Beneath the soil (Kazuha x reader)

6 - Celestia's Midnight Gift

I woke up in Liyue Harbour the next day, and was told to get off the ship while it was being repaired. I was questioning what I was going to do in Liyue Harbour. I mean, it's not as if a fifteen year old can exactly make a living here.
"Why don't you stay on the ship?" Kazuha asked simply while I explained my worries to him. I sighed.
"Mother told me to get as far away from Inazuma as I can. And Liyue Harbour is only the first step."
"I'm sure Beidou wouldn't mind you staying." He argued.
"Of course she wouldn't, she's Beidou. I boarded her ship illegally and she didn't even do anything."
"Someone say my name?" Beidou yelled, boarding off the ship.
"Honestly Beidou, could you enter Liyue Harbour without a grand entrance for once?" A woman's voice drawled behind them. I spun around to see a tall, golden woman draped in expensive silks.
"Ah, Ningguang. Meet (y/n), a stowaway who travelled with us from Inazuma." Beidou cheerfully informed the woman. Ningguang raised an eyebrow. Crap, this woman clearly doesn't like me already.
"Greetings. I am Lady Ningguang of the Qixing," Ningguang extended a hand. Intimidated, I shook it. Beidou chuckled.
"Enough with the formalities-"
"Yes, you have never paid any attention to them. Let me ask the question of why you let a young girl illegally abandon her home country?" Ningguang shot at Beidou, who laughed bitterly.
"I helped (Y/n) and you know why. Anyone would want to escape that place."
Ningguang and Beidou bickered for what seemed hours. I simply stood there, glancing at Kazuha who smiled reassuringly.
"They're always like this. Always finding a topic to argue, a decision to criticise, an opinion to articulate." Kazuha whispered, quietly leading me away, off the dock. "It's best we leave them be."
I nodded. Lady Ningguang seemed an important person, and I thought Beidou was bold to argue with her.
"You must be starving." Kazuha suddenly said, interrupting my train of thought. Only now did I notice my stomach grumbling.
"A little." I replied.
"Even though you might not stay here, you should atleast have a look around. I heard there's a good restaurant in the city." He quietly looked up at the lights.
Kazuha led me through a glittering street, full of talking merchants and scholars, vendors shouting, people munching. The lights made me feel...magical. This was the place that gave me my vision. Kazuha seemed to be waiting for my reaction.
"It's beautiful." Was all I could say.
"Liyue is a beautiful place. Unlike Inazuma, it gives the aura of peace. Where would you like to eat?"
"I'm not fussy. I really don't need somewhere fancy. A nice, quiet scenery would be nice." I slowly replied, not focused. The way the lights reflected on the water was mesmerizing.
He led me up a few flights of stairs and onto a rooftop where a storyteller stood, only a few people sitting down and listening.
"Stories are inspiring, at least I think so. The man who tells them is great; you can really get caught up in the moment." Kazuha spoke poetically. I smiled and sat down, while Kazuha bought something to bite.
I could smell the salt of the sea here. I listened as the man told a tale of a monstrous god that erupted from the sea, how it rocked the waves and handed out chaos across the harbour.
The monster was soon slayed by the great Rex Lapis, Geo Archon.
I got so interested that I jumped when Kazuha tapped me on the shoulder. He handed a plate of food, and together we watched the falling waves of the harbour drift in and out of sight.
I couldn't stop staring at Kazuha. He was sure to notice me, but I couldn't stop thinking about the way his hair waved whenever the wind changed directions, the way he quietly laughed at jokes the man included in the stories.
Why did I feel the urge to hold him, and never let go? I felt like it had something to do with my mother; she had always been there for me, protecting me, caring, giving me hugs. But lately there has been none of that. But Kazuha...he seemed to care.
I wasn't hungry anymore, and the story teller had packed up and left. It was midnight.
"We should probably get back to the ship." I quietly said, him turning to look at me.
"Probably. But...did you want to take a walk in the woods?"
I was taken aback. Alone in the dark of the woods at night?
"I mean sure...but I'm not the strongest when it comes to fighting."
He smiled.
"It's fine. We won't run into any trouble."
Out of the harbour, we travelled down a twisty, windy path. The stars shone above us, illuminating the features of the woods. A strange fruit, Sunsettias, hung from the trees instead of Lavender Melons. The trees were orange instead of purple, and less leaves fell to the ground.
I gasped as we turned the corner. A great hidden pond covered the ground, flecked with lily pads, fireflies dancing around it. This place was too magical to be true.
"What is this place?" I breathed, watching his every move.
"I discovered this whilst wandering the woods. Beidou had sent me to retrieve some goods, but instead I was caught gazing."
"At what?"
"Celestia." He pointed towards the sky. Sure enough, above the moon and clouds, something gleamed. I would have normally mistaken it for an unusual shaped cloud.
I sat on a rock, leaning slightly against Kazuha and stared. I couldn't stop. That was the place of the gods, of true power.
One thing did distract me though. Kazuha was glancing at me. I held my breath. Was this a kissing moment?
It happened slowly. His face got closer, then stopped, asking. I tried to calm my butterflies, assure myself everything was fine.
As soon as our lips touched, I knew I was in love.

Lmao literally panicking while writing this