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The dark, quiet echoes of Enkanomiya drifted throughout the air and rang softly in Kazuha’s ears. Evernight had enveloped them for what felt like days at this point. Granted, it’d been dark for so long that he wasn’t entirely sure how long they’d actually been down there to begin with. He’d been traveling with Aether for some time now and trusted his judgement on what quests they should take, but this one was starting to drive him a little mad. The lack of light was really starting to weigh on him, and made him feel like he was almost hopeless to see the light of day ever again. However, he couldn’t let Aether know how much he was struggling. So, he decided to pull out his leaf to hum a little tune as they continued along.
“Could you not?” Xiao grumbled.
Sheepishly, Kazuha conjured up a gentle wind and released the leaf into the current to drift off, away from the group. “Sorry,” he muttered. Upon seeing the scowl on Xiao’s face, he imagined that the lack of light was probably getting to everyone at least a little at this point, not just him. Glancing over at Bennett, he saw the typical happy-go-lucky/unlucky kid walking without any bounce in his step; and his guess was confirmed. They all needed a little bit of a breather from this darkness.
Catching up to Aether, he fell in stride with him and suggested, “might we rest for a bit? Perhaps you could change it to whitenight for a little while as well.”
At the suggestion, Aether and Kazuha looked back at the worn party members currently trailing behind them. When Aether turned back towards Kazuha, he nodded in agreement.
Appearing out of nowhere, Paimon chimed in, “but Kokomi needs us to bring back information as soon as possible.”
Raising his hand to stop her from continuing on further, Aether informed, “take a look at our members. They have been traveling with us for miles at this point with no rest and no light. We can afford to rest for a while.” Turning back to Kazuha, Aether thanked him for making Aether aware of the weariness of the others. “Quite often I can be a one-track mind with my sight set so intensely on the goal that I forget to see what is around me. Thank you for being my eyes and ears to the world around us, Kazuha.”
“Of course, Aether,” Kazuha lightly bowed.
Sometime later, they came upon a building that was nestled into one of the rock faces of the island. Upon entering the structure, they discovered dimly lit remnants of what looked like what used to be a building of education. The few bookshelves that remained were broken and tilted; stone slabs that had likely been used as tables were propped against walls and were holding up fallen bookshelves, scrolls and texts were scattered everywhere, and there was rubble littered all across the concrete flooring. After taking a moment to observe their surroundings, all 4 of them split up to take a look around the premises a little further to ensure its safety.
Upon hearing the orders from Aether, Kazuha sprung into the air and glided his way over towards the left-hand side of the top floor; and Xiao wasn’t too far behind. He had teleported to the opposite side of the same level as Kazuha. Starting from the outside and working in, Kazuha trailed his fingers across the spines of the worn texts, gingerly stepped over the haphazard scrolls, and observed some of the art that had been left behind.
Listening closely, he waited to see if he could hear anything that would alert him to anything that might be amiss. However, as he continued down the long balcony, all he could hear was the dust settling from the disturbance they had brought to this place. It seemed as if the building had stood lifeless for an unknown amount of time and they were the first ones to visit in years. As he continued searching, Kazuha couldn’t find anything that could be deemed concerning at this point in time; and he felt relatively assured that his senses were to be trusted at this information.
Slowly, he continued his way towards the center, searching and listening to anything that might bring trouble for the group; but as he rejoined Xiao, he couldn’t find anything of concern. “Did you find anything?” He asked Xiao.
“Nothing of importance,” he grumbled back.
“Alright, let’s tell Aether that we’ve scouted out the upper floor and found nothing.”
After checking in with Xiao, Kazuha walked past him and towards the stairs leading back towards the main level. As he neared the steps, he felt a gust of wind behind him and shortly after saw Xiao appear beside Aether. Must be nice, he thought.
As he approached the two, he overheard Xiao already filling Aether in on the lack of discovery that he and Kazuha had made on the upper floor. Xiao was fairly quiet most of the time; but given the chance to talk to Aether, he always seemed to be a bit more loose-lipped. At times, Kazuha would find himself smiling at the interactions between the two; fondly admiring the infatuation Xiao so obviously had for Aether. Upon nearing them, Aether noticed Kazuha. Smiling from ear to ear, he informed, “I’ve changed Enkanomiya back to whitenight like you suggested.”
Kazuha gently smiled in return, “thank you, Aether.”
Not long after Aether shared, Bennett came bounding up beside them. “Nothing amiss!” He reported boisterously. “Other than the books that came falling down on me when I checked behind that bookshelf,” he sheepishly gestured with his thumb behind him at the pile of books on the floor across the room. At his embarrassment, Aether began to gently reassure Bennett that sometimes accidents happen.
Not wanting to intrude on the new conversation, Kazuha gestured towards the entrance, informing them, “I’m going to take a walk. I’ll be back shortly.”
As he stepped outside, Kazuha sighed upon seeing whitenight engulf Enkanomiya. It wasn’t daylight by any means, but it was better than being stuck in the dark of evernight any longer. Taking a moment to look around, he saw a slope leading up to a cliffside off to the right of the building. It was probably the best path for him to get away from the broken and crumbling structures for a little bit.
Slowly, he trudged up the cliffside and towards the top of the plateau. Along the way, he managed to avoid the detection of nearby hilicurls and a few other beasts of Enkanomiya. As he neared his destination, he saw a tree perched upon it.
It wasn’t a large tree and it had little to no leaves, but Kazuha imagined that he’d at least be able to find some peace propped up against it while he soaked in what little light this place had to offer currently. As he sank down into the grass below the bare branches, he ran his hands through the grass that lay below him. It reminded him of what his life once was before the Vision Hunt decree. If he had ever needed a moment to recuperate, Tomo would point out the largest, most lush tree nearby for them to lay down under. He always had a knack to find the ones that had the softest grass patches below them too. It was a time that Kazuha held dear.
Sighing deeply, he leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds of nature all around him. It was the best way to relax in his opinion. As moments passed on, he heard the rustling of leaves, the low growls of nearby vishaps, the bubbling of ghost fish, and the twinkling of crystal flies. Each and every sound would drift aimlessly through his mind as he silenced his worrisome thoughts for a while. As he was settling in to a state of stillness, he heard a particular sound that had him perking his ears up.
He’d been sitting for a fair amount of time, listening to the nature of Enkanomiya, but this new sound was not one he had ever heard before while traveling the unfamiliar land. It twinkled and crackled and sounded like the gust of a wind that did not blow down in Enkanomiya. Confused by the new collection of noises, Kazuha cracked one eye open to peek at what could possibly be emitting it.
To his surprise, a ghost stood a few paces away from him. Scrambling to his feet, Kazuha found himself defensively grabbing the hilt of his sword. However, before he could draw it, his eyes narrowed in on a pair of familiar amethyst eyes. “Tomo?” He whispered.
Dropping his stance, he stood dumbfounded at the man in front of him. “How could this be?” He breathed out as his hand slid off the hilt, leaving him wide open to the spirit before him. As he looked his friend up and down, tears began to well in his eyes. He never imagined that he’d be given the chance to see Tomo again after that fateful day. Soon after the grief washed through his body, frustration followed along right after.
The tears that dared to stain his cheeks with sorrow were now filled with anger and frustration. Taking two steps closer to the offending spirit, Kazuha spit, “how could you leave me like that? You said you’d be able to stand against it!” Throwing his sheathed sword to the ground, he charged at Tomo. “You promised me!” His every word was laced with venom from the grief that struck him to his core. Finally, when he was within an arm’s reach of Tomo, he threw his fist through the chest of the spirit before him.
Never striking a solid surface, Kazuha lost his balance and fell to his knees behind Tomo. Lightly punching the ground, he looked at the offending grass through blurry eyes. Squeezing them shut, he whimpered, “you left me.”
Unwilling to let the tears flow, Kazuha picked himself up without turning to face Tomo. Lifting his head, he took a deep breath, begging the threatening tears to return to the wells that they came from. Without turning to face Tomo, Kazuha released another deep breath, trying his best to ensure that his voice wouldn’t waver.
Before Kazuha could get another word out, Tomo gently spoke, “I let you down.”
Slowly turning to face him, Kazuha clenched his fists and whispered, “I don’t want your apology.”
Watching Tomo visually shrink from the harsh sentiment, Kazuha found himself losing the nerve he first had upon seeing his lost friend. He didn’t mean to be like this. In fact, he thought that he had truly accepted the outcome of Tomo’s fate. He had known since the night Tomo confessed his desire to see the Musou No Hitotatchi that this was a possibility. Where was his right to be upset when he knew all along that this was a likely outcome?
After a moment of thinking, Kazuha released his fists and dropped his shoulders; letting go of any anger or resentment that might have remained inside him. Rubbing a hand down his face, he sighed.
At the change, Tomo began to approach him. Worry was etched into the fine lines of his face, even though he was wearing a smile the whole time he drew near to Kazuha. As he closed the distance, Tomo’s expression softened as he whispered through a broken voice, “I’m sorry, Kazuha.”
Upon hearing those words, Kazuha closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath; allowing all of his negative feelings to leave for a fleeting moment. As his eyes fluttered open and landed upon Tomo’s worry ridden face, he assured, “it wasn’t your fault,” and he meant it.
Kazuha had never imagined he could have become so worked up from seeing his friend again; but in that moment, he had realized that he hadn’t truly worked through the grief that had been residing in the back of his mind for Tomo. It wasn’t entirely Tomo’s fault that he had been struck down anyways. Plus, as Kazuha chose the life of a wanderer, he too chose a dangerous path in life. How could he expect Tomo’s to mean any different? Looking at what he was currently out doing with Aether and the rest of the party; how could he blame Tomo for wanting to fulfill his own dream? While it was a dangerous one, it was still simply just that. Both he and Tomo had chances to be slain throughout their journeys. It was just the unfortunate truth that Tomo had simply gone first. Kazuha felt that he had no right being angry with Tomo for that.
Thinking it through a little longer, Kazuha finally muttered, “why did you have to do it?” It was a question that had been eating at him since the moment he realized Tomo would indeed pursue the dream he had confessed by that fire so long ago. He hadn’t asked before his friend was slain, but it was something that he always wanted to know and understand the desires of Tomo’s heart regarding the dream.
Tomo’s eyes softened at the question presented. He almost looked disappointed at the answer that he would give. At the thought of Tomo being sad, Kazuha drew near to him, trying his best to comfort his lost friend. When he was mere inches away, Tomo whispered, “I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be remembered.”
With a heavy sigh, he covered his eyes from Kazuha and smiled a broken smile. It was an expression that Kazuha had seen on him maybe one time before. It was uncommon to see Tomo so broken and it made Kazuha’s heart ache for him. He so desperately wished that he could reach out and comfort his friend, but he knew that he would simply fall through his image once more if he tried. His chest tightened as he tried his best to choke out, “I may be but one, but to me, you could never be forgotten.”
As the words were uttered allowed, Tomo lifted his head from behind his hand; eyes sparkling but unable to cry, he breathed, “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”
Catching the change of air, Kazuha felt the oxygen slip from his lungs. It was something he imagined that Tomo had come to terms with before going to the throne. Did Tomo truly believe that he could have returned from the dual? Or at least hoped that he would?
Before Kazuha had the chance to respond to the confession, Tomo softly continued on, “after my sword had broken and I realized that I had lost that day, I apologized to you.”
As he shook his head, his weak smile appeared once more, “I was so happy to finally witness the Musou No Hitotatchi; but with my broken sword, I was sad knowing that I was not given the chance to say goodbye to you.”
With the confession, Kazuha felt the tears he had tried so hard to hold in slowly begin to slip down his porcelain cheeks; staining them with the grief that he was unaware he could have even held. Mutual emotions and feelings shared with the man that he had cared so deeply for while he was alive and traveling with Kazuha throughout Inazuma.
“Did you know?” Kazuha whispered through teary eyes, “did you know that I was there?”
Looking down at his hands, the dreaded scene flashed in front of him once again. It was a memory that he tried so desperately to bury in the back of his mind; but in that moment, he could see Tomo gathered in his arms once more before stealing his vision and rushing off to find safety.
Clenching his fists as if he was grasping for something quickly fleeting from him, he choked out, “I held you for a mere moment in my arms. Watching through blurry tears as you slipped away from me.”
Drawing even closer, Tomo lifted his hands to hover around Kazuha’s tear streaked face. As his hands neared Kazuha’s swollen cheeks, a soft wind filled with static electricity blew through his hair. As the comforting element danced along Kazuha’s skin, Tomo reassured, “I know. I felt your warmth surrounding me.”
At the recognition, Kazuha broke.
The tears that he believed he once had under control bubbled up and spilled over violently as Kazuha’s knees collapsed; giving way underneath him until he was prostrated at Tomo’s feet. With his forehead pressed firmly to the ground, his hands gripped the grass around him as sobs wracked through him.
At least, in the end, Tomo did not feel alone.
As his tears soaked the grass beneath him, he felt that same familiar electricity at the back of his skull. He couldn’t stop the emotions all together, but the memorable element helped to calm him just enough for him to raise his head and see Tomo stooped down and reaching out to him once more. Sitting up on his knees, Kazuha gently wiped the offending tears from his cheeks and caught the eyes of his friend once more.
Clutching his shorts tightly in his hands, Kazuha mustered, “I didn’t want to be alone.”
At the confession, it was Tomo’s turn to grieve at the sight of his friend. With his eyes shining and unable to cry, the air surrounding them infused with even more electricity than there had been previously. “Are we saying the same thing, Kazuha?” He whispered tentatively.
Gathering wind in a gentle swirl surrounding them, Kazuha tried to create a space where only they existed. Knowing he could not physically touch Tomo, he hoped that his element could somehow be felt by his friend’s ghostly presence. After the air around them settled into a gentle wall of an electro swirl, Kazuha confirmed, “yes, I believe that we are.”
As the tears dried, Kazuha and Tomo stood up from where they had been crouched on the ground. When they were back on their feet, Tomo closed the gap between them even further. Inching his way as close as he possibly could into Kazuha’s space. As he neared, Kazuha felt Tomo’s electricity begin to tingle all across his body once more.
Finally, when he was mere inches away from Kazuha, Tomo leaned down and “kissed” Kazuha’s forehead. While Kazuha couldn’t feel the warmth of his friend’s lips, a static shock grazed his skin in place of them. He imagined that it wasn’t nearly as pleasant as Tomo’s lips might have felt, but he appreciated the sensation in exchange of what could have been nothing at all.
As they parted, Kazuha took one last, long look at the amethyst eyes he had missed so dearly. While looking closely, all of the memories of the two of them traveling throughout Inazuma came flooding back to him; the campfire talks, run-ins with Treasure Hoarders, late-night sake laughs, wet clothes from the summer rain, mid-day naps under well shaded trees, and much more he could remember. However, as Tomo’s element began to disperse and fade away, Kazuha softly pleaded, “before you go, could you sing for me one last time?”
Smiling, Tomo agreed.