one-way street, a genshin impact fanfic

Title: one-way street

A/N: For Raijin, an Inazuma Zine! I love Yoimiya, not the least because her voice actress is the same as Rin's. This is all taking place juuust before Lumine reaches Inazuma, and I couldn't resist hinting a few ships.

Summary: As the number one firework creator in Inazuma, Yoimiya had a lot of order to fill. Whether it was a special order for Thoma, a climb up to Grand Narukami Shrine, or dealing with the Kujou estate, Yoimiya made sure to do her best for every one of her clients.

…

Despite his friendly nature, Thoma was a hard man to find. He constantly flitted across Inazuma, flirting with clerks, massaging arguments, and creating new opportunities. In all ways, he was truly a fit vassal for the Kamisato clan, and Yoimiya wondered not for the first time whether it came naturally to him or if it was the product of years of hard work.

It was an infuriating skill, however, when she had to find him. Yoimiya liked to personally confirm the receipts for her fireworks. She loved talking to her clients and tailoring her creations to their needs.

Thoma was starting to look like her one exception. She'd spent all morning searching for him, from the Kamisato estate to the market to even the jail. Every time, she got back the response, He just left.

If she didn't know better, she'd think he was avoiding her. As it was, she found him in the last place she checked: the docks. Standing by the water, the sea breeze ruffling his hair, Thoma gazed out into the distance like he was searching for something. Or someone. His brow furrowed, troubled by some unknown thought.

Good. If he weren't troubled. Yoimiya would have troubled him herself. It was only fair for the morning he'd given her. She quickly made her way toward him before he could escape. "Done playing hide and seek?" she sniped.

To his credit, he didn't jump or even flinch at her sudden arrival. Thoma turned to her, smiling gently, as though he hadn't a care in the world. "Hide and seek?"

Then again, he'd probably gotten bigger scares during his job. With his travels across Inazuma, brigades and monsters were a bigger threat than an angry firework seller.

Yoimiya sighed and rubbed her neck. It was hard to stay mad in the face of that smile. "Never mind. What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for someone." He glanced at the water, his smiling dimming. There were a few ships in the harbour, though clearly none of them were the one he was searching for. "Though, it looks like it might still be some time."

"A foreigner?" she guessed. That was unexpected. It was rare enough that foreigners came to Inazuma, let alone someone for Thoma. Or would it be for the Kamisato clan? "Should I come back later?"

"No, it's fine. Like I said, it'll be a while." Thoma dismissed her concerns. He pivoted to face her properly, flashing his blinding smile at her now. His business mode was on once more. "I'm just preparing for them. Anyways, what's up?"

"If you're sure..." Preparation? Yoimiya wondered just who this 'friend' was and what they needed. But she didn't have time to ponder this. The sun was high in the sky, her neck was warm, and she really needed to get to her other orders. "Just confirming the receipt for your order. It's always a lot for the clan."

"We're a big household after all." Thoma chuckled, resting a hand on his hip. "Appearances are important."

"Are they now?" Yoimiya frowned. She didn't like the idea of her fireworks getting used for something as frivolous as that. "It's better to enjoy them."

Thoma's eyes widened and he stared at her blankly before bursting into laughter. It rankled her. "My apologies. I didn't mean to imply otherwise, miss. We all look forward to your creations every year."

It felt a little pacifying but Yoimiya let it pass for now. She'd find out just how sincere his words were after he'd seen the fireworks. "How's Miss Kamisato?"

"She's looking forward to your fireworks the most." Thoma's smile grew bigger, and she wasn't certain if he was teasing her. He glanced around. "Actually, you might see my lady soon; I'm escorting her."

Yoimiya snorted. Shaking her head, she pointed out, "It's not really escorting if you're not with her? Where are you going?"

"Well…." There was a mysterious twinkle in his eyes as he answered. "We're going to wait for someone."

"And not the same person you're waiting for here." Yoimiya exhaled tiredly. She pushed back her bangs. It was always riddles with him. Such was the nature of his job, she was sure, but Yoimiya had always preferred straightforward responses. "If you can't say, just say that!"

"I'll make sure to do that next time." Thoma lowered his voice. Whispering, he asked, "How's the extra item I requested?"

A special firework, composed of icy blue and blinding white. The second he had ordered it, she'd known immediately that it was for Ayaka. Yoimiya chuckled. "It'll be done soon."

"Great." Relieved, he relaxed. "I—"

"Thoma?" Ayaka called out, slowly approaching them. "Oh, and it's Miss Naganohara." She bowed her head slightly, still as formal as ever. And as ever, her every movement was filled with grace.

"Hey!" Yoimiya grinned and waved back. She'd always felt like a tomboy next to the young heiress. "Nice to see you again."

"Indeed. I trust our fireworks are in order?" she asked, stopping next to Thoma. A delicate finger pushed back her bangs behind her ear. Yoimiya imagined she must look even more doll-like under the moonlight.

Thoma held a finger to his lips and winked.

Not that Yoimiya needed the reminder. She knew when to keep a secret. Giving a thumbs up, she nodded. "Yep, all set! I'll send them over in a couple of days."

"That's good to hear. I always look forward to your fireworks." Ayaka smiled. She glanced up at the sun, then at Thoma, before returning her attention to Yoimiya. "Forgive me, but we must leave. We have an appointment."

"It's fine." Yoimiya shook her hands. It felt weird to get apologized to by such a lady. "Thoma already said you guys had to go. Besides, I have more deliveries to make too. Actually, I'm probably behind…" Trailing off, she scratched her cheek as she counted off all the people she had to see today.

Yep. She was definitely behind schedule.

ii.

Mount Yougou was tall and steep and Yoimiya was lucky she was only half dead when she reached the Grand Narukami Shrine at the top. If it weren't for all the running around she did, she probably wouldn't have made it past the foot of the mountain.

Pausing to take a break at the top, she panted as she leaned against a tree. The view was amazing at this height; she could see all of Inazuma from here, dozens of small green islands embedded in a dark blue sea like fireworks in the sky. She could only imagine the pinpricks of light that marked their cities at night.

As beautiful as the view was, it wasn't worth all the effort to climb up here. Straightening up, Yoimiya pivoted on her heel and entered the shrine grounds. Every year, the shrine insisted she come all the way up to get their order instead of mailing it to her. Maybe it was a conspiracy to destroy her legs.

Fortunately, her target was already waiting for her at the entrance. Yae Miko leaned on a broom idly, staring up at the cloudless sky. Hearing her approach, Yae lazily waved and greeted her. "Need a break?"

"Yeah," Yoimiya replied honestly. There was no point in hiding it. It always felt like the priestess could see right through her. Maybe that was her divine power. "I'm here for your order."

"Diligent as ever," Yae replied, as though she hadn't been the one who had forced her to come here. She started sweeping the grounds. Her broom scraped against the stone tiles roughly and Yoimiya would bet everything she owned that Yae did not know how to clean. "I can ask for anything?"

"Within reason," Yoimiya replied carefully. As important as the shrine was, she had learned the hard way what came when she gave free rein to her clients. It had been a miracle that she'd managed to deliver everything last year; this year she didn't want to overwork her dad.

"Of course." Yae tapped her chin, contemplating it. She scanned their surroundings, as though looking for inspiration. Her free hand twirled her broom. "Something…purple. And big."

"How big?" Yoimiya asked, already calculating the supplies and work effort. "And it's a single firework or multiple?"

"A single one." Yae held her broom at a distance, like it'd come to life and attack her. She spoke nonchalantly as she continued her sweeping. "It should be big enough for everyone to see."

"Everyone?" Yoimiya had a bad feeling about this. Her gut had never been wrong. Maybe it wasn't too late to reject the shrine's request.

"Everyone," Yae repeated, slowly sweeping the leaves and dirt into a small pile. Miraculously, she had actually managed to gather a decent amount. "The entire island."

"Huhhh?" Yoimiya wasn't sure she'd heard right. When Yae didn't respond, she rubbed her forehead. What part of that is 'within reason'?

"Can you do it?" Yae asked innocently.

Yoimiya pinched her nose. Was there a polite way to tell a priestess no? Without getting smited? "Why do you need it so big?"

"I want someone to see it." Yae lowered her gaze, her eyes half open as she contemplated the pile at her feet. Her voice was soft, almost fragile. Her fingers rubbed against the broom's staff. "An old friend."

That made even less sense. "Can't you just invite them over? Or go to them?" The latter sounded better, considering the hike it took to get here.

Yae giggled, as though she'd read Yoimiya's thoughts. "My, it's not that hard to get here. She could do it easily, if she wanted to."

If. Yoimiya cocked her head. The picture was slowly clearing up. "And you won't go to her?"

"It's not yet time," Yae replied mysteriously, her smile secretive. If Thoma had seemed like a spy, she was like an ancient carving. Hidden in ways that Yoimiya didn't have the words for. "Still, I want to share a firework with her, so this is the best I can do."

Was it a broken friendship? A lost loved one? Yoimiya scratched her cheek. Honestly, it was hard to say no to such a story. And she really hated the word impossible. "It's hard. Really hard. I'll try but no promises."

Yae smiled benignly. Maybe she had anticipated this response from the start. "That's all I can ask for."

iii.

Yoimiya tried to be fair to all of her customers, to treat them all equally, but the Kujou clan tested her limits. Especially Kujou Sara. There were few things less awkward than meeting the person who should probably have tossed you in jail a dozen times over. Yoimiya wasn't certain of exactly how many laws she'd broken over the years, but she knew Sara knew the precise number. And that Sara knew that she knew that.

It was an extremely lucky thing that they were merely sitting in the Kujou estate's greeting room instead of a dark and dank jail cell.

Still, if Sara was thinking about it, she didn't let it on. Her expression remained neutral, her words courteous. Every part of her seemed to be professional and not once did Yoimiya get the feeling that the woman was going to do anything to her.

At least, not until now. Sara's frown grew deeper as she read through the list of fireworks she'd ordered. Her fingers traced each item, her lips soundlessly repeating the amount. After going up and down it several times, Sara exhaled softly. She peeked up at Yoimiya, then back at the list before setting it down. Clasping her fingers on her lap, she asked, "Isn't this a bit too much?"

"It is a lot," Yoimiya agreed, perplexed. She'd been surprised when she'd received the order, but then again, this was for the Kujou clan. If Thoma had been right about appearances, then the clan could hardly afford to look inferior to the Kamisato clan's display. "But that's what you ordered."

At this rate, Sara's scowl was going to be permanent. Her brow twitched. "I did?"

"Well…" Yoimiya hesitated, realization dawning on her. Shit. She should have known better from the start. "Itto came with your order—"

"That man." Sara's voice dropped to tundra levels and Yoimiya shivered. There were times when she wondered how Sara hadn't received the cryo vision instead of electro. Maybe it was a good thing; she was dangerous enough as it was, without the risk of freezing everyone.

Yoimiya rubbed her neck. It was obvious in hindsight. Considering how Itto was, she shouldn't have accepted the slip. Apologetic, she asked, "Should I cancel the order?"

"No, keep it." Sara shook her head. "I will not trouble you any further."

Now Yoimiya was starting to feel bad. "We haven't started yet, so—"

"It's fine, we'll take it," Sara interrupted, standing up. The air sparked with electricity. "If you will excuse me, I have a vagrant to punish."

iv.

"I don't think we're ever going to find his body," Yoimiya said as she leaned back into her seat. Exhausted, she tried to become as boneless as possible, her limbs barely supported by the wooden chair. "I'm just lucky she didn't take it out on me."

On his chair next to her, her father smiled and nodded as he drank his beer. Yoimiya grinned. The best end to any day was sitting on the porch with him like this, watching the sunset as they drank and recounted the day.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I don't like mountains either!" he replied cheerfully, his cheeks red from the alcohol.

"That's what you got from this?" Yoimiya burst into laughter. Honestly, it was hard to tell with him sometimes—had he heard the rest of the story? Had he only heard about the shrine? Had he heard nothing but somehow made out the word mountain? It was always a guessing game with him, one that she had played since she was a kid.

Not that she minded. Maybe that was something she had in common with her clients today—she was used to one-sided conversations and relationships. Hers were at least nice.

Her father glanced at her over the rim of his bottle. He grinned. "You look like you had fun."

Whatever he had heard, that much was true. Yoimiya gave him a thumbs up, smiling back. "I did."