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Living a wandering lifestyle meant that days and weeks and months and even years would blur together, and keeping track of specific days was a nightmare. Near impossible really. So he only kept track of certain days by the way nature woke him up.
This time, it was with the faint smell of maple, roasted sweet potato, and a whispering of the kindness of nature. It was enough to rouse him from the spot he was sleeping in, which was on a tree branch, back against the trunk for support. Despite having fallen asleep on Watatsumi island, a place that very much never smelled like maple leaves, the air around him very distinctly smelled of them.
Watatsumi usually carried the scent of the sea everywhere, mixed with a slight floral scent. A scent he had learned to associate with a feeling of home, the feeling of a soft and warm love. But the scent of maple reminded him more of himself.
Ah.
It was his birthday, wasn’t it?
He had knew it was coming soon when he came back to Inazuma, but he wasn’t sure when. Though he considered asking Kokomi or Beidou for a calendar to check, he decided against it. It had surprised him in years past, it would only be fair to let this year be the same. To celebrate it by himself, alone, surrounded by the breeze and trees and nature and the smell of love.
He’d be lying if he said he didn’t consider telling Kokomi about it just to see if she would throw a celebration. Kazuha had never truly had a celebration of his birthday, even as a child, so it intrigued him to see what it would be like.
Of course, he didn’t tell her. Or anyone. His birthday was a secret kept by himself and the wind.
Kazuha slipped off of the branch he was sleeping on, stretching out his body, which cracked and groaned at the movement. It was always like that, sleeping out in nature. Even in the most comfortable spots, his body would ache slightly the next day. But this was just what living life as a wanderer was like, especially when no one would let him stay overnight. He was thanking his lucky stars that the weather had been fair the whole time this trip. Though, Gorou would gladly let him stay the night (or the week. Or the month. Or a whole year) if he asked. Perhaps that was a birthday gift from nature.
As he finished his morning stretches, a sound caught his attention. The rustling of bushes. Though, whatever was causing it had to be small, much smaller than a person. Likely an animal. A hand rested on the handle of his blade.
Then he heard a small yip, and the hand flew away from the handle. Turning heel to face the dog, he saw nothing more than a shiba inu. One that was still growing, likely, as they seemed small for the breed. Kazuha bent down on one knee, beckoning the dog over. They seemed to consider it for a moment, then trotted over, resting their head in his hand.
“Are you a birthday gift as well, then?” He hummed, scratching under the dog’s chin with one hand and rubbing the side of their head with another. They seemed quite content with the treatment, closing their eyes, making Kazuha smile. “Perhaps I should go see him today.”
He said that as if the two didn’t see each other everyday. Usually Gorou came to see him, tracking him down with his distinct scent. He always brought lunch or dinner or a snack of some sort and would watch to make sure Kazuha ate all of it (a remnant from the time he first spent with the resistance). Sometimes though, Kazuha tracked him down instead, watching him train a small group of soldiers from a tree until he found the right time to drop in, or knocking on Gorou’s door, waking him up from a nap he was taking on his desk (usually while writing). A day in Inazuma without seeing Gorou felt incomplete.
The shiba gave a yip, then licked at his fingers. “Ah, I fear I don’t have any food for you.” He gave her another pat. It was still early in the day, but Gorou was likely already awake by now. Perhaps if Kazuha hurried, he could catch the man before he left the house and he could make something for the little dog. They could probably use the food.
“I do know someone who may be able to feed you though, if we hurry.” He turned his hand to hold it open, palm facing up. “Would you allow me to carry you to him?”
Once more, the shiba seemed to think over the offer, but eventually put their paw into his hand, allowing him to pick them up. “Thank you.” He gave them another pat, Anemo energy gathering around him. In his hands, the shiba whimpered. “Don’t be afraid, the wind will not hurt us.”
Kazuha made it to Gorou’s house in what he suspected was no more than two minutes, despite the house being quite a distance from where he was resting. Anemo was always useful for traveling distances in a short amount of time. The pup who he had taken along for the ride was trembling, but relaxed when he finally landed. When they saw where the two had landed though, they perked up, yipping excitedly and squirming right out of his arms. “Ah-”
Before Kazuha could say anything, the door opened and the shiba ran up to the man in the doorway. Gorou, who was just checking over the bow in his hands, looked down at the pup. Suddenly, the hard expression on his face faded into one of pure glee as he bent down, rubbing her cheeks. “Hanako! Hey there little girl, you doing alright?”
The shiba, Hanako, yipped in response, tearing herself away from his pets to jump around for a moment, as if trying to motion towards Kazuha. Gorou looked up at him for a moment, smiling and chuckling, then looked back down at the dog. “Is that so? Well, I guess I have some time to fix you both up a meal.”
“Oh, you need not worry about my meal, Gorou. I can-”
“I said, I’ll fix you both up a meal.” The general huffed, placing both of his hands on his hips. “Now come inside, both of you, no time to waste!” With that, he turned and walked back into the house, heading right to the kitchen.
As always, Gorou didn’t give him time to argue, not that it really upset Kazuha. If anything, it felt so nice to be cared about by someone, so much so that they would insist even when he fought back. It was so nice to know how much Gorou cared about him.
Of course, Kazuha entered, closing the door behind him. From the kitchen, he heard a series of yip and barks from Hanako, followed by Gorou’s “Hm”s or “I see”s. He so badly wanted to ask what the two were talking about, but it would be rude to intrude on their conversation. So, instead, he sat down in a wooden chair in the dining space Gorou had set up.
It was simple, much like the rest of Gorou’s house. Just a few chairs around a round table with a vase and a red flower as the centerpiece. The vase was likely a gift from Kokomi or one of the soldiers, Gorou very rarely bothered himself with small decorations. He was very much a man of minimalism, more often valuing utility over aesthetics. Kazuha didn’t much agree with the philosophy, but, for some reason, he found himself charmed by it when it was associated with Gorou.
Perhaps he just loved the man that much.
Soon the man in question entered with two plates, setting one in front of Kazuha, then another on the floor for Hanako. Once he was satisfied seeing both were eating, he held up a finger. “I’ll be right back, stay here and eat, Kazuha.” Another remnant of the days he first spent with the resistance, where Kazuha would disappear without a word unless Gorou told him not to. He simply nodded.
Kazuha and Hanako ate quietly while Gorou disappeared. Judging by what Kazuha could hear, he had gone into his bedroom. Odd, surely the general didn’t forget anything in there. He was heading out for the day and he was never one to forget important things, usually.
Whatever he was in there for, he seemed to find quickly. It had barely been a minute before Gorou was back at the table, sitting across from Kazuha, a pink blush across his face. Kazuha’s eyebrow arched upwards at that, but he didn’t question it, continuing to eat.
“So um… Were you going to tell me it was your birthday? Or did you not want me to know?”
Oh.
Kazuha looked down at his food, suddenly finding it hard to look at the other. “I… Was not. I apologize, my dear.” A hard lump sat in his stomach, shame filling up his stomach much more than the food had.
“Oh.” It hurt him how sad Gorou sounded. Maybe he had made the wrong choice in not telling Kokomi, or not telling anyone for that matter.
“I wasn’t aware it would matter to you.” He set the utensil down, looking down at Hanako, who had already scarfed down all of her food.
“Wh… Of course it would matter to me, Kazuha! We’re dating and it’s your birthday, of course it would matter!” Gorou let out a whimper as he finished speaking, holding something quite tightly in his hands.
“I apologize.” His gaze shifted to his lap, shame burning inside of him. His emotions were controlled enough, however, that it did not show on his face.
“It’s… It’s fine.” The other huffed and spoke in a way that seemed to indicate that it wasn’t truly fine, but more that Gorou was ready to move past the topic at the moment. His demeanor shifted a little, softening up and becoming more nervous. It wasn’t one that the general usually wore, but Kazuha had seen it far more times than he was sure others had. Being in a relationship did that to a person, bringing out sides of them others usually didn’t see.
It was cute, in all honesty.
Gorou shifted a little, looking at his lap, likely at whatever it was he was holding. “Is it still alright if I give you a gift?” And Kazuha felt himself smile, guilt easing up in his stomach.
“Is that what you’ve been toying with this whole time?” Gorou gave him a nod. How could an ex-war general be this cute? He couldn’t help but chuckle at it, eyes shutting and fist covering his mouth. “Of course you can, my dear general.”
He brightened at that, all of his energy returning in droves. His eyes sparkled, ears perked up, and tail wagged, and Kazuha was absolutely smitten by this puppy of a man.
“Well um, here you go!” His hands moved out from under the table, showing off what he had been hiding this whole time.
It was a plush. A plush of a small, round dog that looked a lot like the one Gorou could be seen using as a part of his battles. The plush was… Certainly well loved, as well. Kazuha could see multiple areas where the stitching had to be redone and there were at least two stains, even on such a small plush.
This was… An odd gift. But he couldn’t turn it down. Clearly, this was a plush that Gorou loved a lot, likely one he had carried with him even before he was a general. If he was giving this to Kazuha, it was likely a sign of trust. Besides, maybe the plush would help him not feel as lonely on those nights when he was wandering Liyue’s countryside.
He took the plush into his hands carefully, as if one wrong move would make it fall apart into fabric. As he brought it closer to him, he was overcome with the smell of Gorou. The smell of the earth after the rainfall and the sea and tonkotsu ramen and home.
It smelled like home.
“Thank you, my love. I will treasure this for as long as I breathe.”
And Gorou beamed at him.
“Now finish your meal! I’m gonna cancel training today, alright? Just the two of us!”
“Gorou you really shouldn’t-”
“It’ll be fine! I’m sure the soldiers wouldn’t mind the break. Besides, this only happens once a year, just like a festival! So, I’m gonna treat it like one.”
Kazuha sighed, but he couldn’t be upset. How could he be? This was the man he loved so dearly. He nodded, giving the plush a small squeeze, then setting it in his lap to finish the meal.