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Slowly, quietly, Princess Ayaka unlocked and pushed open her intricately designed bedroom window overlooking the cliffs and sea. She tossed out the rope Thoma had graciously gotten for her, then peeked her head out, looking from her left and right to ensure no guards could see her escape. Thoma had assured her he had it handled, again, thank him, but one could never be too careful. She’d make sure to pay Thoma handsomely for everything he was doing for her tomorrow morning, even if he’d insisted it was what friends did.
Ayaka didn’t know much about friends. Other than Thoma, she didn’t have any. Thankfully, she’d still managed to find a guide for her first and last night of freedom in Inazuma before her engagement was realized.
She brushed off the ruffled blue and pink gown she hoped was inconspicuous enough, even if few people would be out to see her at the late night hours. This was it, after all, the day she’d been hoping to have all her life. She couldn’t let anything get in her way.
She pulled back the rope after climbing down and wrapped it around her waist. It had been colored indigo so that it could be worn as a belt. Then she took the path she’d planned. There was a faint crunch of dirt and crash of waves in the background of her short journey to meet her guide at their agreed location. The smell of grass and salt seemed to twirl around her. She really was fortunate to have the life she did. To be able to live by all this beauty. It was selfish of her to want to leave her privileged world behind her, really.
No, she couldn’t think that way. Such thoughts would throw everything off. She shook her head as though the motion would clear her mind.
Eventually she reached a thin overgrown path one could easily miss that led to a tiny clearing. In it, cystalflies fluttered around the pink-leafed trees and a few onikabuto beetles skittered through the purple-tinted grass. Everything seemed to go quiet here, the sounds of the waves vanishing somewhere.
“Hello, Ayaka,” greeted Ayaka’s guide in the center of it all. ‘Ayaka.’ Not ‘princess.’ ‘Ayaka.’ He sat casually on a rock twirling a red leaf between his wrapped fingers.
Kaedehara Kazuha. He’d been friends with Ayaka as a child, but since his family lost their status, he’d mysteriously disappeared. Since those young years, he’d grown into an objectively handsome young man. His hair was just as pale as Ayaka remembered, though it was long enough to fit in a low ponytail that rested on his shoulder. There was also a new crimson streak in it. His black maple leaf patterned robes hung loosely around his arms and shoulders, though it was clear he had a good amount of muscle when his sleeves fell back. Ayaka blinked rapidly a few times to take her eyes off him.
“Ready to go?”
Ayaka nodded. “Yes.”
“Alright then.”
They didn’t say much for a while. Neither of them were talkative people until someone else spoke. Ayaka remembered this. It was the first thing they’d found in common. Besides, she didn’t need a guide to get to Inazuma docks, she just needed one for when they traversed Sanganomiya Island.
Ayaka kept her head down while they walked through the streets of Inazuma City. She dine want to be recognized. Once they stopped so she could purchase a slice of sweet lavender melon cake from a vendor she’d always wanted to buy from in person. His store happened to be open, and the rest was history. Of course, Kazuha had to buy it for her.
Ayaka took her first bite into her cake while they walked, beaming to herself at the perfectly springy texture and smooth icing. “I wish I could give that vendor my thanks face to face,” she mumbled. “This really is an incredible cake, and it tastes even better fresh from the bakery.” She looked back to Kazuha. “Thank you for telling him I appreciated the cake.”
“You heard that?” Kazuha cocked his head with a small smile.
“The door was open a crack so I listened in.”
“I see.” He bit into his own cake, his surprised grin just as wide as Ayaka’s felt. “Wow, that is incredible.”
“I’m so glad that the bakery was open this late! It has to be only an hour or two before midnight, correct?” Ayaka looked to the sky. Bright stars glittered beside the half moon.
Kazuha followed suit. “Around the twenty-second hour.”
His confidence was stunning. Ayaka couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know?”
“I’ve spent many late nights beneath the moonlight. Once you see the way the sky looks at certain hours enough times you begin to memorize it. See how high in the sky the moon is right now?”
“Only somewhat,” Ayaka confessed. Should she have known how to read the moon? Suddenly she felt ignorant.
“It’s alright. Most people don’t notice it.”
Ayaka felt her shoulders ease.
“Regardless,” Kazuha continued, “if you check later, you’ll see the moon even higher, until it reaches its maximum height and goes back down.”
Ayaka nodded along. What he was saying made sense. “I see. You’ve got quite a skill then. I’m assuming you learned this yourself?”
The ground beneath their feet shifted to wooden boards.
“Indeed,” Kazuha said, his cheeks flushing lightly. “I appreciate the compliment. It wasn’t all too hard to learn, though.”
“Even if that is the case, I still think it’s impressive.”
Kazuha’s flush deepened. He went silent again.
The boards shifted to docks. The lights grew sparser, now mostly lamps hanging above the docks. Blackish blue waves crashed against the wooden legs. At the edge of one was a small boat, but still large enough to hold two people comfortably. Kazuha motioned for Ayaka to step in first. He settled behind her and removed his robe to reveal more defined muscle. Ayaka looked away and blinked again. She hoped Kazuha wouldn’t notice.
…Or did she? A tiny selfish voice in the depths of her mind dared to wonder if Kazuha’s blushes meant anything, and if they did, what next?
What was she thinking? She shook her head again and focused on the sound of Kazuha using the oars connected to the boat to paddle out to sea. And with that action she knew. Upcoming would be something she’d been anticipating, one reason why asking Kazuha to be her guide was such a good idea.
“You might want to hold on to me. In order to get to do everything you wanted I’ll need to use a lot of power.”
Turning backward, Ayaka wrapped her arms around his waist as he angled his hands behind them. He moved closer so his legs pressed against her sides. She had to lean back to ensure her face wouldn’t be right against his chest or, if she moved upward, his own face. In doing so, she unintentionally got a glimpse of his powerful determined expression.
The world lunged forward. The two smashed against each other. Ayaka but down a shriek. They could be launched right off the boat.
No. Ayaka squeezed her eyes shut. They’d be fine. If all else failed, she could freeze the water around them to slow down. And Kazuha would stop using his power if he felt that things were getting dangerous. Yes. They’d be fine. Her heart still wouldn’t stop racing, but that would have to do for now.
“We’re perfectly safe, I assure you,” Kazuha murmured, echoing her thoughts. “You’re safe with me. Now,” Ayaka felt him adjust to look upward, “Open your eyes. Feel the mist and the wind.”
Ayaka tentatively obeyed. The spray did feel exciting, and the longer time went the less frightening its speed became. She leaned back again so she could catch a good view of the space rapidly vanishing behind them. It was remarkable, really, watching it all. Tiny islands with patches of multicolored grass sped by. Rocks peeking up through the water seemed to appear in but one flash. And though she couldn’t hear anything other than Kazuha’s cool voice and the constant splashes, there was a certain comfort in it. It was like the world didn’t exist anymore, and all that was real was the little space she shared.
This wasn’t so scary after all.
She felt her face stretch into a grin. With a sudden burst of courage, she took one arm off of Kazuha’s waist and dipped it into the water. She honed in on the coolness of the water and the way it chilled her fingertips. Then she took that focus and imagined her thoughts mingling with the water, freezing it. A path of ice started trailing behind her fingers. She began to laugh in amazement. Never had she done anything like this with her power before. It wasn’t something a person could do in any context other than this one. How special was that?
They rushed past an island Ayaka recognized through some landscape paintings she’d studied. Tatarasuna, she believed. More purple grass and tall cliffs that split to formate a ginormous cave.
“This is amazing!” she exclaimed.
“I hoped you’d enjoy it.” Ayaka looked back at Kazuha, and he was grinning just a widely as she was. “Think I could add a little more speed? I still can’t quite see Sanganomiya yet. We’re close, though.”
“Go ahead.” She returned to the water.
“As you wish!” And they were off, so fast everything blurred.
Eventually, or perhaps too soon, they arrived on the coast of Sanganomiya. Kazuha began to step out of the boat to dock, but Ayaka stopped him. “You don’t need to get wet.” She froze the water ahead of them. “Now we can walk across and drag the boat behind.”
Kazuha raised an eyebrow. “Creative method.”
“Ah, thank you. It’s not much, really.” Ayaka lowered her head, smiling embarrassedly.
“Neither was what I did to get us here. Or my ability to read the moon. What is ‘much,’ then? It seems the concept is more fickle than the wind.” He paused. “That could make a good poem.” He grabbed his robe, draping it over his shoulders, then pulled a pencil and paper from a side pocket. “Concept of ‘much,’ compare it to the wind, give examples…got it.” He looked back at Ayaka with a slightly guilty expression. Thank you for your patience.”
“My pleasure, to give you time to plan a poem. Do you write them often?” Together they hefted the boat into the ice and pulled it to shore.
“All the time. Ah, there we go. Great teamwork. The best view will be this way.” He pointed in the direction of a seashell-like piece of elevated land. “Let’s get going. There’s a lot to see here.” His fingers intertwined with Ayaka’s. She swore he shivered against her. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, back to the subject. I write many nature poems. The outside world has a lot to work with. It’s the first thing I noticed when I became a wanderer. It’s also one reason why I love being a wanderer.”
Pinkish bubbles floated upward around them the further they descended into the concave island. They popped almost silently and tickled like feathers. A faint smell of fish lingered in the air, though it wasn’t to difficult to ignore. A quaint village with purple-roofed buildings splayed ahead on a road that went beneath a pink shell outcropping. They walked the opposite way, instead moving closer to large intricately designed Sanganomiya shrine. Its architecture was gorgeous and it matched the landscape perfectly.
“Have you written any poems about where we’re going?” Ayaka asked, stepping over a blue crab scuttling by.
Kazuha squeezed her hand gently. Her heart beat fastest. “Not yet, but I’d like to. Perhaps I’m being selfish, taking advantage of your request in order to find inspiration.”
Ayaka shook her head. “Not at all! Surely it must be a wonderful place if you’re planning on writing a poem about it. I’m quite excited to see it.”
“Alright then. Can you climb in what you’re wearing?”
“Yes, are we climbing?” She’d picked her shoes and dress just for this possibility.
“To the top of the shell outcropping the shrine is built on.” He pointed at it.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Ayaka had always been a fit person, possibly from all the times Ayato had chased her around the halls and sparred with her, possibly from her own desire, possibly from innate ability. So, climbing up to the top of the shell was very easy. The two had no trouble matching each other’s quick pace.
They now sat on the edge of the shockingly comfortable smooth shell overlooking the entire inner part of the island. Indeed, it was as jaw-dropping at Kazuha had made it seem. Straight ahead, one could see the ocean and the faraway ruins. Down, and one could see the ravine meandering through the canyons. To the sides, grand, glittering waterfalls clearer than glass pouring into overflowing pools. And directly next to her…
“I’m so glad you were selfish enough to take me here,” Ayaka beamed. “I can barely believe I’m here with you right now.” She inched closer to Kazuha, almost to where their shoulders touched, but not quite. Being closer than that had been easy in the boat, but such closeness was back to being terrifying now that they could sit wherever they wanted. “I missed you, all those years you were gone. Words can’t express how happy I was to see you again.” She sighed, meeting Kazuha’s eyes. “It’s so odd. There’s a lot about you that’s just like how I remember, but there’s also a part of you that’s completely new and completely fascinating.”
Kazuha sucked in a deep breath, then let out a long exhale. “I missed you, too. I’m glad I get to see you again. You’ve grown a lot, in many good ways. You’ll make your husband very happy one day.”
Husband?
“I guessed,” he explained.
“I’m not engaged yet. I will be soon. But I wanted to pretend I could do whatever I liked, with minimal restrictions, while I could. Tomorrow I’ll go back to my normal life, though I’ll have the memories of this incredible night you’ve helped me have with me.” Her words hung in the air untouched. “I’d like to pretend the future doesn’t exist right now. That I am no one special, and I can do whatever I want. Can you do that?”
“Of course.”
“And I presume after tonight I won’t see you for a long time.”
Kazuha nodded grimly. “I don’t know the next time I’ll return to Inazuma. Tomorrow I leave with Beidou for Liyue.”
Ayaka looked down. She didn’t feel upset about it, not fully, since she’d expected it. She knew deep down they’d only have one night together. “So if tonight is the last time I see you, we should make the most of it. I don’t want any regrets to fester.” She couldn’t believe she’d said it until the words escaped her mouth. But it was high time she released her inhibition anyway.
“Nor do I.” And then he was grabbing her face and leaning in close enough for her to smell the lavender melon cake still on his breath. Ayaka’s heart thundered. “May I?”
“Please,” Ayaka breathed.
Kazuha pressed his lips against Ayaka’s softly, slowly, sweetly almost agonizingly so. He kissed just as coolly as he spoke, years of hidden feelings spilling over with every movement. If the world had felt like nothing before, they had to be in their own new world far separate from any other. Time, space, it belonged to only them.
This was it, the freedom Ayaka had been searching for. Even if she knew it would never last, that curiosity, that desire, it had been sated. She had felt it. And the memories were hers eternally.
____________________
“Someone’s looking happy,” Thoma whispered to Ayaka at breakfast the next morning. “Did you have a good night?”
It was all she had hoped for.
She rolled back her shoulders, sitting up straighter. “Better. And now I’m ready for my future.”