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Naturally, the cat takes to Beidou immediately.
To be fair, he takes to everyone on the Alcor — Kazuha woke this morning to find him gone from the haori the cat had claimed for himself, only to find him resolutely following Juza as he paced up and down the deck. The other day, Yinxing had come up with some sort of concoction that all but ensured that the cat would come to visit her every day, in hopes of obtaining more of it. Just yesterday, Mora-Grubber had claimed the cat for herself, rattling off numbers and increasingly bizarre strategies, to which the cat would politely mewl in response.
Today, Kazuha finds the cat perched delicately on Beidou's shoulder. As she makes her way to the helm to speak to Furong, she braces one hand on the cat's back to hold him in place.
Kazuha knows, logically, that the cat will be back later to night — he always is — but it chafes at him all the same, to see how comfortable the cat is with her in particular.
He's not... jealous, exactly. Beidou is uncannily good with people in a way that makes him wonder, sometimes, what sort of contract she must have signed for people's goodwill to flow into her coffers as easily as Mora. It explains, if nothing else, why he is still here, weeks after leaving Inazuma's waters. For her to have built up such a reputation that the mere thought of crossing her sounds morally repugnant, for her to inspire absolute loyalty with very little effort at all... it's no small matter.
Because Beidou is, of course, everything that the Raiden Shogun would have once favored: bold, daring, a little bit arrogant, yet justifiably so — so absurdly sure of her own survival that it will inevitably lead her to an early grave. The Electro Vision that swings at her hip is, in theory, not at all different from the one that lies empty in his pocket.
Kazuha has not known her for very long, but sometimes when he closes his eyes and tries to picture his tyrant of an Archon, it's Beidou that he sees — and if the line between the two blurs sufficiently enough, he starts to wonder how it must feel, to put his hands around her throat.
—but then, Beidou turns his way. "Good morning, Kazuha!" she greets him cheerfully, waving to him. She's easy with her smiles, in a way that feels almost irresponsible — the one she shoots him then is almost too wide for her face.
He knows, without having to ask, that the same smile will greet him tomorrow, and the day after, and then the day after that — and when there is nothing to work towards, nothing to look forward to beyond the necessary work of pushing this great vessel just a little bit farther towards its destination, it's easy to get lost in the monotony of a predictable routine.
The Alcor boasts an impress stash of alcohol from all over Teyvat. The vast majority of it is liquor from Liyue, but there's also several bottles of dandelion wine from Mondstadt, vodka from Snezhnaya, coffee liqueur from Sumeru, champagne from Fontaine — and now, courtesy of Kazuha's extended stay aboard the ship, sake from Inazuma.
The cat has happily made his home on Beidou's stomach, as she sits half-reclined against the side of the ship and downs her ale in one swig. Next to her, Kazuha quietly sips his own sake — and as the alcohol starts to buzz warmly through him, it takes an embarrassing amount of effort to remain grounded in reality.
—because two months ago, he was here. Not on this ship, and certainly not with Beidou — with Tomoda. They drank their sake together, the cat nestled comfortably in Tomoda's lap as Kazuha pondered a haiku. Tomoda laughed, ruffling Kazuha's hair and pushing his ponytail askew, and Kazuha would not think to right it until the following morning — because carefree moments like this were difficult enough to come boy, when a single moment's lapse in judgment could spell disaster; come morning, they would have to leave it behind.
Between the steady presence of his friend at his side and the alcohol buzzing pleasantly under his skin, everything was pleasantly warm in a way that it hadn't been in a long, long time. Looking back on it, his own memories are but a pale imitation of it — and there are not enough words to describe the tightness in his chest at the realization that he will never feel that warmth again, for as long as he lives.
Next to him, Beidou runs her hand over the cat's fur. "You got a name, little guy?"
Embarrassingly... no; neither he nor Tomoda ever thought to grant him one. "Only epithets, I'm afraid," says Kazuha, deliberately light.
"Oh yeah?" Beidou retorts. "Like what?"
"Well..." says Kazuha, slowly. "'Stinky' at first, because we found him in a fishery. 'Sir' whenever he needed a scolding, and then 'Good Sir' on the days he liked to talk back."
There's more, of course — Tomoda had been especially fond of referring to the cat as "Buddy," among other such monikers. There's very little point to hiding this from Beidou, but... somehow, this bit of knowledge demands to be locked away in a vault far, far away, buried with a history that it's long moved past.
Beidou barks out a laugh, her shoulders shaking with the force of it. "I suppose that makes sense," she says. "You were on your own for a while, weren't you?"
In all likelihood, it's probably not a probe for answers — and yet this, too, could be a part of that which makes Beidou so good at what she does. Tiny, seemingly meaningless bits of information pried from loose fingers, as she continues to ply her targets with endless displays of friendship and camaraderie...
... maybe, before things turned for the worst, this was how the Raiden Shogun did it, too — not by fear, but through respect demanded from sheer competence. Maybe it's that that her supporters see, more so than the tyrant that Kazuha has come to know — was it praise that Kujou Sara sought from her, as she dealt the finishing blow? A feeling of accomplishment that is only attainable when the person that one respects, deeply, acknowledges one's deeds?
Is it that, that the crew members of this ship seek from Beidou? Will that be Kazuha's fate, too, if he stays here?
As he pours himself another cup of sake, Beidou grabs the cat with both her hands and lefts him in the air. "You know..." she says, "... you look like a 'Mochi' to me." Then, she turns to grin at Kazuha. "What do you think?"
It's... almost hilariously apt. A white cat, round and pudgy... it's rather embarrassing that Kazuha didn't think of it first. "That's perfect, actually," he says, laughing.
"'Mochi' it is, then!" Then, she reaches for the sake and pours herself a cup, before raising it to the sky. "To Mochi's continued good health and happiness!"
How ridiculous... but then again, Tomoda was awfully fond of such overtures, too. "To Mochi," Kazuha concedes, quietly, as he raises his cup to the sky.
There's a small islet halfway between Liyue and Inazuma.
The Alcor runs ashore of it suddenly, without warning — everything shuddering to a halt so abruptly that Mochi digs his claws into Kazuha's arms.
"What just happened?" Juza shouts.
Kazuha frowns, his grip on Mochi tightening. That he hadn't noticed at all, that something was afoot... is it due to a failure on his part, to pay attention? Or is there something else that lies beneath the surface?
"That's strange..." says Huxing, peering closely at the map in her hands. "There should be nothing here."
There's... not much here, exactly — nothing except for a small handful of hills and rock formations. "Perhaps we should take a look...?" asks Suling, hesitantly.
Beidou shrugs. "Might as well."
Though she doesn't ask for him specifically, Kazuha doesn't hesitate to hand Mochi off to Juza and following her and Suling off the ship. There's not much ground to cover, exactly — but at the center of the islet, there's a small shallow cave, surrounding what appears to be a great stone door.
"A domain?" says Suling. "Here?"
"Looks like it..." Beidou muses. With one hand, she brushes dust off the door's hinges, her lips pressed tightly together. Domains like this aren't exactly unheard of in Inazuma, but this is the first time Kazuha's been so close to one. There's always been something off about the air surrounding them, and they emanate an oddly damp, musty odor — and it seems that the one here is no exception. If Kazuha never has to see this again, he'll die a happy man.
"You're not thinking of going down there, are you?" asks Suling.
Beidou outright laughs at that. "I know I'll regret it if I don't," she retorts. "Besides — better me than some other hapless sailor, right? If we ended up here by accident, imagine the kind of trouble other vessels might get into if we leave this place unmarked."
Suling's face goes oddly pale as he takes one, two steps back. "Still..."
Beidou grins — bold, daring, a little bit arrogant. "I'll be all right," she says, confidently. "Wait for me at the ship, okay?"
She says it to the both of them — as if she means to face whatever horrors lie beneath the surface all on her own.
Frankly, Kazuha's had enough of arrogant fools, so absurdly sure of their own survival that it will inevitably lead them to an early grave, charging into danger without a second thought.
"Captain Beidou, if I may?" he interjects. He places one hand over his chest, and bows his head. "Please allow me to accompany you." She frowns, though there's no heat behind it. "Two Vision-wielders will fare far better than one," he elaborates.
Beidou sighs, crossing her arms. "Look, kid... I don't doubt your abilities, okay? But there's no telling what's down there. I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."
There's a number of things he can — should — say to that: that he's already in danger, by sheer virtue of existing with a Vision despite the Raiden Shogun's decree; that perhaps nothing in the world will be more dangerous than escaping Inazuma anyway, with nothing but his blade, his Vision, and the clothes on his back.
(Absurdly, he wonders if Kujou Sara might have felt this way, when she first pledged her life to the Raiden Shogun.)
"All the more reason you shouldn't go alone," is what Kazuha ultimately settles for.
Beidou stares at him for a long moment, her brow knotted together, and if this were the Raiden Shogun, then this gaze alone would be a test of Kazuha's resolve — but there's nothing calculating about her gaze, exactly. Nothing that compels him to make himself seem any stronger or better put together than he already is.
Finally, she sighs. "Fine... but stay behind me, okay?"
Kazuha nods, and follows her in.
For all that the adventurers like to boast their triumphs in such places, this domain is no place of honor.
Whatever wind filters in from outside goes instantly quiet and still. Besides the sound of their own footsteps, there's only that of dripping water, as they make their way slowly through the twisting, deserted corridors. Kazuha holds his sleeve to his nose, but that does little to block out the scent of old, dried blood — seeped into the floor, crusted onto the walls, ever present through these abandoned halls though there's no sign of any battle having taken place here.
Beidou walks slowly, with measured steps — either unaffected by the inherent wrongness that plagues this place, or very good at masking it. "What I still don't understand," she says, "is why someone thought to build a domain here, of all places."
"To hide something, I would assume," Kazuha answers.
Beidou turns to look at him, and smiles. "That's the obvious conclusion, isn't it? Sounds like a pretty effective way to ensure that whatever treasure lies here stays buried."
—but though she does not say it aloud: there is no treasure here. No pots filled with Mora or trinkets, no chests of ancient artifacts or weaponry — all of which implies that whatever the nature of this place, it has already been ransacked by sailors and treasure hunters that came before them — but even that is no guarantee.
"Ten more minutes," she says. "Then we'll turn back."
"Mm," Kazuha replies, quietly.
The domain doesn't extend much farther, though — they reach the far end of it within minutes. At the center lies something giant, scaled, and slumbering. "A geovishap...?" Beidou muses. "What's it doing down here, so far away from the mainland?"
Kazuha's seen geovishaps only in illustrations in books, but the beast before him is covered in a different kind of ore: something that shines in the scant light that filters into the room, smooth and unblemished. It doesn't stir, even when Beidou runs her hand over it — but it's certainly alive, in a way that nothing in this domain is; of that, Kazuha's reasonably sure.
Quickly, she withdraws her hand. "We should go," she whispers. "We shouldn't disturb it."
"Mm," Kazuha replies.
—but as she turns on her heel, the beast stirs to life with a deep, rumbling groan. The cracks in the ore covering it are suddenly illuminated with a strange golden light — and for a moment, Kazuha wonders if they were wrong about the true nature of this beast — because as it staggers to its feet, it looks far more like a ruin guard than any natural creature born of the elements.
In an instant, the air is no longer stale and still — and there's something violent and angry about the way it coalesces around the beast.
Beidou hisses a curse under her breath. With one hand pressed to his back, she pushes Kazuha towards the exit. "Run!"
Not a moment later, an almighty roar echoes through the domain.
Beidou might be stronger, but Kazuha is faster — and as the ground begins to shake beneath their feet, he does not hesitate to grab her wrist and pull her with him. With any luck, the beast's rampage is not personal to them — because whatever that unpleasant feeling was, upon its awakening, it was not directed at them.
The sunlight that filters in at the exit is painfully bright, but Kazuha wastes no time in pushing his way out anyway. It's not a moment too soon: as soon as his feet touch solid, Teyvatan ground, the cavern rumbles — and in an instant, the domain's doors shatter behind them as the beast bursts through.
"Watch out!"
Without warning, Beidou slams into him, her arms circling around him as she uses her weight to push him to the ground, refusing to let go even as they roll into the cavern wall — and Kazuha notices, too late, the cascade of stones tumbling from the ceiling.
Her body is the only defense he has against an imminent collapse — but Beidou herself has nothing. Kazuha squeezes his eyes shut, reaches for the winds disturbed by the beast's presence, wills it to fold around her, and prays that this small effort will be enough to see her unharmed.
(For the first time in a small eternity, it's Baal that he asks first — and the anger that coils within him upon that realization, ugly and unpleasant, will linger for too long afterwards.)
For a frighteningly long moment, they wait — and as the shaking slows to a halt, Beidou does not cry out or collapse into him.
When all is finally still, she pushes herself off of him, bracing the palms of her hands against the ground. Kazuha loosens his grip on the wind and rolls onto his back, struggling to breathe when the air continues to catch in his lungs in panic. "You all right?" she asks, breathlessly.
Unable to trust his voice, Kazuha merely nods.
Slowly, gingerly, Beidou pushes her body to one side to make room for Kazuha to sit up properly. As she staggers to her feet, she extends a hand out towards Kazuha, and pulls him to his feet alongside her. "Was that truly a geovishap?" he asks, and resolutely ignores the way his voice cracks.
"Didn't look like any geovishap I've ever seen," she answers. With a weary sigh, she presses a hand to her temples, scowling. "Baal's tits..."
"Then perhaps a ruin guard?" Kazuha asks. "Although that, too, looked like no ruin guard I've encountered in my life."
"I don't care what it is," says Beidou, sharply — but whatever heat exists in her voice, none of it is directed at Kazuha. "We're stopping it."
"Captain!" Liushi shouts from up above, the moment they're aboard the Alcor once more. "Some beast just... it just..."
"Was it able to traverse the water?" asks Beidou, patiently — though perhaps it would be too much to hope that the beast had drowned altogether.
"It seemed that way," Liushi replies. "See for yourself."
He tosses his spyglass to her, and she catches it easily with one hand. She peers through it, out at the horizon — and her lips curl once more into a scowl. "Huixing, what lies in that direction?"
"Dragonspine, Captain," Huixing answers. "Beyond that, Mondstadt."
"What could it possibly want with Mondstadt...?" Beidou muses.
"Shall we follow it, Captain?" asks Juza.
"Aye," Beidou answers. "All hands on deck! We're going after that thing, and we're putting a stop to it — we're not going to let it get anywhere near Mondstadt."
The next several moments are lost to a flurry of activity. Kazuha's been on this ship long enough to be able to follow along with Juza's orders, but he finds himself out of his depth in the midst of a crisis. Furong doesn't protest, when he remains by her side and follows her in everything Juza has them do — and there's nothing irritated or patronizing in her voice, when she rattles off explanations for what some of the more specific commands mean.
"Who's got Little Yue?" shouts Sea Drake.
"I do!" Yinxing replies immediately.
"Wait with him inside the cabin," says Beidou. "Mochi too! That thing was strong enough to bust its way out of a Domain — there's no telling how much of a fight it'll put up."
"Aye!"
"Kazuha!" Beidou says then, turning to him. "Head up to the crow's nest. Put some wind in those sails, yeah?"
"Of course," he answers, bowing his head, before he pushes his body upward with the wind.
—and then, they sail. Within the next hour, the creature is in sight — actually swimming, and not simply whirring ahead like ruin guards are wont to do. Slower than the ship, perhaps owing to its bulk.
Unlike the geovishaps that they'd mistaken it for before, there's no real face to this beast — not like what can be found on a living creature. Instead, there's a single glowing, amber orb, not unlike a ruin guard's eye. But for it to move so fluidly and efficiently through the water... does that speak to the prowess of the people who built these constructs? Or is it proof that, perhaps, this truly is a living creature despite all evidence to the contrary?
When rain starts to fall, Kazuha pulls away from the sails — a swirl between Anemo and Hydro would be far too devastating. As he begins his slow descent to the deck, the beast does not slow, nor does it seem to recognize the Alcor's presence — but the ship is faster, and so they'll overtake it in no time at all.
"Furong, get that thing's attention," Beidou orders.
"Aye," Furong replies. She's holding onto what appears to be a firearm — Fatui in make, perhaps? — and her eyes narrow as she aims it at the beast.
The shot she unleashes meets its target — and in an instant, the beast rears its head. It lets out a terrifyingly loud roar; unlike in the domain, whatever anger and aggression exudes from it is directed singularly at this ship.
"Everybody, inside!" Beidou shouts. "I'll handle this."
"C'mon, kid," says Juza, grabbing Kazuha's arm and pulling him with him.
The last thing Kazuha sees, before the door to the cabin shuts behind him, is Beidou's back — unyielding, gripping the hilt of her claymore tightly as she holds it before her in a direct challenge.
In Inazuma, there were stories about people like Beidou — stories centered on beasts of the sea, violent and terrible as they brought destruction to all who crossed their path, until one day, a brave warrior was strong enough to vanquish them. More often than not, it's people like Beidou who were those warriors: bold, daring, a little bit arrogant, yet justifiably so.
Those days, Kazuha liked to sit by the fire at whomever's home in which he'd found shelter, quietly sipping his sake as the children excitedly regaled those very tales. Brave knights saving a loved one in distress from a terrifying foe, lost royalty embarking on a long journey to save their motherland — a fearsome queen of the seas, stronger than any person who dared to defy the gods, hand-picked by the Raiden Shogun at a time when she still cared to empower champions — and yet: kind to everyone that she met, regardless of their age or stature; generous with her wealth and prosperity, as she freely shared it among all who supported her or sought her aid; and most importantly, beloved by all.
In hindsight, it's pure exaggeration. Beidou is every bit as human and fallible as the rest of them — a fact that's painfully clear, as the battle continues to rage outside. Kazuha was a fool to think she could ever compare to the might of the Raiden Shogun — not when it would be just as easy for her to fall as anyone else in this cabin.
Inside, it's frighteningly quiet. Yinxing has a sleeping Yue in her lap, her hand on the back of his head and pressing his face into her shoulder. Juza paces up and down, hugging Mochi to his chest the entire while. Mora-Grubber sits with a large tome open in her lap, and she pats Huixing repeatedly on the shoulder and says, "See? I told you! It's not a sea behemoth."
Suling peers over at the tome, squinting as he points to one specific section. "Alchemy?" he says. "What does alchemy have to do with any of this?"
"It's an ancient art, from a fallen civilization," Mora-Grubber explains. "It fell out of practice centuries ago, but... using alchemy, to create life? It almost sounds like tempting fate."
"So..." says Sea Drake, crossing his arms, "... you're saying that that thing the captain's fighting was created by somebody?"
"Seems like it," says Mora-Grubber.
Furong scowls. "It was buried in a cavern, right?" she asks. "Then Juza, I'd like to request leave for this year's Rite of Descension." She slams her fist into the palm of her hand. "I have a few questions for Rex Lapis."
... all of which is contingent on them making it through this — but Beidou is still out there, fighting alone for their lives.
With one hand on the hilt of his blade, Kazuha rises to his feet and makes his way to the exit.
"Oi!" Juza shouts. "Just where do you think you're going? You have a death wish?"
Kazuha shakes his head. "Nothing of the sort," he answers, with forced calm. "I'm going to help her." Then, he resolutely ignores the shouts of protest that follow him as he makes his way outside.
Kazuha knows, logically, that there are words for the kind of fear that grips him, then, at the thought of Beidou facing such a beast alone. The irony does not escape him, that he's back here: too late to affect the outcome of a hopeless fight, an empty, colorless Vision all that's left as it falls away, useless and dead to the world.
—but when he reaches the deck, Beidou's still standing. She's standing with both hands braced on her claymore as she drives it into the wood beneath their feet, panting heavily as a thin, translucent shield of Electro shimmering around her — and there's a mess of bruises splattered across her neck and arms, a gash on her forehead, and blood blooming at her abdomen and staining her dress. The beast before her has slowed with the natural fatigue born from an unanticipated battle — but despite the noticeable cracks in its armor and the way that it favors one side or the other, it's still alive.
The Vision at her hip still glows violet. It's a faint, pulsating thing, but it's there.
Kazuha wastes no time in rushing to her side, blade drawn — his back to hers. "You were supposed to wait inside," says Beidou, grimly.
There are no words, for the uncertainty of their survival beyond tonight — just like there are no words that can bring back light to a dead Vision, or wish its wielder back into the realm of living.
Beidou lets out an ugly, bitter laugh. "Got nothing to say? Never thought I'd see the day..."
—and he wants to tell her then, more than anything he has ever wanted before this moment: that there will be words when they survive this. There will be words for the way she stands, fearless amidst adversity, despite all evidence that surviving the night is a fool's hope. There will be words for the way she will vanquish a foe unlike anything this world has ever seen, spurned by some strange alchemy that exists beyond Celestia's purview — even if such horrors may never grace this world again. There will be words for the ways in which they will celebrate this victories — stories shared over sake, and enough warmth to sustain them through the harshest winters.
—and he wants to tell her, more than anything he has ever wanted before this moment: he'd like to drink sake with her once more, when this is over. He'd like to tell her about Tomoda, about the horrors he'd subjected himself to out of some foolish, incomprehensible sense of pride — the very same pride that saw Beidou facing this beast alone, until now. He'd like to tell her about Kujou Sara, and how terrifying it is that he's ready to die for this, like she was ready to die fighting for the Raiden Shogun's honor.
—but all he can do for the moment is hold onto his blade and pray, to any deity that will listen, that the Vision swinging at Beidou's hip will continue to glow for one day longer.
He's done — done with watching the backs of friends and comrades as they fall. Beidou won't die tonight — this, he promises.
As the wind begins to swirl around them, it bleeds violet with the force of Beidou's Electro, meeting Kazuha's Anemo. Then, the beast goes down in minutes.
(And two weeks later, when Beidou exaggerates the scene to an artist in Liyue Harbor after a thorough scolding from the Tianquan — Kazuha ponders a haiku, for the first time since leaving Inazuma.)