โ โย LET THIS BOND BE HEARD, LOVER // KAMISATO AYATO.
i. SYNOPSISย :ย he bore an irrefutable connection with you, tangled through their fingers. parts of you, guides to you and he finds himself so hopelessly smitten and scared...for love it was a beautiful, painful thing.ย (ย kamisato ayato x readerย )
ii. WARNING(S) :ย soulmate au, red string of fate, master servant relationship, pining, reader is a swordsman, reader is described to have scars, mutual ( ? ) pining, written mostly in ayato's pov lololol. secret santa for @kopidense / @ask-court-genshin ( hi, it's me! i'm your secret santa! don't mind me posting this, it's christmas here rn and i'm excited kjhgfvgbh ).ย NOT PROOFREAD.
#ย masterlist
i. THE RED STRING WAS A BINDING THING.ย
When Ayato had first heard of it, he remembered the cloying scent of spring and sakura scattered on the engawa. The winter frost had receded to the far corners of the garden, and to the quiet, darker places that held cowards and shadow seekers. They had no home in the sunlight, where gold dappled the trees and the new grass below. Not where Ayato stood, with how his hair was set aglow with a false halo.
His mother held him on her lap, wrapped in a myriad of silk and he thought she looked like a plum spirit or a stray kami from the stories sheโd tell him ( like something far away and lost โ like something so beautiful ). He offered her a few fallen petals, and she hid them away in her sleeve with a cheeky curl of her lips. She looked like Ayaka in her moments of solemnity, but here, she had Ayatoโs smile.
โThe red string?โ he repeated. He stumbled over his words โ he was still young and words were a daunting thing.ย
โYes. Itโs what binds us together.โ she explains. โWhen two people are destined to love each other so much, the gods themselves descend to the mortal plane to tie them together with an invisible thread.โ She traces his little finger. โAnd itโs a special kind of love. The kind of love where you are willing to tear the heavens apart to prove.โ
( The heavens itself โ ah, what a terrifying, spectacular thought. )
โThat sounds scary,โ he admits. A love that vast was lost to Ayato, with his still young heart and his mind filled with the steady rhythm of sword training and calligraphy letters. Gods were not a creed to be disrespected. His father said so.
โIt is. But itโs a beautiful thing too, dear one.โ she pressed a kiss to his forehead. โYouโll learn when youโre older.โ
Ayatoโs eyes fluttered shut. He took a deep breath in.
A few days later, by some odd miracle, he had woken to a thin silk thread around his finger; invisible to all but him. Maybe it was the gods of fate being kind, or maybe they had wished to play some cruel game. But the thread was there with its sanguine dye and he knew that someone awaited him beyond the walls of his estate.
The world was a large place for a youngster like him. His home was his bubble, the streets beyond a maze and the islands past that, a territory filled with a wildness and unexpectancy. Ayato imagined countless yokai hiding in the trees. He thinks he saw them slink and eye him when he dared to stare past the gate, where the string had led him.ย
He stays where he belongs, within his realm of safety, his polished shell, his garden. Good sons do not run wild unto the unknown depths.Itโs teachings were etched in deep, deep, deep into his flesh ( for family itself was something that coursed through him. It was his sweat, his blood, the essence of his soul in truity. It was his reason, in the end of it all, when the beaten path tracks away to dirt and foliage. It was his purpose. ).
Ayato was a good son.ย
ii. THE RED STRING WAS A NUISANCE.
He found himself tripping, stumbling, tugging at it over and over till the day gave way and night arrived. Kamisato Ayato was not a child anymore. He holds something heavier in his eyes, something that settled at an age too young. To be a pillar was to sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice โ and he was all that was left after his father and mother crumbled away to dust. It was his childhood first, then it was his security, then it was the extra hours spent in the sun.ย
Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice.
His desk was a sea of paper. He drowns. His Visions glows. He sets a brush down and shuts his eyes, then returns to work. Heโll see the thread tied to him falter, and pull at him, beckoning, calling, begging. On some nights beneath the warmth of his futon, he wonders if he could answer it. The world was no longer a plane of still shadows ( not when he was one now ), and its vastness hardly troubled him ( the poison in his wine was of more pressing concerns ).ย
Perhaps in some romantic reality, heโd have cast it all aside for them. Perhaps heโd have run to some obscure land, perhaps heโd find them swathed in honeyed gold and heโd carry them away to happier places.
Soulmates. There was a name he could give the other end now. Something to be cherished, to be kept close. Ayato casts it all aside, for his schemes held no unknowing variable, a weakness, a luxury. He lets those stories stay within their painted scrolls and foreign books, of lovers who bore each otherโs souls and loved, loved, loved so intensely ( and it would sting at his chest, hurt him in ways he could never imagine being hurt ).
Thus, the gods work their magics again.
You come to him, ragged and beaten and half dead, like a starved dog soaked to the core of what was you. You looked like you had seen the wars of old, like a haunted ghost in a lonely shrine long abandoned, like someone took the sun and stripped away its shine then dropped and buried the embers below. Ayato sees the thread. He sees the end tied to your finger. He looks into your eyes.
What does he expect? Recognition? Knowing?
None of that.
You bear the seal of a fallen clan, with a name long forgotten. That was all you present. Your gaze does not wander to the string.ย
โYour family was wiped out two generations ago,โ he notes.
โNot all of us. We persisted.โ you reply. You look down now and Ayato cannot see the sharp edged cut in your gaze. He grows agitated as he presses the seal back into your hands. โWill you take me in?โ you ask. There is something small, vulnerable there, and even he held pity for desperate strays. โI am good with the sword. My people are loyal. I will protect you.โ
Ayato knew the ways of wielding a blade. There were years of training and tests tattooed into his soul ( he was a Kamisato, after all, with iron feeding their bones and blood ). Most of his assassins were thrown into cells by his hand alone.ย
โCredibility and trust is built by hard work.โ he states. โWill you prove yourself?โ
โI will.โ
He does not understand the sting in his chest, or why you refuse to match his stare. He does not understand the bitterness in his tongue, like lead, like a nasty aftertaste. There is a part of Ayato that bears irrationality. Itโs childish, impulsive, it screams away at his ears and claws and bites and devours. He pinches at the string and tugs. You do not move, or flinch. You probably donโt feel it all.
Was it anger? An anger directed at this unintentional ignorance? Ayato does not dwell on it.ย
โThen come.โ His smile holds practiced kindness. You bow your head gratefully and follow after him. He senses no ill will from you, or how your footfalls land behind him. They shuffle awkwardly, then come to match his own. He finds comfort in it, if only for a second ( itโs warm, so very warm. Itโs painful too โ like some twisted blessing turned curse ).
There were times when people would harken back to his mother as they regard little Ayaka. She had her hair, her eyes, her face. She had her grace and her beauty and the little dips and contours. Ayato, however, sees a few fragments in him that hold to his mother; vestiges, the odd offhanded similarities.
They were both cruel liars in the end.ย
iii. THE RED STRING WAS A REMINDER.
โI will let nothing pass those doors without your bidding. Not a man and not an ant.โ
Ayato dares to feel amusement; it catches at the corners of his lips and he smiles your way. You keep your head bowed. Even when washed and scrubbed clean, with clothes of finer wear โ nothing could quite wipe away the dangerous streets you grew into. It was in your chipped nails, your scarred hands, the set of your jaw and the slope of your shoulders.ย
โIn that case.โ he muses as he discards odd poetry written in moments of still boredom and small notes from attendants. โI hope you live up to it.โ
There is a flash in the corner of his eye. A metallic chime rings out in the emptiness of the room. He feels Thomaโs footsteps rattle against the tatami floors and Ayatoโs own hand twitches over to his sword. You stay stock still, blade resting inches above the hardwood. Your expression does not shiftย โ he likens you to a statue, unmoving, unweathered, stubborn.ย
โNot an ant.โ you repeat, as if in assurance. You move your sword and Ayato sees the insect sliced cleanly in half. Your eyes were like the aftertaste of iron, it was something dangerous, something tempered. It dims in his presence, tamed, delicate. He keeps his hunger under secure wraps. He silences that unruly annoyance. Look at me, a part of him still calls out to you. Look at me.ย
Ayato blinks. โI see. Do send for an attendant to have that cleaned up.โ His response is noncommittal. Thoma throws the shoji screens open and you look up at the mussy-haired boy unflinchingly.
โMaster Ayato would like an attendant to clean this up.โ you relay.
โAnd maybe some tea too.โ Ayato adds.
โAnd some tea โ โ
Thoma sighs. โYes, of course.โย
The screen shuts and your posture resumes its steadfast hold. You donโt move ( not a twitch, or a shift in breath ) and it is a discipline Ayato could appreciate outside of this pining. Maybe it was a clinical need, a wish to work away your layers and unravel your entirety. Maybe he simply longs for you and your touch. How foolish, he thinks. Itโs all because he could see that damned string.ย
( Look at me, please, look. )
He has cast away much already. Sentiment is but another piece that holds little need.
You clench your fist. Ayato feels the soft tug at his hand and that illusion of control fractures.ย
iv. THE RED STRING WAS A FOOLISH HOPE.
You linger at the sides of buskers and musicians and breathe in the life the streets offer. Ayato found inexperience here, where Inazuma holds itself with a controlled chaos and you hold him steady with guidance. โThe shopkeepers haggle for higher prices, and the toys over there are faulty.โ youโd tell him when he asks. โThe old woman sells good mochi. It feels like you're biting into a cloud. And that man often speaks of marrying his son.โ
โAnd where were you, in the midst of this?โ he asks.
โIโd play on the roadside with the other children. Often with sticks and faulty boardgames.โ you reply. โWhen noon arrived, father would drag me back to train me. Then he died and I had no house to return to.โย
Ayato falls silent. He knows that pain.ย
โWhat of the roads after that?โ he pulls the conversation away to something else. You smile a smaller smile and you tell him your stories between those periods of comfortable silences. Walks like these were rare beneath the growing mountain of workload and half pointless petitions and petty arguments. Ayato learns to cherish these particular moments, where his mind lays at ease, where he could afford to ignore the encroaching eyes of spies for the latest oddity in sight.
( You were already by his side, sword at ready. )
ย He sees a little more life in you past the stern discipline. You grew up here, there was a piece of you that he couldnโt quite grapple with, and it stains the roads he walks on. You had a word for everything. Narukami island to you was what his garden was once to him. A shell, your safety, your cradle.ย
You smile again. You smile more often outside, in the sun. You smiled more often with the passage of months and years. It makes you feel real. It makes Ayato feel real and those old tales would linger at the back of his mind, of fated bonds and destinies and how he was such a foolish man to let himself fall headfirst into it all.ย
There is a hunger in Ayato now. It was small in its emergence, a peckish nagging, an easy to ignore hindrance. Now it festers to a greedy longing. It wants to count the days by, to devour you, to hold every bit of you close to his chest. Love was not as he expected it to be. It holds that painful, fluttering lightness and it holds that ugly encroach of tar.ย
( Look at me. )
โLord Kamisato. The sun is setting. We should head back.โย
โIt is? I must have lost track of time.โ He sees you stop by a stall before pattering on to keep up with his long-legged pace. โIf youโd like, you can buy yourself something.โ he relents.ย
You tilt your head. โTruly?โ you ask. โIโm a servant, Lord Ayato. I doubt leaving my post to shop for souvenirs is appropriate.โ
Discipline, discipline, discipline. Ayato sighs at the mediocrity. โIโll be right here next to you. There is no need to fuss over that.โ
โBut โ โ
โAnd if people do insist on talking, it wouldn't be too hard to keep them quiet should the need arise.โ
โLord Ayato, please.โ you chide, displaying rare fluster beneath the air of stoicism to you hold up. The years brought chips in your armor. Ayato hammers away at them, a little at a time and his patience yields its own tiny rewards in little pockets. He doubts youโll let yourself slip like this again and these instances, these rare little displays are locked away by him in a part of his heart that is rarely touched โ just as beasts hoard great treasures.. โLord Ayato is far too kind.โ you add silently.
You turn. โPlease do not wander away.โ you voice out.
( He would not. Youโre so close, so warm โ And Ayato feels a subtle dizziness clock in. It's light, floaty, the aftermath of good wine and food. It's something indulgent.
Stop, that voice tells him. Stop, before you lose yourself further. )ย
โNow why would I do that?โ
โBecause that was what happened the last time.โ you grumble. โYou wandered away and I had to spend the next two hours searching for you. While you bought yourself trinkets and milk tea.โ You pick an item up as you speak. Ayato sees how your head stays bowed, how your hand rests on the hilt of your sword, how your feet are spread out. You stay vigilant. You stay sharp.ย
โI offered you a sip. And of course, you refused since it was โan inappropriate gesture for one of your statusโ. Did I get that right?โ he mimics, letting his voice drop to a tone more droll, drab, lifeless. He presses his fingers against your back as he looks over your shoulder to peer at your prize.
Your response is a bland โYes.โ
Ayato does not question the singular omamori you buy, bound by a red chord. Everyone wished for a bit of luck. You look up at him, clutching it close, like it was something precious. Yes, luck, he reasons.ย
Yet his mind wanders. Your hand brushes against him. He sees you curl your fingers in. He sees your gaze flick to his thread.ย
Ayato stops. Something deep inside him laughs at his idiocy.
Fool! You fool! How did you now notice?
v. THE RED STRING WAS A BUILDING PROMISE
Ayato finds himself walking the cautious path. He was no fool to what the obvious was โ sprinkled omens, the barest of signs that were your admissions here and there. A tug at his finger, the whisper in the back of his mind, the doubt ( the doubt, the growing doubt ) and they pile up like leaflets in his drawer till they pour out and lay crumpled on the floor.ย
( He takes care not to step on them. They are precious things, these signs. )
He waits. He waits some more. He waits for you to speak up and you do not. Itโs frustration that takes Ayato in the end. Reckless, fleeting frustration โ something he would rather not let himself be consumed by. But it was years in the making, of hunger, of desire, of hoping that he wasnโt a gaping idiot fumbling in the dark with that juvenile fear of heartbreak. Itโs years of stolen glances, of holding acid in his mouth, of unmaking him.
What would crack through in the end? To face your stubbornness is to move the foundations of Liyueโs steepled mountains. If duty is what binds your words, then he knows you may as well die with your secret, if only maintain appearances. A sacrifice for his sake. A sacrifice that sits bitter on his tongue. An unwanted sacrifice. A hideous sacrifice.
Donโt you want me? He wants to ask. I want you.
He stands. โCome.โ he orders. There is a buzz at his fingertips that he wants to get rid of. โSpar with me.โ
โLord Ayato?โ you sound shocked. โLord Ayato, I mustnโt lay a hand on you โ โ
โSet those rules aside for once.โ he sighs, reaching back to tug you along by the sleeves of your haori, and you patter after him, hesitant and a little annoyed, if he were to chalk that crease in your brow down to something. โWeโve known each other for years. I suppose I deserve one at least.โ
โSpoken like a spoiled young lord.โ you murmur. Ayato smiles at that.ย
โI like things going my way.โ he shrugs, stopping at the grounds. Gravel and grass crunch beneath the soles of his shoes. He sets his coat aside and draws his blade with practiced elegance and you find yourself clawing through reluctance again. He tilts his head, mischief sparking in his chest, in his eyes. โCome on now. Or have your skills softened with time?โ
You bristle. โThey have not. Please do not provoke me, Lord Ayato.โ
โThen spar with me.โ he hums.
You shuffle uncomfortably, then concede, matching his stance.
Ayato feels the rush course through his mind, adrenaline set ablaze, his lungs heaving. You fight like an animal, prowling at the edges and striking, once twice thrice, harder harder harder. There is a roar in his ears, the incoming deluge, a sheer drop, a waterfall, a riptide, the river itself coursing from gentle flow to a dangerous current.ย
You meet his offense well, even as hydro seeps into the earth and drenches the hem of your hakama. Ayato finds ethereality in that grit, itโs a spark he cannot quite look away from and you smile at him, in that wild, unfrazzled way, with growing excitement of your own. More. more, more, more, his mind nags, his chest nips, his body feels like itโs been dipped in static. The water washes some of it away.ย
He wants more.
You kick up a spray. The air glitters for a moment. The red string comes into view. Ayato looks straight into your eyes as his fingers tangle into the thread. It feels there but not quite โ there was no fiber that he could liken it to and he yanks at it, hard.ย
Your eyes widen and you let out a protest as he does so, before youโre pulled right to him, his sheath locking you in place behind you and his hands grasping at your chin.
โSo you could see it.โ his voice dips down, soft. You flinch. โWas this what you intended on? My first move?โ
โNo โ โ youโre hurried, reeling from a whiplash you didnโt quite expect. You speak like how you sound, words jumbled, discordant. โIโฆI justโฆmy duties do not allow me this luxury. To demand your hand โ โ Heโs heard it enough times already and theyโre drowned out by static and his motherโs voice and his own stuttering heartbeat.ย
โEnough.โ
Silence.ย
Ayato takes a breath in. โI have waited through time and desire.โ he begins. You're soft beneath his fingertips; warm as you lean into him. He wonders how much longing you drowned yourself beneath. โI will deal with the aftermath to come, should you let me continue this pursuit. Know that my feelings are not superficialโฆso please. Let meโฆโ he trails off.
A spoiled young lord.
He doubts a tantrum could sway you to his favor. You dip your head down and think. You think for a minute, then two, then three. You shut your eyes. Finally you look up at him.
There is a tug at the string. You nod. Your own quiet โyesโ.
Ayato feels something in him buckle. It falls apart and releases a taut pressure that hovers over his heart. He bends over, hair tickling skin. There is a triumphant cry that nearly spills out as you hold his arms and tug him closer, shyly, indecisively. He kisses your cheek.
It speaks of a promise.ย
โชโ ๐ฌโ โซ AINE SPEAKS ;;
*yells to the heavens* HOW DO I WRITE THIS MAN????? jhgfcdfvgh either way, i hope this is a good piece and that you enjoyed it! merry christmas, kopi!!!
i tried to make it subtly??? yandere-ish??? idk, maybe i dd a shit job at it, but there are small small moments sprinkled there "he lowkey called the reader a dog aine" "shut up".
also ayato calling his mother cruel is 100% him throwing a "i want to scream but i'll be bitter and petty instead" tantrum. we know kayo was a good bean who wouldn't lie to her kids. ayato pls.
i kept the ending a little open, but i'd like to think that they do at least start courting each other. it's hush hush at first thought while he works behind the scenes to moot out any potential offenders. good luck tho reader, you know fallen house kids get eaten alive here dw dw they can handle ayato's shit they'll manage.
i'mma pass out now. hibernate. just...whatever kijhgfdcfvbghnj. 3k words...lord help us.
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AINE | 2023.ย do no plagiarize, repost or rework this piece.
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I won't force an answer out of you. You have till tomorrow to reply.
...
Sir, I think that counts for forcing an answer out of me.
Sy can tell Navina was a lot more weary at the... Passive remark of the 'deadline', but nodded all the same. Maybe it was better that they don't try and interfere, especially with being given an offer like this.
"I see... I'll be sure to deliver my answer to you then. I'll see you tomorrow, Tighnari."
... That name sounds foreign. It's hard to say it without stumbling.
Turning around, they headed out of the maze, taking his directions to help them leave the venue. Although, their expression remained conflicted due to what Tighnari told them.
...
"Hey, Sy," they whispered to the seelie, a worried frown etched on their face. "I'm not sure if I can decide till tomorrow for this. Do you know where Kokomi could be? I need to see her before I can make a decision."
Ah, it's too risky if I decide on my own. I need to think about this longer. Although... I may be in the right lead with Lumine's brother studying here.
Walking down the path, they hummed in thought of what they found out.
I wonder... Had Lumine studied with him, too? It could be possible that they both studied the same courseโ Rtawahist, if my guess is correct.
"Also, Sy, please inform the other eidolons that are like me that Aether is an alumni of Sumeruโ his darshan is Rtawahist."
Hm... No matter. So as long I get information pertaining Aether's whereabouts, I will be fine. I need to do this for her, after all.
Sy, lacking concrete understanding of yours desires since it is a mere seelie, teleported you to Kokomi's whereaboutsโ which is one of the few places it can teleport to. Mind you, the journey is not a pleasant ride. The crust of the earth felt as though it were clay on your feet as you were warped, swallowed by the ground you walked on.
In matter of seconds, you landed painfully on a stone chairโ seeing a confused yet hospitable "young lady."
ยป โSangonomiya Kokomiโ: 9+ pts
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Ah, apologies for my volume. It's not everyday that someone falls from the ceiling.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Salutations, you must be the new eidolon. I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, I am a Dragonheir from Enkanomiya.
"Dragonheir"... You haven't heard of that title before. You've heard about Vidyadharas from Heavenly Moon who boast long life and dragon-like features, but you haven't heard of this race. If you were to guess from her fashion, name, and place of residence, she must be a yokai from Inazuma or somewhere close to it. The fins on her head does not look like a headpiece...
But... Inazuma is long โโโโ, it is โโ โโโโโ a โโโโโโ...
Sangonomiya Kokomi: I'm certain this place already looks familiar to youโ Lumine brought you here before, right? This is where she likes to revive create eidolons.
Kokomi noticed your determined expression when she mentioned Lumine's name. It seems as though you are determined not to disappoint her. She will surely talk to Lumine about that when she has the opportunity.
ยป Lumine: 5+ pts
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Hmm, but you seem distressed. Is it because you didn't intend to visit at a short notice?
She looked at your companion.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Sy... I told you to be more patient, haven't I?
The two seemingly converse despite the obvious language barrier. Sy continuously moved, its body enough to convey what it wants to say. Kokomi kept nodding in understanding. You have a hunch that Dragonheirs are naturally close to seelies, but that might also just be your head jumping to conclusions.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Ohh, I see...
She placed a hand on her chin.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Well, your partner eidolon's guess is correct. Aether did study in Rtawahist, but he wasn't on the same batch as Lumine. If memory serves, Aether was on the same batch as the current sages, and Lumine only took on a practical course when he went missing. You likely won't discover anything Lumine hadn't already before by investigating that Darshan.
Wait... She actually does understand Sy???
Sangonomiya Kokomi: I'd tell you more butโ *yawn*โ I'm rather drained... Sorry...
She seems to be deflated of all energy.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: Let's talk more some other time... Preferably with Sy giving both of us a notice...
She joked.
Sangonomiya Kokomi: I'll help you get to your destination. Where do you wish to go?... Wait, do you have a place to sleep?
Kokomi awaits your answer.
Current route: Common Route
Sangonomiya Kokomi status: 9/50
Lumine status: 35/100
[Sy will inform the other eidolons soon. Bulletin Board is currently a Work In Progress.]
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