Twisted Fate Of The Broken Ones | Scaramouche/Xiao

28 - Masked

It was already getting late once the two had returned back to Liyue Harbor.

Kunikuzushi had been quiet the entire walk, soon entering Feiyun Slope with Kazuha.

The second he stepped in, he turned towards the other wanderer, grabbed his shoulders and gently shook him.

"Oh- Celestia, I- oh..." He barely got out what he wanted to say, absolutely brimming with excitement and happiness.

Kazuha blinked in confusion for a short moment when the other had suddenly started to gently shake him.

"Kazuha, he gave me a hairpin!! I don't know if he knows what that means but still?!" Kunikuzushi whispered loudly, unsure what to do in this situation.

In the Inazuman culture, gifting a hairpin or any kind of hair accessory was considered as a silent confession, the hairpin being the most popular one. It was a gift given to a person one would consider special.

After hearing Kunikuzushi's words, Kazuha chuckled slightly and smiled warmly.

"Ooh~ Is that so?" He answered, giving the wanderer a slight smirk.

He assumed that the Adeptus didn't know what it meant to give a hairpin to an Inazuman, so he found it quite amusing.

Kunikuzushi took a deep breath, looking like he was in slight misery. He hadn't expected to get a hairpin out of everything, so it had hit him very hard.

"Yeah!" The wanderer nodded, finally letting go of his friend and pointed at the Glaze Lily hairpin he had stuck in his hair.

Kunikuzushi held a hand over his mouth as he contemplated going back and staying in Wangshu Inn, wishing to spend more time with the Adeptus.

"I'm completely hopeless, aren't I?" The wanderer spoke.

Kazuha laughed and put his hand behind his ear like he was trying to listen to listening.

"The wind tells me..." He started and glanced away while he had a wondering look on his face.

After a few seconds of silence, Kazuha smiled and turned his gaze back towards Kunikuzushi.

"Ah, yes, yes you are hopeless, Kunikuzushi." He answered and put his hands into his pockets, chuckling slightly as he mostly joked.

Kunikuzushi let out a small groan, hanging his head slightly in defeat.

"I will never hear the end of it if Miko or Shogun will find out..." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest before letting out a small chuckle.

"I guess it can't be helped. I am quite happy to have met Xiao, I'll be honest. Changes up the pace."

The wanderer's small frown turned into a smile, looking back towards the direction where Wangshu Inn was.

When he got the chance, he would go back to see him again; Xiao was truly something special, as he managed to pierce the wanderer's heart with just a singular glance.

"He was... quite an intimidating person, how did you two manage to get along?" Kazuha asked Kunikuzushi with a slightly unexpected look.

He was quite surprised how the Adeptus managed to tolerate the wanderer's energy and curiosity.

Though, while he was happy for the two and was looking forward to continuing teasing them, especially Kunikuzushi, he still felt rather unfortunate himself, silently longing for a special bond like that.

Kunikuzushi continued walking towards the Harbor as he spoke, making sure that Kazuha came along.

"Well... I have no clue. I guess I just happened to grow onto him. He took me around Liyue when I first arrived here, and I think that's what made it all snowball into this." Kunikuzushi let his arms fall down to his sides as he walked, enjoying the small sea breeze in his hair.