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Kazuha lived to grow old. He traveled to every nation to see a sunset on a mountaintop. He cooked for his entire village in one night with foods from all over Teyvat. He’d climbed mountains, ran through valleys, swam rivers, seen storms, and experienced so much. He’d retired to a small town, where the local community had adopted him as the village’s “grandfather”. He’d collected artifact after artifact, yet none were as dear to him as the head of a polearm belonging to his friend.
It was unfortunately one of his “grandchildren” who found him dead one morning. The poor girl was frightened beyond words to see him like that and refused to speak until after the funeral. The morticians who examined his body revealed that he died peacefully in his sleep of old age. But there was always one thing that never made sense to them- a small knick above his heart, determined to be from the head of a polearm.
Kazuha knew, though. When he’d readied himself for bed that fateful night, he knew his time was coming close. He drew the head of Ryuu’s polearm close to his chest. He braced for the pain to wash over him as he lightly slashed it against his chest just above his heart. But he felt no pain, only a small shock of electricity, so warm it almost felt welcoming. He knew this was the end. He had no more regrets.
He had one wish, though.
The next time he felt something, he wasn’t sure where he was. He wasn’t sure who he was. N one of that mattered. His attention was on the silhouette of a young man wearing a broad-brimmed hat.
~~*~~
“Why did you come looking for me?”
“I told you, I wanted you to join me,” Ryuu responded nonchalantly. “My offer still stands.”
“But why do you want me?”
Ryuu sighed, removing his brimmed hat. He settled beside Kazuha. “Because I care about you, Kazuha.”
“I hardly need your protection.”
“Kazuha,” Ryuu said, looking off into the distance. “The winds bring change, do they not?”
“Like autumn winds bring leaves to their demise.”
“A storm is coming. I don’t want you caught in the crosswinds.”
Kazuha drew his blade. “The winds have yet to shift, Ryuu.”
“My name is Scaramouche. You will not disrespect me any longer,” he said, summoning his polearm.
Their fight had begun.
~~*~~
“Ryuu,” he whispered breathlessly. The man turned, tears in his eyes.
“Kazuha...”
“Can I sit with you?”
“Of course.”
The world around them came into being. Kazuha joined Ryuu where he sat. They dangled their feet over the edge of the world, all of Teyvat sprawled out below them. He could see the waves out in the open seas of Inazuma. The mountains in Mondstadt. The rolling hills of Liyue. Fontaine’s bountiful lands, the snowy peaks of Snezhnaya, the plains of Natlan, the lush forests of Sumeru. All of Teyvat underneath. He thought of the time he spent traveling through it all.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” Kazuha laughed lightly, feeling his own eyes start to tear up.
Ryuu chucked. “I guess I failed my job.”
A pause. “I don’t think you did.”
“How so?” Ryuu pondered.
“I don’t think you wanted to kill me.”.
“Pfft. As if I’d let some ronin like you outlast a Harbinger like myself.”
“But I did.”
Ryuu turned his head away. “And what if I did? What if I did let you live? Why would I do that?”
“I think… you were tired of playing a game you couldn’t win.”
“Even in death, you still do not know not to speak ill of the Tsaritsa,” Ryuu huffed and crossed his arms. Kazuha sighed, giving him a playful shove.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean? What happened to the frank Kazuha that I knew so well?”
“I mean to say that you were tired of serving under someone else.”
“Ah.”
“Would you agree?”
“Your head is full of Anemo winds,” Ryuu said, turning back. “But even your wild imagination may hold some truth.”
“Then… I was the one who betrayed you,” Kazuha whispered incredulously. His vision blurred further as tears from his already watery eyes threatened to fall.
“Nonsense,” Ryuu responded, taking his face into his hands. He wiped at Kazuha’s eyes. “You acted out of instinct to survive.”
“Even if I did...”
“Kazuha,” his voice firmed. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Why didn’t you kill me too, then? I would have been content to die then.”
“In truth, I wanted to save you. I knew if I were to face you in front of my subordinates, I would have to kill you.”
Another pause fell upon them.
“Do you regret not killing me?”
“Sometimes I used to. But that was selfish of me. You deserve to have no regrets,” Ryuu’s eyes watered again.
“Do you remember what happened when… I died?”
~~*~~
When Kazuha came to, he was sore. His energy was all but depleted. In his lap lay his friend. “Ryuu?” No response. He lightly shook his shoulders. Still nothing. He shifted himself out from underneath Ryuu’s body and stood, looking over him. There was blood everywhere. Kazuha backed away, his eyes widening. “No...”
The events of the past washed over him. He recalled the fight, the blood, the electricity, the pain, the scream. But most of all, he remembered Ryuu’s final wish- to die in his arms. Kazuha wept.
Some of the exhaustion soon left his body. Having regained his strength, he knelt down to Ryuu. He was gone. The Sixth Harbinger, Scaramouche, was slain. This was no way for his life to have ended at the hands of his friend yet a part of Kazuha was relieved he died peacefully in his arms.
He picked up his lifeless body. It was cold. The nearest town was just a few miles away. He could leave the body there. Word would reach the Fatui someday. But he knew he could not live with himself if he did that. Kazuha forced himself to look at Ryuu’s pale face.
“I will take you home,” he resolved.
~~*~~
The sun had yet to dip below the horizon.
“Where are we anyways?” Kazuha asked.
Ryuu shrugged. “Not sure. It’s not Celestia,” he said, pointing to a distant, floating mass. “That’s over there. I assume it’s some kind of limbo.”
“Limbo? You mean there’s more?”
~~*~~
Kazuha’s journey was not a smooth one. Their battlefield was a day and a half long trip from their hometown. Traveling that far with the corpse of his childhood best friend would not be pleasant, but it was necessary to maintain Ryuu’s dignity and honor.
Along the way, he found himself near a Fatui encampment. For a moment, he considered leaving Ryuu with his comrades. But if his name was anything to go off, the great “Scaramouche” was revered for his status, but not well liked. No. Ryuu deserved to be buried at his home with his family. He deserved to be with his sister.
He deserved...
~~*~~
“...Are you glad to see me again?”
Ryuu reached for Kazuha’s hand, pulling them both to a standing position. A bridge manifested in front of them, leading up towards a blinding light. Below them, the world began to fade. The sun had set. The moon had risen. All that was left was the glowing bridge.
“Kazuha, I’ve waited your whole life to be reunited with you again.”
And just for a moment, Kazuha could swear he could see a thin red cord binding their wrists together. He felt Ryuu squeeze his hand. Together, they stepped.