Kazuha kept his cloak over himself, making sure his face was obscured from anyone who would give him a passing glance as he made his way through the streets of Liyue.
It had been a few months since he had escaped from Inazuma thanks to a merchant boat smuggling him through and ever since then he had been laying on the low.
It appeared that the bounty for him had reached Liyue before he did, which was surprising, since that meant the Tenryouu Commission had already suspected the possibility that he'd be able to escape Inazuma.
Despite how closed off Inazuma was, he was able to become acquaintances with a man who was a part of The Crux Fleet. While he had never had the chance to meet with their captain, Juza had been nice enough to provide him with amples amount of information in regards to his place of birth.
Kazuha walked through the streets of Liyue, passing by crowds of people as he made sure to be wary of any of the Law Enforcement that patrolled the streets.
What a disgrace he must be to his ancestors right now, forced to hide his face after running away from his home place like a coward. He could only hope his good friend Gorou and Lady Kokomi truly did not hold anything against him after he had taken the first opportunity to flee after he disrupted the Raiden Shogun's ceremony.
The weight of his late friends' dormant vision tucked away under his cloak and beneath his own vision was heavy as it was another reminder of how he had failed at something once again. He was almost certain if he had stayed with the Resistance that he'd have failed his comrades too, but fate did not give him the chance as he soon will find out.
"Yahoo~!" A familiar voice called out to him while he was in the midst of trying to purchase some food to supplement his daily diet of fish.
Kazuha felt his arm held tightly by a smaller girl who beamed brightly, having found him once again despite his disguises.
"Hu Tao, it's lovely to see you again, but I'd really like you to not draw attention whilst I'm in public…" Kazuha maintained a patient yet tired smile, wondering what it was that had this funeral director so attached to him.
Shouldn't this be a bad sign if anything?
"Oh, come now. You're too paranoid! The sun hasn't so much as hit your face since Mr. Zhongli gave you this cloak!" Hu Tao berated him as she gestured to how pale he was.
She had been telling the truth as Kazuha had always made sure that his face was always hidden and the only times he took off his hood was at night when it was much harder to tell his features.
It was also due to this that he had trouble making Mora as no one liked to hire someone who's identity they didn't know except for the few odd jobs. As such, he was reliant almost entirely off of the riches of the land, but would have to try and gather at night when no one was able to watch him.
"That may be so, but I can't risk it with how close things had been with The Yuheng…" Kazuha reminded her, to which she nodded as this was one of many times he had had to remind her.
Keqing of the Liyue Qixing was a scary individual. It had only taken a moments' glance for her to become suspicious of him and he wouldn't have put it past her to have remembered every single face that was labeled as a criminal from all the nations.
It was only fortunate that his health had degraded quite a bit, if one could call that fortune, but she didn't seem to immediately suspect him of being the young looking former heir who had cut a swathe through the Tenryouu Commissions best, as well as escaping The Electro Archon herself.
"Aww, you should really take your time to rest… I can always offer you a place to sleep at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!" The Director of said Funeral Parlor suggested to which he had to shoot down again.
The former heir had been having sleepless nights due to his time in the Resistance. The many skirmishes as well as lives lost. It had only been a short stint, but it still was a haunting sight to see how quickly a life could disappear, not to mention one whose name you knew and shared meals with.
He wasn't the most intelligent, but he was certain that sleeping in a place meant for the deceased would not help him with sleeping.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I must decline once again, Director." The white haired man pulled out some mora to pay for his bread, but was stopped by the younger girl who held his wrist to take out her own to pay for it herself.
"Could you at least assist us with a few things at the Funeral Parlor?" She asked, not bothered by him declining her again. "Of course, I'll pay you more than the price of that bread."
This was a deal she had made many times and Kazuha was grateful. He was not a fan of accepting the goodwill of others without paying them back in return, so her essentially hiring him from time to time was something he was grateful for in regards to making Mora whenever he could.
She smiled brightly when he sighed, being something she had gotten used to as being a yes from him.
He never really understood why she had come up to him out of nowhere one day and decided to become so close. She was truly a soothing presence even when she tried to scare him with her pranks from time to time.
If only he had known that this was a precursor to something terrible.
Line Break
"I'm sorry. The Resistance has fallen. Watatsumi Island has sunk and the entirety of Inazuma is now in lockdown as even The Captain and our crew don't try to brave the lightning anymore. They've gotten more ferocious to the point where it's unfeasible for us to try and go back." Juza informed him, looking rather haggard after what looked like an incredibly perilous journey.
The Alcor itself was riddled with damages as it nearly resembled a ghost ship from stories often told by sailormen to spook newcomers. The sails were tattered and there were many signs of lightning hitting the vessel all over.
What was also surprising was that the entire crew had managed to escape with their lives.
":I hate to tell you this, kid, but when we looked back, there were a lot of things going on too. Things even the captain couldn't explain like a giant snake that made Haishan look like a garden snake. So many abyssal wolves that it looked like a cloud of darkness. A massive thunder strike that was so loud that still rings in my ears now despite being miles away from it." Juza continued to list off, seemingly troubled by the events.
"I see…" Kazuha didn't have any words for this. What could he say?
Lady Kokomi, General Gorou, Yoimiya, Tougou and so many others.
"I'm sorry, kid. I know you were hoping that things would get better, but the truth is, some things never do. If you'd like, I can recommend you to the Captain if you'd like to travel with us. It'll help keep your mind off things. After all, we're all drifters here." The Chief Mate of the Crux Fleet seemed to sympathize with Kazuha, going so far as to even try to recruit him, but Kazuha merely shook his head.
"I appreciate the kind gesture, but I don't believe it'd be right for me to join anything when I've failed to stay behind to assist my former brethren." One of the sole Inazuman's potentially left in the world gave a sad smile.
How could he accept to be a part of something else when he was a part of something once and left them behind to die?
"Kid. You did what you had to do… Don't let your own survival make you feel guilty. I doubt there was anything you could have done…" The older man tried to reason with the younger man, imparting his knowledge as he had seen many people during his journeys and time.
"I understand. I understand the rationality of my actions, but right now I simply do not feel deserving of such a kind offer." The lone ronin adjusted his hood to at least reveal his crimson eyes to the man, showing how truly tired he was.
He did not look like he had gotten a decent night of rest for months as well as showing how weak even a simple smile was. The boy's skin was as pale as snow as he did his best to try and mask his emotions.
"With Inazuma like this, I doubt anyone would try to collect a bounty they can't cash in." He gave a joke, though it sounded like he was trying his best to simply maintain a normal tone.
Juza merely tried to give his own worried smile. He wanted to say something, anything to assist this clearly hurting young man, but Kazuha didn't give him any time as he turned around, waving a hand over his shoulder.
"I truly appreciate you telling me about what has become of my country, Juza. Perhaps we can meet again, but right now, I believe I should try to at least move on." He spoke, but despite saying his name, it seemed like he was telling himself that more than anyone.
So the Chief Mate watched the young samurai depart from the ship, wondering why it felt so wrong. As if things weren't supposed to be like this.
He only wished he was more like his Captain, then maybe he'd have been able to lend some assistance, if any, to the troubled soul.
Line Break
Night had fallen and Kazuha watched the flames of his campfire, the embers flickering as if trying to reach the starry sky.
While from an outsiders view it looked peaceful, inwardly, Kazuha was going through an emotional turmoil.
He was wracked with guilt and was constantly checking over his shoulder for danger.
No one came out of war unscathed and Kazuha was no different, constantly remaining vigilant to the point where he was unable to sleep without waking up at the slightest crunch in the woods.
It didn't help that he had not been able to hear the wind some time ago, as if it was no longer interested in him or they were no longer friends.
This didn't help with his own current state with being abandoned by something he had grown so accustomed to.
He couldn't blame it, though. Who would wish to remain with a coward like him?
Kazuha held his sword to his waist, a simple sword he had picked up to defend himself that cost him what little remaining Mora he had on him when he came to Liyue.
Suddenly, he wasn't in front of a weakening fire at a makeshift campsite he was preparing to sleep within.
He looked around to see that he was back in Sangonomiya Shrine. The familiar ornate palace decorated with gold, pearls, crystals and many other glimmering materials shone brilliantly in front of him.
He didn't understand, but the rational thing was to believe that he was dreaming, right?
He heard a click behind him, causing him to turn around to see a still image.
It was him.
Well, not him right now, but a younger version of him who was giving a genuine smile in the company of Kokomi, Gorou, Yoimiya and Tomo. In the back he could see his parents and grandparents watching with calm expressions, as if the collapse of the clan never happened.
The sight was a beautiful one of what could have been and it was enough to make Kazuha smile bitterly at such melancholic scene to contrast with the many nightmares he had been having.
As if to taunt him, a crackle of thunder boomed behind him, causing him to turn around to see the Sangonomiya Shrine in ruins as a massive inferno blazed over it.
The once beautiful palace crumbled away, revealing a large staircase that led up to a throne where the Almighty Raiden Shogun sat, staring down at him with an expressionless face devoid of any emotions.
"The Vision Hunt Decree is in effect. Give up your Vision to the Almighty Shogun or face the consequences." Her voice boomed, shaking the island.
Kazuha could feel resentment. He had never cared for her before, but now with all his loved ones deceased and the island she was supposed to defend in shambles, he couldn't help but feel anger and hatred boil up inside of him.
If he had been of sound mind or even had time to think it through, he would have likely been able to calm down, but he drew his blade, giving a glare at the one who was supposed to protect them and ended up allowing Inazuma to suffer.
"Kazuha?" A soft voice called out to him, causing him to turn around to see his friends and family standing in front of what looked like a pearly white gate.
They all stood in front of it, looking like they were ready to go to who knows where. He could hear a beautiful melody just barely beyond the doors that they were ready to step through.
His father was giving him a stern expression. Gorou had his ears drooped with a sad smile. Tomo looked frightened for reasons he couldn't tell. Kokomi looked worried and on the verge of tears as Yoimiya was shaking her head, holding her hand to her chest with a look of concern.
"Death is inevitable when going against the will of a god." The Raiden Shogun's voice however drew his attention.
He turned to see her with her blade drawn, staring at him with blazing purple eyes.
He knew he should've went with his loved ones, but the pain and resentment was too much, causing him to begin marching towards the Raiden Shogun who stepped down from the steps to meet him on eye level.
He held his sword in his hand, gripping it firmly, but before he could reach her, thick plants appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path.
There was no time to hesitate, so the last Kaedehara moved the plants out of the way to immediately attack the one he blamed for the death of his friends with a murderous look in his eyes as he was immediately met with the apathetic face he had seen on the day his friend had been slain.
And everything went dark.
"Hah…" A soft voice pitifully wheezed out in front of him and he realized he was back in the forest he had been preparing to rest in.
It had been a hallucination? Was he sleep walking? A delusion? An Illusion?
He then looked down horrified to see that Hu Tao was looking up at him with glistening eyes as his blade went completely through her.
"Hu Tao!" Kazuha reacted immediately, bringing her close to cradle her as she coughed up blood.
"I-it seems that I spooked you a bit… S-sorry, I-I just wanted to play a prank on you…" Hu Tao wheezed as she held her hand over the wound, not taking the blade out, knowing how much worse that could potentially make it.
"No… no no…" Kazuha was beginning to hyperventilate as the innocent person laid in his arms. He knew from his experience on the battlefield that she would not be able to survive this. "I'm so sorry…!"
Tears were beginning to form from both, yet despite her circumstances, Hu Tao didn't seem to bear any resentment, merely giving him a bright smile as she always did. One that he didn't deserve.
"I-it's okay… I… I couldn't understand what you've been through, b-but, I wanted to try and make you f-feel better. I-in the end, I'm o-only making things worse, huh?" The Funeral Director's eyes were beginning to lose their focus as he did his best to try to do everything he could to mitigate the pain as he held her close. "I bet you're wondering wh-why I tried to g-get so close…"
She was taking deep and labored breaths and he wanted to tell her to not talk so much, but he couldn't tell a girl he had just killed not to choose her last words.
"You d-didn't push me away d-despite how I am… I-I can hear the voices of spirits a-all around and th-they're already telling me… I'm not going t-to make it… So I-I can tell you this… They told me…" Hu Tao's eyes were getting heavy as she forced her way through the words. "Th-that you were my one true love if I could g-gain your attention… b-but it seems l-like you were t-too distracted with something else…"
"Hu Tao… I…" Kazuha felt stupid at that revelation, but Hu Tao merely closed her eyes and gave him one more beautiful smile before she went limp in his arms.
"D-don't say anything silly… My family has never had any regrets after death and I treasure the memories you let me make, no matter how brief… So, please… Don't make that expression… Smile again one day…"
The once energetic fiery eyed girl that all Liyue citizens considered strange passed away in Kazuha's arms.
An accident that Kazuha completely blamed himself for, because it was the only thing that made sense.
He would have turned himself in right there and explained what he had done, but no matter what he did, it seemed that things would never go the way he would have wished for.
"Hu Tao!" An unfamiliar voice called out, causing Kazuha to turn to see a somewhat short man with medium length hair that had a teal undertone. "What happened?!"
The man had appeared out of nowhere and was wearing a mask of a demon as he immediately began walking in their direction. He could hear anger in his voice and Kazuha was already able to tell that this wasn't a human.
"It was an accident. I mistook her for an enemy and she became a victim." Kazuha explained quickly, gently placing Hu Tao in a respectable position to stand up, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Outsider. You come into Rex Lapis territory and kill one of his citizens. Whatever excuse you may have will not be enough with the blood of one of his people on your hand. There will be no prison for you, you will trade your life for the one you have taken." There was conviction in his voice, leaving no room for argument as he manifested a spear to prepare the execution.
Kazuha stood tall, unflinching as he made no room to flee.
"So be it. The results of my actions have caused the blood shed of an innocent girl. There is nothing left of my home and nothing in the future for me. Do as you must, Adeptus."
A bright glow of green filled the forest and til the day he died, Kazuha would never know why it was that the Adeptus was made to spare him.
"What? But Hu Tao…! I… Yes… I see…" The Adeptus seemed to be communicating with someone through ways Kazuha wasn't aware of, but in the next moment, the masked man appeared beside Hu Tao at speeds even Kazuha who had prided himself on speed couldn't track.
"Another young soul…" He murmured, immediately making Kazuha's blade vanish completely before he picked her up gently.
Kazuha watched as the man did not turn to face him even once during the entire interaction, merely speaking in a hateful tone filled with malice.
"Your life is no longer yours. Live to make up for the sins of your actions, but never return to Liyue ever again. If I ever sense you, I will appear to claim the head I did not take today due to the mercy of the Archons." He growled before disappearing.
Leaving Kazuha to be alone once again, even after having accepted his death.
Our last moment together was something no one could have foreseen
Everything I thought of Hu Tao wasn't quite as it seemed
Looking back on our history gave me just the thing
To understand more about Hu Tao and her sad upbringing
Lost and so lonely and so misunderstood
In the end the thing she loved to do most had done her in good.
The shock of my actions stayed with me for year after year
Never forgiving myself for the actions that I did in my own fear
Line Break
He wasn't sure how long it had been since the incident. He wasn't sure if a lot of time had passed or if it was simply a product of his rapid decrease in sanity. He wasn't sure if what he was doing even meant anything. It wasn't like he could ever return to Liyue with that Adepti's threat lingering over him.
Kazuha used his temporary blade to keep him steady, his breathing ragged as he took in his surroundings once again.
All around him lay the bodies of what were once living and breathing people, but of course, Kazuha didn't just attack them without a good cause.
He collected the proof he needed to show that he had succeeded in dispatching of the wanted criminals. This should leave him with enough Mora to at least last a month this time around.
He sighed, rubbing his weary eyes. He was constantly remaining vigilant ever since that day. He never truly recovered and he didn't feel as if he deserved to. Not that that meant he had been spending all his time wasting away.
A few weeks after he bloodied his hands and being charged for murder by Liyue's laws, Kazuha was forced to do one of the most discraceful acts one can do in a once prestigious clan.
He removed his last name and was not going by a different name. "Akahito" was the alias he went by and while there were some people who were able to recognize him, he was much too quick even with his deteriorating health.
Now that his task was done, he would need to report to his client, but something stopped him from immediately departing.
Did he miss someone?
He whipped around quickly to see that the campsite he had just cleared was still devoid of life yet his intuition told him otherwise.
It had been so long since he had heard the whispers of the wind revealing the secrets of the world to him, but that didn't mean he had strictly relied on it as his many other senses were still capable of divulging the truth to him.
"I suggest that you show yourself before I mistake you as an enemy… I'd rather not have any needless blood on my hands simply because I felt unsafe." Kazuha picked up a blade from the ground, having not had his own blade for some time now, but still needed one to do his job.
There was no change in movement before suddenly a girl clad almost entirely in blue stepped out with her hands raised in defense.
"Pardon me, I did not mean you any harm. I'm an astrologist and I found myself following your trail." She explained.
She was clearly a mage of some sorts with her attire and he doubted she was trying to deceive him as she even had a hydro vision on her.
For the past few years, while not always the case, Kazuha found that vision wielders were generally some of the nicer people in Monstadt.
"Why were you following me? Are you also a bounty hunter?" Kazuha got into a defensive stance, narrowing his eyes as he watched the astrologist.
"You have a bounty? Ugh, that's just typical of my luck." She didn't seem to be too on guard with him despite being surrounded by bodies and his blade held up. It was unnerving to say the least. "I came here because my divination led me to you. Kaedehara Kazuha, last of the Kaedehara Bladesmith, Master Swordsman and fugitive from the now lost nation of Inazuma, I am Mona the Astrologist and I wish for your aid."
Kazuha raised an eyebrow, wondering how she knew that much about him so far until she explained that she was an astrologist.
"How perplexing. The stars tell you that you require my assistance among all others?" Kazuha asked doubtfully, not really too trusting that her divination led her to him specifically.
"Well, not precisely, but I take it that everything I said so far was accurate, no?" She looked rather smug explaining that.
"More or less." Kazuha responded, getting a look of satisfaction from the petite lady.
"Then that means my divination was right as always. It's little wonder why I don't doubt myself." Mona the Astrologist praised herself, leaving Kazuha to merely watch with a tired gaze.
"I believe whatever the stars may say for you, that it may be too late for whatever you were expecting from me…" The man spoke in a somber tone, not wanting to waste her time with any expectations.
"Oh, nonsense. Fate works in such a way that it is never late, be it for momentous moments of pure joy or a quiet and solemn tragedy." The girl was a bit too prideful of her craft and honestly, it was the first conversation he had had in a while, so he didn't mind too much.
"Then what is it that you went so far as to seek me out for?" The swordsman asked to which the mage waved her finger in a matter of factly gesture.
"I'll have you know that looking for you wasn't even an issue for me, but since you asked, I will answer as such. You are connected to The Fatui in some way and they are the reason that Inazuma got swallowed by The Abyssal Cult." Mona answered, getting a raised eyebrow from him. "You don't seem to understand how, I see."
"Yes, I had neither any connections or history with either groups when I was in Inazuma…"
"No, you haven't, but your clan has. Well, at least with one of the Harbingers!" She furrowed her eyebrows, seemingly unsure of the details. "I can't tell. There's no trace of whoever it was that had interacted with your clan, but regardless, the stars aligned and have brought me here to request your assistance as I was personally asked to do whatever I can to figure out whatever The Abyss Cult is up to."
"Just The Abyss Cult? I'd also like to know if you've already foresaw what my answer would be." Kazuha crossed his arms, giving her some credibility since she did have information that no one in Teyvat should currently have on him given the circumstances.
This seemed to put a damper on her mood as her proud grin turned into a subdued smile.
"No, of course not. Regardless of what the stars say, you're free to choose as you wish to do. However, while I read what the stars had in line for you, I was already able to get a general gist of your entire history, at least a summary." The sudden shift in tone had him rather perplexed, but she began speaking in a polite and delicate tone. "Mr. Kaedehara, I understand that you have many regrets right now from your failure to protect those dear to the terrible accident done by your own hands. You seek to atone for what you feel you've done wrong, but you have no idea how. I can't give you that, but I can at least promise that assisting me will help many people and that can go a long way in comparison to just doing contracts."
Her words were sincere as she made eye contact with him, prompting him to stare back intensely before he relented.
He wouldn't have said no regardless, with how his life had been, this was like a chance meeting for him to try and rectify what he had done.
Unfortunately, a chance at redemption did not mean a chance at happiness.
Line Break
"I'm so hungry…" Mona lamented as she dragged herself behind Kazuha.
"I don't understand. We were paid enough money to last for three months. How are you already broke within the first week?" Kazuha sighed, massaging his forehead.
"I had to buy a few things… Food will always come, but rare items are something that may only come once in a lifetime to a genius astrologist such as myself." She defended herself with a huff.
It had been months since they had agreed to partner together, but this came with understanding each other's many quirks, such as Mona's incapability to save money for living necessities.
This left Kazuha to feed her himself as he didn't need much more than food and to maintain his own belongings.
The jobs they took were simple as with Mona being an actual citizen, she was able to get them work more consistently as long as it went through her.
"Well, right now the food doesn't seem to be coming at all, so I believe you are asking me for Mora again?" Kazuha correctly guessed as Mona gave him a sideway glance expectantly.
They could live entirely off the land, but there wasn't much else for him to spend his Mora on so it ended up being spent on food many times more than not.
Seeing his reaction, Mona's face lit up with excitement, eager to eat again after having skipped a few meals.
"Good, good. This is how you prove to be a good partner." Mona nodded with praise for Kazuha who could only give a wry smile.
"Then why is it that you haven't done something like this for me?" He asked, to which she couldn't give an answer.
Line Break
"Kazuha, are you still not getting rest?" Mona asked indignantly, to which he looked up from the massive piles of papers they were going through for their leads on the Fatui.
"I've been sleeping if that's what you're asking." He murmured as he sifted through the information, not even looking up to see her.
It wasn't until she placed her hand over the piles of papers that he looked up with an expressionless face to meet her cold glare.
"You've been working together with me for months now and you still look tired." She scolded him, to which he could only shrug.
"I apologize. It's just hard to sleep as you can expect. I can catch up on some sleep, but in the end I just don't get the amount one would generally need…" He reminded her to which she closed her eyes to give a sigh of her own.
She had allowed him to stay at her own rented house so that he could hopefully be able to rest properly, but it seems that comfort simply wasn't just one way to help him regain his health.
"This isn't good for you. What'll you do if we meet with trouble?" She questioned and immediately received an answer.
"I'll fight til the end to allow you to escape."
Such a simple answer spoken so boldly angered her, making her flick his forehead.
He reacted as one would expect, voicing his annoyance as he rubbed where she flicked.
"That attitude is not something I will permit in this house." The astrologist pouted, before tugging on his hands for him to get up so she could lead him somewhere.
"Ah?" Kazuha was confused before she brought him over to the living room where Kazuha usually slept.
It didn't take long before Mona sat down on one end of the couch and began patting her lap.
"Um…?" The young man wasn't sure what she was planning, but he didn't have to try and think for too long as she immediately explained.
"You have a lot of things going on through your mind right? I was avoiding talking about it directly with you since it was personal, but I think we've spent enough time for me to be able to listen to you, right?"
Her reasoning was rather solid. He was grateful that she hadn't pried too much in regards to what he had done, but right now she seemed to want to help with his troubles and he was grateful.
"I see, but why…"
"You rest your head right here and just talk to me. You're my friend now, Kazuha and I don't want to see my friend self-destruct as such, no matter what he thinks his self worth is. Instead of moving on, towards your own future, you remain stuck in your own remorseful path." She was avoiding making eye contact with him as she waited for him to lay his head in her lap.
Now they were both adults, so Kazuha didn't have any real issues with doing so. He did as he was told and laid down on her couch, resting his head in her lap.
He looked up to see a smiling face, happy that he had accepted her help.
"There we go. Now tell this genius what troubles you. I can't promise you anything as a prodigy, but I can at least tell you that I'll be here as a friend who's worried. " Her voice was smooth and gentle unlike how prideful and abrasive she could sometimes be.
Kazuha closed his eyes and simply recounted what had bothered him from his past from the decline of his clan to even the accidental death of Hu Tao.
It wasn't a smooth conversation as there were many uncomfortable details, but Mona didn't seem to mind as she listened patiently while making sure he was comfortable.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep peacefully for the first time in a long time.
Line Break
"Dear, can you please align the dates for this? I can't make sense of the Khaenrian Timeline for this decade right here." Mona gestured towards a large board with a detailed timeline of Teyvat's history towards her husband, the ring on her left hand glimmering brightly.
"Sorry. Most of the information in regards to that was on Inazuma. I wasn't privy to such details, so we have to generalize all that as having happened somewhere within that decade, unfortunately." Kazuha looked up from his own work, trying to piece together the known Fatui Harbingers and their backgrounds.
They had been gathering a lot of information for years now to where they had become a well known source of intel for many individuals such as the new Grandmaster of The Knights of Favonius to even the Liyue Qixing, since they only knew him as Akahito instead of Kazuha Kaedehara.
Mona was still quite upset that she couldn't call herself Mona Kaedehara due to her immense distaste for her real last name, but she understood why their documents couldn't show his last name as such.
"Why is everything we need in Inazuma? Or was." Mona groaned. "The entire island is now either a desert island or that giant snake thing is on it."
There had been a few successful ventures to Inazuma in spite of its near perfect barrier due to some brave sailors finding ways to breach even a dome created by a god.
It was unfortunate that what they had seen wasn't worth the perilous journey as almost nothing awaited them upon entry to the island. If anything, the sailors claimed that the entire time they felt like they were being watched.
"Do you at least know anything about Enkanomiya yet?" She asked, getting a shrug from her husband.
"I believe its entrance should be on Watatsumi Island, but there's no specific spot for us to go look for it. It's hard to tell what a lot of the text means as it has a lot of symbolism and interpretations that can be either literal or something else." The white haired adult sighed, having already poured hours into trying to research the island of his late friend. "Even then, we have no way of figuring out if it'd still be there or if there's anything we'd need to reach it."
"Hm… I think I may have an idea of what we can do. I believe Alice is going to be here in a week. She would surely know something and she wouldn't mind helping us if it's just giving us some information from her travels." She suggested.
"If you can. Just tell me what we need and maybe we can go to this Enkanomiya." Kazuha leaned back in his chair, taking a momentary break.
They had been married for a good year now after a rather slow relationship that once they had grown fully accustomed to, Kazuha had decided to propose to her.
It was a happy and tearful moment for the two as they got married under Monstadts laws under an acquaintance of Monas who worked at the church.
Life wasn't perfect, but Kazuha felt content. Mona and he were incredibly important people in regards to being a reliable source of information to the point where they had stopped many terrible events from occurring if they had not been able to prepare in advance.
While Kazuha still had moments where he felt shame and disgust for his past actions, he had Mona's comfort to assure him that things would be fine and he was doing his best to atone.
That's why he never charged any Mora when The Liyue Qixing ever requested something from them. He never went back to Liyue, going so far as to not set a single foot over the border, but that didn't prevent him from doing whatever he could to help the land of the friend he had accidentally killed.
Now, he was preparing to return to the land of his birth if things went smoothly with Alice. He wasn't sure how to feel as from everything he was told, there wasn't a single living breathing creature there anymore. It seemed that even the abyss creatures had no more reason to stay around as they had completely vanished, leaving nothing but a vast stretch of sand with nothing more.
Still, his wife had heard of a lost library that should still be intact since the only confirmation of Inazuma's destruction was surface level.
Line Break
In the end, nothing was allowed to go right for Kazuha.
"Mona, please! Stay awake! Don't leave me like this!" Kazuha pleaded as he held the love of his life tightly to himself, a shockingly familiar scene was playing out in front of him, except he wasn't the one who did it.
The trip to Enkanomiya wasn't as difficult as they thought it'd be after being told the entrance and how to get there.
The only unfortunate issue was that they were not aware of the state Enkanomiya was in.
When they had made it through the caverns, they were met with a truly horrid sight.
There was a bright yet ominous light coming from the towers they could see, but it seemed to be filled with a malicious energy as everywhere anything living seemed to be mutated into a grotesque shape.
Mona and he covered themselves up completely to shield themselves from the light, having prepared for cases similar to this, and decided to venture forth to find the lost library.
They had succeeded in finding it and Mona was overjoyed, but unfortunately they had underestimated the danger that Enkanomiya could bring as suddenly shadow soldiers had surrounded them.
They fought them as best they could, but the sudden appearance put them in a precarious position that it was nearly unavoidable that they'd get hurt.
Kazuha did the best he could to fend them off, allowing Mona to escape for him to follow right after, but he didn't expect for something to be waiting outside for them, which was why when he heard his wife scream, his blood ran completely cold.
He had nearly died himself just from the distraction, but he immediately left the ruined library to see a tall Abyssal Lector looming over the limp body of his wife.
He saw red immediately and lashed out.
In the end, he couldn't do anything as the Abyss Lector had shown much more power and much more experience than him in those 5 seconds he chose to attack.
With a nearly fatal wound that would have been lethal if he hadn't barely moved out of the way, Kazuha was able to tell he was outmatched, choosing instead: to use all his strength to quickly take Mona and go.
Kazuha did everything he could to keep her alive, he pressed on her chest, tore off his cloak to staunch the bleeding, gave CPR, whatever that could help save her, but it was pointless.
"D-dear…" Mona's weak voice called out to him, prompting him to stop with an expression of agony over another person dying in his arms. "Don't worry… This was how things were supposed to be…"
"What? What are you talking about?" Kazuha asked, not understanding what she meant.
She was too weak to even keep her eyes open. It was clear that she wasn't able to give as many words as she would like.
"My side of the bed in the drawer… Know that I… I love you so much…"
Her last words echoed in the Inazuman's mind and the years of pain and misery began to swallow back up as the love of his life passed away in his arms.
Kazuha Kaedehara became alone once more in a house for two that was filled with memories made by two people.
The most tragic part being that the wife had always been aware that her death would one day come.
When Kazuha found the papers Mona had kept, he found that they were the divination papers that led her to him all those years ago.
He had never asked for them, because he didn't find any reason to, but now he wish he had asked for them earlier.
Mona truly was a genius astrologist as when she had looked into Kazuha's fate, she had noted one specific detail.
That he'd get married and lose his wife after a rather short period of marriage.
Mona Kaedehara was aware of what would happen if she fell in love with him, but in the end, she didn't care and chose to anyway and because of that, he was left alone once more in the empty house they once shared.
Line Break
Kazuha's death was in Snezhnaya after he had found something out in regards to the Fatui and decided to go by himself since he didn't have anyone that would follow him.
The specifications of his death was unknown to all except him, but to his surprise, a piece of his memory awoke one day.
He was alive again? No. Something wasn't right. Who is that?
He could feel himself getting intimate with another woman, causing great anger with his own self.
No matter what he was, he was faithful and to see himself cheat so blatantly?
Wait, this isn't right. This was him, but it wasn't him from his own present.
It took him a while to figure things out, but the Adult Kazuha finally realized what was to happen, which was why he wasn't too surprised when a younger version of him was standing in front of him.
He knew what was going on.
And so blades clashed.
He had an overwhelming advantage in strength and experience naturally due to being simply older than his past self, but that didn't mean his younger self was going to be a cakewalk.
The younger man was still incredibly experienced, using his shorter frame to just barely avoid any slashes, but they both knew that right now it was just delaying the inevitable.
At least under normal circumstances.
Slash, defend, dodge, roll, pivot, parry. His younger self did everything he knew, pulling out every trick in the book to keep himself alive.
Just when the older Kazuha thought victory was his, everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in… a bar?
"Hey, she's starting." A voice he had not heard in years spoke and to his astonishment, he saw a face he had not expected to see ever again.
Gorou was sitting right beside him, his attention towards the stage where their leader Sangonimiya Kokomi was singing.
"She's pretty good, huh? Just like I told you!" Gorou grinned brightly with Yoimiya sitting on the other side watching quietly.
Kazuha looked around with a bewildered look and it seemed there were a bunch of faces he knew.
The host for the Isshin Blade that had found him raised a glass in the air towards him with a great big smile and a nod. The very same host he had killed to stop the rampage of the sentient blade.
Kazuha didn't know what to say and simply nodded back with his own awkward smile.
To the right was Tomo who turned to him with a plain smile of acknowledgement before turning back to watch Kokomi sing.
He couldn't help it, he closed his eyes to hold back the tears as the guilt and pain he had repressed welled back up, but the sounds of the lights going out caused him to open his eyes once more.
In front of him now sat Hu Tao, Mona… and himself.
Not the younger version of him that he had just been fighting, but he could tell this was actually himself from the past of his own world.
The three were smiling normally, but something was off.
The younger him's smile gradually faded into a sad one as he looked down.
Kazuha couldn't help but do the same in acknowledgement of how much things had changed.
There were no words exchanged as Kokomi's melodic voice continued to go through the bar.
The younger one tapped his chest before gesturing towards him with his head as if to signal him to look down.
Kazuha was confused for a bit before he looked down and placed his hand where the younger him had tapped.
When he removed it, he saw that there was blood.
Suddenly a surge of pain coursed through him and he began doubling over, trying to keep himself steady as he struggled to stay up.
His vision was going blurry as the younger him gave a sad smile and everything began to disappear in a quick flurry of snow.
The older Kazuha laid back against the wall with the sword piercing his chest.
If it was a normal fight, he would have won outright within the first minute, but unfortunately, this wasn't a fair fight, not that he wanted it to be.
"Is it cold…?" The younger Kazuha asked him.
The older Kazuha's eyes looked up towards him and it was evident that he was slowly beginning to freeze to death.
"This was how you originally died, isn't it? Wounded and left alone to succumb to the snow…" The younger him asked rhetorically, before he knelt down in front of his opponent. "I don't feel anything. You knew you were going to lose, didn't you?"
There was a faint glimmer of a smile across his older versions face, but no answer.
"Your past. Did you intentionally share them with me or was that something else?"
"..."
"I see…"
The younger Kazuha looked down with a neutral expression, unsure on how to react to what could have happened if The Traveler came.
He didn't know who Mona was and he wasn't that close to Hu Tao, but the memories flooding into his mind were enough for his own heart to splinter for the older version of himself.
"You may rest now. I'm sure they're all waiting for you…" Kazuha moved his hands over to close the eyes of the man who had suffered so much.
The snow continued to fall, but Kazuha didn't feel it. It wasn't cold nor did it feel like anything was pelting him, as if it was an illusion to him.
The only confirmation that it existed was with how quickly the snow began to pile up on the now deceased fragment of what was once a part of a hurting man.
The last Kaedehara gave his respects before slowly the world of white began to fade away for him to return back to his senses in the real world.
Line Break
Kazuha opened up his eyes to an unfamiliar feeling as he recalled having rested against a tree while hoping that the alcohol didn't linger too long in his system.
Instead he was looking up to a familiar face that he had just seen in his newfound memories.
"Interesting, I can feel the aura of death dissipating from you, yet you still have it and you're still alive. What did you just do, Ka-Zu-Ha~?" Hu Tao asked with a playful smile as she kept his head in her lap.
Hello everyone, I am somewhat back.
I apologize for the huge lack of updates, but I have a good reason, I swear.
I have recently been working on a collaboration project with LanceSennin and Darkdrawerj.
If you are a fan of either of us or My Teenage Romantic Comedy is Wrong as I Expected OR Classroom of the Elite, then you should go over to Darkdrawerj's profile to read "My Elite Teen Romantic Comedy is Wrong as I Expected".
That is what has been taking so much of my time to where I could barely focus on my own fics.
I humbly ask that you please check out the fic over there as we've been working hard on it.
And just for the record, I was the one who wrote Hachiman's profile for when Chabashira's read it.
Your boi's always going to make gold.
As for the fic, I apologize if this is too long or has nothing to do with the harem of our actual main character Kazuha, but an alternate universe one.
I will say that I needed to sow the seeds for Kazuha to be even more proactive and watching a more depressed version of him go through things will hopefully make him be even more assertive.
If you hate it, I apologize, but oh well. We'll return to nothing but normal harem after this, because I think i'm mostly done with that other timeline now.
I hope you've all enjoyed the read regardless as it took forever and I had to do it in chunks.
Lastly, join the writers discord [discord gg Txnqc3EKZn] to talk to me and many other writers of maybe your favorite fics. I'd love to have a more consistent flow of conversation.
From
The Reddiest Glitch