The Duel for Vengeance
"Welcome, my Radiant Knight, to the humble land of Inazuma" Kenshin said in a dramatic bow to Jean, who nodded happily, being used to Kenshin's antics.
"It's good to see you again Kenshin" said Jeana bit emotional and worried. This was the first time they saw each other after their 'marriage'.
"It's been what, almost 5 years?" Kenshin tried to remember the dates, but they were a bit blurry. "Anyway, I'm happy to see you again too. Let me greet my parents and your friends and we will talk".
"Of course" Jean knew what it was to need to greet a lot of people. She was not in a hurry, they could peacefully talk.
"By the way, your mother is here".
Now Jean was sure they wouldn't be able to peacefully talk.
"W-Why is my mother here?" asked a stuttering Jean. It was finally her chance to speak with Kenhsiin alone, but she knew her mother wouldn't let her.
"I invited her of course" replied Kenshin with a proud look, making Jean want to hit him. "And for some reason, the whole expedition came too".
Jean sadly nodded. As the Acting Grand Master, she knew first-hand how weird the way neurons interacted with each other in Mondstadt.
"Hello, sparky lady, may I have your name" Kenshin greeted Lisa.
"Ara ara, what a chivalrous person" said Lisa in a teasing voice.
"Why do you think Jean is the Knight here?" asked Kenshin with a smile. "It's because she has all the chivalry I lack".
"I see" Lisa nodded, seeing how Kenshin was the same kind of person his letters portrayed him to be.
"I don't" answered Kenshin, moving to greet the rest. "My honoured guest, please be welcome. I pray that your enemies suffer under your fiery wrath, and your allies may bask in your warmth".
"Uhh, I didn't understand anything" said Bennet scratching the back of his head.
"Welcome to Inazuma" repeated Kenshin with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of my parents, I appreciate that a lot".
"Hehe, no problem" Bennet said with a thumbs up.
SLAP!
"Ouch!" Kenshin grabbed his hurting cheek, not believing what had just happened. He, the Slapping Baby, had been slapped. How could this happen?
Everyone, even Jean who was by the end of the dock, turned around in shock.
"Stupid son!" shouted a furious Mio. "How could you hide something so important!!".
"What are you talking about?" asked a confused Kenshin. It was the first time he was slapped, and he didn't like it. Maybe Makoto would, but not him.
"Son, we are very disappointed in you" added Yahiko in a sad tone. "To think you would hide something so important. What would have you done if we got in trouble because of your secrets?".
"S-Sorry" said a still-stunned Kenshin. He had too many secrets his parents didn't know, maybe they found out that he had done something stupid during his stay in Mondstadt.
"I hope you are ready to accept the consequences!" said Mio with a withering glare that Kenshin was able to see. He was able to sense face now after all.
"O-Of course!" he righteously shouted. "I am Kenshin, and my parents didn't educate a man who breaks his promises!"
Jean, who was approaching to stop Kenshin's parents, ran away to Ritou with a red face upon hearing that.
"Good" said Mio with a stern nod. "I don't care if you are the Shogun or not, I will make sure you fulfil your vows".
"My v-?. Okay...I guess" Kenshin said, unsure about what his mother was talking about. "Of course, I will! Every single one, until the end of my life!" he shouted seeing his mother getting angry again.
And with that, his parents left.
"What the hell was that" said Kenshin, softly caressing his hurt cheek.
Some people say that the humiliation of being slapped hurts more than the physical pain. Kenshin could now affirm that it was a lie.
Maybe the fact that he had no pride affected his reasoning.
"Hello Kenshin" said happily Amber, who dragged her friend with her. "She is my friend Eula".
"Hello Amber and Eula" Kenshin replied with a tired face. That slap tired him as much as going to the Shrine did. Those stairs were unbelievably long.
"Hmm, I expected nothing more than this from this barbaric land" said Eula, referring to Kenshin's lack of 'politeness'.
"And you did well" Kenshin nodded. "You shouldn't expect anything from us".
"U-Uhm, yes" Eula said a bit confused. "Vengeance will be mine!"
"You want vengeance?" asked Kenshin curiously.
"No!" shouted Amber getting between the 2. "It's just a way of speaki-".
"In this barbaric land, we take duels very seriously" Kenshin said, ignoring Amber. "As you can see, I'm blind so it won't be a challenge. My assistant knows a bit about how to fight, can I call her?"
"Hmm, well, ehh, yes" Eula didn't know what to do, it was the first time someone took her words as a challenge. But she quickly grew resolute, the name of the Lawrence family won't be associated with cowardice.
"But please" Kenshin begged with a nervous expression. "She is a bit delicate. If you see you can win, please just say it and I will give up. I can't bear the thought of my assistant getting hurt".
"Don't worry, I will go easy on her" Eula's opinion of Kenshin grew a lot. It was admirable for him to show such care for his subordinates.
"Thank you" Kenshin said and turned around, so Amber and Eula didn't see his manic grin. "EI!! DUEL!!!"
After Kenshin's shout, they waited a bit, until a purple figure approached the dock with a face that screamed seriousness. And Kenshin knew that in Ei's case, it meant murder.
"E-Eula, I don't know. She feels strong" Amber nervously said, but Eula just had a determined look on her face.
"I am confident in my efforts. I trained for years, I will not give up just because my enemy looks strong" Eula said, looking directly at the slowly approaching Ei. The closer Ei was, the more nervous she looked.
"Are you aware of what a duel means?" asked Ei calmly, looking at Eula.
"Of course" Eula nodded and grabbed her greatsword, which earned a look of appreciation from Ei.
"Then I will be the duel" said Kenshin. "I told Eula the rules, no killing".
Ei had a displeased expression for a moment. What use was a duel you weren't going to bet your life on?
"K-Kenshin" Eula didn't see it, but Amber saw that look Ei showed for a second. Why was Eula's opponent disappointed in not being able to kill?
"Ah, introductions" Kenshin said with a clap
"I am Eula Lawrence, from the Lawrence clan in Mondstadt" Eula said while raising her greatsword.
"I am Raiden Ei from Inazuma" Ei said, while raising her naginata. If killing was not allowed, her sword was overkill.
"Raiden...." Amber said, trying to remember what had she heard that name before.
People in Inazuma knew the name 'Raiden Shogun', but outside Inazuma and for people that hadn't visited the Land of Lightning, it was just the Shogun or the Archon from Inazuma.
"Ei" Kenshin said with a frown looking at Ei, who looked at him with a tired face, wondering what was he up to. "Introductions are meant to let the opponent know who you are. Nobody knows the Lawrence Clan, so she can't do anything".
"Hey!"
"But you can" added Kenshin ignoring Eula's indignant shout.
"That's who I am right now. I have nothing else to say" said Ei, preparing to battle.
"What a stubborn woman" said Kenshin shaking his head. I will do it for you then. Eula Lawrence at my right, Raiden Ei, former Shogun and still the current Electro Archon, fight!"
"Wait wha-!" Eula tried to say, before a slash of Ei's naginata crushed her in the floor, her Greatsword between them.
"Winner, my assistant. So winner, Kenshin!" Kenshin said, thanking an imaginary crowd for their applauses. "Thank you, thank you. Yes, it was a hard battle, but the better fighter won. Thank you, thank you.....".
"Hmm, she is strong" said Ei, looking at Eula, who was on the floor not understanding what happened.
"You did your job, now shoo" said Kenshin. "Wait, everyone I invited is here. Amber pick up your friend, who just got a taste of 'vengeance', and let's eat. Ouch, I swear that I learned how to slap from my mother".
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"Jean" Frederica walked to her daughter, who had a resigned face.
"Mother" Jean nodded respectfully.
"I met my son-in-law" said Frederica, watching Kenshin grab Ei's long braid, and Ei quickly slap his hand. "His eyes are indeed beautiful, as you said".
"Of course. I don't lie" said Jean with a calm expression.
"Then you should start" said Frederica in a disapproving tone. "And you should be alert. The rest of the women that are attracted to Kenshin should be around here".
Jean sighed upon hearing that. She didn't know if her mother discovering her infatuation was a good or a bad thing.
She met Kenshin when she was 12, and her mother quickly caught wind of it and as Kenshin made the JRK, her mother decided to pair them up.
Jean didn't go against her mother because she respected her, and was caught out of the game with this topic.
As a result, she grew up with Frederica's weird ideas in her head. Well, the idea of this kind of relationship isn't that weird in Mondstadt.
Anyway, Jean grew up with the idea of 'sharing' in her head. She thought that with some time her mother would forget that stupid plan, but the worst happened.
She started to see the good points.
She knew that she was going to be busy, somedays she even needed to sleep in her office. What kind of married life would she be able to lead? Her husband wouldn't be able to see her for days, or even weeks if she needed to go to the field.
In that aspect, being with Kenshin was not bad, as they both will be busy.
And then it came how much she cared about Kenshin.
In the travel from Mondstadt to Inazuma, a lot of people identified her, as Kenshin had written that his character was inspired by a real person, and she was the carbon copy of the character in the book.
She didn't care about the fame, but every time a kid pointed at her with an excited smile, it warmed her heart knowing that Kenshin had written something with so much care about her. The Radiant Knight in the book was a chivalrous and hard-working girl, and Jean knew that Kenshin saw her exactly like that.
Of course, there was some exaggeration for literary purposes, but she loved how what Kenshin appreciated were the qualities she was the most proud about.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Jean with a tired expression. "I think this is something Kenshin needs to talk with the rest, not something you can force your way in".
"And yet, that's what I intend to do" saying that Frederica left, and talked to a certain person who had been watching them, or to be more precise, her daughter. "Do you need something from my daughter?"