#it's supposed to be kazuha reminiscing

[papiliotao]

꒰ 𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆 ✩࿐

pairings: kazuha, wanderer, and xiao x gn!reader (separate)

content: fluff, mutual pining, cuddling in kazu and scara's, a bit of a confession in kazuha’s, tranquil beach scenery with kazu, scara is in his wanderer era, you travel with the wanderer, watching fireworks with xiao

summary: under the cover of an enchanting night, romance blossoms.

a/n: i love mutual pining. also, the idea of xiao and scara being soft towards only the reader makes me melt. anyway, i hope you enjoy reading!

Tonight, waves lap at the shore, ebbing and flowing in a steady rhythm, creating a repetitive beat — a baseline for nature’s songs. The sea reflects the darkening skies above, displays of vivid blue and violet lined with subtle shades of rose gold. Sand shifts as you walk barefoot along the shoreline with your closest friend, each grain absorbing the remnants of daytime warmth.

“KAZUHA, hurry up!” you yell, rushing ahead despite the resistance of the miniature dunes beneath you. Playful giggles fill the air as you run and Kazuha chases after you, trying his best to ensure that you remain within his sight.

“Ah, wait!” he calls back, following after you.

Although your legs carry you far, you eventually begin to pant, and your body feels far too heavy to continue on. In a single motion, you dramatically fall to the ground, thankful for the sand below acting as padding. You crash, but fortunately, you’re not injured.

Seconds later, Kazuha catches up. He stands above you, gazing down at your breathless face and smiling softly. Embers of adoration ignite in crimson eyes reminiscent of autumn leaves, burning brightly as he offers a hand to you.

“Are you alright?” he asks, grabbing one of your hands firmly. In one swift motion, he pulls you to your feet, and you nod.

“I’m fine,” you manage to say between gasps for air. You’re still tired, and you suppose you should have conserved some energy instead of attempting to run at the speed of light. However, you know you’ll recover eventually.

Kazuha stares at you for a second, irises mirroring shades of sunset flickering over your each and every feature before he shakes his head.

“You look like you need a rest,” he tells you.

He sits down on the sand and pats the spot next to him, gesturing for you to take a seat next to him. You do as he instructs, and soon enough, you find yourself on the ground beside Kazuha, your shoulders nearly touching.

You glance over at him, admiring the way his snow white hair, highlighted by the dying crepuscule, billows in the sea breeze. Autumnal pools of molten rubies fill with small flecks of gold as he keeps his gaze fixated upon the tranquil sea before you. But nothing rivals the smile that comes to adorn his features — full of wonder, an encapsulation of the sun’s brilliance and the moon’s serenity.

Ethereal. That’s the word that comes to mind while you stare at the beautiful boy next to you, and yet, you fear it’s still not enough to describe him.

He’s perfect. His allure rivals that of the panoramic scenery before you.

You wish you could stay in the moment forever — or at the very least, permanently etch every last detail of today into your memory.

Soon enough, the last threads of warmth are pulled from the earth with the disappearance of the sun, and a chill begins to radiate as the cold light of the moon overtakes the sky. Every hint of marigold, coral, and canary completely vanishes. In their place, a deeper midnight blue ebbs into the heavens. As the wind passes by, you feel a slight shiver run down your spine.

And your discomfort doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Are you cold, my dearest?” Kazuha asks you.

The term of endearment causes a warmth to rise to your cheeks. Although affectionate words aren’t rare with Kazuha, your friend is making it sound as though the two of you are a couple.

However, your embarrassment fades as another gust of glacial fervor drifts by to steal the heat from your face, you force yourself to nod. You know that even if you lie, Kazuha will be able to see right through you. You’ve been friends for a while now, and given Kazuha’s attunement to nature, it’s nearly impossible to deceive him.

The wandering samurai wraps an arm around you, igniting a warmth akin to the caress of golden sunrays. His embrace is so warm… so comforting…

You feel your eyelids becoming heavy, and your head involuntarily falls to Kazuha’s shoulder. Slumber begins to overtake you. Tendrils of tantalization pull you deeper into a realm of oneiric euphoria, blurring out the waking world in the process.

But through it all, thoughts of the boy beside you, the one who embodies transient autumns in both looks in personality, never leave your mind.

Just as you feel yourself falling into a plane of enchanting fantasies, you hear six soft words spoken in tandem, whispered by a voice more delicate than the marine zephyrs surrounding you.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Wow, you’re really bad at this,” the WANDERER huffs. “At this rate, we’ll freeze to death.”

You can feel the Wanderer’s indigo gaze, a flawless mimic of the night sky, piercing into the depths of your soul, scrutinizing your every move. At the moment, the only illumination is provided by phantasmagoric stars dotting a canvas of murky navy and violet, but it seems to be enough for him to make out your silhouette against the surrounding shadows.

You sigh, tangible frustration permeating the otherwise serene evening air as you exhale.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “I guess I’m just tired or something.”

For a few seconds, a defeaning silence fills the atmosphere, transforming the ambience into one of awkwardness.

And then you feel the Wanderer sit down beside you.

“Whatever,” he mutters. “You’re clearly exhausted and in no state to be starting a fire.” For some reason, his tone of voice is far less pointed than usual, changing from an embodiment of everwinter storms to something more akin to a honeyed warmth — a tranquil portrait of summer’s joys.

You open your mouth to apologize again, but before you can speak, you hear grass rustling as the Wanderer stands up. Your gaze follows his barely-visible figure as he walks a short distance from where you’re sitting back to the small tent you set up earlier. He rummages around for a second before returning and draping a blanket around your shoulders.

“Don’t bother thanking me,” he says, sitting back down next to you.

Your traveling companion looks up at the star-speckled sky, and you swear you can see galaxies full of vibrant magenta and ocean blue reflected in his irises.

“Aren’t you cold too?” you ask, breaking the fragile, short-lived silence into fragments with words that echo in the midnight air, seemingly amplified in the midst of a peaceful moment.

The Wanderer simply shakes his head in response.

“There’s no need to worry about me,” he says.

And yet you still can’t help but feel guilty. You’re nice and cozy underneath the protection of a velvety blanket, safe from the frigid fingers of encroaching night. Meanwhile, the Wanderer is left to fend for himself.

What if you just share the blanket?

The idea is certainly tempting, but you’re a little too scared to follow through with it. Throughout your time with the Wanderer, you’ve gotten the feeling that he’s rather unfond of touch. After all, with his snarky attitude and unfriendly demeanor, he’s the antithesis of a cuddly person.

However, as you shift to sit in a more comfortable position, your fingers accidentally brush against his, causing you to flinch.

He’s cold. Incredibly cold.

And yet not a shiver runs down his spine.

Is he pretending to be alright for your sake?

The mere thought is enough to send another wave of warmth through your body, and suddenly, you feel less alone in the midst of enigmatic darkness. You realize that although he doesn’t outright show it, the Wanderer cares about you. Your heart flutters with the delicacy of a butterfly’s iridescent wings.

“You’re looking out for me,” you whisper under your breath. A small smile dances across your lips, and you decide to take a risk, jumping off a ledge of certainty and into an abyss filled with unknown feelings and fragile bonds.

With one swift movement, you take the end of the blanket closer to the Wanderer and wrap it around his shoulders. Now you’re sharing, and you can feel him pressing up against you. You swear you can feel the tempo of your heartbeat intensifying, each thump resounding in rapid succession.

To your surprise, the Wanderer doesn’t try to push you away. Instead, he scoots towards you.

“You don’t mind this?” you ask him, anticipating his response with bated breath.

For a second, silence fills the night, sending your mind into a polarizing frenzy and your heart into a panic. However, when the Wanderer speaks, you feel the tension leave your body.

“I don’t…” he starts, pausing briefly to consider his next words. Perhaps the surrounding darkness gives him courage, or perhaps he simply can’t suppress his feelings anymore because his next words are entirely unexpected, “but only because it’s you.”

Petals of red and gold bloom into voids of darkness, illuminating endless night in a display of phosphorescent flowers. But the sky isn’t the only thing that undergoes a stunning metamorphosis due to the luminous grace of the fireworks painting the shadows. In the edges of your vision, borders frayed from staring at the breathtaking sight before you for far too long, you catch an spark blaze alight within the honeyed amber of XIAO’s eyes. A subtle smile graces his features.

It’s barely noticeable, but it’s there.

You turn your attention to the beautiful boy beside you, absolutely captivated by the grin adorning his face. Displays of happiness from Xiao are rare, occurrences rivaling the convergence of sun and moon — a total eclipse. Your heart beats erratically, creating an exhilarating backing for a nocturne composed of the crackling of fireworks.

“You’re smiling,” you whisper.

Xiao grunts dismissively.

“Nonsense,” he says, wiping all traces of childish wonder and carefree bliss from his face. “The foolish antics of humans mean nothing to the Adepti.”

You feel the corners of your lips turn down. It’s almost like Xiao’s mood is infectious at the moment. When he’s smiling, you’re smiling, and when the euphoria fades from his expression, a certain lightness seems to vanish from the atmosphere.

“Oh, I see.” Your voice comes out meek, dulled by the immense disappointment filling your heart.

You want nothing more than to see Xiao happy. Throughout your time together, you’ve grown to care about him — admittedly a little bit more than platonically — and yet despite your concerns, you feel like Xiao doesn’t share the same sentiments. Xiao doesn’t quite care about his joy as much as you do. He’s far more content with protecting you, and although his actions never fail to cause giddiness to overwhelm you, you can’t help but want to see him smile for once.

Perhaps he’s scared of shattering the cold and distant image he’s crafted, despite the fact that you already know it’s all a fragile illusion formed from jagged shards of the most delicate crystal. Deep down, you know Xiao is caring and warm, akin to a flawless summer day, complete with golden rays of sunlight beaming down at you and a honeyed caress.

It seems that Xiao has noticed the negativity radiating off of you because as you avert your gaze, staring at the wooden floor of Wangshu Inn’s balcony, you hear Xiao’s voice once again.

“Wait,” he interjects, cutting through the thick silence with a singular pointed word, sharper than a dagger constructed from the toughest of diamonds. “I… should explain myself,” he mumbles.

Although you look up once more to make eye contact with Xiao, you’re unsuccessful. Now he’s the one avoiding your stare, and he looks nothing short of endearingly shy. Gilded lamplight illuminates his features, making the sunset blush dawning on his cheeks all the more apparent to you.

“I wasn’t…” Xiao manages before pausing once more. “I wasn’t only smiling because of the fireworks,” he forces himself to say.

His words pique your interest. Although the rest of the night is exceptionally beautiful, the various acrylic hues burgeoning across a canvas painted a dark obsidian shade are the most noteworthy sights of the evening. When you try to think of anything that even closely parallels their beauty, nothing comes to mind.

“I felt at peace,” he says, his voice softening, “because you were beside me.”

You inhale sharply. The air feels far too electrifying at the moment, shocking you with an unexpected elation. You didn’t expect Xiao to be so forward, and yet, here he is, more or less telling you how much you mean to him. Many words remain unspoken, but you already know Xiao well enough to understand the weight of that one sentence.

As you glance over to the adeptus once more, a grin dances across your face. Aureate galaxies meet your gaze, sparkling with the subtlest hints of adoration.

The blush across Xiao’s cheeks only intensifies as the corners of his lips turn up once again in a shy smile.

It’s luminous. His expression, a true embodiment of equanimity and contentment, turns even the most breathtaking of fireworks more vibrant and the brightest of stars more radiant.

It’s at that moment that an epiphany strikes.

Contrary to what you had believed just moments prior, there’s one thing that rivals the stunning nature of the rainbow-infused pyrotechnics before you: the soft grin adorning Xiao’s features, accentuating each part of his face with a light brighter than that of an imploding supernova.

thank you for reading! i have a few more drafts that are close to finished, so i might post again soon (no promises though because i tend to procrastinate on my writing).

#r.archives *ೃ༄ #favoniuslibrary #astronetwrk #kazuha x reader #scaramouche x reader #xiao x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin imagines #genshin fluff #genshin headcanons #wanderer x reader #kazuha fluff #scaramouche fluff #xiao fluff

[solarisfortuneia]

his fingers have always been nimble. gentle. graceful, even. it is precisely this trait that assists him in his mastery of multiple instruments.

and his hands have always been steady, never twitching nor wavering. this aids every stroke of his pen, every swing of his sword and every tune he plays.

he’s perfectly aware of this, too. he is no stranger to intricate work; delicate actions come naturally to him.

so why on earth is something like applying your makeup so difficult? perhaps it’s the pressure of putting things on someone else’s face, or perhaps it’s the fact that it’s your face he’s working on? either way, he’s hoping with all his heart he doesn’t mess up.

kazuha’s always grateful for his blessings, but at this particular moment in time, he thanks every force of nature for granting him his stable hands, for he couldn’t possibly imagine taking up this task without it.

he picks up a brush and swirls it in a pot of pressed pigment, then delicately taps the apples of your cheeks. light floods into the room, birds chirp somewhere beyond, but he pays them no mind, the entirety of his focus occupied by the tint of rouge on your face. it makes your skin glow beautifully, reminiscent of a bright, cheerful blossom in summer, and for a moment, he’s so in awe that he forgets what he’s supposed to be doing.

“kazuha?” you call out to him, shaking him out of his captivated trance. “are you alright?”

he hums, acknowledging you. “just admiring.” he sets down the brush in his hands on the dark surface of the table and picks up another, a much smaller one with a sharper tip. he dips it into dark, inky liquid and brings it up to your eyes, the side of his palm resting on your cheekbones.

“stop blinking so much, dearest,” he taps your cheek softly with his other hand. “i’ll mess up the eyeliner otherwise.”

“i’m trying, i promise.” you say, attempting to keep your eyes still.

he grips your jaw firmly, tilting it upward for a better angle. his face scrunches in concentration as he carefully glides the brush on your eyelids, taking great care to not poke your eye out in the process. he steps back every so often, checking to see if the lines are even.

he sets the brush down, breathing a sigh of relief. “i think we’re done.” he holds up a mirror. “what do you think? have i done a decent job?”

you look at yourself for a few beats, examining every plane, every bloom of color, every painstakingly drawn line. “this is perfect,” you take the mirror from his hands and turn your face from side to side. “you’re really good at this. thanks, love.” you give him a bright grin.

“it’s nothing, really.” he smiles back at you, in his usual, serene way. “you look divine,” he means it.

“oh?” you bat your eyelashes at him playfully. “so you think i’m pretty?”

“i do,” he leans in, tenderly bringing your wrist up to his lips for a fleeting kiss. “i think you’re absolutely stunning, my dear.”

he falls silent, attentive crimson roaming your face. he takes his time and looks over each and every feature with pure adoration in his gaze. one can see it in his expression alone; it clearly betrays how much he wants to trail the tips of his fingers across the bridge of your nose, under your eyes, over the expanse of your cheek, and how badly they itch to bury themselves in your neatly done hair. though, he knows he shouldn’t— lest he ruin his hard work— and his hands anchor themselves on your shoulders.

looking through pale strands, he notices a shift in your demeanor, as soon as he does, he knows you’re aware of how deep his desire to touch you extends.

“y’know,” you take his face into your hands, gazing back with the same intensity. “i’d say you’re pretty too, but i can’t see a damn thing with all this hair over your face.”

“my…hair?” your statement comes as a surprise. he sees you take full advantage of his momentary confusion, gently batting away his hand from pushing back his hair.

“yes, your hair.” you make a show of twirling the hair, then slip it quickly behind his ear, never breaking eye contact. “there, much better.”

his eyes widen fractionally, as if in a daze, and his train of thought grinds to nearly a halt. then, he blinks. once, twice, thrice. “thank you, dear.” he recovers soon enough though, eyes closing to give you a bashful smile. “i wasn’t aware that my hair was obstructing your view,”

you smile back at him. “now that that’s out of the way,” you trace your thumbs over the tip of his nose, “goodness me, kazuha, you are gorgeous,” you murmur, moving your fingers to his lips. they part involuntarily, and he looks away, unable to meet your amused eyes. “someone’s flustered, cat got your tongue?” the teasing lilt in your voice is hard to miss. you hold his face in your hands and scarlet begins to dust his cheeks.

he clears his throat, composing himself. “thank you for the compliment, starlight.” his voice is affectionate when he finally speaks, and a fond smile returns to his face.

“you’re very welcome, love.”

kazuha’s always grateful for his blessings. and right now, when he looks at the adoration in your gaze, he thanks every force of nature for giving him the best one of all.

#—🖋 #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #kazuha x reader #kaedehara kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #genshin impact fluff #genshin fluff #kazuha fluff #mika's reposting her old works again wheeeee #i realize i've been pretty absent from writing but hopefully i should be posting things again #aaaa gotta update my masterlist too

[aettuddae]

hole in one. — 141. it'll be heaven.

⌕ synopsis: at one of the most prestigious universities in the country, where everyone is battling to be the center of attention, yu jimin is just a regular. people want her because of her beauty, but all she cares about is sharing her freaky stuff with her friends and passing her subjects. although there's one thing that might push her out of her comfort zone, revenge. when nakamura kazuha, one of the richest and most well-known students of NCU, starts to spread gossip about her for thousands of followers to see, jimin decides to get back by taking away the thing kazuha cares about the most: her perfect girlfriend, the young golf star, kwon haru.

masterlist | prev

[written chapter]

"guys, i ran out of battery on my phone." reported seungkwan from his seat.

"i told you to charge it before you left." reproached yunjin.

"i got distracted by leveling up in candy crush and forgot." defended the boy.

"how many students are there?" questioned minhyuk with an irritated tone. "i'm hungry."

"me too, i didn't have breakfast." shared juyeon.

"why didn't you have breakfast?" asked ningning.

"i didn't have time." explained the older keeping her eyes on the stage where students continued to pass by to receive their graduation diplomas. "minhyuk was supposed to go wake me up, but the bastard showed up fifteen minutes before we had to leave." she reminisced in frustration.

"at least i remembered to come get you." said the jock.

"no, it's okay, i already know you, i should have predicted it." dismissed.

"excuse me? we're all entitled to one last chance." he lashed out with mock offense.

"you never got anywhere early in your whole life, you're not starting now." replied eunseo.

"i can change..."

"... uchinaga aeri." the voice of an older teacher echoed through the auditorium where the graduation ceremony was taking place, grabbing the attention of the entire group of friends and thus interrupting their conversation.

"up, up!" commanded juyeon.

everyone stood up and began to applaud their friend as she was taking her diploma. haru, minhyuk and juyeon with their phones held high recording the whole process as if they were three proud parents, the last two even shouting some chants of pride and love to the japanese girl, who wanted to die of embarrassment and made countenances at them telling them to shut their mouths. they were genuinely happy for their best friend.

aeri received her certificate, had her picture taken with it and then proceeded to walk off the stage towards her spot again and let the event continue with the next students.

haru was in a good mood that day, of course she was. her best friend was graduating, and in the same class was the girl she loved, who she would finally have in the flesh next to her after agreeing that they were going to be fine. it was a good day.

the golfer followed giselle with her eyes until she was in her chair, and then she tried to locate jimin among her classmates, but it was such a large group that even if she tried to look for them alphabetically, she wasn't being able to find her.

as her eyes wandered around the place in search of her favorite human, she came across someone she hadn't expected to see at all,

nakamura kazuha.

the girl was standing next to an empty seat, presumably hers, at the edge of the small aisle that formed between the student area and the guest's, trying to get a better view of the proceedings.

it had been almost as long since she had last seen kazuha as it had been since she had seen karina before the wedding, so the girl was a particular sighting, to say the least.

kazuha was still living in seoul and playing golf at the rottary club, as usual. the last kwon had heard, she had joined a professional team.

kazuha possibly felt the watchful eye on her, as she turned to look for the reason why she felt observed, finding her ex with a dumbfounded and slightly goofy expression. as they made eye contact, they both gave each other a shy smile and the younger girl raised her hand, waving it and greeting haru.

the sudden feeling of familiarity came over her, and the eldest began to walk past her friends until she could step out of the small place where their seats were and approach the girl.

"hey." greeted her, somewhat hesitantly.

"hey." returned the chestnut with a big smile on her face.

"hey." repeated letting out a nervous giggle, then looking to the side and giving a nod to sakura and eunchae, the japanese girl's mates, who were accompanying her.

"i didn't imagine you'd come over." she shrugged.

"how can i not approach when i haven't seen you in years?" she settled in next to her, both of them with their eyes towards the scenario.

"well, it's not like we were splendidly two years ago." she remarked. "how have you been?" she wondered looking sideways at her.

"bad," kwon went silent, contemplating her answer, eliciting a frown of concern from the girl. "but i'm fine now." she assured her.

"are you sure?" she put her hand on her back to show reassurance. "what happened?"

"don't worry, i'm serious." she nodded her head, reinforcing her words. "i don't know if you know i moved..."

"of course i know, haru." she cut in, her tone carrying a hint of sadness.

"well, it was the moving, the new town," it was obvious she wasn't going to mention the main reason for her pain to her former girlfriend. "i couldn't play golf for a long time." she added, downplaying her words. "you know, it was hard." she concluded. "but i'm fine now, really, how have you been?" she rested her gaze on her, expectant for an answer.

"i've been fine." she assured calmly, removing her touch from haru's body. "i'm on a team, my teammates are good, they are talented. we will prepare to participate in the championship next year." she said defiantly.

"oh, then we'll be rivals." she cocked her head confidently and stretched out her hand for kazuha to shake. "may the best one win."

"you say that because you're the best." she narrowed her eyes, judging her. "and aside from golf..." she folded her arms, thinking. "i don't know, not much has happened." she sighed not knowing what to tell. "i graduated last week." she commented. "you didn't come." chastised kazuha, as an innocent comment.

"sorry." haru lowered her head, an ashamed smile on her lips. "you went to mine even when we had been broken up for months, i should have go since i was in town."

"don't worry, haru, just kidding." she gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow. "you didn't have to come." she understood. "it's enough that you came over to talk to me now." she brought her hand to the back of her neck and squeezed from both sides playfully to comfort her, causing them both to laugh. "you came to see aeri?" she changed topics, returning to the situation they were in.

"yes, obviously, we all came." she took a glance at where her friend was sitting. "and well, jimin too." she admitted, feeling out the younger girl's reaction.

"oh." her mouth hung slightly open and her eyebrows raised as she processed what she had just been told. "so, you two...?" she raised her index finger to point at her, then wagged it around as if trying to finish her sentence with her gestures.

"it's complicated." she sentenced. "we met again recently." she didn't want to give away too much information.

"sure." she took a moment. "i hope you two do well." she encouraged, seemingly sincere.

"thank you, zuha."

"tell her that..." she took a big breath of air, gathering courage to let her pride go. "that i'm so sorry."

both pairs of eyes met for the first time in the entire talk, and haru saw in her a glimmer of the kazuha she once loved. a kazuha who could become tender and sensitive, a kazuha only she seemed to have known.

"i know it's not going to change anything." her hands danced in the air illustrating her attempt to explain herself. "or maybe after all this time it doesn't matter anymore." she closed her eyes for a second, recomposing herself. "but if you can, and want, tell her i'm really sorry." she lifted her eyelids, letting her guard down.

"i will."

haru felt something inside her stir, the memories. seeing kazuha in that place felt surreal to her, but apart from that talking to her brought back a feeling that mixed both the familiar and the unfamiliar. she could never hate her, after all, haru had always been one of the few people who couldn't do that at all. seeing her there, being a bit of who she once was, blinded something in her brain, and her first instinct was to lean in and hug her.

"it's good to see you." she whispered, her chin resting lightly on her shoulder. "and it's good to hear you're sorry." she moved her hand along her back.

"i want to apologize to you too, haru." at that moment, she finally dared to raise her arms and reciprocate the woman's gesture. "sorry for ruining that nice thing we had." her voice sounded a little shaky.

"i don't need you to apologize to me." she shook her head even if the girl wouldn't see it. "i chose long ago to keep only the good parts of your time in my life."

the older girl stood up straight, breaking the hold they had on each other. she arranged her locks behind her ears and connected their gazes, which were flooded with nostalgia and affection. between the two of them, there was no more romance, but there would always remain the deep adoration you have for someone who was once your confidante and security.

"... yu jimin." this time it was a female professor's voice that announced the name, interrupting the moment. again kwon had not heard the introduction.

"oh shit." exclaimed kazuha in surprise. "your girlfriend." she centered her focus on the student body area. "go!" she put her hands on her arm and began to push her back into her seat.

"kazuha, it was good to see you-"

"yeah, yeah, we'll meet again when we compete, now go, jimin is graduating." she didn't let her finish, rushing her.

"wow, you've changed."

"go!" she insisted, ending in both of them letting out a few laughs at the interaction and haru returning to her seat.

the athlete took out her cellphone as she had done with aeri, and pointed it at jimin, who was walking up to the stage. with great joy on her face she took a few photos of her as she received her diploma, then locked the device and put it away so she could applaud her and watch her personally.

when karina stood for her picture with the certificate that she had finished her studies, by coincidence, or a bit because she was looking for it, she found haru in the audience, and couldn't help but stop and admire her as she was happy for her. so in the final image she was not even looking at the camera, but to the side, full of love.

the ceremony was over and the group of friends had ventured out in search of the new graduates, parting in each other's close circle.

minhyuk, eunseo and haru were with giselle and her parents, showering the girl with hugs, affection, congratulations, and taking pictures of her. each one posed with her individually for the camera, and then they did it all together, then with the parents. they would have enough documentation of that moment to fill an album so they would have to forget the picture they had taken of her earlier where she was begging her friends to keep quiet.

minhyuk even cried, claiming he couldn't believe that the youngest of the group had already finished her college years. they had met when they were just teenagers, and now they all had degrees and their futures planned.

jimin was first greeted by her family, who warmly congratulated her on her achievement, and then her friends arrived, who, of course, started a magazine-worthy photo session in the middle of the auditorium. seungkwan even lifted up ningning, who was holding a phone with the flashlight on, in order to properly illuminate the picture that winter was taking of yunjin and jimin.

after, they became involved in a hyped conversation, but the girl could not stop diverting her interest to the group surrounding the uchinagas.

she had already been welcomed and showered with compliments for what she had accomplished, she just wanted to run to haru and have her close finally. but over there, they kept crying and hugging each other sentimentally.

it was while her loved ones were talking about the different job offers karina had on the table for her future, that she turned to see what was going on in the other gathering of people and noticed a bored haru, as they were not doing anything in particular, she was distracted scanning what was going on in her surroundings.

she took the opportunity as her own and excitedly ran towards the oldest, who noticed her approaching her euphorically and opened her arms waiting. jimin's body crashed into haru's, with enough intensity that the latter slightly lost her balance and had to take a few steps backward, dragging yu.

"how is my favorite graduate?"

she wrapped her arms around jimin, with one holding her body tightly and one hand wandering through her hair subtly. the younger clinging to her waist as if there was a hurricane around and the girl was the only thing she could hold on to.

"actually, that offended me." giselle's voice was heard from behind.

"you're my favorite too." she detached her hand from the blackhaired's back to point her finger at her friend.

"you can't have two favorites." aeri held her waist and brought all her weight to one leg as she judged with her gaze.

"later you discuss it." karina made a rambunctious gesture indicating for them to be quiet. "hello." she whispered, as she pressed her forehead together with the haru's.

"hello." she replied in the same volume, just for her to hear, showing all her teeth from the joy she felt. "i'm so proud of you, princess."

"thank you, baby." they stared at each other stupidly for a few moments. "i missed you." she added, finally being able to say it to her face.

"i missed you too." she lifted herself up a little, getting to the height to leave a delicate kiss on her nose. "you look good." she exclaimed in amusement taking a few steps back so she could observe her full body, their hands enlaced.

"don't i?" she took one foot off the ground giving a short hop and cocked her head to one side with a cheeky expression. "i'm the most adorable economist." she ran her hair making it fly back, continuing the joke.

haru's smile spread even wider and her eyes, or what could be seen from between those cavities that formed moons as they narrowed, sparkled as they followed karina. the girl could no longer contain the wave of beautiful emotions beating against her chest, and she walked briskly to catch the younger girl again and lift her into the air, spinning around, accompanied by her giggles.

the golfer slowly stopped, but before she set her down, jimin took the chance to use the hold on her neck and the closeness to her ear to murmur to her, in a tone that mixed melancholy and absolute happiness: "being like this with you seems like a dream."

"don't worry." she released the girl once her feet were on the ground. "it's not." she caressed her cheek tenderly. "i'm really here, and i'm happy to be." she reassured, comforting the girl.

jimin stopped to admire her. even with her words, she found it hard to understand that she was real. she felt like it was an angel in front of her. she loved her, in such an overwhelming way that jimin thought it escaped from her heart and took over her whole body, leaving no room for her blood, organs or veins. she loved her with all that she was.

"come!" the younger girl exclaimed abruptly after remembering something, startling the sportswoman with her sudden change of attitude. she took her hand and then started walking quickly.

they approached where jimin's acquaintances were standing, stopping short in front of them. haru felt a little shy since she had never met the girl's parents. off to the side, her friends watched the scene proudly, after all they had accompanied her through in those two years.

"mom, dad, this is my girlfriend." she held out her hand to the girl, who bowed as a greeting of respect to the elders, but looked a little puzzled. seeing her reaction, yu realized the label she had used and felt nervous. "my thing." that wasn't good either. "my haru." she corrected herself. "this is haru."

"so you are haru..." the man said, taking in the person in front of him.

"the golfer!" the lady recalled.

"that's what people know me for." agreed kwon, extending her hand to the couple.

"jimin used to make us watch your matches when she was at home." commented the father, causing the named one to cover her embarrassed face. "you know, i really like golf too..."

to no one's surprise, everyone got along well. haru was incredibly likeable after all, and it filled jimin's soul to see the most important people in her life excitedly engaged in conversation.

a few minutes later, giselle approached them to remind that they were all going to eat at a restaurant later to celebrate. there was a reception for all the graduates, but they preferred to go with their best friends.

they had been there for at least two hours, but they had only started eating. although everyone had been drinking and chatting since they arrived.

it was amazing how the two groups had found each other and managed to get along, despite the things that had happened between them.

at one end of the table were seungkwan and minhyuk, the latter had his arm around the back of the other's chair, wrapping it around him. they were distracted in a debate about whether fries tasted better with ketchup or cheese, and it was endearing to see how the chef never stopped laughing at anything that came out of his boyfriend's mouth, while the golfer gets fascinated listening to the things he told. they had a nice relationship, they understood each other in humor, and had similar tastes, they were boyfriends and friends at the same time.

the rest of the girls were sitting one on each side, across the table. it wasn't an abysmal distance, but they were still carrying on an almost shouting conversation, laughing uproariously, with eunseo leading the chatter they were engaged in, which was largely gossip. to one side of the oldest redhead, minjeong was quiet and smiling, drinking her beer and stealing loving glances at her now wife.

and in one corner, haru and karina were in their chairs next to each other. the older one's hand rested comfortably on the graduate's leg, who was brushing her fingers along the other's body in search of contact. both were attentively listening to what the others were saying and would let out a giggle when someone made a funny comment. sometimes starting short exchanges of words only between them, but mostly just enjoying the moment.

juyeon was trying to explain something to yunjin, who was looking at the others with bewilderment as she didn't understand what she was hearing. the girl's expression was funny to her friends, even to jimin, who burst out laughing when she saw her and leaned on haru for support. once it passed, she stayed in that position, with her head on the golfer's shoulder, and after a moment, she wrapped the arm that the girl had holding her with her own, clinging completely to her.

"i love you." said the blackhaired, leaving a kiss on haru's cheek.

"i love you." she reciprocated, turning her head so she could look at her face.

"sorry for introducing you as my girlfriend to my parents today." she casually mentioned.

"no worries, i guess i will be at some point anyway." she shrugged with plenty of attitude.

"oh? so that's how you think..." she gave her a playful pinch. "if so, then why aren't you right now?" she bit her lip expectantly, embarrassed that her heart was pounding at the inquisitions of what she had said.

"you haven't asked me yet." haru explained without giving it much thought and then leaned over to pick up her glass and take a swig of her drink.

"do i have to ask you? i was waiting for you to ask me." she pointed a finger at herself.

"no, clearly you have to ask me." she sipped again, looking defiantly at her over the glass.

"would you be my girlfriend?" karina asked hurriedly, so fast the words were barely understood. her eyes painted with anticipation.

"you're asking me here? with minhyuk present?" she exclaimed ironically.

"what did i do now?" questioned the boy across the table.

"you don't care." the girl dismissed him without even turning to look at him, getting him to throw his hands up in the air in disbelief.

"you must have done something." eunseo accused him, triggering one of their silly arguments.

"come with me." jimin got up from her seat and started walking. haru obeyed and went after her.

"where are you going?" the sportsman vociferated.

"you don't care." repeated her best friend.

"kwon haru, i'm not liking your antics!" he complained offended.

the two girls continued on their way, jimin sure of where she was leading and haru, a little lost, behind her. they arrived at an almost completely unoccupied side of the restaurant, from the main hall of the place you couldn't see clearly and there were few tables, at the end of it, a double glass door that the now economist opened to pass through, the one who was following her also passing by it.

behind it, there was a rather small backyard, which was blocked by trees and bushes. beyond the decorative forestation, there was a concrete wall that could not even be seen among so many leaves and trunks. lights hung from the tops and branches, and there was even a small bench on one side. haru presumed that this place was specially designed for smokers, but at that moment it was empty.

"how did you find this place?" kwon inquired, her eyes on the small lamps above her.

"when i went to the bathroom i got the wrong direction and ended up here." she laughed shyly.

"it's pretty." she lowered her eyes, turning back to jimin.

"like you." she returned witty.

"and you." she added roguishly. "and you brought me here to...?" she raised an eyebrow mischievously.

"kwon haru," she put her hands behind her back, feet together and puffed out her chest, pretending to look like a prince about to make an announcement. "would you do me the honor..."

she paused to search her pockets for something, observe her fingers, and then surveyed her surroundings. she dropped her gaze to the ground, turning only with her upper body so that she could analyze behind her back. she leaned over and held a cigarette butt between her fingers, then extended it toward haru.

"is it antiromantic if i ask you to be my girlfriend with a cigarette butt?" she pouted. "i don't have a ring to give you."

"wait." haru was now the one digging through every crevice of her clothes looking for something that would work. she picked up her wallet and checked it. "is it any use proposing to me with a bill?"

"that's even less romantic than the cigarette." she dropped her arms on either side of her body listlessly.

"a picture of my mom?"

"haru."

"my id?" she continued without stopping checking.

"put that down, put that down." she approached her and pushed down the girl's hands holding her billfold.

"i didn't find anything either, sorry." she put the object away and made a regretful grimace.

"would you like to be my girlfriend?" she said again, unexpectedly.

"don't you need a ring, then?" the woman caught her face between her palms, creating an eye contact that exuded sweetness.

"i'll buy you one for our first anniversary." she promised, her voice soft, only dedicated to her. "and on the next one, and the one after that, and when i ask you to marry me." she held haru's waist. "although i'm so sure you're the love of my life that i might ask you to marry me before any anniversary."

"one step at a time, princess, we're here now." stopped the older one, laughing adoringly at such ideas.

"be my girlfriend." she asked again. "i love you, i don't want to not have you by my side, and i swear i will never ever again do anything to take you away from me. my place is with you."

"of course i will be your girlfriend." haru accepted.

upon hearing the answer, karina bounced on her feet on the spot because of the exhilaration that exploded inside her. she fleetingly pulled the girl from the back of her neck so they could join in a kiss to seal the pact.

it was the first kiss they had shared in two years that carried no pain behind it. all it brought was new beginnings and love. it was safety, and light. the promise that from now on, they both had a place to return to and a refuge for when everything got rough.

jimin's lips caressed haru's with affability, taking the exchange calmly, wanting to express all the stunning chaos she unleashed within herself through that gesture. the opposite held her figure gently, holding her as close to herself as possible as if trying to keep her from leaving again.

they broke the union carefully, still remaining over each other, their noses touching, their lips no more than an inch apart, "haru, let's move to busan." she suggested suddenly.

"what?" she frowned in surprise after hearing what the younger girl had just said.

"or come back to seoul." she added without thinking about what she was saying. she didn't have to as it had been on her mind for days.

"what are you talking about?" she let the girl go and walked a bit away.

"or i can move to incheon." she continued.

"wow, stop right there." she pointed her finger at her signaling to calm down. "what?" she reiterated.

"is that," she gulped in a breath of air, her grimace turning desperate. "you don't live here." she burst the bubble. "and i know we've been avoiding the subject voluntarily, but in two days you go back home, and then we'll be apart again." she began biting her nails.

haru was silent. she knew that what karina was telling her was the inevitable reality, and that they would soon have to part ways one more time, but she had chosen not to worry about it and somehow managed to forget.

"haru, i love you." she affirmed again. "and i'm tired of losing you, so if you tell me that in incheon you're happy, i wouldn't hesitate for a second to move there so i could be with you." she was sure of what she was saying. "but tell me the truth, is incheon for you? do you live the life you want there?"

the golfer knew she didn't. she had two friends in that city, one of whom was juyeon. she played on a team with people she didn't care about. she didn't feel full on her drive in the mornings to go to her training, she didn't even go for a walk in the streets like she often used to do in seoul.

what was there in Incheon for her? what was there in incheon that was hers?

she left seoul because it generated sadness in her, but if she had to be honest, thinking about incheon also made her feel miserable.

"busan?" she blurted out hesitantly after a moment in silence.

"weren't we happy when we were in busan?"

yes. the answer was clearly yes. depending on how you wanted to look at it, it was the place where it all started. where they admitted they felt things for each other and gave those emotions a place to be explored. despite being surrounded by people, it had felt like only they had been there. together. their own universe.

"just you and me?" she hesitated.

"well, we can take juyeon if you want, but she won't live with us." she said jokingly. "oh, and a cat." she finished seriously.

"you, me and a cat?" a smile began to tug at the corner of her mouth.

"what do you say?" she inquired hopefully, unable to hide that she was already excited.

"busan." she shook her head up and down, saying yes. "you and me."

karina let out the highest pitched squeal she had ever projected in her life, she ran towards haru almost as if flying, not even noticing how she came to be held to her girlfriend like a koala bear, her legs clinging to her waist, haru holding her tightly, contentment present in every part of their beings.

"and a cat." she stated again.

"yes, my princess, us and a cat." she guaranteed.

"and we will never separate again." jimin pulled away a little so she could look into her eyes.

"never." haru backed up her words, then moved closer and joined in a kiss.

— the end.

#

[a/n: thanks to everyone who read, 141 chapters wouldn't have happened without the support this story had. ♡]

(!)

— taglist: @runawaymazola @chaenniefirst @livelaughchoerry @rinapomu @jeindall777 @petruchiosstuff @sewiouslyz @yvesismywife @vvyuqi @aeriniee @chaewoni3

#aespa #aespa karina #karina #yu jimin #yoo jimin #ningning aespa #ningning #giselle aespa #giselle #winter aespa #winter #aespa x reader #karina x reader #yu jimin x reader #kpop x reader #kpop gg #kpop #kpop smau #aespa smau #smau #aespa fanfic #aespa fic #karina fanfic #aespa reactions #aespa scenarios #aespa imagines #le sserafim #wjsn #monsta x #seventeen

[bleedingwhiteroses222]

— rosy cheeks and the morning sun.

kazuha x gn reader

part 1. part 2.

this is a part two of drunk confessions !

warnings: cursing, slightly suggestive, idk how to write kissing, fluff

Vision blurred and head spinning, Kazuha opened his eyes, blinking slowly, registering the first rays of the early morning sun shining softly through the window.

Still engulfed in the lull of sleep, he closed his eyes again and cuddled back into the- wait a minute…

His eyes shot open, immediately noticing the unfamiliar setting, realizing he was lying comfortably in a…bed? What was going on?

Feeling something tighten its hold around his body, Kazuha almost jumped out of bed in shock before realizing it was just you.

He strained his memory, hoping to regain some sense as to why he was lying in bed with you in a unfamiliar room.

His face went beet red at some interesting, ideas as to what..activities, the two of you might’ve partook in- no no snap out of it Kazuha, don’t entertain such vulgar thoughts.

…Though he was not opposed to the idea-

“Mmm…Kazu?”

He immediately felt his face take on a red hue, shaking himself out of his dirty fantasies.

Focusing his gaze back on you he couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. Shirt slightly falling over your shoulder, hair tousled, and with the appearance of one who just woke up (which you in fact, did just wake), you groggily looked up into his face, eyes slowly adjusting to the morning sun.

“Good morning, Y/n.” His expression softened into a small smile. Kazuha relaxed, falling back into your hold. Although his face seemed unable to rid of the rosiness…

You smiled and cuddled into him once more.

“Morning, my love.”

Blushing at the nickname, Kazuha continued, asking the question that had been plaguing his mind for the past few minutes.

“If I may ask, er, what happened last night? I can’t seem to recall much at the moment.”

Now it was your turn for the heat to creep up your face, remembering the events that took place the night before.

Noticing this, instantly it felt like Kazuha’s face was on fire. So did we-

“Ah well,” you cleared your throat. “You accidentally drank Venti’s cocktails, and got drunk.”

Ah, that would explain the fuzziness and mild headache.

Wait.

A sudden suspicion popped up into Kazuha’s thoughts, instantly feeling embarrassment creeping over him.

Could he have accidentally- confessed?

Fuck. At least that’d explain the current predicament.

“And did I er- say, anything? Or, you know, do anything?” He asked, feeling a bit nervous and hoping he didn’t embarrass himself too much.

You giggled.

Oh no.

“Heh, you were really giggly and clingy. Kept asking me for a kiss,” you smirked up at his blushing face.

“And then- well..” You faltered, feeling your face heat up.

Oh. OH. Dear Barbatos…

Kazuha felt the sudden rush of memories coming back.

The cuddling. The teasing from his companions. The-

He hid his face in the crook of your neck.

“Shit.”

You started to laugh as Kazuha reminisced on everything.

The kissing. The confessions. Oh my archons he really did seem to make a fool out of himself.

“Don’t be so embarrassed, I found it pretty cute.”

Kazuha groaned, turning his head back to look at you. “Well, that was definitely not how I planned on confessing to you. But, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.”

He smiled at you, getting over the humiliation and focusing on the present, which was you.

You smiled back at him, before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips, pulling him closer.

Kazuha felt as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

This was when he completely melted. The softness of your lips, the gentle hold you had on him. He wished to wake to your beautiful face every morning to come. He wished the moment could last forever.

Your lips tugging and pulling at the other, letting light hums escape time to time, the warmth and comfort of each other’s love had you both letting the carefully guarded vulnerability seep out through ways words could never describe.

You cupped his face as he tangled his hands in your hair, allowing the kiss to get more passionate. You allowed Kazuha’s tongue into your mouth, feeling your heart jump at each press of your intertwined muscles. Lips molding into each other, your breaths running out from the desperation of another.

Unfortunately, oxygen was needed as you both reluctantly part for air, panting lightly while gazing deeply into the other’s eyes.

“Kazuha?”

“Yes, dove?”

“Did you mean it, when you told me that you loved me?” A pit of nervousness gathered in your stomach.

He felt warmth creeping up again.

“Yes.” He smiled softly, caressing your face gently. “I love you, more than you could ever imagine.”

Smiling in relief, you leaned closer to his lips once again. “And I, love you more than any universe could allow.”

With that, the new lovers connected their lips once more, basking in each other’s presence.

—

“Where the hell are they?” Lumine sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. “They’re ten minutes late.”

“They’re probably fu- mmph!” Paimon covered Xinyan’s mouth with haste, looking at Fischl and Mona nervously with a apologetic smile.

“These mere peasants dare keep thy Prinzessin awaiting for thou? I do have pressing matters to attend to with thy Immernachtreich blooming upon thine people,” Fischl huffed. “Mein Fräulein means, she would like to hurry up and go on the adventure,” Oz translates.

“Shall I divinate the answer?” Mona pulled her scryglass out.

“Look! There they are!” Paimon pointed at the two figures approaching them.

“Sorry we’re late,” you grinned. “Got caught up in some stuff.”

“Stuff, huh?” Xinyan took a teasing glance at Kazuha, who simply looked away to hide the growing blush dusting his face.

“Would the stuff happen to be Kaz-” “Okay!” Lumine cleared her throat, clapping her hands together.

“Let’s get on with the adventure!”

As the others went ahead, you couldn’t help but intertwine your hand with Kazuha’s, feeling comfort in his touch.

“Are you two coming or not?” Xinyan yelled back at the pair.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” you laughed. Sharing a smile with Kazuha, the two of you ran to catch up, ready to embark on a new adventure.

#kazuhaxreader #drunk kazuha #kazuha x you #kaedahara kazuha x reader #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha #genshinimpact #genshin #genshin impact x reader #fic #drunk kazuha got me feelin some typa way #bleedingwhiteroses222

[averageallogene]

Gorou ditches you at the wedding alter after Kokomi convinces him to elope with her.

Thank the Archons Kazuha/Heizou is there to save the day.

Gorou ♡⊹˚ For a brighter future (SFW)

fem. reader (3rd person) ; angst. cw for cheating.

5k words.

notes. This hurt a little to write but I suppose it’s only fair since it’s an angsty request </3. I do hope it is to your liking!~ Enjoy! ✧˖°

Life in Watatsumi Island wasn’t easy. The soils weren’t fertile, supplies were hard to come by, nevermind the conflict with the Shogunate that had still left gashing wounds to heal. Nevertheless and despite it all, the inhabitants were overall content with what they had, thanking the leadership of their Divine Priestess for everything finally beginning to turn out better after a gruesome war.

Even so, there remained a lingering fear in the air. Many soldiers refused to lay down their weapons still, continuously dawning their armor as everyone did everything they could to rebuild their home anew. There was an overall sense of suffocation in the air, its hold loose enough to at least let the islanders breathe. Life slowly got back to normal as Kokomi did everything she could to negotiate with the Shogunate for the benefit of Watatsumi, her troops slowly turning a new leaf as some sought new jobs to take.

“Your condition’s improved,” A soothing voice beamed, smiling at the soldier before noting down his progress. The man looked up to their chief medic, or more precisely the best equivalent they’d been able to get during times of war, a hopeful gleam and a sigh of relief escaping him. “Perhaps two more weeks and you’ll be able to begin your new job.”

“Thank you, Doctor [F/N]!” He’d roared, still too accustomed to exclaim each sentence like the soldiers would do at camp. 

“Please, it’s nothing.” The young woman smiled, before soon enough dismissing him. Just as he left her tent, he turned around with a wide smile.

“Oh - And, congratulations to you and General Gorou!” He saluted her, before leaving hastily.

[F/N] couldn’t help but smile, cheeks burning with a bright shade of red. Her fingers tapped the pen to her clipboard eagerly, heart pitter pattering as she thought back on the countdown ‘til the big day. She’d still find herself reminiscing back to the day she’d proposed to him, tearful gaze as she wrapped his bandages, pouring her heart out for him.

“Promise me you’ll be back!” She’d wept, Gorou’s ears lowering softly as he took his hand in hers.

“[F/N]... I promise you. I’d never ever leave you alone.” His words flowed with confidence, prompting her to look up at him as she sniffed her stuffy nose.

“Then promise me you’ll get back, and you’ll marry me once this war is over.” [F/N] had stuttered out, watching as his face suddenly burst with color. His hold on her hand had faltered, yet ultimately, under a trembling tone, he’d promised her.

She still would laugh occasionally, shaking her head as she sighed quietly. Goodness, she would’ve much rather had proposed in a more romantic setting, yet the overflowing emotions had made other plans. In the end though, they had indeed waited for the war to be over, Gorou returning to Watatsumi Island. Resting was necessary first and foremost, and after the fact, [F/N] had begun making preparations for their wedding, consulting with her beloved whenever he had time.

She was positively ecstatic, and even though she could most definitely notice the nervous gleam on her boyfriend’s face, he’d reassured her over and over he’d be fine. Gorou had always been a little more antsy when it came to more intimate subjects, yet [F/N] respected and loved him all the same. 

She’d already sent out the invitations for their friends and family to come attend the ceremony, and amongst them was one of their closest mutual friends, Kaedehara Kazuha. He was due to reach land any day now, just in time for the wedding to take place under the blessing of their Divine Priestess, who, to [F/N], appeared happy for them.

Just as she wrapped up for the day, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard, the cloth being moved to the side before a familiar voice called out.

“Hello, [F/N]. I hope I’m not intruding?” Kazuha called out with a warm smile, watching as the woman turned around to greet him with joy.

“Kazuha! You made it!” She quickly approached him, the friends enveloping in a tight embrace as they swayed to one side, then the other. They laughed in unison for a moment, retreating from the hug before she glanced at him with palpable happiness. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing great, thank you.” He nodded politely, a hand resting on her shoulder. “Thank you for the invite, I wouldn’t miss the ceremony for nothing.”

“Oh, please. We couldn’t not invite you nor the rest of the crew!” [F/N] beamed in response, inviting him to take a quick stroll throughout the beautiful Watatsumi landscape that surrounded her working station.

“How have you been? And Gorou, as well?” He quizzed, smiling as he glanced around, basking in the ethereal beauty of the island.

“We’ve been doing great. The injured soldiers have been recovering well, and Gorou’s been talking about some possible jobs he’s been considering on taking after retiring as a general - speaking of which… I still haven’t seen him today. He’s been rather busy…”

“There’s still a lot he must do, I presume?” Kazuha innocently assumed, watching as the man’s girlfriend nodded her head with confidence. “Even if peace has been achieved, him and Lady Sangonomiya are certainly still wrapping everything up to ensure the security of Watatsumi Island.”

“Mhm. I deeply admire them both.” The woman sighed with a content smile, watching as the nearest village to them bustled with activity, people actively putting their best effort as they worked their day away. “We’re lucky to have them here in Watatsumi Island.”

Kazuha nodded, smiling still. “How have the preparations for the wedding been going?”

“Oh,” Her shoulders tensed slightly, a dust of pink decorating her cheeks. “Mostly well. Gorou has been a little hesitant with making any mutual decisions, but he’s been ensuring me he’ll be content with whatever choices I make.”

“Nervous, mhm?” He’d chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He’d offered his friend a kind expression, a friendly pat on her back to accompany it. “If you need any assistance, I’m here to aid.”

“Kazuha, there’s no need-” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Though, of course, I deeply appreciate it! I just don’t want to burden our guests with boring wedding preparations.”

“Please, it’s not a burden.” He shook his head vigorously, palm placing against his chest as he bowed his head. “I simply wish to offer my support to two friends whom I cherish a lot.”

“Ah,” [F/N] couldn’t help but smile, chest beaming with joy. Kazuha was just precious. “Thank you, truly!"

It felt like a relief to have a friend helping with whatever last minute preparations were needed, and Kazuha offered insight [F/N] hadn't even considered when thinking by herself. The days were counting down quickly, and despite both being utterly busy, she sought her soon-to-be-husband every night, hoping to spend some time with him under the stars. He seemed more bashful than what was to be expected of the otherwise professional general, yet under the immense love and hopes [F/N] carried, she could only view him through rose tinted glasses.

"Tomorrow’s the day,” She’d breathed out, a smile accompanying the deep blush that adorned her pretty cheeks. She shyly held his hand, fingers playing with his ones as they remained together, walking slowly across the fields of their Island. “How are you feeling?”

“U-Uh,” He’d breathed out sharply, blue gaze averting hers as he looked into the horizon. His hand hesitated to find her own, to his side his girlfriend waiting patiently for his response. 

“Nervous?” His fiancé quietly responded for him, watching as his tail and ears lowered in what she had assumed was vulnerability.

“I-I suppose that’s normal?” Gorou answered in a trembling tone, heart clenching as he felt her hold his hand tighter, squeezing him in a reassuring manner.

“Of course it is!” [F/N] responded, bringing herself closer before hugging him from his side. “I too am a little nervous… It’s a very important day, after all. But I’m sure everything will go well.”

“Mhm…” He’d nodded, eyes still out to the sea. It wasn’t long before they retired for the night, the following day beginning bright and early.

[F/N] had the help of friends preparing for the ceremony, the garbs proving a little difficult to get rightfully assorted. To a general and a medical assistant, such things were rather confusing to understand, and as such, a few of her closest female friends were quick to jump in and help making sure everything was rightfully prepared.

“No, no, this layer is under here-” An older woman was heard saying, taking the lead while [F/N] had her makeup applied and hair done.

She couldn’t be happier. As she watched herself through the mirror, she could feel her heart racing, eyes gazing back at herself as the echoing sound of the waves could be heard not far. Her mind wandered back to a particular event, not long after the war had ceased. She remembered taking a stroll through the pearly sands with Gorou, hands held together as their arms swayed softly, with rhythm. They held their shoes with their other hands, chatting and laughing before coming to a stop on a deserted spot and placing them to the side. Their feet were washed with the soothing waves as the cool waters brushed against them, the two gazing out into the horizon as they spoke of their hopes and dreams.

“I can’t believe we’ve won…” He’d confided in her, voice going more quiet as she offered him a reassuring squeeze. “I can’t believe I’m back in one piece, while so many…”

“Gorou… They would’ve wanted you to carry on.” [F/N] spoke softly, watching as he took a deep breath before nodding. Quietly, she passed him a few flowers, offering him a quiet and reassuring smile before he held her closer.

“Thank you.” He’d sighed softly, the two turning to the sea before praying together. “To a brighter future for Watatsumi Island.”

“Yes, for a brighter future.” She’d repeated, the two of them then taking a moment for their silent wishes. 

“For a bright future with you, my Gorou.” She thought to herself, the pair throwing their flowers to the calming sea.

“You look radiant!” The welcomed voice to Kazuha beamed as he cut her off from her daydream. His face quickly shifted to confusion though, as the women urged him to leave them to prepare the bride.

“No, it’s okay!” She laughed with great joy, welcoming him inside. Turning in her seat, he took his hands in hers, smiling back before promising her helpers he wouldn’t be long.

“I just wanted to give you my sincerest congratulations one more time,” He proclaimed, his soul beaming with happiness simply to see his friend so happy. “May your marriage be blessed, and may the wind guide you both to happiness.”

“Thank you, Kazuha. We both deeply thank you.” [F/N] smiled, tearing up with emotions before having one of her friends frantically clean the corners of her eyes.

“Ah, no crying now! I just applied the eyeshadow, too!” She retorted lightheartedly, the bride chuckling quietly before murmuring excuses. 

The room remained in high spirits for the entirety of the morning, [F/N] soon being fully prepared as her side of the wedding party remained oblivious to what was to come. Kazuha helped her and the rest of the party in bringing everything else needed to the shrine, where the ceremony was expected to take place. The bride was kept securely out of her groom’s sight, wishing to surprise him with her appearance as the ceremony was set to begin. Her legs couldn’t remain still, the woman clearly giddy to see her beloved as she finally tied the knot with him. Her hands grasped the shiromuku she wore, quietly nipping at her lower lip as Kazuha offered to remain close until the time came.

The sun was high before time had finally arrived, [F/N] waiting patiently to be signaled that the ceremony would begin with her arrival. She waited, and waited, time moved on, yet she patiently told herself delays were bound to occur. Many women who’d been married before her warned her of so, how schedules for weddings were very difficult to pull off without any bumps, so she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. Her eyes were curiously gazing around, watching from afar the guests that waited as well, idly chatting away as even Beidou and her crew sat amongst the crowd. 

It wasn’t until a soldier approached them, more precisely approached Kazuha, that an alarm rang inside her head. The samurai approached the young man after excusing himself from her side, the bride watching as they turned their backs on her before discussing something in private. [F/N] watched closely, Kazuha remaining calm in his body language before looking at the man with an indecipherable expression. He curtly nodded before they were left alone again, returning to his friend’s side as he cleared his throat.

“What’s the matter? Is everything alright?” [F/N] inquired softly, her head tilting slightly before watching him nod his head.

“Yes, no need to worry,” Kazuha focused his hardest to pull his calm demeanor off, waving over one of her friends that had helped her prepare for her wedding. “I only need to leave for a moment, they need me to help with something else. I’ll be back shortly, yes?”

“Oh, alright,” He watched with a clenching heart as she smiled his way. “Don’t take too long! The ceremony should begin at any moment.”

“Right,” He breathed out, and before anything else was said, he was gone, leaving the two women to converse while he was away.

As soon as [F/N] was out of his sight, Kazuha’s expression shifted to both horror and confusion. He could hardly believe the soldier when he’d hurried told him, how nobody could find the groom on his damned wedding day. In honesty, the wandering samurai stood currently more worried for his friend than anything, his will to believe in his friends until the very end keeping him moving as he joined with the others.

“I’m here,” He’d breathed out, the men gazing at him with just as worried expressions. “No one has seen Gorou, is that true?”

“W-We’re afraid so,” One man stuttered out, fingers running through his dark hair as they all looked at one another. “Last we heard, he was finishing getting ready in his montsuki… He requested he needed a minute, a-and we obliged- You know, thinking he just needed a breather!”

“Of course, it’s none of your fault,” Kazuha reassured the men, trying to remain level headed on amidst the confusion. “Still, this isn’t like him. We need to find him, and ensure he’s safe before [F/N] hears of this. Last thing we want is to stress her out more than she already is.”

“Right!” The men were quick to reply, soon scattering before searching all across the vicinity, and even further beyond into the island. 

Some even went as far as going further south, closing in on Gorou’s personal quarters in their search of him. Kazuha aided in the search of course, discreetly requesting Beidou and the other members of the crew to distract [F/N] while they sorted everything out. Even though his hope for his friend shone brightly, something in the pit of his stomach told him this was very wrong. Something wasn’t right, the wind blew to his ear. He could feel his heartbeat increasing as he moved swiftly, dedicating his search near the main shrine in hopes of spotting his friend.

“Lady Sangonomiya?! Goodness, Lady Sangonomiya, where have you gone!” He heard one of the shrine maidens shout out, his eyes gluing on the figure before approaching. Kazuha could watch as other maidens gathered around the older woman, all with horror written on their faces as she held a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. 

“What’s the matter?” Kazuha’s voice could be heard, his gaze narrowing ever so slightly as he watched the women jump in unison upon realizing his arrival. “Did Lady Sangonomiya hide somewhere?” 

“L-Lord Kaedehara,” One of the shrine maidens murmured, the long sleeves hiding her nervous expression as she was quickly ordered to hush. It didn’t go unnoticed by him, however, who reached their side with an equally worried expression. 

“Kazuha is alright,” He quickly corrected, before searching for answers with the women. “[F/N] has told me she has a little hideout where she often spends some time alone, have you searched in there?”

“We have searched everywhere,” The older woman sighed in defeat, her head shaking as her tone trembled with both anger and disappointment. “We cannot find the Divine Priestess, and-”

“She’s missing too?” He breathed out, his heart growing heavier as he subconsciously pieced everything together.

“Oh no- He knows-” Someone behind the maidens facing him squeaked, his head rapidly turning in her direction before she cowered away in horror.

“Know what?” Kazuha quickly questioned, his normally warm gaze narrowing before turning to the elder maiden. 

Seeing no reason to attempt to fix the chaos that had ensued, the woman’s expression faltered, Kazuha’s following with sheer surprise as he waited for a verbal explanation. The shrine maidens murmured to one another, words of disbelief rippling through the air as they all voiced their discontentment with the outcome. 

“Lord Kaedehara,” her eyebrows furrowed as she finally ceased to attempt hiding the letter she held in her hand. The woman carefully passed it to him, watching as he moved slowly to take it in his grasp. “I… I’m most regretful to give you this, yet… We found this in Lady Sangonomiya’s quarters not long ago this morning.”

Kazuha carefully flipped the letter open, the delicate penmanship being a clue of its authenticity. His gaze scanned through the words Kokomi had written, expression shifting as his heart churned in horror to what he read. His mind attempted to process what was before him, all the while the women discussed in a hushed hurry just how they were supposed to go on from there.

“To whoever finds this letter, me and Gorou have decided to elope. Looking for us is futile, for whenever this is found amidst my personal headquarters, we’ve long gone. I regret for you all to have to find out like this, and to you all, I sincerely apologize. To [F/N], I apologize even more, yet neither of us can deny the love we feel for one another. For all that we’ve been through, we’ve come to terms that we do not wish to solely remain as friends, but what we feel transcends beyond that. I hope you may all learn to forgive us for this selfish act, but the heart wants what it wants.

Yours truly, your Divine Priestess

Sangonomiya Kokomi”

What had he just read, Kazuha repeatedly thought to himself. He couldn’t hide his disbelief, never having even entertained the thought of either of them being able to stab their friend on her back. His heart clenched for [F/N], the way she’d voiced her admiration for them both crossing back in his mind. [F/N]... His head turned around to look at them, trying to come back to earth to quickly deal with the situation.

“Are we absolutely sure you’ve looked everywhere for Lady Sangonomiya?” He inquired, his grip on the letter tightening to a point where his hand slightly trembled.

“Y-Yes, we haven’t yet found her nor General Gorou.”

“We must leave for the island’s harbor- We may yet still be able to catch them before they flee.” He frantically explained to them, the maidens hastily nodding their heads before trying to successfully deal with the situation. 

The women dispatched some of Gorou’s soldiers, hastily explaining the situation to them before they were off to the small harbor they had built on their island. Panic was rapidly building up, disbelief and even disgust for their general’s actions spreading through the soldiers that attempted to find them both before it was too late.

Kazuha himself joined the search, wishing to bring them to reason before everything crumbled to pieces. All he could think about was his worry for [F/N], who for all he knew, still waited for her fiancé by the altar. As he passed by the front of the shrine, his eyes crossed with Beidou’s, who quickly deduced something was deeply wrong. His mind panicked, not for the Captain of his ship knowing, but for not seeing [F/N] by her side. 

“What’s happening out there, Kazuha?” Beidou had asked him, arms folding across her chest as her face frowned in worry. 

“It’s a horrible mess,” He’d confessed, fingers resting against his temple as he looked around. “Where’s [F/N]? Did she leave your side?”

“She was growing worried for General Gorou, it was becoming harder to keep her anchored to her spot.” She reasoned, head shaking from side to side as she continued. “Then, we heard some shrine maidens pass by, murmuring about their Priestess being missing too. What’s that all about?”

Kazuha bit the inside of his cheek, his head spinning with worry as he cursed their predicament. It wouldn’t take long for gossip to flow back to [F/N], her finding out the tragic truth in the absolutely worst way possible. As he fumbled with his sleeve to take out the letter he still held, he sighed heavily to Beidou.

“Do you know which way she went?” He hastily inquired, presenting her the crumbled letter.

“That way, I believe.” Beidou pointed to the way where they’d come from before reaching the ceremonial sight, hesitantly taking the piece of paper.

“This should give you a brief idea of what is happening. Please, do your best to contain the gossip, I promise I’ll make it up to you for this ordeal.” He sighed before he was gone with the wind, his feet carrying him swiftly through the soil of the island.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest, breathing rapidly as he looked every possible way for the sight of [F/N]. His mind raced with all possible scenarios, hoping he wouldn’t be too late to still shield her from finding out in a terrible manner. Kazuha found himself cursing repeatedly, trying to find any possible reasoning as to why Gorou would ever think of betraying his lover in such a bitter fashion. 

His feet came to a halt as he reached the small village in which [F/N] resided, the sight of her elegantly dressed figure appearing in the distance as she looked around. He found himself sighing in temporary relief, her expression appearing far too calm for someone who would’ve found out what had transpired earlier that morning.

“[F/N]!” He’d beckoned her, watching as she turned around with a worried expression. To her side were two women, her closest confidants as they helped her search on her own whilst ensuring her bridal gown remained undirtied.

“Kazuha! Have you seen Gorou anywhere?” She hastily reached his side, the samurai taking her hands in his. Her glimmering gaze jumped around still, his heart clenching within his ribcage as it broke in her name. “I’ve heard he’s been gone for a while… Surely he’s just trying to gather his thoughts, but I’m getting worried…”

“[F/N], I…” He found his words choking him, unsure of how to even tackle the situation. The way she eyed him nearly broke him, the thought of having to break the news to her sounding far too cruel. Yet all the same, his friend deserved to know the truth, bringing him to an awkward position. The otherwise eloquent poet found himself in a stalemate, unsure on how to voice himself for once. 

“If I find either of them they’re dead meat!” A sudden roar could be heard, Kazuha flinching quietly as he watched [F/N] turn her gaze to where the voices could be heard.

In the distance Beidou could be seen, hastily making her way to where the Crux had been anchored for the time being. Her men followed right behind her, an aura of pure anger emanating from them as everything seemed to come to a standstill.

“Kazuha?... What’s happening?” [F/N]’s voice lowered, seeking answers on the face of her close friend.

He took a breath in, eyes closing for a mere moment. “[F/N]... I can’t believe I’ll have to be the one to break the news to you, but-”

“Is Gorou alright?!” She cut him off, her voice trembling as her grip on his hands tightened.

Kazuha’s heart finally broke for her, her worry for him no longer being justified. For all he cared, his friend’s getaway ship could sink at that very moment, for he no longer viewed him as the valiant general he once thought he was. He nodded his head, gazing to the girls that remained by their side before quietly telling them to give them a moment alone.

“As far as we’re aware he’s alright, but… Here, let’s take a seat okay?” He calmly suggested, bringing her to the side before they sat together on the steps that led to their humble house. Kazuha continued to hold her hands, looking to the ground for a solid moment before finally coming out with it. “[F/N], I’m so sorry. But the truth is, we believe that Gorou and Lady Sangonomiya have… Ran away, and eloped together.”

Kazuha’s experiences in his rather rough life couldn’t have ever prepared him for the way he watched his friend break in front of him. Her expression, at first starting calm yet worried, slowly warped to confusion, disbelief, then finally hitting hard with all the sorrow and anguish.

“W…What?” She’d let out in a trembling voice, the tears rapidly building up in her eyes. “S-Surely you’re kidding… Right? This has to be a big misunderstanding… Right?”

The way Kazuha eyed her quietly was enough of an answer for her. His usually warm smile was replaced with an empathetic frown, his calloused thumbs stroking the back of her hands as she slowly let go of his hands. 

“No… N-No, no I simply can’t believe that, surely there’s another explanation for this… Right Kazuha? Right?... He…” Kazuha’s hands slowly reached for her face, stroking her cheeks as his thumbs wiped her tears away. “He would never… They’d never?...”

“I’m so sorry, [F/N]... I really am sorry…” He quietly murmured, his forehead resting against her own as he hushed her softly, her hands gripping against his wrists as they remained there.

“How… How did you find out? Why did they do this?... Why…” [F/N] was downright sobbing at that point, her tears overflowing his attempts to hold them back, running down her reddened cheeks as they dripped down to her until then immaculate shiromuku. 

“Lady Sangonomiya left a letter in her quarters explaining their absence.” He explained with a soothing tone, eyebrows furrowed in pain as she lowered her head, hiccuping in anguish.

“How could they do this!...” [F/N] muttered, her anger coming out choked amidst her sobs as her voice cracked. Her words came out slurred amidst her sobs, Kazuha gently rocking her from side to side as he hushed her calmly. “I trusted them! I thought that… That he loved me… How could he…”

Her friends were rushing back with panic in their eyes, having too heard of the terrible news. Their hands held their kimonos slightly up so they could run, yet when they found the two of them on the set of stairs, the two women stopped moving. They shared a glance with Kazuha, the man quietly asking for them to remain back. It was too late, and [F/N] had finally come to learn of the bitter truth of her once-to-be-husband. 

She’d been left at the altar, a fate no bride ever wished to experience.

“He’s horrible! He’s… D-Despicable! I hate him!” [F/N] sobbed louder, her nose puffy as she sniffled against Kazuha’s warm embrace. He was still attempting to dry her tears, his hands offering her a droplet of comfort amidst the sea of sorrows she felt.

“He is.” The samurai agreed with her, his own tone low as he urged her to let it all out. “He’s the absolute worst, undeserving of you, [F/N]...”

“How could he betray me like this! HOW COULD HE!” [F/N] finally screamed it out, finding solace in his arms as he held her tightly. His hand came to rest atop her head, stroking through her elaborately done hair as he continued to rock them gently. Kazuha’s chin rested against her, biting his tongue before he would say even worse things about his previous friend. Instead, he hushed her softly, providing the needed comfort as his gaze wandered into the distance.

What was supposed to be the happiest day of her life quickly turned into possibly one of the worst. No longer did Watatsumi Island feel like home for [F/N], no longer did the once beautiful scenery feel like where she belonged. The home she once shared with her beloved now felt disgusting, her love for it turning into desire to watch it burn. No longer was their house filled with laughter, it now drowned with a sea of tears as she hastily gathered every important item she owned. Every picture of them was broken, the shiromuku she’d worn on their supposed wedding day was sealed back into a box and thrown to a corner. 

For a few days the Crux had remained in Watatsumi by Kazuha’s request, both offering [F/N] their condolences and remaining on the lookout for either of the bastards that had caused her broken heart. Everything seemed to move in a blur, days becoming dull in the otherwise picturesque island… Thankfully, amidst the heartbreak, a beacon of light manifested itself in Kazuha, remaining by her side for as long as she needed to think of what to do next. He remained there, palm on her back, suggesting ideas for what to do next. [F/N] couldn’t thank enough for his presence, for he helped her gradually come to terms with her new reality.

And as the Crux fleet finally raised their anchor from the harbor, [F/N] gazed back one final time. She’d made up her mind, she was no longer at home in a place where she’d been betrayed by the two people she admired the most. As the ship finally began to sail, her hair blew in the wind, tears threatening to fall once more before she wiped them away. Nearby remained Kazuha, her gaze glued to her back as he silently offered his support in whatever decision she decided to make. In her hand, a lonesome flower blew with the breeze, her gentle grasp letting it fall before inevitably falling to the sea.

“For a brighter future… On my own.”

#genshin impact #genshin impact gorou x reader #genshin gorou x reader #gorou x reader #genshin impact angst #yoko drabbles

[crimsonji]

hellooo!! may I request a kazuha x gn!reader who has a passion for music?? 👀

୨୧ Ballads of Scarlet Winds

ft. kazuha x gn!reader

cw: bullet point paragraphs + random scenarios, reader is a musical prodigy and plays many instruments, reader has a hydro vision, traveler and paimon mentioned, poetic bullshit /lh, pure fluff

>> 🍁 kazuha’s musings: THIS IS SO CUTE GRGAH. thank you for requesting this oh my gosh. I’m very musically illiterate so if u actually play violin I’m sorry if my description of reader playing it isn’t very accurate… I was thinking about final duet when writing that part

It’s clear that Kazuha himself has a great appreciation for the arts, from poetry to painting, any kind of art form is what soothes his mind from any ill thoughts of the past that traverse in the ronin’s brain at times.

Kazuha has an open mind, even finding something as uncharacteristic as rock and roll music to pique his interests. When he discovered your love for musical play, he was all the more happy to listen to you play or simply talk about the inner workings of creating melodic harmonies.

Kazuha doesn’t like to pride himself on being musically talented, adamant that all he can do is play a simple tune on a leaf or compose a few haikus in his spare time. He offers many praises for your talents, and he seems flattered all the same when you say his “limited skills” (his words) in flowery poetry and music are just as wonderful.

He admires people with a passion, some kind of goal or way of life that encourages them to wake up in the morning and bring them a kind of joy like no other. Kazuha presumes that’s why you were blessed with a vision by the hydro archon, comparing the calming flow of rivers and passionate thrash of ocean waves to your music; the sound ringing in his ears stirring something deep within his heart, sometimes so strong they feel like flashes of thunderous roars and whirling winds in the sea.

Kazuha swears he can see the pure joy and passion in your irises like the way your vision bubbles and glows with elemental energy and human determination. That sparkle grows more apparent when you’re playing an instrument, the harmonized tunes dancing across the winds of early autumn alongside scarlet leaves. The sound hums and bellows, seeping deep into your bones as if the instrument is an extension of your being.

Even when Kazuha is not with you in the lands of Inazuma, even if he may be nations away, he’ll still hear an all-too familiar tune that floats in the wind.

“Do you hear that?” Kazuha closes his eyes with a soft smile on his features, arms leaned against the railings of the Crux.

“Hear what?” Paimon turned to Kazuha with a puzzled frown, “All I can hear is the ocean.” Paimon, Kazuha, and the Traveler were aboard the Crux once again; the commotion of the Vision Hunt Decree had long ended, but Kazuha had suggested they take a visit to his hometown as fall was fast approaching and Beidou’s crew was planning to pick up a load of fireworks.

“There’s a familiar tune in the wind, and I believe I know just who it is.” he muses, stroking the fibers of a maple leaf in the tips of his fingers; Paimon hummed, closing her eyes as if she’d be able to hear the sound Kazuha was talking about any better.

“Ah, I give up — Paimon doesn’t have super-hearing like Kazuha!” the Traveler chuckles lightly at Paimon, turning to Kazuha “Maybe it’d be easier if you explained what it sounds like?” they asked.

Kazuha hums, giving it some thought before nodding in agreement “I suppose I could try to explain it, but it’s much better if you were to listen to them in person.” he coughs lightly into the fist of his hand, like preparing for a speech.

“No matter where I am, I’m always able to hear something reminiscent of clear water running down a stream; a melodic harmony sung by someone very dear to my heart. It’s never a specific tune, at times it seems content, other times filled with great turmoil. The sound always brings me at peace from the way it rings in my ears, dare I say it competes with even the best of wine and poetry.”

The Traveler and Paimon stare at Kazuha almost in awe, him laughing in a slightly sheepish manner before turning his gaze back to the infinite horizon of the sea. “That melody must be really important to you.” the Traveler mutters thoughtfully, a considerate smile on their features.

“It is,” Kazuha nods, “I’m still able to hear it even in the harshest of thunderstorms and rainfalls; like it urges me to not lose hope.”

“Are they in Inazuma? They sound like an amazing musician—!” Paimon was suddenly giddy, bouncing on her toes in the air beside the blonde Traveler.

“Yes, a part of my reason for returning to Inazuma was to visit them for short while, I’m sure they’d be happy to meet you two as well.”

“Maybe they can teach Paimon how to play the lyre!”

“Hey! I’m not that bad at it— You’re just a bad teacher!”

-

When you offered Kazuha to share some of your musical literacy with him, he was beyond happy to oblige. It comes to him quite naturally, the way his slender fingers; one veiled in white bandages, pluck at the fibrous strings of one of your instruments to create a simple tune sends you into a silent trance. He’s all the more quick to notice, but he finds it more endearing that he’s worthy enough to be stared at with such affection.

“You can try if you like.” You smiled warmly at Kazuha as you held out the vintage lyre in front of him.

His eyes widened a bit, staring down at the item before looking back up at you with tinges of hesitance laced into his expression.

“Are you sure? I know you really love this lyre.” it was almost cute how concerned and respectful he was over using or touching other people’s belongings, but you simply outstretched your palm further to show your certainty. “Kazuha, you’re one of the most gentle people I know, I trust you.”

His eyes softened at your comforting words, his hand gently taking the instrument from your grasp. You inched closer to him from where you two sat and placed your hands against his, guiding him as to how he should be holding the lyre. You were too engrossed in showing him the basics that you seemed to have missed the prominent blush that outlined Kazuha’s handsome features, staring almost dumbfoundedly at his nimble fingers that were held against yours.

“…Then take your thumb and pointer finger and…” he shook his head in defiance once a sudden note vibrated from the gentle pluck of your finger, glazed eyes focusing again. You titled your head in confusion, looking up at Kazuha to observe his almost nervous expression? Right, you’re probably used to this kind of contact from showing friends and family how to play, Kazuha thought.

When the pieces clicked together, you couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips. “It’s rare that I see Kaedehara Kazuha look embarrassed.” he coughed, turning his attention back onto the lyre as an attempt to ignore your teasing remark. He plucked at some of the strings to listen to their sound, feeling you pull your hands away from their hold on him. A part of him was slightly disappointed by the lack of proximity, but he saw you were still sitting close by him expectantly.

“Don’t expect me to be as skilled as you are, dove.” Kazuha smiled bashfully without meeting your warm gaze, you shook your head with a smile on your lips in a playful manner.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, it shouldn’t matter if it sounds good or not as long as it’s coming from the heart. Well, that’s just what I think.”

You and Kazuha stayed in a comfortable silence after that, calmly listening to Kazuha’s at first hesitant tugs on each string, watching him grow slowly more adjusted to the instrument before finding his own sweet melody. You couldn’t deny how beautiful at peace he looked like this, his bangs draped slightly over his eyes and lose strands placed haphazardly that only seemed to enhance how handsome he looked. The soft smile that tugged at his lips made your heart swell, eyes traveling towards the lyre that was currently in Kazuha’s possession.

Fingers laced every string with care, playing a simple repetitive tune. You couldn’t help but smile yourself, he looked so happy like this, just like the way you felt whenever your fingertips created so many unique sounds and wordless lyrics. The thought made you want to impulsively kiss him, if you were being honest.

“A wonderful view, isn’t it?” Kazuha’s words fluttered against your ears, suddenly being pulled out of your own thoughts. “I’m flattered that I’m so interesting to be stared at by you.” the meaning behind his words made your eyes widen, lips parted but the flimsy defense stuck in your throat. You could hear him laugh in a lighthearted tone, making your heart flutter even more and cheeks deepen in colour.

“I’m just teasing, love. I can’t have you always being the one making my heart flutter, can I?”

-

(I have no introductory prompt/line for this just enjoy.)

It was a quiet day on Narukami Island, the two of you deciding to find a place to rest as you were restless from the anticipation of showing your boyfriend a violin you recently bought from Fontaine. It was freshly out of the box, the dark wood practically shimmering as you refused to use it without Kazuha first.

“I don’t have anything written.” you sheepishly laughed, gently wrapping your fingers around the bow and positioning the base of the violin so it rests against the crook of your neck as your hand supports the end.

“Play whatever comes to mind, I’m confident whatever you play will sound wonderful.” Kazuha gives you an encouraging smile, sitting peacefully on a rock as he gives you a nod.

The nod he gave was good-natured, silently telling you that you had nothing to worry about and to trust your capabilities. You smiled widely, taking in a deep breath of fresh air that cooled and spread across your lungs. Closing your eyes, the bow slid gracefully against the thinly woven strings that vibrated and echoed across the field. You were slowly finding your footing, searching for the melody that floated along the scarlet hills and oceanic waves like fragments of glass shards.

The airy sound of your violin presented unsure, maybe even anxious from the way it trembled ever so slightly; shards and mismatched pieces clicking together with each stroke of the arched bow. The unnamed tune echoing and swimming across the gentle waves and winds of Narukami felt like it was seeping deep within your soul; you hoped that Kazuha felt this way, too, the pure serene calmness that swelled your heart, the love for the man that listened and hung onto every improvised note and melody that bubbled underneath like it was going to burst.

You can’t tell how long you played for, not even Kazuha; all that truly mattered was the satisfaction of that final note drawing your finished portrait to a close, even if the song could have gone for seemingly forever. When you opened your eyes, you were met with such a beautiful, wonderful sight. Kazuha’s eyes were shining like the intricate and flowing shades of red that weaved itself in the strings of a maple leaf, hints and glimmers of bewilderment and whole-hearted love strung along the vibrant colours of Kazuha’s irises. The smile that was unashamedly wide was genuine, lips curved upwards and painted with a pretty pink.

“I think I know why your sound always travels in the wind so vibrantly,” the violin and bow was carefully returned to the velvet enclosed case before you turned back to Kazuha, who now stood up from his seat on the rock and moved closer to you so a bandaged hand could find its way on your cheek. “every note is played with such freedom and ambition, the gods of this world carry every note for the whole world to listen.”

Your face flushes, feeling the winds pick up as its breeze brushes against your hot cheeks. You both grinned at each other, Kazuha’s thumb grazing across your cheek; the small contact making your heart embarrassingly flip in your chest. He somehow looked even prettier up close, face inching closer as you closed your eyes in anticipation. It felt almost painful, those few remaining seconds until your lover’s lips finally pressed against yours so wonderfully that you may as well have started melting.

Your heart beated and thumped heavy in your ears, the taste of Kazuha’s lips light on your tongue while u absentmindedly pressed your palms against his chest. His own heart trembled in an uneven pace against yours, sporadic in its rate as if he himself was embarrassed to some degree as well. You smiled at the possibility, curved lips pressing further against your lover’s so the strands of his white hair tickled your face.

Maybe the greatest melody of all was you and Kazuha’s heartbeats.

Kazuha always keeps an eye out for interesting things to bring to you from his journeys, more specifically instruments. Of course, buying musical devices aren’t in the salary margin of a wandering samurai like Kazuha, but his everlasting politeness and interest in the arts always manage him to land up with a new free trinket to bring next time he visits.

When he got his hands on the Floral Zither, he was all the more excited to send it to you. Kazuha made it a priority to write a letter to you as soon as possible.

Musical Interest

Sender: Kaedehara Kazuha

Time/Date: 20XX-XX-XX 00:00

Apologies if I’ve been overzealous with my letter-sending recently, many interesting things happen as a wanderer and it’s difficult to not share these stories with your loved ones, and that includes you.

I had recently obtained something called a Floral Zither, it was quite beaten down when I received it but I had managed to replace the strings and fine-tune it to the best of my abilities, but you have much more experience in this area then I do.

It makes quite the interesting sound, almost like a buzzing bee humming. I tried playing a few notes, however I knew it would be much more useful in your capable hands. The thought of you playing this instrument makes me want to see you more. When I arrive in Inazuma again, I’d love to hear you play whatever wonderful melody you came up with when I was gone.

Love, Kazuha

#[🍁] kazuha's haiku collection #[💌] letters of songbird #kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #kazuha fluff #kazuha smut #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha fanfic #kazuha x y/n #genshin impact

[neruriry]

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊.↳ ❝ parasocial ❞ pt#1 ☄. *. ⋆

"You would usually say no to getting out of your house, but who are you to refuse if you're getting treated to see the performance of your favorite group ?"

➶ feat ; kaedehara kazuha x gn!reader

➶ word count ; 1.3k

“How did you even score tickets?! Let alone front row ones?!” You tried to loudly talk to Yunjin through the loud crowd. You couldn’t hear what she said, but you saw her giggle, as your face contorts in confusion.

“Don’t worry about it y/n. Today’s my treat, I know how much you love that bassist, I just had to score us spots when they were in town!” She said, with a warm grin on her face. You couldn’t help but smile back and just give her a hug. No words were needed nor enough for you to express your gratitude to have someone like Yunjin be by your side. 

While waiting for the band to enter, you reminisce about the time you met Yunjin.

You finally got out of highschool, now attending that was your first pick in all the ones you applied in, though some of your old friends were lucky enough to be able to get in the quite prestigious school you are in now, they sort of forgot about you after highschool, at least that's what you've always said, after all, they had different dreams, ambitions, and interest compares to you, some of them dreamed of becoming doctors, others wanted to become teachers, and you decided to pursue music, as you never thought of any other career you’d enjoy. Were you going to make lots of money from using your hobby as a full blown career? You didn't know. Were you gonna enjoy doing music professionally? You didn’t know either.

Good thing you had pretty good grades in highschool, so you had a scholarship, a dorm, and a stipend. All the accommodations you acquired made you think that everything in college was gonna be a breeze, until you got one call.

“Hello? Is this y/n l/n?” a woman, who sounded formal, but polite, asked you through the phone. 

You struggled to put your phone in your ear, as you were carrying multiple cups of ramen for your week's worth of dinner, should’ve grabbed a basket before grabbing all of this stuff, you thought.

“Hello? Yes, this is y/n.” You did your best to sound composed, despite struggling with your baggage.

“Good afternoon, I am the school staff in charge of affairs related to scholars. On the school’s behalf, I would like to inform you that from now on you’ll be sharing your dorm room with another student.”

You tried your best to not drop a cup at the quite surprising news you received, you thought the dorm wasn’t gonna be shared, since it is quite late, but you were glad the phone call wasn’t the school kicking you out, or something.

“Hello? I hope you do not mind sharing, we know this is quite abrupt, we did originally plan the room being for you only, but we miscalculated the amount of students occupying the dorms, so we had to transfer this student to yours.”

You didn’t realize that you already spaced out and immediately hurried to reply when you heard the woman's voice again.

“Ah! Of course, I do not mind. But when is the said student transferring to my dorm?”  You said. “We informed her that her transferral will be done ASAP, she might arrive late afternoon tomorrow.”

Well, that was a lie.

You rushed home carrying your eco bag filled with cups of the same ramen you’ve eaten as dinner for a few weeks since you moved into your dorm so you could have more time to clean up your place. You spent the entire night doing your supposed best tidying up your dorm, moving your stuff from the room with a spare bed to your room. You spent most of your time thinking where to put insignificant small trinkets from the spare room to wherever you thought it’d fit that you eventually just passed out on the living room couch.

*knock knock*

Silence.

*knock knock knock* 

SIlence again.

The once gentle knocking turned into continuous frantic banging on the door, and you eventually woke up, scrambling to the door, opening it fast.

You were still groggy even though the banging on your door was loud, but if something were to wake you up, it would be the strong knock you got to your forehead.

“AH! I’m sorry! Are you okay!?” The person knocking hurriedly tried to help your poor self, covering your face, specifically your forehead after the hit you endured.

You moved your hand to see the person who hit you, while still covering your forehead. “Yeah, I’m fine.” You definitely weren't, but you still tried to hide the pain in your voice.

“I’m really sorry! This is quite a bad first impression… All my rehearsals for nothing!” The girl dramatically exclaimed. She was odd to say the least, but you were glad she forgot about your forehead.

“You must be y/n!” She said, holding out her hand, for a handshake, you assumed. “I’m Yunjin, I heard alot about you, but I did not expect… This…” She continued, while looking around in the dorm.

Right, you passed out while cleaning up, and decided to set an alarm early on so you could just finish up the next day.

“Wait, what time is it!?” You rushed to grab your phone back on the couch, leaving Yunjin hanging. As you searched for your phone under the pillows you hear your new roommate comment

“Hey, didn’t mean to sound rude or something back there, your dorm.. Is fine.. It's just a little disorganized, that's it.” She said, trying to justify what she said back in front of the door, while moving her bags to the living room.

“Sorry, I did try to clean up a little bit overnight, but I decided I’ll finish up this morning. '' You explained, while looking at your phone’s clock. 10am, that is most definitely not late afternoon.

“Is that so? Then I too am quite at fault for coming unannounced.” She said while walking to your fridge. “Your forehead looks really red, let’s do something about that.” She grabs the tray of ice in your freezer and puts the cubes in a clean towel she took from the shelf, and approaches your disgruntled figure on the couch, and pats the towel on your reddened forehead. 

She sits beside you and tries her best to be as gentle as she can since she noticed you flinch after every dab of the cold towel hit your skin followed by quiet ‘ouch’s and hisses.

“I never got to properly introduce myself, did I?” you shift your aimless gaze at her, uttering a small ‘yeah’, awaiting her dramatic introduction like the one she did earlier, but it never came.

“My name’s Yunjin, I am a music major, I heard from the dean that you too majored in music? No one I know previously also majored in music, I’m glad I met someone who’d want to pursue the same stuff I do.” She said, in a soft tone you didn’t expect, as you assumed that she’d keep up the arrogant exterior she portrayed earlier.

You and Yunjin continued to talk about random stuff, from songwriting, to movies, and to music bands you two enjoyed, and as you find out that she too enjoy listening to a group with an idol as the main singer, a huge guy with horns adorning his silver playing drums, and a white haired bassist possessing a voice as refreshing as the winds blowing on a calm sunny day, you warmed up to her, despite you still being reserved and quiet, she stayed by your side, even when you two graduated and lived separately, she kept contact with you, and often dropped by your house to cook and drag you out of your house.

Your train of thoughts gets cut when you feel an arm wrap around yours, as your body gets dragged up.

“Y/n! Their performance is starting!”

#kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #kazuha kaedehara #kaedehara kazuha #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin x you #yunjin genshin impact #yunjin

[ilyuu]

HELLO FUTURE SPOUSE!!! I'M BACK TO BE A MENACE MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... hehe... :D

soooooo... it's been extremely rainy for me lately, and i've been so cold bruh </3 (i'm lying down under 3 blankets as i'm typing this). i was just thinking about how nice it would be to have someone to cuddle with, and of course, the first person i imagined was kazuha. bUT THEN!!! another idea popped into my head. i ended up thinking of someone who would probably a lot more awkward and unfamiliar with what they're supposed to do.

the character in question? your beloved meow meow!!! the bbg of bbgs!!!!! that one guy with a huge hat!!!! scaramouche!!!!

just imagine asking him to cuddle with you for warmth for the first time since you start dating. he'd have to resist the urge to go "ew, nO", not because of you but because it's been far too long since anyone has shown him affection. acts of intimacy feel unfamiliar to him now, and he almost feels scared to be near someone else.

but instead of outright rejecting you, scaramouche suppresses his instincts and says yes. he's trying his best to change for you, he really is. he knows he's not great when it comes to showing affection, and you're just so patient with him. even though he doesn't outwardly express it, your understanding makes his heart melt.

either way, after scaramouche agrees to your request, the two of you run around the house gather literally all the blankets and pillows you can find and pile them onto your couch hehe (don't ask how that would work idk either). afterwards, you both end up sitting down together and cuddling.

initially, scaramouche is hesitant. he distances himself just a little bit. it's odd how something as trivial as cuddling can cause someone to have such profound epiphanies. as scaramouche sits down with you, he suddenly can't forget the fact that he has blood on his hands. he begins to wonder if he should even touch you at all. he doesn't want to defile you.

scaramouche is rarely self-conscious, but with you, everything is different. he realizes that you could be doing so much better with someone who has a past that's not quite as dark as his. you could be with someone who could show you love and happiness every day, but instead, you're with him.

as all these thoughts are running through his head, you're just innocently sitting there next to him, unaware of the worries and doubts shrouding his mind in veils of darkness. outwardly he's quite apathetic. not a single crack forms in his collected façade, but on the inside, he's an absolute mess.

however, right when he feels like everything will become too much and he'll break under the weight of his own guilt, he feels you take his hand.

his mind goes blank.

your fingers are cold, and yet somehow, warmth envelops him, and it just feels so right. in that moment, he realizes that no matter what he's done in the past, you're willing to accept him. you're willing to believe he's capable of change. and most importantly of all, you're willing to love him.

so for the first time in centuries, scaramouche chases the feeling of affection. he leans into your touch, seeking a sensation he hasn't felt in centuries. scaramouche knows you want this just as much as him, despite the atrocities of his past, so he tries his best to treat you with the tenderness you deserve.

and soon enough, you end up falling asleep on his shoulder. the frigidness brought about by endless rainfall evaporates into thin air as you share touches reminiscent of threads of golden sunlight.

you look ethereal.

scaramouche allows a small smile to grace his features for once. being with you is true bliss. he stares at you intently, committing each and every one of your features to memory. scaramouche knows that he wants you to stay in his heart for an eternity.

it's ironic. he detests the very concept of eternity, and yet he wants to stay in this moment with you forever.

yeah idk what else to write. this got out of hand... it was supposed to be fLUFFY and take my mind off the fact that i'm freezing.

i'm still cold tho </3

,,,,,,,,rei there’s literally nothing for me to say or add to this because this is all so and too perfect, like, calling it an idea is doing the BARE MINIMUM. THE IMAGE? THE FRAME?? THE FEELINGS??? IT’S CHEF’S KISS. IT’S SO SOFT ALL AROUND, AT ALL CORNERS.

SOBS this is so cute i can just imagine him with that distance he’s putting between you and him and how’d he look to, because you’re right, even if you are close to him in that sense, he’s not going to show or say much on what he’s thinking and BOOM. his thoughts are a clear contrast to his demeanor and then another BOOM you hold his hand and somehow it feels like bits of sunlight peeking through the dark and heavy clouds and YES I SAID “FEELS BECAUSE IT’S EXACTLY THAT

also the entire idea of them making a fort with pillows and blankets is so nostalgic and childish and cute and did i mention nostalgic because yes please (and because i love it so so so much)

KANSKS “it was supposed to be fluffy” those are words i told myself too many times writing some drafts

i’m here for a reason rei; to keep you warm <3

#— 📬. #🖇️. — rei! #💞! #📁.

[rapifessor]

Shikanoin Heizou First Impressions

Today I awoke to the surprise announcement of yet another new character coming to Genshin Impact in the (relatively) near future. Considering HoYoverse’s current circumstances I really wasn’t expecting they’d do something like this, but here we are. It’s unclear when exactly they intend to officially add this character to the game, but let’s have a look at Shikanoin Heizou.

Heizou is a character that’s mentioned a handful of times by characters in Inazuma, but we didn’t really know anything about him besides the fact that he’s a detective and that he’s somewhat eccentric. HoYoverse’s description of him in their official post confirms this. I feel this is a character I can relate to though, so I’m interested to see which direction they decide to take him in,

Given that Heizou is clearly an Anemo user, I’m very curious to see what his kit is like. At the moment it’s a little unclear what his weapon will be, but based on the official artwork and HoYoverse’s lack of originality/willingness to go after element/weapon combos that don’t currently exist yet, he’s probably just another sword character, like Jean and Kazuha.

I would have hoped for catalyst, personally, as we currently do not have any male catalyst users in Genshin Impact, but like I said, I’m not holding my breath.

As for his character design, I think it’s pretty rad. His hairstyle is somewhat reminiscent of Diluc’s, but it’s a nice distinct shade of red which we don’t get a lot of in Genshin Impact. Lots of blue-haired people, but not so much red. I appreciate that the colors in his design aren’t strictly related to his Vision, which is something I’ve been harping on when it comes to Genshin’s character designs. Instead, you could be forgiven for assuming he was a Pyro character without the knowledge that his Vision is Anemo.

I suspect that genderbent Heizou will become a thing very shortly if it isn’t a thing already. Firstly because that’s just what people do, and secondly because of that shirt. You just know people are gonna draw that sideboob.

That about covers my thoughts on Heizou. I’m not as hype for him as I am for Shinobu and possibly Yelan, but he still looks really cool and this looks like another winner from HoYoverse. Still have no idea when he’s supposed to be in the game. Could be as early as the second half of version 2.7 (whenever that happens), I don’t know.

#genshin impact #genshin heizou #shikanoin heizou #thoughts #first impressions

[lesserafimofficial]

KAZUHA: “What I wanted was to take my life in a new direction”

As of last year, KAZUHA had been doing ballet for 15 years. Starting this year, she’s a full-time member of the girl group LE SSERAFIM. And we heard all about her feelings surrounding that choice.

How do you feel with your debut coming up so soon? [Note: This interview took place before the group debuted.] KAZUHA: It’s really intriguing the way everyone is so interested in the content that’s being put out. And you know how there are YouTubers who talk about idols? I’ve always watched a lot of their videos, so it’s amazing to hear them talking about me now. (laughs)

Your reveal in a video titled “LE SSERAFIM ‘KAZUHA’” shows you performing ballet. How did it feel doing ballet again? KAZUHA: It’s actually pretty hard to do ballet after not doing it for so long. I was practicing my ballet continuously before the shoot for the video so that it would look good. As far as I remember, we shot the video not too long after I stopped doing ballet, so I still looked good doing ballet. The concept behind the video was ballet and was supposed to show what kind of person I am, so I wanted to keep it simple and show all the ballet I’ve done. I also never filmed on a set like that when I did ballet before, but I still wanted to show a cool, new side of me in the video.

When did you start taking ballet? KAZUHA: When I was three. I think I was five in Korean age.

You were very young when you started out. KAZUHA: Yes—it wasn’t my choice to start learning. (laughs) My mom sent me to a ballet studio near our home and I didn’t even realize what I was doing. (laughs) When I was young, I felt like I was just having fun with friends whenever I was there. And as I slowly started entering competitions, too, I found out there are professional ballet dancers. They looked so cool to me, and I felt like I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer, too.

It must have been a tough decision to audition for SOURCE MUSIC after having done ballet for so long. KAZUHA: The more I did ballet, the more I wondered if it was what I wanted to focus my life exclusively on. The process of doing ballet itself was fun, of course, and I learned a lot, which was nice. At the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking, Is this really my dream? And then I started to feel like I wanted to express myself in different ways through K-pop performances and in other genres. But it isn’t easy to start something new, and I didn’t know how to get into the K-pop world since I was studying abroad, so I felt really frustrated. And at that time, all the K-pop auditions moved online because of COVID-19.

That was quite the unexpected opportunity. KAZUHA: Yes it was. I didn’t have many ballet classes at school at the time, and spending all that time at home filled me with thoughts and concerns. I thought that, while being a ballerina was an attractive option, what I do now would open up more opportunities for me to follow my dreams. I kept deliberating about it, but finally said, Let’s just do it! And I sent in my audition video.

What was the video you sent like? KAZUHA: I submitted a dance cover of BTS’s “Dynamite” and a video of me doing ballet. There’s a dance break in “Dynamite” that’s so cool that I wanted to try to do it. (laughs) I was really impressed watching BTS’s performance while I was getting ready for the audition. Even though they’re all doing the same choreography, each member has their own style, which I think makes it cooler. I thought Jimin’s dancing was especially beautiful when I saw it. I was impressed to see someone balancing classical dance with K-pop choreography so well, which made me really interested in performing.

Some of the moves in “Blue Flame,” one of the songs off your debut album, are reminiscent of ballet. What was it like mixing ballet with a K-pop song? KAZUHA: To be honest, it wasn’t easy mixing ballet with K-pop choreography, but I wanted to make it look as cool and balanced as possible. I didn’t start K-pop that long ago, so when I do ballet moves they just look like regular ballet, and if I don’t, it just looks like K-pop, so I think it was a little hard to find the sweet spot.

It sounds like there’s quite a difference between ballet and K-pop choreography. KAZUHA: You have to move your body a bit differently, but I think it’s similar in that you have to be good at the basics. You have to be good at the basics to do ballet, and it’s important to be good at the fundamentals in K-pop choreography, too. Actually, when I was first learning K-pop dances, it was completely new to me, so it was difficult. I tried to stay true to the basics as I was learning it. And, unlike when idols perform, ballet isn’t filmed that often. The stage is pretty far from the audience, so they can’t really see details like your facial expression. So up until now I was more focused on my movements than on my face. But seeing as K-pop is always filmed and has so many close-ups, I realized I better pay close attention to what my face is doing from now on.

Not only did you have to practice your facial expressions, but you also had to practice singing and rapping. Wasn’t it hard learning both of those right after passing the audition? KAZUHA: When I came here, it was my first time ever rapping, so it was sort of hard. So I did my best to imitate the way the instructor rapped. I think after all that practice I was eventually able to do it as well as the instructor. (laughs) I didn’t really start singing until I got here, but I always liked listening to music, and just went to karaoke for fun. (laughs)

Were there any songs that you really liked listening to? KAZUHA: I fell in love with K-pop after I first listened to BLACKPINK’s music. I think I randomly saw the “BOOMBAYAH” music video on YouTube. I can still remember how amazed I was when I first saw it. I was like, What is this whole new world? (laughs) And I saw them perform live in concert when they came to Osaka.

Oh, you went to their concert. (laughs) KAZUHA: When I saw the performance with my own two eyes, it was so impressive and moving that I literally cried. I had seen many ballet performances up to that point, but it was cool in a totally different way from ballet. I think that was when I thought I wanted to be on stage, too. The members of BLACKPINK are cool and pretty at the same time and really charismatic, so I really had this kind of feeling that I wanted to be like that, too. Not the cute girl image, but like a cool woman.

I heard that you liked the lead single, “FEARLESS,” when you first heard it. KAZUHA: You’re right. “FEARLESS” has a different vibe from the other K-pop songs out lately, which I liked. And it’s not just about being cute and pretty—it lets us show our thoughts and feelings and look cool doing it. The song is catchy and lots of the choreography is fun to dance along to, so I’m looking forward to putting on an energetic and cool performance live. All of us members were living our own lives in different places, but now we’re all in the same place with the same dream and the song shows how we’re going forward fearlessly. I started getting curious why they chose me after I passed the audition. (laughs) But now that I think about it, I think the direction the group is taking is a good fit for me since our team is all about doing whatever we want. In my case, I used to do ballet, but now I’m doing K-pop like I wanted to.

Would you say that “FEARLESS” is about you in some ways—doing all these things in a new environment, without fear? KAZUHA: When they told me I passed the audition, I was actually getting ready to audition at my school for ballet companies. At the time I did a lot of thinking about what I should be doing in the future and where. Because I didn’t even really know what I could do for the future. I felt like there were no stable options anywhere. Because of that, I kept thinking about what I wanted to do in the future, and then I felt it would be the right thing to set out on a new path for K-pop and become a singer. Whenever I have to come to a decision, I write it in my diary. When I look at my thoughts and worries from that time, it’s obvious that what I wanted was to take my life in a new direction. That’s what led me to be able to choosing this path.

But aren’t there a lot of difficulties to face when you enter a completely different world within the span of a few months? KAZUHA: I think the two are completely different. For example, when it comes to photoshoots, the photo you take for a ballet profile picture is just used for auditions, so you take it like a passport photo, where the only thing that matters is that you can see your face. (laughs) But it’s different when you have to do something like an idol profile photo. You have to put on so many different facial expressions. I keep worrying about my facial expression, so I practice alone in the mirror a lot, too.

You must have needed the other members to help you adjust to the new environment. KAZUHA: I try not to ask every time there’s a Korean word I don’t know, but SAKURA lets me know every time anyway. (laughs) And the other members are all nice, too. The whole atmosphere was pretty good right from the beginning. They made the place really welcoming when I first came, so I had no trouble adjusting. When we first practiced, though, I felt sort of lost, so I thought, Let’s just do this. We took a video of when we were learning our first choreography, but watching it now, there’s no way they can make it public. (laughs) But both the older and younger members gave me a lot of advice about dancing while we were preparing for the debut since they all went through being trainees. I learned a lot thanks to the way they taught me everything in specific detail, and I also think I adjusted well thanks to them.

It sounds like both the older and younger members play a big role. (laughs) KAZUHA: Exactly. I’m an only child. I didn’t know what to expect from having older and younger girls around me since I don’t have any siblings for real. But it’s like it’s just my everyday life now. I’m an only child, I went to study abroad by myself, and I like my alone time, too, to be honest. (laughs) But life is more fun this way, where the older girls set the mood and the younger ones act cute and lovely. We all spend a lot of time together now, but we’re always considerate and understanding of one another. And when we practice together, we swap feedback with each other because we all want to put on a good performance together. I think it’s unique the way everyone in our group shares the same goal. I love that I could be a part of this group for that reason.

It won’t be long now until your like-minded group gets to meet your fans. What do you want to do when you meet them? KAZUHA: Since I’m just starting out as a K-pop idol, I want to get better and better over time and show them that. Our group wants to show how we’re chasing after our goals and dreams. Even when I did ballet, I wanted to be the kind of person who could give strength, positivity and an emotional experience to lots of people. I’m taking a different path now—being a K-pop singer—but I still feel the same way. I want to be the kind of artist who always feels that way and gives strength to a lot of people through our performances and our music.

© source

#le sserafim #kazuha #weverse magazine #t:interview #220512

[koriyue]

the solitary pursuit of lightning ✧ [ kaedahara kazuha ] 

he was once a good friend of mine...

PS. thank you to the people who actually requested for kazuha after my post :D you have a special place in my heart <33 now we will resume to our regularly scheduled requested content :> 

#koriyue: genshin impact concept art #genshin impact #genshinimpactnet #genshin impact edit #dailygaming #genshin edit #kazuha #kazuha edit #genshin kazuha #kazuha kaedehara #*koriyue #*concept art #koriyue:genshin impact #it's supposed to be kazuha reminiscing #told using his story teaser #this entire project was 700+ layers..... #extremely try hard mode: on #still crying over kazuha's dead friend ✌🏻 #gosh i loved making this #very VERY experimental #ALL OF THIS WAS DIRECTLY FROM KAZUHA'S STORY TEASER!!!! I JUST PARAPHRASED SOME TEXT TO MAKE IT EASIER TO EDIT!

[worriedvision]

Arranged marriage (Part 2) - Ayato

Okay so gender neutral reader as usual. possibly gonna do headers for each character lol. I'll attach part 1 to this in a bit, trust me!

--

The day after the wedding, Ayato informed you that there would be no honeymoon. To his pleasure, you explain that you  knew fine well that there was no such time for this. 

The two of you sleep in separate rooms, have separate workspaces, Ayato even requested you eat elsewhere. In all honesty, it felt like he pushed it a bit far after he scolded Thoma for bringing you in for your evening meal, only to be told that you were not worthy of eating in the same room. Thoma turns to apologise, only to see you close your eyes to collect your emotions before nodding, Thoma returning you to your room before getting a maid to bring your dinner.

You overhear the maids sometimes, gossiping about how lousy of a spouse you were to Ayato. They seemed to believe you requested separate living spaces, but you never bother to correct them when they apologise pathetically when you make your presence known.

Part of you hoped the marriage would eventually build into something nice, but you realise Ayatos attitude towards you does not change.

Thankfully for you, your had your own library to look at. You could finally start to investigate what happened to your knights, hopefully getting answers.

--

You're out on an evening stroll, unaccompanied despite the maid supposedly being tasked to ensure your safety. While you found yourself on edge, you were thankful for the silence as you begin to go through the documents you found that you could relate to the poisoning of your kingdom. Hearing a rustling in the woods, you put your bag back to where it was, hoping you weren't about to be ambushed.

To your relief, Kazuha emerges. He gestures quietly for you to follow him, clearly wanting to talk, and you agree, taking your bag with you.

"It's been a while, my friend." Kazuha sighs out.

"Yeah, it has..." You reminisce sadly as you remember the last time you saw Kazuha. His Kingdom suffered the same fate as yours, the only difference being his family also got hit hard.

"I saw you got married recently." Kazuha begins. "Unfortunately it seems this isn't a happy ending for you, from what I saw."

You look over, silently asking him what he saw, only for him to smile sadly at you.

"You put on a great performance, pretending the marriage was a happy one." Kazuha begins. "Almost everyone was fooled. However, I know you much better than an outsider. I know that kiss never happened." Kazuha admits.

"So...what brings you to talk to me today?" You quiver out, following Kazuha.

"I think you'd like to be involved in a discussion." Kazuha begins. "We have gathered a small team to look into the poisoning that occurred."

You can't help but look up, eager to get to the bottom of this. If it were anyone else, you would be wary, but because it was Kazuha you trusted him.

"Great, because I have some infor-"

Kazuha cuts you off, a finger to his lips. Pointing to a nearby camp of treasure hoarders, you nod in understanding before silently following Kazuha to the location.

--

"Who was supposed to escort them?" Thoma huffs out, all the maids looking down in shame. Reluctantly, the maid who slacked off raised her hand. Thoma shakes his head, making note of their name before dismissing everyone else. Getting the maid to wait for further instruction, Thoma goes to Ayatos room.

"My Lord?" Thoma calls.

"Yes?" Ayato sighs out of frustration, ready to sleep.

"I found the maid who-"

"Thoma." Ayato cuts him off, opening the door. "I thought I told you before that if _ were to go missing, nobody was to be punished."

Thoma furrows his brows, finding himself unable to stop himself from speaking out of line this one time. Thoma knew you, he knew you had feelings for a man who simply did not care. He also knew that if the maid didn't slack off, you wouldn't have gone missing.

"_ has no use here. I see this as a good thing." Ayato explains tiredly. Before Thoma can ask about the punishment that should be administered, Ayato slams the door shut, obviously exhausted.

"With all due respect, my Lord, this was an avoidable situation. If that maid-"

Ayato grumbles out, rubbing his face before he looks directly at Thoma.

Returning to the maid, Thoma can't help but let his eye twitch momentarily before dismissing them. Seeing her beaming as she leaves, Thoma clenches his fist, not saying a word but staring daggers into the floor.

#genshin impact imagines #gender neutral reader #kazuha #ayato #ayato x gender neutral reader #ayato x reader #thoma

[merakiui]

A Leaf Swept up in an Autumnal Breeze

yandere!kaedehara kazuha x (gender neutral) reader art credit - Tourou_7 on twt cw: yandere, unhealthy/obsessive behaviors, slight nsfw implications/thoughts, alcohol consumption, intoxication, spoilers for kazuha’s character story + inazuma lore note - i decided to write something short for kazuha as i analyze what we know so far of his character. hopefully the characterization isn’t too off! please enjoy nonetheless! orz

The moonlight casts its thin rays upon the calm, motionless sea. In the distance, fish surface and their movements are captured in the ripples that expand in the water, a minor blip in the otherwise tranquil atmosphere of the dark night. As if a god has taken a brush to the sky, utilizing its inky vastness as a canvas, the stars have been drawn in small specks—winking down at those who sleep underneath a blanket of natural light.

And you are caught up in the glorious shimmer, grinning widely as Beidou wraps her arm around you, pulling you against her as if the two of you have known each other for years. In reality, it’s only been a few months since you were discovered on her ship: a hidden stowaway with your Vision clutched in your hands and raw resolve etched into your body in the form of bruises and old scars. You’re a fighter and yet you also ran from something. Kazuha can’t quite tell what it is you’ve escaped. Whether it’s another person, a group of people, or even an entire nation, he’s certain it’s worthy of the risks that come with fleeing.

Your Vision shines brightly, a stark contrast to the dark color scheme of your clothes. He tries to place a nation to your outfit and comes up empty, his thoughts returning to Inazuma as though it’s the only place he can think of. And he supposes that’s true. The situation in Inazuma has clouded his mind with its strange fog, taking up residence in the nooks and crannies of his brain. Though he can dwell upon the past and the mistakes that led up to the downfall of a precious friend, he knows there is no use for such somber reflections during a happy celebration. Life moves on, as the common saying goes, and he cannot allow himself to remain trapped in the past.

During moments such as these, where he relives the horrible memory in vivid detail, you are a sweet balm that soothes the sting of loss. Even when you’re struggling to stand, face hot from the intoxication of good drinks in even better company, you’re a wondrous presence who chases away his doubts and worries.

Unknowingly, you cast a temporary shroud over those matters and he’s put at ease the minute you extend your arm in his direction.

“Kazuha! Come over here. Let’s dance!”

A hiccup interrupts your jovial giggle and Beidou chuckles before throwing her head back to drink what’s left in her flask. The aura of her ship is beyond lively. Men and women alike celebrate another successful week with drinks, harrowing tales of past heroes, and broken ballads sang in drunken tones. He can’t help the smile that sprouts on his lips. You’re such an outgoing person, always wanting to include him in your daily activities. And though he politely declines whenever you offer him alcohol, he has wondered what the appeal could possibly be.

Perhaps it’s the idea of losing your sensibility for one night, ignoring all reason for the sake of spending pleasurable moments in the confines of a warm bed, wrapped snugly in a lover’s embrace. Such instances are lost to intoxicating pleasure—buried under a hazy recollection come morning. But you haven’t done that sort of thing. Kazuha would know. He listens in while you’re relaxing—while you’re bathing and going about life on the ship without a care in the world—and his head runs wild with all sorts of fantasies. Fantasies he never would have imagined had he not met you.

To think you were just a mere stowaway, a trespasser who had snuck onto the ship and hid in the darkest corner, obscured by crates and chests. And he had pulled those crates aside in search of a few ingredients and his eyes met yours and you held your finger to your lips—a silent urge to keep quiet—and his heart skipped a beat.

It was a special meeting between two, which will remain locked away in his heart for all of eternity. A memory he regards with warm fondness. After much negotiation and a disarming conversation, you were soon welcomed with open arms as Beidou practically offered you to join her crew. You had nowhere else to go—no one else to see or protect—and so you agreed. And Kazuha felt a relief he hasn’t felt in a while, the sort of emotion that stems from almost losing something important.

The pure relief that comes and goes once he realizes you’re a missing piece in the puzzle of his life.

“You’ll trip,” he warns, pushing off from the side of the ship and walking over to you and Beidou. “It wouldn’t be wise to dance in your inebriated state. Surely you’re aware of this, no?”

“I can hold my alcohol.” Your wavering glare doesn’t reach him. “Don’t... Don’t think otherwise or else I’ll—ah!”

The majority of Beidou’s weight burdens your shoulders and you nearly almost crumble.

“You—“ she searches for a means to steady herself— “worry too much,” the captain adds, nodding in agreement to an unspoken statement. “It’ll be okay! Live a little while you’re still young.”

Kazuha sighs and easily slips between the two of you, hooking his arm around Beidou’s waist as he guides her to a barrel. The scent of alcohol kisses the air, clinging to your clothes and breath like an oversaturated perfume. Once she’s sat down, now fully determined to get the last few drops from out of the flask, the rōnin turns to you. He’s caught by surprise when your hands grasp his, your eager expression stabbing his heart with a dozen pins. He’s rooted to the floorboards, unable to look away when your face is dangerously close to his.

“You heard the captain,” you tease in a slurred voice. “Live a little.”

And he does. Or he thinks he does. Having traveled with Beidou, this is the current life he’s come to know and appreciate. But is it truly living if he feels unfulfilled in the process? To find a means for bringing back the familiar glow in a lonely Vision. To secure peace of mind and put his rowdy thoughts to rest. To one day return to the nation he was forced to flee, with you in tow. Are all of these things necessary in order to fill the gaping void in his damaged heart? Kazuha wonders if you also came from Inazuma. Perhaps you wouldn’t be so surprised to see the scenery if he were to take you there. Not now, of course. Sometime in the future, if such a future holds a changed Inazuma.

“I’m going to warn you now,” he mumbles, his fingers ghosting over your waist, “I’m not what one would call a dancer of skillful grace.”

“I don’t think that’s true, dear Kazuha.”

He blinks once and then releases a short laugh at the endearing term. “If you say so.”

“Enough talk.” You huff and pull him into your chest and he feels as though he could stay locked in this position for millennia. “Dance with me before...” A stilted pause as you nearly forget your sentence. “Before I turn in for the night. That’s it.”

Or before you get sick, he thinks, not so cheerful about the inevitable mess. But he’ll tolerate it because you’ve tolerated him. You never pry into his past, nor do you force him to answer personal questions regarding Inazuma and the Raiden Shogun. If you ever notice the way he lingers near your quarters, you don’t say a word. And if you hear his subdued moans as his hand moves in time with a picturesque fantasy of your nude form pressed against his, you keep your mouth shut. You are everything he could ever want and like the very ideal the Raiden Shogun wishes to uphold he wants to pursue an eternity with you.

Your movements are far from the precision you normally have when moving about the ship and it’s a very odd dance. Yet you spin him and he follows your unusual lead like an animal with tunnel vision. For a taut moment, the background noise melts away into obscurity and the two of you are the only people in existence. He stares at your face the entire time, ignoring the way your sandals crush his feet or the instances where he unintentionally returns the gesture. It’s certainly an awkward sort of waltz, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

And in this moment where no one else matters, he sees your radiance in the glow of the moon. You truly are worthy of the sun and the stars beyond and should you verbalize an outlandish wish of that nature he has no choice but to follow through.

Like a leaf swept up in an autumnal breeze, reminiscent of a ronin who lacks a place in the world, Kazuha allows himself to be carried on by the winds that rustle the sails and tangle through your hair, painting you in a backdrop that’s heaven handcrafted by the pickiest god. And where you have your wits, a lively Vision, and your confidence, he only has his blade, a dull Vision, and an inkling of hope. But that’s really all he requires.

#yandere genshin impact #yandere kazuha x reader #yandere kazuha #yandere genshin impact x reader #yandere kaedehara kazuha #yandere kaedehara kazuha x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact kazuha #genshin impact kaedehara kazuha #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha

[ventisehe]

crying on their wedding day, or not / genshin impact / part two

this is the second part of crying on their wedding day. i didn’t add dainsleif and baizhu because i don’t have enough creative juice to squeeze them in. 

requested by: @bakuhoe-is-my-bakubro

includes: venti, kaeya, xingqiu, scaramouche, razor, albedo, chongyun, xiao, kazuha

warning: unedited, not proofread, different variation of not seeing the bride before the wedding ceremony, written before kazuha was released

part one

THOSE WHO WILL NOT CRY

     VENTI

            Although his wings that have soared through the vast open azure skies was as ancient as the winds that swept ever so delicately through the lands that made up Teyvat, although his curious viridescent hues have become quiet witnesses to numbers of renowned and untold tales of mortals across nations, no matter the countless years he devoted trying to cognize the mortals and their atypical behaviors, Barbatos – or Venti, as he refers to himself now – can never truly understand how so many human beings can stay in one place with one person.

                            Before he had even come to be the Anemo Archon, all that Venti knew was how to heed the call of the wind. To him, it was confounding how mortals do not have the similar urgency as he to follow the winds. Even when he had taken the form of his dearest friend, Himmel, and has elapsed through myriad of seasons and centuries, still he soared gently in the air, lyre in his possession as he sung melodies of his own composition and strummed symphonies for those who yearn to hear his voice, and with his braids billowing in his travel to a destination even he cannot tell yet.

            One has made an attempt - and unfortunately, a fruitless one - to make sense to him why some has gone against the heed of the wind, a very peculiar decision in the eyes of someone like him. His form nothing but a mere wisp at that time, nothing but a small creature with little understanding, and he remembered he was seated on the shoulder of his companion as they perched by the edge of a mountain, legs dangling and kicking gently back and forth. They basked in the caress of the wilting warmth as the sun bid its farewell.

                      Himmel was humming a tune with the corners of his mouth curving up and his eyes closed, and Venti's small frame thrummed with delight at the euphony he made.

                And in the serene quiet, his dear friend spoke, "Someday, you'll find yourself wanting to stay somewhere. For something, or for someone. You don't understand now, but when you come to love one thing, you'll always want to be close to their side." Himmel turned to him, a subdued smile etched across his features, and upon catching sight of the sincerity and fervor Himmel in his bright eyes, Venti cannot help but mirror his sentiments and reciprocate his smile the best he can with the body he manifested in.

     "When that day comes, you'll understand why many choose to . . . stay." Venti tilted his head to the side, and Himmel let out a small chuckle once he catches on the puzzlement that he displayed in his actions. "Don't look at me like that. I know you're curious about the whole marriage thing. Who knows, maybe someday you'll find yourself a nice fellow wisp and - "

            All it took for Himmel to cut his statement short and burst out in laughter was how Venti prodded against his neck as a feeble attempt to make him quiet down.

               And as Himmel has predicted, Venti - in time - did understood.

                        Venti was able to perceive the reasonings of mortals to turn their heads away from the beckon of the wind, to live a peaceful and quaint life, some alone, and some with their spouses. Himmel had done his absolute best to explain to him the wanders which are humans, and gleefully watched as Venti attentively listened to every word he spoke.

      However, at the end of the day, Venti was still a free spirit. He can never be tied down to one place, much more to another living being. He will always find himself favoring the whisper of the winds in Teyvat, adrift and letting himself go adrift.

            It was after he had witnessed the life in Himmel's eyes leave, heard his last breath, the whisper of the triumph of Mondstadt in achieving freedom, and his final request as he stroked Venti's quivering figure - A sad smile has been painted upon Himmel's brims as he gazed at the smaller entity weeping under his touch, "I ask only for one last favor from you, my dearest friend. Look after Mondstadt, after our people, for me, and never let everything we've sacrificed go for naught."

                          Venti was still a free spirit, but with what happened to Himmel, he longed to understand how he saw the world. It seemed he understood it differently than he did. And thus, he took the form of his beloved friend, and ventured closer than he had before to mortals.

      The day he found a place in The Seven, the fateful he became the Anemo Archon, Venti has not once missed an event with his people. He celebrated with them in festivities, cried with them in their sorrows, aided them in battles against transgressors or wars within their own mind. He laughed with them, ate with them, drank with them, and his love for his people grew everyday.

          But still, he can never stay for too long.

                      Venti tried to, he really did, for his friends, as his last gift before he lets go of the pain of losing him. But cannot force himself to remain in one place if his heart kept searching for places to explore, people to meet, discover the secrets of Teyvat.

    Hopelessness was beginning to gnaw inside him as hundred of years has passed, and he has already traveled through long distances and saw generation after generation of his people in Mondstadt, and yet nothing he has yet to fulfill his own promise to hos friend.

           Perhaps this was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe only mortals are giving the ability to be content and stay, but the Anemo Archon was forever to be appearing and disappearing - always, always stringing along with the wind.

                      And Venti believed that thought of his, and it stuck to him throughout many more years in Teyvat.

       Not even a dust of faith was left in the ruins of what he now thought of as a vanquished promise, marring Venti with a wound in his heart, and a doubt in his standing as an Archon. However, it was through this belief that took him by surprise when he met a rather strange woman at the last day of the Windblume Festival, and in Stormterror’s Lair, no less.

                    The Honorary Knight, and their odd traveling companion have long been gone after they bid him farewell and a safe travel in his return to his abode – or whatever dwelling was the closest he could denote as home – leaving Venti by himself to reminisce in the ruins of where Old Mondstadt once stood.

                                        The heavens were a color of black dotted with stars and the moon. The wind has grown softer, as though to accompany him in this lonesome hour, leaving chaste kisses against his pallid skin. From afar, the City of Mondstadt remains lit with lanterns and plethora of flowers. Even in this distance, he can oversee the joy that exuded from the people as they celebrated the remaining hours of the festival and take in the fragrance of the flowers friends and partners exchanged with one another. It was a beautiful sight to behold if one sits in such a desolate and dark place, in the very tower that he had confronted Stormterror – no, it was Dvalin now, Stormterror has perished along with the danger of the past.

                                        But a presence – curious, sorrowful – has intervened in the quiet evening Venti thought he had saved for himself. He stood up from the platform where he has previously perched upon and took off to take a gander in the Lair, and it did not take a moment longer for him to spot a figure nearby. There, standing on top of a boulder clad in a crestfallen expression was a lone woman. She was casting her gaze around Old Mondstadt, and the breeze blew her tears away,

            Venti had never seen her before. He had met every family, every person, in Old Mondstadt, and the same was to be said to the generation that followed after them. He knew them well, recalled their quirks and appearances, and this woman has no resemblance to any of them. Has she come from another nation?

                                   Venti made it his point to glide down and noiselessly land behind her, but it seems his efforts have failed him for this stranger spoke the second his feet made contact with the ground.

        "I wonder how this place used to be." You stated, and Venti was unsure whether you have felt his presence or you were speaking to yourself.

   “So, this is Old Mondstadt.” She stated in a murmur. Her voice was laced with awe, but with evidence of forlornity. “I heard rumors about what happened here, and-and the thing with Stormterror too. Archon, I wish someone would tell me the real story of the City of Freedom. Back in my home, we’re not even allowed to learn much about the Archons of other nations. It’d be foolish to just trust rumors.”

                                  There was something about her that piqued his interest. He did not know what it was. Maybe it was the way she talked about Mondstadt, her interest in the history of his city and his people, the sincere sorrow she felt for what the fallen tyrant of Mondstadt had had done to his former subjects, and how he had forced their hands to rebellion to protect their nation.

                            Venti spoke before he can stop to think. “If you’d like, I can retell the story of how Old Mondstadt came to be. I’m well versed in the history of this city, so rest assured everything you’ll hear is the truth.” He carved a smile to his lips. “And I am a Bard, so you have no need to worry about me chatting your ear off. All it takes is an audience and my lyre to get me started. Of course, a private performance will cost you, but since you’re new in the city, I suppose I can – ”

                                  His breath was taken away when the stranger turned to face him, and his words withered from his tongue. Ever seen a speechless bard? It was a sight people will scarcely see.

                Could he ever compose a song to even come close to the lovely view that was before his eyes? Gleaming curious pair of eyes, a smile so eager to listen, hair flitting with the wind as his heartbeat raced –

             Venti was used to captivating his audience with his songs and stories. However, this time, it was he who was captivated, and when he took out his lyre and played a sweet tune to sing the story of his beloved city, with this gorgeous woman listening to him with bright and shining eyes, Venti knew then that he wanted to play for her every song he knew, every story he saw and heard, to the end of time.

                            You told him your name after his song, and you came all the way from the isolated nation of Inazuma. It took him by surprise how you have confidence in him to reveal to him your identity and place of birth. Surely, not everyone will trust a stranger who has appeared out of nowhere who offered to sing them a song. But then again, Venti trusted you as quickly as you trusted him, and now it was his turn to listen as you confide in him.

  You have escaped from your home nation and survived out in the seas under the heat of the sun and threat of starvation for days until a compassionate Captain from Liyue, and her crew found you and delivered you to safety. And it was after your recovery that you fled to Mondstadt, the opposite of the nation you were born in.

                     Venti found himself sitting down in front of you as you told him your story, sight never leaving your frame as he did so. You were no Bard, and you were no storyteller, but he cannot tell the time or noticed the sun has set as you regaled him with story of Inazuma and your life after and before your escape. He was enchanted with the way you spoke, how you looked about Old Mondstadt with saddened awe, the fervidness in your voice – Have I found myself a rival? Thought Venti, eyes softening as you went on about your admiration for the affability and generosity his people have shown you.

                                                          When you left that day, you promised to come back and when you do, you shall ask him to sing to you more of his songs. At first, Venti was hesitant to believe your promise, but to his relief and happiness, when he saw you in the same place in the ruins undoubtedly waiting for him with your eyes closed and relishing in the wind that rushed past you. Venti always came to Stormterror’s Lair to oversee what remained of his old home, but for once, his sights were held torn and you have all his attention.

                   Seeing you keep your promise of return made his day, but when you whipped your head to face him with a smile, waving a hand as you asked him to sit with you, Venti knew that his heart desired yours. Was it a wise decision to fall for someone you've only just met? Certainly not, but he was an Archon who had too much time but too little for those who he holds dear. He cannot afford to be unsure when his time with you was limited.

     So, he decided – when the day is right and the wind is quiet, he shall make his feelings for you known.

            It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another, Venti always telling his in songs, as a Bard would. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story told in the ruins were to be fascinated of. And soon, it wasn't just stories. Soon, he was finding out more about you, knowing you better until he couldn't get you out of his head.

                  It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another. Venti always told his in the form of songs, as a Bard would, you will always applaud him after, to which he would respond with a melodramatic bow. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story spoke in the ruins and the silence of the night was to be fascinated of.  He was learning more about you, knowing you better, until he couldn’t get you out of his mind when his head falls against his pillow.

    Venti cherished these times he had with you. He knew it won't be long until you were gone. He knew his fate as an Archon – seeing loved ones perish and more to come, and the cycle continued.

                                           He hasn't even told you about his identity.

                          Venti was grateful for the Traveler for pushing him to tell you about his feelings and his standing in Teyvat, but he was still uncertain. What would you say if he confessed to you? What will you say if he admits to being the Anemo Archon? Will things change between the two of you? Will you leave? Venti can’t think about that.

                                                                       Venti grew worried when you didn’t come to Stormterror’s Lair one day, and then another, and his concern grew as days turned to weeks. Everyday he found himself visiting Stormterror’s Lair in hopes of seeing you waiting for him again, but he was always left disappointed. You did not mention going on an adventure or a commission, so his worry was warranted. Were you safe or were you simply sick of him?

                 When the day you finally appeared in the Lair, relief washed over Venti and he practically jumped off the broken tower he frequently resided and made haste towards you. But his footsteps faltered when he found no traces of a smile on your face. He can see the relief and joy, but the smile was absent. From that, Venti’s own beam wilted as he walked over to you with reluctant steps.

      When he came close to you, he opened his mouth to ask how you have faired for the past weeks and question your abrupt disappearance when you said something that took him by surprise.

                                    “I know who you are.”

          It felt like his entire world has stopped for a moment as he stared at you with disbelief smearing his countenance. How ever did you discover the truth? Certainly, he had similarities with his statues, but none of his people nor visitors from outside ever pieced the puzzle together.

                            He averted his gaze, ashamed. Why was he wallowing in shame? Or perhaps was this regret of not telling you sooner? Did you feel betrayed? Will you cast him away?

                      “But how . . . ”

                                            “The man at the Tavern told me, Master Diluc.” You answered. “I was telling him about you, and I guess he thought I already knew of you being the . . . Anemo Archon.”

           “Is that why you were gone for weeks?” Venti questioned, and when you nodded in response, he winced. He can’t help but think of the worse – She’ll leave me.

                          Venti looked away. “Ah, I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, it is hard to believe someone like me is an Archon.” He laughed out, but the humor was nonexistent in his statement. “So, how do you feel about that?”

                      Venti let out a gasp when you threw yourself to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Venti froze at your actions and waited for you to withdraw, but when you did not, he slowly accepted your embrace with gratefulness. He didn’t know what you do this, but he was more than happy to reciprocate your actions before he lets you go.

        It won’t matter, anyway. He’ll hear the winds calling for him somewhere soon. Maybe letting you go now would hurt less in the long run.

                    “Are you not . . . angry?” Venti asked as he closed his eyes and rested his chin on your shoulder.

                                    “Oh Archons, no, Venti. I could never hate you.” You assured him in a whisper and from the brokenness on your voice, Venti knew you were crying. “Those times you told me about Barbatos . . . all the stories about his past . . . everything he had gone through . . . ” You murmured, tone lowering. “ . . . you must have been so hurt and lonely.”

                                              He didn’t know why your words shot through him. He can feel tears streaming down his cheeks as memories of his past and the continuous pain of loss and regret caught up with him. Finally, after thousands of years, his false smile was shattered.

          How pathetic. He thought. An Archon weeping in front of a mortal that he is in love with. Could things get any worse?

                  Your hand stroked his hair, comforting him as he cried against your shoulder and in your arms.

                          “I was . . . ” He breathed out, choking as he tightened his grip around you. “ . . . it never stops hurting . . . I keep seeing Himmel, and everyone, and – ”

                He couldn’t finish what he was saying and just relished in the comfort of your arms, breathing in your scent.

                                    “I don’t understand what you’ve been going through these thousands of years, and I never will, but it’s okay now, Venti.” You whispered in his ear, and he can detect the compassion and love lacing your voice. His heart hammered against his chest. “You have me. You don’t have to pretend everything is okay. I’m here for you. I want you to be Venti and Barbatos with me, I want all of you.”

             He couldn’t believe his ears. Did he hear you correctly? You want him?

                    Venti gently retracted himself from you, but his arms remained at your sides. “You still want me, even after I kept this from you?”

         “I want you, Venti.” You clasped your hands over his shoulders, firmly looking into his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere anymore. I’m staying here, with you.”

                 And so, you stayed, and so did he – it was the first time he stayed, and he will never regret it.

One would think that as a renowned Bard in Mondstadt, Venti would push for a grand wedding where all people of Mondstadt are invited to wine and dine together as bards banded together to regale everyone with their music, and as the Archon who values freedom above everything else, a big part of him wanted to. But he thought of you and what you wanted. It took some time for him to deliberate over how selfish it would be for him to make you uncomfortable in your wedding day and agree a small wedding would be a much better option considering how sacred and intimate marriage is.

However, knowing you cannot simply have the Anemo Archon go against his belief, and of course because of your love for him, you have secretly devised a plan with Jean and Kaeya to invite all the citizens of Mondstadt to your reception to celebrate this joyous occasion for the two of you. There was more than enough food and drinks to feast, courtesy of Master Diluc, and you’re sure Venti will be over the moon with this surprise. 

Venti had no family, and those he did consider as family were long gone, just a memory from the past. Even though it is unusual for a groom not to have a best man in his wedding day, Venti claimed he was fine without a best man. He had no doubts in marrying you. When he proposed to you, there was no touch of regret or doubt. Albeit reluctantly, you were in a mutual agreement in that matter, as well. Until, of course, an unexpected tribute arrived offering his services.

Venti was not the least nervous when the day of your wedding came. He did not waste time when he woke up and immediately got to work on his appearance. Jean was kind enough to have his wedding suit tailored for him, an early wedding gift, as she says.

Venti knew of the rule that a groom mustn’t see his bride in her wedding gown until the time she walks on the aisle. But he was just so thrilled for this day that he forgot all about it. And even if he did remember it, who in the world would stop him from seeing you? He has no best man to stop him anyway -

Venti almost choked to death when a hand came to grasp him by his the back of his collar, and he blubbered pathetically as he was thrown off balance and was dragged back to the altar.

“Who are - Master Diluc? What are you doing?”

Diluc let out a huff as he continued dragging Venti away from your house. “Stopping you from upsetting your bride. I’m sure you know that you shouldn’t see your bride in her gown before the wedding?”

“But Master Diluc, as much as I appreciate what you’re doing, you’re not in any position to - ”

“Actually, I am in a position where I’m allowed to stop you from making a mess of your wedding.” Said Diluc. “I’m your best man, after all.”

Venti couldn’t put to words how touched he was, and more so when you revealed to him after the wedding that Diluc has offered to be his best man by his own volition. As thanks, the next time Venti visited the tavern to drink, he paid for a single bottle of wine once. It wasn’t exactly ideal but considering how he had no original plan to pay Diluc for any of the drinks he will consume, this was as good as it gets.

When the doors opened to reveal you in your pretty white wedding dress, Venti swooned, and a large joyous smile stretched across his lips.

A gentle breeze swept in the altar and Venti felt his feet leave the ground briefly, floating in the air as he excitedly watched you walk down the aisle, and it took Diluc’s hand pulling him down by the back of his suit to stop him from floating up above the cathedral.

“My, my, if I knew any better, I would have thought the Archons have taken favor on me and blessed me with a beautiful bride.” Venti said once you join him in the altar and took your hands in his own. “You look beautiful, darling. I might just write another song about you.”

You shook your head, pink tinting your cheeks. “Haven’t you written enough songs about me?”

Venti inched his face close to you, his large smile altering to a soft smile. “There aren’t enough songs to tell you how much I adore you.”

The wedding went on, and when the two of you kissed, only one thing entered in Venti’s mind - I found my reason to stay, Himmel. I just hope you can see this.

The wind blew gently.

     KAEYA

                      Kaeya did not know what to feel when his brother has made it clear once and for all that he wanted nothing to do with him. His dismissive remarks, his heated glares, his cold and aloof treatment – he had known Diluc for so long, and his memories with him in their childhood never grew old in his mind, so it pained him to have his once bright-eyed sibling who aspired to be part of the Knight acting as though they were strangers. No, strangers would have been merciful. He acted as if the bond they had never meant anything to him, and casting him aside and seeing him under the light of contempt was the easiest decision he has ever made.

                                               Even you were not spared from the same fate. The three of you become inseparable the day you and Kaeya were introduced to each other. You’ve done everything together, and it would be a strange sight to see one missing from the group.

                When Diluc has cut ties with Kaeya, you suffered the same fate as he. You poor, poor thing – you tried your best to patch the friendship he no longer wanted to be part of, and Kaeya did not waste time running to your side and picking up the pieces Diluc shattered. It was not an easy feat for both of you to lose Diluc – he lost a brother, and you lost a good friend.

                                 But it was because of your fall out with him that you and he become closer than ever, closer than before, if that could even be possible. The two of you support one another and you go to each other when things get difficult.

             Kaeya will never admit it, and he would rather die than do, but he has loved you for many years. The moment Diluc pulled him into an unknown house, claiming that he wanted to meet someone important to him, and his eyes landed on your form with the sunrays kissing your skin, a wide smile stretching across your face, and a fake sword in your hand, his heart was taken.

                            You were one of the reasons he wanted to become a Knight. Diluc admitted his want to become a Knight, and you expressed the same sentiment, and of course, hearing his friend and brother say so, he became inclined of joining the Knights. I’ll get good training. He thought back then as stared at you, blushing as you braided Diluc’s hair. Then, I’ll be able to protect ( Your Name ).

        Now that Diluc no longer wanted to be in contact with you than more than is necessary, Kaeya grew to be more protective over you. He knew you can handle yourself as you were a Knight yourself and wields a Vision, too, but his heart clenches at the thought of you getting hurt when he could have easily had your back, like he always did.

                                                 Kaeya didn’t knowif you had feelings for him, or for anyone, for that matter. Many times he thought of confessing to you just to rip the band aid off, but he couldn’t. He’ll keep his feelings to himself and continue being the Cavalry Captain that everyone adored, and your own personal protector.

   But it was getting harder and harder to hide his feeling. Everyday he was always under the threat of falling deeper in love with you. Everyday, you always give him more reasons to love you. Waiting for him to come home after taking too long in his work, taking care of him after a nasty battle or when he’s drunk, always checking up on him even if your schedule was hectic, offering him help if you deem the responsibility given to him is too much. How much longer can he pretend that he wasn’t thinking of you everyday and every night?

                                He was pulled back from his train of thoughts when he felt a soft material doused in alcohol perch on the wound blemishing his skin. “Ah, be gentle, ( Your Name ),” Whined Kaeya, stilling himself to refrain from moving and delaying your nurse on his cuts.

                          “We wouldn’t be in this situation if you had only been careful fighting those Abyss Mages.” You reprimanded with a stern glare. “Think of this as your punishment from me. Now, hold still.”

                      “I was fighting Abyss Mages and came back with small wounds. How am I not careful?”

       “You can be more careful.” Quipped you, and finding your chance, you pressed the cotton again his skin, causing the Cavalry Captain to hiss in pain.

                      “Ow, ow, ow – I said be gentle!”

                                         “Oh, you can fight Abyss Mages but can’t handle getting your wounds treated? What a baby.”

                        Kaeya pouted while you pulled away from him. “My dearest ( Your Name ) doesn’t love me anymore.” He cooed. “Tell me, what can I do to make it up to you, hmm?”

                                      You shook your head and placed your hand over his head, beaming. His heart leaped in his chest. “Stop being reckless.” You responded. “You’re the most important person to me, Kaeya. I don’t want to lose you too.”

             Days and days he spent thinking of what you said. He never truly knew how he important he was to you. The thought of that had him sleeping and dreaming of you and your smiles, how the days will be if you loved him the same way he loved you, and the fateful day you owned his heart.

   He had to thank Diluc for introducing him to you. He couldn’t imagine being in a world where he has no one to lean on when he lost the only family he had. You became his rock, someone he could lean on and trust. His friend who he loved more than he should have, the woman he wished to see in his arms someday.

                     But it will never be. He has to protect you. He is always in danger and he doesn’t want to hurt you more if he died and you two are in a relationship. And he had seen firsthand how affected you were when Diluc no longer wanted to be friends with you. He won’t let you go through the same pain if your relationship didn’t work. He loved you too much to let you suffer again.

                                  Kaeya didn’t think he would be able to thank Diluc again after their fall out but he was mistaken.

                            He didn’t know the full story of what had happened the night he got shitfaced drunk in the tavern but woke up the next day to learn he has revealed his feelings for you in front of his brother, and the latter had casually mentioned it to you when you dropped by the tavern to escort him back home.

                      Regret and frustration welled up inside of him and he spent ten minutes walking back in you guest room, trying to explain himself and perhaps even jest about having feels for you but his preparation was all futile when you opened the door just as he was about to.

               Before he can speak, you beat him to it.

        “The next time you get drunk like that, you’re sleeping on the couch.” You chastised, shaking your head and proceeding to turn your back to him to return downstairs. “Freshen up, and head down. I already cooked you breakfast, so hurry up before it gets cold.”

                                              Kaeya stared blankly at the spot you previously stood before smiling. He rushed over to the staircase and looked down to watch you descend the steps. “I won’t keep you long, love.”

                            His smile broadened when he saw redness rush to your cheeks.

Kaeya proposed to you in a way you expected him to propose to you. A fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant where he ordered a fancy bottle of wine and placed the fancy ring he bought into your glass. It was only because you knew him well that you have no accidentally imbibed the accessory. 

Upon receiving your answer to his proposal, the first thing Kaeya did the day after is hunt down for a best man. As a popular and charming Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, he thought it would be an easy task finding himself a best man but that notion gradually wilted as the date for your wedding approaches, he has yet to find someone to take the position.

In his pursuit for a best man, Kaeya came to realize something. His relationships with others aren’t exactly intimate. They drink and laugh together, but none of them really knew him. Kaeya couldn’t go to them with his personal problems or have their shoulders ready for him to cry on. They were good friends, but not people he would let inside his heart and vulnerability.

There were only two people who knew him behind the title of Cavalry Captain - you, and of course, his estranged brother, Diluc.

The very thought of Diluc sent a shiver down his spine. Diluc hated him and ( Your Name ). He pushed them away, treated them horridly, like they had been nothing to him but strangers with bad memories. Why would he want him to be his best man?

He remembered one day in Angel’s Share, he asked Venti if he could stand as his best man in the wedding and he swore he heard a glass dropping from behind the counter but when he turned, he saw Diluc wiping a wine glass with a blank expression. When Kaeya faced Venti once again, the excitement of being asked of such honorable position has withered and the Bard kindly declined before telling him to ask Diluc to be his best man. He did not.

Who cares about best man? The only thing important to me right now is marrying ( Your Name ).

But when the day of his wedding dawned, Kaeya was in a panic. Behind his charm was a man with a dark past, dark memories, and dark thoughts. He began doubting his ability to give you the life you deserve, began feeling insecurities he thought he had set aside.

He tried his best to remain calm, and for the most part, it worked. Everyone did not find something amiss when Kaeya was interacting with them before the wedding, but someone did, and that someone took him by his arm and dragged him a far and secluded corner after excusing him from who he was conversing with.

“Stop fidgeting with your tie, it’s beginning to bother me.”

Kaeya let out a huff. “Master Diluc, what a . . . surprise that you’re here.”

“You sent me an invitation.” The red head retaliated.

Kaeya had indeed sent him an invitation but he had no recollection of this or whatsoever. He was too wasted to remember.

“The Cavalry Captain losing his cool. Now this is a wedding just waiting to be ruined.”

It was almost like magic how the anxiety that has been eating him up vanished at his brother’s taunt. Kaeya glared at Diluc, opening his mouth to retaliate but before he can even let a single word move past his lips, Diluc turned his back to him and returned to the cathedral, leaving Kaeya in disbelief.

He let out a huff as he stared at his brother’s retreating form. “Bastard still knows me best.”

Kaeya has taken the reins over his emotions again, and he was sure he can keep his composure when you enter through the doors. But he was thoroughly mistaken as he swallowed the lump in his throat when his sight landed on you.

It felt like a dream. How can someone like you love him? In all his flaws, mistakes, and faults, how did you see him as someone you can lean on? Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?

Surely, he must be dreaming. He’ll wake up in his bed any moment now and realize that everything had been the foolishness of his mind -

Except you continued making your way down aisle, and then you were in front of him with a veil covering your flushed face, and then he was slipping his hands in yours. This was real. You love him.

You leaned forward to him, nose brushing against his. “You look very dashing today, Kaeya.”

Kaeya chuckled. “And you look splendid today, Mrs. Alberich - oh, don’t go shy on me now.”

His smile broadened at the sight of your reddening cheeks. If it wasn’t for the priest speaking right now, he would have flipped over your veil and kiss you.

But there is plenty of time to do that. Kaeya will make sure of that.

     XINGQIU

          The youngest of the Guhua Clan will rarely be seen without a novel in hand. Everyday, Xingqiu will be seen with his friends with a book near him, always different from yesterday. He had read many novels and heard stories from storytellers, but one story he will never get tired of was his story with you.

       Although it may not seem like it, Xingqiu was a hopeless romantic, and he has always imagined seeking a woman to make his bride. However, it will always be something he can only imagine. As a heir of the Guhua Clan, he has responsibilities to keep and adhere, and he has willingly accepted this. Being given the freedom to choose his bride is something he cannot afford. When his father has informed him about offering him to a daughter of another prestigious clan, he has voiced his discontentment and disinclination to the arrangement but has nonetheless followed.

                  What a horror it would have been if he had followed through with the tiny voice inside his head saying to run away because if he did, he would have missed the chance of laying eyes on you and experiencing what many romance novels he read called – a heart skipping a beat.

           It was a tiring charade of formalities and display of pristine etiquette. All Xingqiu wanted was to retreat to a secluded area and continue immersing himself in the book he has picked up from the local library. With how often he reads, the novels in his own house he has already read, twice.

                                And so, he did. He kindly excused himself from the dinner between the families, making up a lie about feeling unwell and needing rest, and hurried over in the fields near his place. It is not exactly rude for him to skip dinner. It is not exactly ideal for his bride-to-be to be late in an important occasion like this so why shouldn’t he exhibit the same treatment as they did to him?

                    When he came to the spot be frequented, he caught sight of an unfamiliar figure from afar. A girl around his age sat on the bench under the tree, in the same spot he always occupied. She wore clothes similar to the families of the clan his family are negotiating with, so it didn’t take long for Xingqiu to learn this girl was related to them. He just didn’t know what her standing was with them.

 She was beautiful, he will admit, but it was the book in her hand that caught his attention. Thus, he approached her, adorning a friendly mask as to not scare her away. It is rather uncomfortable meeting strangers in the dark of the night and somewhere far from civilization.

           “Her hair billowed as she stood by the precipice, golden hues dimming in the dying light as she was left disappointed for yet another century. Her tears stung her skin and her throat tightened, but another century is simply common for someone like her. She will wait for his return, even if every mountain has eroded and all that was left of her was hope.” He recited a line from the novel as he took even ambles towards the girl, and he did not falter as she turned to face him. He offered her a smile and bowed with the elegance that his family taught. “Apologies for my disruption, my liege, but I can’t help but be thrilled to see someone with such incredible taste for literature. Not many are fond of historical fiction. Well, in my case, not many are into literature.”

                                        Her eyes appraised him with wonder as she perfected her posture. “That’s one of the lines in the book. My, even I haven’t memorized a single phrase from any of the books in my collections.” She remarked.

                                “I like to memorize a line or two from all the books I’ve read. It feels like a part of them will always be with me even if my memories fade in time.” Xingqiu gestured to the vacant spot beside her. “May I sit next to you?”

     She let out a laugh, to which sent shivers down Xingqiu’s spine. “You may. It’s not everyday I get to speak with someone with the same interests as me.”

                      He gladly seated himself beside her and immediately, he was greeted with the fragrance of flowers.

                    The girl extended her hand to him, smilingly softly at him. “My name is ( Your Name ),” She introduced herself. “You’re probably thinking you haven’t seen me around in Liyue, and you’re right. My family is here to meet with the Guhua Clan.”

                                                      Xingqiu took her hand and pressed a chaste kiss on the back. “Glad to make your acquaintance, my lady. My name is Xingqiu from the Guhua Clan.”

      Her eyebrows raised in acknowledgment. “Is that so?” She mused. “Then, I must show my sincerest gratitude for letting my family into – ”

               “Ah, there’s no need for that,” Dismissed Xingqiu as he shook his head. “We’re far from the dinner they’re sharing together. No need to be so formal with me.”

          Her smile brightened. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along splendidly, Xingqiu.”

                        Upon returning together to his house and finding an excuse as to why Xingqiu had been outside did he and ( Your Name ) learn that it was them who were destined to be married when they are of age. The disappointment of meeting his soon-to-be bride has dissipated at the revelation, leaving him filled with utmost joy and pride as to having you as his, and from the shy and gleeful smile that wandered to your lips, Xingqiu can tell you think the same with him.

It was to be expected that the two of you will have a luxurious and grand wedding. With the two of you coming from wealthy families, it was no surprise. If you have insisted for a small wedding consisting only of close relatives and friends, your parents will fear some other elite clans will perceive this as them losing power and money and will take advantage of them or simply cut ties with them. You and Xingqiu had no other choice but to respect their requests. Although Xingqiu was secretly relieved you agreed to a big wedding. For him, you deserved only the best of the best, and in this case, larger is better.

Both families came to an agreement that it would be for the best if the two of you are not to see each other for the week before your wedding day. You found nothing wrong with this arrangement. Xingqiu, however, was the opposite of you.

Many times he tried to sneak out of his house to visit you in secret but Chongyun has thwarted this attempts many times. When he goes to adventures with the Traveler, he find himself missing you in mere hours. How can he survive a whole week without communicating with you?

Oh, how foolish of him. He was now allowed to visit you but he can, however, write letters to you.

For the whole week, Xingqiu will be writing to you without ceasing. You’ll have a difficult time keeping up with his letters but you’ll always find time to respond to him. After all, you missed him just as much as he missed you.

Xingqiu woke up before the sun can call for him. He walked around in his room, breathing in and out as he tried to soothe his joy. Chongyun, who was tasked to look after Xingqiu for the whole week, woke up from the sound of his footsteps. When he stepped inside his best friend’s room, Xingqiu held Chongyun’s hands and twirled him around, startling the half-asleep Cryo user.

“I’m getting married to ( Your Name ) today!”

“I know, Xingqiu. I’ve been stopping you from visiting her the whole week.”

Your wedding was held in a beautiful garden where cherry blossoms flutter and the wind was gentle and cool.

Xingqiu always held his composure in any situations and circumstances he encountered. But he was going to admit that seeing you in your wedding dress with the cherry blossoms kissing your skin and tresses every now and then had him malfunctioning.

It took a worse turn when you finally stood before him, expectantly looking at him. A compliment, a playful jest, a seductive remark - but there was none of that.

Xingqiu stared at you, eyes shining with admiration and his lips parted in pleasant surprise.

“Xingqiu, earth to Xingqiu,” You whispered. “You there?”

It was only after you spoke that Xingqiu snapped out of his stupor.

“Get yourself together, Xingqiu.” Stated Chongyun beside him in a whisper.

It took him a while to find him bearings but when he did, Xingqiu smiled at you and pressed a kiss on your forehead.

“Beautiful, just like the first time I saw you.”

     SCARAMOUCHE

            Scaramouche has dedicated his entire life to seeing through what his majesty, the Tsaritsa, desired. His life shall be nothing but a pawn for her to use in her schemes and may her will be done through him and her subjects. If she must dispose of him to make success of her endeavor, Scaramouche will gladly surrender before her eyes and bare his neck for her to cut. He will do anything she commands without a second thought, and anyone who dares get in his way will face the wrath of an incensed Harbinger.                

         It was all about the Tsaritsa. His entire his existence is for his majesty. It was all he ever believed in when the honor of being the sixth Harbingers was crowned over him. With that said, Scaramouche can never bring himself to admit his resolve has been altered upon his discreet visitation to the City of Freedom to conduct a more intimate investigation over the meteorites and the impact it had on the people of Mondstadt.

                      His skull was throbbing, his thoughts scattered, and frustration was beginning to settle inside of him. Scaramouche has just dispatched his soldiers to continue their research on the meteors after his failed attempt to eliminate the traveler. He was left alone in the tranquility of the night, with the remnants of the astrologist’s escape glittering beneath his eyes, mocking him.

     “I should have acted quicker. The Traveler will continue foiling The Tsaritsa’s plans.” Mumbled Scaramouche to himself. “No matter. There will be another chance in the future to finish off the hero of Mondstadt, and I’m sure it’ll come sooner than I expect. I must prepare for that time. I can’t make this mistake again.”

                  A curious hum that echoed behind him had him stiffening in his place and drawing out his weapon from thin air. “Are you interested about the meteors too?” A voice asked.

          Scaramouche turned around, and he found a woman standing behind him a few meters away. She has a beauty that he favors, a smile so gentle that it thawed a bit of ice in his heart, but a scowl made its way to his countenance. She’s taller than me.

  She didn’t look particularly like anyone he would have any interest in knowing, and when she has introduced herself to him after he supplied her with no answer, Scaramouche predicted correctly. She was merely an ordinary folk in any ordinary city with no Vision or any skillset that could benefit him in anything.

                                                    “I must get going.” Curtly stated Scaramouche and he turned around without even bidding goodbye to the woman.

                          “So soon?” You asked. “I thought we could at least talk what’s been happening – about the meteors, the stars.”

              Scaramouche frowned at the mention of the latter and he spun back around to meet your gaze. “The stars? What about the stars?”

                                        You smiled a secret smile. “The stars . . . they’re fake.”

         Scaramouche stared at you with wonder and amusement in his dark hues. He has always believed in that notion, and only a handful came to agree with him. Now, here a lady stands before him, with nothing in particular to offer him, speaking of the truth many has rejected.

                      He examined you from head to toe, evaluating your form before beckoning you to come over to him, saying, “Perhaps I can spare some time to talk.”

                  What was supposed to be a conversation within an hour or so has extended for a day, and when you requested to accompany him back to ship docked in Liyue Harbor to continue your conversation (it surprised him but has nonetheless allowed you to tag along) about the meteors and the stars, it dragged on for weeks.

     But Scaramouche would be lying if he said that was all you discussed about. There was only so much information they can relate to the subject that has intertwined their fates that it did not take long for the two of you to stray from it to favor a more civil conversation. He learned of your mundane life back in Mondstadt where you were merely another dot in the bustle of the city and he managed to extract from you valuable material regarding the Honorary Knight (in truth, you have willingly told him everything you knew about the Hero of Mondstadt and this he was very pleased with). He learned about your family, your work, your past, and your ambition to adventure throughout the lands of Teyvat even without a Vision.

                He thought it was foolish of you to believe you can ever get out of your city without a Vision. There were too many enemies that a simple adventurer like you could easily be overwhelmed with. Not to mention the Fatuis that he and his fellow Harbingers has placed all throughout Teyvat. The thought of you getting hurt, especially by his own soldiers . . . it did not sit right with him.

                                 Arriving at Liyue Harbor, Scaramouche proposed that you come with him. It is no secret that anyone who do not possess a Vision cannot survive if they were ever to embark on a journey. Hearing your desire for an adventure, Scaramouche has come to decide that as gratitude for your pleasant company and for your compliance in giving him information about the renowned traveler, he shall take you along in his voyage, showing you the grandest landscapes, granting your every need and desires, all the while keeping you at his side where he was certain you were safe.

    It was all to thank you, nothing else. It wasn’t because Scaramouche knew he would find himself missing you and the comfort you bring when you leave, nor was it because he was fond of you. Yes, yes, all just to show his gratitude.

              As his soldiers watched as Scaramouche led you aboard in ship with his hand interlocked with yours, they thought the same thing – Scaramouche is never the one to show gratitude to anyone. You had him smitten.

How you were able to fall in love with Scaramouche in such a short period of time is fascinating. Especially with his horrid personality.

But he was different with you. He was gentle, caring, and never raised his voice. The insults remained but there was no venom behind them. It took you quite some time to get used to his belittling remarks but it didn’t evade your perception how Scaramouche begun lessening his insults, opting for a more playful jab instead.

He proposed to you over at dinner. He had just come back from an expedition and came home to a table filled with your cooking. As the two of you are exchanging your stories of what went with your lives when you two were separated, Scaramouche placed his chopsticks away, looked at you straight in the eyes and said, “Marry me.”

How can you say no to such a romantic proposal?

Actually, you made him redo his proposal before you accepted but nobody else has to know about that.

There was no best man for Scaramouche in your wedding. The man was feared by everyone, and his fellow Harbingers hated him. Childe did insist on being his best man at one point but he almost ended up being fried by a lightning bolt. Apparently, the 11th Harbinger pestered him for a whole week trying to convince him to let him be the best man so his actions were justified - just a little bit.

You have to give it to Scaramouche. Regardless of his busy schedule and the current predicament in Inazuma, he managed to find time and opportunity to plan your wedding and marry you without having to worry about the Electro Archon and her subjects.

Scaramouche scoffed at the tradition of not being able to see you on the very day of your wedding. What good would it be? You were going to be his wife, and he wanted to see his wife. He saw himself above tradition, and visited you first thing in the morning at the day of the wedding.

It was no question Scaramouche was an authoritative man but he was more so as he prepared himself for the wedding.

His maids ran about in the room, providing everything he needed and wanted. Scaramouche was not known for being compassionate, but this was the first time they’ve been on the receiving end of his wrath. Normally, he would ignore their existence and not even bother to call them by their names but today, he was different. He acted worse than when he comes home after a failed mission.

The maids knew he was beyond frustrated with the wedding. So, they called to ask for your help.

“Scaramouche, you’re scaring the maids.” You cooed as you came up behind him and placed your hands on his shoulders.

Scaramouche let out a scoff, but you felt his frame soften. He sat before a mirror, and he gazed at your reflection as he placed a hand over one of yours. “Even they weren’t so terrible with their jobs . . . ”

“You’re making things so hard for them. And for yourself too.” You stated. “Marrying me shouldn’t be hard, should it?”

That statement set Scaramouche right, and when you left to carry on with your own preparation and the maids returned to their duties, he was more civil with them. If that’s what you want, then he can endure it.

The hour has finally arrived. Scaramouche has faced many dangers in his life, but it was only now he felt restless. What is taking you so long? He thought you wanted to marry him. Then what’s warranting your late arrival?

At that thought, you finally appeared by the end of the aisle, holding a bouquet in your hands. Everyone in the venue gaped at your beauty, and Scaramouche was thankful you had everyone gazing at you. He didn’t want them to see the dumbfounded and poorly hidden lovestruck expression that crossed his mien for a moment.

But a sense of pride also touched him. 

That’s my bride.

When the ceremony begins, you and Scaramouche were seated side by side. You smiled brightly at him when you sat, but he didn’t any indication that he saw your smile and continued giving his undivided attention on the person conducting your wedding. You pouted heavily at this but said nothing and followed his actions. However, your smile returned when you felt his fingers hooking with yours. It was a small improvement, but it was intimate and loving.

Scaramouche didn’t cry in your wedding but when his arms held you tightly to his chest when evening came and two of you lied down on your shared bed, it was enough for you to know he loved you as much as you loved him.

Maybe more so.

     RAZOR

   Razor rarely experience human interaction, and if he did, it would be abrupt and depending on how the communication was being dealt by both parties, it would either be Razor who parts from them first out of wariness or lacking knowledge of being social or the other would, most of the time for the reason they find it disturbing a human could act so much like a wolf. The humans Razor constantly encounter are the hunters from Springvale and due to their bellowing voices and violence against his Lupicals, he has limited his ventures to Mondstadt unless something calls for an emergency.

        Other than the man who gave him his name, Razor only knew a handful of people – six of them being the Traveler, Traveler’s companion, Bennett, Klee, her big brother Albedo, and the woman he sees as his mentor, Lisa. He can only ever let his guard down when around them, though he was still a wee bit cautious of Albedo whenever Klee drags him to his camp.

                          He didn’t think he could meet anyone else who can consider a Lupical. That was until he met you. You were taking a peaceful stroll around Wolvendom – Archons know why you chose the most avoided place in Mondstadt to walk through – at the same time he was hunting down boars for his Lupicals.

  There was no rescuing or danger involved when he met you. It was a simple encounter, to which Razor was pleasantly surprised with. In almost all occasions, when he is meeting a fellow human being, it would be under rather unusual circumstances. He met the Traveler and her floating friend when they were being attacked by slimes. He met Lisa when she has painted the skies dark as she was singlehandedly fending herself off from a mob of Hilichurls. He met Klee when she was using her bombs to fish. He met Albedo in the middle of a chaotic experiment to which resulted in an evacuation. He met Bennett when he was hanging upside down from a tree when he tried to take an apple from a high branch, and the tree was up in flames.

                   To say, meeting you normally was a breath of fresh air.

      The two of you hit it off almost immediately, or so that is what it seems to you. Although you consider Razor a good friend even in just the few days you have met, he was still very careful of you. He had been deceived by humans before and it may be a little unfair to you since he trusted the Traveler and Bennett almost in an instant, he must first know you are trustworthy.

  And indeed, you’ve proven yourself as such. Perhaps, more so than the Traveler. You have done everything to show him you have no ill intentions against him and his Lupicals – helped him in hunting for sustenance for his family even if you have to knowledge in hunting, helping him broaden his vocabulary, helping him read and write – but it was your sacrifice to protect them that made him truly open himself up to you.

             An Abyss Mage has appeared out of nowhere and has wreaked havoc in their residence. Razor can feel his heart thundering as he raced through Wolvendom along with a few of his Lupicals who he had gone out with to hunt. Upon arriving at their home, Razor has anticipated to see the grass painted with red and wounded wolves whimpering in pain as others try to battle against the Abyss Mage. But to his relief, such image was not implemented into reality. Instead, he found his Lupicals sleeping soundly in their den, and the remains of the Abyss Mage has slowly evaporated in thin air. As the particles gradually disappeared, they made way for your presence to be revealed.

           Razor let out a gasp when he laid eyes on you. Bruised, bleeding, exhausted, but smiling as you happily waved at him with the hand clutching your weapon.

                              You happily advanced towards him, tittering. Razor reached out to take your hand, and reluctantly asked of your welfare. Now he understood why humans ask how one is fairing when they are clearly unwell – they do not know what else to say.

                      “Why would you do that?” Razor questioned as he brought you far from his den to tend to your wounds without waking his family. “You are hurt now.”

    “I can’t let an Abyss Mage hurt your Lupical.” You answered firmly, the smile you wore dissipating as you gazed into his eyes. “I might not be as strong as the Honorary Knight or Acting Grand Master Jean, but I fought well.”

               What was this odd sensation he was feeling? This strong urge to protect you, to take you in his arms and never let you go – what was this? He has never felt like this before. So light, so . . . flustered. He thought this feeling would be gone after a few days, but months has passed and since then, the feeling became more prominent, stronger. All the time he could never get enough of you and there will always be that lingering trickle of pain in his chest when you have to leave for the day. Razor knew you would come back the day after when the night has gone, but it never stopped that little ache.

                          Razor understood that he lacked understanding of feelings, so he confided to Bennett about it. Bennett was almost as clueless as Razor about feelings – almost – but he did know when someone was taking a liking of someone in a more amorous manner. He has filled Razor about exactly what he was feeling for you, and not the kind of feeling that he has for him and the Traveler, but the kind of liking he would have towards a . . . girlfriend? (Bennett had to explain to him the meaning behind girlfriend and it was no easy task).

            “Liking someone like a girlfriend . . . ” Razor muttered, scrunching his face in puzzlement. “ . . . like a mate?”

                                 Bennett flushed at the word but nodded. “Yes, like a mate.”

                                                Bennett tried his best to help Razor confess to you, and this is where disaster happened. Since Razor is mostly uneducated in terms of romantic feelings, he did not feel any anxiety crawling up to him when he decided to admit his feelings to you. The problem is that he has decided to confess in a wrong time and in a difficult situation.

       “You should confess to her after you’ve saved her from danger!” Exclaimed Bennett, beaming at Razor.

                   The latter tilted his head to the side. “Razor doesn’t . . . get it.”

    “Well, in the books I’ve read, the guys confess to the girls they like in a dangerous time. I don’t know how that’s safe, but it works. But since we don’t want to hurt ( Your Name ), you’ll save her before confessing!”

                    Bless his innocent heart, Razor trusted Bennett’s word without a smidge of doubt. His opportunity to admit his feelings came when the two of you saw Reckless Pallad being surrounded by Hilichurls getting ready to pounce on him. The thing is you too knew your way around a battlefield and have efficiently begun fighting off the Hilichurls. Razor watched as you made quick work of rescuing Reckless Pallad and he didn’t even notice himself beginning to pout in disappointment until you were right in front of him again, worriedly gazing at him.

             “Razor, what’s wrong?” You questioned, appraising him. “You’re not injured, are you?”

                                     He shook his head. “Razor not injured.” He confirmed.

        “Well, that’s good, but why aren’t you moving? We need to save that man.”

                            “Razor wanted to confess to ( Your Name ) by saving her.”

       Razor explained the plan of his confession he conspired with Bennett, how he would save you from danger and tell you his everlasting love that he didn’t notice the redness tinting your cheeks and the wide smile stretching across your face.

           Razor only took note of the phenomenon occurring on your features when he has finished elaborating his scheme. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “Your face is all . . . red. Sick?” He asked.

                                                                         Razor didn’t have a chance to further speculate just exactly was ailing you before you took hold of his face and softly placed your lips against him, catching him off guard.

                                      There was a blossom in his chest when you kissed him – this is love, right? Razor decided there and then he liked this feeling of love.

                      Needless to say, Reckless Pallad was left alone for the Traveler to save. Again.

Razor had no idea what weddings were. He has never heard of such thing before. The first time he did learn about it was when he was hanging out with you and the Traveler. The latter mentioned that you and him are invited in a wedding. Razor tilted his head in confusion but when he turned to ask you what it was, he froze. Your eyes were shimmering with joy and excitement. Razor liked seeing you like that.

So when you were preoccupied, Razor asked the Traveler what a wedding was. Perhaps a wedding was some sort of food that he can find in the wild?

After Traveler has explained what weddings are and the concept of marriage as well, Razor did not waste time trying to propose to you. Since he had no money to buy a very expensive ring, he asked Bennett for help to find materials so he can make one of his own. In the end, they had Wagner help them form a ring. It wasn’t exactly the best looking but when Razor showed it to you and asked for your hand in marriage (Traveler helped him with his proposal speech and had to explain that asking for your hand doesn’t mean literal), and he saw the pure joy on your face, he thought it was pretty enough for you.

Razor didn’t know you were happy mostly because he proposed to you but you didn’t tell him. He looked so proud with the ring.

Your wedding was small and only a very few people were invited. Klee insisted on being one of the flower girls and Razor almost agreed until she began spouting about bombs which will detonate in the air and will explode with flowers. Albedo advised Razor not to make her one of the flower girls because Klee, for sure, will bring flower bombs (it will explode with flowers, but the explosion is still there).

Razor chose Bennett as his best man. That was supposed to be a good thing but when the two of those pair up together, they can tend to cause a lot of chaos, unintentionally.

At the day of the wedding, nearly all the invitees refuse to enter the cathedral as they claim there was danger inside. When Kaeya and Jean came to inspect this danger they speak of, both wielded their weapons once seeing a pack of wolves huddled at the front, just before the altar, with Bennett and Razor telling them to behave.

You had to explain to Razor why it was dangerous and made people uncomfortable when there are wolves present in the cathedral. Although Razor was understandably disappointed by this, he conceded and brought his Lupicals back to Wolvendom. To make it up to him, you promised a private celebration will be held in Wolvendom with nobody else but you, him, Bennett, and of course, his Lupicals.

Razor didn’t know why Bennett seemed more nervous than him when the two of them were standing by the altar. 

“I’m going to ruin your wedding, Razor! Aren’t you worried?”

“ . . . but you not ruining anything . . . ?”

When you finally arrived in the cathedral, Razor felt excitement surge in his body and he can hardly stop himself from squirming on his seat. 

But he wasn’t smiling. These emotions . . . he was having a hard time comprehending them. It was good, it was nice, but it was overwhelmingly so.

He could have cried, and he almost did but when you were before him, smiling at him, he couldn’t help but smile back.

His beautiful wife, his Lupical.

Bennett was the one who cried in your wedding.

     ALBEDO

                It was always a fascinating sight to see a traveler meandering through Dragonspine without minding the sheer cold or flawlessly fending themselves off from the enemies lurking around. Even Albedo has some degree of difficult in navigating his way back to his camp without the Fatui spotting him or tailing him. But it was more fascinating to see a young woman standing in the middle of a freezing lake with nothing but her trousers and her brassiere.

                            It was a peculiar meeting, yes, but out of the ordinary people and matters has always endeared him.

    Albedo brought you to his camp as quickly as he can and asked Timaeus to hand you a cup of warm tea and a blanket. After thanking him for his kindness and consuming half of the beverage generously given to you, you introduced yourself.

             You were an adventurer who came all the way from Liyue to embark on a journey to discover the harshness and secrets that laid within Dragonspine, a mountain many do not dare set foot further in. Other than the mentioned reasons, training was a top priority of yours. You claim one cannot go further in their adventure while being comfortable in their current, and he completely agrees with your statement. When Albedo questioned why you had been in the middle of a lake in Dragonspine, you answered that being able to withstand the cold was just part of your training and seeing as he had caught you shivering to close to death, it was not going well.

                            Albedo didn’t think he would see you again after you parted from him, but he was surprised when the next day he found you waiting for him in his camp, a smile on your face as you stand proudly and wave at him.

   Something about you piqued his interest, if his interest was somehow related to how his heart accelerated whenever you come close to him to offer help with his experiment, or when his face grows hot if you offer him a compliment. He thought it was your way of showing him your gratefulness for taking care of you yesterday, so he allowed your presence in his camp, around him. Albedo didn’t expect you to visit again the next day, and the day after that, and so on and so forth. But he can’t say he disliked your frequent visitations, or your presence that always seem to be following him everywhere he went. He very much liked your company and thoroughly enjoyed listening about your adventures and everything you came across in your adventure. They were a good distraction from his experiments. Everything about you set his mind in ease.

             It wasn’t long until the two of you are spending more time together alone. No experiments, no work in mind. It just the two of you keeping one another company and sharing stories about your days, and making banters here and there – whether it be in a walk under the moon, or sharing a meal in Good Hunter, or while he paints somewhere in Dragonspine.

                 Although Albedo was not well versed in the complexity of romance and has deemed relationships to be rather tedious to uphold, but he was knowledgeable enough to know that in the process of his growing friendship with you, he has caught feelings for you.

  This has certainly brought difficulty in his relationship with you. Albedo, although never verbally admitting so, has always thought of feelings as a nuisance. In a relationship, in his own observation, disadvantages trump over advantages. He had seen the irrationality that love has caused, the stupidity. His observation led him to one conclusion – other than being friends with people, relationships is not for him.

           You have put him in a challenging situation. It would have been easy to cut ties with you if you haven’t successfully infiltrated his walls and snaked your way in his heart. The very thought of pushing you away was repulsive to him. Seeing the hurt cross your features – it will haunt him for the rest of his life.

                      The interest he had for you was not interest at all. It was the beginning of love. He should have been more alert, and this wouldn’t have happened.

                                 What if you returned his feelings and your relationship did not work? There was no way your friendship could be salvaged. Isn’t it much better to remain as friends than risk ruining any chance of keeping you in his life?

  No, no, that would be insanely idiotic. It will eat him up. Thus, he treated his feelings for you like an experiment. Dipping carefully, testing the waters – confessing to you.

        He can construct a confession that will perfectly enunciate his feelings for you while emphasizing your freedom to reject him and his desire to remain good friends with you. Surely, you didn’t reciprocate his feelings. All he needed is for you to let him down, and he will hope you can still see him the same way after.

            All his preparations, however, were thrown out of the window when you beat him to confessing.

   Albedo had no idea how struck his expression must have been with puzzlement, anxiety and flatter as he attentively listens to every word that leaves your lips. His heart pounded at everything you were saying – everything he adored about you, you adored about him. Being unable to speak his mind felt foreign to him. After you finished your confession, a beautiful red hue coloring your cheeks as you looked into his eyes with hopefully eyes, all he can do his open his mouth a smidge, and close, and then open again. He must have resembled a goldfish at that time.

                      Albedo couldn’t believe it. You loved him, and here he was expecting to be rejected and thinking relationships were a waste of time.

                                          He was in a dilemma now. Accept your feelings as his heart desired to, or gently reject you for practicality? Having a lover would complicate his life and he will risk so many things that he were used to just to be able to keep his relationship with you fruitful. Was he ready for something like that?

           This was the first time Albedo has listened to his heart. He still remembered how he cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips against yours, muffling the gasp that tumbled out of you.

                                Albedo might be a stranger to romance but he is an Alchemist and risks are part of his job, and risking coming out of his comfort to be with you was something you deserve, and maybe something he deserved as well.

You knew Albedo was going to propose to you. He was always immersed in his experiments and research that you took the responsibility of tidying up his lab. It did not take long for you to find a small black box nestled in the back inside a drawer filled with haphazardly thrown papers and used pens.

Albedo knew that you knew he was going to propose to you. The two of you were taking a peaceful stroll around Dragonspine and after a heartfelt speech, he knelt down to one knee, he curiously watched as you malfunctioned right in front of him, trying to elect which route of surprise should you take before displaying a less then satisfactory theatrics of surprise.

Nonetheless, the two of you are still happy.

You and Albedo agreed that the two of you will have a small and private wedding. Klee, however, did not. She was less than thrilled to hear about that and went on a whole spiel of the reasons why you should have the biggest and most fun wedding ever, as she said.

“ - then where will a really, really tall wedding cake and Klee is going to make a bomb that will explode in the skies where it will burst out many pretty flower petals - ”

Jean promised the two of you that she will keep an eye on her at the day of the wedding.

Albedo is adamant on two things - a small wedding, and having no best man, and the latter had two reasons. Although he is highly respected in Mondstadt, there was no one he could ask to be best man, and the second reason is that he loves you and is certain that marrying you is something he wants. No doubts. He didn’t need a best man helping him in something he didn’t need help with.

Albedo was also not someone to conform to the ritual of not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding until the very ceremony, but for you, he begrudgingly followed.

On the day of the wedding, Albedo prepared himself without the help of anyone. He prepared his own clothes and had Klee braid his hair (it was a wee bit sloppy and Albedo fixed them when she had her back turned to him and gave her all the credit).

The man reached for the door to visit you but he let out a sigh when he realized that he cannot. He made a promise that today, the first time he’ll see you is when you walk down the aisle. He has to keep his promise. Not to mention Klee blocked his way and reminded him of that (tried to block).

Albedo was a patient man. Patience was nothing new to him. His research and experiments needed patience or they will ultimately fail. It came to the point where being impatient made him uncomfortable. That’s exactly what was happening when he was standing at the altar. Nobody, not even the observant Kaeya himself, can tell Albedo was beginning to lose his patience.

The day had been a little too long. He wanted to see you already. It didn’t matter if the ceremony would take a while before he can kiss you and call you his wife. He just wanted to see you again.

Albedo turned away the moment you stepped inside the cathedral. You were far from repulsive or ugly (and he can never think of you like that), but he had to cast his gaze somewhere but on you. He knew you’ll be beautiful in your wedding dress, but seeing you now with your adorable and shy smile, with Cecilia flowers in your hands, and your eyes fixated on him and only him - Albedo nearly lost his composure.

This time he was sure Kaeya saw it.

“Waah, big sister ( Your Name ) looks soooo pretty!” Klee cooed loudly, causing the guests to let out a few chuckles of amusement.

His impatience was beginning to pierce through him. The moment you faced him, Albedo did not waste time grabbing your hands, and once he did, you saw him visibly soften, as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.

“What happened to you?” You asked, giggling.

Albedo returned your smile. “I’m just very happy to see you.”

The fervor that he exuded when he kissed you certainly supported his statement.

THOSE WHO WILL HIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECEPTION TO CRY SOMEWHERE NO ONE CAN SEE THEM

     CHONGYUN

    Chongyun was known for two things – being an exorcist and having a type of condition that needed his keen observation and awareness.

       He has always disliked his condition. Whenever his Yang energy overwhelms, he must immediately consume an icy treat to be able to soothe his nerves. But it seems he can be thankful for it for this one time. If it wasn’t for his congenital positivity, he wouldn’t have stumbled across you, and your hundred homemade ice cream you smuggled out of your own home.

                      Chongyun had been hurrying to meet his friend at that day. He had just finished an exorcism somewhere in Qingce Village and was rushing to where he and Xingqiu usually meet in Liyue. He was already running late, and who knows what Xingqiu will do if he was late again. He let out a pained yelp when he crashed against your form when he made a sharp turn, and his Yang energy has never been in a more unstable state than when he saw you seated on the ground, groaning in pain, with peculiar looking containers littering the floor around you.

                   Chongyun had profusely apologized for his actions and assisted you in gathering all the belongings he had knocked off your possession. He felt the coldness in the small containers you once held and wondered what was inside. He hasn’t seen anything like this before. He knew his Yang energy was starting to ooze out of him but he underestimated its manifestation until you placed your hand over his forehead. He pulled back away instantly, startled by your actions, to which you immediately apologized.

        “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” He repeated, light blue hair bobbing with his movements as he bowed his head over to you again and again, mortification palpable on his features. “I-I didn’t mean to run – ”

                        “No, no, I should be the one apologizing! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I put my hand on you all of a sudden – ” You were about to continue spewing apologies and explanations when you froze, concern etching across his face. “ - oh, hey, you’re really, really red. Are you okay?”

                  Even when it had been years since his encounter with you, he still gets embarrassed when he remembered that, and you and Xingqiu tease him about it.

                                           He explained to you then about his condition and when you offered him a container you owned containing ice cream you made, that’s when your friendship begun. When the two of you snuck out to a secluded area in Liyue Harbor to gorge on the tons of ice cream you have once again brought out of your house despite your mother’s warnings did he know it would be a friendship that will last long. His only regret was that he introduced you to Xingqiu, and now he must endure double the teasing.

                       One thing he appreciated about you was how ready you were whenever you were with him. You made it your point to know what can cause his condition to act up and soothe him by your words, and always having ice cream with you. And the best part was that the ice cream you give him is always homemade, made by you. His popsicles could never compete to your masterpiece.

    He never really thought of you as someone he would be romantically interested in. Sure, there were instances when his Yang energy would flare up because of having you by his side, when your smile brought upon his own, when his heart raced when you held his hand as the two of you were returning from a commission, when he gazed at you with adoration when you took care of him and fed him cold noodles when he was having a fever (he refused to eat hot noodles even in his illness). Surely, all friends do that with one another, right? And feeling this odd sensation in his chest was normal, right?

                      When he confided in Xingqiu with this, the boy laughed at his cluelessness. It wasn’t surprising. Chongyun did not have a lot of friends so distinguishing friendship and romance was not easy for him. The Hydro Vision holder filled him in with everything he has to know about relationships, and he used some pretty unconventional ways like giving him a too descriptive image of how a man and woman would kiss, and other explicit doings of adults.

         But it did bring light one thing – Chongyun liked you, and of course how he handled such revelation was, simply put, disastrous.

                                      His entire body felt hot, and he was stammering to the point even the ever so eloquent Xingqiu cannot understand him. Normally, when things get like this, he’ll rush over to your place and request for some of your delicious ice cream but seeing as you were somehow part of the reason for this, he had to rely on Xingqiu to take care of him.

                      After learning about his feelings for you, Chongyun have never been more uneasy around you, which was odd, and he was sure you’ve noticed, and yet has never dropped any comment about it.

                     He was always nervous around you. Blushing whenever you come close to him, jumping when you take his hand in his, stammering whenever you praise him for anything, feeling the need to run away if you ask him about how he was fairing – he has lost count just how many popsicles he has eaten just to keep his cool. He has stopped asking ice cream from you and declined any offer from you because he thought accepting your homemade ice creams could lead him to falling deeper in love with you until he couldn’t move on anymore.

             Chongyun didn’t notice your growing impatience. He was so immersed in his own feelings that he didn’t take into consideration how you felt whenever he flinched away from your touch and rejected your treats.

   It took Xingqiu for the growing tension between the two of you to alleviate. He made an elaborate plan to get the two of you together in an isolated place (a broom closet) and has made a claim not to let any of you go until the two of you have confessed your feelings with each other.

                      “Just tell me what’s wrong with you, Chongyun! Why are you acting so weird around me?” You asked him but he refused to answer you just as he refused to look at you.

      You let out a sigh as you reached out to take his hand but when he pulled away from your touch, that was the last straw.

               “If you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, just say so.”

          Alarmed, Chongyun faced you, stuttering. “No! Of course, I want to be friends with you - I mean, I don’t want to be friends - wait, that sounded wrong, and so bad - ”

   Your brows burrowed together in question. “You want to be friends but you don’t want to be friends?”

   Chongyun groaned as he buried his face on his hands. It’s now or never.

                “I like you, ( Your Name ).”

           The silence that followed was deafening for Chongyun. He removed his hands from his face and prepared himself to apologize and beg to continue being friends when he felt hands cup his face, and your lips pressing against his. It was a good thing you had ice cream on you even after he avoided you for weeks. He almost fainted in your arms if it wasn’t for you shoving a finger in his mouth with a scoop of ice cream. 

                                   It was one of the few times Chongyun was grateful for Xingqiu’s interest in romantic tropes because if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have left that room with a blushing but happy face with you.

      Xingqiu smirked as the two of you exited the room, hand in hand and redness coating your cheeks. “Well, well, well, look who - ”

                    “Shut up, Xingqiu,” You and Chongyun chorused. The two of you looked at each other out of surprise and then burst out laughing, all the while the Hydro Vision user stood by the side, sighing.

         “Now, I have to deal with these two’s teasing.”

When Chongyun realized he was ready to propose to you after years of being together, he asked Xingqiu to propose to you on his behalf.

His best friend nearly destroyed his book from whacking the Cryo user for thinking such an inane idea could work. Not only was it not romantic, it was also inappropriate. Xingqiu had to reprimand him for an entire hour proposing that idea but being a good best friend that he is despite his mischievous streak, he vowed to help the man propose to you.

It was no easy task and there were times where Chongyun held himself back and risking yet another proposal plan. He was thankful Xingqiu was well versed with romance and everything entailed with it and knew more ways to help him. After a countless of delays, Chongyun managed to get down on one knee one fine evening by the trails leading to Liyue Harbor, spew out affirmation of his love for you in stammers, and asked for your hand in marriage.

When you accepted his proposal and adorned your finger with the ring, Chongyun discreetly showed a thumbs up to a nearby bush. About three hands popped out from the leaves, offering the same action.

Xingqiu let out a sigh as Xiangling and Xinyan giggled. “Finally.” He breathed out. “Now, time for me to be his best man.”

Of course, Chongyun chose him as his best man. Who else would be a better choice than him? 

Chongyun is firm about Xingqiu being his best man but sometimes he can be a little bit . . . pushy, especially when it comes to something he believes in.

There was a tradition where he cannot see you for a whole week until the ceremony. Chongyun was mildly bothered by this arrangement but nonetheless, since you agree with it, he will respect your wishes and do the same. Xingqiu has over and over again tried to persuade him to visit you at home, and he made some interesting points why he should. He almost convinced him a few times but in the end, he refused to be lured in his trap and stopped the temptation of breaking his promise.

He missed you dearly, yes, and his patience will surely be rewarded soon.

Chongyun, as expected, was freaking out at the day of wedding. Marriage is a huge step for the both of you. You’re not going to regret marrying him, will you? What if this marriage didn’t work? He’ll lose you for you.

Xingqiu had to guide him away from the altar and to a corner for privacy. Other than you, Xingqiu was a person who had been when his condition start acting up and how it worked.

After successfully cooling him down with a popsicle, Xingqiu consoled Chongyun. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about back there but you have nothing to worry about. ( Your Name ) loves you.”

“What if it doesn’t work between us?”

“It will. I’ve seen how you two are. You’re perfect for each other. I think you already know that, and ( Your Name ) does too. Why would she accept your proposal if she didn’t think the two of you wouldn’t prosper together?”

Chongyun murmured. “Pity?”

If Xingqiu had a book with at that moment, he would have smacked Chongyun again.

Once his condition has subsided, Chongyun returned to the altar and Xingqiu stood behind him, waiting.

The moment you arrived, Chongyun can feel himself heating up and his heart pounding against his chest. It felt like his condition was acting up but he wasn’t feeling nauseous or at the edge of fainting. It was a pleasant sort of warmth, the warmth he felt when he first met you.

No. It was the same warmth that travels through his body whenever he sees you, but this time, it was stronger to the point he it almost felt like his condition.

Your smile immediately disappeared when you saw Chongyun flushed red and his eyes averting from yours.

Worry encapsulated you. “Is your condition acting up?” You asked in a whisper.

Chongyun blinked, puzzled. “What?”

Discreetly taking a gander at the audience completely unaware of your interaction, you slipped your hand under your dress and showed Chongyun was a small ice cream container.

“I brought this with me just in case.”

Chongyun decided he made the best decision of his life to marry you.

He took your hands in his and pressed a small kiss on top of one.

“Thank you, love.”

After the wedding, Chongyun immediately visited the comfort room. You tried to follow him but Xingqiu told you there was nothing to worry about, and he was right.

When he entered the comfort room, Chongyun locked the door behind him and headed straight to the sink to splash some water on his face.

One won’t be able to tell Chongyun was crying from the water streaming down his face.

He looked up at the mirror, staring at his reflection as he let out a small, and content sigh.

“I’m married. I’m married to her.” Chongyun tried to hold back his smile, but he failed. “She’s my . . . wife.”

And did it sound nice to call you his wife.

     XIAO

              It was his duties to Rex Lapis, to the thriving land of Liyue, that kept Xiao grounded and his mind temporarily fleeting away from the karmic debts that weighed on his shoulders. If it had not been for the responsibilities laid down on him, he was sure to have succumb to the consequences of his bloodshed from the past long ago. It was the reason behind his creation, to serve the people of Liyue and protect them from any transgressors or anything that could potentially lead to their destruction, and it was all he knew. His existence was all for Liyue, and to seek out the desires of Rex Lapis and accomplish them no matter how difficult and by what means.

    Day and night he oversees every part of Liyue and hears every call of his name and seeks refuge in Wangshu Inn. It was a cycle that has never changed ever since the gruesome war between gods has taken place in Teyvat, and all was same until that night when he heard a cry for help from a distant place, and rescued a strange maiden from the peril she found herself in.

                          Love at first sight disgusted him the most. He can understand, to some degree, that mortals can fall in love with people they have built a caring and trusting relationship with but falling in love with someone who one has no dust of knowledge of their identity was simply unwise and incomprehensible. And yet there he was, leaping from the precipice of a soaring mountain and securing the mortal in the middle of her fall.

               Xiao had no clue why it felt like time has stopped and they have gently floated in the air as he took a gander at the woman in his arms. Scratches littered her features, and twigs adorned her mop of hair, but she still shone brighter than the stars and moon behind her.

   He did not let her speak to him after he has placed her safely on solid ground and he quickly took his leave without even a glance back.

                          When he had painted the lands of Teyvat red with the other Yakshas, he did not blink an eye or feel a bead of sweat trail on the side of his face. But that woman has caused his chest to flutter, and he always find himself thinking back to the day he had saved her. If he had been like any other mortal which has sleep as a necessity, he would find himself thinking of you every morning and every night, longing for another chance to meet you again. What has she done to him? He already has to carry the burden of his sins, and now he must endure this painful curse she casted on him?

              But it didn’t matter now. She was already long gone, for all he knows, and he doesn’t even know her name.

    Xiao already came to accept that she was merely going to fleet away from his mind, a distant memory that his heart will ache every time he remembers her. He had many regrets in his lifetime, and this leaving her behind without knowing her name is one of them.

                                    But it seems to him that Rex Lapis has taken favor of him and has graced his undeserving existence. Xiao had just exterminated a Hilichurl camp getting increasingly close to Wangshu Inn when his ears preened and his pupils dilated – that voice, the same voice that he never thought he’d hear again, was calling out for him again. He did not find the time to dispose of the monsters in a more appropriate location where they will no longer continue their venture towards the inn, and quickly made his way to where he heard her.

           When he arrived, it did not take long for him to spot her standing perfectly still in front of him, hands behind her back. His eyes dilated as he took in her familiar form. Her tresses were no longer matted with twigs and mud, the scratches that once marred her skin no longer present, and a smile has replaced the cowering fear that adorned her visage before.

                   Xiao ignored the increasing heartbeat that drummed against his chest and surveyed the area with a flick of his spear. “There’s no danger.” He remarked after assessing the parameter, his mask dissipating into the night as he returned his gaze back at her.

       She rubbed her arm as she averted her eyes from him. “I spent months trying to find you again.” The mortal woman murmured. “When all has failed, I thought back to that night you saved me, and I called – and you came.”

                                         Xiao did not speak another word, but he was afraid that you can hear how loud his heart was racing. He needed to ignore his selfishness, he needed to leave. “If you’re not in any danger, then I’ll be leaving.”

  He turned around to do as he said, but his eyes widened when he felt your hand around his wrist.

                “Wait, please,” She pleaded, and when he looked over his shoulder, any resolve of leaving her again vanished. She was looking at him with hopeful and vibrant orbs. How can he ever let her down when she’s looking at him like that?

      Xiao let out a sigh and turned back around to meet her properly, but her hand never left him. Were you afraid he might disappear as quickly as he did like last time?

                                    “Don’t go.”

                   “Why not?” Xiao questioned. “If you know anything about an Adeptus, then you understand my duties.”

              She bit her lip as he withdrew her hold. Xiao missed the warmth she gave him already. “I know that but . . . ” She trailed off. “ . . . can I . . . at least know your name?”

                                                Xiao did not give her an answer.

            “Even if we never meet again, I want to at least know the name of man who saved me.” She mumbled softly. “But I’m afraid if I ever know your name, I’ll never get to think of any other man but you.”

                                                    Xiao appraised you, taking in her apprehensive frame. A mortal has fallen in love with an Adeptus? This was preposterous. He saved her months ago, and back then they shared little time together. Too little to gain feelings for him.

    But still, he found himself relenting to your wishes.

                                     “Xiao,” He answered. “My name is Xiao.”

            Don’t look for another man. I’m here. I’m staying.

                   That’s how he met his first and last love, ( Your Name ).

Xiao has lived in Teyvat for thousands of years and is knowledgeable of the culture of mortals, one of them being marriage. He had witnessed humans bounding themselves to another, promising to cherish them, protect them, to love them. For Xiao, marriage is something far from disgusting. Although he cannot understand the need for them to be together under an oath, it was undeniable that many great things and opportunities birthed from them.

However, no matter how beautiful it is for them, it will never stop perplexing Xiao. How is it that one can look at another and know that they’re the one? Are they not afraid to be betrayed? Are humans so willing to have themselves get hurt and offer forgiveness for the sake of love? It’s confusing for him.

Not until you came along that it made sense. Every argument, every disagreement, sleepless nights, every sincere apology, every countless forgiveness, every embrace, every kiss - is this what mortals feel? If so, he’ll endure all the hardships of love if it means staying by your side, and he knew that you feel the same.

Unfortunately, Xiao is not one for marriage.

Not that he does not love you - oh Archons, because he did, deeply so - but the consequences of your relationship always hang in front of him.

 It’s already a risk to let you in his heart and love someone as sinful as him, but the thought of you bearing his karmic debt terrified him.

What happens if the two of you are bound together, and under a contract that Rex Lapis will surely oversee? Will the demons that torment him sink their teeth on your pure and innocent soul? Will he see the life in your eyes wither as you strive to remain with him? And what if you try to break the contract to escape karma? Will the both of you suffer in karma and the wrath of the rock?

Xiao can’t do that to you. This is one way he can guarantee your safety. It hurts him to know he cannot marry you, and it hurt more when he saw the disappointment and pain in your eyes when he explained himself. But keeping you safe is his top priority. He deserved this punishment, he can’t put it over your shoulders too.

But that didn’t stop Xiao from imagining how your wedding could have been if things we’re a little different.

A small wedding in a place of your choice with only a handful of close friends and families. You’ll wear a gorgeous dress and walk up to where he is with the same smile you wore when he met you for the second time.

As you stand before him, Xiao could only imagine the happiness and contentment he would feel at that time. 

He’ll hold you close, hear you laugh, and then he’ll press his lips against yours, sealing you to a promise that everything that he is, and everything that he has, is yours.

He’ll find himself retreating somewhere private. He didn’t want you to see him vulnerable, weak, as he cried for the first time in his life, and for the greatest reason.

He could have a chance of happiness, but he can’t.

It was all a dream.

A dream he will never achieve, a dream of yours that he can never grant.

“Xiao, you’re still awake?”

The man looked away from the moon and looked over his shoulder to see you standing by the threshold leading to the terrace. You were tired, and yet you woke up to tend to him. 

“You know I don’t need sleep.”

“But you always lie next to me. What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”

Xiao did not respond, and you didn’t push any further. He adored it how you know when to prod to a subject or not. You know him so well.

After a moment of silence, you walked over to him and sat  beside him on the railing. You looked up at the moon, and Xiao slowly placed his head over your shoulder.

He felt at peace.

Xiao closed his eyes, dreaming of a day that will never come when he can marry you without anything holding him back.

     KAZUHA

                        Kazuha can no longer remember how long it has been since he was on the run from the shogunate. The Electro Archon and her subjects are on the hunt for Visions of every single person residing in the walls of Inazuma, and he was one of the few who refused to have their Visions confiscated from them. It seems exiling him from his homeland was no longer sufficient and the said Archon has ordered for every so-called transgressor that they banished to be apprehended and have their Visions forcefully taken from them. It was only his luck that Beidou, and the crew she captained, has taken him under their wing and he has been sailing the seas with them since then.

            Has it been months? Days? Or perhaps weeks? Being away from land with nothing but the ocean to take in and his mind seemingly always preoccupied with his doubts and worries has him losing track of time.

   In all honesty, he doesn’t remember the last time he stepped on dry land. Perhaps they did, but it was not a memory that has fleeted a long time ago. All he can think about was Inazuma, the threat of being having his Vision taken, and his past he buried deep within the back of his mind.

            Beidou must have taken notice of his continuous lackluster attitude and has set sail for Liyue for him to take a break from the seas. This, of course, he appreciated though he insisted Beidou that she did not have to dock just for him to clear his mind.

          Back at that time Beidou claimed she knew what is best for him and she should put his trust on him, and with the lack of reasons to refute her statement, Kazuha merely let out a sigh and agreed to land in Liyue.

                         He has never been to Liyue, or to put it more accurately, he has never stepped foot in in the few times the Crux made their return on Liyue. It wasn’t because he hated it there, but he felt more comfortable and more at home inside the ship. The furthest he has gone was on the docks to help the crew load supplies in their next sail. But now Beidou has encouraged him to leave the ship and explore, and implied being forbidden to come aboard if he refused to do as she says.

       When Beidou said she knows what is best for him, maybe she was right. He must admit, even if he was still longing to return to his homeland, Liyue had many sights and delicacies to offer. But the best and most beautiful sight he saw was up on a rooftop when he was resting from hours of mindless meandering in the streets.

                                                              He played with a green leaf that fluttered over to him after it has been carried away by the wind from its tree, and he pressed his lips against it to whistle a melody. The tune was buried under the bustle of the city night but it seems that one picked it up from the terrace just below him.

                    Kazuha saw a girl around his age walk out to the terrace, head moving left and right, as though looking for something. Kazuha did not think much of this behavior assuming she was searching for something else, and he tore his eyes away from her and nonchalantly continued to whistle against the leaf.

                                           “So, that was you who was making that beautiful sound.”

                Kazuha casted his gaze down to see the girl on the terrace looking up at him as she leaned against the railing with her arms crossed, a gleeful smile present on her brims. He pulled the leaf from his lips as he regarded her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to – ”          

          She shook her head, chuckling. “No, no, it’s fine. You can stay there.” She assured, and Kazuha eased on his spot. She stared at the leaf in his hand. “I didn’t know you can make a tune using a leaf.”

                      Kazuha flashed her a small smile. “It’s something only a few can do. It’s pretty hard to master.”

                     “And you’re one of those few.” She remarked. Silence prevailed between the two until she spoke again. “Can you play something for me?”

      Kazuha was bewildered by her request. It wasn’t common to find a foreigner sitting on the rooftop of her household. One would think that their first reaction should be an accusation of trespassing and a demand for identification, but no. This girl was different, you were different.

                    Kazuha did not question your request, just as you have not questioned him of his place on your rooftop. Instead, he granted your wish. He pressed the leaf against his lips and blew, a tune of his own composition sounding in the air.

      He watched in awe as you raised both your hands to your chest and white particles formed above your palm, creating a shape until it formed and bloomed into an elegant wooden lyre. Without saying anything else, you strum the strings along with his tune, and the people of Liyue beneath their feet are unaware of the small haven the two of them created together.

               Kazuha is more than grateful for Beidou for pushing him to go to Liyue. Ever since that night, he has made constant visits to your house. Early in the morning – that’s when Beidou would barge into the barracks and force them out of their beds – he would always be the one out of the door to finish his tasks and leave immediately to visit you, a prominent smile over his face. The crew, of course, has pestered him to tell him of the reason for his constant leaving and he could only let out a sigh of relief when Beidou shooed them away from him and asked them to return to their work. She winked at him right after and whispered, “Go and hurry to your girlfriend.” To which he denied with a shy grumble before making haste to Liyue.

                               Liyue was brighter than the isolationist Inazuma has become, and one of the reasons Kazuha thought this was you. The Crux was like a family to him, and Beidou was like an older sister to him, but you – he has never felt more soothed than in your presence. You felt like home, and it has been so long since he had felt like he was at home. Seeing you smile, hearing you laugh, seeing how you nod attentively as he talked, your arms embracing him when he opened up to you about his past, the music you played together in perfect harmony even without practice – it was all so surreal.

        Kazuha didn’t have to tell you about his growing feelings for you. He knew that you knew.

  It started with a shy kiss, and then a longer one, and the two of you found solace in each other’s arms. There was no music playing, and there were no stories shared – just him with his arms around your figure and lips connected with yours. None of you dare say it but your days together were slowly coming to an end, and it won’t be long until the day comes when he has to set sail to visit neighboring nations.

                  But Kazuha will always come back to you, that he promises.

After a few years of frequent visiting and writing letters to one another, Kazuha has finally decided that it was time for him to propose to you. Beidou - being the supportive big sister she is to him - upon hearing of his plan, gathered her crew to help Kazuha in his objective. Everything from food, drinks, location (they chose the ship), and atmosphere, they provided. As thanks for their dedication and help, they only ask an invitation to his wedding, to which Kazuha replied will surely come even if they did not help.

The crew claimed that they shall be far away as possible from the ship so that the two of you can have your privacy, but Kazuha, and definitely you, as well, heard loud cheering from a short distance followed by a shushing Beidou when you accepted his proposal.

“I thought they said they’d be at Wanmin Restaurant - ”

“To be honest, I didn’t really believe them.”

Unlike the other boys who were hesitant of not seeing the bride for a week until the wedding, Kazuha was actually the one to push this tradition. He disliked it as much as the other boys, but Kazuha loved being able to give you his all. Not being able to see you for a week is a sure way for him to crave for your presence, and once the two of you see each other again, he’ll pour out every love and care for you then.

You were dismayed by this whole arrangement but since it is important to Kazuha, you respected it.

The crew fought for the spot of best man, but in the end, all of them got to be best man. Kazuha did not have the heart to choose one from the crew, so he had to explain to you beforehand that the almost the entire male crew of The Crux are going to be standing with him at the ceremony.

It wasn’t a common occurrence in a wedding but you allowed it. The crew was like his family to him, and if it’s going to make him happy to have them as his best men, who are you to go against it?

At the day of the wedding, Beidou was the one to fret over Kazuha’s appearance. The Anemo user tried to calm her down but after she continually tried to fix his hair for the wedding, he just sighed and allowed her.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be married in just a few hours.” Beidou remarked in the quiet after a while. “To think you were just a teenager when we met you, and our little teenager is a big man now.”

“Nothing’s going to change. I’ll just be married.” Kazuha tried to ease her worries but he knew as well there are going to be major changes. One of being concerning his frequent endeavors with the crew. Once he gets married with you, he’d want to be with you always, to settle with you. But he was so used to the sea, to be living with the crew in a ship. Can he really get used to this coming change?

Beidou let out a sigh. She placed a hand over his head, patting him gently. She would have ruffled his hair but that would waste her effort on making it as presentable as she can.

“Things are going to change, Kazuha.” Stated Beidou, beaming. “And it’s not all bad. Trust me.”

Kazuha nodded, but he was still uneasy. He was ready to give himself to you, but at the same time, he wasn’t ready to leave the crew. 

This thought haunted him even in the time of the ceremony. He should be focusing on the wedding but he couldn’t. 

He needed to talk to you about this. You need to know what’s bothering him.

Was it possible to feel dread for the future while also looking forward to it?

Because it felt like a gust of wind billowed his direction when his eyes landed on you. Beautiful, you’re beautiful. What else can he say? 

Was he really going to marry you? Whatever did you see in him? He was a banished Ronin from Inazuma. There must be some other man more worthy of you.

But you loved him, nobody else.

“Stop gawking at me like that. You’re making me embarrassed.” You murmured, cheeks flushed. He didn’t even notice you standing before him until you spoke.

Kazuha closed his parted lips as he turned away from you. “I . . . uh . . . ” He swallowed. “You look beautiful, ( Your Name ).”

“At least look at me when you say that, Kazu-kun.”

 He looked at you, breathing in before speaking. “You look very, very . . . uh, pretty.”

You laughed a little. “You look very, very handsome, Kazuha.”

You took his hands in yours and gazed into his eyes, smiling. “Things are going to change once we get married.”

A pang of uneasiness struck Kazuha.

But what you said next shocked him.

“After this, I can finally be part of the crew and join you on your adventures in the sea!”

Kazuha gawked at you again, blinking.

Everyone invited to his wedding gasped when Kazuha suddenly kissed you out of nowhere in the middle of the ceremony.

Beidou, and the rest of the crew, however, cheered loudly for the two of you.

After the wedding, Kazuha snuck away from the reception for a while. He found a tree from a short distance and sat on the branch, breathing in the cool evening air.

He caught a fluttering leaf and smiled as he gazed at it and recalled how the two of you met.

Things will change, and soon, he’ll be adventuring with his wife in the vast ocean. Oh, he has so many things to show you.

#genshim impact x reader #genshin x reader #venti x reader #kaeya x reader #xingqiu x reader #scaramouche x reader #razor x reader #albedo x reader #chongyun x reader #xiao x reader #kazuha x reader

[bluexiao]

#come fish with me!

—different situations where you take him fishing with you

CHARACTERS. Albedo, Childe, Diluc, Gorou, Kaeya, Kazuha, Scaramouche, Thoma, Venti, Xiao, Zhongli

THEMES. mostly fluff but a few of them have angst pls i tried it to be purely fluff but i can’t help it

NOTES. i have had this idea ever since i just fish for fun (which i still do) in liyue. i needed the achievement by buying the rod and i tried my hardest to get the liyue one haha. i usually fish while the voice audio is off so it’s rather relaxing for me since i don’t have paimon screaming in my ear all the time. also i’ll probably do another version of this one next time but with most of the charas

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ALBEDO was also in the area when you asked him to go to the only fishing area in Dragonspine. At first, he was quite confused as to why you’d ask for him to accompany you considering that you usually fish on your own all around Teyvat. However, when you two were already settled with your baits on the water, awaiting for a Snow Strider to take the bait, that was when he slowly realized the answer to his question.

“Darling?” he calls, and when you hummed as you turned to face him, his cold hand was on your cheek, caressing them gently with a soft look on his eyes.

“What is it, Bedo? Is something wrong?”

“I must be neglecting you lately, have I?” he questions straightforwardly, but before you could deny him, he adds on, “That must be the reason why you’d want us to get together today, I apologize, for being such a bad significant other to you.”

Holding onto his hand, you shake your head and smile reassuringly to him, “I may have asked you because of the same reason, but you are not a bad significant other, Albedo. I just miss you, that’s all. Klee was the one who suggested that I should go fishing with you.”

He’s hesitant, but he merely whispers and “I love you too,” before landing a chaste kiss on your lips and momentarily leaned his forehead to yours, promising to himself to hold occasional fishing trips with you and Klee someday.

It’s quite difficult if you brought CHILDE with you since he’d usually beat up monsters first even if you both will just pass by them. He obliterates them easily however it’s quite a hassle, nonetheless. Although, it’s expected of him, anyway; any plain activity with him will evolve into one with an exciteming and thrilling turn so suddenly.

“Y/n, stand back for a sec, yeah?” “Let me beat them up for a bit,” “Hey, do you need some Stained Masks? Want me to get them for you?”

You’d actually have to get him to stop since it’s hindering your supposed “peaceful” day with him, and you’d have to explain this as well.

Despite this though, he lets out a hearty laugh and takes a hold of your hand, “Alright then, I won’t go fighting monsters anymore,” his smile then curls into a smirk as he adds with a wink, “But just so you know, I’m fairly experienced at fishing, how about a match and see who has the most caught fishes?”

There is a fishing spot near the Dawn Winery and DILUC knows about it. He was silent at first about it but when you asked, he hesitatingly replied “We used to fish here too before.”

He doesn’t talk about it but it was fairly obvious that he was reminiscing about something—silent as he could ever be as he fished with you and helped you with both of your catches.

Unable to contain it, you suddenly uttered an apology to him—hesitant, you were. Turning to face you, you were faced with a confused look of your boyfriend before a gentle smile breaks on his lips, his free gloved-hand reaching to take yours. You could feel his thumb softly caress the back of your hand as he begins to say, “Thank you for bringing me here, my love. Being here brings back memories, yes, but with you here, I find that there is no way I will feel displeased by it,” and as if he knew you needed more reassurance, he leans to press a kiss on the top of your forehead, “Come now, let us put our catch into good use.”

You would think that GOROU is good at fishing, but he’s actually not. He only has knowledge about it but… he never tried fishing since he usually just tells someone to do it. Be patient with him because he does learn quite fast, nonetheless. He looks very cute while he focuses on his very first baited fish, and you’ll absolutely smile yourself when his face brightens when he gets his first catch.

“Honey look! Look! I got it! I got a Medaka! Aren’t I good?”

Your hand finds itself on the middle of his ears and began to caress one of them, “You did good, honey, now, can you help me catch a Crystalfish, yeah?”

Praising him is very important, you’ll get to see his face flushed if you do<3

KAEYA would probably be the most chill out of everyone, no pun intended. The moment you asked him, he’ll be accepting the offer, to your surprise, since don’t he have work? Truth be told, he’ll accept it since he finds this as a way of “exploring” and knowing more about Mondstadt; and you.

“So this is what you do in your free time,” he says as he struggles on a Pufferfish that he baited, “I could say, this is a great exercise.”

He’s probably trying to act cool but the fight with the Pufferfish was quite intense, but of course knowing him, he won’t complain about it and would continue helping you out for the rest of the day.

Above everyone, it is KAZUHA who is the best Fishing Buddy.

He knows how to fish, he has experience in fishing, and he’s also a great company since he will provide you with tips and advice on the activity in general.

“My, you are doing quite well, my dove, you must be a professional at this,” he chuckles as he brings in his—probably—tenth catch for the last five minutes. Even if he was doing far better than you, he still doesn’t forget to praise you for your achievements. Furthermore, he also knows a lot of fish meals and he might even cook one for you with an Adepti Seeker’s Stove. And his cooking are superb, I tell you.

“Excuse me, what?” SCARAMOUCHE hisses and raises a brow. “You want me to fish with you? Why can’t you ask other-“ he pauses, and he turns away suddenly, leaving you without an answer.

“Alright, I’ll just ask Childe if he’s free-”

His eyes pierced your soul in an instant, glaring at you with a visible frown mixed with a pout on his lips, his arms crossed as if he was hiding something so obvious already, “Who said you’re going with him? Come on, stand up, I thought you were going to fish right now? Well then? Don’t make me want to change my mind.”

THOMA is good at everything, including fishing. Definitely a rival to Kazuha, but he’s more of an expert only at the ones in Inazuma since they’re the ones that he’s used to catching.

“Now, where shall we go next, we’ve cleared this area already for now,” he pauses, “Do you need the ones in the Shipwreck? Raimei Angelfish, was it? Stay here, I’ll go get them for you, it’s dangerous there and I don’t want you to get hurt, baby,”

You were hesitant to ask VENTI to accompany you in Stormterror’s Lair, since it was part of your fishing spots, after all. He appears like he doesn't mind though but every once in awhile, he gets silent and stares off in the distance, only snapping off when his bait captures a fish or if you call his name.

You were about to say an apology to him when he suddenly beamed at you and grab a hold of another rod, “I’m not really good at fishing, so would you mind if you could teach me, windblume?”

He may not say any of his problems now but it was because he didn’t want to ruin the day by thinking of negative thoughts. He wishes that you won’t worry about him thus he shows his bright smile—but behind it is a self that he doesn’t want you to see, for now, that is.

XIAO knew that the fishing spot in Dihua Marsh has enemies near it, thus he did not bother much that you asked him to fish with you. What he did not expect is that you needed to go to various places to accompany you in the fishes that you needed to for a certain polearm that you wanted to obtain.

“Humans and their desires… all of these just for a fishing rod and a polearm… am I correct? I don’t understand how such creatures would be needed in exchange for a weapon.”

Despite this long complaint, he never did so afterwards, merely following you all day long and even carrying all your catches back to Wangshu Inn then going back to you in an instant.

“Finished?” he asks when you’ve cleared an area, and when you nod at him, he wordlessly slips his arms on your waist and teleports you both to another fishing spot.

He obviously did not memorize each one of them just for you.

It has been awhile since ZHONGLI stepped foot on the top of Mt. Aocang and when you suggested that he accompany you to fish, he was delighted at it, nonetheless. He’s probably the most thoughtful above everyone since he may be the only one who will pack snacks for both of your journeys and immediately assumes that the activity is a bonding time for the two of you.

“Here, dearest, have some of these,” he brings a sandwich near you, not expecting you to merely turn your face and bite on it since you were preoccupied with having your focus on the beautiful hues of the Abiding Angelfish that you had been eyeing at early on.

ZHONGLI smiles to himself as he watches you with your focused gaze, admiring you and your beauty in the middle of such a peaceful place.

If he’s asked, he’ll say that he’ll definitely go back here with you someday to fish again.

TAGLIST (send an ask to be added~)

@softlybeloved @rim0na @icecappa @cozykaii @scaraslover @beastielevi @cursedraiden @thesatanofpizza @izayanna @stellumi @coco-goat-milk @nonniechan

#genshin x reader #zhongli x reader #xiao x reader #gorou x reader #thoma x reader #kazuha x reader #scaramouche x reader #albedo x reader #childe x reader #venti x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #genshin drabbles #genshin oneshots #genshin fluff

[genshinarchives]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇. 𝟏𝟑

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑 : 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Is that Kazuya? No... That can’t be him. 500 years have passed since you last saw him, so the little Inazuman boy you had raised is already gone.

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : Aether, Albedo, Baizhu, Bennett, Chongyun, Dainsleif, Diluc, Kaeya, Kazuha, Osial, Razor, Venti, Xiao, Xingqiu, Zhongli

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 : Romance, hurt/comfort, reverse harem

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : N/A

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 : N/A

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐

Kazuha scrutinised his surroundings as he walked through Guyun Stone Forest. He was trying to find a way to the underground domain (y/n) was sealed in to fulfill Kazuya's promise of finding her again. Unfortunately, his ancestor only mentioned the location in his stories, so he had no idea how to reach the domain - but he speculated that there must be some sort of hidden mechanism somewhere if the domain was built by Morax himself.

'Apparently, he heard the Geo Archon say that she'll have to fight Osial if she breaks free, so she must be sealed somewhere close to the ocean,' he thought as he entered a cave dotted with a myriad of geo crystalflies. There was a large opening above his head, which allowed sunlight to filter inside. Vines crept out of the cracks on the walls as lichens and moss signified the state of disrepair. Closing his eyes, Kazuha tuned himself to his surroundings and tried to sense a disturbance in the air.

A gentle breeze brushed past his cheeks, as if his face was being caressed delicately.

A draft.

His eyelids flew open and he immediately spotted an opening on the wall that was big enough for him to walk through. He made his way towards it before hauling himself up, and then jumped down to land on a patch of grass inside the cave; there was just enough room for four people to stand in a single file. Putting his hands against a wall, he began to feel around for any loose compartment. When he reached the wall next to the one adjacent to the cave's entrance, his fingers brushed past a faded Geo symbol, which made him pause.

"This is..." he mumbled, carefully pressing his palm against the engraving. His Anemo Vision resonated with the Geo symbol that glowed in response, and the wall in front of him then faded to reveal a stone staircase leading down somewhere, surprising him. Taking a deep breath, the rounin curled his fingers around the hilt of his sword and warily descended the stairs.

He was led to a large chamber, where two stone columns greeted him on each side upon his entrance. When he went down the steps, a man's voice suddenly spoke up from behind as the way in which he came through was promptly sealed off. Gasping, Kazuha spun around and assumed a battle stance.

"You're not the yaksha who would visit her at the end of every month, nor are you the hybrid who gifted her this simple flower bouquet," the stranger mused, slowly approaching the Anemo user whilst carrying said item in his arms. He was a tall man with long, layered blue hair reminiscent of the ocean waves, and a shorter lock of hair draped over his right shoulder. His deep blue eyes gleamed like water under sunlight as they penetrated Kazuha's very soul.

"Who are you?" Kazuha demanded, prepared to draw his sword if needed.

"Relax, human. I'm not looking for trouble." The blue-haired man then stopped in front of him, his scrutinising gaze never leaving Kazuha's figure. "My name is Osial. What brings you here? Nobody but Morax and his adepti is supposed to know about this domain's existence, let alone how to unlock it."

The rounin decided to be upfront about his reason of finding this domain. There's no way he could convince a literal god with lies and it also goes against the bushido code of the samurai. "I'm searching for someone important to me. She's supposed to be sealed here."

"So you're looking for (y/n) too," Osial stated, "The pitiable Transcendant who was petrified and sealed with me as Morax's final act of mercy... I can't tell if he was doing it to protect her or to spite me."

"... Transcendant?" Kazuha asked, sounding puzzled.

"Do your own research. I'm not in the mood to give anyone a history lesson of Teyvat," answered Osial with a scoff, "And as you can see, (y/n) is not here."

The Anemo user knitted his eyebrows together, his battle stance never wavering. "I can see that very well. What happened to her stone statue?"

Osial took a few steps towards him, his expression darkening the closer he got. "And how do you know about (y/n) in the first place?"

"My ancestor was saved by her. She gave the Kaedehara Clan its name," Kazuha replied as his hand tensed on the hilt of his sword, "I am Kaedehara Kazuha."

Pausing in his tracks, Osial's eyes widened by a fraction. "... So that's why you look familiar." He could clearly see the resemblance as an image of the young Kazuya overlapped with Kazuha's figure. "You look very much like that boy whom she loved like a brother." He then let out a muted a sigh and picked a qingxin from the bouquet to absent-mindedly twirl it between his fingers. "Fine, I'll tell you what happened to (y/n). I lured the Abyss Order here so that they could take her statue to the surface. I don't know why they were searching for her, but I know they can release her from her stone prison. In exchange, I asked them to free me by destroying Morax's seal with their Abyssal powers."

The Abyss Order. Kazuha recalled Aether telling him about it and how his twin sister had become its leader during their journey to Inazuma on the Alcor. An unsettling feeling twisted his insides, and Kazuha felt the urgency to find (y/n) increase.

"Why would you do that?" he questioned, unable to understand the logic behind Osial's decision of getting the Abyss Order involved.

"It's none of your business," Osial snapped. To be honest, he wasn't sure why he himself was desperate to free her despite knowing that (y/n) is not the same adeptus who had served him for many years before the Archon War. He considers them as two separate entities, but it was difficult for him to curb his old attachment to the original (y/n).

The air around the men suddenly felt heavy. Swallowing thickly, Kazuha dared himself to ask a risky question, "Who is she to you? According to my ancestor, the Geo Archon called her adeptus-"

"She was my adeptus," Osial cut in with a slight growl, "After Morax sealed me here with his stone spears, he took her away against her own will." He angrily clenched his jaw. "At first, I was alright with it since I trusted him enough to take good care of her... but look what happened. She was killed and turned into a living weapon! She was given the worst fate any living being in this world could have, all because that idealistic God of War and joke of a yaksha could not protect her!"

The impact of the shocking revelation hit the rounin hard. The Mikazuki Himegimi Kazuya spoke of in his stories had died once in the past? "I-I don't understand-"

"Neither do I, human. All I know is that her original body was lost somewhere, and that the (y/n) who's alive right now possesses an artificial body." Osial expelled a deep sigh and averted his gaze. "Her aura feels the same as adeptus (y/n)'s though... so I am convinced that she was somehow reborn in the body that was created for her. (Y/n) must be my former adeptus' reincarnation."

"... I see."

And their conversation ended there. Osial undid the seal on the exit for Kazuha so that he could leave the domain. After he disappeared up the stairs, the Overlord of the Vortex slumped against one of the columns and slowly slid to the ground as a shaky sigh slipped past his lips.

Why did the world have to work so cruelly against him? He was just protecting what was his; he was just protecting the happy life he led with adeptus (y/n), and then Morax had to come into the picture, taking everything away from him. He was willing to let his precious friend go, but as a result he lost her forever. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he thought about her reincarnation. They're not the same person, but she was able to fill the void in his heart that was made from the loss of his loyal companion with the small conversations they had during her 500 years of imprisonment.

He wordlessly held the flower bouquet to his eye-level. A dried flower bouquet, not decorated with fancy wrappings or colourful ribbons, but nonetheless beautiful in its simplicity, showing the good taste of the person who made it. The bouquet that Ganyu and Xiao left for the petrified (y/n) had been preserved for her, as there was no telling when she'll be free. It had been enchanted with Ganyu's gentle adepti magic so that (y/n), who dreams endlessly of the past, may break out of her stone prison with a smile and move on to tomorrow without being overwhelmed by her painful emotions.

"Had it not been for you, (y/n) would have lost her mind many years ago," Osial murmured, gently placing Ganyu's bouquet beside him.

❀

"Is something wrong?"

Kaeya's voice snapped (y/n) out of her thoughts. She didn't realise that she had stopped eating until he called her name, and when she looked at him, she noticed the worry flickering in his visible eye. Forcing a small smile upon her lips, she shook her head.

'Xiao doesn't seem to be at Wangshu Inn,' she thought sadly. She'll have to keep an eye out for him on their journey to Liyue Harbour and also try her luck there.

"It's nothing. I was lost in thought for a moment, sorry about that," she replied, lifting her chopsticks to finish her Jueyun Guoba. He chuckled and propped his chin on the palm of his left hand.

"It's alright. I was just worried that the food wasn't to your liking," he said, "I hope you didn't mind that we had to make a pit stop at Wangshu Inn; Liyue Harbour is still quite far away, and I don't have an infinite amount of stamina like you."

"I don't mind. There's no harm in a little rest."

Once the plates of food have been swept clean, Kaeya paid for both of them. (Y/n) felt bad but he reassured her by saying that it's his treat since he is trying to make it up to her today. Oh well, guess she'll just hold onto the mora Aether gave her this morning in case of emergencies. As they were about to hit the road again, (y/n) bumped into something and looked down to see a bipedal, orange panda-like creature waving at her enthusiastically while jumping. One of her eyebrows quirked up, and she felt as if she's met this adorable creature before in her past life.

"Ah, Guoba! You shouldn't go around bothering other people!" A young girl with dark, indigo-black hair styled in a pair of panda-like braided buns came running towards them with a frantic expression. Screeching to a stop in front of (y/n), she then bowed apologetically as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm so sorry about him!"

"It's okay. He wasn't bothering me at all," (y/n) told her, petting Guoba's head. He made a contented noise, his eyes closing in a smile. "I better get going now, my friend is waiting for me."

"Oh, of course!" the girl said before her golden-yellow eyes lit up, "My name is Xiangling by the way. If you're going to the harbour, be sure to stop by Wanmin Restaurant with your friend!"

(Y/n) nodded at her. "I'm (y/n). I'll keep that in mind, Xiangling."

The moment she left Wangshu Inn with Kaeya, wisps of black and teal materialised beside Xiangling before a humanoid figure emerged from them, causing her to utter a yelp of surprise.

"A-adeptus Xiao! You scared me!" she exclaimed, having not expected Xiao to suddenly appear next to her. But the yaksha didn't hear her as he was entirely focused on (y/n)'s receding figure in the distance, his expression reflecting disbelief.

There's no mistaking that shade of (h/c) hair.

"She's free," he whispered, resisting the urge to go after her. Her presence in the aboveground world would explain why her stone statue wasn't there when he went to visit her in the domain she was sealed in just now.

After a long trek, (y/n) and Kaeya finally made it to Liyue Harbour. The prosperous harbour was a picturesque sight from the hill overlooking it, and the wealth of Liyue is reflected in the harbour's impressive architecture and design. As (y/n) gazed ahead in awe, Kaeya stared at her with a smile.

"Well, we won't be able to see what Liyue Harbour has to offer if we just stand around here," he said as he took her hand in his and thus catching her off-guard, "Let's go."

The faint blush never left her cheeks as he tugged her along, and she then lowered her gaze to their linked hands. The warm feeling she felt was oddly familiar, and it was only when they made it past the main gate of the harbour did a flashback appear before her eyes.

Instead of Kaeya, (y/n) saw a young woman in his place. She had long blue hair that fades into a darker shade at the end, and black horns that bend back along her hair with brighter red markings on them. She resembled the humanoid adeptus who tried to defend her against Morax's decision to petrify her five centuries ago...

"Come, (y/n). Let me show you around Liyue Harbour," Ganyu said, smiling at her sweetly, "I'm sure you'll find a home here."

"(Y/n)?"

(Y/n) was once again brought back to reality by Kaeya's voice. When the flashback ended, she saw him standing right in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. He was gently holding her face in his hands, and his thumbs swiped away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry lacing his tone, "You suddenly started crying."

"I..." she replied, trailing off. She was about to lie and say yes, but her expression at the moment would contradict her answer. "No, I'm not. I'm so confused, Kaeya. I've been told who and what I am, but it's so hard for me to accept everything as it is."

Kaeya lowered his eyelids halfway, fully understanding the context of her words. "I see. So you're having doubts about your identity." One of his hands went down to grasp hers, and he then pulled her to a more secluded area of the harbour. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm willing to listen."

The Cavalry Captain may be an enigmatic man, but there's no denying his comforting aura that was hidden behind a veil of ice. After recounting the shocking truth behind her creation and how she was connected to both the Anemo and the Geo Archons to him, Kaeya went completely silent.

"I somehow expected this," he murmured, averting his gaze, "After all, in order to achieve perfection, you must be willing to sacrifice something of equal value... Alchemy is all about equivalent exchange, and Khemia is no different. This may sound unpleasant to you, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were deliberately murdered by those alchemists in your past life." When he saw the way her body tensed, he quickly added, "Of course, that's just a speculation based on what I know. I might be wrong."

(Y/n) responded to his theory with silence. She was staring at the ground, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes. Kaeya pursed his lips, suddenly feeling responsible for the shift in her mood.

"We can talk more about this later. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves. I'm sure a moment to relax was hard to come by back then," he uttered, tilting her face up with a finger. She nodded to his suggestion and decided to cast her worries aside for now, all thoughts of finding Xiao forgotten.

The pair strolled around the marketplace by the docks, eyeing all the goods the merchants had to offer. From silk flowers, cor lapis to starconches, Liyue's vendors were not short of such exquisite items. There was even a Snezhnayan merchant selling accessories and other items native to his home. As (y/n) browsed through his products, a (f/c) silk ribbon caught Kaeya's eye. Ivanovich noticed him staring at the ribbon and beamed.

Leaning into Kaeya, he then whispered, "I daresay, this ribbon would make a perfect gift for the young lady. The colour compliments her unique eyes."

Kaeya raised an eyebrow at the expectant look the Snezhnayan merchant was giving him, but he can't disagree with what he said. Cupping his chin with a pensive hum, he said, "I'll buy it."

"Excellent choice!"

After paying Ivanovich the correct amount of mora, Kaeya approached (y/n) with the ribbon. She gasped when she felt a hand touch her head, and before she could turn to face the Cavalry Captain, he had firmly cupped her jaw to keep her head in place.

"Don't move," he said, releasing her jaw, "I'm putting something in your hair." He carefully tied the (f/c) ribbon around a lock of hair and then stepped back from her with a smile. "And we're done. The ribbon really does suit you."

(Y/n) curiously touched the ribbon on the left side of her head, her fingers brushing against the silken material. "Thank you, Kaeya. I'm not sure how to repay you for this because I don't know what you like..."

Leaning down to her level, he cheekily asked, "How about we treat this outing as a proper date then? Nothing would make me happier~"

"A date? I'm not sure I understand what that is... but if that's what you want, then sure," she replied, blinking at him innocently.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise before he chuckled. "You're so cute. Well then, my lady-" He extended a hand towards her; "-let me make this date a memorable one for you."

❀

The sun was beginning to set. Time seemed to have gone by in a flash, a good sign that (y/n) had truly enjoyed her time together with Kaeya in Liyue. The two stood next to each other on the arch bridge near the harbour's main gate, their eyes gazing upon the twilight sky as the ocean reflected its soft glow.

"I believe you deserve to know this," Kaeya began, drawing her attention, "that I was entrusted with the task of retrieving you. But I no longer have the desire to help those who wish to use you as a weapon because I see you as a human." He turned his head to look at her. "Today proved that much."

(Y/n) stared at him. "How much do you know about me as the Spear of Dawn?"

"Probably as much as you do. Most of the crucial information on Project: Gungnir has been lost to time, but I do know one thing that you might not be aware of."

"And that is?" she asked.

"The flower tattoo on your back. You've most likely been told that the spell bound to your physical body enhances your regenerative abilities, but that's not its main purpose," Kaeya answered solemnly, "The flower tattoo is that spell; it's a powerful spell called Crestoria, which allows the person who possesses the corresponding command seal to have complete control over you." He then averted his gaze. "You were never born with free will from the start because Crestoria is irremovable."

"... I suspected that much," she murmured, surprising him, "That there was more to the spell than he claimed. At this point, nothing shocks me anymore."

He let out a muted sigh. As he was about to say something in response, he felt a pair of eyes on them. Pausing, he subtly scanned his surroundings and then spotted a young man donning Inazuman clothing and a roningasa standing a few metres away from them on the bridge. Kaeya could have sworn he saw him earlier when they were browsing through the vendors by the docks, leading him to suspect that this Inazuman stranger had been following them around Liyue Harbour the whole time. Growing suspicious of the man, Kaeya decided to confront him.

"(Y/n), I'll be right back," he quietly said.

"Oh? Okay, I'll be waiting for you here," she replied. The moment he left her side, a strong gust of wind blew against her, unraveling the ribbon in her hair. The ribbon waltzed away with the wind, prompting her to chase it as she reached out in a vain attempt to retrieve it. She found herself back in the marketplace by the docks, and just as her fingers were about to touch the silken ribbon, another hand caught it for her. The unexpected help made her falter and she consequently bumped into a man's chest. An arm then wrapped around her waist firmly to keep her from falling, and the strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted into her nose.

"This is a rather beautiful ribbon. I'm glad I was able to catch it before it got trampled on the ground," he remarked, "Young lady, you're not hurt, are you?"

Lifting her gaze, (y/n) found herself staring into golden, snake-like eyes that were hidden behind a pair of red, ornate, oval-framed glasses. The man was tall with light skin and long green hair, half tied up in a bun and secured with a hair stick. There was a white snake with beady crimson eyes draped around his neck like a scarf, and she stiffened when the reptile slithered closer to her face.

"I'm not hurt," she quickly replied, noticing the worried frown on his delicate face, "Thank you." She pulled herself away from him and expected him to return her ribbon, but instead he made the motion for her to turn around, puzzling her.

"May I tie this back in your hair?" he asked, smiling gently, "I don't think it was tied securely before." Nodding, she turned her back to him, allowing him to carefully tie her ribbon at the back of her head. After securing the bow, he softly patted her shoulder to wordlessly tell her that he was done. "I'll be heading back now. I have to see how my staff are doing back at the pharmacy."

(Y/n) silently watched the man leave. When he disappeared around a corner, the white snake spoke up.

"Baizhu, she's kind of weird."

"What makes you say that, Changsheng?"

"I don't know how to put it into words. She just doesn't seem human."

"Hmm..." Baizhu smiled with his eyes closed. "Is that so?"

On her way back to the arch bridge, (y/n) saw Kaeya cornering a shorter man with a red streak in his white hair. It seemed like the two were engaged in a very serious conversation, and as she got closer, she could see more features of the stranger, which made her halt in her tracks. Her eyes widened as her breath became lodged in her throat. White hair, a red streak and a pair of gentle crimson eyes...

He bears a striking resemblance to Kazuya.

"I wasn't trying to do anything, sir."

"Then why were you tailing us?"

"The woman you were with looked familiar. I just wanted to confirm if she's-"

"A-are you Kazuha?"

Kaeya and Kazuha faltered upon hearing (y/n)'s voice, and they both directed their attention towards her.

"You're Kaedehara Kazuha, aren't you?" she asked again, taking a step towards the men.

Kazuha's eyes widened, but before he could say or do anything, Kaeya beat him to it. Striding over to her, he took her by the arm.

"We should return to Mondstadt before it gets dark. I don't want to get in trouble by Aether," Kaeya curtly cut in. He proceeded to drag a surprised (y/n) away from Kazuha, who could only stand there as he watched her leave the harbour.

Just as Kazuha had finally found her, she disappeared so soon.

(Y/n) looked at him over her shoulder, and when the two made eye contact, he flashed her a smile to seal their silent promise of meeting each other again.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 : @smoochi-modest @kyoukaiq​ @bobaducky @laugh-like-the-moon @selinatherealname​ @otomefan @niorawr​ @phoenixdaneko @lesmouche @electr0m1ko @lucy-roo @melkxsh @love-letters-4-u​ @justlynna​​ @noodleshark420​ @xioseu​ @muzanscumslut​ @lunavixia​ @falling4fandoms​ @coco-goat-milk​ @flowwerpot

#✍️ : alice writes #genshin impact x reader #aether x reader #albedo x reader #baizhu x reader #bennett x reader #chongyun x reader #dainsleif x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #kaedehara kazuha x reader #osial x reader #razor x reader #venti x reader #xiao x reader #xingqiu x reader #zhongli x reader #fem reader #the beginning