"Kunikuzushi"

Promise

Today... was the day.

Today was the day you and your god depart for the nation of your origins. Truth be told, you were shaking uncontrollably as the days continued to creep up on you. Clouded by thoughts of disappointment, fear and resentment bullied you from within; you hadn't had a wink of proper sleep ever since Kunikuzushi's gnosis incident. Part of you was dreading the final outcome should both the gnosis and the deity ever coexist as one.

Returning to Inazuma should have been a joyful occasion with so much in store for you to enjoy once again. You've missed the food that the local stalls had to offer, not the scraps that Scaramouche offered to you at the fatui hideout. You've missed the many faces you memorised as a result of working at the infamous Yae Publishing House, instead of the countless number of masks you've had to confront back at the base.

Yet, something you did not miss was the ominous and alluring atmosphere that the nation of eternity had offered all year round. Stories about the treacherous storms batting away outlanders, the victims losing their memories and lives to the will of the Raiden Shogun, the battle on Watatsumi Island. Inazuma truly was a nation full of excitement - in, both, the good and bad way.

The journey on board was hardly comforting even with your partner by your side. His public appearance resurfaced when the two of you boarded a boat back to your homeland; those notorious smiles and cheeky little nips to your ear was something you could hardly forget. Kunikuzushi recognised your anxiety and did what he could to make you forget.

He'd hold your hand - specifically the tips of your fingers - to let you know that he was right there with you, and in case you weren't in a hand-holding mood. The times where you stifled a smile, Kunikuzushi would whisper sweet nothings into your ear and finish off his sentences with a minuscule nibble on your ear. The notion reminded you dearly before this all ever happened - how sweet the boy was by your side, how gentle yet daring the deity was, how nosy yet informative the eccentric wanderer was.

Your eyes fluttered when he sat by your side and beckoned for you to lean on his shoulder.

This was the aspect of Inazuma that you missed - an aspect that you craved.

"Remember when we first met?" The action stirred your mind to think about the positives you've experienced in life, "You knew how to respect the gods, yet your actions till now have been anything but."
"When you first met me," Kunikuzushi corrected, "I've watched you take multiple trips to that same shrine."

"That's creepy," you nudged your arm into him, "are you admitting to being a stalker?"
"You act like that's the most unfavourable act I've committed," he poked you playfully in a particular spot on your side which caused you to twitch in his embrace, "with the track record I've created, stalking is hardly the worst of it." You sighed. Perhaps it may have been true that he wasn't a good person to start with and the thought of changing him had long gone. Now you wanted nothing more than to aid in his eccentricities. Kunikuzushi leaned in close and whispered, "Have you forgotten I've killed people long before you were even born?"

"Archons, I know, no need to remind me-!" You pushed him away, cringing at the mentioning of the age difference you shared whilst Kunikuzushi seemed to enjoy how the teasing had riled you up. "Is that something you think about? My age?"

"I don't care for your age," You shot Kunikuzushi a severe look of concern, opting for him to completely change his wording, "I didn't think about your age-" the look of disapproval did not remove itself, "Y/N-"
You laughed, "You're so bad at this."
"Put it this way, I wouldn't have cared about you if you were some puny, weak nobody."

"That's better," No, it wasn't, you said to yourself but he would probably be doing this for hours struggling to find the right words.

With hopes of changing the topic, you brushed the back of your hand against Kunikuzushi's trusting that he'd take the initiative to do the same with yours - he did. Swiftly, he tangled your fingers lazily in his. The deity took note of the subtle shivers to your palm and took this as a reason to hold your hand tighter. "Still thinking about Childe?"
"How can I not?" You pouted, "It's not only about Tartaglia - it's about what I'll be doing when I meet him; spending time with him, trying to get on his good side, fighting him, fighting a harbinger." Next, you sighed.
"You're strong," Kunikuzushi admitted with ease, "both mentally, and physically, you're strong."