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Finally, Hana arrived in Mondstadt safe and sound. She didn't feel like teleporting, so she flew on the way, which never failed to bring her comfort on a tiring day. Her wings also needed a good stretch after being kept hidden for so long. Back in Japan, her wings were rarely hidden unless it can cause a disturbance by how big it is, since it wasn't really a 'quirk' per se. She was allowed to use it as long as it is not to harm the innocent. Kind of like Hawks.
In Teyvat, those who knew about her wings were Aether, Amber, and Venti. The others did not, if she recalled correctly. Maybe she can freely use her wings here? But that would only get her more attention, so probably not.
As she landed safely behind the Knights of Favonius Headquarters (of course after checking that no one saw her) she walked her way to the entrance, greeting the knights who were patrolling. She hoped Aether was inside, since she had no clue where to stay. As much as possible, she didn't want to burden Diluc anymore.
The headquarters was empty, except for the knights guarding the doors. Well, there was also Aether and Kaeya conversing suspiciously in the far end corner of the hall.
Beaming, Hana skipped her way towards the two males, relieved that she didn't have to search for Aether and Paimon around Mondstadt.
"Eww, cut it out!" She heard Paimon's high pitched voice squeak out. Hana giggled, assuming it was something Kaeya said.
"Let's talk in the courtyard just outside the headquarters. Come with me." Kaeya said, unusually serious. He turned around and started to walk away, but then stopped as he saw Hana's figure skipping towards them.
His serious face scrunched up into a friendlier one, a smile blooming. "Hana! How are you this fine evening?" He asked, earning Aether and Paimon's attention.
"Hana! You're back?" Aether asked happily. He could barely stop himself from feeling happy seeing her again after a very tiring day. His previous exhaustion was wiped away the moment he saw her. Now he's ready to get up and start moving!!
(Because, honestly, he felt like the Cavalry Captain was going to give him another chore.)
Kaeya lazily slung his arm around her shoulder and started to drag her out, Aether following behind unsurely. Of course, the small hint of bitterness in his gut was starting to get overwhelming ever since Diluc's small display that morning.
"This place will do," Kaeya said. But to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, he still looked around, his sharp eyes scanning every nook and cranny of their surroundings. "First of all, I shall tell you a secret..."
Kaeya then began explaining about his past with so much passion and drama, but Aether and Hana were having none of it. Paimon, on the other hand, was easier to fool. Hana didn't believe an ounce of the words that left the man's mouth.
If it were so big a secret, nonetheless a 'very OP sword' hidden somewhere in a cave, Kaeya won't be telling it freely to a traveler he just met. Not to mention, the way his visible eye is constantly glancing somewhere behind them just tells her that the captain had other motives.
The girl snickered inwardly, ruby eyes gleaming under the moonlight.
"So," Hana started, "you want us to find this powerful sword?"
Kaeya's gaze shifted to her. "Of course, I believe that with you and Aether's skills combined, it would be no problem," he smirked, as usual.
"You trust us that much to not steal this sword that your...uh, grandfather, owned?" Hana asked, studying Kaeya's expressions carefully.
Kaeya knew it wasn't a simple question. He got a feeling that the girl had a hunch on what he really meant. "Of course," he simply said, ending the conversation.
The girl pursed her lips and pondered, then she shrugged. "Aight."
Kaeya sighed in relief. Looked like he wasn't found out just yet. He should be careful around her.
"Uh," Hana said again, "Can we do this tomorrow, though? I mean, Aether just finished getting his license as well as chasing a criminal, and I just got back. Not to mention that it's literally 1 am right now."
Kaeya rubbed the back of his neck. He definitely didn't think of that. Maybe he should've given that a thought before he babbled a lie to the outlanders as well as the figure lurking in the corner, who immediately left the scene in a rush. Too late, he guessed. He might sound a bit selfish and thoughtless at this point, but Kaeya didn't really have a choice.
"It is urgent, I am afraid," Kaeya said, faking an apologetic tone. "If we don't manage to reach the place in time, there might be someone to grab the sword first."
Hana groaned and rubbed her temples. "I am in Spain but the S is silent," she mumbled.
Kaeya tilted his head, same with Paimon and Aether. They think they won't be used to her weird world language anytime soon, so they shrugged it off.
"Let's get this over with!" Hana clapped her hands, trying to bring up the overall energy, but she and Aether were visibly tired from the day's events. "Kaeya's gonna buy us our meals for a week, right, captain?" She smirked before holding on to Aether's clothes, but before Kaeya could even decline and protest, Hana and the traveler shot up into the sky.
Aether's screaming heard and Kaeya gaping at his newfound revelation.
Wings?!
As per Kaeya's information, they were supposed to meet someone in the Whispering woods, apparently an intel to direct them to the Lost Arcadian Ruins for the very very epic sword, according to Paimon, that is.
Well, they found her alright, surrounded by hilichurls. Hana didn't hesitate and dropped Aether to the ground, luckily they weren't high up and the boy tumbled safely and ran straight to the monsters, using his sword and anemo. Hana watched in amazement as he quickly and skillfully got rid of the threats.
And as thanks for saving her, she gave them the needed information for free. Trying to solve the riddle, the three made their way back to Mondstadt. This time, Aether braced himself for flying.
"Six-armed giants, huh..." Hana mumbled as she casually carried Aether in her arms, her brain working on solving the puzzle for the next clue. Her eyes then landed on the windmills in the city, two of them, to be specific. Smirking, she headed there and landed when she sighted a wooden chest.
"Found it!" she chirped, gently letting go of Aether. They found a map and more riddles. Since they were dead tired and their brain juice needed to be preserved for more complicated things later, they decided to go find Kaeya, hoping he wasn't asleep yet. He shouldn't be, since they gave them a task to do so quickly.
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"You know, I didn't take you as a liar, Kaeya."
"But then again, it is to be expected of you."
"No wonder you were so damn suspicious, tch."
"I don't wanna see you right now, I'm heading over to Diluc's tavern. Bye."
As words left Hana's lips like rapid fire, Kaeya felt goosebumps and chills down his spine. It didn't help that the girl's overall mood was not very nice. She was menacing, and the way she glared and sneered at him told him he should sleep with one eye open.
"B-But—" Kaeya started, trying to reason out. Yeah, sure, what he asked to do might be on a whim, and they knew it was for the benefit of Mondstadt since there were hoarders trying to steal the city's riches and stuff, but yeah, he is a liar.
"Nope, don't wanna hear it."
Aether covered his mouth to prevent laughter from escaping, enjoying Kaeya's struggle. He watched as the girl turned around and left the Knights of Favonius headquarters, but not before giving the Cavalry Captain another death glare.
Well, they successfully finished the little errand. Aether surprisingly didn't have a clue they were being tricked, and Hana can only sigh and groan as Kaeya magically showed up with knights and started explaining his genius plan.
"Hmph. Why go to my dear brother's tavern? She's too young to drink!"
Aether can only deadpan. "Kaeya, you are only a few years older than we are."
"Yeah, still a minor nonetheless!"
Hana huffed and puffed and stomped her way to Diluc's 24/7 bar. It was already afternoon, and she is grumpy because of the lack of sleep. She hoped the place sold coffee. Wait, did coffee even exist in this world? She never really tried since she wasn't a fan of coffee.
Why is she even looking for one if she doesn't drink it? See, this is what lack of sleep does to you.
Angrily, she slammed the door open, surprising the six-fingered bard beside the door as well as two figures in the front. Ah, way to make her perfect day even better.
"You!" she pointed at the boy seated in a stool. With a surprised yelp, the green bard tried to hide his presence behind Diluc by jumping on the table and behind him. Venti could sense Hana's fury directed towards him, and he had a clue what the reason was.
"H-Hi..."
Hana growled, "Don't you 'Hi' me, you little Starbucks cup!"
"Ehe...I'm sorry, Hana!"
This only seemed to anger the girl even more, nostrils flaring and seeing red. Ehe? That is it? Does he not feel an ounce of guilt for always leaving her? Is she not important to him as he is to her? The thought saddened her.
Venti didn't take her too seriously, knowing that the girl can't stay angry at him. He was correct, but then he saw her eyes tearing up. Soon enough, quiet sobs escaped her lips as tears streamed down her face. Now Venti felt guilty. He thought he could get away with it, thinking that the girl didn't mind if he left.
Diluc, who was previously watching the scene wordlessly, seemed surprised that the girl who had comforted him not too long ago had broken down.
"Ehe?! Always leaving me without a word and all I get is a ridiculous 'ehe'?"
He was never great at comforting people, but he wanted to help her too. That was a good start, right? So, as casually as he can—he is a very awkward person—he walked away from his stack of wine and embraced the girl in a tight hug. He hoped it brought her comfort, even if it was just a little.
Diluc hoped it made her feel the same thing as he did.
"Hana..." Venti mumbled, "I truly apologize, I had no idea—"
"I—It's okay, it's fine. I'm...I'm used to it."
That broke Venti's heart even more. He was too carefree to take notice of how others felt. Did she feel so lonely, yet here he was wasting himself away?
Venti sighed. "I...If it makes you feel better, I have found something that might interest you."
Hana wiped her tears and mumbled a quiet thanks to Diluc, who was red in the face as he nodded as nonchalantly as he could. He failed, of course. She was still upset at Venti, don't get her wrong. She was a curious soul and Venti took advantage of that, so she chose to forget her anger for a while.
Venti wordlessly handed her the strange device he found at the beach, it was clean and dry now, and the screen that lit up before was back to black.
Hana gasped and grabbed it from the bard's hands. Venti and Diluc asked her what it was, but they were ignored so they stuck on watching her fumble with it.
Hana, on the other hand, pressed buttons and even shook the device a little. Seeing no reaction, she let out a dejected sigh and almost gave up hope until the screen lit up red and vibrated violently.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. Pressing the blue button on the left, she brought it close to her face and spoke. "Hello? Mom, dad? Anyone?" Her voice was shaky, which was understandable. She found a way to contact her world, and they might send someone for her if all goes well.
No one answered, so she tried again. Speaking her mother's name, she waited and waited for a response, getting more desperate each message she sent. Venti and Diluc could see her hands shaking and was about to advise her to stop and try again later, but the sudden response from the device shocked them all.
"What the—" a loud voice boomed. Hana wasted no time as she recognized the voice.
"Baku-chan?! Is that you?"
Venti would have giggled at the name if it weren't a serious situation. That, and Diluc glared at him when a smile slipped off.
She could hear yelling from the other side, a little tumble and a crash before she heard him panting.
"BAKU-CHAN?! What the fu—"
Bakugou's aggressive response was stopped when another voice spoke out.
"Hana. Is everything fine? Are you hurt? How are things there?"
Todoroki Shouto.
Hana almost teared up again. Her friends! They didn't forget about her!
"Sh-Shouto??"
"Don't worry, Hana. We'll find a way to bring you back."
"SHUT IT, YOU HALF-AND-HALF BASTARD! I WAS TALKING TO HER FIRST!"
Hana bursted into tears by now. It was happy tears. She didn't know why hearing Bakugou's angry yelling brought her such relief, but it did. She wiped away her tears and managed to let out a happy chuckle.
"I miss you guys. How is everyone in UA?" she asked.
Hana heard a scoff and a tired sigh. She knew who did which without having to think. "They're fine, we miss you too. You don't know how much the class mourned for your 'death', Aizawa sensei even cried a few tears."
Imagining their forever tired, homeless-like teacher trying to hide his tears and remaining stoic and indifferent somehow made her feel funny. Aizawa? Cry for her? Please! That man was an embodiment of a tsun.
Hana then felt a tap on her shoulders, and that was when she remembered that she was still with Venti and Diluc inside the latter's tavern. She let out an awkward chuckle.
"Sorry," She told them before facing the device again.
Hmm, if I recall correctly, this has a video option. I wonder if it is still working.
Fumbling around with a few buttons and experimenting—of course, hoping that the thing won't self-destruct in her hands—she successfully found the video option. She mentally rolled her eyes.
They juuust can't build this like a phone, can they? It'd make everything a whole lot easier.
As soon as the video invite was sent through the call, it was immediately accepted. The first thing Hana saw when the screen loaded was
Bakugou shoving Todoroki's face away.
As expected of him. Hana wouldn't really say she's surprised.
"OI YOU DUMBASS!"
Despite Bakugou Katsuki's aggressive tone, his face said otherwise. A year. It has been a year since he saw her again. She didn't change much, it was only her hair that got noticeably long. Her face was still as p-p-pretty as he remembered. Eyes still filled with brilliance and fire. She was still the Hana that Bakugou knew.
Seeing his expression, Hana couldn't help but laugh. "Katsuki, why on Earth are your eyes sweating?" She teased, watching as Bakugou angrily wiped his tears away and shook his head in useless denial.
"My eyes aren't sweating, I am crying—!"
The idiot took the bait. Hana snorted and enjoyed the view of Katsuki realizing what just happened. Did Hana just use reverse psychology on him?! Now he's pissed.
"Ha!"
Meanwhile, Venti and Diluc watched and listened awkwardly as Hana spoke to whatever was there in the device. Venti wondered if this was the reason why it was so important to Hana; because of the strange people trapped inside. He wondered if Hana originally lived there.
Diluc, on the other hand, as subtle as he could, took note of the interaction. All he could conclude was that the blond was very angry, and in his opinion, not a good way to greet an old friend.
Like the curious soul the bard was, Venti shoved his face into the device and smiled. "Hi!"
Bakugou and Todoroki just saw a nose.
"The hell?!"
Hana patted the bard's back gently. "There, there, don't shove your pretty face too near, they can see you from here~" Hana pulled Venti down to sit with her, adjusting the video so he and Diluc could be seen beside her.
The two boys were confused on who they are. "Who are they?" Todoroki asked, now recovered and sitting calmly beside Bakugou.
"A bunch of extras?!" yelled the angry pomeranian. Ah, the boy didn't change at all.
Hana sighed, though she was more amused than annoyed. "Stop calling strangers 'extras', Bakatsuki," she shook her head to show him mock disappointment, in which the blond huffed and turned away, feeling just a bit guilty. Maybe.
"This greenie is Venti! And the red guy is Diluc Ragnvindr! Uh—did I say your name right, Master Diluc?"
Diluc wouldn't have felt mildly offended any other time, but the way she just said Master next to his name came out as a joke. Since when was he called red guy, anyway? He only had red hair and eyes. If anything, he wore mostly dark colors.
"...Yes."
Hana gushed, clapping her hands excitedly as her eyes shone with awe. "Good thing this world had quirks too! Though theirs are all controlling the elements and stuff, it's still pretty cool!"
"Hah! Still not better than mine!" Bakugou boasted smugly, demonstrating a few explosions on the palm of his hand. Expecting awed faces from the strangers, he was met with blank looks instead.
"Hmm, pyro?" Diluc asked in a soft voice, turning to look at the girl beside him, head tilted and eyes confused and seeking for assurance. Hana wanted to coo, but stopped herself and instead just nodded her head.
"Explosions, huh?" Venti hummed, placing a hand on his chin. "I think I have encountered a little lady with explosions this fine morning..."
Seeing Bakugou's red face and the growling noises he was making, Hana couldn't stop herself any longer and cackled. "Pfft—! Don't be so angry Katsuki! You're still my dearest explosion murder lord supreme~!" she teased, changing her voice into something like an adult talking to a baby.
"THAT'S EVEN WORSE, YOU BITCH!"
Seeing that Bakugou is too angry to continue conversing normally, Todoroki snatched the device away and walked out of the room, the sounds of Bakugou's explosions in the background.
Where were they, anyway?
They were in their dorms, of course. More specifically, in Bakugou's room. Now, Todoroki was on his way back to his room to have some peace and quiet.
They snuck away with the device not too long ago. Luckily, Hana's parents didn't seem to notice. Yet. Well, the two did think that they should've told the parents to give them hope that their daughter was still...well, alive and well, but they didn't want to assume when they weren't too sure themselves. So they borrowed it for a little while.
Todoroki shut his door and sat comfortably in his bed. Sighing, he spoke again, face void of emotions.
"We are planning to bring you back," he said.
Hana's previous smile was wiped away the moment he finished his sentence. "...What?"
Todoroki was always the one who was so straightforward. He didn't like wasting his time, therefore he was forward. And it wasn't like Hana didn't want to go home. She did! She missed Japan and everyone there. But what made her hesitate was how Todoroki said it like nothing. How exactly are they going to do just that? Did he mean he and Bakugou? If so, then they were idiots, no different from their past selves when they were in their first year, always acting without thinking.
"We'll get you. Just...wait a little longer."
"But...didn't the teleportation machine break down? That was the reason why I was stuck here after all, because the machine was defected."
Todoroki didn't like the way her eyes were left with no hope. His face scrunched up almost angrily. Not towards her, never towards her, instead it was her lack of hope. Did she not believe that they were capable enough to save her? Did she not believe in them? In him? Where was that Kita Akahana who proved to him that he was different from his father? The one who told him he was Todoroki Shouto, a separate entity from the evil that was Endeavor. She believed in him so much, but what has happened?
His fist tightened in his lap, and he clicked his tongue. "Shut up." Hana flinched at his tone, cold and serious. "We'll find a way."
"Shouto..." she started, a melancholic smile now on her lips. "I appreciate it, but don't risk your life for me. I want you and the others to achieve your dreams. Become heroes, live."
The heterochromatic male placed a hand on his scar. Anger bubbled up his veins as his voice rose. "How am I supposed to do just that when I know I can do something to get you back—!" to us.
Shouto stopped, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to suddenly blurt out the words and the feelings he had kept in for so long.
"—I will never forgive myself. Knowing I could have done something."
"Shouto—"
"No. This is final. Rest up now, wait for us."
And the call ended. The screen went black and all she could see was her reflection. Venti and Diluc shared looks, both not having a clue on what to do. What they just heard was unusual, even they were surprised. A whole new world out there, huh? It was at that moment when they knew that Kita Akahana wasn't one of them. She didn't belong to Teyvat.
Diluc just gave Hana a somewhat reassuring head pat. Reassurance of what, exactly? There were many things on her mind she needed to be reassured for, now that she had a conversation with two of her closest friends.
"It'll be alright. Did you not want to return to them?" Diluc asked, almost sadly, but he refused to show that side of his. He hated to admit it, but he already had a soft spot for her.
Venti smiled at her as he held her trembling hands. "You have wonderful friends, Hana."
He hoped he had wonderful friends as well.
Hana was a wonderful friend. But it was like he was meant to not have them. This time, it was her who is going to leave him one day, and, for some reason, Venti didn't want that day to come anytime soon.
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Thank you for 3k!! I appreciate your support for this story so much!
on a side note, any idea for a diluc birthday special? i honestly have nothing in mind as of now...so please feel free to comment here if you have one!