Chapter Text
“Hey guys!! So good to see you again!!” Yomiya ran up to you and Kazuha, squeezing you both tight. “I can’t believe the Vision Hunt Decree is finally over! Like oh em gee we should totally all go get dinner since you know Kazuha isn’t wanted anymore and Ayato doesn’t have to deal with so much and Thoma’s on his break and-”
“Yoimiya!” You cut her off, giggling. “We should all go to dinner sometime. But for now, I wanna spend some time with Kazuha.”
“Of course! He’s a free man now, so have fun lovebirds.” She ran off to some little kids, giving them candy.
“That girl is full of energy.” Kazuha said, letting out a breathy chuckle.
You smiled at him, grabbing his hands. “Come on Zuzu. We have all of Inazuma to see.”
The next few hours was your entire day as you and Kazuha made sure to visit every single island, shrine and special places of Inazuma. On his own request, he had gone to the Kamisato Mansion to greet his old friends again, and Watatsumi island to see Gorou and Kokomi.
The entire day you made sure to take him to places with all his friends so he could see them again. But, for some reason, he wasn’t his usual self.
His ‘poetic’ self you dare say. He always had a way with words, but today he was rather…off. He had a smile, but even you could notice how fake it looked.
He was barely even talking too. Usually, he always had childhood memories or stories to tell you whenever you visited a certain spot in Inazuma. Whether it be the shrine or the Kamisato house, there was always a story to follow it.
But there was none.
When you questioned it on him, he just said he was tired from the fighting he had done just a few days ago against the Shogun and her forces.
That fight, the one he fought alongside the Traveler with. You didn’t know her well, but heard many things about her. She was kind, strong, and willing to help whoever she could, no matter how far they were. She had saved Mondstadt just a year ago, apparently saved Liyue from a water-dragon-snake thing, and now saved Inazuma from the Vision Hunt Decree.
Kazuha always talked about her whenever he would sneak into Inazuma, whether it to be give Yoimiya fireworks that were shipped from Liyue or just to see you.
You’d never admit, but you were jealous of her.
“Where do you wanna go next?” You asked. “Oh! Or do you wanna continue tomorrow?”
“Y/N..” He turned to you, frowning. “I have to return to Liyue.”
“What?! What do you mean?”
“I’m a member of the Crux now, and I agreed to travel with the Traveler. We’re heading back to Liyue.”
“Oh..” You sighed, trying your best not to let tears flow out. The Traveler. Lumine. Everyone talks about her, about how great, wonderful and beautiful she is. That she could be as strong as the archons themselves and is the definition of perfection.
“You can come with us!” He suggested, giving you a small smile.
Your eyes lit up at that. You really didn’t wanna see the traveler, or leave home, but you’d do absolutely anything for Kazuha and to be with him.
You nodded in agreement, and on your way home, you couldn’t stop the twisting feeling in your stomach.
Leaving Inazuma? You’ve never set foot anywhere else than the islands in Inazuma. You’d be leaving all your friends here, not even being able to say bye to them because you had to leave first thing in the morning.
But you couldn’t stay away from Kazuha any longer.
The feeling in your stomach only became worse when you had arrived in Ritou to get to the Crux, and you saw his entire face changed into real happiness when he saw Beidou and the Traveler.
It made you wanna stop in your tracks, not even boarding the Crux to go say hi.
“Y/N?” Beidou called, “You coming up?”
Kazuha, who had already boarded turned and looked at you confusingly.
You couldn’t stay here. This wasn’t where you should be. But Kazuha had already told Beidou the great news of you traveling with them.
“Uhm..” You breathed out, trying to think of something. As you looked around, you saw a Ms Hina poster and your eyes lit up. “I’ll be back tonight. Just need to go talk to a few people!”
Before they could ask, you had already run off.
If you couldn’t figure him out, maybe someone else could…
“Leaving Inazuma?”
Even the Head Maiden of the Shrine was rather surprised. So was Sara, who sat beside Yae Miko.
You knew that she was Ms Hina and that she made Gorou dress up as her. But even still, she was always answering advice for everyone behind it. So, why not go to her for advice?
When you had gotten to the shrine asking for advice, her and Sara were just having a normal conversation when they saw you. They had gotten a table and a few chairs and set it in the middle of the area, tea being made by other maidens.
“You know, I could’ve just asked without all of this.” You pointed to the tea, and all the maidens gone for privacy.
Sara chuckled. “Well, when it comes to you, there’s always a rather long story to everything.”
“It’s Kazuha…” You said, and giggled when she rolled her eyes at the name.
“Your husband?” Yae asked, and you spit out your tea.
“Nonono..” You shook your head. “Boyfriend.”
“Whatever.” She scoffed. “No difference just need a ring.”
Sara put down her tea, straightening her back. “What’s up, Y/N? You usually never ask for help or advice when it comes to him.”
The next few minutes went by with you explaining everything to them. You had first started with the traveler, and of course they knew who she was.
“Not the biggest fan of them.” Sara said, and you felt a little bit of relief wash over you.
“I understand, Y/N.” Yae put a hand on your shoulder, before sipping on her tea. “Continue, dear.”
Minutes turned into an hour as you explained about Kazuha; How you haven’t seen him in months due to the Vision Hunt Decree, and the only moments he could have with you when he visited inazuma was always with Lumine.
You talked about how happy he was whenever he saw the Crux and Beidou, but while you both walked around Inazuma, he didn’t look genuinely happy when with you or walking around his home.
You talked about how you thought that it would make him happy- that he could finally roam around Inazuma again free with no one trying to arrest him or take his vision. Maybe Inazuma was just no longer his home.
As you talked and talked, you didn’t notice how Yae and Sara glanced to each other with frowns.
“That…was a lot to take in.” Sara put down her now cold tea.
Yae nodded in agreement, but then took ahold of her hands. “Y/N, do you want to leave Inazuma?”
“For Kazuha-”
“No.” She cut you off. “For yourself.”
You blinked a few times trying to think, and then shook your head. “No. I don’t.”
Sara sighed. “I’ve never been in love before but-”
She was cut off with Yae laughing, probably about the fact Sara was so visibly in love with Itto.
Sara rolled her eyes and continued talking. “Maybe his home just isn’t Inazuma anymore…nor is it you.”
Yae immediately stopped laughing and looked at her wide wide eyes, and so did you.
“You really think that?” You asked, tears starting to well up.
“A home should make someone happy.” Yae spoke, her hands squeezing yours. “Home isn’t a place, it could be anything and anyone. Y/N, my dear…I don’t think is home is Inazuma anymore.”
“But what about me?” You whisper-asked.
Yae and Sara gave each other a sad glance.
You already knew, and they knew you did too. You weren’t his home, nor were you his love anymore. He just didn’t know how to break it to you…and something else.
The way he talked about her…you knew it.
“He’s in love with Lumine.” Sara whispered.
The painful truth.
It wasn’t you anymore. Maybe it was just never you. Even if he still wasn’t in love with you, you were in love with him, and all you wanted was for him to be happy. Maybe it was best you let him go on his travels without you.
“It’s time to let him go Y/N.” Yae let go of your hands, frowning when she heard your sniffs from crying. “Inazuma…and you…is no longer his home.”
You chuckled and let out a sniff. “The Crux and the Traveler is.”
“How are you gonna do this?” Sara asked.
You looked up to the sky, it was already getting dark out. By the time you were to head back, it would already be dark, and maybe Kazuha would be asleep by that time.
“Do you have paper?” You asked, and Yae snapped her fingers and a maiden came, already holding a paper and pen.
“We’ll help you write it.” Sara smiled.
The next few minutes went by with a lot of tears falling onto your final words to Kazuha.
“Hey!” Beidou greeted you as you walked aboard the Crux. “Kazuha and Lumine just went to sleep. I’ll show you your quarters, com-” She stopped talking when she noticed your tears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
You gave Beidou a smile. “I can’t come. I’m sorry. I can’t leave my home.”
Beidou frowned. “Sad to see you leaving, but I know what it’s like. You wanna go say bye to Kazuha?”
You wiped your tears while shaking your head. “No, but can you give him this in the morning?” You handed her the letter you had wrote folded in an envelope.
She nodded, and gave you a final hug before getting off the ship, and a small smile grew on your face when you saw all your friends waiting for you.
“Guess no dinner after all, huh?” Yoimiya chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood.
Thoma looked like he was gonna cry. “Hey, sweetie.” He hugged you tight.
You assumed Sara and Yae had told them the news. Surprisingly, Sara was crying a little.
But you cried more as you watched the ship leave, soon disappearing into the fog.
“Goodbye Kazuha.” You whispered, breaking down in Thoma’s arms as he hugged you tight.
Dear Kazuha,
It pains me to write this. This was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I guess the universe just had other plans for me, and for us.
I think you already know I’m not on the boat with you, and I’m sorry. But I cannot leave Inazuma, and especially not with someone who doesn’t love me anymore.
I see the way you stare at her, and how happy you become when your around her. You used to do that around me, but not anymore.
I know you’re in love with Lumine, and all I want is for you to be happy, so I wish you the best on your travels.
Now for us, our goal was to always stick together no matter what. If the other had to travel, we always know the other would come back no matter what. But it looks like we are straying farther from the goal, and the dream we had of us being together forever.
You won’t feel at home with me, or here in Inazuma, and I don’t know what path you will be led on, but I know that you’ll feel at home with the Crux and Lumine.
Goodbye Kazuha, and farewell. I wish you the best.
- Y/N.