A Single Spark (Scaramouche x Reader)

Chapter 17: Reflections if the Lost Past

You were at the busy docks near the inner city of Liyue. You could hear the hustle and bustle of people as they walked, ran, and skipped past. Kuni and you were in the middle of it all, utterly lost.

"So...where to now?" you ask.

"It's not like I have a tracker on Aether," he grumbled underneath the brim of his hat.

You sigh and continued to look around as you walked.

"THERE!" you shouted, dragging shrimpy with you. It's like you're trying to carry a giant ragdoll.

"Aether!" you shouted, running towards him. His eyes flashed full of fear, but it quickly dissipated

"Oh, uh hey! What're you guys doing here?" he asked, nervously glancing at Scaramouche.

You lower your voice and whispered, "We've left the Fatui, and to be honest, you were the only ones we could think to turn to."

The traveler beams. "Of course! But..." he gestured to your masks. Kuni and you exchange glances. You had been using them as protection while you traveled but now was a good time to dispose of them. You casually slipped your mask into a trash can.

"Nice to meet you! I'm (y/n), but you can call me (n/n)," you grin.

"Kunikuzushi," said Kuni. Wow, how rude! He's going to make Aether say that giant name everytime. The audacity.

"C'mon!" the traveler shouted. "We're gonna miss our boat!"

Your...boat? Kuni and you exchange glaces, but hurry off after your blonde friend(?).

"Oy! Traveler! Who are these two?" a sexy woman asked.

"Oh! This is (y/n), and this is Kunikuzushi!" Aether beams.

"Nice to meet you two!" The woman greeted, placing a hand on both your shoulders. "The name's Beidou. I expect you'll work to earn your keep?"

"Of course, ma'am!" you say. Kuni nods in agreement. Beidou bent down to his height. "It'll be nice to have another Inazuman on board. That kid over there, Kazuha. He's like a son to me and I think he still feels out of place."

"...great," shrimpy said. He sounded so enthusiastic.

You set sail before you even realized it.

"So where are we going?" you asked.

Beidou grinned, then said, "The land of thunder and eternity, Inazuma."

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Over the next few weeks, you help the crew as best you can, but you realize the place you fit in most is the kitchen. You've learned so many native Inazuman recipes from this one guy, Kazuha.

Believe it or not, you've gotten over your fear of Paimon a little bit.

But sometimes, it would come right back.

When Kuni isn't sticking to you like glue, he's up in the crow's nest by himself. Tonight, he looked especially lonely.

You grab a plate of food and start climbing the rope. By the time you're at the top, you're panting. You practically fall into the crow's nest, making Kuni jump three feet in the air.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Oh! I made it. Kazuha taught me how. It's Raimei angelfish sushi."

Kuni picked up the chopsticks and takes a piece. "Not bad," he commented.

It grew quiet as the sun was setting.

"Hey, Kuni?" you ask, scooting closer. "Is there anything you wanna talk about? You're more...on edge...than you normally are."

He turned to you and it's almost as if he'd been waiting for you to speak that question.

"(N/n)—" Kuni takes a deep breath and stars over. "(n/n), there's... there's some things you need to know about me."

"What do you mean?" you asked. You could feel the atmosphere grow tense.

"It's time you get to hear that tragic backstory I was saving for another day," he said, sadly smiling, and then stood up to look out over the crows nest. You joined him.

You put your hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm ready to listen."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then began.

"I'm...not human."

"What do you mean 'not human'?" you asked.

"I'm a living puppet. I was created as a prototype for the Raiden Shogun's body. And...going back to Inazuma...it just brings back some painful memories. I'm sorry, you must think I'm a freak, considering I don't even have a beating heart."

You hugged Kunikuzushi tightly. "You are not a freak. In fact, you have more of a heart than some humans I've met, even though you can be moody. And blunt. And a little bit selfish." That earned a little bit of a laugh from the indigo–haired individual.

"I was supposed to be a vessel for Beelzebub's gnosis, but I couldn't handle it. I never wanted to be born, and I'll never be able to die. When the electro archon found out I had emotions, she deemed me 'weak' and sealed my power away... I got it back, of course, but the real problem is I have a hard time even finding my emotions anymore. I push them so far down. Sometimes I get confused and give the wrong reaction, or I don't feel anything at all, or–"

You put a finger to his lips. "Don't worry about that. You've grown so much as a person in the past year. Do you realize how much you've changed?" He shook his head no in reply. I scoffed and rolled your eyes. "Kuni, you've gone from a standoffish apathetic jerk to a slightly standoffish slightly apathetic person."

"Wow. Thanks for the honesty, (n/n)," he muttered.

"Don't worry, I'll be your friend no matter how much of a jerk you are," you laughed.

Kuni smiled, and his gaze grew distant as he slid to sit cross-legged on the floor. You had sat down a while ago, so you lowered your eyes to once again meet his face.

"I had some other friends before, yknow. My best friend was probably Katsuragi, but we were only two in a little group of swordsmiths....another close friend of mine in that group, Nagamasa, got corrupted with the electro miasma in Tatarasuna and...killed Katsuragi. He was gonna kill the others too so I...I slit his throat." He was shaking, and his indigo eyes were staring at his hands, as though the blood still on them. You sat still, afraid to break him out of his trance.

"I don't know what came over me, but I destroyed three of the five Senju arts as revenge. I don't know what good it did but, I was just...so angry! I didn't know how to handle it or control it. I was so emotional back then. I think that's when I took the name Kunikuzushi: the destroyer of nations. I happened to chance upon the Fatui...and the rest is history, I guess." He pulled his knees into his chest, hugging his legs. A single tear slipped out.

"Kuni, you know that I of all people understands how much the past can hurt, but we have to look forward and concentrate on what we still have. You taught me that. You didn't say it outright, but yknow." He looked up at you, his eyes were reflecting pools of deep sadness steeped in a blend of painful memories.

"Let's just say I'm glad I have you," he choked out.

Looking into those beautiful eyes, it was at that moment it clicked. You had been wondering for a while what you truly thought of the man in front of me. Now, you knew. How could you have been so blind?

"Me too," you said, kissing him on the cheek.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Quick reminder: this thing was drafted out before we knew the full extent of fandango mans backstory so there's a few inconsistencies. But it should be fine...I think.

Have a great day/night!