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He was not her first love.
And she was not his. Love was something they had both shared with others before. It was something they had both lost. Something that they knew to be like the wind, unpredictable in its timing and its length.
He watched her with a steady gaze as she stared up at the stars and saw something familiar. There was an unmistakable loneliness in her eyes, something he knew would always linger behind the sparkling gold and smiles that she would give him.
"Lumine." He called out softly, barely above a whisper, half wondering if she'd hear him. She slowly turned her head to look at him, a soft smile growing on her lips.
The serene expression made his heart jump. How long had it been since someone looked at him like that? In her eyes, he was not the infamous ronin that could defeat a hoard of treasure hoarders in a matter of minutes. He was not the pitiful samurai who carried his best friend's empty vision with him. He was not the wanderer that ran away from his home, traveling the world while longing to find a place he could feel safe again.
He was just Kazuha, her companion, her lover, hers.
"Yes?"
Kazuha reached out slowly and held a piece of her blonde hair between his fingers. Her hair was always something that caught his eyes. It reminded him of the color of starlight, hazy as it twinkled far off into the distance."I just wanted to call your name. It's a perfect name after all."
She giggled lightly as she swatted his hand playfully. "You're ridiculous."
"Lumine...A light that shines bright even on the darkest days. Like moonlight, like sunlight, like starlight--Lumine...The most beautiful woman I have ever met." His words came out slowly, tenderly as his gaze lowered to the lock of her hair between his fingers. Bringing it slowly to his lips, he kissed it reverently before his red eyes slowly raised to see the light dusting of pink on her cheeks. She averted her gaze from his, the smile on her lips unmistakable. "Lumine..."
She turned her head to look up at him with her eyes full of sunlight and he felt his chest clench.
He did not love her simply because she was beautiful. For beauty was a fickle thing, it was like a leaf blowing in the wind or the soft flutter of the wings of a butterfly. It was delicate, it was charming--but it wasn't something that he could keep forever.
He was in love with her because when she looked at him, he felt seen.
Kazuha felt like there was no need for a mask or a false smile for she would see right through him. When she looked at him, he felt vulnerable, he felt weaker than he had ever been before. As if all his training, all his work to be strong and capable did not matter. They were no match for her smile, her gaze, and her presence. For he knew that when she looked at him like that, in her eyes he could only be a man in love.
When she looked at him with the corners of her eyes slightly squinted, the sparkle in them undeniable-- he knew that he was safe here. That the place he longed to go, the place he longed to find, the place that he wandered all of Teyvat for and crossed the thundering seas was right here. In her company, in her arms, in her eyes--this was what he wanted most in all the world. A precious star that he had found and had the chance to hold in his hands.
He had found the place where he belonged, a home that he had always longed for.
"Lumine..." A treasured name, a wonderful name, her name. He did not know how he had survived this long without knowing it. Perhaps he had just been waiting, biding his time until they could meet in this lifetime.
"Yes?" She sighed, amused at his flowery words, wondering what poetry he would conjure up but instead he leaned over and pressed his lips against hers.
It began softly, a kiss that was more like a greeting of what was to come.
His hand moved to cup her cheek before he kissed her a bit harder. Taking her breath away with a swipe of his tongue, he swiftly moved to lay her down on the grass. His ruby eyes opened slightly to see her eyes closed, a halo of gold that shined against the grass. There was a slight smile on her lips as he continued to kiss her. Worshiping her with words his lips but not his words this time.
As he tasted her sweet lips against his, he wanted nothing more than for the world to stop, for time to be still, and for this moment to last forever.
Perhaps this was what the shogun wanted when she claimed to strive for eternity. A place where time would stand still and one could simply be with the one they loved most. A place and time just for them to simply be without any worry or concerns.
“Kazuha..." Lumine sighed against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer before she undid the tie holding his hair back. Combing through his hair with her fingers, he felt enchanted by her soft touch. “Did you really join this test of courage to see me?”
“Why would you doubt that?” He teased softly as he stole another kiss from her. “No prize is greater than being your partner or being able to stay by your side. I don’t think I can be the same wandering man I once was now that I’ve met you.”
Had his name ever sounded so sweet, so wonderful until the moment she said it? The way he felt her smile against his lips made his heart skip a beat and his breath got caught at the back of his throat. His name which he never felt was anything special, sounded almost heavenly on her lips. The sound of a perfect day, with the wind gently moving, the sky blue and without a cloud in sight.
Sometimes there were no words that could possibly convey what he felt for her. Perhaps love was suitable, and yet it felt like it was something far deeper than that. It was a want, a need, a desire to be in her company. It was the feeling of the world being too fast and yet in her arms, in her eyes, the world was just right.
The word love felt almost insufficient.
“What are you thinking about?” Lumine whispered as she combed her fingers through his hair, gently pushing his hair back. The glow of the lights that were placed all around for the festival creating an ethereal halo around her. She glowed so beautifully, that he couldn’t help but sigh.
Kazuha inched closer as he pressed his forehead against hers. There were numerous thoughts running through his head. Did she notice that when she looked into his red eyes that all she would see is her? Did she notice how he waited to breathe every time she spoke, not wanting to ruin the moment? Did she realize how special she was to him? “You.”
“What about me?” She hummed blissfully as she felt his hand move to cup her cheek. Leaning into it, she sighed happily before golden eyes lifted to meet his again. And there he saw stars, inviting him to be closer. The infinity of the universe being held in her eyes—he didn’t need to travel too far to know that this view before him would be the most beautiful thing he ever laid eyes on.
“Everything…Anything…You simply occupy my thoughts constantly and yet I can’t seem to—There are no words to properly convey how I feel, how you make me feel. You make me speechless.”
“Now that’s something that I didn’t think was possible. “She said with a soft giggle as her nose brushed against his. His ruby eyes softened at how her eyes fluttered before closing. “Do you want to know what I’m thinking about?”
“Always.”
“You.” Her voice was breathless as she brushed her lips against his. “How you make me feel like I’m flying among the stars. How your eyes sparkle when they look at me, warm and bright. How you make me happy—because I no longer feel so alone when I travel…Because you are willing to come with me.”
His red eyes widened before they quickly softened. His nose brushed against hers as he smiled, a weak chuckle leaving his lips. “Ha….It somehow feels so different to be on the receiving end of such beautiful words…I think the scariest part of this entire festival is you.”
She laughed and he wanted to bottle up the sound and keep it with him forever. “I scare you?”
“Absolutely.” He whispered softly and he nuzzled the side of her neck. His lips grazed against her skin, smiling as he heard her hitched breath. “Because you could command me to do whatever you wish and I’d follow the order as long as it made you smile. You have a hold of my heart and I…”Kazuha paused as he slowly leaned down to capture her lips once more. “—don’t have any plans on asking for it back.”
He would not be her last love.
For she was a star personified who had eternity on her side, while he was a mere mortal, lucky enough to have his time overlap with hers. He would run out of time as all mortals do and he would have to leave her side unwillingly. He hoped that she would not be too brokenhearted and yet the greedy selfish side of him hoped that she would.
He was afraid of how he craved to be someone that she could not let go of. That he would be someone she would miss for all eternity and wait for until he returned. He wanted to be someone that she would search worlds for and wait for as time kept passing. He wished to be a love that carved a place in her heart that would only belong to him, to them, to this moment where they were each others.
Because she knew that he loved her, loves her, and would always love her.
Her eyes searched his as the silence grew, softening in the corners as she realized the implication before she brought him back down to kiss him. “You terrify me as well.” She whispered gently. “So much so that I hope you’d never leave my side. That you’d never let me go. That you’d…”
“Lumine.” He called out gently before he pressed his forehead to hers. “I am here.”
“You are here.”
“And I love you.”