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The city of Inazuma was lively, seeing as a festival was being held later in the evening. As per usual, the Kamisato Clan would be part of the preparations before continuing on with their duties. For as long as Shirabu could remember, he was always helping with preparing for the stalls and businesses but he never stayed long enough to enjoy it. He was around the same age as Kamisato Ayaka, who was more famous than the current heir. While Ayaka managed to enjoy the festivities, Shirabu just stayed within the lines of business. Besides, Shirabu was too old for festivals. What would be fun in joining in some small parlor games and eating street food?
At the moment, he and Thoma were roaming around Ritou to collect some fabric. Later in the day he would be going to Konda Village to collect some paper slips and deliver them to a fireworks shop nearby. "Thanks for joining in the preparations again, Kamisato Kenjirou." Thoma teases with a smile and Shirabu just rolled his eyes. After his family had died from war, the Kamisato Clan had took them in. It was Thoma who suggested it, even though the current heir of the clan, Kamisato Ayato, didn't agree with it. However, after being acquainted with his older brother, things changed. For him and his younger siblings, at least.
Ayaka and Thoma were more nicer to him. At one point Thoma suggested that Shirabu would sneak off to join the festivities but Ayaka warned him not to. "I'm still Shirabu Kenjirou. And I rather keep it that way." He says, crossing his arms. "I'm not like my siblings who already took the Kamisato last name."
Thoma lets out a laugh. "I was just joking. You know me." He added. "Anyway, Lady Ayaka already did a bunch of your workload yesterday. All we have to do now is get the fabric, get to the tailors, deliver some slips and we can have fun."
Shirabu gave a look at him before sighing. "Well, you can. You know I can't."
"Thoma-san!" Shirabu looked up and saw a boy running towards him and Thoma. He had purple (or black?) hair in a bowl-cut that was similar to his own. He was wearing some sort of modern-looking Inazuman clothing and geta slippers to match. On the side of his head was a black-colored kitsune mask. "Huh? Who's this?" The male asks, eyeing Shirabu curiously. Thoma let out another laugh. "This is Shirabu-Kamisato Kenjirou," He introducted, but Shirabu raised his hand as if telling Thoma to keep quiet. "Shirabu Kenjirou is more appropriate." He says, taking his turn to eye the other male. "And you are?"
"I'm Goshiki Tsutomu, and I come from Liyue." He introduced. "I'm a stowaway, and Thoma-san found me and ever since then I lived here for a bit."
'Ah, an outlander.' Shirabu thought, slightly grimacing at the thought. "Relax, Goshiki isn't like the other outlanders that look at you weirdly." Thoma reassured, patting his shoulder. "Besides," Thoma turns to Goshiki now. "Shouldn't you show our lovely fair male around the festival?"
Shirabu almost looked livid at the blonde but Goshiki just nodded. "Ah, so I guess he was the guy you were telling me about?" He asks, then laughs a bit. "I promise you, this festival is something you'll enjoy!"
"But, I can't." Shirabu says.
"But you will." Thoma lightly pushes Shirabu to Goshiki. "I'll handle the rest. And don't worry about your brother, me and Lady Ayaka will handle them."
"Thoma--"
"Just have fun!" Thoma says and he already heads off in a different direction, leaving Shirabu and Goshiki standing on the streets. Shirabu clears his throat, looking down at his boot-covered feet. Goshiki noticed, and without even thinking he had already grabbed the other male's hand. "Huh?! Hey! Were are you taking me?!"
Goshiki smiles at him. "We're letting the leaves take us! Now come on, there's a few things I want to show you before everything ends!"
The leaves falling down from the trees somehow frames Goshiki's smiling face.
And Shirabu finds himself flowing in the sky with him.
"Ahh~" Goshiki turns to Shirabu with a huge smile. "Did you have fun?"
Shirabu looked at him for a moment. Where was he to begin with all of this? First, he and Goshiki went to a local food stand that served his favorite Shirasu. Then they went over to a fortune-reading stall to get their luck. Afterwards, there was a small performance of a local traditional band who was led by Semi Eita, an outlander like Goshiki. After that they played a few games and Shirabu was the only one who won himself two bracelets, to which Goshiki was wearing the other one. Finally, they went to a giant tree at the center of Narukami Island and wrote wishes to place on the tree.
Now they were in Chinju Forest. Goshiki lead him there after they finished writing their wishes. "I did." Shirabu says, smiling for the first time in a while. "I hadn't had this much fun in a while."
Goshiki averted his gaze elsewhere before looking back at Shirabu, stopping in his tracks. "So you haven't been to a festival before."
"I help prepare." Shirabu answered, stopping as well. "But that's it."
"Then you should sneak out again." Goshiki teased. "I'll help cover this time!"
"That won't be an option."
In an instant, Shirabu and Goshiki's feet were covered in vines, but the vines started to wrap around Goshiki like a serpent. Shirabu's fear started to accelerate when he turned around to see his brother standing there with a menacing gaze. Thoma and Ayaka quickly followed behind. "I'm sorry, but he got wind of everything." Ayaka says. "I tried to stop him but---"
"Save your apologies." Shirabu's older brother, Kazuo, says and raises his hand. "And as for you, you neglected your duties and decided to go off with this... outlander who probably poisoned your mind with useless nonsense!"
"Better than what you're teaching." Goshiki muttered quietly, but the vines had given a tighter grip on him.
"Leave him out of this!" Shirabu shouts. "He has nothing to do with this, I left my duties of my own free will because I was tired, Kazuo! Tired of just helping and not even staying long enough to participate in the events!"
"That's because you're part of the Kamisato Clan now! And to think you still carry around the name Shirabu, a disgrace." Kazuo sneered. That's when Shirabu snapped, small flames burning the vines on his feet. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
Punch after punch, kick after kick: they were determined to make sure one of them would fall first. Even when Thoma would use his flames to block them Shirabu would already use his ability to blast the fire back to Kazuo. Ayaka tried doing the same but Kazuo held them back.
Goshiki was just watching this. Seeing Shirabu getting hurt like this, all because he just wanted to have fun and enjoy something he never felt for a long time. This was supposed to be a fun event.
"This wasn't supposed to happen like this."
No one heard him, yet they heard the crackling of thunder nearby. Then, a flash of lightning hit the two siblings and made them fall unconscious. Thoma and Ayaka managed to get the two, not noticing that Goshiki had already fled from the scene. Before Shirabu completely closed his eyes, he muttered out three words that he thought he wouldn't be able to say to someone he had just met.
"Please, don't go."
'We were almost there...'