The Hiragii family had always said that you were fashioned by the gods to be the clan's best bride, the one to ease all their sorrows and usher in a new era of peace in the commission. You were the star that was destined to guide sailors through the dark sea. Not only were you the perfect daughter, as beautiful as a fine sea pearl, but your suitors found you very pliant and agreeable as well.

Perhaps that was more of the bitter past than the present.

Another bolt of lightning pierced the sky. The Raiden Shogun was either in a particularly good mood, or she was sending a warning signal to her people. Your parents thought it was a sign of her approval for your new fiancé. But you knew better.

Your new fiancé, Fujita Sanshirou, was a proud man. He had served in the Shogunate army during the civil war against Sangonomiya. For this, he held a grudge against the Traveler and Kazuha. You had thought that your parents wouldn't find someone so fast, but you had underestimated just how valuable you had become in Inazuma society with your popularity. Yet to them, even a foot soldier was better than any connection to the Yashiro Commission.

Inazuma met your new engagement with apprehensive confusion. They had expected Ayato. On the other hand, the Tenryou Commission welcomed it with hospitality, as if one of their clans hadn't been plotting your death just weeks ago. Your parents had fallen into their trap by connecting you to them; it was what they had wanted all along.

The first time you met your fiancé, very little traditional ceremony followed. They wanted you to get married as soon as possible. Sanshirou's company was unbearable. Your only consolation was his brevity.

Sanshirou told you that the lie the Tri-Commission fed to the public was very simple: that he issued Ayato a duel until blood was drawn in the Chinju Forest to fight for you.

"Something only a warrior could win," you surmised.

"Of course!" Sanshirou agreed enthusiastically. A cup of wine tilted lazily in his hand. You could not deny that his lie was efficient, however dull his conversation. "When the news arrived at the court of Tenshukaku, the shogunate asserted that tradition was to be strictly followed. Thus you may marry me, Lady Hiiragi."

Back then, you had been dazzled by the idea of marrying to fulfill your duty to your clan. Now you could see your youthful infatuation for what it was—unsubstantial, floating away into the thundering skies like a weak cloud of gray smoke.

The ceremony was scheduled in the Grand Narukami Shrine, right where you and Ayato had met. You hadn't imagined what your wedding would look like and the thought of it made you depressed to even wonder now.

You wished you had appreciated what you were given before it had vanished. Wished that you hadn't been born into a life where you couldn't make any decisions for yourself. A tiny part of you even wished that Ayato would at least try to see you, but you knew that it would be too selfish to ask for that of him.

At night, you would stare at the ceiling of your bedroom as you lay on your mattress, wondering if things like grace and dignity even mattered anymore.

Then, the images would come. Ayato's eyes, wide and dilated, above your body. His saccharine mouth, his hands, everywhere on you, light as a feather or rough as twine. Your hand would trail down your stomach until it disappeared under your skirt. And when the euphoria subsided after you were done with yourself, the longing to see him again only grew, greatly outweighing the guilt you felt about your sinful thoughts.

"Don't marry him," Chisato told you, as she helped you into your thick-layered black shiromuku. Your face had already been beautified with makeup, your hair pulled back under a traditional wig. "I wouldn't want you absorbed into an irrelevant Tenryou clan like the Fujitas. You're too important as the last marriageable child."

"At least you're finally acting like a commissioner," you said. "It's your destiny."

Chisato's cheeks turned pink. "I'm still being pressured into taking the job. I'm waiting for the right time to exercise my power."

She took a brush and began to paint your lips red. Your clothes had never felt so heavy. The cords were tight. You told Chisato this and she apologized, saying that it was the only way you could keep the layers from falling apart. The wig on your head felt more like a helmet, preparing you for war. The wataboshi thinly veiled your grimace. Misery made you feel like a grain of rice.

Your wedding was different from Chisato's, who had taken elements from Mondstadt. Yours was purely Inazuman. You met Sanshirou under the row of shrine arches that led up to the Sacred Sakura. The procession felt like a funeral march as you were escorted by solemn shrine maidens. You did not take your groom's outstretched hand even though you were out of breath when you got to the top of the mountain.

A flutist struck up a song for you to walk to, down the aisle and past the temple houses. You buried your hands deep into your front pocket so Sanshirou couldn't try to hold them.

Rows of chairs seated guests before the Sacred Sakura. You saw Chisato, mousy and agitated. Kujou Kamaji, trying to give you a supportive smile. Even Kujou Sara was present with a strict fold of her arms. The Tenryou Commission was ready to take you in. Up ahead, you could see your parents sitting at the guests of honor seats near the shrine's altar under the Sacred Sakura. You felt a deeper, more sinister sense of hatred, far worse and less lenient than what you had with Ayato.

The rest of the audience members were important dignitaries. You wondered if Ayato had been the one to personally oversee this ceremony for you, considering that the Yashiro Commission dealt with cultural affairs. Inazuma had lost interest in you now that you were marrying some no-name. Now you'd rather take all their hits and gossip if it meant you could salvage what you had had.

The Grand Narukami Shrine had shallow ponds. The shrine maidens did a careful job of lining them so that you wouldn't fall in with the fish. You thought of how distraught Ayato looked when you shoved him into his estate's pond and you let out a soft laugh of mirth.

Ayato, Ayato, Ayato.

Even on your wedding day, you couldn't think of anyone else but him.

"It would do you well to behave accordingly, Lady Hiiragi," Sanahirou reminded you. "This ceremony has to be perfect."

It was lucky that the wataboshi covered your face because you rolled your eyes.

The flute quieted. Before ascending the stairs of the dais, right beneath the red torii gate under the Sacred Sakura, you and Sanshirou bowed in silence. Yae Miko was waiting for you at the top, lips curled down in displeasement.

"Little Hiiragi," she said. "You certainly seemed to have altered your fate."

You wanted to reply, to deny that you had willingly chosen this for yourself, but this was a ceremony. Instead, you pressed your lips together and bowed your head.

A coy smirk simmered on Yae's lips. She knew what you wanted to say.

"Here I declare your ceremony to Her Eternal Excellency, the Electro Archon of Inazuma," she said. "Begin."

You and Sanshirou sat on the dais as two cups were placed before you. Yae Miko began to murmur a prayer as three bottles of sake wine were brought forth. The first leg of the Inazuman marital ceremony involved drinking three different cups of sake to ask for the archon's blessing. They tasted bitter in your mouth as you forced yourself to swallow each one.

By your second cup, your mind began to drift. You tried not to, but you thought of Ayato and how there was once a time when you thought this ceremony would have been a prison sentence with him. If it had been him next to you, you wouldn't feel so agitated. Even if you had hated him, you'd still find comfort in the knowledge that you were marrying who at least knew you. You'd take his hair-pulling over hand-holding with Sanshirou any day.

Behind you, you heard scuffling among the rows of long benches, quiet "excuse me"s and "sorry"s being whispered as the guests shot dirty glares at the people squeezing in. You glanced back, ever-so-subtle. To your surprise, you could see Aether and Ayaka making their way toward where Heizou was sitting. You hadn't remembered extending an invitation to them — though there had been two invitations extended to the Yashiro Commission meant for Ayaka and Ayato.

You guessed Ayato didn't want to be a guest at your wedding. You couldn't blame him. You thought of how there was someone out there destined to marry him, because he was the heir, and he would have to spend the rest of his days with someone who was not going to be you.

You thought you would collapse from such a sting, sharp as a blade through your chest. The hatred you felt at that moment for the circumstances of your birth burned like a scalding kettle, hot as the sun.

Yae Miko, upon noticing Ayaka being late, glanced back at you with a wily glint. Her sultry voice spoke with a drawl. "Now for the third cup."

The sight of Ayato's sister watching you wed someone else made your stomach churn. She had an anxious look on her face. You lifted the cup to your mouth but didn't swallow anything.

"What's wrong, little one?" Yae asked, quiet enough for only you to hear her uncomfortable teasing. "Is it... too cold for you?"

"This sake does not digest well with me," you gritted through your teeth.

"Shame." She blinked carelessly. "It's supposed to be a symbol of your marriage ties, but I guess there's not much we can do about that."

You wondered why the head shrine maiden was letting you disobey religious tradition for no valid reason, but you weren't going to ask.

"Shall we proceed to the vows?"

You rose. You cast one last look at Ayaka, before turning back to Yae and avoiding the groom's gaze. Reluctantly, you nodded.

"On this fortunate day, we gather together in fortune to bow before the Almighty Shogun and witness the union between this man and this woman."

You would rather die at this very moment.

Yae Miko looked at the discomfort on your face with something like pity and amusement on her lips before continuing to the audience. She spoke very, very slowly, drawing her words out like she wanted to see just how long you could last before you fainted in front of everybody. Resisting the urge to weep, you held your head up high in defiance of marriage defining you.

"If there is anyone — anyone at all — who wishes to oppose this sacred union," Yae arched an eyebrow. "You have the opportunity to present your reasons as long as you have a justified cause."

Total silence throughout the ceremony. You didn't dare to look back, didn't dare to turn around and be faced with disappointment.

"Speak your objections now, or forever hold your peace in Her Excellency's eternity."

Sanshirou said his vows. They were lawful but loveless, pretty words strung together about how he'd do his duties as a husband to love and protect you. It made you want to scowl. You barely knew each other; this bond was hardly a matter of romance and companionship. Somehow a ceremony of love made you feel tons worse than a menagerie of hate.

You took a deep breath and opened your mouth to speak.

"Wait!"

You knew him well enough to memorize the sound of his footsteps. They were heavy.

Audible gasps erupted from the crowd. Ayato was running down the aisle, out of breath.

His sword rested at his hip. A few seconds passed before you realized that you hadn't hallucinated some entity in your wake.

"Finally, some real entertainment," said Yae. "I was starting to get bored."

"What are you doing here, Lord Kamisato?" Sanshirou asked calmly. "You're late."

"I was still invited," Ayato said. Ignoring all the shocked expressions, he turned to Yae Miko. His eyes briefly landed on you. "I have something to say, if I may."

Sanshirou looked like he wanted to say something, but Yae spoke before he could. "Go on. No tricks. We don't all have the time of day for your folly."

"No tricks, nothing," he said. "I am just a man, fighting for his wife."

"His what?" The crowd murmured, eyes wide and rather greedy with entertainment at the spectacle before them. "Is he here to....?"

"Ayato," you said. Was he really serious? You could've said something more. Should have. But his name, his first name that only the special few could call him by, was all you needed to breathe out; the three syllables that could say three special words at the same pace of breath. "You came back."

He looked directly at you. His eyes widened. You looked so beautiful and angelic in a wedding dress. It was a shame that it wasn't for him.

Your father sprang from his seat. "Stop this madness at once," he hissed to Ayato. "You're interfering in the most important day of my daughter's life."

"Sir, with all due respect, I wish to marry your daughter."

Your father's eyes bulged. The guests murmured with excitement, keen to see what came next like this was a stage play. Your mother was clutching her chest. Ayato turned back to the podium.

"Fujita Sanshirou," he greeted the man beside you. "I am sorry that we have to meet under these terms."

Sanshirou crossed his arms. "Likewise, Lord Kamisato. I don't appreciate you barging into my wedding. The Tenryou Commission will not stand for this disrespect."

"Yes," Ayato said calmly, "which is why I'm here to settle this the traditional way."

Sanshirou's lip curled down. "Pardon me?"

Ayato's gloved hand flew to his hip, where elemental sparks began to form his sword. Guests quit their staring, yelped, and leaped from their seats to stay back. They could treat this as a spectacle all they wanted, but no one ever underestimated what he was capable of.

"By the law of the Almighty Shogun—" he pointed the sharp end at Shansirou, "—I challenge you to a duel before the altar. The loser loses their honor. The winner may intervene in the continuation of this ceremony."

Sanshirou glanced at you. You knew he wasn't that desperate to marry you, but he didn't have much of a choice to back down either. He glanced back at Ayato warily. "I accept."

You thought of the Traveler, who had challenged La Signora in a duel before the throne. It resulted in the loser's death.

Only then did Yae Miko intervene.

"Hold on," she said, lip curling down. "This is a shrine. Violence isn't tolerated here."

Ayato raised his eyebrows, as though surprised.

"That is most inconvenient," he said. His mouth twitched upwards. "I suppose we will have to resort to the older, more convenient method. More boring, if I may—you'll be sorely disappointed, Guuji Yae."

"And what is that, Lord Kamisato?"

Ayato sheathed his sword. "The bride's clan will have to choose between the two of us. That way, the matter is resolved fairly."

"Lord Kamisato, I admire your straightforward volitions," your father began calmly. "But you are too much trouble for our daughter. She needs someone who will give this family stability and peace. Someone strong to protect her honor—it is the dearest part of her."

Only then did Ayato look grave. "Sir, I apologize for my uncouth interruption of this important ceremony. But what I said earlier holds truthful merit. F/N has always been dear to me. Even in the moments we did not get along, she has always had my heart. I wish to never be parted from her ever."

Ayato looked at you directly and placed a hand on his heart as if to swear an oath.

"F/N means everything to me. I know it'll never take away the things I've done, but I'll spend the rest of my life showing her that I have nothing but the best intentions. I'll be a perfect angel and behave. My clan will never waver if it means she has stability and peace. I just want to be with her."

It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on you. You swallowed a lump in your throat.

"Such ornamental words," said your mother. "You are lucky that the rest of Inazuma was not aware of your schemes, Lord Kamisato. Trying to sabotage both Hiiragi girls with marriage... pathetic. F/N will never be the Kanjou Commissioner."

"Mother, stop," you said.

"Quiet, daughter. Ayato is the best of the best, that's true. But good politicians say sugary words to sway people. You are naive enough to believe him. Do not poke your head where you have no authority to make decisions."

Ayato's brows furrowed slightly. By mentioning the incident, your mother was giving him a real threat to release the scandal information to the public. Suddenly, a noise of chairs scraping back echoed throughout the shrine as Chisato stood with a flushed face.

"What now, Chisato?" your mother asked irately.

"Auntie, you're right. F/N, as the second child, does not have the authority to make the decisions."

"Finally, for once you say a sensible—"

"The one who does have a say in this choice... is me, Hiiragi Chisato, the Commissioner of the Kanjou Commission."

"Excuse me?"

"You're wrong, Uncle and Auntie, when you say that love has no place in the politics of our clans. F/N may be your daughter, but you forget that before you, she's under the Commissioner—me." Chisato tore her eyes away from your parents' mortified expressions. "You belittle me by asking when I will take this job seriously? Well, I am starting right now. It is my birthright as the heir."

She turned to Shansirou and bowed.

"Fujita Shansirou, you have done us an honor by proposing to Hiiragi F/N. Without a doubt, the Fujita clan has produced an honorable son who will find an equitable match. But ultimately as the Kanjou Commissioner, I wish to honor F/N's happiness the way she has honored mine."

Shansirou looked satisfied and nodded. Since Chisato herself had given him an honorable dismissal, there was no room for infighting between the Tri-Commission. You were taken aback. This glimpse of Chisato's term as commissioner was unlike tradition.

"There you have it," she beamed. "I, Hiiragi Chisato, declare Lady Hiiragi F/N free to wed Lord Kamisato Ayato."

She then bowed deeply to him.

Yae snickered.

"Now this is novel material. It was fun, everyone, but I believe this settles the ceremony. It's off."

She ignored the sputters of your parents and flicked her hand as if merely waving away a fly. The shrine maidens began to escort them out.

"Congratulations to Kamisato Ayato and Hiiragi F/N on their engagement... again. Now, kindly leave the shrine in an orderly fashion, thanks."

As the guests dispersed, chattering excitedly among themselves, ready to spread the gossip, Ayato made his way to you. Your feet scrambled to step off the podium, accidentally tipping over the sake. You didn't notice, and didn't care.

You threw your arms around him. You buckled and bent into his form. He was careful to be gentle with you, like you were a precious gem that he meant to keep safe.

It occurred to you then that you had never really hugged before. The joy and relief were radiating off him like the coolness of spring.

"You..." your voice was muffled as you buried your face in his chest. "You're insane."

"I know," he said.

"I can't believe you just did that."

"Me neither. Not a single part of me regrets that I did."

"I..."

"Hmm?" Ayato asked, a smile forming on his face. "Yes? I, what?"

You hit his chest lightly. Laughing, he caught your hand and held it. You didn't pull away. This felt good. It felt right, like fate had aligned itself with destiny. Hope swelled in your chest, filling you with a sweet sensation you had thought foreign to you.

A breeze made the wishes hanging under the thunder sakura tree flutter. Pink petals fell from the sky in soft, perfect drizzles.

With the guests gone, sensing the intimacy in the air, the two of you were left alone.

Ayato's fingers played with the tips of your shoulders.

"You are the most radiant, divine thing," he said slyly. "So... Hiiragi F/N, would it be an inconvenience if you were to fight with me every single day for the rest of our lives?"

Realizing what he was doing, you pressed your lips together trying to contain your smile. "It would be an inconvenience, yes. But I wouldn't fight anyone except you. You're especially irritating."

"I daresay it gives you pleasure to be irritated. You are quite the oddball, after all."

"Oh, Yato," you said exasperatedly. "Don't let it get to your head."

He chuckled and pressed the small of your back to inch you closer. "Forgive me, but I must. I have to do this right."

He fished something from his pocket, a velvet box. He gently took your hand by the sleeve.

"I meant to give this to you before, but I didn't have the chance. I... had made idiotic decisions. I know that outside I must look collected, but with you, the slivers of doubt and insecurity have plagued me. I hate it when you hate me, Hiiragi. So... please allow me to love you. For you, I would do anything."

Archons above. You thought of all the women that had been in this situation before, with their teary eyes and their hands on their hearts and the blushing of their cheeks. You had never thought that was meant for you. It was too fantastical, embarrassing, even. But you had to admit, even you wanted to blush at this very moment. Ayato — blissful, gentle, and something you were almost afraid to touch lest he washed away.

"Will you, Lady Hiiragi F/N, second-born of the Hiiragi Clan of the Kanjou Commission, please, please, please ... accept my hand in marriage?"

You tapped his arm in mock contempt. "Not enough pleases."

Ayato played along. "Do you need your hearing checked?"

"I must have been distracted by your rudeness in interrupting the ceremony," you said. You smiled. "I think I would like to hear it again."

"So... is that a yes?" he asked, tinged with hope.

"Do you need to be checked? Would you rather hear a no?"

"No," he said as he slipped the ring on your finger. The second time, the better time. Ayato laced his fingers with yours. "This belongs to you."

You touched his face.

He was so beautiful.

There was no one else but him.

"Yes," you whispered, soft as the most gentle breeze in the wind. "Yes, I will marry you, Kamisato Ayato."