I Can't Think of a Name

[Late update www]

When the morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains, Ayaka was already awake.

She lay on her side, propping her head up with one hand and idly playing with the bell on Baichen's pajamas with the other.

When Baichen opened his eyes, Ayaka immediately gave him a sweet smile.

"Good morning, my dear Baichen~" She leaned down and pecked him on the lips. "Did you sleep well?"

Baichen nodded. The movement brought a faint sting from the new stud in his earlobe.

Ayaka immediately touched the spot, gently rubbing it. "Does it still hurt? I'll put medicine on it a few more times today."

She started to get up for the medicine box, but suddenly froze. A strange birdcall came from outside the window: three long notes and two short ones, like some kind of signal. Ayaka's face turned deathly pale.

"Stay here. Don't move," she ordered quietly, quickly changing into her kendo clothes. "No matter what you hear, don't come out."

Before Baichen could respond, Ayaka had slipped silently out of the room. Before leaving, she remembered to press the remote. The shackles on Baichen's wrists and ankles immediately tightened, securing him firmly to the bed.

[Warning! External intrusion detected]

Faint sounds of fighting came from outside the window, the sharp clang of clashing metal mingling with the muffled explosions of ninjutsu.

Baichen struggled desperately, but the shackles didn't budge. Suddenly, a deafening peal of thunder erupted, shaking the entire room.

"I found you."

A cold voice came from the doorway. Baichen looked up to see the Raiden Shogun standing there with Musou Isshin in hand, her long purple hair stirring without wind and lightning flashing in her eyes.

Several Kamisato Clan ninjas lay unconscious behind her.

The Shogun's gaze swept over Baichen's pajamas, the stud in his earlobe, and the collar around his neck. Her expression grew darker. She swung her blade and cut through the shackles in one clean motion.

"Can you walk?" she asked curtly.

Baichen tried to stand, but found his legs weak. The drug Ayaka had given him was still taking effect.

The Shogun clicked her tongue and scooped Baichen up in her arms. Her embrace was warmer than he had imagined, carrying the faint tingling sensation peculiar to Electro.

"Your Excellency! Please wait!"

Ayaka's voice came from the end of the corridor. Her clothes and silver hair were in disarray, and a trace of blood remained at the corner of her mouth. She had clearly been through a fierce battle.

Seeing Baichen in the Shogun's arms, a hint of madness flashed through her coral-colored eyes.

"He's mine!" Ayaka raised her tachi, her voice hoarse. "Give Baichen back to me!"

The Shogun looked at her coldly. "Kamisato Ayaka, you've overstepped."

"Overstepped?" Ayaka laughed hysterically. "I only took what I wanted! Just like you've always done!"

The Electro in the air began to stir, and murderous intent filled the Shogun's eyes. "Final warning. Stand aside."

"Never!"

Ayaka suddenly attacked, her tachi tracing a sharp arc.

The Shogun held Baichen with one arm and blocked the blow with her blade in the other.

The moment the two weapons collided, a blinding flash of lightning erupted.

"Why..." Ayaka struggled to her feet, tears in her eyes. "Why are you taking... Baichen away..."

The Shogun paused for a moment, but soon continued forward. "Everything I do is for Inazuma's eternity."

"Liar!" Ayaka screamed and charged again. "You just-"

She never finished her sentence.

A pink figure suddenly descended from above. Amid the clear ringing of Kagura's Verity, Yae Miko stepped between them.

"That's enough~" Miko shook her bells and smiled. "Little Ayaka, if you keep this up, things won't end well for the Kamisato Clan, you know?"

Ayaka froze, her tachi falling to the ground with a clang.

Her gaze passed over Miko and fixed on Baichen, her lips trembling. "Baichen... are you really leaving?"

Those coral-colored eyes were filled with despair and pleading, making Baichen's heart tremble. Before he could answer, the Shogun had already strode away with him in her arms, leaving only a cold pronouncement:

"Kamisato Ayaka is confined to her quarters for three months. This matter ends here."

[Kamisato Ayaka's affection +5%, current: 37%]

[Note: Obsession deepened after loss]

On the way out of the residence, Baichen saw that the Tenryou Commission's troops had already taken control of the entire area.

Kujou Sara was directing the soldiers as they searched the buildings. When she saw them come out, she was visibly relieved.

"Your Excellency, all the Kamisato Clan's ninjas have been subdued." After reporting, she gave Baichen a complicated look. "Mr. Baichen... are you all right?"

"Take him back to Tenshukaku." The Shogun didn't answer, merely giving a curt order. "Have the physicians ready."

The palanquin for the return journey was even more luxurious than the one they had come in. Its interior was lined with soft cushions, and water and refreshments had been prepared.

The Shogun let Baichen lean against her shoulder, gently resting one hand on his pulse as Electro softly probed his physical condition.

"That drug... will leave your system naturally in three days," she said suddenly. "You can keep the stud. If you don't like it, have a physician remove it."

Baichen shook his head, his fingers brushing unconsciously against the Kamisato Clan crest on his earlobe. "I'll leave it... as a memento."

The Shogun's purple eyes darkened, but she said nothing. The palanquin swayed gently, and her arm held Baichen's shoulders steady to keep him from slipping.

[Raiden Shogun's affection +3%, current: 34%]

[Note: Protective desire increased]

Tenshukaku's physicians were already waiting in a side chamber.

When they saw the Shogun carrying Baichen in herself, several elderly physicians were so startled they nearly fell to their knees.

Trembling with apprehension, they gave Baichen a thorough examination and finally reached a conclusion: aside from mild dehydration and malnutrition, the main problem was a drug lingering in his body that suppressed elemental power.

"He needs several days of rest," the chief physician reported to the Shogun. "There is no antidote, but Electro can be used to help accelerate its metabolism."

The Shogun nodded and dismissed everyone with a wave. She sat beside the bed, her fingers gently brushing over the red marks the shackles had rubbed into Baichen's wrists. "Does it hurt?"

"It's not too bad... Miss Ayaka actually..." Baichen paused, unsure how to describe his experience in captivity. "...was very careful."

The answer made the Shogun raise an eyebrow. "It seems you were treated well." Her tone grew subtly colder. "Did you like being treated that way?"

"No! It's just..." Baichen hastily denied it, but didn't know how to explain those complicated feelings-fear tangled with dependence, resistance coexisting with habit.

The Shogun didn't press him. She merely stood up. "Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

She turned to leave, but Baichen grabbed her sleeve without thinking. The gesture surprised them both. The Shogun looked back at Baichen, a flicker of surprise in her purple eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Baichen hastily let go. "I'm just... a little afraid of having nightmares."

Silence spread through the room. Just as Baichen thought she would refuse, the Shogun suddenly sat down beside the bed. "I can wait until you fall asleep before leaving."

She reached out and covered Baichen's eyes, Electro flowing gently over his temples and bringing a comfortable numbness. "Sleep."

In that reassuring darkness, Baichen finally allowed himself to drift off.

[Raiden Shogun's affection +2%, current: 36%]

The next morning, Baichen awoke to the aroma of food.

He opened his eyes to see Kujou Sara directing the maids as they set out breakfast. The wings on her back gleamed like metal in the morning light.

"You're awake?" Seeing that Baichen was up, Kujou immediately came over. "The Shogun instructed you to meet her in the administration hall after breakfast."

Breakfast was much more lavish than it had been at the Kamisato residence, with tempura, grilled fish, miso soup, and fresh fruit.

Kujou stood nearby supervising Baichen's meal, occasionally filling him in on recent events:

"The Kamisato Clan has formally apologized, and Miss Ayaka has been confined to her quarters as punishment..."

"The Guuji came by yesterday and left some tonics..."

"Watatsumi Island has been quiet lately. Sangonomiya Kokomi hasn't made any unusual moves..."

Her tone was noticeably suspicious as she mentioned the last item. Baichen lowered his head to drink his soup, pretending not to notice.

After breakfast, Kujou personally escorted Baichen to the administration hall. Every member of the Okuzumeshuu they passed bowed respectfully, though their eyes couldn't conceal their curiosity. Apparently, news that Baichen had been kidnapped by Kamisato Ayaka and rescued had spread throughout Tenshukaku.

The doors to the administration hall stood open, and the Shogun was reviewing documents.

Today she had changed back into her everyday kimono, her long purple hair pinned up with an Electro hairpin. She looked dignified and elegant. Hearing footsteps, she spoke without looking up:

"Kujou, leave us."

Kujou bowed and left, gently closing the door behind her. Only then did the Shogun put down her brush and gesture for Baichen to sit on the cushion beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Baichen answered honestly. "Thank you for saving me, Your Excellency."

"No need." She pushed a cup of tea toward him. "Tell me what happened during that time."

Under the Shogun's sharp gaze, Baichen briefly described his captivity-from the trap at the tea gathering to being moved through the tunnel, from his daily "training" to the final marking.

When he reached certain overly intimate details, Baichen's voice unconsciously grew quieter.

The Shogun listened without expression throughout. Only when Baichen mentioned the stud did her fingers tighten slightly, and a small crack appeared in her teacup.

"So," she said, setting down the cup, her voice frighteningly calm, "you don't hate her?"

The question caught Baichen off guard.

Did he hate Ayaka? That young lady, sweet one moment and mad the next, had woven an impenetrable net of tenderness and threats and trapped him inside... But at the same time, she was also the first person to say so plainly that she "needed him."

"I don't know..." Baichen finally answered honestly. "She did go too far, but..."

"But what?"

"But at least... she truly likes me." Baichen gathered his courage and looked the Shogun in the eye. "Not because of my constitution or abilities."

His words seemed to strike a chord. The Shogun's purple eyes widened slightly, then grew calm again. She stood and walked to the window, turning her back to Baichen.

"The matter of Kamisato Ayaka ends here. As for you..." She turned around. "Starting today, you'll move into the room next to mine. You'll pay your respects every morning and evening, and you must report whenever you go out."

It was almost a disguised form of house arrest. But compared to the Kamisato Clan's shackles, Tenshukaku's rules already counted as a great deal of freedom.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Also," she added, "come to my room every evening to report on your day."

The additional order puzzled Baichen, but he didn't dare ask more. The Shogun seemed to see through his thoughts, the corners of her lips rising slightly.

"I'm merely making sure... no one steals you away again."

[Raiden Shogun's affection +4%, current: 40%]

After leaving the administration hall, Baichen was shown to his new room by a maid.

It was more spacious than his "personal room" at the Kamisato residence, simply decorated yet no less luxurious.

Most striking was the small door connecting it to the Shogun's bedroom. It was currently locked.

"The Shogun said you may freely use the study and the courtyard, Mr. Baichen," the maid said respectfully. "This is your schedule."

Baichen took the exquisite scroll. It listed in detail what he was to do at every hour, from waking to bedtime.

Compared to Ayaka's whimsical "training," The Shogun's management was clearly more systematic.

"Also..." The maid hesitated. "The Guuji is waiting for you in the courtyard."

Sure enough, Yae Miko was sitting beneath the cherry tree in the middle of the courtyard, playing with that familiar Kagura's Verity.

Today she wore formal shrine maiden attire, her long pink hair tied high with a gold cord. She looked much more dignified than usual.

"Oh my, our poor little thing has finally come back~" She smiled and beckoned. "Come here and let me check if you're missing any flesh."

Baichen sat down cautiously across from her.

Miko immediately leaned close, lifting Baichen's chin with her fingers and examining him from side to side. "My, my, little Ayaka certainly knows how to play~" Her gaze lingered on Baichen's stud. "That does suit you, though."

"Did you come to laugh at me, Guuji?" Baichen couldn't help asking.

"Of course not~" As if by magic, Miko produced an omamori from her sleeve. "I came to give you a protective charm.

If you get kidnapped again, tear it open and it'll send out a distress signal."

Baichen accepted the omamori, which was embroidered with an intricate fox design.

Miko suddenly lowered her voice. "I'll tell you a little secret while I'm at it..." Her lips nearly touched Baichen's ear. "The clue that led the Shogun to you... came from me~"

Her warm breath brushed his ear, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms.

Baichen looked at her in surprise, but Miko had already pulled away, her flippant expression back in place.

"Why did you help me?"

"Well..." She shook Kagura's Verity. "Watching little Ayaka hog the toy all to herself was really irritating~"

[Yae Miko's affection +2%, current: 13%]

After Miko left, Baichen encountered Kujou Sara in the courtyard.

She was training a group of recruits and gave Baichen a slight nod when she saw him.

When Baichen approached, she suddenly spoke in a low voice:

"Mr. Baichen, may I have a word in private?"

The two went to a secluded corner. After making sure no one was around, Kujou took a letter from inside her clothing. "This is... from Miss Kamisato. She asked me to pass it on."

Baichen stared at her in shock. "Aren't you the Shogun's..."

"Precisely because of that," Kujou said seriously. "I believe the Shogun should know about this. But before that... you have the right to read it first."

Ayaka's familiar handwriting was on the envelope, and the seal bore the Kamisato Clan crest. Baichen hesitated, then opened it.

There were only a few words on the letter:

"Dear Baichen,

I have never regretted it.

One day, you will understand who truly loves you.

Wait for me.

-Ayaka, forever yours"

The handwriting was a little shaky, as though it had been written in a hurry. At the very bottom was another line in small writing: "P.S. There's a surprise on the inside of the stud."

Baichen examined the stud carefully and found a tiny mechanism on its inner side. When he pressed it gently, the stud released a faint camellia fragrance-the scent Ayaka wore.

"Should I report this to the Shogun?" Kujou asked.

Baichen shook his head. "I'll tell her myself."

Kujou gave Baichen a meaningful look. "You've changed, Mr. Baichen. During your time with the Kamisato Clan... you've become different."

She was right.

The Baichen who had trembled with apprehension when he first came to Inazuma was gone.

Now he wore a mark of belonging on his earlobe, and the marks left by the collar still remained on his neck. Deep down, he had even begun to understand Ayaka's madness...

That evening, Baichen went to the Shogun's room to report, as his schedule required.

After he knocked, a curt "Come in" came from inside.

He pushed open the door, and the sight before him made him freeze. The Shogun wore only a thin nightrobe, her long purple hair loose over her shoulders, and was wiping down her tachi. Seeing Baichen standing dumbfounded in the doorway, she raised an eyebrow slightly:

"What are you standing there for? Come here."

Baichen mechanically took a few steps forward, but the Shogun suddenly reached out, pulled him over to her side, and made him sit down.

Her fingers gently brushed over Baichen's ear stud, and a flicker of complex emotion passed through her purple eyes:

"The Kamisato Clan's mark... do you like it?"

"I'm just... used to it," Baichen answered quietly.

The Shogun looked thoughtfully at Baichen, then suddenly said, "I can mark you too."

Before Baichen could react, she leaned down and bit his other earlobe.

After a slight sting, a clear set of teeth marks remained, along with a faint tingling sensation from Electro.

"Now it's balanced." She admired her handiwork with satisfaction. "Give your report."

[Raiden Shogun's affection +3%, current: 43%]

[Note: territorial marking behavior]

After the report, the Shogun made an unprecedented exception and allowed Baichen to stay in her room for dinner.

The food was simple, consisting only of rice balls and miso soup, but the sight of her personally serving Baichen soup made the maids' eyes widen in shock.

"Starting tomorrow," The Shogun said, setting down her chopsticks, "you'll practice swordsmanship with me every morning and study government affairs in the afternoon."

Baichen looked up in surprise. "Government affairs?"

"You have great potential," she said briefly. "I need a capable assistant."

The meaning behind those words made Baichen's heart race.

In Inazuma, very few people outside the family were allowed to take part in government affairs. This was almost the highest level of trust.

"I'll do my best, Shogun."

"In private..." she suddenly said, "you may call me 'Ei.'"

The unexpected privilege left Baichen at a loss.

In Inazuma, addressing a god directly by name was a tremendous honor.

The Shogun-no, Ei-seemed to think she had done nothing more than a trivial thing and got up to fetch some documents.

After returning to his room, Baichen stood before the mirror, looking at the entirely different marks on his earlobes: an exquisite ear stud bearing the Kamisato Clan crest on one side, and teeth marks bearing traces of Electro on the other.

They seemed to symbolize his delicate situation between two strong-willed women.

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water over Tenshukaku's soaring eaves, as if draping the ancient building in a veil of silver.

In the distance, the direction of the Kamisato Clan's separate residence was faintly visible in the moonlight. A place that should have been brightly lit and bustling with voices now seemed unusually deserted; presumably everyone had long since left.

Baichen stood by the window, gazing into the distance in that direction, unable to stop a faint sense of melancholy from welling up in his heart.

What was Ayaka, confined to her residence, doing right now?

Was she alone late at night, silently writing a new diary entry as usual?

Or was she carefully planning her next "reunion" with Baichen?

At the thought, Baichen's fingers unconsciously rose to touch the ear stud, a gift from Ayaka.

An exquisite camellia was set into the stud, and a faint fragrance lingered around him, making him feel as though he had returned to the days he had spent with her.

Yet reality stood between them like a cold wall. This battle over "belonging" might have only just begun...