#god i feel like i wrote so little for kazuha

[actiniumwrites]

love amidst loss

synopsis: in the height of the moment, you nearly die and they can’t deal with the thought of losing you

characters: baizhu, scaramouche, kazuha, and cyno x gn!reader (separately)

warnings: hurt/comfort, angst to fluff, near death accidents, not proofread (sorry)

notes: uh so i wrote this a while ago and didn’t finish it up until recently, so sorry of this contains some errors or if any of the game lore has changed or been updated and doesn’t match what i wrote :) lyney was also supposed to be in this but i gave up on his part…sorry 😭

Baizhu:

“Qiqi. Bandages, now!” Baizhu yells desperately. Your heart rate was lowering by the second, while his was rising exponentially.

Qiqi slowly passes the small bin of various bandages to the doctor, “Yes, Dr. Baizhu.”

He can feel his hands shaking, tremoring as they work as fast as they can to close up all your wounds. Even throughout all his strange adventures and experiments attempting to achieve immortality, he’s never felt more afraid and anxious than in this moment. He could care less about hurting himself, but you? You meant the world to him.

“Baizhu…?” your eyes flutter open weakly while your elbows move behind you to sit up. A speedy hand pushes you back down in an instant.

“No, don’t,” Baizhu says, his heart beating out of his chest at the sight of your consciousness, “you shouldn’t be awake right now. I haven’t finished operating.”

Your hands feel fragile and your breathing is weak, but somehow you’re able to reach into your pocket and pull out a small bottle. It’s halfway full and a gentle lavender in color. It’s the concoction he had given you a while ago, in case of emergencies — an elixir of sorts.

“What about this?” you drop it into his hands. He shivers against your touch. What if this is the last time he’ll get to feel it?

Baizhu adjusts his glasses, analyzing the bottle in this hand, “Is this…? You still have this?”

You nod gently, careful not to move too much, “I saved what was left of it. I know you said you couldn’t make anymore, so I used it sparingly. Is it enough?”

Baizhu quickly prepares a bowl and some other ingredients to mix it with, “Yes, of course. I’ll make it worth a thousand lives over, I promise.”

A tender smile pulls at your lips while life beats back into your heart. Baizhu sighs of relief, resting his elbow against the edge of your bed with his pinky outstretched, “Please don’t scare me like that again.”

Your pinky wraps weakly around his, “Promise.”

Scaramouche:

“What’s going to happen to them?” Scaramouche presses, leaning by the side of the bed Nahida had prepared for you.

Eagerly, he places his hand in yours with a tight so grip you’d think he was scared. And he is. Scaramouche is terrified out of his mind. “You idiot,” he mumbles against your hand, “why would you jump into danger for me?”

Your eyes are shut tightly and your skin is so cold. He hates the way it feels like he’s going to lose you at any second, despite Nahida reassuring him countless times he wouldn’t. He still has so much love to give you. And god, what if he never gets to admit that to you? To finally say that he loves you out loud?

His eyebrows furrow and his lips fall into a sad frown. Amidst it all, a weak tone that he can’t be bothered to disguise falls from his mouth, “Please just tell me they’ll be okay?”

Nahida fights the urge to smile as she stands by the doorway of the room, ready to leave and give you both space. She nods firmly, “I promise you they’ll be okay. You have nothing to worry about.”

He nods back silently, loosening his grip a bit on your hand but not quite letting you go. And as soon as the archon slips away from the room, a small and vulnerable, “I love you,” falls from his lips.

And he swears he feels your hand grip his back a little tighter when he does.

Kazuha:

“Man, I drank wayyyy too much,” Kazuha slurs his words as he eyes begin to droop shut. You push his shoulder lightly to keep him conscious, a small laugh echoes amidst the waves of the ocean.

You feel it too — the buzz of the alcohol. The entire crew of the Alcor had been celebrating all night with big lights, tons of food, and an endless supply of drinks. Kazuha and you had already had more than enough, and it wasn’t until Beidou forced you guys to sit out for awhile that you realized just how much you had drank.

As you both sit on the edge of the boat with your legs dangling over the edge, Kazuha nudges you back. Only, it’s a little too forceful and you aren’t sober enough to stop yourself from sliding off. Desperately you reach for the wooden rails, but it isn’t enough to save you as you fall into the icy water below with a terrifying scream.

The water thrashes around you as you so eagerly attempt to stay afloat despite your lack of swimming skills. “Kazuha!” you scream before the water enters your mouth and begins to send you under.

In an instant he dives in, both of you now sobered up and well aware of the fact that a moment of fun had just turned darkly serious. All he can think about his how stupid he was for forgetting you can’t swim that well and that he shouldn’t have pushed you, even if it was a joke.

Kazuha finds you quickly and pulls you up fast. By the time he does, the rest of the crew joins around and helps you both back up and onto the boat.

His heart pounds a million miles per second as he watches you painfully cough out a bunch of water. Your skin is freezing to the touch and there are even a few small tears in your eyes.

“Hey,” Kazuha moves to hold your hand tightly, not only to comfort you, but also himself, “you’re okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you.”

You only nod and lean back against the wood of the boat. He joins you quickly and you take it as a sign to rest your head against him. Gentle, but deep breathes leave his chest periodically and he can’t help but feel shaky all over. Kazuha had lost so many people in his life, and he’d have no idea what to do with himself if he lost you too.

“You won’t,” you whisper against his chest.

“Huh? Did I say that out loud?” Kazuha’s bright red eyes widen as they turn towards your resting figure.

You smile gently, “No, but I know what you’re thinking. You won’t lose me. I won’t let you.”

Kazuha hums contently to himself. He wouldn’t let himself lose you either.

Cyno:

“Is it just me or does something seem off?” you pause quickly, halting your footsteps at the slightest rumble of the complex structure you and Cyno had wandered into. You draw your sword quickly while Cyno swings his polearm from around his back.

His garnet eyes dart around the various hallways and statues, scowling as he comes to a realization, “It must’ve been those eremites we ran into earlier. I should have known they weren’t just ‘camping out.’”

Neither of you move as the structure continues to shake. Panicked, your arm grabs onto his as your eyes widen, “What do we do? If we don’t get out of here in time, this whole thing is gonna collapse!”

“Calm down!” Cyno shouts over the crashing sounds of rocks and statues slamming against the floor, “I’ll get us out of here!”

Within seconds later, a giant head of a statue falls from above and crashes just feet away. It happens so fast you lose your balance, feet stumbling as your arm slams against the wall. Suddenly, the panel you’re standing on slides away and sends you flying downward.

“No!” Cyno yells desperately, grabbing your arm just in time before you can fall hundreds of feet to your death.

Your hand barely holds on as you gasp, “I can’t hold on, Cyno! I’m sorry. Oh god, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to touch anything.”

His eyes widen in fear as you continue to speak. It’s the most scared you’ve ever seen him, but he can’t let you die. Not yet. “Don’t let go, please!” His arms hurt as he struggles to hold on, just barely keeping his balance against the sand covered floor, “I’m not going to let you fall.”

“I’m sorry,” you continue to apologize, eyes welling with panicked tears. Despite it sounding like a confession before death, you continue to hold on as best you can.

As if the dendro archon could hear both your pleas, the shaking stops suddenly. Cyno’s head shoots up and his arm grips your hand even tighter. With all the strength he can possibly muster, he pulls you up to safety.

Unable to comprehend what just happened, you quietly sob and fall against his chest. Cyno doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you as tightly as possible. Afraid that if he didn’t, you’d fall again and he’d lose you for good.

“Are you…are you alright?” He mumbles against the crook of your neck.

You nod silently in response, “I’m okay.”

[lemons4u]

Hello, Pri! How are you? If you're ok w/ it, may I have the anemo boys with a s/o who enjoys seating on their lap? (Sfw)

notes ! OKAY THIS LITERALLY TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO ANSWER, so i’m really sorry 😭 and also i’m doing great thank you! also not proofread (my grammar is a little bad anyways so)

warnings ! fluff, heizou’s part is suggestive

v e n t i

he loves it when you sit on his lap! it gives him a nice a sense of comfort… to have you so close to him.

he also thinks it adorable lmao.

IMAGINE.

sitting in his lap while you both are out at the statue of seven at windrise— he’s putting windwheel asters in your hair as you read to him or something.

or maybe he’ll hum a tune for you!

it’s depends what he’s feelings like :3

“your hair is looking beautiful today, hehe..” venti cooed, tucking yet another flower in your hair.

“hmmh..” he pressed a delicate kiss to your temple. “no thank you?” he asked with a grin.

“no.” you reply, continuing to read your book.

“hmph. are you really going to treat your darling boyfriend like this?” he pouted before smiling again.

“yeah.”

“your so mean to me.”

x i a o

xiao gets a bit (very) flustered, the poor guy isn’t used to all of these acts of affection :<

the first time you asked he was like.

“you… wanna sit on my lap?” he’s adorable, oh my god.

IMAGINE.

sitting out on like a hill or smth, idk, watching the stars— on xiao’s lap.

it’s a really cute a wholesome thing that both of you (i’m assuming) like to do.

it’s usually really quiet, unless xiao decides to tell you about his day.

“i spoke a little with the traveller today.” he murmured, fiddling with your hair.

“aw.. you did?” you tilted your head.

xiao didn’t really speak to anyone aside from you, so it made you happy when your boyfriend finally decides to speak with someone.

“about what though?”

“about you.. the traveller wanted to ask you some questions— but i told them i could answer them instead.” he said dully.

“i could’ve answered them myself..” you mutter.

“i know that… but i felt like talking about you at that moment.”

you laugh a little. “oh really? you wanted to speak about me?”

“yes… i mean you are my s/o right? i can speak about you… unless you don’t want me to?”

“no! it’s fine if you wanna talk about me…”

“are you… sure?”

“yes i’m sure!”

k a z u h a

he’s like venti, he loves when you sit on his lap :3

maybe he’d be a little surprised at first, but he doesn’t object.

IMAGINE.

the two of you sitting out on the crux, watching the sunset reflect on the ocean. (idk)

you could be reading a poem he wrote to you— or you could just genuinely be talking to each other.

either way it’s adorable.

“kazuuu.. this poem is adorable.” you coo, smiling fondly at the piece he dedicated to you.

“is it? i really don’t think it’s all that good.. compared to my other poems.”

“nono! it is! i absolutely love this one..” you say in defense.

“oh…? i thought it was a bit… um.. corny?” kazuha said with a laugh.

“well it’s not… i think it’s quite lovely.” you cross your arms.

“whatever you say, love…” he wrapped his arms around your waist.

“whatever you say..”

h e i z o u

he finds a way to tease you for it… like this man literally will not stop teasing you when you ask him to sit on his lap.

when you first ask him he’s like this though…

“oh? you wanna sit on my lap?” he grinned at you.

“how could i ever deny such a request?” he cooed.

“but… may i ask why you wanna sit on my lap?”

he’s got a very dirty mind so like… um, just be aware.

IMAGINE.

sitting on his lap while he works on his cases or smth, idk.

i actually hc he rushes through his work, so like he always makes mistakes.

but then you, his beautiful s/o, can help him fix them!

(he 100% makes mistakes on purpose)

“mmhhm..” heizou arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to his body.

he craved to feel your body against his.

“you… made a mistake over here..” your murmur, circling it so he could fix it later.

“oh? did i? my, my… i’ve been making so many mistakes recently.” he smiled innocently.

“maybe you should doublecheck my papers, just in case.”

that… was just excuse to have on his lap for even longer. ( he probably wants it and likes more than you do )

“i’m already double checking them.”

“hmm… triple check?”

“heizou.”

“hehe..”

w a n d e r / s c a r a m o u c h e

“no.”

was the only thing you heard when you first asked scara.

you would just have to beg then.

IMAGINE.

whining and complaining to scara about literally just sitting on his lap—

it was a small thing, really, but were you just going to let it go? nope.

“pleaseee scara! all the other couples do it!” you pout, furrowing your eyebrows at him.

“yeah… and i’m not like those other couples.” he responded coldly.

“arghh.. you suck.” you whine, flopping down on the bed.

“hmph..” he crossed his arms.

“you are making such a big deal. it’s really nothing major.”

“to me it is.” you frown.

there’s a moment of silence before a idea pops up in your head, it was probably a bad one… but whatever!

“i bet any other guy would let me..” you sigh, almost dreamily.

“what?”

“mhm.. like childe…”

you were answered by silence once again.. scaramouche was just staring out, arms crossed with a unreadable expression.

“fine then.”

before you knew scaramouche rushed to the bed beside you— tackling you into his lap.

“your gonna stay here now.”

“but..”

“nuh uh.”

[golden-afternoon]

Hi this sucks but idc rn. My entire brain is owned by beloved Kaedehara Kazuha at the moment and I wrote this in a fugue state of oh my god he's coming soon everyone stay calm the banner is coming!! Anyway, enjoy my nonsense and may all you Kazuha wanters be Kazuha havers!!

Warnings - completely unedited brainrot to paper, blood, bloody kisses, what the fuck why are they making out he could die

Knock knock knock.

The soft sound jolts you from your current reading. What? Last you checked you hadn't been expecting any visitors and especially not so late in the evening. Either way, you carefully place the bookmark in the place you had been and set aside the book on the table in favor of heading towards the door.

“One moment!” You call out to whoever was on the other side, undoing the lock before opening the door. “Hello…?”

In the fading purple light of dusk, you freeze in place at the sight of the man at your door. He looks beyond worse for wear with his cherry red eyes half-lidded with exhaustion and his snow white hair loose around his shoulders, looking messy and with more streaks of red than you are used to. His clothes are disheveled and worst of all, the blood on his face running in rivulets down from his nose, mouth and past his hairline. How much of it was his own and how much was from whatever unfortunate soul dared to cross him was unclear, but no matter what it sent alarm bells ringing in your head.

“Kazuha?! What-” You began to speak in worry, hands outstretched to gently reach for him to bring the wounded man inside, but he cuts your words short without a single word of his own.

One step forward and his arms were around you faster than you could process; one hand around your waist to draw you near to him and the other tangled in your hair, cradling the back of your head to keep you in place. Before you knew it, you were tasting iron, the unfamiliar flavor sending a shiver down your spine. Soft lips press to yours in a gentle, yet fervent manner, his whole body seeming to sink against you as he does, leaving you reeling and trying to stabilize you both as his fingers curl tighter into you, clinging to you like you would disappear. You had half a mind to protest, both from his clearly injured state taking priority and from the unfamiliar taste of blood seeping into your mouth, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it. With a sigh, you gave in, kissing back in equal measure, your arms wrapping more gently around him than his hold on you was as you were unsure where and how severely hurt he was. The last thing you'd want would be to make it worse.

As he felt your arms wrap around him, his lips curled up into a smile against your own mouth, the simple action seeming to spur him on. He took another step forward, the action forcing you to stumble back a little. He kept going, silently goading you further into your home without ever once letting up on the intensity of the kiss, even managing to close the door behind you before bringing his hand right back to your waist in an instant.

Your head is spinning, heart racing, struggling to process it all when he deepens the kiss further, sliding his tongue along yours with practiced ease that makes your heart ache with want. Iron spreads across your tongue and for a moment it scares you, but the soft groan he makes as your taste floods his senses is enough to silence any such feelings. And if you were honest with yourself, something about his blood in your mouth was unlocking something deep within you to be dealt with later.

Ever so slowly, and far too soon, Kazuha began to pull away, his tired eyes opening to gaze at you with a small smile, his lips now smeared red as though it were merely red lipstick smudging from the heated kiss. Even in his messy state he looked absolutely ethereal, leaving you unable to tear your eyes away.

His one hand slides from your hair to gently cradle your face in his palm, his gaze slowly lowering to your own lips. In silence, he brushes his thumb along your bottom lip, gently pulling at the soft flesh with interest. You can feel your cheeks burn more as you realize after all that, you were likely covered in it too. As he always does, he notices your unspoken realization and he laughs softly, the sound coming out even more quietly than usual as he lifts his gaze to meet yours once more.

“Come now, don't be shy,” He murmurs, and you can hear the slight rasp in his voice. The wandering samurai pauses to lean close to press a quick, tender little kiss to your stained lips once more, pulling away with the softest of smiles. “I hope you don't mind my sudden appearance like this. It's just that… after storms and trials, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather come home to.”

[yeonboy]

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 ♡ choi yeonjun // mlist.

After facing disappointment with love for years upon years, you have chosen to replace romance with dance in your life, dedicating your entire time to this dance academy you’re employed at. It’s not that you hate men now, you just don’t expect to fall for them anymore because all they do is break your heart. And then Choi Yeonjun enters your life as a new recruit at the academy – sweet, adorable, soft spoken, kind and younger than you. He is everything you have never found attractive in a guy before. But somehow, you're helplessly spiraling for him.

❧ choi yeonjun x f. reader | 16+ | smau ♡ comedy ♡ angst ♡ strangers to friends to lovers!au ♡ dance academy!au ♡ 98-liner!reader ♡ dancer!reader ♡ dancer!yeonjun ♡ slow burn.

❧ warnings! profanity, an ABUNDANCE of suggestive jokes, mentions of people's sex lives (or lack thereof), death & murder threats as jokes, some of the characters being assholes for no reason, reader being a commitment phobe, a lot of pining, a ton of miscommunication (hehe ofc <3), misunderstandings, unnecessary heartbreaks + more will be added as the series progresses!

❧ featuring! all of txt | jimin & jungkook (bts) | sakura & kazuha (le sserafim) | yeji & ryujin (itzy) | keeho (p1harmony) | somi (soloist, ex i.o.i).

❧ playlist! trampoline - zayn & shaed ║ easy - camila cabello ║ lavender haze - taylor swift ♪

❧ status! 23.04.23 ⇢ tba. | on-going | bi-weekly updates

notes! heyyy, guys! yes, rya smau era 2k23 hehe! i had this idea for a very angsty fic where an older reader has feelings for a younger yeonjun but can't accept it bec he's not her "type"... but when i tried to write it, it got soooo sad and heavy soooo fast that i had to give up 😭 SO! i reckoned why not attempt to do an smau w a lighter version of this concept??? let's hope this turns out okay (:

pls be kind! the last time i wrote an smau was in 2018 so my creativity's got rust in every crevice (': but constructive criticism + suggestions are more than welcome! 🫶

❧ main masterlist | inbox ⁘

profiles: [1] [2] [3]

00. intro ║ 01. more nepotism hires ║ 02. grandpa and grandma ║ 03. break a leg (but not yours) [written: 1k] ║ 04. do you like flowers ║ 05. ✨aRtTtT✨ ║ 06. let the boy feel a woman's touch ║ 07. support system ║ 08. liking people we can't have ║ 09. it IS weird ║ 10. ‼ trouble ‼ ║ 11. connecting some big ass dots ║ 12. it's a work in progress ║ 13. dance crush ║ 14. enemies to lovers ║ 15. ohhh my god i'm so stupid ║ 16. at least that’s how it began ║ 17. we're no sidehoe material ❌ ║ 18. jealousy wasn't on my bingo card ║ 19. pesky little feelings ║ 20. why do i know so much ║ 21. it should've been me ║ 22. an overthinker AND a dumbass ║ 23. everything is a mess [written: 500] ║ 24. sum chamgo love dive it is [written: 1k] || 25. feels like a funeral in here ║ 26. let's all act surprised || 27. must start breathing into a bag ║ 28. IDK DUDE IM NERVOUS ║ 29. i wasn't jumping I SLIPPED ║ 30. wdym denial ║ [tba]

taglist: @bailies-me @samisubi @forever-in-the-sky2 @captivq @jiawji @hyuneyeon @wanlore @softcabur @emohazuzworld @yjusei @marifujioka @taekwondoes @suzirumas @ohmahgods @ye0nvibezzn @mrsyawnzzn @rionah

let me know if you'd like to be added!

© yeonboy 2023 // do not steal, copy or repost. respect your local content creators, kaythanks.

[sh1-n0bu]

Hey God it's me again. Back by nobody's request once again: Me, 🦝.

Can we talk about Heizou?

Trick question. I WILL talk about Heizou and YOU WILL listen.

I like him so much the little skrunkly Mr canon daddy issues. Mr I want my father to be proud of me and it hurts. Mr I need to be the best and I'll still not be enough.

I love him a lot. I know I'm usually here to be horny but tbh today I'm not. I just feel bad for him. We all talk about Kazuha's my-best-friend-died-in-my-arms story but Heizou's is completely ignored. It's the ptsd for me. It's the family issues for me. It's the other people have a false image of the nature of his being for me. It's the hidden insecurities, the silent overthinking for me. Like bro did anyone ever pay attention to how careful he is with the traveler because he doesn't want to scare them off. It's the no friends (only mildly derogatory) for me.

It's the everything for me. My brain pointed at this little dude and went "that one" and now I think about him. All the time. I just want to hold him. Like bestie is u good? Do you need a hug? Some comfort? Some therapy? I will smooch him very lovingly mwah mwah

✿ 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 ✿

characters: heizou x nb!reader

warnings: angst, fluff, PTSD, reverse comfort, insecurity, heizou’s just having a very very bad day😢reader and heizou’s not in a relationship yet

notes: SAME 🦝 NONNIE! i’ve reached friendship lvl10 with heizou and i read all stories of the characters whether i like them or not and heizou’s just made me cry😭😭😭 his only friend died out in public, in his arms, saying “i… i came to see you too”. i just cosnfijdnfjsjf

also i wrote this while listening to mitski and shed good few tears here and there 🦝 anon😔👍

detective shikanoin heizou of the tenryou commission is a name that’s widely known for it’s incredible intelligence, witty remarks and boy-ish charms. however that’s not all there is of heizou.

at 2 in the morning, when someone knocks on your door and wakes you up from your nice dreams, it’s safe to say that you’re ready to throw hands unless it’s an emergency. but then again almost every time you’re awoken at an unholy hours is because it’s an emergency.

‘this better be something good ‘cause i have a long day of commissions tomorrow’ throwing on a haori on top of your loose yukata, stumbling to the front door of your little house, the least person you expected to wake you up was the renowned detective of the tenryou commission.

immediately thinking of what you did that could’ve been considered law-breaking, one came into mind. but hey, you had to sock that guy because he was troubling the traveler when they were on the brink of collapsing!

“…hey, sorry to wake you up so late” heizou’s voice snapped you out of your little mind-ramble.

“oh no, it’s fine. would you like to come in?” nodding and quietly shuffling into your house, heizou seemed just so… quiet. most of the times he would spend time with you, he would be rambling about the newest case he got, how the criminals are getting dumber and dumber everyday or just about things in general.

asking him if he would like something to drink and sitting in your kitchen at 2am with the detective just silently staring at his glass of water was concerning. moreover there were dry tear tracks on his face and his clothes seemed half-heartedly thrown on.

after a while of just sitting in a deafening silence, heizou started to talk. about how he wants to be seen as the perfect reliable detective, how he wants his dad to be proud of him, about how his only childhood friend was a fraud and a thief, how after a year of staying out of contact, he met his friend again only for them to be bleeding out on the side of the road of the festival.

when recalling how his only friend had told him he wanted to see him as well, while holding a bloodied green pebble from his wallet which had no mora, only the pebble, the tears that filled his eyes fell. choking on his words, trying to apologize for dumping all of his problems on you, this was also heizou.

the same shikanoin heizou that throws around flirty remarks with you. the same shikanoin heizou that catches criminals left and right like they were just passing by him in the streets. the same shikanoin heizou who proudly declared he wanted to stop evil.

“i-i’m sorry hic i didn’t mean to dump-oomf!” being held close to your chest and telling him it was okay and that you understand was the last breaking point for him. sobbing out loudly like a child and clinging to you like a lifeline, this was also shikanoin heizou. your heizou.

after exhausting all his strength, you simply carried him to your bed for him to rest.

to heizou he felt like he was being gently cradled by the sun. so soft, warm and inviting.

to heizou, you were the only one to truly see who he was and not run away.

to heizou, you are the one he fell for and damn did he fell for the perfect person.

to heizou, your arms felt like home.

[glassrowboat]

If I bleed for you, drain myself dry for a drop of your affection, will you see me then, my love?

-

I believe I've always had a different view of death than many, or at least, those I've met. You see, future me, I have been told the end of it all is scary, that the moment our strings of fate are cut all that's left is the abyss to swallow us whole, but is that truly so bad?

Not to mention, that's not how I picture death at all, anyway.

You see, I don't imagine a skeleton with a scythe, but a woman far more beautiful than life could ever be. Golden hair, eyes brighter than the sun, and a smile that any painter would wish to capture. She would lead those who have passed into the beyond and wish them safe travels as their visage wonders into the distance.

This is what I imagined death as for years, even as I craved her touch, her embrace, but today, I think I might have seen death differently.

Today, death was blue, white, and stunk of antiseptic.

-

The middle of winter was supposed to be the coldest time of all, especially as Snezhaya's winds whipped around the small carriage in were in, rocking with every lull of the anemo Archon call. Back and forth in a steady motion, almost like a crib with a father's hand keeping it ever in motion.

But right now was the hottest you've ever been, even as your eyes fell on the partially open curtain to see through the window. Taught fabric in hand from you trying to find anything you could clutch onto for dear life revealing flurries of snow. For her breath was warm, her hands scorching, her tongue like molten lava as it traced your core.

You couldn't even hear the sound of snow crunching under the carriage wheels as you cried her name.

Arlecchino.

All you were greeted with in response was the feeling of her nails digging into the fat of your thighs.

Casual.

That's what she was telling you, warning you, even as you felt like a meal set before the gods. Graced by their touch as their forks stabbed into you and rose your boneless corpse to their lips. Tasting you as your very essence is swallowed down their throats.

-

The first thing he noticed as Kazuha woke up was a green ribbon, a soft little thing that was funnily enough the same color as his vision, now wrapped around his bandaged wrist. So carefully tied onto him that it seemed if the thing even got one tug it would fall off of him in an instant. No wonder Kazuha didn't notice it being tied to him in the middle of the night. That, or he's just gotten a little numb to the usual chaos and ruckus the others of the crew would kick up right around when he usually fell asleep that his half awake mind wrote it off with ease. His fault then.

But what was truly interesting was that as Kazuha raised his arm, the little tag strung through the ribbon. A note attached? That's what the messy handwriting he had to squint to make out was telling him anyway.

Someone's in a mood then as he just barely made out through the messy scrawl. ‘Find the other four for a kiss! Xoxo!’

Well, that's manageable. At least Kazuha thought to himself as a breathy laugh fell past his lips that was quick to remind him he needed to go brush his teeth. “If you say so, my dear.”

With that, Kazuha kicked the scratchy blankets off of him, letting them slide down and off his feet as the boards his hammock was attached to by metal hooks creaked in protest from Kazuha’s sudden movements.

The first ribbon was easy to find, the color standing out amongst the wooden railing and crimson red sails that have become so accustomed to Kazuha as he climbs to the crows nest every day at some point or another to feel the breeze ruffling through his hair. The wind that would pull and tug at the pages of his notebooks full of limericks, haikus, and flowing words that would more often than not scrawl out descriptions of a certain someone's cheeks as they flush from nights of booze and idle chatter by each others sides. You would always have to find some way to get Kazuha back to his room if you didn't decide to simply give up and let him claim your lap as a pillow.

The absolute gall.

Still, the turquoise color nearly blended with the shining blue sky as the sun's rays beamed down. Today would surely be a beautiful day, he mused as another ribbon was added to the growing collection around Kazuha's wrist.

Three more to go.

It seems this entire scavenger hunt would be easy, despite what was probably your best attempts. It's hard to find spots to hide something when there's a bustling crew with curious eyes and items getting moved around every passing second. That was only further proved as a brown head popped into Kazuha’s vision, long hair trailing after the woman. At least this time, she didn't tug him into a hug that would be too tight to escape from as Beidou cheered to the seas that guided them on their journey from one port to the next.

[themoon-saturn]

Genshin Impact men as Taylor Swift's Midnights 3 am edition

psa- I am going on vibes only. I don't have all these characters and this is mostly headcanon. Can be interpreted as about them or from their pov. I also didn't include minor characters. This is just for fun :) ps- trying to pick for high infidelity was extremely hard help More under the cut

Lavender Haze- "Talk your talk and go viral, I just need this love spiral"

(Venti, Albedo, Gorou, Itto)

Maroon- "And I wake with your memory over me. That's a real f*cking legacy"

(Diluc, Kazuha, Kaeya)

Anti-Hero- "I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis"

(Scara, Childe, Xiao)

Snow on the Beach-"But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet. Now I'm All For You like Janet, Can this be a real thing? Can it?”

(Albedo, Kaeya, Tighnari)

You’re on your own kid-"Take the moment and taste it, You've got no reason to be afraid"

(Venti, Xiao, Scara, Childe, Kaeya, Diluc, Itto)

Midnight Rain-"A slow-motion love potion, Jumping off things in the ocean. I broke his heart 'cause he was nice"

(Xiao, Childe, Cyno, Zhongli, Gorou)

Question…?- "Does it feel like everything's just like second-best after that meteor strike?"

(Ayato, Kaeya, Heizou)

Vigilante Shit-"I don't dress for women. I don't dress for men. Lately, I've been dressing for revenge"

(Diluc, Scara, Cyno, Ayato)

Bejeweled-"What's a girl gonna do? A diamond's gotta shine"

(Itto, Childe, Ayato, Venti)

Labyrinth-"Uh-oh, I'm falling in love. Oh no, I'm falling in love again. Oh, I'm falling in love. I thought the plane was going down, How'd you turn it right around?"

(Kazuha, Xiao, Zhongli, Albedo) 

Karma-"Ask me what I've learned from all those years. Ask me what I earned from all those tears. Ask me why so many fade when I'm still here"

(Scara, Thoma, Cyno, Heizou, Itto)

Sweet Nothing- "On the way home I wrote a poem, you say, "What a mind" This happens all the time"

(Thoma, Kazuha, Tighnari, Zhongli)

Mastermind- "No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since. To make them love me and make it seem effortless. This this the first time I've felt the need to confess"

(Heizou, Tighnari, Cyno, Xiao, Albedo, Ayato)

The Great War-"We can plant a memory garden. Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair. There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair, and we will never go back"

(Gorou, Xiao, Venti, Zhongli, Kazuha)

Bigger than the whole sky-"I've got a lot to live without, I'm never gonna meet what could've been, would've been, what should've been you"

(Kazuha, Xiao, Zhongli, Venti)

Paris-"We drew a map on your bedroom ceiling. No, I didn't see the news 'cause we were somewhere else in an alleyway, drinking champagne"

(Childe, Kaeya, Ayato, Heizou)

High Infidelity-" You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love. The slowest way is never loving them enough"

(Kaeya, Zhongli, Albedo)

Glitch- "Five seconds later, I'm fastenin' myself to you with a stitch, ah-yeah. And I'm not even sorry, nights are so starry, blood moon lit It must be counterfeit"

(Xiao, Kazuha, Ayato, Thoma)

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve-"God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be the tomb won't close, stained glass windows in my mind. I regret you all the time"

(Xiao, Childe, Scara, Albedo)

Dear Reader-"Desert all your past lives, and if you don't recognize yourself that means you did it right. Never take advice from someone who's falling apart"

(Xiao, Kazuha, Venti, Albedo, Kayea, Diluc, Scara)

[aewinning]

HI!!!! ITS ME AGAIN OH MY GOD!!!!! I JUST READ GOING UNDER THE KNIFE AND IM SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!

Im immensely flattered you actually went ahead and wrote it and I apologise it took me so long to find it!! 😭💖 But my god it really came at the perfect time. I lost my 50/50 to Tighnari yesterday lol.

I still can't believe you actually wrote it aaah!!! It was perfect!!! I really really enjoyed their little banter in the beginning. It felt very natural and engaging!! Not to mention, it felt a bit like foreplay, if it makes sense? Really good at building up the tension!!! And Scara asking about Haypasia really pulled at my heartstrings aaah. I honestly didn't expect that but it was such a nice touch.

What really got me going tho was all the medical language and how it felt for Scara considering hes not quite mechanical nor organic. The descriptions of the scalpel going against skin/tube.... Just. Wow. Very hot. Had me asking myself if i might have a kink for if ngl. The combination of pain and pleasure and not being sure which is which..... And with Tighnari being so indifferent but also weirdly complacent.... Aaah it was genuinely very very hot.

Thank u so much for writing this!!!! It was wonderful and i appreciate it a lot!!! 😭💖 It goes without saying that I'll be keeping an eye out for more of your writing and hopefully next time it won't take me this long to find it (uni keeps me so busy its honestly sad). Thank again for writing!!! 💖

Aww no need at all to feel bad about not seeing it for a while, life happens and it'll always be there even if you miss something at first. I had a BLAST writing the fic, it was very self-indulgent so I thank you for the inspiration! Very glad you enjoyed it 🥰 (And yes you would not believe the amount of surgical tool and procedure research I did for the fic lmao, glad it translated into something enjoyable.)

I really enjoy that it's unclear what ratio of organic to robotic Scara is.. We know he can eat and breathe but doesn't have to. He has no heart. His character stories say he's been wounded and 'repaired,' not healed. He's clearly got emotions. He lights up during his skill but who's to say if that's due to mechanical bits, relation to an archon, or simple magic power? So you can really do almost anything you want with him physically, haha. Makes it fun to push him beyond human limits.

Also by 'lost your 50/50 to Tighnari' you mean WON right? Right??? /s (Itto and Wanderer are both great so I hope you get whichever you were aiming for! But Tighnari is nice too, my Tighnari/Kazuha/Kuki/Fischl team has kicked ass in Spiral Abyss lately.)

Good luck with university and thank you for the kind words!

[error606notfound]

Characterizing Genshin Characters!!

May write multiple parts for this, but here is my idea of what these people would be like in relationships in order to write better fanfics for them!

Childe

he would totally be the asshole-ish but amazing boyfriend

definitely a bit more like a lot cynical, but still is a hopeless romantic deep down, would absolutely never admit that

top love languages for him, receiving wise, would definitely be physical touch, maybe words of affirmation and quality time too?? but physical touch is the most important for him

SUCH a touchy boyfriend!!!

he’s the type that would buy you gifts for no reason other than it reminded you of him, or you mentioned wanting something in passing

very much “oh, you said you really liked green and I noticed your dress had a tear, and I saw this emerald dress in a window and decided to buy it for you! it’s no big deal, my love!”

however,, his main toxic trait would definitely be thinking that money can fix his wrongdoings

I can so see him leaving you a satchel bursting with mora after getting into a huge fight with a note to get something nice for yourself, and that he’s sorry

has a really hard time just saying sorry, this dude is a total man's man and already struggled with showing vulnerability before the abyss incident, he is so inept emotionally

hopefully you can change that in him, that's why words of affirmation would be a possibility for one of his love languages because he would have a hard time believing you at first but even hearing that you’re there for him no matter what would help him a lot

has such a hard time opening up though, honestly a defense mechanism at this point

he’s been around so many people and enemies that would use those vulnerable emotions against him that he sometimes lies about the littlest things because his immediate thought is that it’ll be used against him or even worse, someone else will find out he opens up to you and use you against him

man has a lot of enemies

however, he keeps you safe and would obviously kill anyone who looks at his darling in any way he or you don’t like

may or may not come back into your home at ungodly hours of the morning covered in blood if he finds out anyone was harassing you about anything

"oh, this? it's nothing, my angel, I just decided to go late-night hunting for pigs! <3" ...Ajax, honey, we know it's winter and there are no pigs out in the wild right now... anyways-

he is also most definitely the kind of guy who would make jabs at you (lovingly of course) for not being able to do something, before taking it over from you like you can just say you wanna help me cook, I know how to chop carrots for soup

"wow, good thing I was here, huh honey? your poor little dainty hands can't even chop some potatoes?" he definitely has a shit-eating grin on his face as he wraps his arms around you and takes over, I very much see him loving a calm domestic life

man definitely wants a big family, he just sees his work with the fatui as a hurdle to cross before he can safely have one

would absolutely be a dumbass and challenge you on every tiny little thing

"I bet I can drink this scalding hot tea faster than you" "I bet I can chop these vegetables faster than you" "I bet I can slurp the loudest while we eat this ramen"

this is of course an excuse to win and get a kith kith from you when he does

if he loses though, he will either absolutely expect you to steal a kiss from him (and be lowkey smug about it if you do, but if you don't and choose literally anything not involving him as a prize he would absolutely pout about it)

also, if you can fight, he will duel you and actually take that as a challenge seriously

not to the point of hurting you but his normal smug demeanor is toned way down until he's got you pinned or vice versa, then he lets himself have a little more fun with the situation

in his mind, how much is he really worth if he can't prove that he can protect his beloved at any time, even against themselves?

he'll let you win here and there, of course maybe

I can also see him being really into formal dancing for some reason?? i feel like he would want to be really well rounded as a whole, would feel pride in being a jack of all trades, not to mention an opportunity to sweep you off your feet?? he'll take it any day of course

would also be the best at making hot dishes, since he would cook for his siblings at home, and Snezhnaya is mad cold, so of course when the weather gets colder around you guys he makes bomb ass hot cocoa and amazing soups

Kazuha

he would be such a softie all around, unlike Tartaglia, this man is super in tune with his emotions

would definitely have touch and words of affirmation tied for his love languages, he would absolutely love if you read him poems while combing your fingers through his hair, laying on your lap and watching the stars go by under the shimmering night sky

I think he would be hard to get into a relationship with at first

he's super in tune with his emotions but I can see him being completely oblivious to those of others

you would have to pretty much point blank shout at him that you're in love with him for him to be like "oh... really?"

gets much easier once you're together though, he eventually figures out how you tick and knows your emotions almost as well as his own

would definitely want to explore the world with you, he would almost insist that you both get a boat together and live as nomads once you're serious about the relationship

he would very much be a calm, relaxed and laid-back type of partner, it would take a lot for him to get angry, and he would rather just talk it out before it even gets to that point?? he understands negative emotions are unavoidable but he hates seeing you upset, and hates even more being upset at you

i feel as though his only toxic trait would be not knowing when to leave you alone if you're quick to anger or lashing out

he seems like the type to be more caught up in fixing the issue before thinking that you might need space to think things through

which is a little ironic because I can see him immediately needing to go for a walk if you are the one to make him upset

overall though he would be one of the best people when it comes to openness and communication

not to mention fighting would be so rare while with kazuha

would absolutely call you the cutest pet names, definitely inspired by his hometown and poetry he knows you like

I also feel like kazuha can dance quite well, but not in a ballroom sense like childe, more like the dance during the festival scenes in Tangled; just super free and fun dancing, he probably learned it while he was on the crux honestly

kazuha would definitely be the type of partner to make you come out of your shell and try new things, how could you say no when his eyes are so sincere?

his whole aura just radiates assuredness and sincerity, you feel like you can do anything when you're around him

he's not much of a family man, simply just not thinking too much about it. his life has been so hectic and he just doesn't see the nomadic lifestyle as one to bring a child into, but if you happen to get pregnant/find a child that needs a home, he would absolutely kill being a dad

he would encourage a child to follow their dreams to whatever extent they need to, and assuming you fight too, you would both train him in the art of fighting as well as poetry

lets be real, you guys would do a great job raising a kid together, especially if you're a little more grounded to counteract kazuha's carefree nature

Hu Tao

oh my gosh she would literally be the funniest person to date ever, you cannot change my mind

she has a bit of a hard time in her profession, especially when hearing what others think of her, but she powers through it, attributing it all to her admittedly grotesque career

I feel like her biggest love language would be acts of service? she knows its a little hard being around someone who's so excited about death, so she definitely goes out of her way to show you she's still happy being on the mortal plane with you <3

would purposely do things to freak you out, like the pranking queen she is

you can expect to have her jump out from a dark corner of your room after you're out the shower, making you almost become a customer on the spot

her toxic trait would probably be not knowing when to take what you're saying seriously, whether it's on purpose or accidentally

I can see her kinda blowing off what you say whenever you get concerned for her in her career, or whenever she makes you a little too fearful with her talking about death like it's nothing

if you can match her energy and philosophy on life and death though, it wouldn't be too big of an obstacle in that aspect

she would totally offer to take you with her when she's working with spirits, if you're not too bothered by it or once you've gotten a little more used to her career

you would absolutely wake up in the middle of the night to find her out of bed, and you would find her in the lobby of the funeral parlor working on a cadaver that needs to be prepared soon

absolutely endearing how into her job she is, and how much care she puts into making sure people are sent to the afterlife as respectfully and perfectly as possible

she'll "joke" about hoping she's alive longer than you to make sure your funeral is perfect as well, and you're just like "my love, my dear, I appreciate the thought, but please don't-"

she'll offer to teach you the practices since you're around so often, and let's be real, a lot of people are put off by you dating her anyways considering her career, so it would definitely be the easiest job to get

also more time around your girlfriend?? who is adorably passionate about her job?? who could turn that down

you would definitely end up running the parlor as her right hand, and then tease her with the same dark jokes she did with you as well

"oh so it's funny when you joke about putting me in the coffin, but I can't joke about wanting to give my wonderful girlfriend a perfect ritual too?"

jk she would find it absolutely adorable that you would want to ensure a good passing for her too

wow that's a lot more death than i anticipated writing about for her but its definitely in character

she is such a passionate person in every aspect of her life though, and it shows in everything she does

I feel like the most she would ever fight about is her job, but other than that she isn't the type to confront others, and her happy-go-lucky demeanor prevents a lot of fights from happening at all

you just can't be mad at someone so adorable honestly

since I mentioned dancing with the other two, might as well add it in here; hu tao CANNOT dance. at all. but she loves doing it!!

she would totally take you to parties with her, and drag you on the dance floor doing the worst moves you've ever seen

you honestly debate whether she's just joking or not before she tries getting you to do the cringey moves with her too like please tell me I'm not alone in thinking she would get on the floor and do fornite dances or some dumb shit oh my god

"babe cmon do the orange justice with me"

your face is just red and you're like "hu tao, darling, please let's just get off the floor, we can start taking lessons together-"

she absolutely refuses though, that takes all the fun out of it!!

it grows on you though, as does a lot of the things she does

she also strikes me as the type to purposely do things just for shock value, nothing mean but just odd things

like milk before cereal odd

you would wake up in the morning and catch her cooking an egg in a ladle or something and you're just standing, horrified as she laughs so hard she drops the whole thing and nearly burns her foot

she just is naturally so funny you can't even be mad at her ridiculous antics, they're just as endearing to you as her passion for her job

your life will be full of laughter with this one, you'll probably have abs after the first month of dating as long as her humor is on-brand for you

slight NSFW, she would also make the dumbest jokes while doing the dirty

ALSO she would absolutely be a sucker for hand holding

i feel like she can be kind of touchy but the place she loves you touching the most are her hands, she just loves when you trace circles with your thumb on her knuckles while holding it

or just holding her hand and tracing along the little lines in her palm

bonus points if you crack a joke about palm reading while doing that

"i see.. a super sexy and cool partner in your future"

"aw really? I was hoping you'd see us kissing.. haha jk... unless-"

buying her rings is also the key to her heart

she would literally always wear the one you got her, no matter what

[yandere-romanticaa]

NSFW post, might be cringe be warned, I am not a smut writer but my boy Kazuha deserves it. I just love him okay? Warning for noncon? (even if you do enjoy it a little...), reader might even be a little unhinged lmao, pining from both sides, shibari, jealousy, female reader and my terrible writing. This was incredibly self indulgent. ❤️ No words can express my love for Kaedehara Kazuha but I hope I can at least somewhat capture it here. Also, I was very tired when I wrote this.

minors do not interact, I am watching.

🥀 jealousy, jealousy.

You joined the Crux on a whim, you were just desperate for some money, and Captain Beidou was more than generous to let you join her crew even if it was just temporary. She admired the fact that you were actually looking for a decent job rather than joining an organization like the treasure hoarders. It takes guts living an honest life, but that's what makes her appreciate you even more than she does. Meeting him was a pure coincidence but he had successfully captured your attention without much trouble at all and soon enough Kazuha became the reason why you would even wake up in the morning. Everything about him was an absolute mystery to you and you were dying to find out everything there was to him.

But boy, did he make this tough mission already tougher than it ought to be.

Kazuha was well known throughout the crew and everyone already knew that it was not uncommon for him to get lost in his little dream world. He would never slack off his duties heavens no, but he would spend hours upon hours just sitting in a lone corner somewhere and would write whatever his heart desired. You would always come by and ask him about what he was doing and he always humored you, sharing you his ideas about his poetry.

It's interesting how he never quite answered your question though. He would somehow always turn the subject around, never really showing you certain poems and you were none the wiser to even notice this. He was very fun to talk to and he gave you good advice and insight on certain situations that you wouldn't even think about. You appreciated him, he really did feel like a rock against your wild shore, a certain steadiness that you knew that you could rely on. His beauty caught your eyes and the crew would make fun of you for flunking all of your duties because you would just become so distracted by him. Everything he did was like a work of art to you, it felt as though he himself was the air that filled your lungs.

You felt a little bad for following him around. It was creepy, it was so creepy of you but God damn it you just had to. Kazuha would wander around Liyue and would only ever interact with the crew, much to your relief. This sort of became a little hobby of yours, pretending to go for a nice evening walk while in reality you'd follow Kazuha around, curious to see what he's up to. After a few months of doing so you called quits, annoyed at yourself for acting like such a stupid creep.

...you made him so sad when you stopped doing this.

He knew you were tailing him for a while now but he never made a move to stop you. He actually enjoyed the attention even if it wasn't direct. Knowing that he was occupying your mind like this, that you found him cute really set something off in his. Even if it was just a crush from your side, to Kazuha this was so much more. He started to follow you around. You'd often complain to your friends that you felt some presence near you but no one took you seriously. You even ran to Kazuha to complain but he would laugh it off with that airy smile of his, assuring you that it was all just in your head. And you'd believe him because of course you would. Kazuha was an absolute sweetheart, he could never hurt a fly right?

Even as you lay under him you still can't help but to feel breathless, even as he whispers absolute fucking filth in your ears.

An unconscious man lay next to the two of you. Earlier that night you managed to seduce him and get him into the empty ship. Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine to see anyone there let alone Kazuha, sharp blade in hand and with anger in his eyes. Pressing the tip of his blade against the man's throat he commented how it was rude to take something that didn't belong to him, and that he had no business to even breathe the same air as you. How should he punish the man, hm? He was tempted to cut deep into his jugular, to make him suffer a miserable and painful death, to force him to choke on his own blood and the last thing he would ever see would be Kazuha with a smirk on his face, he would become his own personal grim reaper.

His patience ran ought though. Seeing your hands all wrapped around this stranger made his blood boil and he just couldn't hold himself back, not anymore. He hit the man at the back of his head, rendering him unconscious, taking a mental note to deal with him later.

Right now he had other things to do.

In a flash your pants were torn to shreds, his sharp teeth were pulling the very edge of your panties down. Squeaks and breathy moans could be heard inside the tiny cabin, your cheeks were flaring red from the heat. Before you knew it you laid bare before him, a hungry look in his eyes.

It burned.

The rope he used on you was quite painful - there would definitely be marks and bruises left. Red rope decorated your soft flesh, you could feel its roughness all over you. With his bandaged hand he traced various patterns across your body along with the occasional tease of your clit. Your vision was blurry and black but even in the darkness you could still make out that he was reaching for his sword. Fear and confusion ran through your mind as you started to squirm, begging him to go easy on you. All of that fear melted away however once you felt something enter you, something hard and something that made you feel so, so good. He started down at you, a smug smile on his face as he continued to slowly insert the hilt of his sword in and out of you, careful not to cut you. He was amazed at the absolute lewd sight in front of him, he never would have imagined that you would be into this sort of thing.

In and out, you could feel the hilt hitting your gummy walls, stretching you nice and wide. Not as wide as you'd like though... He made sure to take things nice and slow, to make you suffer for having the gull to even think about sleeping with other men. Fool, he's right there, he sees you.

Now he'll make you all his.

[rivashi]

flufftember 2022

DAY THREE ; confession

pairings: my faves x gn!reader

genre(s): FLUFF, romance, confession | headcanons

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Diluc Ragnvindr

“I do hope my invitation wasn’t too sudden?”

“About that…” He hesitates. “I wanted to tell you something for some time now. May I?”

“I… I have caught feelings for you. Although I do not want to admit it, he has a point. So, will you allow me the honors of becoming yours?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Razor

“Friend. Razor thanks you… being here.” He says as you take in the beautiful scenery behind him.

“You smell nice, sweet. Always been.”

“Here.” He offers you a wolfhook. “You… I… Together?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Bennett

“Oh hey!” He beams. “I didn’t think you’d come! Knowing my bad luck, I’m probably the last person who willingly gets others involved.”

“Anyway, let’s not talk about that! I called you here because! Because… I… I really like you! I’m sorry but,”

“I would really like to be yours! If you’ll have me?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Albedo

“Ah, you came.” He faces you with a warm smile. “If I may be so bold to say…”

“I never really understood what draws people to me, yet you… are an exception.” He holds your hands.

“For you, I am willing to have human connections. Will you let me experience it with you?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Xiao

“Why are you here again?” He grumbles before letting out a sigh. “Suit yourself.”

“Hey.” Xiao looks out the balcony. “Does what you said still hold? You said you want me to share my burdens with you.”

“Is that so.” He hums. “Then, are you prepared for it? Because, you are choosing a life with me. Speak now, or leave me be.”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Chongyun

“Great work back there. You always help me with my exorcism and make extra popsicles for me so I appreciate it.” He smiles at you.

Chongyun looks up at the sky. “Listen, I know this may be out of line for me to ask but… if you’re willing and interested, would you continue to work with me?”

He turns back to you. “Not just partners. More than that… I would like to purge all evil with you, if that’s okay?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Baizhu

“My my. Welcome back, little customer. How have you been? It’s been a while since I’ve managed Bubu Pharmacy.” He perks up.

“Gui? He’s out, taking a break for the day and Qiqi’s out gathering herbs so I’m keeping an eye on the store.” Baizhu explains. “But enough about them, what can I get you?”

“Oh well, this is unexpected.” He chuckles. “If that’s all you came here for, then… I suppose you don’t mind keeping me company now, do you?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Kaedahara Kazuha

“Oh hey. I see you’ve figured it out?” He asks.

“I knew if anyone could decode and cipher my letters, it would be you.” Kazuha breaths as if in relief. “Hm? Oh yes. That’s right. What I wrote in those letters were and are still true.”

“So, what do you say? Will you travel around Teyvat with me?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Arataki Itto

“Heyyy. Yo, my man, my dude, my partner! I’ve been looking all over for you!” He runs up to you.

“Well, the one and oni Arataki Itto of Arataki Gang has something to confess to you!” Itto says proudly while bringing a fist to his chest.

“Now, listen well because I will only say this once!” He clears his throat. “I, Arataki Itto, have fallen madly in love with you! And I – at least I do hope so – know that you want to be with me too! Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Takuya (Blue Oni)

“Tsk. I told you to not come here again.” He sighs. “Why are you humans so insistently stubborn? Ugh, never mind. What is it this time?”

“What? Let me see that.” Takuya snatched the letter from your hands. “Damn that red goof, always so pushy.”

“Well, since you’re here anyway. Might as well, spit it out. I like you, ok? There, I said it. I’m not expecting an answer right away— I know, it’s sudden but let me know when you do, alright?”

˗ˏ♡*ೃ˚:; Dainsleif

“Oh. It seems we’ve crossed paths again.” He muses with a slight chuckle. “This has become a regular occurrence with how often we meet like this.”

“I never believe in gods but I don’t think this is a mere coincidence either.” Dainsleif informs you. “I feel as though – without me noticing – that the seeds of the past have plans for us, it seems.”

“If that is the case, I will make an exception for you and would like you to occupy me on my travels. As I will be at your side during yours.” He meets your eyes. “Remember, it is your choice. I am only presenting your opinions. So, choose wisely.”

[kazewhara]

behind those eyes.

# — pairings: kazuha, xiao x gn!reader

# — characters: gender neutral reader, kazuha, xiao

# — summary: "your nightmares follow you like a shadow, forever." – alexsandar hemon

# — warnings: nightmares, mentions of abandonment and death

# — tags: canon non-compliance, poly kazuha × reader x xiao, hurt/comfort, nightmares, grieving, fic re-write

# — notes: this is just a bigger re-write of something i wrote on my old writing blog, so god forbid if you ever come across it, just know that it's mine, lmao. anyways i'll give you three chances to guess how my morning started. as always, reblogs and reactions are appreciated and i hope you enioy

wanna join the tag list?

✧ — 🍁 + 🍃 — ✧

"does it ever get any easier?"

xiao and kazuha share a look over your head, neither one understanding your question or who it was meant for. both of them are situated on either side of you, enveloping you in their combined warmth. you'd been trembling violently until a few minutes ago and until now, you were completely silent. both men were content with your silence so neither of them were expecting such a question.

"does what get any easier, starlight?" kazuha's fingers weave into your hair. he swiftly undoes any kinks or knots he catches as he does so, silently relishing in the little sigh you gift him with. he pulls back to get a better look at your face, though he immediately wishes he hasn't. your eyes are red-rimmed and watery still, though there's a fragile smile on your lips.

you're facing him but you don't look at him. you sniff and chuckle humorlessly, the sound thin and flimsy. "losing someone close to you." you explain. "coping with it. does it ever get any easier?"

again, your lovers exchange a look that you can't see. both of them know why you're asking such a thing but they hesitate to answer. while kazuha lets the question marinate in his head, xiao takes the lead. you always let down your guard around him, but you're especially vulnerable right now. he does his best to choose his words carefully.

the first thing that comes to mind is a firm no. there was not a single loss in xiao's life that he didn't still feel the consequences of. nothing ever got any easier for him; his karmic debt was proof enough and you knew that. there's been many a day in which you and kazuha have had to watch as he suffered from flare-ups that he couldn't handle, the two of you paralyzed by your inability to help lessen the pain.

the same went for kazuha, who also hesitates to be honest and tell you no. though tomo's death was in the past, it haunts his dreams so often that it may as well happen every single day. you've found kazuha rendered silent and immobile by his grief on more than one occasion while you could do nothing but hold him in your arms.

but perhaps their situations were extraordinary. xiao isn't human and kazuha is a fugitive; both men have special circumstances much unlike your own. the average human will never see as many years as xiao has, and the average person will never perish from the musou no hitotachi like kazuha's friend.

what you needed in this moment was not blunt honesty, but genuine comfort.

"if you're asking for my personal opinion," xiao begins, "i don't believe that it does."

you take a shuddering breath and xiao's lips curve downwards.

"however, that doesn't mean i believe that you should grow used to it." he continues. his fingers find rest on your waist. "nor should you spend your life anticipating it, either. my knowledge of mortals may be limited, but i know that living in such a way isn't... it isn't truly living."

kazuha, who'd been listening intently, picks up where xiao leaves off. "like most things," he says, "i believe loss is best taken in stride, though it may hinder your movement. it's..."

painful, he struggles to tell you. agonizing, even. his heart still hasn't fully mended after all this time and xiao's will never be truly mended. the three of you came together and did your best to put each other back together, but there were still pieces that none of you could find and put back into place.

then, like a stray bolt of lightning, the answer strikes him, making the hairs at the back of his neck stand up.

"loss is best experienced with another."

xiao blinks at kazuha a few times. there's something in his tone that gives away his revelation, but xiao doesn't mention it because within a few seconds, he understands as well. neither of them are sure why it took them until now to understand the truth behind those words.

kazuha keeps speaking, his fingers sliding down out of your hair and coming to cup your jaw. "when... tomo passed, i... i was alone. nobody helped me process the events of that day when it happened, so i had to learn firsthand that time is the best cure for such things."

xiao pulls you a bit closer to his chest, his thoughts calming when he feels you relax some more. "but in your case," xiao murmurs, "you will not be alone. you will have us." your eyes close and kazuha sees a few stray tears slip past your lashes.

"i will take on as much of your suffering as i can if you allow me." kazuha tells you.

you start to shake again, a wave of fresh tears likely about to descend upon you. "you guys have enough to deal with." you stammer, your voice breaking. "i don't... you don't need to do that."

"but we will." xiao's voice is firm behind you. he ducks down and presses a kiss to the back of your neck, your breath catching when he speaks again, his lips still on your skin. "that wasn't a request."

"we will always be here if you need us." kazuha gently clears your face of your sorrow and his throat tightens with the urge to share in it. "you are never alone, dove. you never will be." how fortunate it is that kazuha is the one seeing you cry and not xiao -- xiao's never been very good at handling your tears.

xiao and kazuha feel your gratitude more than they hear it. you wrap your arms around kazuha and squeeze, and you finally allow your legs to tangle with both of theirs. the two of them sink into the bed further, relieved that they've managed to put you at ease, even if only by a little.

"pain like this will destroy you if you shoulder it all by yourself." xiao says again. you nod shakily in understanding.

kazuha sighs and allows the pained tears to sting his eyes. a few get the better of him and fall, but he doesn't make any move to stop it. he kisses your forehead as you allow yourself to sob once more.

the things they've said are not only true to some degree, but they are also things that they wish they'd been said to them when they needed it the most. they can never go back to those times -- they don't want to -- so they keep their eyes forward. you would do the same for them in a situation like this. in fact, you already have.

it was you who went to zhongli in search of the medicine xiao needed; you who went with kazuha to visit tomo's grave after months of avoiding it; you who coaxed kazuha out of the shell he'd unknowingly forced himself into; you who made xiao understand that the life he lives was not one he sought, but one he was given -- that he was still worthy of love. it was all you.

you were the angel who taught them to feel pain, to let it trample them, but to slowly but surely get up, and keep on their way.

you taught them to be human, and they'll be damned if they ever have to let you suffer in the way they have to -- the way they do.

so until this passes, until you understand that you, too, can be human, they will be here.

✧ good morning, ig.

[coco-goat-milk]

hi!! can you do a kanao!reader (demon slayer) x Childe, Kazuha, and Zhongli (separately), I’d prefer the reader to use a coin and then stop using it after getting into a relationship, emotionless kinda but then starting to warm up, !!IF ITS OK WITH YOU!! and also have the same backstory as her, of course, you don’t have to do the last part since it’s really dark- you don’t have to do this request tho! :D

Kanao! reader x Childe, Kazuha, Zhongli

Pronounce: she/him/they,, pronounce isn't mentioned! so I won't mention it either!

Warning: slight spoilers for Kanao’s past (and Kazuha and Zhongli), violence and cursing (it's just a little bit nothing very bad or anything! and if i forgot anything please remind me!)

A/n: Moshi moshi~ dear, ofc i'll do your request! And if you check out my rules page you will see all the characters i write for and if i write for those characters that means that i also write for the characters their past! I hope this is okay and what you wanted! If it's not just tell me and I will try again hun!

Childe

First time meeting:

He was very curious about you when he first saw you.

When he approached you, you just kept smiling, while tried to start a conversation with you.

Keyword: tried

You just kept staring intently at him with a smile, ngl he got kind of scared.

But the moment you pulled out a coin and flipped it into the air, he was so confused, huhh???

When the coin landed on your palm and you smiled at him, he waited patiently for you to answer him.

But what you did next is something he really didn't expect.

“Sayonara” You smiled at him and ran away leaving Childe in a confused daze.

After that he would keep searching for you, and try to make conversation.

When you two get together:

You would slowly try to have a conversation without the use of your coin. (but Childe luckily didn't try to push you)

“Childe…”

“Yes love!”

“Do..you..like rocks?”

“???”

He will be very patient with you, and even though he still teases you and flirts with you, he knows when to stop.

If you decide to tell him about your past and about your dead sister who decided to take care of you, he will first of all feel a lot of grief and anger. Not anger towards you but towards the people who treated you like shit.

He will let you take your time, while he teaches the people who treated you badly a..few lessons.

This bastard is very clingy while you are...not. So he likes to cling onto you like a koala bear, and you just let it be.

He flirts a lot with you but you don't respond most of the time, but when you flirt back he will be shook and flustered.

If he has seen you fighting, he will want to spar with you.

Masochist.

You usually just spend time together eating or sparring.

It's a cute relationship while he supports you all the way!

Kazuha

First time meeting:

He just wanted some peace and quiet in nature, maybe reciting some haiku.

But as he got to the clearing he saw a person calmly sitting there with butterflies flying around (her/him/them), he just stood there shocked.

As you turned your head around your eyes met, and it felt as if there was an invisible connection with each other.

After that day you often meet him at the exact same place, sometimes he tells you haiku’s or you two just sit in a comfortable silence with butterflies surrounding you two.

When you two are together in a relationship:

You both are very calm people and you don’t talk that much but his calming presence, makes you use your coin less.

“Kazuha can you...can you..”

“Take your time Y/n”

“Can you tell me a haiku about butterflies..?”

He is very happy that you try to talk without the coin, but of course he is curious why you don't talk without your coin. He won't push you for answers though.

If you tell him about your past and your dead sister, he can relate to you losing your loved one.

If you want to he will comfort you, he is actually very amazed by your mental strength and compliments you for it.

He wrote a haiku about his admiration for you.

You are really bad at comforting him but he takes great comfort in your presence.

You didn't really know what to do with physical affection, but it's okay because he eases you into it.

Usually hand holding or kisses on the cheek.

If he told you about his past and how he is a wanted criminal, you will become quite protective over him.

If he saw how you defeated your enemies, he would be amazed and proud of you.

Has several haikus about you, and he usually tells you about them before bed time.

Ughhhhh him telling you about all his love and adoration for you in the most poetic way and before bed time!?!?! SIGN ME UP 🤲

It's a very wholesome and sweet relationship, with you both being closeted simps for each other.

Zhongli

First time meeting:

You basically became Zhongli’s assistant, he found your company very comforting and nice.

He was certainly very curious about you and why you only answered with your coin.

He talked...a lot.. like a lot, you just let him talk because you had high respect for the man.

And his voice is just *chef’s kiss*

When you two get together:

In your relationship he is the one who talks the most, and you just listen with a smile on your face.

He knows you don't really make decisions without your coin, but actually it's just you who already made a decision but didn't want to embarrass yourself.

He cares a lot for you, so when you tell him about your past;

He will have order! *summons giant rock*/j

No but seriously he will comfort you with his words if needed, he will brew you some tea.

He has been through some hard stuff as well so he isn't that bad at comforting.

He knows you're not very cuddly or anything but he lets it be, so he is very surprised when you hold his arm out of nowhere.

“And so- oh…” You just wrapped your hand around his arm like you had done it so many times, his gentle smile widens even more.

“Ah okay as i was saying-!”

When he tells you that he is a god, you don't react that much. you already knew.

He is actually kind of glad and surprised that that was your only reaction.

With physical affection it's usually him holding your hands or your hand wrapped around his arm.

You are basically his mom; when he is going out and forgot his Mora for the hundredth time, you will come to the rescue with a bag of Mora.

Things like that are your way of showing you care, and of course you are not using your coin with him anymore.

When he sees you fighting he is very curious and proud, he will want to ask questions about your fighting styles over a cup of tea.

Aww such a sweet relationship, even though he is a god y'all don't care; just living in the moment!

[ranalatus]

Random Genshin Headcanons (Mondstadt + Liyue)

— Kazuha writes poems for Changchang based on how Little Yue describes her and has Traveler deliver it to Changchang saying it's from Little Yue

— Ganyu invites Shenhe for tea at Madame Ping's when Ningguang finally gets her to rest

— Eula, Amber and Bennett still visit Albedo on the mountains regularly and they all chat around the bonfire eating different kinds of foods he learned and made (sometimes Sucrose and Timaeus join!)

— Albedo and Kaeya has the ability to communicate through eye contact (don't ask me how)

— Venti has Shenhe's strength and has used it to carry most of Dawn Winery's wine barrels in exchange for free drinks (I know he's a god so him being strong isn't that surprising but shush)

— Venti still accepts payment in apples and gives it to little kids running around Mondstadt

— There are most definitely stories about the Seven that are just full of self-projection and assumptions so bizarre they feel like fanfiction (Zhongli and Venti still loves reading them for some reason) (Yae does too)

— Albedo and Klee draws together.

— Rosaria and Kaeya team up against Diluc when he's being stingy (totally not inspired by that one audio on tiktok)

— Rosaria loves talking shit about Kaeya but the second anyone else does so she's beating the shit out of them (this applies to Diluc as well) (she put up a good fight against him considering hes the darknight hero and shes a nun) (#girlbossRosaria) (Kaeya watched with overflowing amusement)

— I don't know what this was for I wrote this some time ago at 3 am im honestly just clearing out drafts while waiting for free time to do the inazuma quests

[hanniejji]

Idk if you wrote something like this before for Phoenix but!

It’s Phoenix’s birthday and everyone got them gifts and stuff and wished them a happy birthday but Diluc 💔

Don’t get him wrong, it’s not like he forgot… how could he forget the day that his child was born and the day his wife passed away? ☹️

Phoenix for the whole day feels guilt and sadness. One because they thought their father forgot and they haven’t seen him all day, two because they feel as if it’s their fault that their mother died when they where born

Uncle Kaeya tries to get Phoenix to forget about the negative thoughts and tries to spoil them for the whole day (even Kazuha and Lil maple came all the way to Mondstadt to hang out with Phoenix)

By the end of the day, Diluc finally manages to work up the courage (and to snap himself out of his moping) to say happy birthday to Phoenix

Even if it was just a simple “happy birthday”, I believe Phoenix would feel a little happier that day despite the utter guilt they feel 😭

- 🌵 anon (I would be delighted to be 🌵 anon 😌💜)

Also apologies if this was long-

ANON OH MY GOD

DID YOU SECRETLY WENT IN MY DOCS? YOU FIEND, I SHALL NOT LET YOU LIVE TO TELL THE TALE

i mean it's not totally the same but HHHNHNHNHN

god even a simple greeting of "happy birthday" and a pat on their head, phoenix is in cloud nine :( normally diluc would just send adelinde to give them gifts on their birthday before going back to work. some of the gifts he gave them aren't even really what interests them, but to them it doesn't matter. because it's still something that came from him. so to have him actually come up to them and give them a quiet greeting is greater than any gift that he had given them.

[subbe93]

The Roulette of Destiny part 6

A/N: Okay, you know what? I really love how in the translations Heiji and Kazuha talk with a dialect that makes Osaka's and Tokyo's dialects separated from each other. And believe me, part of me wanted to do it too, but since I barely survive with my grammatical English, I didn't want to make it harder for myself ^^' And I have to say, I'm very sorry about that since I think that they don't feel like Heiji and Kazuha without it xD

This is also the part where my "problems" with this fic began. At the start of May, I started to draft this fic. I wrote this so much until I got to this chapter. I got a big wall in front of me because I knew what I wanted to happen in Osaka, but how it would happen, I couldn't figure out. I didn't have anything, and even though I thought that I should let the fic write itself, it didn't work out: every time I tried to continue it, I didn't get out anything.

And it was a pretty close call that this fic didn't end up the part where Shinichi and Ran wait for Heiji and Kazuha.

Then, luckily, came ShinRanWeek. First I planned to participate with a two fic, but when time passed and I looked at those prompts, I got more ideas. And since the first day got "First meeting", I glanced at this fic's first chapter and wondered if I should...

And I did, and I was so confused for seeing all those comments about wanting more. But it also made me so happy. And YOU are the reason why I opened that fic again and promised myself that I'm going to end this!

And you know what? I can announce that this is going to happen! Yeah, the draft of this fic is ready. Yes, you read right! I have written all the chapters, so all I have to do anymore is to reread them a few times before I post them here! Awesome, right? I'm so happy and excited because I don't even remember when was the last time I got my writing project ready! And again, I know that I repeat myself pretty often and probably people are tired of hearing this, but thanks belong to you! Thanks to you and your support, I got this done! Without you guys, I would have given up and this would have (probably) never been finished. You have been so kind to me, and I really wish that I could make you all know how much this means to me. So thank you ❤

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Osaka was a big city, like Tokyo, and yet different. Ran had seen pictures and heard much about the city and since she had visited the center of Tokyo many times, she shouldn’t be so elated. Yet she was amazed wherever she looked at. So many buildings and places where she wanted to go, so many people everywhere… She wondered if their hosts had made some plans for their visit. Would be a shame to miss all those sights when she had a chance to be there, and it wasn’t written on the stone that she would visit Osaka again in the future.

“Oi, don’t get lost!”

Ran searched Shinichi with her gaze, who happened to bush himself through the people who also just left from the train and searched someone or tried to find a way out. Look away for a moment and you were lost. God, she really needed to shape up!

“Ah, sorry”, Ran apologized. “I was so amazed by the view.”

He smiled. “Well, I believe you see more as soon as we get out of here”, he said and looked around before glanced her. “Let’s just make sure that we don’t lose each other before that.”

She nodded and followed him. She tried her hardest to stare at his back, making sure that she doesn’t lose sight of him, but at some point, it started to be impossible. There were so many people who accidentally pushed her, making following Shinichi harder. She raised her hand and grabbed his free arm. If she just could hang on him long enough…

He stopped and Ran rammed against his back.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah”, Ran muttered and withdrawn a little enough to meet his face. She smiled apologetically at him while wrapping both of her arms around his. “I just thought for a moment that I lost you.”

He eyed her before showing a little smile. “We’re out here soon, hang in there.”

Ran let Shinichi navigate them out and just concentrated to make sure that she didn’t let go of Shinichi’s arm, as tight places as they needed to go through. He seemed to know where to go, but in the end, she shouldn’t be surprised. If he really had friends here, he probably had visited here more than once. That or he was very good to follow instructions. Well, it didn’t matter to Ran: As long as they would get out of here, the better.

They got out from the mass and moved to the side for waiting for their hosts. Ran kept glancing everywhere around her, searching for those Hattori and Kazuha. She was a little nervous, but also very curious to meet Shinichi's friends. Part of her was worried if they would like her. Shinichi told her earlier that his friends would let them stay on their place as long as they would like to, and as nice an offer as it was, she was still worried about how embarrassing it would be if they don't like her.

But Shinichi had also said yesterday that they are nice people... And if she can get along with Shinichi, would there be any reason why she wouldn't with them? No, she was probably just nervous to meet these new people.

“Oi, Kudo!”

Ran awoke from her thoughts. Kudo?

“Hattori”, Shinichi answered and looked at a brown-skinned young man who got a white baseball cap backward covering his dark hairs. Besides him was a dark-haired girl whose hair was in a ponytail with a ribbon. “Here I thought that you have abandoned us.”

“Sorry about that. Kazuha just lost her wallet, so we needed to go to find it”, this Hattori answered with a heavy accent. For Ran, it sounded weird.

“Well, I’m sorry”, the girl shouted a little annoyed. “It wasn’t my fault that I needed to fit your shoppings in my handbag! You should have bought a bag for those.”

“I thought they would fit in my pockets”, the guy answered and smiled. “But you got a big handbag anyway.”

“It doesn’t mean that there is room endlessly, you know.”

“Anyway, Ran”, Shinichi interrupted their argument and Ran turned her gaze to him. He smiled at her. “These are my friends, Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha.” Then he turned to look at those two and Ran did the same. “Hattori, Kazuha-chan… This is Mouri Ran…”

Ran opened her mouth to say something to greet them, but then she froze.

Wait!

Ran looked at Shinichi who didn't look like that he would have said anything weird. But to Ran, he did. Because she had never mentioned her surname. She tried to remember, but she was pretty sure that they hadn't talked anything about their surnames. On the first day, she told him only her first name, that's it. And there hadn't been any situation where she had needed to say it since Shinichi was always the one who reserved or bought their tickets and then kept them himself. So there was no way that he could know, so... How did he?

“Nice to meet you, Mouri-san”, dark-skinned boy, Hattori Heiji said, making Ran let go of her thoughts. She needs to ask about it later from Shinichi.

“Likewise”, Ran answered with a smile. Then she looked at the girl, ready to say something, but instead, she saw green eyes leering at her. It made her shiver. She didn't feel very welcome, but maybe this girl had her reason to be cold? Maybe it was her nature or maybe she was just shy? Some people were wary and just weren’t very good at meeting new people. Maybe she wanted her to make the first move?

“Nice to meet you too, Kazuha-san”, she greeted with a smile, but another girl’s attitude didn’t change. Ran squeezed Shinichi’s arm. It certainly didn’t start well.

“But I’m a little disappointed, Kudo”, Heiji said keeping his hands on his pockets. “You didn’t tell me that you had a girl…”

There it was again, the name which triggered Ran’s attention. Kudo.

“Like I want to tell you anything”, Shinichi answered with an annoyed expression. “Besides she’s not my girl.”

“What I see doesn’t match with your words”, Heiji smirked. “As your closest friend…”

“In your dreams.”

“… I have never seen you let any girl hold your arm like that.”

Only then Ran realised that she was still holding his arm pretty tightly. She let go of it quickly. “Oh, there were so many people there, I almost lost him twice”, she explained and let out an awkward laugh.

“And if I can clarify, you have always seen me here alone, so how in the world do you think I could let anyone hold my arm?” Shinichi asked.

Heiji spread his arms looking so proud. “Osaka is full of beautiful girls, you know.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes without looking impressed.

“Idiot”, Kazuha shouted and slapped Heiji on the arm. “Everyone isn’t like you, you know!”

“Huh?” the young man asked and looked at his companion. “It can’t be helped that I’m so popular.” Then he looked at Shinichi with a mischievous smile. “More popular than Kudo, it seems…”

“Can’t say I have seen any girls around you just so you know”, Kazuha answered harshly, and Heiji let out an angry sound, but Kazuha had already turned to Shinichi, ignoring Heiji. “Anyway, would you two like to eat something? Or do you want to do some sightseeing first?”

“Eeeh?” Heiji interrupted. “I thought taking Kudo with me and showing him that…”

“You can’t be serious!” It was Kazuha’s turn to interrupt Heiji. She looked at the dark-skinned man angrily. “It’s been a long time since Shinichi-kun was here last time, and all you can think is some case?!”

A case?

“Well, that’s why they came”, Heiji answered and looked a little annoyed. “I called him last night and asked if he would come, and…”

“Hey, would it be okay with you?”

Ran took her gaze away from those two, who seemed to get into a big argument, and looked at Shinichi who looked at her with a sorry smile. “I admit that I’m curious about what Hattori has here, but if it’s not okay to you stay alone with Kazuha-chan…”

Ran was puzzled. Actually, there were too many questions she wanted to ask. “What case they are talking about?”

“Nothing you need to worry about”, he answered gently. “Part of Hattori’s job.”

She frowned. “But why do you need to be part of it?”

"Well..."

“You can be so idiot!” Kazuha’s voice interrupted them, making both of them look at what was going on.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You have been in a bad mood the whole morning!”

Kazuha pouted and looked away. To Ran, it seemed like she wasn’t a big fan of the idea that boys would go to their own ways while she would be with Ran alone. She wanted to believe what Shinichi had said about Kazuha, but Ran started to wonder if Shinichi was wrong…

“Ah, sorry about her”, Heiji spoke with his accents, mostly to Ran. He lowered his voice while glancing at Kazuha. “She has been in a bad mood the whole morning, though I have no idea why.”

“What have you done this time, Hattori?” Shinichi asked.

Heiji glanced angrily at him before rolling his eyes. “I think she would get better mood when she got some shopping with that girl of yours”, he answered ignoring Shinichi’s question.

“Kazuha-chan can be scary when she is in the bad mood, but she probably melts after we leave and she can complain to you whatever worries her”, Shinichi said and smiled assuring at Ran. “Believe me, she is nice and kind. I still believe that you two are going to be good friends in no time.”

Ran wasn’t so sure about that. She wanted to believe in Shinichi, and she kind of did, but still, looking at pouting Kazuha who had acted coldly towards her… She would have been more confident if they could have spent some time together with boys before they would leave her together with Kazuha.

But normally Ran had been good with people. She had always got along with everyone. It didn’t mean that she would like them, but it was enough to get along. And in the end, Shinichi would come back to her, right? It didn’t mean that she would spend the rest of her life with Kazuha if that girl wouldn’t like her.

Well, at least Ran was the one who left on the journey with a stranger. What difference it would make if she spent a day in Osaka with another stranger? Though the difference was that she and Shinichi get along from the beginning. Kazuha didn’t look like she wanted to spend any time with her.

“Our business shouldn’t take too long”, Shinichi’s voice woke her from her thoughts. “And you are in good hands, just enjoy the tour, right.”

Ran looked at him.

“And…” he doubted. “And if I’m wrong about you and Kazuha-chan, then you can always call me, and…”

“It’s okay”, Ran assured with a smile. Well, if Shinichi was so sure that she and Kazuha would get along, then she should give her a chance. Also, Shinichi was interested in what Heiji wanted to show him, and in the end, Ran can’t just hang on him forever. In the end, they have spent a week together, so it would be only fair to give him a little time for himself. “I’m happy to see Osaka and get to know Kazuha-san better.” Then she turned to Osaka’s girl who stared at her. She tilted her head with a smile. “Right, Kazuha-san?”

Kazuha murmured something before taking her gaze away. Ran frowned, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Shinichi smiled at her before going to Kazuha. “Take good care of her, okay? We will be back in no time.”

The girl’s face softened. “Okay”, she answered.

As many promises as that girl would have made to Shinichi, Ran wondered if her attitude towards her would have changed. Kazuha took her to some museums and showed some important buildings, but for Ran, that tour was kind of awkward. Kazuha acted pretty cold towards her, and as much as Ran tried to melt the ice and get to know the girl better, she didn’t get anything out of her. Yeah, she answered her questions, but the answers were short and pretty harsh.

Ran started to wonder if Shinichi was wrong. He had assured her a few times that Kazuha was nice and kind, but to her, it didn’t seem so. And as much as Ran waited that Kazuha would open up to her, telling what bothers her, she didn’t. Though she had seen how she acted towards Shinichi, and Ran started to believe that maybe Kazuha didn’t like her for some reason.

But why though? She didn't have any idea. Her only thought was that she was jealous of Shinichi, but why would that be? Or maybe she liked Shinichi?

Wait… What if she was his fiancée? Well, Shinichi had talked about his fiancée like he had no idea who she is, but if it was Kazuha… Maybe Shinichi had got that knowledge later, but didn’t mention it? In the end, it wasn’t Ran’s problem who was his fiancée. But if that was the case, she believed that Shinichi would have introduced Kazuha as his fiancée, right? Except if he didn’t want to bring it up since they still kind of tried to avoid that topic. But in that case, if Ran would have been Kazuha, she would have said something about it or maybe greeted Shinichi different way. Though if Shinichi had told her not to mention it...

Or maybe she had feelings towards Shinichi, but knew that she can’t have him and now she thought that Ran was his fiancée? Maybe that would be the reason why Kazuha was so cold towards her. That would explain so much. But when Ran glanced at the girl who marched a little ahead of her, she wasn’t so sure about it.

Well, the easiest way to get to know what was bugging that girl was to ask. That way she could clear the air about misunderstandings or if not… Well, she didn’t know what to do then, but she knew that she owed Shinichi that much.

Ran stopped and took a deep breath.

“Kazuha-san!”

The pony-tailed girl stopped and turned to her. She still looked at her with a wary look. Ran stared back at her for a moment, ready to ask her question, but then she realised that they stood in the middle of the street, and it didn’t feel very suitable place to ask personal questions. So instead, she smiled friendly.

“How about we stop at some café to take a break? I’m starting to be hungry.”

Kazuha frowned a little but consented. She led her to the nearest café and ordered before sitting at the table to wait. Ran followed her lead, ordering her tea and sandwich before going to the table to sit opposite of her. She looked at Kazuha who still looked like she was sulking. Her green eyes were staring outside from the window while her chin rested on her balm.

Well, it was now or never. Ran took a deep breath again and steeled herself. Whatever there would come, she would be ready.

“Kazuha-san.” Osaka’s girl moved her attention to her, yet she didn’t seem to be interested to hear what she is going to say. “I don’t want to be rude, but I want to ask: Do you have something against me?”

The girl in front of her looked surprised. She shaped up, letting her hand drop from the table. “What?” she asked. “No, I… I don’t…”

“You can be honest with me”, Ran interrupted with a smile. “You act a little cold towards me, but when you talked to Shinichi, you were different. Sooo, I assume you don’t like me.”

“No, I… I…” She looked very uncomfortable, and Ran was pretty sure that she had guessed right. She looked how Kazuha looked like trying to find words, like thinking what she should do. After some time, she met her gaze again, looking determined and a little bit angry. It made Ran shiver. “Well, if I can be honest, then…” She took a deep breath before opening her mouth: “What do you want from him?”

Ran was confused. “Him? You mean…”

“Shinichi-kun, of course”, Kazuha clarified and before Ran even realised, that girl stood up and slammed both of her hands on the table, gathering all other customers' glances. Well, there went that privacy. “If you’re one of those who are just using his reputation and good nature, I’m going to…”

“I’m not, I’m not!” Ran hushed and looked around, trying to smile apologetically to other people who looked at them.

“And you think I’m going to believe that?” Kazuha continued with a loud voice even if Ran tried to get her attention, trying to make her realise that she was disturbing others. “Like everyone would say that, and maybe he believed that, but I’m not that easy to…”

“I’m really not!” Ran repeated raising her voice a little to get Kazuha's attention, yet keeping it low enough that only the closest customers would hear. “Or… or yeah, I kind of am, but after refusing he still insisted me to accompany him, so he knows it and accepted it…”

Green eyes leered at her, like trying to break her down. Sadly, Ran saw from the corner of her eye that the waitress was coming to their table with their order.

“Kazuha…”

“Is… there everything all right?”

That was what made Kazuha snap out to realise the situation. She looked at the waitress and then other customers, who all looked at them a little scared.

“Yes, of course”, Ran smiled. “My friend just got too excited.”

Kazuha let out an awkward laugh. It was her turn to apologise. “Oh, I’m sorry, I really didn’t think…” Kazuha apologized embarrassed. “I’m so sorry…”

The waitress looked at them for a while before she put their teas and sandwiches on the table in front of them, bowed, and left. Ran and Kazuha sat in silence for a while before they look at each other. Both of them burst into smiles.

“Ah, I’m really sorry! I was so upset and when I get to chance to spit it out, I didn’t even remember that we are in the café… I embarrassed you”, Kazuha apologized looking so embarrassed. She bowed as much as she could while sitting. “God, don’t tell Shinichi-kun or Heiji, please?”

Ran laughed a little when Kazuha straightened herself. “It’s okay, no need to worry about that”, she assured her and tilted her head. “You must care much about Shinichi, don’t you?”

Kazuha smiled fondly. “He is kind of big brother to me”, she admitted and looked down like she was embarrassing. “He is a nice guy. Always there when you need him, he takes care… Of course, Heiji does too, but Heiji is more hot-headed while Shinichi-kun is peaceful. Calm. And he doesn’t have many friends. So…” She raised her gaze at Ran, and this time it wasn’t as scary as earlier, but it was serious. “I just don’t want anyone to use him for any reason. So, if you’re with him just because he is famous…”

“No, I’m not”, Ran assured again and frowned a little. “I don’t even know what do you mean when you tell me that he is famous…”

“What?” Kazuha asked and looked surprised. “But… but… You have been with him, how… You’re not from Tokyo? Though your accent is same as his, but…”

“I am”, Ran confirmed, and as soon as she had said that, she remembered where she heard that Kudo before: It was in Tokyo, that morning in the hotel’s restaurant. When they met. And those women in the restaurant’s doorway, they were asking about Kudo-sama. But… Were they really talking about her Shinichi? Maybe it was just a coincidence? “But I have no idea what you are talking about… He is just… Shinichi.”

Kazuha stared at her like she didn’t believe her at all. It took some time before she spoke: “So… If you don’t know him, then… How did you two meet?”

And Ran explained. For a moment she planned to leave out the fact about the arranged marriage, but in the end, it was the main reason why they left from Tokyo and that way she cleared Kazuha’s suspicion. And maybe it would make everything just easier. If she really thought of Shinichi as her brother, she didn’t know why she shouldn’t trust her too.

“Oh”, was Kazuha’s answer when Ran stopped her story. “I… I don’t know what to say… I really thought that you are just some women who just happened to meet him and tagged along…”

Ran smiled. “No, we are just friends, I think…”

“You think?” Kazuha laughed. “You two don’t even use honorifics in your names.”

Ran didn’t even know the reason why they didn’t. They never even talked about it. It just felt so natural to call him by his name like that.

“But I’m feeling so bad for Shinichi-kun… And for you, of course”, Kazuha said. “Being married to some random people…”

“Wait… you didn’t know?”

“I didn’t”, Kazuha answered. “And if Heiji did, I don’t know why he didn’t tell me.”

Ran wanted to say something for Shinichi’s defense, but she didn’t. Well, she didn’t know much about Kazuha and Heiji, but she could just imagine that Shinichi didn’t want to their pity about it. Well, mostly Shinichi didn’t even show being as bothered about that marriage as Ran was, but still, Ran didn’t want anyone else’s pity either. Or maybe he didn’t tell them, so they could just enjoy even in one city without being reminded of that…

Well, it had gone waste now...

“I really hope that his fiancée is going to be someone nice…”

“I hope so too”, Ran said with a sad smile. Then she remembered. “Oh, but what did you mean that Shinichi is a known person?”

“Oh yeah, about that”, Kazuha said and looked somehow so proud. “He is the great detective, Kudo Shinichi!”

“What?!”

“Oh yes, he was known as a high school detective before. Some people call him our time Sherlock Holmes. Or the great detective of the east because Heiji is also a detective and people say that he is the great detective of the west...”

Somehow everything started to be clear now. Ran knew now why he had looked so familiar to her in the hotel’s restaurant. She remembered clearly how she had read from the magazines and newspapers about a young detective, who solved many homicides and helped polices… She remembered now that dark hair, serious blue eyes, and confident smile from the news, and she remembered how many people, mostly girls, in her class talked and adored that great detective, Kudo Shinichi…

Somehow she still didn’t want to admit it. No, those weren’t the same people. Her Shinichi was just someone who she happened to meet in that hotel, just an ordinary human. But if Kazuha said so…

But why? Why didn’t she realise it sooner? And worst of all, why didn’t he tell her? She had asked, right? She did, on the first day. Why didn’t he tell her then that he was a private detective? Why use some kind of circumlocutions instead of telling her that he is a detective? And known one?

“... but I think they both are good detectives”, Kazuha still spoke, and Ran realised that she had missed most of it. “And respected.”

Ran tried to smile. Why does she feel betrayed?

But it wasn’t Kazuha’s fault. She needed to talk with Shinichi when she got a chance.

“But really, I’m so sorry that I was so rude towards you”, Osaka girl apologized again. “If I can somehow make it up to you…”

“No need to”, Ran smiled. “Or if something, maybe we could start our friendship again?”

As rocky as their start was, Ran felt very good being with Kazuha. She started to see what Shinichi meant when he said that they would come along pretty well, and she was so happy that she gave Kazuha a change in the first place, and more than that, cleared the air between them. After the conversation in the café, Kazuha had smiled all the time. She talked so much, asked questions, and listened when Ran talked. Kazuha was a nice and kind person, though when so much into something, she was pretty determined, which was a little scary at first. They both got interested in martial arts, fashion and they didn’t like horror things. Ran was actually happy that someone understood her with that since her classmates always teased her for that.

She also got to know more about Heiji, who was also a young detective in Osaka. The young man had practiced kendo and liked baseball. She also learned that Heiji and Kazuha were childhood friends, known each other for as long as they could remember. Both of their dads were working on police forces which were one of the reasons how they had met. They had practically grown up together. Kazuha told that she had had feelings for Heiji many years, though they got together a few years ago. She also told her that it would have been kinda okay if they hadn't started to date because after they got together, her mother revealed that they had planned to marry her to Heiji at some point if she didn’t find anyone.

And that was a moment when Ran realised that this was probably the reason why Shinichi hadn’t told those two anything about his situation. Even though their parents had planned something like that, she didn’t feel like they ever could understand since they still got each other, someone, who they liked. They were lucky.

As happy as Ran wanted to be for those two, she also was a little jealous. Why did she feel like everyone around her was in a better situation than her?

Ran also learned how many years ago they – or in that case, Heiji – met Shinichi. Kazuha told her that Shinichi was visiting Osaka with his parents, and there happened to be homicide which took his and his family’s interest. Also, Heiji and his father were there, and since both boys were making their own deductions, which later turns out to be right, Heiji got interested in Shinichi. Shinichi wasn’t so interested to be friends with Heiji, but since Osaka boy didn’t give up so easily, they slowly get closer.

As nice story as it was, Ran found it a little amusing that someone could make friends while someone was murdered, but in the end, who was she to judge.

Yet she got a little curious to know more about Shinichi. Part of her knew that she should ask these questions directly from him, but since he had lied about himself, she didn’t know if he would tell her. And in the end, they still got that silent agreement not to talk about their families, and she didn’t want to be the one who would break that. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to ask from Kazuha.

“Say, Kazuha-san. Do you know anything about Shinichi’s parents?”

“Not much”, Kazuha answered. “I have never met them. I think Heiji did when they met the first time. But I have heard that his mother is a former actress, and his father is a writer.” She shrugged. “Last time I heard, his parents lived in America”, she continued.

“In America?” Ran repeated. “But… I thought Shinichi had lived in Japan his whole life?”

“Yeah, he stayed here when his parents left”, the pony-tailed girl answered. “So, he has lived alone since he was thirteen.”

Ran frowned. “My parents would have never let me live alone at that age…”

Kazuha laughed. “I thought that too”, she agreed. “But when I met him, I realised that he was mature for his age. The more I was with him, the more I understand why his parents dared to let him live alone.”

Ran smiled shortly as an answer, though there was still one thing…

“Why did he stay behind?” she asked. “I mean many people would dream of living somewhere like America. I know many girls in my class who always talk about going to New York and all… Why didn’t he?”

Kazuha shrugged again. “I never asked”, she admitted. Then those green eyes met her and on her lips was a mischievous smile. “But if this interests you so much, we can ask from him…”

Ran blushed and raised both of her hands swaying them in front of her. “No need to”, she laughed nervously. “I… I can ask him directly later, so don’t worry about it…” Though she never would.

After some sightseeing and shopping, Kazuha suggested that they would go to buy some groceries and make something to eat for them since boys hadn’t taken any contact with them. Ran agreed, because it would be nice to do some cooking for a change. They had eaten so many days at restaurants, and it wasn’t like the food hadn’t been good, but homemade cooking tasted always much better. Maybe she should suggest to Shinichi that she would do some cooking sometimes. It would be a little payback from this trip.

But what Ran wasn’t waiting, was the big apartment building where Kazuha led her after some shopping. She was a little more surprised that Heiji and Kazuha lived on the eighth floor, and when Ran got into the apartment and changed her shoes to the flippers, she couldn’t be amazed at how nice their apartment was.

“Well, our parents gave us some help with money before Heiji got his detective agency running”, Kazuha explained while Ran looked at those big windows and the view of the city. Slide door beside her took to the balcony, which she went out of curiosity.

Kazuha gave her a little tour of their apartment. The kitchen and living room were in the big room, but they were separated by the kitchen counter. The kitchen was big enough that two people could make food, but nothing more. Enough for her, Kazuha said, since Heiji was so bad doing cooking. Besides the window wall was a table with a four-chair, and on another side of the room, there were a sofa, coffee table, and tv. The utility room was before the bathroom. They weren’t big, but enough for them since there were only two of them. There was also a little room which was an office, mostly used by Heiji, their bedroom, and one guest room.

“Or one day a room for a child?” Ran joked and looked at Kazuha. The girl blushed and leered at Ran while babbling something between “no” and not this soon since they aren’t married yet, and Ran laughed.

“You’re making fun of me?” Kazuha shouted with her deep blush. “God, you’re as terrible as Shinichi-kun, when he got in that mood”, she mumbled while leaving the room. Ran smiled and followed her, still glancing at their apartment.

It was really nice and felt like home. Nothing too fancy, but ordinary and beautiful. Ran couldn’t be wondering what kind of home she would get one day. Or at least she believed that as soon as she had married this groom of hers, she would be moving with this man. Did this man have his own apartment already? A house? She didn’t want to be too demanding since she was probably the one who wouldn’t have enough money for anything, at least not yet, but she still hoped that her future house would be tolerable. She didn’t ask for a castle, not even a manor, just a nice and clean home.

But since her parents have told her that it was for her best, she believed that her future husband had some money. But money or not, she didn’t have any clues about what kind of man he would be or how he would live.

Chapter 7

A/N part 2: And yes, I wanted to make Shinichi and Kazuha close, because I'm one of those who would love to see Kazuha and Shinichi interacting. I believe they would come along so well <3 And yes, another reason why I want Detective Shinichi x)