(A/N: Sorry this was late, I had COVID.)
Kokomi stared down at the unconscious shrine maiden before her, an unreadable expression coming over her. This woman wouldn't reply to anything she asked her, only turned around to see her mumbling some nonsense and then proceed to pass out...
"I know you've followed me Gorou," she suddenly says, glancing over her shoulder, "Really, how reckless could you be?"
Gorou, almost shamefully came out from his hiding spot.
"S-Sorry, Your Excellency. I trusted you, but I could never be too careful."
She ignored him, not really intending to scold him much. Her priority was with her. Now, it never escaped her mind that a traitor could be amidst her army and she prepared well against such a threat. However, she really had hoped the occasion would never rise where she had to begin distrusting her shrine maidens too.
"We can question her once she wakes up," The general says, "For now maybe we should keep her locked up?"
Normally, Kokomi would've agreed to Gorou's safe suggestion, however she felt tired. She had been killing herself for far too long, and she was perfectly aware her subjects weren't aware of her spiraling exhausted state. But at the moment, she was not ready to be patient.
"No," she firmly says, extending her hand slightly away from herself and running it through the open air, "We're doing this now."
Her reacting vision fiercely glowed a deep ocean blue, and at her fingertips the hydro power swirled before striking the shrine maiden right in the face. Surprised, she shot up from the ground, wiping away the water and coughing from the stray droplets entering her mouth.
Gorou watched in bewilderment as Kokomi's satisfied smile masked itself with concern, and she stood right in front of the maiden—staring down at her with her piecing gaze. It was a different side of his leader—bolder, assertive, and impatient for the answers that could save her soldier's lives.
The maiden looked up at her, glossy eyed and sniffling in realization. She almost looked like a lost puppy.
"Y-Your Excellency? Oh...I didn't know you were coming for me."
"Fumiko," Kokomi spoke her name quietly and took out a crumpled letter, grip around it abnormally tight, "I need to ask you a few questions."
Quietly, Fumiko brought a hand to her throbbing head but afterwards nodded.
"Yes of course. What is it?"
...
Mitsuki quietly made his way back to his—or Gorou's tent really—wanting to hide away before word spread that he cooked for the soldiers. Which he didn't do by the way, but he was sure that's how they would perceive it. He passed by a number of them who seemed to be heading to the kitchen now, so it was fairly empty when he got back to the residential area.
Instead, what troubled him now were the locations of his..."bosses." Nobody else seemed concerned about them so it was only logical that everything was okay. Even knowing that, a clawing feeling in his chest was trying to persuade him otherwise. And he was never wrong of course...so perhaps it would be worth just asking where they went.
No! Because then it'd look like he was worried about them which he WASN'T. If something bad happened to Kokomi or Gorou, it would just inconvenience his plans to enlighten himself in history is all. It was for his own sake.
He was going in circles with his thoughts, and he hated that. It was like second guessing himself and the idea that he could doubt himself in anyway was like venom to his mind. It would be stupid to think on this again in a few minutes so...
'Just ask!'
He stopped one of the passerby's and firmly questioned Kokomi's and Gorou's whereabouts.
"Oh...I think she mentioned leaving the main base. General Gorou hadn't said a word about leaving though."
'Is that so?'
"I see." he nodded, ready to give up and return to the tent. It was then that the passerby's eyes widened in surprise at something behind him and they eagerly gestured to whatever it was.
"Oh, there she is!"
He turned around and only barely saw Kokomi in the distance, pale, salmon pink locks swaying behind her with Gorou and another figure following after her.
"She must've just come ba—"
Completely ignoring the passerby, he began to briskly walk towards them. They looked like they were headed back to the shrine. Perhaps they found some evidence on who wrote that letter and were planning to discuss it. But if that were the case he should be present too since it involves him. So why didn't they go looking for him?
His ruby red eyes lowered slightly, but they quickly shot up again when he realized he was at Kokomi's office. He did a quick clear of his throat to rid of any unnecessary feelings and then gave the door a knock, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"Who is it?" Kokomi's muffled voice from inside questioned, and he had an inkling that she already knew it was him.
"Mitsuki," he responded and then added, "I apologize for earlier. It was unlike me."
There was no response, but the door opened and revealed Gorou and Kokomi, along with a vaguely familiar woman clad in shrine wear. He entered the room, allowing Gorou to close it behind him and leaning on the wall by it.
"We can talk about that later," she says, skillfully hiding the small smile tugging at her lips and extending a hand out towards the woman seated across her desk, "I believe you've met Fumiko?"
'Ah, that was her name.'
Mitsuki affirms her with a nod and she crosses her arms across her chest, now appearing firmer and confident.
"Fumiko here was the one responsible for the letter."
His brows furrowed slightly with confusion at the reveal. Why, he had never met this Fumiko in his life until joining the Resistance and she seemed fairly polite and kind to him their first encounter. It wouldn't be shocking if perhaps it was someone he had wronged or treated rudely during his time here but in her case, what could he have possibly have done to force her hand?
"I believe the Shogunate have received word about his presence here, correct?" Her eyes shot towards Fumiko for confirmation, and shamefully the woman pressed her lips together and nodded.
"But there's something strange about her story," Kokomi says, and Gorou takes the lead with explaining whilst looking at Mitsuki, "She says she cannot remember the reason for writing it."
'She cannot remember?'
"That is convenient," the lensed man mutters under his breath, "Find it funny to endanger the whole army for fun do you?"
"No!" Fumiko shouts in protest much to his surprise. She had been so quiet thus far... "I would never put Her Excellency in danger on purpose. I swear that I have no recollection of anything else except writing the letter."
A tense silence overtakes the room for a minute whilst they all mentally debate on any possible excuses.
"I've known Fumiko for a long time," Kokomi is the first to speak up, "This whole act of exchanging information with the Shogunate seems unlike her so I want to believe there was something else at work here."
"...Me too," Gorou agrees, "If you say something else is responsible for this, then I will trust you."
Mitsuki was quite positive they were trying to convince him to believe the same, as he barely knew this woman. Their careful gaze upon him wasn't exactly giving any other kind of message.
"I will not believe her until I find a reasonable excuse for her actions. She remembers writing the letter but not why?"
"Actually—" Fumiko interjects, "I...don't remember either. But I KNOW I was the one who did it."
"Did you recognize it?" The general questions and holds a closed hand to his mouth, brows furrowed in thought.
"I think that's the only reason I said I did it," she admits and shakes her head weakly, "My mind was racing a mile a minute about who knows what, then I woke up and I didn't remember anything from...maybe a few days ago?"
"This is just a hypothetical guess, but might you have been possessed?"
Gorou's eyes immediately go wide at Mitsuki's suggestion and he is surprised to see that Her Excellency seems to have been thinking along the lines of something similar.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"I have read countless books and researched into possession thoroughly," Mitsuki proclaims, a sudden spiteful expression coming to light which he quickly hides, "I may be able to decipher if that is really the case with a few questions."
"If that's it then we can leave this mystery to you for now," Kokomi sharply sighs, "I must seek an update on the Shogunate's movement in case they come looking for you. Gorou, if you would be so kind as to alert the soldiers and figure out a new patrol for them?"
"Of course," Gorou nods, "Should I tell them...everything?"
"No, do not worry them so. Just reassure that they need to be careful."
"I suppose I'm in your hands for now." Fumiko mutters to Mitsuki as they both silently watch Kokomi and Gorou dish out orders to one another.
Gorou takes his leave first, and as Kokomi walks by she smiles at the conflicted Mitsuki.
"If it wasn't clear, I forgive you. Let me or Gorou know if you find out anything else."
She leaves before he can say anything, which he's slightly appreciative of. He almost felt like denying her just for the sake of it but obviously this involved his own safety in a way.
"So you're well versed in possession?" The woman asks, brushing stray black locks behind her ear.
"Yes," he answers, not giving any more of the details she was potentially looking for and pulling up one of the now empty chairs and getting comfortable, "I will ask a few questions and we can get this over with."
She was fairly obedient, and from his manipulative perspective, honest. Not to mention she was still polite to him as she was before, fluid and graceful in her exhausted movements that it still confused him as to why someone like her would have some sort of hidden reason to outing him to the entire Shogunate.
"What is the earliest memory you can recall?" He asks.
"...I believe I was taking care of a few of my daily duties as usual and I was walking past the shrine when—" she stops herself, almost conflicted. With Mitsuki's sharp gaze urging her to go on, she practically had to choke out the rest of her story, "Her Excellency and General Gorou seemed...quite content and relieved with your presence here. I think it was during your stay in Fort Fujitou. They were discussing how trustworthy and reliable you appeared to be. For once, I felt like Her Excellency was wrong. and...I remembered wishing for your disappearance."
'Oh.'
That took a turn very fast.
"You would not be the first who wished for that." he hums softly.
"If I may be honest with you, I don't like you at all," she says and he almost rolls his eyes as if it wasn't already clear, "When you first arrived I knew who you were. Rumors were already going around about that manipulatively evil and power hungry man showing up. But finally seeing you walking around Resistance territory with such ease compared to those struggling to fight for their survival here like myself was...angering. Maybe you could say I was jealous that you had the Grand Narukami Shrine as your protector, and I had hoped to endanger you to the point that not even they could save you."
"So...you wished to see me struggle, like yourself? Like everyone else?"
"Yes."
She said it so bluntly and confidently that he basically had to believe her. But regardless, her opinion on him wasn't what he meant to focus on.
"Well, you said you had wished for my disappearance, correct?"
"Yes. I can vaguely recall anything after that."
If he remembers what that blasted woman said, it was often times that spirits took control especially when the victim deeply desired or wished for something. If her desire was to see Mitsuki crumble to the ground, the spirit would have likely wanted the same thing.
He almost sighed. Great, even spirits wanted to end his life now? Was every living and non living thing so jealous of his perfection?
There was the chance that the spirit was just one who sought out the demise of others and Mitsuki just happened to be the target. Still, the deep desire and wishing of something was a good amount of proof but...
He had never really heard of cases of people losing their memory for so long during possession. In fact, victims usually tend to remember everything going on but simply didn't have the control to do anything. He had read that it was more concerning if memory loss for so long was involved, as it meant that the spirit's strength and presence was so strong that it could completely take over a body for months, years, or forever if it so pleased. Like the original person never even existed. Yes, that seemed to be the most likely case here, which meant this possession was more grave than he initially thought.
"Seems like you were possessed," he finally confirms, "Likely by a spirit extremely powerful that it was capable of wiping your memory for days. They could have taken control of you completely if it so desired...You are lucky it even released its hold on you."
She takes a few moments to process the news and a sad smile appears on her face. Honestly he didn't realize she was capable of showing much emotion on her face, and his perspective on her changed as he slowly recognized the pain that flashed through her golden eyes.
"I am...lucky?" A string of tears flooded her cheeks like a rushing river, and an embarrassed flush overtook her face. She hid her face into her hands, shoulders shaking as she softly weeped away whatever worries plagued and ate at her mind.
Mitsuki simply sat there with his hands clasped together in his seat, waiting, watching as the conflicted emotions of sadness, shame, and anger flashed across her now raised face. Her blurred vision vaguely made out his ruby eyes that watched with what looked like little care, but a struggling patience.
She hated his stupid glare and his face by default, and she dug her face into her hands once more, heavily ashamed to reveal her emotions to someone who couldn't even muster up a word of comfort. Or rather, someone who would rather amuse himself in watching someone who wronged him shed her heavy and almost apologetic tears.