saudade; raiden ei

xʟɪx. petals

Having discarded her conflict with Ei, Y/n gently brought mochi to the lips of her boyfriend, Kazuha. They rested together on the small wooden steps leading up from Kamisato Estate's sunlit courtyard, a picnic blanket draped over rigid boards and the ocean expanding onto the shores of Inazuma City. Separated from the nation's headquarters by sea, its view from afar falsely teased it as serene.

"Sing me a song?"

The soldier rolled her eyes, though her face remained smiling. "Shut it. You know I'm incapable."

"And I have reason to disagree. You're gifted, Y/n. With time, perfection is not something you cannot achieve. Though, to me... you already sound truly wonderful." Thoughtfully, he hummed, unaware his praise was flustering his lover even as she defensively stuffed him with another dumpling.

Internally, the young Kaedehara master knew what was happening to him. He was a well-studied boy with a handle on his future; he knew his options well enough to know his chances were slim. The night it manifested, he'd watched himself deteriorate before the mirror. He'd hurled the weight on his chest and stained his sink with red, shrivelling and shaking until all that remained of his character was a shell. He was dying, but he had never felt so alive: he was present in his body as in his pain.

Kazuha knew he was slipping away. Each petal was extraordinarily exquisite; Celestia only revealed its blooms to those it condemned. Ultimately, love and beauty were a finer way to go. He counted himself fortunate, and until the time was nigh, Captain Beidou would ensure he lived.

And Kazuha? He lived when he was with Y/n.

"How was your trip?" The soldier asked him curiously, falling into his side and sliding her arms around one of his. He smiled at this, delivering a kiss to her hair and then resting his head on hers.

"I'd say it was fine," the boy responded, "we sailed to Liyue; the journey was soothing, but once we reached our destination, I missed you almost instantly."

"Hm... What a pleaser," she pouted up at him playfully, "Your words seem to be aiming to sweeten me today. If I didn't know better, I'd assume you were trying to bewitch me~"

His soothing voice rumbled with his laugh, and she leaned into his neck. "My lady, you know it is I who is bewitched."

The soldier decorated his skin with a single brush of her kiss: his reward for an adequate response. "And where was your Captain? Were you not kept busy for you to miss me so?"

"She left no tasks before going to meet with the Tianquan. Usually, this lasts for quite some time, though she always returns in a befouled mood. I'm under the impression that her attempts at company are unwanted by Lady Ningguang, so I can't quite tell why she continues to try..."

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't have missed me unless she'd left you alone~" His lover slowly opened her eyes, gazing at him sideways. "Why don't you ask her? I'm sure she'll give you an explanation."

"Hm... Then, perhaps next time. I'd much rather remain here with you."

Her lips quirked with endearment in response to his words. "In which case, when you find your answer, please do tell."

Y/n leaned over him to reach for a bottle, and Kazuha watched as she uncapped it and emptied its contents into a glass. Reminded of the Captain in question, he recalled their discussion when he'd broken her the news. Beidou had sourced herself a fourth beer, and, echoing the present actions of the soldier, she'd hesitantly ordered him one, too. The memory removed the smile in his expression, a subtle gesture Y/n noticed.

"Is anything the matter?"

Kazuha shook his head. They remained still together for another few seconds before Y/n's gaze turned over her shoulder and into the building, a place that her meddling friends, too, called home. She rose to her feet, discarding their feast and extending for him a hand.