Chapter Text
Kazuha has had strange dreams. He sees the same figure, an Inazuman clad in blue, white, and gold with a large hat every night who calls himself the Wanderer. He doesn’t know who they are, if they’re even real; though they do have the same personality and name every time he sees them. Every night without fail, he wakes in a dream, usually in a tree somewhere in what he assumes is Sumeru, with the individual next to him. It’s been this way for a while, and he can’t say he minds. The two of them explore, talk, visit anywhere near them, and just mess around. They aren’t ghosts, not really, they can be seen, felt, and heard, but not remembered, they’ve discovered. They could walk up to the same merchant five times and never be recognized.
Kazuha can’t remember when this started.
He doesn’t want it to end, but he always has to wake up eventually. And sometimes as the sun rises, he’ll watch the Wanderer just waiting to wake up, the way he gazes at nothing and everything in particular, the way his violet eyes catch the light and how the small lavender streaks in his hair move in the wind.
He’s strangely beautiful, in an almost otherworldly way, and Kazuha has long puzzled over the similarities in his appearance to the electro archon. He’s never asked, he doesn’t know if he ever will.
Maybe if they meet for real.
He wakes in the dream as always, the Wanderer not here yet, but lying beside him under the roof of a secluded pavilion in what he assumes is Sumeru City. This is new; they’re usually in the forest somewhere. He waits patiently for the Wanderer to wake up, sneaking glances at him and admiring the way the silver moonlight frames his face. He considers getting up while he waits, but it has been an unspoken rule of theirs to not leave alone. The Wanderer sits up, meeting Kazuha’s gaze.
“...this is Sumeru City,” they mutter. At the inquisitive look they receive, they sigh. “I recognize the streets; I live here. We might be able to find some answers from a friend of mine.”
“You live in Sumeru? And would they be able to remember us afterwards?”
The Wanderer chuckles. “Definitely.” She could remember him through anything.
“Lead the way, then.”
The Wanderer helps Kazuha up and they exit the pavilion, the Wanderer grabbing him by the hand and leading him through the dark streets, Kazuha’s breath catching slightly at the contact. They never touch- neither him nor the Wanderer feel the need for it- but he doesn’t object. He has a feeling the Wanderer noticed his intake of breath.
They walk past closed shops and Puspa Cafe, arriving at an intricate, domed building at the top of the tree. Kazuha stares as the Wanderer tells him it’s the Sanctuary of Surasthana, processing for a moment before trying not to do a double take at the Wanderer.
“The dendro archon is a friend of yours?” He says, slightly nervous to be meeting with an archon after his near-death experiences close encounters with his own archon. He’s heard of Lesser Lord Kusanali to be gentle, but who knows how true the information of others is?
They head through the doors, a figure appearing in front of them with green light.
“Who– oh, Ariyasu! What calls for the late-night visit? I thought you were out on a commission? And who’s this?”
“Buer. This is Kaedehara Kazuha, we have a… issue.”
…he doesn’t remember telling the Wanderer his surname. Is the red hair really that recognizable..?
“What issue? Does it have to do with that I couldn’t immediately tell it was you when you entered? Actually…” the young god concentrates for a moment. “...how are you in two places at once?”
Kazuha lets his gaze wander as the Wanderer (Ariyasu?) explains their situation. Buer thinks it over, locking eyes with the Wanderer for a few moments, and it feels like an entire conversation occurs in the passing moments. The Wanderer sighs. Kazuha just looks at him curiously.
“We’ve figured out a spell that could’ve caused this; it’s usually done by close duos when going long-distance. It will, every night without fail, put you in a shared dream until either of you wakes.”
“...I can’t recall ever participating in such a spell?”
The Wanderer pulls his hat down, covering his face, and the Lesser Lord looks at him sternly. “...fine.”
“We met in a past incarnation of ourselves. I had to travel near-constantly for my career, and you wander freely, so we did the spell. It must’ve carried over somehow.”
Kazuha takes a moment to process before casting off the information for a later time. After around ten seconds of silence, he speaks up.
“How close were we?”
The Wanderer’s voice goes flat with their next words; Kazuha is clearly a touchy subject for him. “That isn’t relevant.”
“So that’s how you know my name,” Kazuha muses. “What do we do about the spell?”
Lesser Lord Kusanali shrugs. “It can only be undone with the same materials used to cast it. The issue is, they’re rather rare, so many never make it to even casting the spell and realize they don’t want to anyways. Either find the materials or simply keep going with your lives.”
He and the Wanderer share a glance. “It isn’t worth the effort,” the Wanderer replies. Kazuha has to say he agrees, plus the Wanderer isn’t horrible company anyway. He’s had much worse throughout the years, though he still wonders why they cast it in the first place.
The Wanderer turns and grabs his hand again, and the way Kusanali looks at them like she knows a secret doesn’t escape him. But before he can ask or dwell on it, the Wanderer drags him to the edge of the balcony and leaps off with him in tow. Kazuha yelps in surprise and is ready to catch himself with his vision but doesn’t get the chance to as the Wanderer swings him up with ease, puts an arm under his knees and one around his shoulders, and holds him securely against his chest as his hat dissolves into a teal halo behind him. Kazuha relaxes once it’s clear that the Wanderer won’t let him fall, though something about the situation seems off… but he can’t quite put his finger on it.
It’s a clear, warm night, the stars glittering peacefully above them, and Kazuha stares at them and the Wanderer in equal measure. That ethereal beauty has returned again under the moonlight, the silver painting the Wanderer in soft hues. There’s still an undercurrent of unease- something is missing here- but Kazuha shoves it into his pile of information for a later time. For now, he is content, flying under the night sky with the Wanderer, not worrying about a destination or combat since they’re both capable anemo users. He hasn’t questioned how easily the Wanderer can hold and move him, that’ll be another thing to talk about later. In person. Someday. He supposes he could go to Sumeru City himself now, but that feels like an invasion of privacy. So he’ll talk to the Wanderer later.
The sound of fireworks shakes him from his thoughts, and the Wanderer pivots back to look at the City. There’s fireworks exploding in the sky just in front of it, and the Wanderer seems confused.
“Are there any festivals going on right now?” Kazuha asks, and the Wanderer just shakes his head.
“There shouldn't be. The Sabzeruz Festival already passed… unless…” he squints into the distance. Kazuha has no idea how the Wanderer can see so well.
“Ah. There’s a theatre production tonight. Still, fireworks are unusual.”
“Huh.”
They continue flying to who knows where, gliding past the forests of Sumeru, flying through Liyue’s Sea of Clouds, moments of conversation flickering between them. Dragonspine looms in the distance, and the Wanderer pauses midair, thinking.
“Would you like to see Dragonspine?”
Kazuha looks toward where the moon rests just past its halfway point. They have time. “Sure.”
That’s all the Wanderer needs to hear, continuing their flight past Qingce, and around half an hour later, landing on the edge of the Liyue side of Dragonspine. They carefully set Kazuha down, and Kazuha wobbles a bit, the Wanderer catching him. It’s slightly colder here, on the edge of the mountain, and Kazuha shivers. The Wanderer sees this and shuffles a bit closer.
“Would you like to head up, or is it too cold without proper clothes?”
“I think it’s fine. I’m just not used to the cold.”
The Wanderer thinks for a moment and conjures a dome of moving anemo, keeping the temperature inside warmer. Kazuha looks up at it; the Wanderer has a lot of precise control over his element, more than him, definitely. And Kazuha’s had his vision for years. He wonders how long they’ve had it to have mastered it so well. The two of them head up the path, the Wanderer maintaining the anemo bubble around them. As they head farther up the mountain, the temperature falls outside their bubble, going down inside it, too, though not as much. Still, it does become cold enough for Kazuha to see his breath.
Wait.
That’s what was missing.
The Wanderer doesn’t breathe. The air in front of his face doesn’t fog up.
And earlier, while they were flying… he couldn’t feel their heartbeat.
Do they just… not have one?
He’s paused, and the Wanderer waving a hand in front of his face brings him back to reality. Kazuha debates whether or not to ask him about it. He decides on asking the Traveler next he sees him; he’ll probably know. The Wanderer raises an eyebrow, and Kazuha hesitates- before shaking his head.
“It’s nothing.”
The two of them continue exploring the mountain, and the sun eventually rises. Kazuha knows he will wake up soon since he’s currently sleeping in a tree near Liyue Harbor and usually rises with the sun.
“We’ll have to go soon,” he says, seeing the sun rise. The Wanderer moves to sit back against the rocks, letting go of the anemo bubble. Kazuha shivers more as the cold creeps in all at once. The Wanderer sees this, and they pull Kazuha down with them, and Kazuha once again notices that they’re not breathing. Surprisingly, the Wanderer leans against Kazuha’s side, closing his eyes and shielding the both of them from the rising sunlight with his hat.
He wakes in that tree, stretching. He rubs the last traces of sleep from his face and sighs. Unless he actually sleeps in his dreams it isn’t quite as refreshing, and him and the Wanderer have done that before and just slept since it can add up for Kazuha. He sits up, jumping out of the tree and heading into Liyue Harbor. He overhears chatter about the Traveler being in the region, and his intuition tells him that the Traveler will find him. He settles on one of the cliffs overlooking the Harbor and waits. It isn’t long before he can feel the Traveler approaching his perch on the rocks, and turns and gets up.
“Kazuha!” Paimon says in that high, singsong voice of hers. “Traveler, Paimon.” he says in return. “I have a question- do you know anyone named Wanderer?”
The Traveler shares a look with Paimon, before nodding. “Have you two met?”
“...In a sense. It’s complicated. Anyway, I’ve noticed some odd traits of theirs. For one, I’ve never seen them breathe.”
The Traveler nods. “Yeah, he’s… interesting, I’d say. But it truly isn’t my place to tell you, I’m sorry.”
Kazuha sighs. “I’ll ask him in-person then.”
Traveler and Paimon wave goodbye as they head into the Harbor. Kazuha sits on the rocks, alone. He decides to get some sleep in anticipation of tonight. They've got a lot to talk about.
They’re in a new location this time, which Kazuha recognizes as Watasumi. He sits up; Ariyasu is still sleeping- again- he must go to bed late. Though Kusanali did say he was on a commission, so…
The Wanderer sits up, and visibly flinches when he sees the scenery.
“Something wrong with Watatsumi?” Kazuha asks him. They shake their head. “Just… surprised.” They sigh, breathing in the sea air that is unavoidable in Inazuma, considering the country is a series of islands.
“So… I noticed something last night. You’re not human, are you?”
“I’m surprised it took you this long to notice.”
“Hey! You did a good job of hiding it.”
“...I guess I did. Do you want to go anywhere? Ritou maybe?”
“Have you been to Inazuma?”
The Wanderer gestures to his outfit. “I’m from Inazuma. The Tatarasuna area.”
“Oh. That’s… interesting.”
“Either way, do you want to go somewhere? I wonder if the memory thing applies to gods…”
“You’re not suggesting Tenshukaku, are you?”
“If you want, we’ll go.”
“I’ll decline. Tenshukaku holds some unpleasant memories for me.”
“That makes two of us.”
The two of them end up walking around Watatsumi and talking about random things. Kazuha’s noticed that Wanderer’s past seems to be a sore subject, and doesn’t push. He still doesn’t know what Wanderer is, but if he hasn’t told him then it isn’t his right to know.
”Hey, is there something I can call you other than Wanderer? Wanderer feels more like a title.”
“...call me Ariyasu.”
“I will,” Kazuha says with a smile. And Ariyasu knows he will, because it’s Kazuha, who always keeps his word and is way too considerate for his own good. Just like Niwa.
It’s always easy with Kazuha, they think, and how much he manages to care for someone he knows so little about astounds him. Though this is the same Kazuha he once knew, so he really shouldn’t be so surprised.
They end up settling near the waterfall, and Kazuha curls up into his side, laying his head on Ari’s criss-crossed legs. This is the first time they’ve made such direct contact- sure, they lean on each other- but this crosses the line into cuddling. And honestly? Ariyasu is fine with it. Kazuha is warm, and he looks so comfortable and soft on his lap, with his ponytail coming undone. Ariyasu decides to thread his fingers through the blonde’s hair, pulling off his hair tie. Kazuha makes a sleepy sound and sighs, adjusting himself and settling back into his position. Ariyasu takes a section of hair on his left side and divides it into three pieces, tucking them over and under each other until he reaches the end. They use Kazuha’s hair tie to secure it. He cards his fingertips through the hair he didn’t braid back and lets himself relax.
Looking at the samurai’s face, a worm of guilt creeps into his heart. He seems so relaxed, but they can picture that same face frozen with grief, burdened with unwelcome responsibility, twisted in a thousand other ways that life has scarred him.
Some of which are definitely their fault.
He really should apologize, for the massacre of the Raiden Gokaden at least. For Niwa.
He will later.
Kazuha wakes up in the tree that he spent the night in. He raises a hand and runs it through his hair; it’s untied, with a small braid hanging on the left side. Ariyasu must have done it while he was sleeping. He’ll leave it be.
He walks over to a nearby pool of rainwater and washes his face, then checks his reflection. The addition to his usual style looks good, and he takes out another hair tie from his pocket and pulls his hair back like usual. The braid hangs down before joining his ponytail. He hums.
Kazuha decides to return to the Alcor, rejoin Beidou’s crew for a while. He isn’t doing anything with his daytimes– he might as well. He walks through the Harbor, asking around for when Beidou will return. He doesn’t get a straight answer, but a few days from now seems to be the general conclusion. So he waits, visits more with Ariyasu as the days pass. They have yet to meet in real life.
He’s looking out over the waters from one of the cliffs overlooking the Harbor, and spots the Alcor in the distance. Kazuha makes his way down and into the bustling city, watching the ship approach the docks; some workers begin readying crates of supplies. He walks over and helps sort some of them. They recognize him, a few waving. The Alcor pulls into harbor, and Kazuha can see Captain Beidou peering over the railings. He waves, and she grins back at him. Kazuha uses anemo to bounce himself over the rails.
“Ah, Kazuha! You joining us once again?”
“Planning to, yes. Where are you headed next?”
“Port Ormos.”
Sumeru. He’ll visit Sumeru City, meet Ariyasu, see the nation.
“Also, you’ve changed your hairstyle? Is that recent or did I just miss it?”
“It’s recent. An acquaintance of mine braided it. How is the Tianquan?”
“She’s well as ever, last I saw. You’ll be heading to Ormos, then?”
“Yes. I’ll be seeing a friend in Sumeru City.”
“Mmm. We leave in three days after we stock up again.”
“Will you be visiting Ningguang?”
“It has been a while since we had a chess session… I think I’ll drop by.”
Kazuha chuckles. Only Beidou would ‘drop by’ the Tianquan of Liyue, but there are many things also only Beidou would do. She is quite unique as a person, not only in terms of strength–
Beidou’s voice picks him from his thoughts. “Kazuha? Are the clouds nice up there?” she says with a laugh. He knows he can sometimes get up in his thoughts, but he can’t help it; the wind carries so many interesting things to him.
Her and Kazuha walk around the Harbor, on streets they’ve seen many times in many contexts. They watch the people being themselves, the merchants trying to sell whatever they’ve got, the couples looking out to sea on the bridge. The sea breeze blows Kazuha’s hair around and it reminds him of Ariyasu- salty, but caring nonetheless.
He spends the next few days just catching up and reminiscing with Beidou, visiting their favorite places, enjoying her company. They visit Wanmin and, true to her word, Beidou does indeed make her way up to the Jade Chamber with a pass Ningguang gave her. When Kazuha asks, she says they had a lovely chess game. The three days pass quickly in Beidou’s company, and though Beidou does have some alcohol she got from somewhere, Kazuha is a lightweight not partial to it nor its effects. They return to the Alcor when the time comes. Kazuha rests his elbows on the railing and looks out over the sea.
He’s going to Sumeru. He’s going to meet Ariyasu, in real life.
Finally.