Spectator || HeiKazuScara || Genshin Impact

Chapter 31

The sky was a beautiful shade of amber and gold when everyone woke up from their slumber. Some people were already awake, and were preparing a small breakfast including leftover meat from the previous night and some freshly picked fruit. Scara, like always, was the final one to wake up and he found himself next to a tree. Looking around, he realised Heizou wasn't here anymore and he sighed at the thought.

"HEY!! SCARAA WE'RE GONNA LEAVE SOON! YOU'D BETTER EAT UP SOON OR ELSE THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT!!" Scara heard Shinobu's voice shout through the thickets of bushes and trees. He groaned internally before getting up to follow the direction of the sound.

Everyone was sat by the dying fireplace, munching away on the small delicacies. "Scara come here. I saved this for you," Heizou called, handing the Prince a fine looking fig and a piece of meat. The boy sat down next to Heizou as they enjoyed their small meal together.

By the time the sun fully rose, the camp was empty. The fire had been put out, the piles of moss and ferns they used as beds were now scattered as they were now ready to head for the city. "Are we supposed...to walk all the way back?" Gorou questioned. "I'm not complaining or anything but surely theres a better way of transport?"

"We're using the wagon I used to transport all of you here when you were unconscious," Kujou Sara said, pointing to the half-broken wooden wagon that was disguised by the greenery. Her words had good intentions, but it left a mark of bitterness at the mention of everyone being deceived. They were memories nobody wanted to relive.

"If we use the wagon then it we'll arrive by the city gates at dusk. Only problem is the horse we stole ran off," Sara explained. Everyone looked at her in disbelief. Stealing a horse? From where?

"We could steal another one!" Heizou suggested. "There ought to be some villages surrounding the terrain. Does anybody object?"

Rather than saying 'does anybody agree', he said 'does anybody object'. Of course, if he asked the former nobody would agree, but if he asked the latter nobody would object. Therefore the latter was the go-to soluton.

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"I-I-Is that the city up ahead?" Heizou quickly patted Scara's shoulder and pointed into the far distance. Surely enough, the shadowy outline of the Inazuma City could be seen through the fog. Despite everyone's relief and excitement, it was mixed with a heavy load of anxiety.

"Do we actually have a plan?" Scara questioned as he looked around. Everyone was curled up in the small wooden wagon as the stolen-horse trotted along. It was rather slow, and the journey took a lot longer than expected but it was better than walking so nobody complained. But at the same time, the chilling wind made everyone lose their wits.

"G-good point. We don't have a p-plan yet," Heizou answered. His teeth were chattering due to the freezing temperatures. He always hated winter. In the past, he and Shinobu had to gather more fire wood, spend longer finding food and they couldn't sleep a wink due to the cold.

Scara looked at the boy concerned. "Are you alright?" He unconsciously took Heizou's hand. "You're freezing."

"N-n-no! I'm f-fine. I'm used to it," the burgundy haired boy chuckled a response, but still continued to shiver. Scara sighed, and took off his cloak and draped it over Heizou's back. The cloak was a beautiful shade of white and red, with vibrant maple leaves decorating the bottom.

"T-this looks...n-nice," Heizou commented as he observed the cloak carefully. Scara smiled softly. "Thanks. It was...it was actually a gift from Kazuha you know. Back when we were kids," he explained, then laughed. "Kazuha used to be extremely self conscious about his height, did you know that? He was so short back then! Now..."

He paused as nostalgia ran through his veins, before saying, "He grew so much since then." Heizou blinked, a little surprised at the boy's sentiment. Kazuha seemed to have really left a deep mark in Scara's life, even if he didn't want to admit it. Honestly, it was painful to watch for the burgundy haired boy.

"Hey, you two, shush. We're getting close to the old forest and there ought to be guards patrolling the area. The fog can hide us for now, so be quiet," Ayato whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Just as he predicted, an army of knights were surrounding the old forest waiting for any sign of return from the rebels.

Scara held his breath, and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sight. A wave of fear suddenly took over and his breathing quicken despite his attempts to stop it.

"S-s-scara c-calm down. It's f-fine," Heizou reassured, his voice shaking not from fear but from the cold. The Prince felt a strange feeling of warmth when Heizou's hand rested on his shoulder. Nodding, he attempted to relax his stiffened muscles and rest his mind.

The wagon's creaking noises were drowned out by the sound of the nearby river, meanwhile the thick fog hid them well. It was frightening, and everyone seemed anxious. Nobody dared to move, and they eventually passed the old forest. As they contained onwards, a sudden gasp of shock could be heard.

"Whats wrong, Shinobu?" Itto asked, peaking his head out to look. In front of his eyes, was an array of houses burned down and destroyed. Piles of rock and stone were put into heaps, meanwhile the rest of the rubble was covered in ash. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this village was the one Shinobu and Heizou used to live in.

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THIS WAS SO BADLY WRITTEN. I was in a rush even though I haven't updated in 2 weeks 😭
Hope you'll excuse me. Next chapter will be better I promise 🥹