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It was peaceful below deck on the Alcor. It was a clear night, so the ship only gently swayed, and the space below deck was lit with warm-colored lanterns, creating a cozy atmosphere. The crew could be heard partying on the top deck, but their voices had toned down from earlier, so it wasn’t at all grating on the ears. Kazuha had decided to sit out of the party today. He usually joined in, but he couldn’t hold liquor to save his life, and he had a particular guest that he wanted to be sober to entertain.
Xinyan sat next to him on the edge of a wooden shipping crate, untying her hair from its usual style. Kazuha had a small poetry book open in his hands that he wasn’t even pretending to read - it was too dim for reading, anyways - and he instead watched Xinyan’s deft fingers.
Xinyan pulled out one of her hair ties and breathed a sigh of relief. “As much as I like to put effort into my hairstyle, it always feels great to take it out at the end of the day. What a relief.” The hair on one side of her head flopped down, and she combed it with her fingers. Kazuha drank in the sight; the chance to see Xinyan with her hair down was a rare gift.
“Effort well spent, in my opinion,” Kazuha said. “I’ve always appreciated your creativity with your hair. It makes you stand out in a crowd.”
“Yep!” Xinyan said as she fiddled with her other hair tie. “That’s the goal, after all!”
She slipped the other tie out of her hair and finger-combed the other side. Kazuha smiled at the sight. “Although, I can’t deny that your hair is still beautiful even now.”
Xinyan laughed. “Aw, shucks, you’re embarrassing me! Thanks, Kazuha. You shouldn’t sell yourself short, though; you have beautiful hair yourself.”
They’d been exchanging compliments like this for quite a while now, flirting back and forth. Kazuha wasn’t sure whether Xinyan meant anything by it, or if she was just the type of person who playfully flirted with all of her friends, but he didn’t mind not knowing for now. All he had to know was that he meant something by his flirting, and she seemed to enjoy it. He’d let the winds blow where they may and enjoy the experience without any other expectations. Expectations were often the thief of joy, after all.
“Thank you,” Kazuha said. “I can’t say I put much effort into the styling, though.”
“Really? I think the low ponytail looks good on you!”
“It’s the easiest way to tie my hair back for swordfighting - simple as that.”
“Hmm. Well, it’s pretty nonetheless. Oh, I know!” Xinyan put her hand on his forearm. They’d been doing this, too, recently: exchanging small touches in insignificant moments. Xinyan said, “Why don’t I try a few hairstyles on you? Maybe we’ll find one that suits you even more than the one you have already!”
Kazuha chuckled. “Sure. That sounds like a fun experience.”
“Right? Here, turn around.” Kazuha did as he was told, putting down his book and sitting criss-cross facing away from Xinyan. He felt the tie leave his hair as Xinyan removed it, and her fingers started combing through the bottom of his hair. “Anything you wanna try out for starters?”
Kazuha had agreed to this on a whim, so he had no ideas yet. “I don’t have anything specific in mind. I’ve always admired your favorite hairstyle, though.”
“Oh, the twin tails? Sure! I don’t think your hair has enough volume to hold two big ones, though, so let’s just do one on the side.” Xinyan started combing through the hair on Kazuha’s scalp, and he lightly sighed. He could get used to the feeling of her hands in his hair.
Xinyan laughed. “Don’t fall asleep on me now, Kazuha!”
“I’m awake, I’m awake.”
Xinyan gathered all of his hair to one side of his head and tied it off with an elastic. Then, she looped something bigger over the top of it. After a moment of thinking, Kazuha realized it was one of her spiky hair ties. Xinyan said, “Alright, I’m just gonna pull some of your hair a little looser to fluff it up a little bit. Tell me if it hurts.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
“Second, actually, if we include you.”
“That’s very true.”
Xinyan managed to do whatever she was doing without incident. She was very careful not to pull any hair too hard. Soon, she took her hands off of his scalp. “Done! Hold on, let me get the mirror.” After a few moments of Xinyan rummaging in her nearby bag, she pressed a handheld mirror into Kazuha’s palm. “Here, look.”
Kazuha lifted the mirror and caught sight of his reflection, with Xinyan peeking over his shoulder. His hair was all gathered to the side, held in one big side ponytail by Xinyan’s spiky hair tie. His hair hung limply out of it, nothing like how Xinyan’s looked in the same style. Kazuha laughed.
Xinyan laughed with him, and he watched her smile in the mirror’s reflection. She said, “Sorry, I tried the best I could! Maybe another style would suit you better.”
“Really?” Kazuha said. “I quite like it, myself. I must admit though, it’s mostly due to your spiky hair tie.”
“Yeah, I agree. Something about seeing my own hair tie in your hair...” Xinyan winked at him in the mirror. “Well, let’s just say I’m enjoying the view.”
Kazuha felt his face heating at that. After taking a moment to recover, he said, “I’d ask to keep one of the ties, if I didn’t know better.”
“No can do! These were a gift. But... I think I could get some matching ones commissioned with differently shaped spikes. Maybe something subtler, so it doesn’t destroy the cool wandering samurai image you’ve got going on. Whaddaya think? Want to match with me?”
“Honestly, I would like that a lot.”
“Really? I can go get it done next time in Liyue.”
“It’s a promise, then.”
Xinyan tried many different styles on him, including braids, pigtails, a bun, and everything in-between. They were both smiling and laughing all the while, giggling at the styles that didn’t work and commenting on the ones that did. Eventually, Xinyan said, “You know, this is probably the first thing I should’ve tried: just one nice high ponytail in the back. No trying to stuff it into my big hair tie - basically just your normal hairstyle but a little higher up. What do you say?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Xinyan tied his hair quickly this time, probably because it was such a simple style, and before he knew it, she was done. “Okay, take a look. I think it looks pretty good.”
Kazuha held up the mirror and gasped. He’d expected the high ponytail, but he didn’t expect his appearance to be so terribly reminiscent of his dead friend - the one who had died to the Shogun’s blade.
“Kazuha? You alright?” Xinyan said, sounding concerned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Kazuha stared into his own reflection. Of course, there were differences. His hair was silkier than his friend's was, as well as a different color. But the way Xinyan had set Kazuha’s bangs, the exact height she’d put the ponytail - it was exactly like him.
Kazuha took a deep breath. “I have, in a way.”
“You’re being a little vague, there. Sorry, did I remind you of something from the past? I can take the tie out.”
Kazuha shook his head. “No, it’s quite alright. This style reminds me of a friend long gone, but...” he could see his own tentative smile in the mirror, “I think I like it. This style... it’s meaningful to me. I’d wear it anywhere with pride.”
“That’s great to hear. We found our one, then?”
“Yes. I won’t wear it all the time, but we found our one.”
“I’m glad,” Xinyan said, just as Kazuha felt tears start to prick at his eyes. She must have noticed, because she asked, “Do you need a hug?”
Kazuha didn’t think any tears would fall today, but he could definitely use the comfort. “Yes, I... thank you.”
Xinyan wrapped her arms around his middle from behind and rested her head on his shoulder. “Is this alright? You can turn around first if you want.”
“It’s more than alright.” Kazuha leaned back into her embrace. “If you don’t mind, let’s stay here for a while.”
“I’ll stay here as long as you need. And that’s a promise.”