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Kazuha woke up under the beating rays of the Inazuma sun. His head was cradled in a comfortable lap. A gentle hand threaded through the strands of his hair, focusing on the red streak that runs through his hair. As Kazuha blinked his heavy eyes open, a vivid purple stared back at him. Kazuha couldn't help but smile at the way Tomo looked at him. It never got old. That fond look of pure infatuation that anyone could recognise.
“Did you rest well?” Tomo spoke softly, a stark difference from his usual boisterous attitude. Kazuha nodded, but doesn't yet shift from his resting spot in Tomo’s lap. This was meant to be a simple pitstop, a five, maybe ten minute break while on their current journey, yet Kazuha had found himself a little too comfortable. His head in Tomo’s lap while the afternoon sun beamed down onto him made his eyes grow heavy and Tomo made no move to stop him.
“How long was I out for?” Kazuha leaned into Tomo’s hand, watching as he shrugged.
“Maybe half an hour at most.” Tomo’s eyes had a shadow casted on them by his fluffy fringe, the thick hair framing his face flustering slightly in the gentle breeze that passed them. Kazuha hummed, reaching up to take a hold of the hand threading through his hair. His and Tomo’s hands intertwined. Tomo’s fingers brushed over overlapping bandages around Kazuha's hand before he pressed a kiss to his fingers. Kazuha watched closely at Tomo’s expression. That lovesick look he always wore around Kazuha even if he didn't want to. With a smile, Kazuha sat up and turned around, facing Tomo. He used both his hands to brush away the hair that framed his lover’s face before he leaned in and pressed his lips to his lover’s. The kiss was quickly returned by Tomo, whose own hands came up and gently held Kazuha’s wrists, merely to keep them in place. The kiss doesn't last long. It's brief and momentary. When they parted, Tomo’s eyes gleamed with pure affection. Kazuha simply chuckled, pressing his forehead to Tomo’s.
Kazuha wakes up under the beating sun. The only sound he can hear is the sound of the ocean, small waves lapping at the side of the ship causing it to sway gently. His hand still stings from burns he received from Tomo’s vision, lines of Electro forever etched into his hand. He keeps his eyes up from where he lays, his eyes unfocused as clouds cast a gentle shadow over his form. The wood of Beidou’s ship is far different from the grassy grounds of Inazuma he was used to. Far different from the warm comfort Tomo bought him. Gentle hands and booming voice. A larger than life personality that would make heads turn whenever he walked into the room. Kazuha sits up, wincing slightly when he places too much of his weight on his right hand.
“You always take an afternoon nap on the ground?” Kazuha isn’t too surprised when Beidou appears behind him. Not only can he sense her Electro, it’s hard to ignore the clicking of her heels as she approaches.
“Normally.” Kazuha glances over his shoulder at Beidou as he tucks his legs under himself, settling his hands in his lap. “Did you need something?” Beidou drops a small box by Kazuha’s side, a box he’s come far too familiar with during his time abroad The Crux.
“You either change them yourself or I do it. Which is it, Poet?” Beidou doesn’t let Kazuha answer. She knows the answer by now. She sits herself in front of Kazuha, grabbing his wrist in her hand. Beidou tugs Kazuha’s glove off before methodically unwrapping the bandages from around his hand and fingers. Kazuha cringes when he tries to bend his fingers, pain shooting through the lichtenberg figures that cover the inside of his palm and fingers. He spends a moment stretching his fingers, trying to keep as much movement as he can in them while the scars grow worse before they get better. After his gentle stretching, Beidou wraps his fingers before wrapping the rest of his hand, bringing the bandages down his wrist and back up around his palm. After securing it, Beidou passes Kazuha his glove back. “You going to tell me how you got hurt like that now? I know Electro scars when I see them but they’re never that bad.” Kazuha tugs his glove into place before reaching into his robes and pulling out the empty vision casting that once belonged to Tomo. He runs his thumb over the shell, unable to tell if the sparks he feels are stubborn remnants of Tomo’s existence or simply his stubbornness to let go.
“It belonged to someone close to me.” Kazuha speaks quietly, unable to make his voice any louder. He never needed to speak loudly. That was always Tomo’s job. He can feel Beidou’s eyes on him, more specifically the vision shell in his hand. The silence drags on, but Kazuha can’t bring himself to fill it.
“Vision Hunt Decree?” Beidou asks. Kazuha simply nods, not able to bring himself to explain the fact Tomo thought it would be a good idea to challenge the Raiden Shogun. “What was he like?” Beidou pushes herself to her feet, offering a hand to Kazuha. Kazuha takes it, mindlessly following Beidou to the edge of the ship as they look out into the ocean.
“Loud, but soft. Strong, but still gentle when it mattered.” Kazuha cradles Tomo’s vision in his hands, deciding that he doesn’t care whether or not the sparks he feels are his own imagination or not. He lets his mind wander back.
Rustling in the bushes caught Kazuha’s attention. He turned his head towards the sound, his eyes hyperfocused on the subtle movement from the bushes. Not at all focused on how Tomo’s footsteps fade into the background. He approached the bushes with slow steps, keeping his footfalls light as he crouched down. He gently parted the bush, spreading the branches to give him a clear view of a small white kitten buried deep within. The kitten bared its fang in a hiss, its fur spiking up in an adorable attempt to make its fall and frail body appear bigger and more threatening.
“Hey Kazuha! Why’re you lagging behind?” Kazuha jumped when Tomo’s booming voice caught both him and the kitten off guard. Luckily for Kazuha, his quick reactions kicked in as he reached out and gently curled his hands around the kitten’s body before it could flee. Yet another hiss is ripped from its body as it tried and failed to break free from Kazuha’s grasp.
“Keep your voice down. You’ll scare it.” Kazuha gently cradled the kitten in his arm, watching as its frantic hissing slowed to an eventual stop. Whatever was about to come out of Tomo’s mouth died on his tongue as he spotted the white creature Kazuha held in his arm.
“Oh, it's so small.” Tomo’s voice is hushed. He stepped up behind Kazuha, resting his head on top of Kazuha’s own as he curled his arms around his waist. The kitten’s eyes peered up at them fearfully, its body trembled as its claws hooked into Kazuha’s clothes, pulling threads from the fabric. “Let's set up camp by that river. We can get some food for the poor thing.” Without any hesitation, Tomo walked off the trail the pair were following and towards a nearby river. He dumped his pack down onto the ground, tugging free the blanket he had stuffed away and lying it down just far enough from the river bank to keep it dry. The wind didn't blow that day, but if it had, Tomo would have pinned it down with some nearby rocks. Kazuha walked over to join his lover, watching as Tomo fired a precisely aimed shot of Electro at the fish in the water, killing the fish with efficiency. As Kazuha settled with the small kitten in his lap, Tomo pulled the small dagger from his hip and skilfully sliced up the fish, cutting it into small pieces that he held out for Kazuha. Kazuha took the pieces of fish, holding them to the kitten. After a couple of sniffs, the kitten started to eat, its body erupting into purrs as it ripped into the flesh. After rinsing his hands in the water, Tomo unwrapped his scarf from around his neck, gently bunching it in Kazuha’s lap around the kitten. Tomo settled by Kazuha’s side, resting his head on Kazuha’s shoulder, curling an arm around his waist. His other hand gently brushed over the kitten’s fur, soothing down any stray pieces that stayed spiked up.
“Tama.” Kazuha muttered gently under his breath, letting his head drop to rest upon Tomo’s own. He felt the rumble of Tomo’s chuckle against him, his arm tightening around his waist.
“Tama it is.”
Kazuha jolts awake with the rumble of thunder. The usually clear sky a brooding grey as rain starts to fall down onto The Crux, steadily picking up as members of the crew rush inside for shelter.
“You going to stay in the pouring rain or simply let yourself drown?” Kazuha turns to face Beidou, the Captain standing not far from Kazuha, seemingly not bothered by the rain as it only gets heavier and heavier. Kazuha watches the purple gleam of her vision in the rain. With a sorrowful sigh, Kazuha halls himself to his feet, following Beidou out of the rain.