Kaedehara 'Kujou Killer' Kazuha

Wind no Wine

Diluc carefully placed the keys in his pocket and adjusted his gloves. His head hurt but he had come this far, it seemed rude to back out on this traveller now.

 Kazuha waited patiently whilst glancing around at the city. Mondstadt was beautiful, nothing compared to his Inazuma but still beautiful. The moon shone brightly. "I would ask you to take me around during the day but I prefer the quiet, dont you?" Diluc paused before nodding, he had always preferred quiet. Even as a child he had been introverted and silent. His only two friends his brother and Jean.

His brother...

Diluc thought about Kaeya often, his younger brother. He regretted the things he did. He was a monster. A dark evil force, the very thing he had first tried to fight against. He was no better than the ones who took his father when it came to Kaeya.

Diluc had watched as Kaeya climbed ranks to be Cavalry captain. Diluc knew he could be more, Kaeya harboured power unlike anything he had seen before yet he chose to stay in the position Diluc had been in before leaving. He remembered Kaeya's laugh, the summers where he'd present the chicken skewers he had learned to make from Adelinde, demanding his and Jeans honest opinions on his dish, the day their father had scolded him for trying to ferment grape juice in his closet to turn it into wine, the day Kaeya obtained his vision. 

Cold ice met searing flames. Diluc burned and Kaeya froze, in fear. Diluc would've killed him that day. Kaeya hadn't tried to fight back, his vision had simply shielded him but Diluc had seen the look in his eyes. The twinkle gone.

Diluc had felt like a murderer with no victims, wallowing in self hatred after the duel. Now he tried everything to indirectly apologise. The chicken skewer giveaway being one, but Kaeya never came back.

Ice melts as fire burns and all that remained of him was the scent of wine and skewers in the breeze.

-----

Kazuha's voice dragged Diluc from his drowsy thoughts 'Hey! You're not sleepy already are you?' Diluc shook his head and blinked 'wha..No..No. Lets go..' he rubbed his eyes, still seemingly in a trance. Kazuha's smile widened 'where to first? I've heard the cathedral is pretty'. Diluc nodded and motioned for Kazuha to follow him.

The two stared at the cathedral as the air was filled with gentle music. Kazuha tilted his head towards the sound and watched as a man stood by a grave, playing his lyre. As the man finished Kazuha began to clap. Diluc flinched, this performance wasn't meant for the public, let alone something to be applauded at. The man jumped, almost dropping the lyre. 

"You're very talented sir, but it's late, can I ask what you're doing here? Do you need help?" Kazuha appeared friendly but Diluc couldve sworn there was an edge to his voice. "N-no...no I'm sorry, I didn't.. I wasn't.. I apologise for the disturbance" the man stuttered out with a nervous smile. Kazuha continued staring, his smile showing something slightly more sinister. 

"My daughter she..she couldnt sleep without a lullaby I come here every night I-"

"Your daughter is dead"

 Kazuhas words sliced the cool air and the man stopped in his tracks. "To fall asleep she needs to be awake, I don't think a lullaby is necessary don't you think?" he smiled again as the man stared at him, like a deer in headlights before letting out a choked sob and running past him.

Diluc's shock quickly morphed to anger as he spun to face Kazuha. "What do you think you're doing!" his words cutting through the now silent air of the graveyard. He could feel his blood boil. "You had no right! None! How can you say such a thing to him his daughter is-"

 "Dead" 

Kazuha interrupted "dead as a doornail, but don't fret we all meet that fate, you can count that as my karma eh?"

 Diluc shook his head, his expression cold. "This tour..it's over I have to find that man, if you know what's best for you as a Traveller you won't bother people like that again, the knights of Favonius won't take kindly to disruption from outsiders." He turned on his heel and marched off, the interaction with the man still playing in his head. Diluc knew what it was like to lose someone, through death or through battle it was all the same. 

'I'm afraid you won't get far, you should keep your wits about you more' Diluc froze, slowly turning to face Kazuha, his head hurt more, his vision was clouding, he struggled to breathe. "What did you...you"

Kazuha's smile widened as the red headed man crumpled to the floor of the graveyard.

"You're a bartender! you of all people should know not to leave your drink unattended.."

Kazuha slowly approached Diluc, circling him like predator to prey. He had used this tactic with Beidou too, people always assumed that the strongest went out by force, they never assumed that a tampered drink or snack could cause such a disaster. 

Seriously, a wine tycoon who didn't drink alcohol? he wasn't even trying...