Archive of Our Own

The dull hum of the fan followed the regular ticking of the clock. The clock that Kunikuzushi glued his eyes to, waiting for another five seconds to pass. And then twelve rounds of five seconds would be a minute. Sixty minutes in an hour. Five more hours until he could finally fucking leave his job…

Kunikuzushi hated his job. He performed exceedingly well in it, but he still hated it despite that.

That was also why he had never been promoted to being head detective after years of experience while Heizou did only a few months into the job. Heizou was something Kunikuzushi wasn’t, passionate. The anemo user talked about the thrills of trying to crack a case and then the satisfaction of actually solving it. Kunikuzushi only felt the dull drone of repeated work. Or rather the lack of feeling. There was no excitement to it. Nothing ever piqued his interest in his line of work. Maybe it had been interesting when he first started, he couldn’t remember what it felt like to feel those supposed thrills of mystery.

He had never wanted to be a detective in the first place, but it was the most appealing out of all the jobs that were offered to him. Or rather the limited selection that he was forced to choose from.

His mother, Ei, was the current reigning Shogun. She had always assumed that her son would follow in her footsteps. He didn’t want to work in government, much less become the future Shogun. It all sounded like a prison to him. She was forcing him to do so though and out of the three, the Tenryou Commission sounded the least agonizing. He didn’t want to deal with diplomacy.

Whenever he brought protests against it she ignored it or wrote it off as a phase. Even after he’d worked as a detective for years and bluntly told her just exactly how much he hated it she always told him he’d love it eventually. Ei always wanted him to be her successor, always saying one day she’d hand his position to him when he was ready. He would never be ready. She could give it to someone who actually wanted it or was qualified like Ayato or even Sara.

Whenever Kunikuzushi complained though, she always told him she was giving him plenty of offers. Ei told him that there were many different divisions that were specified in a diverse range of fields. From forensics to detective work. Kunikuzushi hated them all. Some more so than others.

He could be part of the forensics unit and use study of the elements to try and figure out who the culprit to the crimes were. Kunikuzushi didn’t think being cramped up in a lab all day appealed to him. His mother made him observe a forensics unit at work once and he couldn’t sit through it without vomiting. The pungent smell of chemicals purged his nose hairs and punched him in the stomach.

She was disappointed that he didn’t pick her favorite though. She offered that he could become a security official like Kujou Sara, but he happily declined. Hands on work where he had to work in a large team. He’d rather choose the forensics.

Eventually he settled on detective work, not because he liked it, but because it satisfied his mother and it gave him the most freedom from the limited options.

As a detective he worked alone most of the time, which meant he didn’t have anyone bossing him around. He could do what he wanted, well for the most part. His cases were always still assigned by his mother. He would never be able to get away from her. It was also the least work. Most of the time, crimes didn’t need detective work and criminals were easily caught. So his portfolio was empty most of the time and he was free to wander throughout Inazuma.

Sometimes he would walk along the beaches to stare out at the vast sea. The closest nation felt like an eternity away.

He desired to leave Inazuma, to run away. He’d heard stories of other countries and wanted to experience them for himself. It’d never happen though.

For the sake of Inazuma’s security his mother had implemented both the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree. She always wanted to keep her precious Inazuma the same. Just as she did with Kunikuzushi, she wrongly assumed the people wanted the same.

Riots were often in the city since the decrees. People rebelled, business broken into, monuments damaged, all because of anger generated from the closing of their borders and restrictions of their freedoms. If Kunikuzushi could, he would join them, but his mother always kept a tight watchful eye on her son. What would she say if her son disagreed with her policy? The thought made him shutter.

She had turned a blind eye to all the civil disobedience, waving it off as something normal, until she couldn’t anymore.

A year ago, last autumn, just when the leaves had begun to cascade and dance in the wind, someone had challenged Ei to a duel. A duel over the Vision Hunt Decree.

Ultimately, the challenger lost and was administered divine punishment by Ei, but their vision had been stolen from right under Ei’s grip. A samurai, by the name of Kaedehara Kazuha had snatched the fading vision seconds before fleeing the scene.

Ever since that fateful day, a bounty had been put over Kazuha’s head. Many had tried to turn in fake visions before claiming it to be Kaedehara’s but none of them were ever confirmed to actually belong to the rebel. Eventually Heizou had been set on trying to track down the criminal, but even he had failed. Kazuha had disappeared without leaving a single trace after the duel, never to be found again. The case was eventually dropped until further evidence came up.

The trail was completely cold and Ei pretended that the incident never happened afterward, but the press wouldn’t let her forget.

Even after a year, the case became highly publicized. Every media source had reported exaggerated headlines for over a month after the duel. Interviews with people claiming to see the elusive samurai popped up every few weeks. Some claimed to find a crimson streak of hair in their houses left behind by the samurai, while others claimed to have snatched the maple leaf clipped to his side. It was all fake.

Kaedehara also became a symbol of a rebel hero across the country. People rallied under his cause and put pressure to make Ei repeal the decrees. Her stubbornness didn’t budge. If anything, she only began enforcing them more furiously. A series of extra precautions and checks were added to the Sakoku Decree, while visions were seized more actively. Sometimes there were random checks on residents where Tenryou Commission Officials would search without warrant for any fugitive vision holders. It was just last week that the owner of Naganohara Fireworks had her shop suddenly searched revealing a group of hidden vision holders. Luckily they were able to escape while Yoimiya distracted the soldiers with festive sparks before escaping herself, but most were not as lucky nor skilled to do the same.

The people were starting to grow tired. They had been tired of the decrees from the start, but now they were tired of resisting. This had happened before, but the duel and Kaedehara’s escape had sparked morale back into the people. Now, with his disappearance a whole year ago, most people gave up on hope of there being change, including Kunikuzushi.

The clock ticked past 11:00pm in his office by the time he was finally done filing reports. He had just finished his case reviewing a recent supposed theft of silks from one of the shops in Inazuma City. He had eventually found the ‘stolen’ silks at one of the employee’s houses. She admitted to accidentally spilling dango milk all over them during her shift and was afraid of getting in trouble so she stupidly took them instead. It was a simple, boring case.

That was how most of his cases went nowadays. Just petty cases without any thrill in them. It made his job easy, but exceptionally boring.

Just as he was about to send in the report and turn in for the night, Ei burst into his office holding a folder filled with papers in her hands.

“What is it now?” Kunikuzushi groaned as he twiddled with his pen.

“I have another case for you!” she exclaimed, obviously not reading the room and blatantly ignoring Kunikuzushi’s tone. “One that I think you will enjoy solving…”

Like hell if he ever enjoyed these cases.

“I literally just finished this one. Can I get a fucking break? Give it to Heizou or something. He actually likes this shit.” He complained.

“Ahh, but Kunikuzushi I thought you liked you detective work”

“I hate it” He gritted out through his teeth. It was the obvious truth, but she denied it.

“Stop joking so much” she scolded, “Anyway for your case, I wanted you to do this one personally…and Heizou is busy with another case in Higi Village right now.”

Of course he was, Kunikuzushi knew that she would go to him first. Despite how much she denied it, she knew her son hated the job and didn’t perform nearly as well as his colleague. He had given up on trying to impress her on that front, only doing the bare minimum to meet her requirements. When it came time for her to hand over the Shogun’s title to him, he’d cross that bridge when it came to it.

“This is a very important case to me so I would like you to do it” She continued.

“Why don’t you do it yourself if it’s so important to you” He sarcastically replied, though he would rather have her do it.

“Well I could do it, but my son has such good detective skills so I’d give it to him” Ei replied, slightly fed up with her son’s behavior.

“Whatever” he rolled his eyes, “just tell me what it is”

It was probably another stupid case again where the paperwork took longer than the actual detective work. One he would get done in a day and then he’d be free for another week until Ei gave him his next assignment, unless she planned on pulling this back to back shit again.

“Here” she handed him the case’s portfolio, “You can give it a look through while I give you a summary”

On the front cover of the manila portfolio written in bold black letters was Kaedehara Kazuha. Underneath was a picture of the fugitive mid air when he had fled from the duel last autumn. Kunikuzushi could feel himself getting lost in studying the image. The way Kazuha’s hair swayed in the wind, the tears gleaming slightly in his eyes, and the maple leaves trailing behind him. It was almost like the picture was alive.

Kunikuzushi felt surprised that his mother would be giving him a case that was this high profile. It would be a tough one to crack though considering how there were basically no documents inside. The only problem was that she was actually expecting him to solve it. Something highly unlikely to happen.

“Kaedehara Kazuha?” He questioned raising his brow at her. He didn’t think she was actually serious about giving him the most publicized case in decades.

She nodded her head, “I believe that you will be able to solve this case, Kunikuzushi. I have my faith in you. As for why I decided now, a few hours ago we received an anonymous tip that Kaedehara Kazuha has been sighted in the city and may be taking the Alcor as a way to escape Inazuma after the” she cleared her throat, “incident last year. It is your job to figure out if this rumor is true and if it is then I’d like you to pursue him.”

“Isn’t pursuing the criminals, Sara’s job?” Kunikuzushi whined. He wasn’t going to be able to catch Kazuha if all of Inazuma couldn’t even find the criminal for a whole year.

“Yes, but she is very busy dealing with an uprising in Watatsumi, so I place the responsibility on you…this case is also very time sensitive. Kaedehara can escape easily and is unpredictable. You don’t have time to call for backup and if you bring any soldiers with you it’ll make the operation too obvious.” Ei explained carefully.

“Again Heizou can’t do this because?”

Kunikuzushi really did not want to have to take this case. It was going to be basically impossible to catch the samurai. Ei probably knew that even Heizou couldn’t do it so she just handed it to him to keep him busy.

“Heizou is busy and off Narukami Island right now and this case is extremely time sensitive. The Alcor leaves in a few days’ time. That is a very limited time window to solve such a complex case. So you will accept it, no?” She ordered. It wasn’t a request, it was a command. She wasn’t going to let him get out of this one.

“Whatever” He nonchalantly replied. If the rumor was true then he already expected not to solve the case. He knew that she didn’t expect the same though.

“Good” She replied, “I have faith in you Kunikuzushi”

With that she left, closing the door gently behind her, leaving Kunikuzushi all alone in his office again.

Usually cases didn’t interest him that much, yet there was something compelling enough about this one for him to scan through it once before going back home to Tenshukaku for the night.

There were only two pages in it. One was about how he had stolen the vision from Ei at the duel. Kunikuzushi knew the whole story. Everyone in Inazuma did.

The second page was marked as confidential with a big red stamp along it. In it was a blurry photograph from a kamera in a dark alley. Just in the corner view there was a figure standing. Undoubtedly it was Kazuha. There was no mistaking him. The single red streak blossoming among his snowy hair, the signature crimson eyes, the maple leaf attached to his kimono along with the glowing teal anemo vision. He was simply just standing there. Supposedly not doing anything. It was like he was trying to get caught on kamera. It was almost frustrating how obvious it was.

The first thing that came to Kunikuzushi’s mind was that the image might be forged. With a case that had been this publicized with an exorbitant bounty, people would do anything to get the fame and money that came with solving it.

There were no other pieces of substantial evidence detailing the case in the portfolio. Just two pages. One of which was common knowledge from over a year ago. If the picture was real then Kunikuzushi had a lead. Tomorrow he would have to interrogate a certain Captain Beidou at the docks. Interrogation was his favorite part of the job. It was better than filing paperwork and had some kind of long gone thrill to it he supposed. Especially in serious cases like this one, that wasn't just simple, petty theft.

For now though, he decided that he ought to return back to Tenshukaku for the night.

At the palace, one of the most if not the most guarded place in Inazuma, quite a scene had taken place. Tenryou Commission Officers were piled patrolling around the walls and throughout the courtyard gardens. The guards were omnipresent at the palace, but the current amount surrounding the area was extremely excessive. As he walked toward the entrance gates to the courtyard he could see that the entrance door to Tenshukaku had broken off its hinges and was cast to the side of the entryway. It didn’t look like it had been torn off with sheer brute force but rather taken off gracefully and cleanly.

He walked up to one of the officers on patrol and simply asked, “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Ahh your excellency, we have reason to believe there was a break in to the palace. Nothing has been reported as stolen though…”

Kunikuzushi hated whenever the common people addressed him by his royal titles. He wanted to forget that he was the son of Ei and one day he’d have to come and inherit it.

“Well yeah no shit” He responded snarkily. The fucking door was literally torn off, “Who was the culprit?” He swore that if this was another unsolved case that Ei would push onto him too he would actually run away from Inazuma.

“The culprit is uhhh unknown so far, but is thought to be Kaedehara Kazuha”

Well shit. That meant he would have to investigate this too. So much for keeping Kaedehara’s return out of the public eye. The news outlets were probably publishing their stories on it right now. It’d be the frontline cover for the next month. He could already tell. KAEDEHARA KAZUHA BREAKS INTO TENSHUKAKU!

“Is there any evidence?” Kunikuzushi asked, he needed this for his detective work anyway. He hadn’t expected to get such an early start on the case. At least he didn’t have to determine if the photo was real anymore if Kaedehara had been here himself.

“Some surrounding soldiers remember seeing the silhouette of Kaedehara gliding out under the moon’s glow after he supposedly broke the door and escaped.” The soldier explained, “also while he had been gliding he dropped a dead electro vision.”

Kunikuzushi would have spit out his tea if he was drinking any right now. Honestly he really needed some at this hour but would rather not turn into a boba addict like Ayato.. “So you’re saying that he broke the door on the way out and he got in unnoticed?”

“I didn’t think about that, your excellency, but- but I suppose that must’ve been what happened” the officer stammered, scared of facing the other’s wrath.

There was only one entrance into Tenshukaku, only the massive double doors in the front. Beside that it was surrounded on all 4 sides by solid stone, no windows, no side doors, and no roof entrances. How stupid did these soldier have to be to not notice the samurai waltzing straght into the palace and then staying in there for archon knows how long?

“Did anyone track him down?” Kunikuzushi barked out. Surely one of them had to know what direction the samurai went with the sheer number of them.

“I’m afraid not, your excellency,” he winced slightly as Kunikuzushi’s tone like he was going to be struck down by bale thunder at any moment, “no one had been able to see the direction that the samurai escaped to outside the palace walls”

“And what happened to the vision he dropped?”

“Currently it is being taken back to the police station for investigation by forensics to confirm that it truly was Kaedehara that was the culprit”

Kunikuzushi nodded and then continued on his way. He got all the information he needed. Undoubtedly it was Kazuha, but he would still check with the forensic unit tomorrow morning. No one else would have the guts to do such a risky move of invading Tenshukaku alone. Not even the leader of the resistance, Kokomi would. The dropped electro vision only confirmed it. He admired Kazuha for that, but he would never admit it. Though, it wasn’t like Kazuha to drop something so valuable carelessly. He had disappeared without a trace for a whole year and then the first time he came back he dropped the stolen vision. He was definitely planning something.

Kunikzushi yawned, for now he needed to sleep. Beidou would definitely be on the interrogation list tomorrow.

As predicted the next morning the break into Tenshukaku had been the talk of the city despite how many soldiers tried to quiet it. Newspapers were free flying in the wind with headlines in big bold letters exaggerating the incident. Any and every little whisper, chatter, or slice of gossip was about it.

By the time Kunikuzushi had walked from Tenshukaku back to the police station, he had probably heard the story over a hundred times, just from passing conversations. Gossip had been blown along the autumn winds like the falling leaves, scattered throughout the entire city. He was sure the news was quickly making its way to Watatsumi if not already there.

He went to the forensics lab first just to confirm his suspicions and the press’s claims. As predicted, Kaedehara Kazuha’s elemental traces were found all along the stolen vision. After that it had been carted off to the warehouse for safekeeping. Ei would publicly insert it into the statue herself in a few days’ time in an attempt to stifle rebellion. That was one win for the Tenryou Commission at least, not that Kunikuzushi really cares though. They were able to steal something back even though it had basically been handed straight back to them from the criminal who stole it.

Now, it was time to go to the docks. It was time for an interrogation. This case had been more interesting than Kunikuzushi expected. Kaedehara was actually here despite his initial suspicions and had already committed another crime in that short period of time. Something told Kunikuzushi he was going to continue until he fled the country.

By the time he had gotten down to the docks at Ritou it was a little past midday. The sun pounded on his skin and he could feel himself enrobed in the stickiness surrounding the docks. There was only one ship in the harbor that day. One that would be leaving in a few days carrying a fugitive, supposedly. The Alcor was a massive ship. The hull was taller than most of the buildings in Ritou. If not then with the sails and mast included it definitely was.

“Ahh Your Excellency, to what do I owe the honor?” Beidou greeted with a bow.

Dealing with Beidou would be very tricky. Even though she was basically a pirate captain, she was incredibly tricky and smart. The Tianquan of Liyue’s Qixing wouldn’t just marry anybody now.

“I simply just have a few questions to ask you under the Tenryou Commission” He kindly responded with a fake sweet smile, “Also please just refer to me as Kunikuzushi, we are of similar statuses in our respective countries” He absolutely hated small talk, but it was something that Ei had forced him to learn as the Shogun’s son. It did come handy in situations like this when he did his interrogations.

“Of course Your- Kunikuzushi. Would you like to go somewhere more confidential?” She offered, pointing to one of the doors along the ship.

Kunikuzushi silently nodded and followed after her. Her heeled boots made heavy bangs along the floors as they made their way across the deck to the Captain’s quarters.

Midway through she called, “Hey Juza you’re in charge right now!” Then she opened the door with one of her many jingling keys and motioned for Kunikuzushi to go in first.

Once they were both situated at what seemed to be a marauder’s table, she offered him a drink which he politely accepted. He wouldn’t be drinking any though. He sensed that she wouldn’t be either as she poured a small shot glass for each of them.

“Ask away with questions” She nonchalantly started. She sure was making herself not look suspicious in any way. He took note of that, but it could very well be a facade.

“Of course” He politely nodded his head, “do you know who Kaedehara Kazuha is?”

She kept her composure and a perfectly straight face while answering. “I know him as the samurai who had escaped the Shogun with his friend’s vision” There was no crack in her composure, but her word choice interested Kunikuzushi.

For one she used the word ‘know’ as if she knew her personally as opposed to hearing stories. She could’ve also just been simply parroting the question though. Secondly she referred to him as a ‘samurai’ instead of criminal, which was true, but he was more famous internationally as a rebel criminal. Lastly though was the way she had described the possession of the vision as ‘his friend’s’ instead of something along the lines of ‘The Shogun’s’ or ‘stolen.’ Kunikuzushi couldn’t simply arrest her based on word choice so he continued with his questioning.

“Have you heard of the recent break in at Tenshukaku, Captain?”

“Just call me Beidou,” She casually replied, “I’ve seen a bit about it when the newspaper arrived this morning. I’ve only had time to read the headline though”

“Ah” He took note of it, there was nothing suspicious about that answer if it was the truth, but if it was a lie she showed no sign of it being so in her body language which remained mostly unmoving but not uncomfortably stiff.

“I just have one more question for you then, Beidou, and then you’ll be free to go. What are your views on the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree implemented by the Shogun? Please give me your honest opinion” He asked gently with a saccharine smile.

He absolutely hated both of the decrees, more so the Sakoku than the Vision Hunt Decree since it denied him leave from Inazuma. Though the Vision Hunt Decree didn’t directly affect him, it had made the country as a whole more depressing and hopeless than it was before. Though he never had been assigned to seize any visions except for now with Kazuha, he could still tell the people feared him more than they used to whenever he passed the streets. He hated it. Not that he would ever face Ei with his opinions.

“Well, I believe that Her Excellency does what she believes is best for her country and if the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree are overall beneficial to the people then I would agree with them” She basically had evaded the entire question, telling him fact, but not her own opinion.

“And do you think they are beneficial to the people?” Kunikuzushi followed up.

She paused for a second as she thought over her answer but still responded rather quickly, “I cannot tell if they are since I do not come to Inazuma nor meet with its people very often. So I would like to ask you, an Inazuma native, if you would like to answer, Kunikuzushi, do you think it’s beneficial?”

The decrees had literally caused civil war to break out in the country. Almost anyone would say that it's bad, but she deflected it back to him. Her answer told him he wasn’t going to get anything else out of her.

“Well,” he started with a sigh, “I believe that they may be beneficial to Inazuma in the near future, nothing promises instant results” It was an obvious lie, but one that wouldn’t get him in trouble. Even if it got back to Ei, he could wiggle his way out of it.

“Of course, is that all, detective?” Beidou replied.

Kunikuzushi nodded.

“Well it was a pleasure to talk to you then, Kunikuzushi. It would be a shame to leave our drinks unfinished.” She continued. Neither of them had touched their drinks in the whole conversation.

He waited for her to drink hers all in one gulp before following doing the same. He could feel his throat burn as it went down. The taste was displeasurable at best. Kunikuzushi never set high standards for liquor out at sea.

After that she showed him out and they said their goodbyes as he walked across the deck back to the main docks of Ritou. Unbeknownst to him a pair of crimson eyes had been staring at him curiously from above ever since he stepped foot on the ship’s deck.

As he made his way back toward Inazuma City, he tried to think of what he could do next. He had gotten basically nothing out of that interrogation. She knew how to speak well without getting caught. Even though he did suspect her of potentially aiding Kazuha in his escape, he couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t convict her without some kind of evidence. Especially since she held a high position in Liyue, if he falsely arrested the captain there would be international problems. She knew how to play her cards right.

By the time he returned to the city, it was almost night. The streets were crowded as people rushed to grab dinner from the vendor or came to gossip after work. He had a feeling that there would be another riot today over the decrees, due to the recent headlines that took the city by storm. There was a higher number of Tenryou Commission Soldiers patrolling the streets than normal.

He grabbed a quick dinner of some tri-flavored skewers and some tri-colored dango for dessert from one of the vendors before heading back to his office at the police station. Right now he had absolutely no leads. He wanted to go back and review the files again. Maybe there was something he missed. Also maybe there was some clue left in the electro vision.

He checked the files over again for the nth time. Absolutely nothing. He spent over an hour analyzing the picture, but there seemed to be no other clues left behind in it besides the figure of Kazuha standing in it. Maybe he had spent a little toolong looking at the picture…Kazuha intrigued him to say the least.

He even checked out the vision in the warehouse, but there were no hints left there. It was well past midnight now and everyone else had left for the night.

The electro lamp dimly lighting Kunikuzushi’s office was the only source of light in the entire building. It was completely silent.

Or almost completely silent. Kunikuzushi could hear the humming of the wind outside the building. A storm might be approaching soon. After another hour he thought that he could hear faint pitter patters along the roof almost like steps, but he assumed it was the rain.

His eyelids sagged as he looked over the portfolio again. He was going to go check the stolen vision one more time before he returned back to Tenshukaku. There was no point in continuing if he was too tired to focus. He took a radio before he left his office for the night to check out the warehouse. Kunikuzushi had an inkling of a feeling that he might need it.

As he walked outside to get to the warehouse he didn’t see any rain nor did he even see any signs of anything getting wet. It wasn’t even windy out. What could those noises have been from? He was too tired to care.

He clicked the warehouse door open using his electro powers to create an elemental key before searching for the vision. There were rows and rows of white iron shelves filled to the brim with all sorts of contraband. If he remembered correctly it was in the row closest to the door and the box it was in was on one of the lower shelves. It saved him the trouble of having to grab the sliding ladder. He wasn’t proud of his height.

The box it was currently being stored in was locked, needing an elemental key to unlock.

He opened it with ease, except the vision wasn’t there. It was completely empty. He rubbed his eyes, the tiredness was probably playing tricks on him, right? He blinked, there was still nothing. He even went as far to reach his empty hand in to see if he could feel it. Still nothing. The stolen vision had been stolen back. The vision was gone!

He gripped the radio tightly and was about to bring it up to his face to report the situation and call for guards to search the area and see if anything else had been stolen from the warehouse.

Before he could do so though, a strong wind burst through the room almost sweeping Kunikuzushi off his feet and knocking him off his balance. It was followed by a crimsoned eyed fugitive who quickly dashed in and grabbed the detective pinning his arms tightly to his body.

It was Kaedehara Kazuha.

The culprit quickly snatched the radio, keeping it far out of reach, before crushing it to pieces using anemo. Kunikzushi already knew who it was without even seeing the person. A delicate hand slapped itself over Kunikuzushi’s mouth, preventing from getting any words out or even yelling. Though it wasn’t the hand that silenced Kunikuzushi, but the words that were whispered into his ear.

In the process of subduing the detective, the fugitive lowered his head to the other’s ear.

His mouth was so close that Kunikuzushi could almost feel his lips nipping his ear when he lowly whispered, “If I knew they’d send such a cute detective after me then I would have returned much sooner”

Kunikuzushi was at a loss for words as his throat choked up. He didn’t even have a chance to reply before Kazuha took his hand off the other’s face revealing the flush left behind on his cheeks.

“I trust you won’t yell or scream. I have other methods to resort to if needed” Kazuha coolly stated.

He didn’t say anything else as he let go of the other and gave Kunikuzushi a chance to catch his breath, though he still kept a watchful eye on him to make sure he didn’t pull anything.

The detective was completely awake now in shock from what had just happened. What had just been spoken to him? Kaedehara Kazuha, the one he was supposed to find and capture, stood there in front of him. Yet in that moment, Kunikuzushi found himself forgetting his job and instead getting himself lost in those sweet little words that flowed out of the poet’s mouth for his ears only.

After given a chance to process what happened, Kunikuzushi turned around to face the other and asked, “What the fuck did you just whisper into my ear?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you're talking about, Kunikuzushi” Kazuha lied with a grin plastered across his face.

It felt weird for someone to address him by his name who wasn’t of status. It wasn’t unwelcome to Kunikuzushi though. He felt that he preferred it over ‘your excellency.’

“You-” He stopped once he saw the satisfactory grin placed perfectly on the other’s face, “Nevermind. Why the fuck are you here?”

“I thought it was quite obvious, Kuni” He flipped the stolen vision up into the air briefly before catching it in the palm of his bandaged hand.

“Kuni? I don’t have time for your games, Kaedehara…”

“Hmm I think I quite like the nickname, it’s fitting for a cute detective like you” Kazuha teased, “See you even like it!”

Blush betrayed Kunikuzushi’s face as he flustered over his words, “Hey- I- I-” He tried to look down to hide his face but it was no use.

“You what, Kuni?”

“Fuck you Kazuha!” The other insulted. It wasn’t very effective.

“For being the Shogun’s son I expected you to be more refined than that, it’s endearing though.” Kazuha teased.

“Don’t fucking relate me to her” Kunikuzushi bit through his teeth as he decided to ignore the ‘endearing’ part.

“I sense some tension, Kuni, would you like to talk about it?” Kazuha asked genuinely. He dropped his teasing tone.

No one had ever asked him about how he felt about his mother ever. It was just expected that they got along at least in the public eye even though he was her son. Honestly the only people in Inazuma who knew they didn’t get along the best were his co workers and some of the palace servants and now this dumbass samurai in front of him too.

“I barely fucking know you” Kunikuzushi curtly responded.

“Of course you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. What do you think about her decrees though, specifically her more recent ones?” Kazuha asked gently, “Beidou had told me about your answers earlier…”

“So you are escaping on the Alcor!” the detective accused.

“I never said that…” Kazuha replied trickily, “I only met briefly with the captain earlier. Anyways, what are your thoughts?”

“Why the fuck would I tell you what I think about it?” Kunikuzushi didn’t understand what this samurai was trying to get at.

“I never expected you too” The anemo user hummed, “I was simply just curious”

Despite what he said moments before, Kunikuzushi found himself spilling out his beliefs onto the samurai. There was just something about him that made him feel comfortable doing so. He would be lying if he said he didn’t look up to Kazuha for his opposition to the Shogun.

“As for the Vision Hunt Decree, I do not care too much about it. It just seems fucking pointless. I’m more concerned about the problems it creates for me. The whole civil war is a headache to deal with.” Kunikuzushi explained.

“Ah” Kazuha responded, “but do you not feel for the freedom it strips from the people?”

“I suppose that it does, but it doesn’t directly affect me.” Kunikuzushi replied. He was, like many people, selfish. He simply didn’t care that much. “As for the Sakoku Decree, I wish I could leave this place and run away”

“Then why don’t you?” Kazuha asked.

Kunikuzushi laughed, “I can’t. I’m the Shogun’s son destined to stay in Inazuma forever. If I left Ei would surely come after me. She’d be disappointed”

“I’m sure you could seek protection in Liyue, I could pull strings for you”

“Why do you care so much?” Kunikuzushi bluntly asked. Most people don’t care to involve themselves in other people’s problems and he didn’t blame them if they didn’t want to. He surely didn’t want to hear someone dump their shit on him.

Kazuha sighed, “You intrigue me, Kuni”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll leave you till next time to figure that out…meet me at the base of the thousand eyed god statue tomorrow…oh and don’t think about telling anyone else about this…” Kazuha vaguely replied as he disappeared into the night with the stolen vision, leaving Kunikuzushi all alone in the warehouse.

It was just now that Kunikuzushi remembered he was supposed to be hunting down and capturing Kazuha. He literally just had a whole fucking conversation with him like they were old friends or some shit. Kazuha was much different than he imagined though…despite being highly dangerous there was a gentle teasingness about him. One that annoyed the hell out of Kunikuzushi.

The words ‘You intrigue me, Kuni’ still played back in his mind. Just exactly who did this Kazuha think he was?

He could tell that Kazuha wasn’t lying with that last remark though. He’d meet him at the base of the statue of the Thousand Eyed God in a day. Kazuha was more than capable of taking down as many Tenryou Commission Officials if he arrived with any so he decided to heed the warning and not do so.

Right now though he was more worried about explaining to Ei how he had let the most wanted fugitive criminal in Inazuma escape from right under his grasp. Even if he had tried to capture Kazuha, he had a feeling it wouldn’t have ended successfully. The samurai was extremely sneaky and agile. Though Kunikuzushi didn’t know how he felt about capturing the other. He would be lying if Kazuha didn’t intrigue him too.

Kunikuzushi decided against reporting meeting Kazuha. He’d play along when the guards found the vision gone tomorrow and he’d rather not report the fact that he failed to capture Kaedehara and instead got flustered.

As expected the next morning, when he arrived at the police station, there were guards swarming the warehouse. Even Ei was already there. The news had already caught word of the burglary and headlines were posted along the boards throughout the city. KAEDEHARA KAZUHA STRIKES BACK!

Whispers along the streets all pointed to another riot in the city soon. The effects of Kaedehara’s return could already be easily seen. Vision holders were resisting more often and fiercely than before. It was refreshing to see some life injected back into the people.

In order not to generate any suspicion though, he decided to ask Ei about what had happened. She greeted him first though.

“Ahh, Kunikuzushi! Finally you arrived!”

“What happened here?” He raised his eyebrow.

“It appears that Kaedehara had stolen back the vision from the warehouse late last night” Ei explained, “I assume you will take note of this in your case?”

Kunikuzushi nodded his head before continuing, “Any other clues found? Any that might point to what he’ll do next?” Kunikuzushi very well knew exactly where Kazuha would be tonight.

“He seemed to have left nothing behind besides a few anemo traces. There was also something else interesting found in the warehouse, Kunikuzushi. It seemed to be a shattered radio, the same type that we use here…Forensics is currently investigating it to see” Ei continued, “there may be more than one person involving themselves in this case. Someone among our ranks…”

“Ah” Kunikuzushi simply replied. On the inside he could feel his stomach churning. He had forgotten to clean that shit up before leaving. Now they knew that someone else was there with Kazuha. Someone from the Tenryou Commission. Luckily, his elemental trace wouldn’t be found on that radio since Kazuha had smashed it using anemo.

“Did you hear anything last night? I know you stayed late since the servants told me you didn’t arrive at Tenshukaku late into the night” Ei asked, of course she didn’t suspect her son of doing anything.

“I heard nothing suspicious last night” Kunikuzushi lied. He had literally come face to face with Inazuma’s most wanted criminal. He hoped Ei wouldn’t see through his lies.

“That’s a shame…” She seemed slightly more disappointed in her son than usual, “well I must go attend other things now and you have a case to solve.” She patted him on the back before walking away. She only ever talked to him about work…

He already had the case solved. It was just a matter of catching the criminal. He couldn’t ask for help though. Honestly he’d be too embarrassed to admit that he let Kazuha get away from him so easily. Plus Kazuha had warned him not to tell anyone. Kunikuzushi knew the other would keep their promise.

He only had until tonight to devise a plan though…but did he really want to catch Kazuha?

The moon was glowing brightly by the time that Kunikuzushi arrived at the statue of the thousand eyed god. The area was completely empty at the time. Riots had been going on throughout Ritou all day so most of the Tenryou Commission soldiers not fighting in the civil war were sent there to control the crowd. He was careful not to bring any sort of communication devices with him this time.

Not a single soul was in sight around the statue as Kunikuzushi patiently waited at the base of the statue for the other. Dozens of visions had been engraved upon the surface, shining all different colors. Yet they were all dulled slightly. The colors muted, only glowing when the moonlight hit them. Each one of them represented a person’s ambition.

But tonight, the statue was bare. Every single vision gone. Kunikuzushi thought he knew exactly who the culprit was. A certain samurai with flowing white hair and a signature red streak.

“I see you’re admiring the statue, Kuni” A gentle voice from above spoke. A pair of crimson eyes was staring at him as the samurai sat atop one of the wings before gently gliding down to the other.

Kunikuzushi shot a lightning bolt quickly in an attempt to stun the other. The only person that ended up stunned though was Kunikuzushi as he watched in awe as Kazuha graciously dodge it midair as if he wasn’t surprised back the act at all.

“Already starting off with violence, are we?” Kazuha chided, “I might have to subdue you like last night if you pull something like that again.” The winds even seemed to tease Kunikuzushi as they blew his bangs into his eyes.

As Kazuha landed Kunikuzushi noticed he carried a sack with him, which he presumed was filled with all of the visions the Shogun took.

“You’re not getting away this time by distracting me with those stupid sweet words of yours, Kaedehara,” Kunikuzushi threatened. Neither of them believed it.

“So you admit that you think they’re sweet,” Kazuha replied back. A flush bloomed over the other’s cheeks.

“That- that’s not the point” Kunikuzushi’s mind was too occupied with other thoughts to form coherent sentences.

“You’re cute when you get flustered, Kuni” Kazuha remarked as he used his open hand to ruffle the other’s hair.

Kunikuzushi stared laser eyes at the other with a death glare. It wasn’t very effective at all. Kazuha only found it slightly endearing and giggled slightly.

“Fuck you Kazuha!”

“Do you always resort to that when you get angry?”

“Just shut up! Why did you make me come here anyway?” Kunikuzushi complained. He had already given up on trying to capture the other by now. He never planned on doing so anyway.

“You came here out of your own accord,” Kazuha reminded the other, “I simply wanted to see you again, I suppose you wanted the same”

“I wanna see you in a jail cell”

“Then put me in one” Kazuha teased, “you’ve had plenty of opportunities to do so. I think that you don’t want to as much as she wants you to…” Kazuha held out his hands in front of him as if ready to be handcuffed, but Kunikuzushi made no move to do anything. He just stared and gulped down the butterflies in his stomach.

Kunikuzushi didn’t make any noise to respond and Kazuha took that as he wanted silence. So he guided the other to the edge of the wooden platform where they both sat with their legs dangling off the side.

It was a nice night out. The streets were empty leaving the two of them alone with the moon. Gentle winds rolled across Kunikuzushi’s skin, jingling the bells slightly that hung down from his hat. It was a cool autumn night, just the perfect temperature where it wasn’t too hot that sweat would form, but not too cold to warrant goosebumps. Maple leaves fell around them dancing through the wind.

Kazuha boldly laid down his head on the other’s shoulder and closed his eyes, leaving himself vulnerable to the other. Kunikuzushi was shocked at the display but made no move to disturb Kazuha. It made his whole body shake with warmth, not in an uncomfortable way, but in that way that made him feel like he was made of jelly and would melt away. It was strangely nice.

Finally after a few more moments, he spoke up.

“This is a weird place to take someone on a date” He commented.

Kazuha still didn’t open his eyes but replied sweetly nonetheless, “you think it’s a date Kuni?”

“Of course dumbass considering the first words you told me I assume you want it to be one” He snarkily replied.

He gave up on trying to hide the fact that he wasn’t just pursuing Kazuha because it was his job assigned by Ei. He really never had been pursuing the other because Ei assigned it to him ever since he saw the picture on his portfolio.

Kazuha simply hummed softly in response.

“Do you like Inazuma?” Kazuha asked, it was just a simple yes or no question on the surface, yet it left Kunikuzushi conflicted.

Inazuma was all that Kunikuzushi knew. It was comfortable. But it was all that he knew and he hated it. Yet his responsibilities lay in Inazuma. She was in Inazuma, always hanging over his head wherever he was in the country. As much as Inazuma was his homeland he came to resent. It was like a watery prison he was forever trapped and tied to.

“I hate it,” Kunikuzushi admitted quietly. Kazuha still acknowledged his response though. “I want to leave this place, it’s suffocating.”

It was quite scandalous for someone like the Shogun’s son to say this, but Kazuha didn’t seem surprised in the slightest.

“I admit, I may not have the best relation with Inazuma,” Kazuha explained, “but as my homeland I still harbor some memories for the country, do you not?”

As long as Kunikuzushi could remember, he didn’t have any extremely happy memories that he would like to keep from the country. All he could remember felt dull and boring. If there were any good memories, the bad ones outweighed them.

“I’d never return if I could”

“Ah” Kazuha commented, “I understand”

It felt odd to say the least that someone was asking about his feelings. Yet it didn’t feel unwelcome to Kunikuzushi. Talking to Kazuha almost seemed like an escape from his troubles.

“Do you not think you can escape though?” Kazuha continued to ask.

Kunikuzushi shook his head, “With the Sakoku Decree in place…that’s illegal. Not like Ei would’ve let me leave before though” He let out a sigh. He’d given up on leaving long ago. What would Ei say if he escaped? Now he could only imagine the feeling of going abroad now. Hoping for something bigger would only end with disappointment so he settled for the monotonous rhythm of his Inazuma lifeset out by her. Kazuha had disrupted that all though in a series of thee days.

“Captain Beidou would surely welcome you on,” Kazuha replied.

Kunikuzushi didn’t respond at first, leaving an empty moment for the wind to blow past them.

“Why do you care, you’ll be leaving in two days”

“Do you want to come with me?” Kazuha offered, raising his head from the other’s shoulder and opening his eyes to stare at the other.

“You know I can’t just leave because I want to, Kazuha. I’m obligated to stay in this shithole” Kunikuzushi dejectedly replied.

“You’re never obligated to deny yourself of freedom, Kuni”

Silence again.

Leaving was too risky. What if he was dragged back to Inazuma again? Surely Ei wouldn’t be very forgiving, she’d have him arrested and labeled as a fugitive. Even though he hated Inazuma, he resented Ei more for keeping him here. For trying to make him in her image. Yet he just couldn’t take Kazuha’s offer. What would everyone else think if he just got up and left? Maybe he lied when he said he never wanted to return. If he left he never would be able to. What if he regretted that?

He didn’t even know when tears started to roll down his cheeks.

Kazuha seemed to understand that Kunikuzushi didn’t want to talk anymore. The samurai rested his head on the other’s shoulder and wrapped his hands around the other to console him. They stayed like that for another hour under the cover of the night.

It was odd. The son of the Shogun and the most wanted criminal in Inazuma sitting there together in each other’s embrace. Kunikuzushi thought it felt warm and wished for it to never end.

Unfortunately as the sun began to barely peek over the edge of the horizon, it signaled time for Kazuha to leave.

Before leaving, Kazuha again told him the destination for their next rendezvous.

“Meet me at Chinju Forest tonight my love” The samurai lowly whispered into the other’s ear, before blowing a kiss. “Maybe next time you’ll get the real thing…”

Kazuha fled away carried by the winds as Kunikuzushi sat there enrobed in awe as he watched his lover glide away. Tonight. He would see him again tonight. He just had to wait until then. It wouldn’t be long, but Kunikuzushi knew it would feel like an eternity. Unbeknownst to both of them a kamera flashed in the background snatching a photo of the two.

As expected the headlines were the talk of the town again. VISIONS TAKEN FROM THE SHOGUN! Below was a picture of the statue with visible empty holes that used to be filled by the people’s ambition.

As he made his daily stroll to the police station that day, he could see the life returned back to many of the people. There was new hope boiling in the city. It was only a matter of time before it started to spill out of the pot. Despite the Tenryou Commission’s drastic efforts people weren’t giving up their visions without much of a fight. They’d experienced a life without them, a life without ambition. With their visions returned, the civilians would rather die than return to before.

Not a single vision had been seized that day yet. Kunikuzushi didn’t expect that they’d be able to take any without causing chaos.

Riots still persisted all throughout Ritou from what other news sources said. Tensions had always been higher there since the seaside port had basically almost closed completely after the Sakoku Decree. Only a few ships a month dared to sail into Inazuma, one of which being the Alcor.

Now though, Kunikuzushi had a feeling that riots would persist in the capital tonight too, maybe even up to the gates of Tenshukaku. Ei would have her hands busy with work right now. He knew she would stand her ground though. There was no getting through her stubbornness to repeal the awful decrees.

Instead of making speeches or other public work to calm the people like Kunikuzushi thought she would be doing, she was in his office when he swung the door open. Waiting for him.

When he walked in she was pacing the room almost mechanically in rhythm with the ticking clock. Her arms were crossed though he could see she was holding something in her hand. A photo.

When she heard Kunikuzushi enter, her head turned upwards from the floor to face him. Her eyes were filled with worry, but also anger with a tinge of sadness. The corners gleamed slightly from what he assumed were tears.

“I have something to talk to you about, Kunikuzushi” She said. Her voice was calm, but he could tell it was just a front for the creeping rage behind it. What had she found out now?

Kunikuzushi felt the contents of his breakfast twist his stomach as he swallowed down a gulp. She obviously was not happy about whatever she had found out. There was only one thing that he had done recently or ever in his life that would’ve brought her to this state. She had to have found out about his meeting with Kazuha.

“Explain this to me. I expected better from you” Ei coldly ordered. She didn’t even look him in the eye, but she held up a photograph to his face.

As Kunikuzushi thought, it was a photo of him and Kazuha. It was taken from last night, just before the other had left him. Kazuha was blowing a kiss to him with his glider wings open and the sack of stolen visions in his hand. There was no lying about the picture. There was no one else that could be in that picture besides Inazuma’s most wanted criminal and his lover.

What he feared the worst came true.

“It’s not what it looks like” He answered back in a panic. He put his head down, not because he was ashamed of what he did, but because he didn’t want to see his mother staring him down.

“Kunikuzushi, I never expected for you to collude with the enemy. If it’s not what it looks like then what is it then? I did not raise you like this.” Ei’s tone was sharp. Each word cut through the other like a knife through softened butter.

He fried his brain trying to search for an excuse to come up with.

“I-, I-” He started, “I admit that I have been seeing Kaedehara, but it was only to gain his trust for my…uh case!” It wasn't a solid excuse, but he hoped his mother believed it. She always told herself that Kunikuzushi would be just like her. It was a flaw that he could try to extort.

“Oh!” She started. Her tone was much gentler. She bought the excuse, “I’m not sure I completely understand how gaining Kaedehara’s trust is beneficial in this case, instead of catching him in the moment. I assume you know something I don’t, Kunikuzushi”

He quickly came up with some bullshit plan to tell her. “Kaedehara is a very tricky individual, mother, I’m sure you know that. He can evade capture easily, I plan on lowering his guard by earning his trust first.”

He felt his stomach roll over again after he said that. He couldn’t imagine betraying Kazuha and handing him over to Ei when all he simply wanted was just freedom. It was what Kunikuzushi desired too.

Ei narrowed her eyes, studying him, but she seemed to believe it.

“That is an excellent plan, Kunikuzushi!” She almost seemed proud of him for once. How differently she would’ve reacted if she knew the true nature of the picture. “Though why did you not inform me or any other officials in the plan? We could help you or provide any needed resources.”

“I wanted to keep my plan as low profile as possible” This part wasn’t a complete lie. He didn’t want anyone to find out about his meetings with Kazuha, though it wasn’t the plan that he was telling her about. “If Kazuha catches word of the plan, it’ll fall to shambles. It’s the only chance we have at catching him, mother”

“Ah, I understand. I’m proud of you Kunikuzushi, I knew that you would be able to catch Kaedehara when I assigned you this case” She shot him an approving smile that he hadn’t seen in years and pulled him in for a hug. “I suppose I can suffer the damages made by Kaedehara publicly, if it means you’ll catch him”

Guilt wallowed up in his stomach. Kazuha wasn’t the one he was going to betray, it was her. She’d be disappointed at him for not following her orders. He would let Inazuma’s most wanted criminal flee the country without any issue. He could deal with the consequences from Ei when it came to that.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your work now, don’t worry I won’t tell anyone about your plan” She walked past him and closed the door, leaving him all alone in his office with the photograph.

Just looking back at the scene made Kunikuzushi blush like he was in the picture. Maybe once Kazuha left he’d get the photo framed. The future was bittersweet. The Alcor left tomorrow night, taking the samurai with it. He wanted Kazuha to stay in Inazuma with him, but he didn’t want to infringe on the other’s freedom. At least one of them would live the life they wanted. For now though, he could look forward to meeting his lover at Chinju Forest tonight.

Mellow teal flowers glistened under the watch of the otogi trees. They smelled sweet yet they still held a subtle scent like lavender, but less obnoxious. The sun never set nor rose in that forest. It seemed as if the forest were always set in some kind of mystical eternal night.

Kunikuzushi had only been wandering amongst the trees when he had seen the white haired samurai. It wasn’t often that he went on an outing like this. It was always alone.

A whimsical noise filled the air, sounding similar to some kind of woodwind instrument. Sweet melodies swirled through the air. Unlike what he usually heard, he found it tolerable. Kunikuzushi simply looked up to see the source and there he was.

Kazuha was seated along a branch, head resting against the trunk of the tree. One of his legs was propped up along the branch while the other dangled freely, swaying in beat with the wind.

In one hand he studied one of the fluorescent flowers that decorated the magical forest. It was bell shaped, though the petals separated and spread at the tips.

His white hair was tied back into a single short flowing ponytail, while a crimson streak adorned his bangs.

It was the same vibrant crimson as his eyes.

Those eyes were filled with vitality as they sparkled in the night, rivaling the moon silver glow that was cast in the forest. Yet, there was a tinge of sadness in them, something that dampened. It was well hidden though. The second the samurai noticed his lover his gaze seemed to switch, hiding any of that lingering grief behind a welcoming smile.

Kazuha hopped down from the branch gracefully to greet him. The samurai made the detective’s heart skip beats with just a single gaze.

After that they took a seat along one of the old dilapidated benches along the path in the forest. The wood creaked as they sat down.

“You came,” Kazuha mellowly exclaimed.

“Of course” Kunikuzushi replied, if he could he would spend all his time with Kazuha, “I have something to tell you though…” His conversation with Ei sat on his mind. Kazuha should at least know that they’ve been spotted.

“Oh what is it Kuni?” Kazuha asked concerningly.

“Someone saw us last night at the statue and took a photo…” Kunikuzushi started. He didn’t dare to face the other, keeping his eyes glued at the bench Kazuha sat on instead, “The Shogun found out about it and asked me about it. I lied to her. She…she thinks I’m going to betray you and turn you in which won’t do. She said she wouldn’t interfere with the plan though” He admitted.

“Oh” Kazuha reacted. He knew now that when he left Kunikuzushi would be left in hot water. The truth would come out then once he left. It meant Kunikuzushi would basically be sacrificing himself for Kazuha…Of course he would definitely face some kind of consequences, he might not be jailed like Kazuha, but definitely kept under close watch.

Kazuha used his hand to guide Kunikuzushi’s face to look back at him before brushing away the tears forming on the other’s cheeks.

“Kuni, what would my punishment be if you did turn me in?” Ideas were rolling in Kazuha’s head.

“Kazuha!” The other cried, “don’t even think about that…I’m not going to turn you in” He was being genuine in his words. Just the thought of turning in Kazuha to Ei made his stomach spin and swirl.

“I know, Kuni, I know. I’m just…curious about what the punishment might be”

Kunikuzushi just stared at him for a second trying to figure out what he was thinking. His attempt to figure out what the other was thinking ended unsuccessfully. He decided to tell him anyway. Kazuha had a way of fishing out the information somehow.

“Well you’ve resisted the Shogun’s orders, resisted the vision hunt decree, performed an unsolicited breaking and entering in two government building, and severe burglary…you’d be lucky to get anything less than a life sentence in the highest security prison in Inazuma, which is right under the Tenryou Commission Headquarters where I work” Kunikuzushi explained, he didn’t know why Kazuha was asking this.

“I wouldn’t face divine punishment?” Kazuha asked as his hand was raised to his chin like he was pondering over a plan.

“No” Kunikuzushi continued, “unless you challenged the Shogun to a duel and lost it, you would face divine punishment. Or if you challenged someone else to a duel to death in the face of the Shogun. Why do you want to know all of this?”

“No particular reason” Kazuha smiled cheekily, the other could tell he was lying, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to fish out the truth. “Now Kuni, is this a much better spot for a date?”

The forest glowed around them. It was probably one of the most scenic places in Inazuma. From the outside the forest looked dark and dull, but the inside was simply enchanted. It was like a geode, a hidden beauty.

“It’s one of the more tolerable spots in Inazuma…” Kunikuzushi replied, brushing it off as a place he valued little.

“I’ll miss this spot once I leave…” Kazuha responded back, his eyes roaming from branch to branch. From the flowers carpeting the ground to the moon glowing in the sky above.

“Are you still leaving tomorrow with Beidou?” Kunikuzushi already knew the answer, but he could only hope that Kazuha stayed longer.

He knew it was selfish to think that way, but these nightly meetings had sparked something in Kunikuzushi. It lit a flame, a hunger that would follow him for the rest of his life. He’d never be satisfied in Inazuma, he’d never be satisfied without Kazuha.

“Are you coming with me?” Kazuha asked back, confirming his answer.

He wanted to, he really did. He wanted more than anything to run away with Kazuha and leave it all behind, but he couldn’t. He was never allowed to.

“You know I can't,” Kunikuzushi sighed.

Kazuha hummed in response, “Well, if this is our last time together, Kuni…let’s make it worth it.”

Kazuha summoned what seemed to be a picnic basket from inside his vision. Inside of it were all kinds of colorful desserts. From sweet soft plump sakura mochis to sweet fish shaped taiyaki filled with sweet red bean paste.

“The Kaedehara family used to give baskets of desserts to the Shogun as gifts, I assumed you would like them too!” Kazuha explained as Kunikuzushi’s eyes were glued to each delicacy pulled out from the basket.

He had bought one dessert of each type for each of them. Sweet floral smells to the smell of freshly baked desserts sprung filled his nose. Despite already eating dinner, Kunikuzushi’s stomach felt empty at the sight.

“You haven’t said anything Kuni, do you not like it?” Kazuha teased as he saw the other’s mouth water from the scene.

“It’s fine I guess…”

“Oh if it’s just fine then you don’t have to eat any” Kazuha began to put the desserts back into the basket.

“Wait! No!” Kunikuzushi cried, “Ok maybe it’s more than just fine…”

“That’s what I thought,” Kazuha hummed, “Now which one do you want first, Kuni?”

Kunikuzushi couldn’t decide. There were just too many to choose from. Even if there were only two options he still wouldn’t be able to choose. The sweet sakura mochis seemed appealing, but then the tri-colored dango was staring back at him in all its colorful glory.

Kazuha noticed the other’s indecisiveness and went ahead to choose himself, “We can eat the sakura mochis first then so you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about it”

Kunikuzushi was too occupied by the dessert being handed to him that he didn’t bother to reply to the backhanded compliment.

The texture was just perfect being chewy enough to savor in his mouth, but not too much to overwhelm his jaw. The inside was filled with fragrant red bean paste that almost melted in his mouth. In a moment that felt like it lasted an eternity and a second at the same time Kunikuzushi finished the confectionery. The only remnant left being the powder dusted on his lips.

Kazuha had yet to finish his yet, eating only half each bite. He saw the other hungrily eyeing his though, and decided to give it to him. Reluctantly Kunikuzushi accepted, not wanting to take away the sweet from Kazuha but at the same time not able to resist. It was an indirect kiss. Kazuha resisted the urge to squish Kunikuzushi’s filled cheeks as he happily enjoyed his desserts.

“I quite enjoy sakura mochi” Kazuha commented as the other finished swallowing, “The floral touches make a nice touch along with the lightness of the dessert. I see you enjoyed it, Kuni”

Kazuha moved his hand to brush off the leftover flour dusting off the other’s lips. Kunikuzushi’s cheeks turned a bright pink similar to the color of the sweet he had just consumed.

“You get flustered so easily,” Kazuha teased.

“No I don’t” Kunikuzushi lied, he downright knew that everytime Kazuha spoke to him he felt all warm inside. It made him feel dizzy as he fell for the other more and more. The feeling was addicting.

“Oh…is it just me that flusters you then?” Kazuha remarked with a smug smirk written all over his face.

The smirk Kazuha held on his face made the other want to punch him in the face, but at that same moment he couldn’t stop blushing. “Just shut up!”

“Would you like to have the dango next, dear?” Kazuha offered, switching Kunikuzushi’s mind back to the desserts.

He nodded his head affirmatively and soon was handed the sweet treasure.

Each of the three dango balls on the skewer were a different color and flavor. One was a deep green similar to a freshly brewed matcha green tea. It smelled like one too. It was slightly bittersweet, with a robust slightly nutty matcha flavor. He quite enjoyed the soft yet chewy texture. It was chewier and more tender than the mochi.

The next one on the skewer was a pale slightly off white color. This one didn’t have any added flavor to it. Sometimes the most basic was the best.

Lastly, the third ball was a pale pink. It reminded Kunikuzushi of Kazuha’s rosy lips. The ones that promised a kiss tonight. It was strawberry flavored. Contrasting the bitterness of the matcha, it was much sweeter as the aromatic taste of the fruit danced across his tongue.

Kunikuzushi had been trying to eat this one slower, more in rhythm with the pace the other ate at. He felt guilty for taking the other half of Kazuha’s sakura mochi. Though it just ended up with Kunikuzushi awkwardly waiting for Kazuha to finish each one before proceeding to eat the next corresponding one after. The samurai observed what was going on and couldn’t help but get a little chuckle out of it.

Lastly, Kazuha pulled out a taiyaki generously filled with sweet red bean paste for each of them.

The outside was sweet, crisp, and crunchy with a slight chew to it. Inside lay the real treasure though, at least in Kunikuzushi’s refined opinion. The red bean paste that fully filled the fish shaped cone. It was sweet and smooth as it rolled off his tongue and coated his lips. It was the perfect balance of sweetness. Not so sweet as to overwhelm the tongue and throat but not too bland to make it unenjoyable. Plus the taiyaki was still slightly warm as he could feel the cone slightly squish at the pressure of his fingers holding it.

He wondered where Kazuha had been able to get all these desserts, being Inazuma’s most wanted criminal. Though, he wouldn’t have doubted if Kazuha was able to make all of these himself. There seemed to be a more homely touch to them than the versions that Kunikuzushi bought at one of the many restaurants or confectionery shops in the city.

For once, he had finished at relatively the same time as the other.

Kunikuzushi opened his lips to thank Kazuha for the sweets, but was met with a finger shushing him.

“I have one more dessert…” Kazuha said, “close your eyes, Kuni. It’s a surprise!”

Despite being a little suspicious on what this dessert could be, Kunikuzushi still followed. He hadn’t seen anything else in the picnic basket though.

Kunikuzushi was about to say something, but was once again shushed. Though this time not by a finger.

A pair of rosy red lips met the other and Kunikuzushi held back a gasp at the contact. He knew it had been coming, but he didn’t expect it so soon. He pushed back and deepened the passionate kiss. His mind filled with warm thoughts as his whole body felt like it was on fire and was just melting into the other. He could feel warm breaths trailing out from Kazuha across his face and could taste the sweet remnants of the desserts from earlier. The aromatic sakura, then the robust matcha, the sweet strawberry, and lastly the rich red bean. Time froze around them. Despite initiating the kiss Kazuha let the other lead.

As they both pulled away, Kunikuzushi could only continue staring at those rosy lips and cheeks blushing like a ripe peach. It felt cold without being so close now, he wanted to go right back into kissing again, but he needed to catch his breath.

It had gone well for a first kiss he thought.

For a few seconds afterwards the silence of the forest was only filled with the sounds of the two lovers catching their breaths. The moon was the only witness. The flowers danced in the wind and the trees rustled their leaves.

Wordlessly, Kazuha got up, hand outstretched to the other and asked, “Dance with me?”

Kunikuzushi would usually be too embarrassed to do such a thing, but this was his last night with his love. It was the only chance to do this. The last time he would spend with his love. So he accepted the other’s hand without any regrets for once.

“I can lead,” Kazuha smiled, noticing the other’s nervousness.

Just a smile cured all of the shakes of anxiety running through the other’s body. There was no one else but Kazuha to watch the other tonight and he wouldn’t let him fall. At least not alone.

They waltzed amongst the field of flowers. The spotlight of the moon’s glow on them. It was like in that moment all that existed to Kunikuzushi was the samurai leading his hands.

It was far from graceful, Kunikuzushi tripped over his feet, but never once did Kazuha let him fall, always graciously catching him with an arm wrapped around the other’s waist. Their faces were so close that their lips almost touched again.

Silver shadows frolicked across the forest floor and in the reflection of the crystal water.

Despite not ever letting Kunikuzushi fall, the detective felt himself falling more and more with every step. His balance swayed as he stared into those deep red eyes of his lover. He was dropping more and more hopelessly into Kazuha. The samurai that whispered little sweet words into his ear the first time they met, who captivated him from first glance. He couldn’t stop himself from falling now even if he wanted to.

Eventually after the last twirl, Kazuha took the other back to the bench they sat at. Much like the night before Kazuha rested his head on the other shoulder while wrapping his arms around the other, careful to hold him in his embrace. Kunikuzushi rested his own head against those snowy locks.

They both sat there silently, knowing it was most likely the last time they saw each other. Kazuha left tomorrow with Beidou leaving behind Inazuma forever. Kunikuzushi would remain here, always waiting for the other’s return, but never able to run away with him. He’d never be able to.

Sometime at the end of the night Kazuha let his arms that wrapped around the other’s shoulders go and lifted his head. At that movement Kunikuzushi followed. He felt a haze of sadness surrounding them. It was probably time for Kazuha to leave soon. The sun wasn’t visible inside Chinju Forest, but the moon was making its steady descent to the ground. A reminder of the little time they had.

“Kuni, are you still going to run away with me?” Kazuha asked gently, already knowing the answer, but he could only hope that his lover would run away with him.

“I want to go, but you know I can’t Kazuha…” He replied tentatively. Ei was the only thing holding him back. If only he could just not care about what she wanted and run away. Kazuha seemed to understand how Kunikuzushi felt and didn’t blame him for it.

“I don’t want to leave without you, Kuni, I love you” Kazuha gently whispered.

“I know, I know” Kunikuzushi replied, it hurt him that he couldn’t repeat the words back, but he stifled back any tears. He didn’t want to ruin the moment.

Kazuha leaned in and their lips brushed each other again. This kiss wasn’t as long, but it wasn’t meant without any less passion than the first. The sweet taste of the desserts still lingered slightly on the other’s lips. A fleeting moment. Just like their time together.

It was almost sunset now, the moon was almost touching the horizon now.

Kazuha got up from the bench and Kunikuzushi followed.

“I guess this is goodbye then” Kunikuzushi started.

Kazuha shook his head, “Not yet, Kuni, I’ll give you another day to think about my offer…meet me at the Grand Narukami Shrine tonight…I’ll ask Beidou to delay leaving a couple hours”

Kunikuzushi knew he wouldn’t be able to change his mind no matter how much his heartstrings tugged at his brain. But he still agreed regardless. He was selfish, he wanted to see Kazuha again.

They parted only to return to each other for the last time later.

The walk back to Inazuma City was beautiful, but lonely. Kunikuzushi felt cold. The warm orange sun was rising along the horizon as it peeked over the ocean. Waves clashed against cliffs in the background.

Tonight was the last time they’d see each other. Kazuha wanted him to go with him. He wanted to run away with him. As much as he said that Ei was the one forcing him to stay. He knew it was himself. He cared too much about what she would think if he ran away. If he, her only son and successor fled the country with the samurai never to return for something as silly as love. She would never understand, Kunikuzushi didn’t expect her to, but he wanted her to approve. He wanted her to approve of him doing what he wanted. Not what she wanted. She knew he hated Inazuma. He was sure of it. It was the way there was always a hidden hopelessness in the way she talked to him. She ignored it though, never thinking to actually consider Kunikuzushi’s own wishes. She was selfish just like him. Except he was able to let someone go if they wanted to leave. He knew if he didn’t let Kazuha leave on his own accord it would build resentment. He didn’t want Kazuha to view him like how he viewed his mother.

By the time he reached the gates of Tenshukaku the sun was glaring down upon the city. The cool autumn breeze helped ease the pressure of the heat. The front door had been repaired again.

Surprisingly, Ei was simply at Tenshukaku instead of meeting with other officials from the tri-commission. She’d been waiting for him to return.

“Kunikuzushi, where have you been?” She asked imperially, “You didn’t come home last night”

Home. Kunikuzushi didn’t know if he could use that word to describe Tenshukaku. It was a palace that he lived in, but was it home?

“Doing detective work” He replied back whilst walking past her. To his dismay she began to follow and walk next to him. His response wasn’t technically a lie.

“Ah, that Kaedehara case, I wanted to talk to you about that” She started. Kunikuzushi already had a bad feeling about what she was going to ask. “When do you plan to capture Kaedehara? The Alcor plans to leave today. So you must arrest him today, unless of course you found out he isn’t leaving on the Alcor.”

“I cannot confirm that Kaedehara will leave on the Alcor despite interrogation,” Kunikuzushi lied. If he told her the truth she’d order guards around the area. He wanted the escape to be as easy as possible for his lover, knowing he was fully capable of evading any soldiers deployed in the area.

“Ah I see” She nodded her head disappointingly, “Well do you know of any of his future plans?”

“He hasn’t disclosed any of the such to me” Kunikuzushi lied. They were meeting at the Grand Narukami Shrine tonight. He didn’t need Ei interfering.

She seemed to accept his answer and gave him a brief goodbye. She only ever cared about the report of course.

Once Kunikuzuhsi got back to his room, he collapsed straight onto the bed. It was going to be a long night.

As soon as Kazuha escaped tonight, the blame would be shoved onto him. He already knew this much was true. The thing that worried him though, was how much Ei suspected him of his betrayal. If she knew the truth, he’d be jailed. She wouldn’t spare him of her wrath, not that he ever expected her to. The rules were rules.

He was sure that even if she didn’t see through the lies, she’d still punish him. The news would have a field day covering that the Shogun’s son failed to capture Inazuma’s most wanted criminal. At the very least, she’d become much stricter on him.

He stared at the roof, thinking about Kazuha’s offer. Why couldn’t he just let himself run away with him? It was what he wanted more than ever…

The roof above him felt suffocating. The smoothened dark stone walls encased him. There wasn’t a single window in all of Tenshukaku nor any other opening to the outside world beside the door. And even now that had been repaired after Kazuha broke it open. The air was stuffy and cold. Silence consumed the halls, the only noise being the creak of the front door’s hinges occasionally. Afterwards, loneliness would just settle back in.

The walls blocked everything out. Everything remained the same inside. It was like an eternal winter lull had been cast over the palace. Except, it hadn’t been cast, but created. Yet as much as she tried to keep everything out there were always cracks. Foundations cracked, some repaired, most went unnoticed. When he was younger Kunikuzushi would roam the walls, feeling the little cracks, grooves, and imperfections run along his hand as it glided against the surface.

It had been the only thing to do inside the palace. The halls lay barren, void of any decoration. No paintings or statues ornamented the halls. For such a regal palace, one would’ve expected it to be adorned with beauties. It was always left barren. Only the necessities stayed. Kunikuzushi’s own room consisted of a simple desk, bed, and lamp.

Home. That had been the word Ei called this place. He’d grown up and lived his whole life in Tenshukaku, but it wasn’t home. It was a suffocating prison. It never felt like a home, but he also never knew what home felt like. That was until a few days ago.

Until that samurai with those vibrant red eyes came into his life, Kazuha. Kazuha made him feel at home, at peace, with that awful teasing or with the little gifts he gave the other. The way he laid his head on the other’s shoulder that night, the thought of it radiated warmth in Kunikuzushi’s world. Kazuha broke down the walls that trapped Kunikzusuhi, he stretched out a hand to let him escape his fate. Yet, he couldn’t run away with the other.

He was tied to Inazuma as the sole successor of Ei. She tied him to Inazuma as she did everyone else. No one was allowed to leave. As much as he hated it, he was obligated to rule Inazuma one day, to follow in her footsteps. Wouldn’t it be selfish to run away from all of that? He never asked to be the Shogun’s son. He was never asked what he wanted, she had always assumed.

His dreams of running away would never be filled though. He had people to serve, or rather to please. But was it not also selfish to deprive Kazuha of his love? Kunikuzushi didn’t know anymore.

His decision had always been to stay in Inazuma, as tempting as the offer to run away was. Now, he was doubtful. He only had until tonight to decide.

Until his fate was sealed, for eternity.

The Grand Narukami Shrine had always been a guarded place. Despite the Shogun’s efforts to hide the truth, almost everyone knew of the rumors about the electro gnosis. There was no need for there to be that much security at the shrine. While at the shrine itself there were no guards, surrounding it was a different story.

Ei had never used the gnosis unlike the other Archons. She simply already had enough power and had no need for such a device. It was a liability at best. Despite not using it, she still had to keep it under lock and key in case the enemy would try to steal it and use it against her.

Even then though, besides having some troops surrounding the area, there wasn’t much else that protected the gnosis besides a simple elemental case inside the Sacred Sakura. To break the case one would need strong control over their respective element, yet it still wasn’t a difficult feat to overcome for most vision holders. The hardest part would be being able to withstand the gnosis’ power.

It was kept in an elemental case for a reason. Anybody that came in contact with it that didn’t naturally have an electro immunity would die upon contact. Just being in the mere presence of such a sheer amount of concentrated power would knock any vision holder unconscious. The only two people known to be able to withstand the electro gnosis’ power were Ei and of course Kunikuzushi. No one else had the power to be able to wield it much less just stand in its presence. Plus even if someone did try to take it, Ei would know. She was connected through the leylines to it.

Kunikuzusi wasn’t quite sure why exactly Kazuha had chosen this place, but he was sure the other knew of the rumors. He doubted that Kazuha was going to steal the gnosis. He hadn’t originally planned to stay for this night. He was only doing this to await Kunikuzushi’s decision, which hadn’t changed from the prior night. Kazuha probably just thought the Grand Narukami Shrine was pretty or some shit like that. It’d be a nice place for a last rendezvous.

As always when Kunikuzuhsi arrived, Kazuha was already there, sitting along the steps leading up to the Sacred Sakura. Encased in its bark was the electro gnosis. As much as Ei tried to conceal it, a vague purplish haze still scattered itself out from the center of the trunk.

“You came, Kunikuzushi” Kazuha remarked as he got up and danced his way toward the other.

“How long do you have tonight?” Kunikuzushi asked. It was the last time they’d be together.

“Don’t worry about that, Kuni…Beidou said she can stay as late as needed” Kazuha replied back, “let’s just focus on us now”

It seemed Kazuha already knew the other’s answer without asking. There was no other reason to delay his leave. If Kunikuzushi decided to run away they would’ve already been down by the docks at Ritou maybe already out at sea leaving the island nation behind. Instead they sat under the snow of pale pink silky sakura petals.

The silent noises of the night echoed around them. Swirling winds suspended leaves in the air above before drifting away. They sat in silence. They both understood that it was their last night together. Maybe that was why. Despite the silence, Kunikuzushi found solace in simply lying in the other’s embrace.

As Kunikuzushi sat along the steps, Kazuha lay along his shoulder, like he had always done. It was better that way. They wouldn’t have to make eye contact. Kunikuzushi didn’t know if he could bear looking the other in the eye again, knowing it would be the last time.

By the time the moon glowed across their faces, Kazuha got up slowly, leading the other to the top of the steps leading to the tree behind them. It was time. He was going to ask the question. And Kunikuzushi would reply.

As they faced each other, Kunikuzushi still averted the other’s gaze. Yet, he couldn’t resist looking back when the other gently traced the edge of his chin. Two bright crimson eyes stared back at him, full of life but also sorrow, much like last night in Chinju Forest when Kunikuzushi first spotted him.

Hands held, they leaned into each other. Lips melting under pale pink cover as silver light peeked through. Kunikuzushi felt his whole body shake and fill with a homely warmth, but it all ended too soon as the other pulled away. Lonely cold replaced that pool of warmth, a void of what had been before.

As they both tried to catch their breaths, their eyes still met. Kunikuzushi couldn’t keep himself from looking away. He found himself lost in his lover’s eyes, spiraling deeper and deeper into that spark.

“Will you run away with me?” Kazuha asked gently, his voice was steady, but his breathing remained heavy and soft at the same time. He already knew the answer, the tear welling up in the corners of his eyes told Kunikuzushi.

“I-” Kunikuzshi started. He didn’t know what he wanted. He couldn’t leave, but he also couldn’t bear to stay. Was it really being selfish to want someone to love, to run away with them, to live his life the way he wanted?

“I don’t know” Kunikuzushi admitted with a sigh. He knew he was letting Kazuha down. The other couldn’t hide the sorrow in his eyes any longer.

Yet Kazuha still replied quietly after a moment of acceptance, “I understand, Kuni, but would you please indulge me one last time in a parting kiss?”

He nodded before he closed his eyes awaiting soft lips to meet his own. It was just one last time…forever.

Except they never came.

His eyes flew open at the sounds of winds whirling and the sound of something shattering. The air tensed around them. Goosebumps pricked up his spine.

Kazuha had unsealed the gnosis from its elemental cage.

The air became filled with suffocating static as pure electro seeped out.

In disbelief, Kunikuzushi stared at the other, face filled with conflicted emotions. He knew what Kazuha was going to do. The other had planned this all along. Ever since the night before.

The samurai only whispered out two words before falling unconscious in a dizzy haze. Even then he still maintained grace as the winds stormed around them swirling with electro.

“I’m sorry…”

Right before falling, he had placed his vision in the other’s palm, the teal orb warming Kunikuzushi’s palm. All of Kazuha’s ambitions and dreams, placed into Kunikuzushi’s care. Kazuha had placed himself in the others care.

In tears, he caught the other before he could reach the ground, but what had been done had been done. Kazuha had sacrificed himself for Kunikuzushi’s sake so they could be together. Ei would be here any second now to see the sight of Inazuma’s most wanted criminal passed out in his lover’s arms.

Kazuha had planned this. He knew what was going to happen. He knew Kunikuzushi’s decision. That’s why he had chosen the specific spot for their supposed last date. That’s why he had asked those questions about his punishment. He was going to be sentenced for life in prison. Kunikuzushi would be able to see him everyday, Kazuha had given up his freedom for the other.

Was it not selfish for Kunikuzushi to allow the other to give up their own freedom?

Ei stormed into the shrine with thunder crackling behind her, almost teleporting with the power of electro. She was furious. Kunikuzushi knew it. Yet, once she saw the scene before her, he gaze mellowed.

“Kunikuzushi” She began almost in slight disbelief, “you caught Kaedehara”

He felt a pit in his stomach lurch. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was supposed to betray Ei, not hand Kazuha over to her. He couldn’t form a response through his tears. The tears said it all though. Ei shot him a gaze, she knew Kunikuzushi didn’t actually want to catch Kazuha. She pieced it together. The picture, the staying late, the tears, the lying. He didn’t actually have a plan to betray Kazuha, he wanted to betray her…

“Hand over his vision” She coldly ordered, not caring for her son’s tears. She never had, her son had always been too emotional. She wouldn’t care any more, not when her son would go as far as betray her. That wasn’t how a future Shogun was to act. He would learn in due time.

Though Kunikuzushi couldn’t muster a reply to the other, he stood his ground. He wasn’t going to throw away Kazuha’s ambition like that. To hand it over to anyone. Especially not Ei. This was the one thing he would never surrender to her. Chills wrapped around him at her presence.

Her gaze hardened once she saw that he wouldn’t follow her order. Thunder peals erupted distantly as rain banged along the shrine.

“Kunikuzushi” She repeated sternly. “Hand. Over. His. Vision.”

He wasn’t sure where he got to courage to reply, maybe it had been from Kazuha’s vision that he gripped tightly in a fist. He would never let her take it.

“No.”

Lightning bolts rung out in the background. She was growing furious.

“You are my successor. You are to rule Inazuma. Adhere to its laws. I did not raise you to act otherwise. Hand over his vision or face the punishment!”

Punishment. Was that all that he faced? Wasn’t that what he already lived through everyday in Inazuma? Punishment, he had always been subjected to it. He was always punished for what he wanted to do.

It wasn’t selfish to want to run away. He wasn’t the selfish one to want to do what he wanted. She was the selfish one. She was the one that controlled what he did like her own puppet. She was the one that never cared for what he wanted to do.

The only thing he was being selfish for right now was letting Kazuha sacrifice himself for him. It wouldn’t stay that way much longer.

“No” Kunikuzushi yelled back as a roar of thunder ensued behind the figure that was his mother. It was a simple word yet it carried so much power, defiance, resistance.

“You will be banished from Inazuma then…” Her voice boomed like thunder.

Kunikuzushi stared her dead in the eye and simply replied, “Fine by me” He didn’t care what she thought anymore. He didn’t put it over what Kazuha wanted. What he wanted.

She was taken aback as she visibly stuttered backwards slightly. Her pupils narrowed and all the thunder and lightning stopped for a few moments. She hadn’t expected him to answer like that.

Before she had a chance to recuperate, Kunikuzushi continued firmly, “I’m running away with Kazuha.”

She could barely choke out a verbal response before pulling her sword out of her chest. It cracked with pure electro energy. A glowing purple illuminated the air. She wanted a fight despite violence being banned in the shrine. Kunikuzushi was done fighting with her. He was long done fighting with her. Fighting meant that it was up for debate. He had already made up his mind on what he wanted to do.

He was going to run away with Kazuha.

Instead of pulling out a weapon and charging at her, Kunikuzushi fled by jumping off the side of the mountain. He’d never used an anemo vision or any vision for that matter before, but Kazuha had entrusted his to him. With the other slinged along his shoulder he used the winds to try and cushion their fall and stop them from accelerating as they fell. It wasn’t the best landing, but luckily Kazuha remained unscathed and Kunikuzushi could still walk after they reached the ground.

Rain had started falling now, a brutal storm would be incoming. Inazuma would have to face Ei’s wrath. Lightning and thunder roared in the background. A single charged bolt was aimed straight for the pair. Aimed to kill. Kunikuzushi dodged it, lightning was fast, but he had the power of both electro and anemo on his side right now. She’d never be able to catch up to them. Hopefully…

He looked back up at Ei who was staring bolts at him from above. He could feel her gaze on him. They didn’t have much time. Yet it was a peculiar gaze, one of sadness. Kunikuzushi had never seen her like this before.

She would be on their trail. In a span of a few seconds he had made himself a traitor to all of Inazuma. He hoped Beidou was still in the docks. Kazuha had said she was staying late for him, but his plans had been to only leave with Kunikuzushi then was she going to stay. He could only pray to Celestia that she was still there. The captain was his only ticket out of here. Their only way out.

The winds aided them with the gift of swiftness as Kunikuzushi dashed across the Inazuman countryside. Ritou wasn’t far. If he used his electro powers it’d only take a matter of minutes.

The clouds covered the moon now. Complete darkness engulfed the nation, only lit by an occasional flash of lightning that disappeared in an instant. It was ironic how the archon of eternity’s element faded so quickly. Yet right now, there was no more lightning and thunder, only melancholy rain remained. The rain stung Kunikuzushi’s faced as the wind slapped his face. He kept Kazuha behind him to make sure he wouldn’t take the brunt of the force since they were traveling at such high speeds.

He had just passed through the entirety of Konda Village within a couple seconds. They were traveling so fast that mild thunder’s slammed behind them as they passed. Ritou would be in sight. They were almost there and Ei seemed to be completely out of view, surprisingly. Kunikuzushi knew he was traveling fast, but he didn’t think it was that fast. Was she not coming after them?

She wouldn’t have cared enough about him to chase after him. She knew he wasn’t fit to be her successor now. He didn’t matter at all to her now. It felt freeing like the shackles lingering in his mind had been removed.

By the time they reached Ritou he slowed when they approached the docks, he didn’t need to be falling in the water now. He was already drenched from the rain though.

Captain Beidou greeted the pair.

“You didn’t leave yet” Kuni gasped out, he never used his powers for more than a couple seconds usually.

“Kid said to wait until he returned or until his arrest was in the news,” Beidou replied gravely. That meant Kazuha had planned it all along. “Anyway get on deck already! I’m assuming she’s coming from the sudden
storm and urgency”

Kunikuzushi nodded and boarded the ship quickly as the crew untethered it while others opened the sails.

“Set a course for Liyue!” Beidou yelled before she faced back to the two fugitives, “go below deck and rest” It wasn’t a request, but an order. Kunikuzushi wasn’t one to deny her, he still worried that Ei might come for them, yet she was nowhere in sight. She really wasn’t coming after him. It wasn’t unexpected.

The ship rocked along the stormy seas, but Beidou’s crew were more than experienced in fighting monstrous waves.

It was much more humid and warmer under the deck. The smell of mildew was pungent, but Kunikuzushi could ignore it for now. He was too tired to care about it now. He could hear footsteps stomping along the planks above their heads along with the howling winds that pushed the sails. They seemed to be able to escape rather easily.

At the end of one of the halls was the guest room. Kunikuzushi struggled to open the heavy wooden door with only one of his arms, but got the job done after a few seconds. This room smelled like damp firewood, much better than the musty scent in the hallway.

It was cozily decorated with a single bed big enough for at least two people. The pillows were already fluffed and there was a lantern on one of the bedside tables. There was a notebook which seemed to be filled with poetry from what Kunikuzushi could see. Kazuha must’ve been staying here the last few days. It felt homely. That was just the effect Kazuha left behind in the room.

The bed was looking especially welcoming to Kunikuzushi though right now. Despite how jittery he had become from the events from the past hour, hsi adrenaline was running out quickly and he could feel his eyelids sagging.

Before resting himself, he gently placed Kazuha down into the bed and tucked the covers snuggly over the other. Kazuha seemed like the type of person who would want to be completely wrapped up in blankets when he slept. He clipped the vision onto its usual place slightly below the back of Kazuha’s neck.

Kunikuzushi slipped into the bed next to the other, wrapping his arms around Kazuha’s chest. His hand could feel the slight pounding of the other’s heart. He wasn’t going to let him run away without him now.

Besides the rocking of the waves and the sweeping winds above them, Kunikuzushi could hear the subtle small breaths from the other. Despite being knocked unconscious from the gnosis the anemo user would be back to normal again by the morning.

Kunikuzushi let himself fall asleep again like he had over the last few nights in Kazuha’s embrace. It was something he couldn’t sleep without now.

***

“Wake up, lovebirds!” Beidou shouted at the two Inazumans laying under the covers as she swung the door open with a bang. “It’s past noon!”

Kazuha was first to get up as he groggily lifted his head out from under the blankets. He would’ve sat up completely but two arms snugly held him back. In his tiredness he didn’t register who it was yet though. He was still rubbing his bangs out of his eyes.

“Beidou?” Kazuha asked perplexed, “what are you doing here?”

“The fuck you mean kid? You’re on my ship” Beidou replied.

Kazuha rubbed his eyes again before looking around the room under the ship’s deck.

“Wait, wait does that mean…” Kazuha’s eyes lit up as he pieced it all together. He was on the Alcor, not rotting away in an Inazuman prison.

“Kuni!” The samurai shouted out as he reached out to pull the blankets off the other figure in the bed. His eyes were completely covered by his messy indigo bangs.

“5 more minutes…” He murmured out while failing to pull the covers back over himself.

“Fine…” Beidou started as she began to close the door, “just come get breakfast before it’ll all be gone” Kazuha nodded and she closed the door leaving the two of them alone.

“So what exactly happened last night Kuni?” Kazuha asked, completely oblivious to the events that transpired. What he had planned to happen was that he would get turned into the Shogun, but would still be able to be visited by his lover in jail. It was a price he had been willing to pay for it, but he knew Kunikuzushi would’ve never agreed to it if he knew.

“I said 5 more minutes, Kazu…” Kunikuzushi was too tired to finish his sentence.

“Awww you gave me a nickname” Kazuha blushed, “fine we can cuddle for 5 more minutes…”

Kunikuzushi seemed satisfied at that and pulled the other back into his arms in tangles. 5 more minutes of cuddling ended up being another half an hour until Kazuha finally got up and pulled away causing the other to follow.

“That was more than 5 minutes, Kuni”

Kunikuzushi frowned, “This is the treatment I get for rescuing you…”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kuni, I wasn’t exactly conscious last night to see it,”

Kunikuzushi sighed, “why did you fucking do that last night dumbass?”

“Do what?” Kazuha innocently asked.

“Your fucking self sacrfice shit, don’t think I’m not mad for you pulling that.” He was angry, but they both knew he wouldn’t be able to stay angry.

“I’m afraid that failed or rather went better than I planned, didn’t it, given the fact that we’re both on the ship, so what happened last night Kuni? We can cuddle for a bit more if you tell me now.”

“Fine.” Kunikuzushi's cheeks flushed as Kazuha began laughing. He always knew what the other wanted. “Shut up!”

“I thought you were going to tell your story of last night my love?”

He rolled his eyes before he began to explain last night’s events, “After your dumbass knocked yourself unconscious, Ei showed up. She basically gave me an ultimatum of either handing you over or being banished from Inazuma. Anyways I don’t think she was expecting me to actually pick the option of being banished from Inazuma, but I did and ran away. I had to carry your unconscious ass the entire way to Ritou. Then we boarded Beidou’s ship and fell asleep. Well you’d been asleep the entire time, so I fell asleep. Now can we cuddle again?” The only thing that seemed important to him right now was cuddling.

“Kuni…” Kazuha started in awe. That was all he could say. His lover had just given up his entire royal status in Inazuma just to run away with him, a lowly criminal.

Kunikuzushi pulled the covers back up again and Kazuha was nestled at his side. His head lay against the other’s chest listening to faint heartbeats as their arms wrapped around each other. All that mattered was that they were together now. That they had run away with each other.