servitude 》*《

"In the light of Inazuma, eternity must shine through. Eternity was our building ground, and those of eternal gratitude will be rewarded.

As for those who closely follow the Raiden and directly report to her...."

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"No! You missed a line! Try again!"

The sound of wood on wood echoed throughout the small studyroom, and the small child sitting on tbe ground flinched at the motion.

"B-But I-" The child gave a stutter, and the origin of the wood on wood struck again- a ruler on the desk.

"No excuses! Try again!"

Fearful eyes scattered amongst the papers on the desk, trying to find a source of what to say to appease their current threat.

"T-The answer is...Auntie Miko-?"

The ruler clapped again, but this time it did not strike the desk. The child gave a cry, their hand flying to cover the fresh blood that trickled down their forearms.

"You will address her by her title, not your relation with her!" The mentor struck his hand in warning, pacing around the cushioned child and the small desk they sat at.

"G-Guuji Yae!" The child cried out, "I-I'm sorry f-for my i-in...inability to remember everything needed for eternity."

The mentor stopped, his shoes clicking together, "Apologizing will get you nowhere for the eternity you so wish to follow, Y/n."

Shogun Y/n- a child born and raised to follow the path of eternity, and punished for any sign of breaking that path.

"Perhaps I should tell your mother about your failure to study-" The mentor started, before the door slid open, "Ah. Guuji Yae."

"Apologies if I'm interuppting something," The sly woman's shoes clicked on the wooden floors, "I have to borrow Y/n for shrine work."

"Well, don't let me keep you waiting," The mentor gave a bow in respect.

The Guuji gave a smile in return, gently grabbing Y/n's wrist and leading them out of the chair. Her eyes wandered a bit, noticing the bright red liquid that trickled like a creek down the child's arms.

"Actually..." Yae looked at the mentor, "Y/n, my dear, why don't you head to the shrine? I promise I'll be there shortly."

Y/n recognized the tension in the air almost immediately, giving a simple nod and quickly heading out of the room.

Unknowns to them, the cunning nature of the fox was soon revealed to the mentor, silencing his deadly tactics of teaching.

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Sakura blooms were quite lovely to Y/n. The blooms were a sense of eternity that Y/n would never think to abandon.

The Sakure tree in Narukami Shrine was shaped like a mythical creature- they were called 'dragons', right?

It never seemed to be short of petals, and the people of Inazuma city seemed to think it simply meant it was a wonder and a wishing place.

Y/n sat on one of the many stairs leading up to the wishing buildings. The pink petals fell around them, with the occasional one dropping onto their nose.

"Y/n, do you know what day it is?" Yae appeared at Y/n's sitting area, with two cups in hand.

"Uhm....no, Auntie," The child responded, "What day it is?"

"It's your birthday," Yae whispered, and she smiled at the excitement she saw in their eyes, "I got that firework guy to make you some fireworks, and we're gonna set them off in a few minutes. You're 5 already!"

"At this point, you're gonna make me feel old," Yae faked a sad expression.

Y/n snorted a bit, and Yae snapped her fingers, "I heard that! You're laughing!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Y/n pouted, and Yae laughed, ruffling the little child's hair.

The two watched the lavender colored fireworks fill the sky, and Y/n's shoulders slumped a bit.

"Uhm....Auntie Miko...?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Is....Is mommy not coming?"

Yae sighed, gently running her fingers through Y/n's hair, "Sorry dear."

"She's....busy with something."

But Y/n's mother was always busy. They could not remember the last time they had seen their mother's lavender eyes.

Sometimes, they even wondered if their mother still kept them in her heart.

...

The fireworks shined in the sky, brightening up the darkness of the night for just a few seconds before scattering back into the ground.

They cracked through the sky like lightning, but shined warmly instead of the coolness of the lavender thunder.

After a few minutes, the fireworks stopped, ending the show, as the clocks struck midnight.

...

"Oh, they fell asleep already? They must've been truly tired."

"C'mon Y/n, let's get you back home before your mother gets mad at me for stealing you."