Chapter Text
“I think it is finally time that you face your past directly. I’ve been monitoring your progress for over three years now and I think you’re ready to start settling those debts you owe. Whether or not you do so in Sumeru is up to you. I’ve contacted the traveler and I believe we know the perfect person to help you with your journey. Go meet them in Port Ormos tomorrow at noon, by the docks. I wish you luck.”
Kunikuzushi still couldn’t wrap his head around what Buer meant when she said that the day before. She refused to elaborate, to his utter annoyance, and so he begrudgingly agreed to go to the docks—though just to find answers to her cryptic words. It’s not hard to find the traveler, what with their little white-haired companion floating around in the air beside their head, talking loudly as always.
Before Kunikuzushi can greet the pair, an impressively large ship pulls into the previously-empty dock in front of them. It’s quickly tied down and the gangplank hits the wood of the walkway with an unceremonious thunk. The first person to exit the ship is a short young man with white hair and an outfit resembling one of a samurai. He turns and catches sight of the traveler and Paimon, flashing a small smile their way.
That’s when Kunikuzushi sees an all–too–familiar streak of red in his hair. It’s not in the same place as it had been on Niwa, but the sight of it still fills him with dread. He can’t even think of running before the young man approaches the traveler and notices Kunikuzushi standing just a meter away.
Paimon and the traveler follow his curious gaze and now it’s definitely too late for Kunikuzushi to try and escape. “There you are. I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Kaedehara Kazuha.” The traveler quickly breaks the silence, gesturing towards the man beside him.
Kaedehara Kazuha… the same anemo vision wielder that Kunikuzushi heard had faced his creator’s infamous Musou no Hitotachi and lived to tell the tale. He seems a lot kinder, younger and weaker than Kunikuzushi had imagined. Kaedehara’s name makes his gut twist with guilt and he realizes this is probably the mysterious person Nahida had spoken of.
“Kazuha, this is the friend of mine I had told you about, his name is–”
Before the traveler can say ‘wanderer’, Kunikuzushi cuts in, “I go by many names, but you can call me Kunikuzushi.” If this really is the remaining survivor of the Kaedehara clan, then he deserves to know Kunikuzushi by the name that he had given himself long ago.
The traveler widens their eyes slightly before continuing, “And as I told you in my letter, I think the two of you may enjoy each other’s company as two fellow wanderers.” Paimon and Kunikuzushi both give the traveler a massive side eye; it seems Paimon was equally unaware of their plan.
Kaedehara seems to take no notice of the incredulous look the traveler is given and simply gives Kunikuzushi a smile. “It’s nice to meet a fellow wandering soul, especially one who is recommended by a good friend of mine. Would you care to join me in my travels? I was planning on going to Inazuma after Captain Beidou is done here.”
Kunikuzushi doesn’t know a ‘Captain Beidou’ but he guesses it must be whoever commands the ship that Kaedehara had just gotten off of. He takes a moment to think about Kaedehara’s rather quick invitation as Nahida’s words echo in his mind once more. “Whether or not you do so in Sumeru is up to you.” It seems the tiny god has already foreseen that he’d be traveling to another nation, and Kunikuzushi would bet that she even knew they’d be headed for Inazuma.
He internally groans in frustration at her and the traveler’s meddling. “When do we leave?” He finally agrees, though not because of Buer or the traveler; he knows what needs to be done if he is to be freed from the shackles of his past actions, and it’s something he cannot do without Kaedehara. Traveling back to the nation of his creation is also probably for the best.
Kaedehara smiles a little wider at him and Kunikuzushi’s gut seems to unwind itself slightly. “Tomorrow.”
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Kunikuzushi does his best to avoid talking to Nahida when he returns home and is set on doing so the next morning as well, but finds her waiting by his front door. The knowing look she fixes on him is as unsettling as it always is and he knows that she already is aware of his plans, seeing as she is the god of wisdom. This is further proven by the supplies lying next to her.
“I figured you don’t have any camping supplies so please take these with you. I believe they will prove themselves useful.” Is all she says and Kunikuzushi is relieved that she doesn’t comment further on his decision to join Kaedehara.
He rolls his eyes before storing the supplies in his pocket dimension, not seeing a need for them but already knowing she won’t budge on it. By now Kunikuzushi has gotten used to how Buer always insists on giving him “necessities” that aren’t actually necessary for his puppet body. There’s no point in arguing, she always seems to get her way somehow.
When he’s done, she quickly moves away from the door and towards the main road before calling over her shoulder, “I hope you find the closure you need.” Her ability to read him so well sends a chill down his spine and if he were human there’d be goosebumps on his skin.
He says nothing as he leaves, quickly gliding over to Port Ormos once more. It’s incredibly easy to spot the massive ship that Kunikuzushi learned is called ‘The Alcor’. He approaches and it seems like the crew is just finishing up their preparations to set sail once more. As he sets foot on deck, Kaedehara appears with a tall, imposing woman wearing an eyepatch behind him.
The two draw near and Kaedehara is quick to speak first, “Captain, I’d like you to meet my new traveling companion Kunikuzushi. We were introduced by the traveler and he will accompany me in Inazuma for a time.”
The apparent captain of the ship offers a hand to Kunikuzushi, which he reluctantly shakes. She has an incredibly strong grip that is almost painful as she says, “A friend of the traveler is always welcome aboard! I’m the captain of this fine ship but you can just call me Beidou if you’d like.”
Kunikuzushi resists the urge to rub his hand when she finally releases him, nodding in lieu of a reply. Beidou doesn’t seem to mind his lack of a verbal response, just adding on, “We should arrive in Ritou by tomorrow morning, so feel free to make yourself at home until then.” She then flashes him a bright grin before turning away and barking orders at her crew.
Lastly, she gives Kaedehara a command that Kunikuzushi doesn’t quite understand before making her way over to the helm of the ship. Kaedehara gives Kunikuzushi an unnecessarily apologetic look, telling him, “I’m going to go help out for a bit, I hope you don’t mind.”
Kunikuzushi shakes his head and Kaedehara dashes off, leaving him to try and find a place to sit and wait. After looking around for a few moments, Kunikuzushi stalks off to a slightly secluded part of the deck where a couple of crates lay, the area undisturbed by the chaos. He takes a seat on one of the crates and busies himself with watching the crew work, though his eyes feel constantly drawn to his new ‘companion’ Kaedehara.
On the outside, Kunikuzushi appeared quiet, intimidating, and somewhat bored. He could tell the rest of the crew didn’t want anything to do with him, the curiosity in their eyes quickly turning to fear when they got too close. This didn’t bother him at all and it allowed for him to get lost in thought whilst being completely uninterrupted.
He couldn’t stop thinking of what was sure to come after he and Kaedehara arrive in Inazuma. There was only one way he could pay back his debt and surely only one way that Kaedehara would react when Kunikuzushi finally reveals his true identity. He’s never feared this outcome and he can’t help the way a sickening sense of anticipation fills him.
The sensation of feeling emotion in his body is still unfamiliar, even after three years. He’s not sure he’ll ever get used to the human qualities his body seemed to take on after being ripped from the Shouki no Kami. At first, this felt like rubbing salt into the wound of his lost divinity, the change bringing about the loss of a significant amount of his original strength and power with it.
He still remembers the feeling of the electro coursing through every fiber of his being like it was yesterday. It’s since been replaced by the gentle flow of energy from his anemo vision, but even that doesn’t seem to compensate for how weak he feels now. Hell, his vision doesn’t even come anywhere close to replacing the heart that had been forcefully taken from him.
However, Kunikuzushi hasn’t felt all that resentful over what happened for a while now and he quickly returns to thinking about how he might go about revealing his true identity to Kaedehara.
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It doesn’t take all that long for The Alcor to reach the port town of Ritou, the crew quickly and efficiently docking the ship. Kunikuzushi and Kaedehara didn’t talk much during the trip due to Kaedehara being needed for various tasks and Kunikuzushi’s reluctance to make small talk. As the pair set foot on the wooden walkway of the docks, Kunikuzushi knows there’s no going back now and a long-buried sense of grief rears its ugly head. Hatred for small talk or not, Kaedehara will need to be told the truth sooner rather than later.
Kunikuzushi distantly watches Kaedehara make his goodbyes, not bothering to return the wave Beidou gives the puppet. The moment Kaedehara turns back around, Kunikuzushi takes off in the direction opposite the ship. Kaedehara doesn’t comment on his impatience and catches up to him effortlessly, humming a little to himself in order to fill the silence. The tune sounds achingly familiar and makes the cavity in Kunikuzushi’s chest feel even emptier than before.
He chooses not to say anything, allowing the feeling of utter worthlessness to wash over him. The pair walk through the town, intending to pass through until someone starts to call Kaedehara’s name. They turn and a tall, slightly muscular young man with golden hair and a stupid thing on his forehead approaches with a charming smile.
“Kazuha! I didn’t know you were visiting!” The man says enthusiastically.
“Well, I didn’t have much time to let anyone know and we’ve only just arrived in Inazuma.” Comes the perfectly calm response from Kaedehara, though there’s a small grin on his face.
“Speaking of, who’s your friend here?”
Kunikuzushi’s quickly starting to find this strange man annoying. “I’m just a wanderer.”
The man takes his short and cold response in stride, “Nice to meet you Wanderer, my name is Thoma, I’m an old friend of Kazuha’s,” he says before directing his attention back to his aforementioned friend, “So, will you be stopping by the estate? I’m sure everyone would be delighted to see you again.”
Kunikuzushi can’t help but make a face at the suggestion of talking to more people who will most likely be just like this idiot. Kaedehara glances at him for a moment before politely declining, “Maybe another time, but do give them my well wishes.”
Thoma nods but is still persistent, “Could I at least take the two of you out to lunch? Whatever you want, it’ll be on me.” Kaedehara hesitates and Thoma adds, “I haven’t seen you in a long time, let me treat you.”
Kaedehara then looks over to Kunikuzushi and even though it seems like a waste of time, he quite likes the thought of spending this idiot’s money on something he doesn’t actually need. He gives Kaedehara a shrug, letting him make the final decision since he’s the only one out of the two of them who can feel hunger.
The white-haired man turns back to Thoma, “Lead the way.”
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The pair of wanderers say goodbye to Thoma before setting off once more and easily crossing the beaches that lead to the main portion of Narukami Island. They walk in a peaceful silence, Kaedehara stopping occasionally to stare out wistfully at the scenery. Kunikuzushi doesn’t bother to stop with him, though his pace does slow somewhat. He doesn’t understand why Kaedehara seems to not be focused on reaching their destination at all. In fact, Kaedehara never even mentioned where they’re headed in the first place.
When Kunikuzushi brings this up, Kaedehara just says, “We’re going wherever we would like to go.”
This response gets on Kunikuzushi’s nerves as he snaps back, “How do we know when we’re done traveling, then?”
Kaedehara doesn’t react at all to his tone, easily replying as if it was something Kunikuzushi should’ve already known, “When we’ve gone everywhere we wanted to go.”
Silence stretches between them once more as Kunikuzushi decides to just end the infuriating conversation there. Two parts of him resonate with Kaedehara’s words, bringing up memories of two past lives spent wandering wherever his feet took him. He squashes the feelings that rise up in him, not allowing himself to feel any sort of connection with Kaedehara aside from one created by bloodshed and tragedy.
They travel for another hour in this manner, Kaedehara continuing to look at the world around him in awe as Kunikuzushi is gradually filled with more impatience. The pair is once again stopped when they get about halfway through a village that lies along their path.
When Kaedehara passes by one particular house, an old woman quickly gets up from where she had been sitting on her porch. She approaches with a level of speed Kunikuzushi hadn’t seen in many elderly humans. “Oh, the Kaedehara boy has returned! What brings you back, my boy?” At her first exclamation, a few nearby villagers walk over as well.
Kunikuzushi is glad that their focus seems to solely be on Kaedehara as he manages to slip away from the small crowd. He quickly distances himself, perching on the branches of a tree a few meters from the village where he still has a good view of Kaedehara. He keeps an eye on the other man, just in case he’s unable to find Kunikuzushi once he’s done being swarmed.
It’s quiet over here and the wind gently blows at Kunikuzushi’s garments, the fabric swaying in the breeze while the leaves rustle. Just as he’s starting to get uncomfortable sitting in the position he’d assumed, a small voice drifts up to him from below. “Excuse me mister, could you help me?” Kunikuzushi looks down, his annoyance evaporating when he spots a small child standing at the base of the tree.
He uses some anemo and gracefully floats himself down. The child is about a third of his height so he crouches down to face them directly. “What do you need help with?” He asks in a soft, gentle tone he’s usually incapable of using around others.
“My dollie is stuck in a tree and I can’t reach it, but you have an anemo vision! Can you please rescue my dollie?” The child looks at him in awe but simultaneously looks like they’re on the verge of tears. When he agrees, they quickly blink back any tears that had gathered in their eyes and grab on to his hand.
The child practically drags him to the other side of the village, where another tree stands and sure enough, there’s a fabric, human-shaped doll caught in the branches. “Go stand over there so I don’t blow you away and wait until I call you over. The last thing your dollie would want is for you to get hurt while rescuing them.” He instructs the child in the same comforting tone, pointing to a spot a meter away.
They nod and obediently run over to where he had indicated. Kunikuzushi then turns to the tree and sends out a burst of anemo to float him up to be eye-level with the doll. It takes him a moment to untangle the branches but soon enough he’s drifting back down. The child is still standing where he told them to, but they’re already looking ready to run over to him, an observation which almost makes him chuckle.
He lands and calls out, “Alright, your dollie is safe now.” The child eagerly runs over and takes the doll from his outstretched hands, hugging it to their chest before inspecting it. That’s when the two of them notice a small tear in the fabric which is, judging by the design, right over where their heart would be if the doll were human.
The child looks back up to Kunikuzushi and a couple tears start to roll down their cheeks, making the cavity in his chest ache. He crouches down to their level again and gently wipes away their tears before taking the doll again. “Hey, it’s okay, I can fix your dollie right up. I’m not only a vision wielder but a doll doctor, too.” He says as he brings forth a needle and some thread he had stowed away in his pocket dimension.
It must’ve been about a year ago now when Kunikuzushi first took up sewing again as a hobby. He had learned to sew many lifetimes ago and even though he doesn’t remember anything about when he had learned, he still finds the monotony of the task enjoyable. He’s never mentioned it to anyone, but in his spare time he often makes dolls not too dissimilar to the one he’s holding. He had almost forgotten that he still had his sewing supplies on him, but now he’s glad to have had them at the ready.
He starts threading the needle and the child swallows their tears, watching him intently. They then start to talk, seemingly wanting to fill the silence as he works. “My friends and I were playing earlier. They all have their own dolls too, so we like to play games with them. Today we were trying to make them fly but one of my friends made my dollie fly too high and she landed in the tree. I’m so glad I found you, Mr. Hat Guy, all the adults were busy and none of them have visions like you do. You’re the best!”
They finish their excited chatter right as Kunikuzushi knots the thread and cuts the ends off with a delicate, ornate pair of scissors. He puts his supplies back and decides to ignore the last part of what the child had said, the words driving a theoretical knife into him. “Here you go, good as new. Just be careful when you’re playing next time so she doesn’t get hurt again because I might not be here to rescue and patch her up.”
The child nods intently, a serious expression on their face. Kunikuzushi stands back up and asks, “How about we go home now? I’m sure you want to let your dollie get plenty of rest so she can have more energy to play again tomorrow.” The child excitedly agrees and holds onto his hand once more, leading the way back towards the village.
They stop in front of one of the houses before a woman rushes towards them from where she was standing by the door. The child lets go of his hand and runs towards the woman, who wraps the child in a hug. “Mommy, Mr. Hat Guy helped me rescue dollie from the tree! He flew up like whoosh and then brought her back to me. She got hurt, but he also helped me fix dollie with a needle and thread like you use!” The child said excitedly, bouncing up and down.
The woman turned to Kunikuzushi and he couldn’t help but duck his head away, adjusting his hat to hide his face. Still, she thanked him in an immensely grateful tone before reminding her child to be polite and do the same. The child quickly ran back over to him, looking up at him in admiration.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Hat Guy! My dollie says thank you, too!” They say as they hold up their doll for him to see. He can’t help the warm smile that spreads across his face and he pats the child on the head.
“It was no trouble at all, I’m glad your dollie is safe now.” The child beams at him one final time before their mother calls them to come inside. Kunikuzushi watches in fondness as the child continuously waves at him, calling out goodbye over and over until the door is finally shut behind them.
The smile lingers as he turns back around, reminding himself that he needs to find Kaedehara. However, he finds the man he’s looking for standing just a meter away and the smile is immediately wiped off his face as his gut twists in shame. Kaedehara gives him a little wave before approaching. Wisely, the other man doesn’t comment on what he saw.
“The sun is setting, I think we should start trying to find a place to set up camp for the night.” Kaedehara says instead, though they’re suddenly interrupted by the old woman Kunikuzushi had seen before approaching them.
“Kaedehara boy! You shouldn’t go sleeping outside, you’ll catch a cold! We have a place you and your friend can stay for the night.”
Kaedehara seems to mull this over as the woman who Kunikuzushi just talked to walks up as well, a plate of steaming curry in her hands. “Please, take this for the trouble you went through to help my little one. I insist.” She says before politely shoving it into his hands and bidding him a final farewell.
The white-haired man seems to make up his mind, “I appreciate the offer, but I insist on at least paying for our stay.” Kunikuzushi resists the urge to shoot him a skeptical look. Why wouldn’t he just take it for free? Don’t humans have to work hard for mora? Maybe the other man isn’t as smart as Kunikuzushi has given him credit for.
The old woman seems to want to argue, but concedes, “My boy, you know we don’t need your money. I’ll only charge you 150 mora, and I’ll be sure to hand it over to the chief.”
Kaedehara hands over the mora and then they set off to the house the old woman indicated to them. While they walk, Kaedehara explains to Kunikuzushi that the house had been unoccupied for a long time, though it was being maintained by the village people. He was also told before that it still had some basic furniture inside that the previous owners didn’t bother to take with them.
They enter using the old key the woman had handed them and the main room is almost entirely bare, the only furnishings left being a table and two chairs. Kunikuzushi quickly sets down the plate of food on the table before investigating the remaining two rooms; a bathroom that looked functional and a bedroom with just one bed in the center of it.
When Kaedehara takes a peek at the bedroom as well, his only reaction is to be grateful that there is a bed to sleep in, completely ignoring the issue at hand. Kunikuzushi is annoyed by this carefree attitude and can’t help but feel bothered by the idea of sharing a bed with the other man.
However, he just decides to try and act unbothered as well, not voicing any discomfort as they eat dinner together. Kunikuzushi would commend the mother for making the food well, but ever since his fall he hasn’t been able to taste much at all.
When Kaedehara’s eaten his fill, Kunikuzushi lets him put away the leftover food, feigning fullness. A pit of dread forms in his stomach as Kaedehara yawns.
“We should probably head to bed now, we’ve got a full day ahead of us.” The human suggests, to which Kunikuzushi can’t argue.
As he lays down as far as possible from Kaedehara a nagging part of him mocks this charade he’s performing by trying to appear human, but he’s not ready to reveal who he is just yet. The easiest way for him to conceal his identity for now is to pretend to be human; acting abnormal would surely cause the human to start questioning him.
I’ll tell him tomorrow. Then he’ll help free me of my sins once and for all.