Chapter Text
The handcuffs made a clanking sound as they were secured on Kazuha’s wrists. Their weight felt heavy and uncomfortable to him, weighing him down like a bird trapped in a cage, never to soar the skies again. As Detective Shikanoin – Heizou, to his friends – talked at him, Kazuha followed in a daze, lost in his own thoughts.
Much like a bird, he was used to a life of movement. Of flitting from place to place, with only the wind and the sword by his side as his true companions. The warm breeze flowing through the land, the sounds and smells of nature… they had been his guides for as long as he could remember.
The wind was silent now.
Everything felt silent, save for Heizou chattering by his side as he led him into Inazuma City.
“-Won’t be that bad, right, Kazuha?”
“Hmm?” The wanderer in question was roused from his thoughts by a nudge to his side. The way that Heizou rolled his eyes in such an exaggerated way almost brought a smile out of him. Almost.
“I said: I know you’re probably worried about prison life, but I’ll make sure you’re treated well. And hey – it doesn’t mean that it’s the end of our partnership, does it? I can still come visit and we can still discuss cases together. I can still take you outside to help me on cases too. It can also give you some fresh air. We’ll call it your ‘community service’. How’s that sound?”
Good.
Too good to be true.
Perfect for someone who hadn’t stolen from the Raiden Shogun herself.
No, he knew his fate. He knew what would happen to him if he ever was arrested. To lose your Vision – to lose your sense of self for those few moments before you lose your head. To see not only his Vision embedded on the Statue of the Omnipresent God, but also his friend’s too? It was why he had fought so hard for so long.
So why did he stop now?
He found himself asking that very same question every so often. But the truth of the matter is that life as a fugitive is incredibly different from life as a wanderer, even if it may look the same from an outsider’s perspective. Waking up in one place and travelling to another, constantly on the move, was fuelled by fear rather than desire. As a wanderer he had been free to choose his companions on the road. As a fugitive, he didn’t know who to turn to and who to trust. It was incredibly draining, having anxiety and dread fuel his every waking moment. It was no way to live.
He had lost hope of truly gaining freedom again a long time ago.
The sole reason why he had kept on going for so long was because of his friend’s Vision. Because he couldn’t stand the thought of him, his hopes and his aspirations being embedded on a cold, dead statue for the rest of eternity.
But maybe… if he was up there too, if he joined Tomo in the afterlife, then things wouldn’t be so bad. He missed his friend dearly. With every aching moment, it felt as if his soul cried out for his other half.
“That would be nice.” He answered Heizou’s question after considerable pause. He attempted a smile, but he wasn’t quite sure that he managed it.
Judging by the long silence that followed afterwards, it seemed that he probably didn’t.
“… Yeah, I thought so too.” Heizou said, but his tone was hesitant. Unsure.
He gave a small cough and shook his head, probably to sort out the thoughts that were always buzzing around in his brain. “So I was thinking…”
So why Heizou? Why did he let himself be arrested by him, of all people?
The answer to that question was simple, really. Heizou was the closest thing Kazuha had right now to a friend. Sure, their ‘friendship’ mostly consisted of him finding Kazuha at the most inopportune moments and then chasing him around for a bit, but still. In those moments of peace, where Kazuha felt himself in the eye of the cyclone that was Shikanoin Heizou, he saw a kindred spirit. A young man, the same age as him, who also never liked being in one place for too long. Who cherished freedom and had an Anemo Vision to show for it, just like him. He had an incredible mind and a strong sense of intuition. He had a strong sense of justice, too.
There had been times when Kazuha had been battered and weary. When he longed for just a peaceful night’s sleep with no interruptions – and then, like clockwork, Heizou would appear. But unlike the other Doushin, he wouldn’t arrest Kazuha when he was in this sorry state. He would simply leave quietly again and let Kazuha have the rest he so desperately needed.
He would then wake up in the morning to find some medical supplies and cold takeout food hanging from a nearby tree.
If he was brought in by such a man, well, that was hardly a bad thing at all. At least he would see a friendly face in his final moments…
“… Madame Kujou Sara?” Heizou blinked in surprise as he saw the General of the Tenryou Commission seemingly awaiting his arrival by the large cherry blossom in Hanamizaka. Civilians were keeping a wary eye out for her and the armed guards that accompanied her, scurrying inside their homes but peeking out of the windows. Fearful but curious of her imposing figure in the quiet outskirts of Inazuma City. And they weren’t the only ones. “What brings you out here?”
With a single nod, both guards on either side of her marched past Heizou and gripped Kazuha tightly in either arm. Without another word, the three of them started heading into the heart of Inazuma City. Heizou wanted to call out – to tell them not to treat Kazuha so roughly – but he changed his mind when Kujou Sara approached him.
“When I heard that you had finally caught Kaedehara Kazuha after several months, I could hardly believe it.” She said as they both started following after the guards. “I thought for a moment that you had let your personal feelings get in the way of justice. I’m glad to see that that wasn’t the case. Congratulations, Doushin Shikanoin.”
“Yeah…” His voice came out quieter than usual, his eyes fixed on Kazuha’s back and the way that his shoulders seemed slumped over in defeat. His head hung low. “Thanks.”
His intuition was screaming at him that something was wrong. That this wouldn’t end the way he wanted it to.
But it was wrong, right? It had to be at least once. This was his job – he was supposed to crack cases and bring in criminals to be arrested. He was doing the right thing, so it was going to be fine. Kazuha would just go to the Police Station and then spend a year or two in prison before being released early due to good behaviour.
It would be fine.
It had to be.
“Madame Kujou, the Police Station’s over there.” He pointed at the large, imposing building that they had all just passed. This route took them to the Statue and to Tenshukaku. There wasn’t a prison in either of those places, he knew that well.
“Shikanoin, he committed treason in front of a large crowd, including the Almighty Shogun herself. There’s hardly need for a trial. And you know the punishment for treason as well as I do.”
A cold hand clutched at his heart as the truth that he had known all along had been made clear to him. He saw it now. The Shogun in front of her precious statue. The crowd gathered to gawk at the execution that was about to happen.
“Thank you, Heizou…” Kazuha said quietly as he attempted a smile once again. And once again it didn’t sit right on his face, and only made the detective feel worse. “It was an honour to have you as my friend. I wish you all the best in your future.”
“Kazuha…” He whispered, and then helplessly looked on as Kazuha was led away to his death.
The casket was already there.
And Kazuha was kneeling next to it, his head bowed and his eyes closed as he waited for the precious seconds of his life to come to a close. But other, more unpleasant things, would happen to him before then. First, he would have to watch as the Vision of his friend – which he had protected so tenaciously and for so long – became embedded on the Statue. Then he would lose his own Vision, and with it his sense of self.
It was a horrible thing to witness – Heizou had seen it happen a number of times. Even enforced it, at the start of the Vision Hunt Decree, back when he had no idea what it did to people. To see the light leave Kazuha’s eyes. To see him become barely more than a living and breathing corpse for those few moments before death...
And there he was, kneeling in acceptance. Not even trying to fight back.
He knew.
He KNEW that this would happen! And yet, he still went along with it! What the hell was he thinking?! Heizou hadn’t even been trying that hard to catch him in their little duel, yet Kazuha gave up so quickly. Why?! Why hadn’t he fought harder, like he had done in the past?
But he could hardly blame Kazuha for what happened. He was the one most at fault. He was the one who took him to Inazuma City, and who handed him over to Kujou Sara without a second thought, or even a complaint. And Kazuha was present for all of it, and still…
He still called Heizou his friend.
Bullshit.
Friends don’t do that to each other. They don’t lie to you. They don’t steal from you. They don’t arrest you. And they sure as hell don’t lead you to your death.
Everything within him was screaming at him to intervene. But if he did that, then chances are that he would die too. Was it really worth it, to risk BOTH of their lives?
He looked on in horror as the Raiden Shogun’s right arm readied her sword. Her left arm was outstretched, directed at Kazuha. Both Tomo’s and Kazuha’s Visions began shaking in unison. All the interactions that Heizou had had with the fugitive seemed to play out before his very eyes. One conversation, in particular, sprang to mind…
-
Kazuha’s eyes winced shut. He hissed through gritted teeth as Heizou worked on bandaging up his leg.
“Sorry…” The detective murmured as he pulled the bandage taut and tied the ends of the linen strip together.
“It’s okay.” Kazuha muttered, his voice laced with pain. “Thank you for your help.”
“No need to thank me.” Heizou gave Kazuha his leg back now that he was done with his injury. “None of this would’ve happened if I knew what I was chasing you into. Bear traps are no joke.”
“You couldn’t have known. Neither of us did - the trap was well disguised. I’m… just lucky that it didn’t sever any arteries. Or that you didn’t arrest me.
…
Why didn’t you arrest me anyway?” He asked, a small frown on his face.
“Oh come on, Kaedehara.” Heizou rolled his eyes with a smile. “You’ve got to know me better than that by now. I’m a dog of the Tenryou Commission, sure, but I’m a dog with honour. I’m hardly going to arrest you while you’re injured and can barely walk. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Really?” Kazuha raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“If I’m going to bring you in, then it’s gonna be in a blaze of glory! We’ll fight and banter and once you've fallen victim to my charms, intelligence and charisma, we’ll march into the Police Station, smiling and laughing as we walk arm in arm. Sure, you’ll end up in prison, but even then, you can still be my cunning assistant. And if you do a good enough job, you can leave early and then we’ll become good friends. Maybe even partners.”
“Do you… really think that?” Kazuha asked after a long pause.
“I KNOW that. Now come on, that bandage needs to be changed too.”
Kazuha flinched away as Heizou reached out for his hand.
“Come on…” Heizou sighed, “It’s an old bandage already, and it’s soaked from the rain. You don’t want the wound to become infected, do you?”
“That’s… it’s not a…” After a brief internal struggle, Kazuha groaned and thrust his hand out to Heizou. “Please just be quick. And try not to… look too much at it.”
“Okay…? Oh.” As the bandage on his hand was unwound, little by little the extent to which Kazuha’s hand had been burnt became much clearer. “How did- is this… from the duel?”
“I told you not to look at it!” Kazuha snapped. He tried to pull his hand away again, but Heizou held on tightly.
“I’m sorry…” Heizou's voice was soft. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I do need to see what I’m doing.” Kazuha gave an annoyed exhale of air, but when Heizou busied himself with unwrapping more strips of linen, he didn’t pull away.
Guided by the light from their campfire, Heizou painstakingly worked on bandaging up Kazuha’s hand, focusing on his palm where the damage was most severe. A silence filled the little cave that they took refuge in, save for the crackling of dried wood in the fire, but it was by no means unpleasant. Mostly thoughtful and calm.
“It was.” Kazuha said after a while.
“Hmm?” Heizou looked up. His olive-green eyes seemed to shine in the firelight.
“It was from the duel. Tomo’s duel before the throne.”
“So that was his name…” Heizou muttered, more to himself than to Kazuha. “So, you knew him, then?”
“He was my dearest friend.” Heizou’s hands stopped. “When I first entered the wilderness, after the fall of my clan, I was… hopelessly inept.” He gave a small chuckle, but there was hardly any humour to it. He didn’t know why he was telling anyone this, especially not a detective, but it felt… somewhat good to get it off of his chest. Like scratching an itch that he didn’t even know was there. “I always adored nature and felt at ease amongst the elements. At the same time, I was also used to a comfortable bed and three square meals a day, prepared for me by servants. But Tomo helped me. He taught me how to feed, how to hunt, and how to sleep comfortably with the ground as your bed and the stars as your blanket.”
“How poetic.” Heizou couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Thank you.” Kazuha laughed. “Over time, we learnt more about each other. He learnt that I loved poetry, and I learnt that he was… incredibly stubborn. When he had his heart and mind set on a goal, he was going to achieve it, no matter what. It was… remarkable to witness. I saw him scale the highest mountains. Swim the fierce currents between Yashiori and Watatsumi. Take on foes quadruple his size in one fell swoop. I have always been drawn to people with grand aspirations, and Tomo… he was the brightest spark of lightning in a tempestuous sky.”
“What a guy…” Heizou muttered, a lump forming in his throat as his eyes hovered over the masterless Vision that Kazuha kept with him at all times.
“He really was. And that was why… I couldn’t stand by.” Kazuha’s voice cracked and emotion began to seep through. “I couldn’t stand by and let his hope which burnt so brightly become buried among the ice-cold statue of a god.”
-
Heizou hadn’t fully understood what Kazuha had meant with that last sentence at the time. He knew what he meant, but it was only now that the true meaning rang clear for him.
He understood, because he felt much the same way himself right now. The idea of losing the closest thing he had to a friend was unthinkable. To never hear that soft voice again. To never hear his laugh or see his smile or listen to him recite poetry. To never see the way the wind flowed through his silvery hair, friendly and light, no matter the weather…
He couldn’t let such beauty become buried among the ice-cold statue of a god.
Which is how he found himself leaping onto the wooden platform where Kazuha was, scooping him in his arms and carrying him, running towards the cliff at breakneck speed. Was he screaming? He didn’t know. Had he thought this through at all? Not even slightly – his body had moved of its own accord, and his brain was still struggling to catch up. It was trying to tell him what a TERRIBLE idea this was, but it was too late – he had leapt into the air with a very confused Kazuha still in his arms.
Now they were in freefall.