Scene Packs From Other Stories

③⑥•Genshin Impact

"As The Sakura Blossoms Fall"

FANDOM: Genshin Impact

Synopsis: Thoma can't help but think about his past again. Falling overboard, getting stranded. Luckily he has a friend in a young Inazuman innkeeper. And she'll always be there to comfort him.

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Kuri found Thoma in the estate's garden. A place where the sakura blossoms painted the air with delicate yet vibrant hues of all the prettiest shades of pink. The usually bustling housekeeper sat alone, his eyes fixed on the falling petals. It was a side of him she rarely witnessed – Thoma, lost in quiet contemplation.

"What's on your mind?" Kuri asked, her voice a gentle breeze that cut through the stillness.

Thoma's response was a simple sigh. "What I usually think about."

Kuri nodded, her understanding went unspoken. She took a seat beside him, the wooden bench bearing witness to silence. Thoma's gaze remained fixed on the blossoms, each petal a transient reminder of fleeting time.

"You don't have to say it if you don't want to," Kuri reassured, her presence a silent promise. She knew that sometimes, words could only scratch the surface of the emotions held within.

"I'm the one who made it out alive," Thoma began, his words carried by a mixture of sorrow and reflection. "But for everything I did, I'm not so sure that I'm worth it."

Kuri's brow furrowed with concern, almost angrily she disagreed with his admittance. "Thoma, you are the most important person in the world to me."

"Yeah," Thoma sighed, "and I killed plenty of other people's most important person to be here right now."

The weight of his words lingered in the air. Kuri understood the pain that resided in the depths of his being, but it was always a burden he bore silently. He never expressed it, usually he gawked about his thanks to the Kamisato siblings for where he is today. But he knew he'd meticulously crafted that façade.

"Thoma, you can't change the past," Kuri said, her gaze fixed on the blonde. "But you've worked hard to be where you are now. Your kindness and dedication haven't gone unnoticed."

Thoma's eyes met hers, the vulnerability within them clear as day. "I know, but sometimes, it feels like no matter what I do, I can't escape the choices I made."

In that moment, Kuri felt the weight of his emotions, she too had an upbringing as benign and unfortunate as his. Though she knew she'd never feel his exact pain, she knew what pain felt like. And for Thoma, that kind of understanding was enough.

"You don't have to carry it alone, Thoma," Kuri whispered as she leaned in, her forehead resting against his. "We all have parts of ourselves we wish we could change. But the person you are now is more than deserving of love and forgiveness."

Thoma's shoulders relaxed, the tension slowly dissipating. He closed his eyes, allowing this feeling of comfort— from the garden, to his friend, to envelop him. Kuri's comforting presence had became a lifeline, grounding him in the present.

"I just miss them, you know?" Thoma admitted, his voice barely audible over the gentle rustling of the sakura leaves. "My family, the life I had before... it feels like a distant dream now."

Kuri's grip on his hand tightened, offering silent solidarity. "It's okay to grieve, Thoma. You've endured so much, and you're allowed to feel the pain of your losses."

Thoma's chest tightened as memories of his upbringing flashed before him – the warmth of his father, the laughter shared with his mother. The collision that shaped him into the person sitting in the Kamisato Estate's garden.

"I thought taking that ship would bring me closer to my father," Thoma admitted, a hint of vulnerability in his words. "But it took me farther away from everything I knew."

Kuri's heart ached for him, a silent witness to the wounds that time had yet to fully heal. She sensed the complexity of his emotions, the struggle between gratitude for the life he had now and the ache for the life he left behind.

"You're not alone, Thoma," Kuri reiterated, her voice a gentle reminder. "I'm here for you, no matter where your journey takes you."

As the sakura blossoms continued their fall, Kuri and Thoma sat in shared contemplation. The past may have shaped him, but in the embrace of the Kamisato Estate's garden, Thoma found a sanctuary where healing could begin. The scars of the sea couldn't erase the bonds forged in the tranquility of the spring.