Chapter Text
Kazuha took a deep inhale and exhaled as he stood atop the upper floors of the Liyue cityscape.
“It truly is beautiful here, just like how I imagined it to be. Hehe, a shame I wasn’t here at the past lantern rite. Festivities such as these are often so majestic, experiencing it once is never going to be enough.” He says to himself.
A familiar noise from behind him reminded him of something else, to which he smiled. “And of course, to experience it with someone else significant to you only serves to amplify the experience as a whole.”
Kazuha turns around, watching with serenity as a certain woman he adored so much picked out a drink or two from the stand. He leaned on the pole behind him, watching as she exchanged pleasantries with the stall owner.
He looked down, fixing his glove slightly as the night breeze blew by. With it, the various smells of delicacies and food from below greeted him. Kazuha took note; they’d have to go around the festival’s food section more than once today. It is the last day, and there’s no better time than now.
He looked up when he heard footsteps, finding Yoimiya in front of him with a glass of what appears to be milk tea in her hands. She was already sipping hers as she handed him his.
“Here, have a try! The milk tea here is different from back home but it's sooooo good in its own way!” Yoimiya chirped as Kazuha took the drink and took a sip. “Hmm, indeed. It’s a delicacy in its own right. It shows how tea making is different across the nations, and it produces some of the most unique flavors; even for a drink as similar as milk tea.”
“Hehe, oh come on with that philosophical nonsense, we’re enjoying the festival’s last hours!” Yoimiya replies, snagging his arm into hers. “Come on, let’s take it from the front.”
Kazuha chuckled as he allowed her to lead him into the night, hell bent on making sure they’d enjoy the lantern rite before their eventual departure home the next day.
Within a minute, Yoimiya and Kazuha were both standing at the entrance to the festival at the lower section of Liyue. Yoimiya’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the festival’s games and stands from left to right, her sight never ending on one particular attraction for more than several seconds at a time. Kazuha, although more reserved, was also looking in awe.
No wonder people say that last days in festivals are always the grandest, especially one as celebrated as this.
“Wowie. There’s so much to look at I’m actually very lost here!” Yoimiya says as she wanders through the front entrance. Kazuha walked along with her, taking in the sights. It was quite something to behold after all.
“What shall we try first?” Kazuha asks. Yoimiya thought long and hard as they walked through the front part, before her eyes landed on an archery game. She grinned wide as she turned to Kazuha, tugging his arm while gesturing to the stall.
“Haha, I see you’re keen on getting some training. Alright, let’s give it a go.” Kazuha obliges, Yoimiya all giddy as she practically pulls him to the stall.
Yoimiya and Kazuha stand by with the crowd as the person behind the counter explains the rules of the game. It’s relatively simple; dummy targets will appear in random order on the field and the archer just has to stand in place and shoot. The targets are set to appear everytime the previous ones are shot, and the objective is to complete the run in the least amount of time possible.
“So, who’d like a go?” The announcer asks. Yoimiya was about to go forward when Kazuha stopped her.
“Wait, Miya. Perhaps we should watch it first to see how it unfolds. Just to be on the safe side.” he suggests. Yoimiya ponders it for a moment before nodding, the two walking over to the side of the arena to watch the archery game.
The targets were the usual military training dummies, colored white. The dummies would be triggered by a hit anywhere on the body, making Yoimiya pout slightly at the ease of the challenge.
“They should give more points for a headshot.” She muttered. Kazuha chuckled, placing his arm gently around her as she leaned into him. “Well, that would make it too much of an advantage for someone as skilled as you, no?”
“Ah, fair point. But still….” Kazuha gently patted her head. “Come on, it’s only for fun anyway.”
“Alright! Watch me, I’ll set a record so high only Celestia will be able to beat it!” Yoimiya said proudly as she went for the entrance. Kazuha smiled as she left, watching the cheerful pyro archer talk to the event managers. Soon enough, she was allowed in. Yoimiya took the complimentary bow from the desk. It was well built so she wouldn’t worry about it missing, although she much preferred her own thundering pulse.
She turned to wave at Kazuha. Kazuha replied with a small wave of his own and a genuine smile. “Best of luck!” He says. Yoimiya gives him a wink as she cranks the bow back, waiting for the game to start.
With a loud blow of an air horn, the game starts.
Before the audience could even begin to cheer, the first target was already hit and sent down.
While everyone else was busy staring in amazement as Yoimiya obliterated the targets, so much so that one target actually got shot 3 times in a single game, Kazuha just watched on with a proud smile on his face. Nobody really knew her since she was a foreigner, and Kazuha couldn’t care any less about the fact. She was always going to leave an impression on people when yielding a bow after all.
Being fair here, Kazuha’s eyes were more on Yoimiya than it was on the targets.As Yoimiya picked the targets apart with speed and accuracy, Kazuha simply found his eyes watching her every move, analyzing her as she shot everything. In fact, he swore he heard the score keeper panic, not used to such speed.
“That’s my girl.” Kazuha muttered under his breath.
And before he could tear his eyes away, the game was over. The audience were silent for a moment as the total score was tallied, before erupting into a cheer when it was nearly quadruple the previous high. Yoimiya held a wide smile as she turned to Kazuha, her mouth saying “How was it?”
Kazuha replied with a thumbs up before pulling back and walking over to the entrance/exit to the stage. Yoimiya was being congratulated by a small crowd, curious about her abilities.
“Well, I dunno, I guess I naturally got a good shot after countless hours of using it!” She replied, before spotting Kazuha approaching her.
“Ah, alright. My pickups here.” Yoimiya says, waving to the group before basically smushing herself onto Kazuha in her typical bearhug. “So, how did I do?”
“I think the audience already showed you how well you did?”
“Well, they aren’t you.” She says with a cheeky grin. Kazuha chuckles, ruffling her hair.
“You did as wonderful as ever, dear.” He replied, Yoimiya, pleased with the answer, released him from the hug and pulled his arm into hers again. “Alright! Let’s do some more! I want us to set new records!”
Kazuha’s ears picked up some silent whispers from the crowd, going about how lucky he was with her or how good of a pair they looked, especially since although Kazuha was in Liyue before, he never stayed too long. He smirked to himself as the two walked on.
“I guess I am quite lucky.”
“Huh? You say something Kazu?”
“Hehe, nothing. Shall we move on?”
A fair distance later, the two stopped in the market section of the festival, selling all kinds of little trinkets and products commemorating the event.
And in particular, lanterns.
“Woah. These are some fancy lanterns!” Yoimiya says as she checks out the lanterns in various shapes and with various patterns on it. Kazuha observed some of the exquisite patterns on the lanterns with her.
“Some of these are quite well made. Hand crafted too, I applaud the painters for their skill in this.”
“Hmm, but I think that if we buy these it would be rather dull.” Yoimiya says, taking a close look at one of the lanterns. “Say, Kazu. Do you know how to make one of these?”
“A lantern? Yes, somewhat. I am unable to create the more intricate ones, but a simple lantern should be possible. I’ve learned it through my time in Liyue.” Kazuha replies, taking another lantern for observation.
“Really? Can you teach me then?” Yoimiya’s eyes light up as she turns to Kazuha. Kazuha places the lantern down to look back at her. Against Yoimiya’s pleading face, he stood no chance to deny anything.
“I could try later, perhaps before the moment of release later at night.” Kazuha replies, taking a moment to think about it first. “We could get the materials from a stall over there and get it ready, although I suspect we’d have to buy it quickly before it runs out.”
The store was rather crowded, which would make sense since people were rushing to get the materials. It is the last day of the festival; tomorrow those lanterns would hold much less meaning.
“Oh, I know! The Alcor is in port, right?” Yoimiya asked. Kazuha looked away, squinting. Indeed, due for their journey tomorrow, the Alcor was in port with the crew. Beidou was probably on board too. “Yes, it’s there.”
“Then why not store the items there while we go take a look around the festival? Maybe later we can come back there to pick it up and make the lanterns?” Yoimiya suggests. Kazuha takes a moment to think before agreeing to the idea.
“Alright. I believe that’s the best solution rather than risking the materials running out.” Kazuha replies. With a smile the two head off into the stall to get the lantern materials.
Fast forward a few minutes, and they’re at the pier beside the Alcor. Most of the crew were out in the city to celebrate, several milelith soldiers standing guard outside the ship. Yoimiya jumped onboard first, Kazuha carrying the crate behind her.
“Are you sure it's not too heavy?” Yoimiya asked as Kazuha steps behind her.
“Miya, I’m usually the one carrying all of your work. Trust me, it gave me enough muscle training to last.” Kazuha replies with a chuckle.
“Oh, heyyy! If it isn’t my 2 favorite kids.”
“Ah, Beidou.”
Kazuha placed the crate on the side of the ship as Beidou strolled out of the carbon, a bottle in hand. Judging from the smell, it was plainly obvious what was the content of said bottle, or rather its previous content judging by the way Beidou swung it around.
“Captain, wouldn’t it be a little too early to start drinking?” Kazuha asked, facepalming. Yoimiya just giggled with a hand over her mouth as the captain walked over, a little fumble in her steps.
“Bah, nonsense! I know the night’s still young, but that’s no reason to hold back on the good stuff.” Beidou replies, trying to get a swig only to find her bottle empty. “Tch, these bottles run out so quickly, maybe there’s a ghost sucking all my booze dry!”
Yoimiya can’t help but laugh. Kazuha just sighs. “Just take care of yourself.”
“Ah, not to worry.” A familiar voice comes from the upper deck. Thoma stood and waved with Juza beside him, the latter walking back after saying a few words to Thoma.
“Thoma!” Yoimiya called.
“Thoma, nice to see you here.” Kazuha added.
“Ah, fixer guy. There you are.” Beidou said, a little slurring.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong on board or on land. Besides, I don’t really drink.” Thoma reassures them, tossing a coin and catching it as it falls.
“Alright, I guess that secures it.” Kazuha adds.
“Now what are you two doing here? The festival’s like way over there.” Beidou asks them.
“Oh! You see, we decided we’d try to make our own lanterns to keep it all authentic that we’ve made it and all that, rather than buying it from some of the vendors out there already done. It would be hard to carry with all the crowd, and making your own lantern gives it some sort of a proud feeling to us seeing it float up in the air like that!” Yoimiya replied, her usual speed almost making Beidou lost in her words.
Owe it to the alcohol.
‘Uh….uhuh…..Okay I guess, you go do that.” Beidou says, before turning to Thoma. “Oi, get down here! Let’s go about, being on this ship is rather dull and being all alone ain’t gonna be fun.” Thoma nods, dropping down.
“Alright, now scurry along you two. Wouldn’t wanna be missing out.” Kazuha and Yoimiya give the taller woman a nod before running off the ship, laughing away as Yoimiya pulled Kazuha along back into the port.
“Ah, stay young you two.” Beidou mutters under her breath.
“So, where are we headed?” Thoma asked.
“The bar! I wanna see if they got some specials on the last day!” Beidou says. Before Thoma could object, he found himself dragged out of the Alcor by the tipsy captain.
This isn’t going to end well for him.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A waverider game?”
“Yes, I believe so. It was based on the Traveler’s recent usage of his waverider in helping Lady Ningguang in gathering her belongings from the incident around the first jade chamber.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yoimiya and Kazuha leaned on the railing as they watched the boat go by through a designated course. Inside was a pilot and a passenger who were going through the course, weaving through the Liyue waters which were dotted with obstacles such as barrels, pontoons, and floating rafts. The boat resembled her own waverider in size, but was simpler in design and was fully open-top with a much smaller windscreen.
That, and it didn't look as fast.
“Hmm, it appears to be a simple obstacle course.” Kazuha noted. “It’s not really going to be much of an issue for you, with how well you sail your waverider these days.”
Yoimiya folds her hands, turning to Kazuha. “And who was the one who was initially worried that I’d crash into an island?” Kazuha laughed, ruffling her hair a bit. “You did. You sent me into medical care for a few days.”
“A-Ah! That was before I learnt how to sail it properly! That doesn’t count.” She pouted, turning away. Kazuha chuckled, finding it cute as he pinched her cheek lightly and turned her back to him.
“Well, I know now that your skills shouldn’t ever be doubted again. Shall we take a go?”
“Hmm, fine. I’ll show you how great of a sailor I can be!” With renewed vigor, the two walked over to the game entry area, ready to begin their trial.
“Alright, come on, let’s go!” With high levels of enthusiasm, Yoimiya hopped onto the vacant boat in the lot while Kazuha just chuckled, opting for a softer approach. Once on board, Yoimiya started the engines while Kazuha took note of the route before them. A lot of twists and turns, a few speed up points, and some explosive traps that were engineered to only harm the boat. This should be fun.
“Alright, are you guys ready?” A man on the game panel asked. Kazuha looked to Yoimiya. She nodded in response, Kazuha giving a thumbs up to the man.
A red light turned on in front of them. Yoimiya grinned as Kazuha looked on. “The first point is through those rafts. Keep in between the rafts as they approach, and hit the speed boost at the end to get to the next point.”
“Hehe, you got it.”
And as soon as the light turned green, the bystanders quickly realized why they shouldn’t be at the receiving end of a speedboat driven by Naganohara Yoimiya when it took off. Needless to say, they may need to change first before they could continue their festival trip.
Yoimiya floors it without warning, accelerating the boat instantly. Kazuha, this time ready, stayed steady in his seat as the boat moved onwards. The game managers themselves were amazed at the bravado displayed by this seemingly random girl. Perhaps she has experience in sailing? They never knew.
All they knew is that she’s fast.
Yoimiya expertly maneuvered her boat around the turns and bends of the course, diving between the rafts without so much as a break. They both had their seatbelts on, which was a massive relief otherwise they would be all thrown about right now.
Launching at maximum speed through the speed boost, Yoimiya was in the next obstacle; red barrels. She had to dodge and weave through the entire thing as she navigated the maze towards the exit. Luckily, Kazuha was an expert co-driver as he relayed the exact moves that Yoimiya should do to avoid the barrels. She had no qualms to this, her trust in him was 110% as she followed his instructions to maneuver around the barrels.
The game managers were now speechless as they passed the halfway mark in record time, easily beating those who tried it before them.
Soon, they were navigating the speed boosts between hillichurl towers and gates, the raging currents from the ocean and their own speed rocking the boat as Yoimiya ducked left and right. Still she did not relent, keeping her foot firmly on the gas pedal. Kazuha remarked that one day if they were to sail a ship, an actual large ship, he’d have to make sure she won’t just blaze through the ocean at full speed.
And without much trouble, Yoimiya sailed past the finish line in record speed.
“Oh….oh wow. That is ridiculously quick!” One of the game managers said, noting the time down. Yoimiya parked the boat back onto the pier before hopping out, Kazuha following her. She stretched as she got up, smiling as she looked at the course behind them.
“That was fun! We should make that a game or something in Inazuma! There would be much more potential for it with how much water we have there.” Yoimiya chirps. Kazuha chuckles, taking her hand into his as they walk back up to the game booth.
Needless to say, everyone was flabbergasted at how quick the time was.
“Oh, oh! Look, I think there’s another ride there!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kazuha and Yoimiya wandered over to Chihu Rock, intent on looking around the commercial district. That was until they happened to pass by Wanmin’s.
The smell immediately greeted them, and their noses immediately wandered their sights to the restaurant.
“Kazu….is it dinner time yet?” Yoimiya asked, as if in a trance.
“I guess so, the sky’s already dark. Perhaps we could settle for a meal before continuing?”
As if on cue, both their stomachs gave an ominous growl, making them both red from embarrassment. Luckily the crowd around them was too loud to even notice. Kazuha rubs his head a bit sheepishly. “I think that’s our cue. I hope Xiangling’s in.”
“Ah, she’s probably cooking at the back. Let’s go see!” Yoimiya pulls Kazuha into the restaurant.
“Chef Mao!”
“Hmm? Oh it's you two. Welcome. Please, come in! We have a short moment of respite in the dinner rush as most of our tables are already eating, and it would be a moment before the next one comes.”
“Thank you very much. Pardon us, but is Xiangling in?”
“Ah, yes. She’s at the back taking a short break with the iceman. Go have a look!”
“Aight! Thanks!” Yoimiya replies, swiftly moving around the restaurant with Kazuha in tow. The two walked around the back of the restaurant.
As the two got around to the back, Yoimiya and Kazuha both stopped just around the corner as they peeked around.
Xiangling was seated, facing slightly away from them and Chongyun was behind her as he was giving her a back massage and talking to her in a low voice. The stove in front of them was put out, with cooking equipment seemingly ready for another round.
“Ling, I told you. You should’ve called me earlier. I know its lantern rite but come on.” The iceman reasoned. Xiangling gave a sigh as she lightly groaned as her aching muscles were relieved.
“I know, I know. It's just that I didn’t want you ruining the last day, I mean I already couldn’t join you otherwise my dad would be too tired out of his mind!” The chef reasoned.
“Hush. It’s alright, we already had our fun in the festival. As much as I’d love to go, I wouldn’t ever dream of leaving you behind.”
“Hehe, alright I guess. Thanks, my iceman.”
Yoimiya turned to Kazuha, who just shrugged as if to say let’s just pretend we never heard that.
“Xiangling? Chongyun?” Yoimiya called out. The two turned their heads up to the noise, finding Yoimiya just rounding the corner with Kazuha in tow. “Oh, there you guys are!”
“Ah. Kazuha. Yoimiya. Nice seeing you.” Chongyun greeted them, though he never stopped giving Xiangling her well-deserved back rub. The chef waved at them, although her energy wasn’t as abundant as it normally was. “Hello! Enjoying the festival?”
“Yeah! As fun as ever. Say, are you okay? You two look like you’ve been through a lot.” Yoimiya asks, ignoring the fact they overheard them earlier.
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s just Xiangling here has been quite under the table with orders due to the rush in the festival, and didn’t call me until I came here on my own accord.” Chongyun replied, turning to Xiangling. XIangling just pouted slightly in response.
“Look, it's fine. Next time just call me.” Chongyun lifted a hand to pet the pyro chef’s hair, making her cheeks go red slightly. He turns back to the two. “I assume you’re here to order as well?”
“It seems the time is less appropriate for that.” Kazuha replies, not wanting to burden them much more than they need to. “We wouldn’t want to give you more things to worry about> Maybe another time-”
“What? No way! I’m cooking for you two.” Xiangling suddenly got up, causing Chongyun to nearly topple over backwards. “I may be a bit tired but I’m not gonna let my friends eat elsewhere but from the best!”
“E-eh? But Ling, we’re-” Chongyun started, but Xiangling hushed him with a finger on the lips. “Hush. I got it, Chongie. Just back me up a bit and I’ll be fine. This’ll be a good warmup for the dinner rush later, or when the drunks roll by!”
“B-But-”
He wanted to complain, but Xiangling’s puppy eyes were too much for him. He went a little red before relenting. “Okay, I guess we could. But I’ll help, I’m not leaving you to cook all alone again until the night is over.”
She kissed him before dashing off to the store to grab some ingredients. Chongyun never ate a popsicle so fast.
“You two wait here! We’ll serve you the best we could ever make!”
“B-But we never ordered?” Yoimiya was confused. Kazuha just sighed.
“At least join us for the meal before you two get too busy to enjoy yourselves.” Kazuha said. Xiangling was already out, so Chongyun answered for her. “I’ll try to convince her, thanks for the concern. But please, have a seat. The tables out front are probably full but there’s one back here. We usually use it for family meal time but I don’t see why you shouldn’t eat here now.”
“Are you certain that we aren’t intruding?”
“No, no. Not at all. On the contrary, Xiangling would probably force you to sit here once she sees how full it is outside.” Chongyun answers. Kazuha and Yoimiya both nod, taking a seat as Xiangling returns with ingredients enough to feed about several families.
“Oh. That is a lot.” Yoimiya mutters.
“Welp.”
—----------------------------------------------------------
“So? So? How was it?”
Kazuha held a smile while Yoimiya was leaning onto him from her chair. Needless to say, they now realized why Ganyu told them to go to Wanmin once their day is over, else suffer the consequences.
And now, despite the night still being young, they felt much sleepier than they’d like. Even Chongyun across from them looked like he was set to bed.
And there were still leftovers despite Guoba’s help.
Luckily for them, Xiangling was already packing any leftovers and said she’d send them to the Alcor. Perhaps Beidou would like some night snacks after a lot to drink, at least based on Kazuha’s experience.
With that out of the way, Kazuha and Yoimiya thanked Xiangling for the meal. Despite their willingness to pay, Xiangling plain refused it and practically pushed them out after many tries. Relenting, Kazuha and Yoimiya were on their way back to the festival district.
“Ugh, I never knew food could be that enticing. I never ate so impulsively like that! Now I know why Ganyu told us we should be careful. Also, was it just me or was that stew really spicy?” Yoimiya remarked, remembering in detail how she and Kazuha were surprised by the stew Xiangling gave them. It was good, but the spiciness was almost too much. Kazuha nodded in silent agreement as the two moved onwards before Yoimiya grimaced slightly.
“Hang on, toilet break. I need to make some adjustments, the Kimono feels a little too snug right now.”
And with that, Kazuha was left with his own thoughts as he watched the kids play around in the festival grounds. He chuckled slightly, before taking a look at the shopping district. Come to think of it, they haven’t taken a thorough walk through the shopping stalls as they were more attracted to the fun stuff. Be it the sword fighting area or the archery stage, they were both attracted to much more outgoing stuff.
“Pff, haha. Miya’s starting to bite into me now. Oh man.”
He stared off into the distance as lanterns flow from the harbor, the final release moment still at least 2 hours away.
“Hmm, perhaps a walk with some shopping would be nice. A more relaxing activity would do us some good, I just hope Miya agrees.”
“Agree to what?”
Yoimiya’s voice behind him startles Kazuha slightly. He turns around to find her giggling, proud that she could actually surprise the otherwise very alert samurai of hers. He blushes a bit at the embarrassment of it before regaining his composure. “Shall we take a walk through the shops then? Perhaps we can find items of interest?”
“Oh, sure! I don’t think we really shouldn’t do any more fancy stuff anyway, otherwise we’d probably need another dinner.” Yoimiya replies. Kazuha smiled, taking her arm with his and walking off to the lower sections.
The two of them spent an hour or so leisurely strolling through the night markets. With so much to see and so much to buy, they couldn’t really figure out where to go first and so just walked on. With intertwined arms the couple strolled through the harbor, occasionally stopping in interesting places and making a small buy here and there. The sight was pleasurable to look at as they walked down the lit road
“This hat would look good on you, Kazu!”
“I’m not sure….”
“Here, try it on.”
“Hmm. It seems a bit off with my clothes.”
“Well, you aren’t wearing a set, dummy. Okay, it actually looks okay on you! Perhaps you’re meant to wear it or something while you’re here.”
“Pfff, haha. I guess so, Miya.”
They walk further still, sharing a glass of lemon tea between them as they walk down the road. The lemon tea was refreshing for them, despite their fulfilling meal from earlier they felt quite reinvigorated now.
“Hmm, I have to say, you seem to suit Liyuen clothing very well Miya.”
“Oh hush you flower mouth. Do I really look good?”
“I mean, you do. Obviously, given the position and status I am in.”
“And what status would that be?”
“Yours.”
“Gah, I can never get used to that. But seriously, I really do look good?”
“Miya, it’s a home dress, meant to be worn at home. Besides me and your dad, I don’t think anyone else would really see you for that long in it. You look fine my dear, now come on.”
“Alright! I’ll take your word for it.”
AS the hour of the lantern release approached, the two made their way onto the ship and placed their shopping materials under their shared bunk. The trip was tomorrow anyway, so they’ll sort it out as they head back on to Inazuma. There was no sign of the crew, although judging from the empty bottles and barrels and mugs on deck, they seem to have had some fun.
Kazuha took the crate that they had prepared to release the lanterns and turned to Yoimiya. “Where do you think we should release them?” The firework maker asked.
“Hmm.” Kazuha thought for a moment, before an idea struck his mind as he looked up onto the crow’s nest.
“How about up there?”
Yoimiya cranks her head up, looking at the crow’s nest. “We have a fine view of the release, and some privacy in case we get disturbed.”
“I like that, but wouldn’t it be difficult lifting it up?”
Without a word, Kazuha slings the crate behind his back, latching it with some ropes as if carrying a backpack.
“Kazu! That’s heavy!”
“Oh hush. It's nothing I can’t carry if you’ve been working under Beidou for a while. Trust me, I’ve carried a lot of stuff.” Kazuha says, pausing with a chuckle.”Including the captain herself when she goes overboard with drinks, although Juza would usually help me too.”
Yoimiya breaks into a fit of laughter, imagining her man trying to lift a person taller than he was. That would be hilarious indeed. The two laughed their way as they climbed, shortly afterwards ending up on the top of the ship’s mast.
“Alright, so how do we start?” Yoimiya asked, taking a seat beside Kazuha as he lifted some of the materials up.
“Well, as we do with everything, we need to set the frame up first. For this, I’ll pick a simple pentagon; I can’t do the more complicated ones just yet, and it will take way too much time.” Kazuha answers, taking the frame parts out. With careful hands, he gently snaps the pieces into place to form the base and the top, connecting them with the body. Yoimiya watched intently, silently musing to herself how it was comparable to herself making fireworks.
“Alright, that seems solid enough. Make sure to test it so that it won’t snap.” Kazuha tugs the device a bit, pushing and pulling it to make sure it doesn’t crack or tear. Satisfied, he turns to Yoimiya. “GIve it a shot.”
“Alright! It’s quite delicate but it’s not far off from making crafts like fireworks so it should be okay!” Yoimiya took a few frame parts, assembling it into a lantern. It took a little more effort and some ‘physical’ guidance from Kazuha, the lantern frame was quickly finished without much trouble.
“Here.” Kazuha puts up a pre-built lantern core. “It’s elementally powered, allowing it to float in the air until it runs out of power quite a while later. It goes in the middle.” Kazuha gently inserts the core through the middle of his frame, the light settling into the middle of the lantern.
“Huh, interesting. This looks like it could be used in fireworks to make it explode indefinitely.” Yoimiya remarks, making them chuckle. “But then, it would be less special if it goes on too long….oh well! Nevermind then.”
Yoimiya places hers into the center of her frame, a little clumsy as she had to move her hand a little awkwardly through the frame. She managed though, the lantern now looking a lot more proper with the cores installed.
“Okay, we’re all set! Now we just need to put the outside skin on and we have our lanterns!” Yoimiya chirped. Kazuha chuckled, taking out the lantern’s outside layer. “Here, perhaps I can cut it and you can assemble them onto the lanterns.”
“Alright, operation finishing lanterns commence!”
Kazuha carefully waved the fabric into the correct shape, Yoimiya latching it onto the frame of the lantern. Kazuha guided her with his words as Yoimiya assembled the lantern, the first one finished before the second one was wrapped. Kazuha placed the remaining supplies back in the crate as Yoimiya finished the second lantern. She held them both up, the glow lighting her face up.
“Alright! So now we just release it? Or?”
“We wait. The final release is due in a few minutes. We still have one thing left to do though.”
“Eh? What else? Decorations?”
“Sort of. Lanterns like these are like wish placards. We draw our wish on them and release them, hoping that one day, such wishes would be granted to us. Here, I’ve prepared some ink brushes so we could draw our wishes on the lanterns before we release them.”
Kazuha places the ink brushes beside him, handing one to Yoimiya. He placed the ink jar nearby as they sat atop the crow’s nest, having a clear view of the harbor. The constant flow of lanterns have paused as the people gather their lanterns to throw them out into the sky simultaneously. The harbor looked much less festive without the lanterns, but they knew it would only be a matter of moments before it would suddenly erupt.
“Really? Any wish we have?”
“Yes. Oh, it appears it's almost time.” Kazuha said, Yoimiya turning to find people have gathered in the masses to release their lanterns on the edge of the pier. Their lanterns in hand as milelith around also prepared for the final fireworks show.
Yoimiya smiled as she thought about what she was going to wish for. Many things were in her mind at that point. She could wish for many things really, but right as she was about to start drawing, she paused. She turned to Kazuha, who was deep in thought as well.
“Kazu? You got what you want to wish for?”
Kazuha stayed silent, pondering in his own thoughts. The clock hits the release time, and the lanterns begin floating into the night sky. They turned to the lanterns floating in the sky, various wishes inscribed onto them.
Kazuha sighed with a smile, before abruptly placing his brush down without writing anything.
Without another word, he allowed his lantern, empty, to float into the skies above.
“E-eh? But you haven’t written one down.” Yoimiya exclaims, confused.
“I know.” Kazuha replied calmly, turning to Yoimiya. “I wrote nothing.”
“But didn’t you say to write a wish down?”
“Yes, that part is true.” Kazuha opens his palm, a small anemo orb of wind glistening on it as he channeled it. “But it also depends on the one releasing the lantern to paint and pass said wish up to be answered.”
“That said, despite it all, I have nothing that I really want to wish for right now.” Kazuha adds, the anemo orb dissipating as he stops it. “Wishing for something is, for me personally, a statement. A request, you can say, that you want something fulfilled. This would mean that people who wish to have something that they currently don't have want it to be given to them, or perhaps to someone as they desire, in the near future.”
“But all that, all of the wishes, it's for the future. Personally, I’d like to think that the future is a mystery. We don’t know what’s going to happen, what’s going to go down, how everyone will be a day from now or so. A wish may actually turn out to be pointless if something happened out of a person’s expectations.” Yoimiya listened intently as Kazuha explained, her own brush being placed down.
“Living in the moment, caring about the present. To me, such a notion is of more importance than caring too far in the future. We shape our future based on what we do now, and even if we did wish for something, it could change. To me, having time to be still and focusing on the present moment is a far more endearing activity than thinking about an uncertain future, don’t you think?” Kazuha asks, turning to Yoimiya.
“I have many things I want to wish for, yes, But I truly think that I wouldn’t need to wish for them. We live as we go by, dealing with it as it happens to us. So if that’s the case, I wouldn’t really need to make a wish, would I?”
“Besides. Even if I wanted to make a wish, it would seem as if I am also discontent with my life or my surroundings or even myself. Me? I couldn’t even imagine I’d be here with you, watching the lanterns go by. I’d like to think it's as perfect as it could be.” Kazuha turns to the ocean momentarily, before turning back to Yoimiya with a gentle yet deep smile. “And even if I had a certain wish, it's already granted anyway.”
Yoimiya did not reply, pushing her lantern away as well. Kazuha and Yoimiya watched it flow to join Kazuha’s lantern further up in the sky. “Then I have nothing I want to wish for as well.”
And it was here, under the Liyue night sky, with fireworks shooting around them, that their unsaid wishes were granted. It was actually granted many many moons ago, and to them no other wish would suffice as a successor to this one.
For their wish to be with each other was already granted, and they wouldn’t need divine powers to bring them even more together.
That was up to them, and up to them only.
No more words were exchanged. Kazuha’s lips captured Yoimiya’s lips perfectly as he moved close to her, Yoimiya tilting her head slightly in response. Their eyes were closed, the colors of the fireworks brightly illuminating their faces as they kissed through the night. Kazuha’s hand gently held her head in place while Yoimiya’s laid behind his neck, pulling him in.
They held it for as long as they could, before separating and looking at each other’s eyes sincerely.
Kazuha gently held her cheek in one hand as she looked at him. Their smiles were itching them to go again.
And so they did, many times over.
The fireworks around them lit the sky up well as the lanterns floated off into the distance. But for a moment, Kazuha and Yoimiya didn’t really care so much.
Each other was what they wanted to wish for. Each other was what they had. Enough was said.
Kazuha gently embraced her as they turned to watch the fireworks, Yoimiya’s eyes wandering as she allowed him to hug her from behind. Yoimiya leaned back, planting her head firmly on his chest as they watched the fireworks go off in the air around them.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
“They are, but yours would be much more worthy of appraisal.”
“Hehe, fireworks from different nations got a different kick to them after all.”
Yoimiya sighed happily as they sat there for a moment longer, basking in each other’s warmth under the bright lights of the lit sky.
In a distance growing, their lanterns flower harmoniously together, the bare surface glowing a bright orange as they float off into the night sky.
—------------------------------------------------------
“I’m going to miss this.”
Yoimiya stood at the front of the Alcor as it sailed back, the wind blowing her undone hair behind her as she did so. Kazuha stood a little behind her, watching the ship hits the waves ahead as they sailed out of Liyue and back home.
“Me too. We can always go back when the time comes.” Kazuha says, approaching her.
“I suppose so. Still, it's the first time I’ve been to Liyue and it has been very fun.”
Feeling his warm presence behind her, Yoimiya allowed herself to be slanted back ever so slightly, her back landing on him as she leaned onto him. Kazuha gently wrapped her arms around him, his face close to hers when she turned to the side slightly to catch a glimpse of her man.
“We’ll be back then? Someday?” She asked. Kazuha chuckled, gently pecking her cheek.
“We definitely will. I promise.” He replied. Yoimiya giggled in response, her hands holding his face as she replied with a peck of her own to his cheek.
“And I’ll be sure it will be with you.”
“Without a doubt.”
“I love you, Kazu.”
“I love you as well, Miya.”