At Kazuha’s core, he is a child of thunder.
His senses, so attune to nature, can pick apart any sound in Inazuma. Afterall, the islands were his first home. With this in mind, it’s a miracle he could peacefully sleep in a cave at Seirai Island, where harsh bolts of lighting are as common as hilichurls.
That is until he hears a disturbance in the wind.
The samurai, startled awake, jumps to his feet. He clutches his sword in his bandaged hand, “Who’s there?”
He tenses up, “Focus,” Kazuha whispers to himself.
Faintly, he makes out sobs being carried by the wind from… “Just up ahead.”
When he escapes the darkness of the cave and his warm fire, his eyes grow wide. This certainly isn’t what he expected.
Some sort of… creature, round like a sunsettia, cowers on a jagged rock. Its cries melt Kazuha’s tender heart, not enough to fully lower his guard, but just enough to make him loosely hold his sword.
In quiet strides, he approaches the creature, and before he can do anything, the creature notices him first.
It frantically flies high into the sky while covering its beady eyes. An orange-yellow bow tie rests comfortably beneath the orange creature’s terrified expression, and its hat is adorned with music notes. To his surprise, it speaks. “Eek! A Nara has seen me! Please, don’t turn me into porridge!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you… or make you into porridge,” Kazuha immediately sheaths his sword and shows his empty hands, holding in a laugh.
Abruptly, the creature perks up. “You are a Nara friend of Golden Nara and White Floaty! The forest recalls the scent of flying maple leaves dancing with salty water.”
Even as a poet, he is stunned by this creature's way with words. “Is this how I come across with others?” He chuckles to himself. “Golden Nara and White Floaty… surely this can’t be a coincidence. They mentioned traveling to Sumeru soon. Perhaps this is a native creature from there.”
He trusts his instincts. “Yes, I am friends with Lumine and Paimon. My name is Kaedehara Kazuha. What… Who are you?”
The creature spins in the air, opening its arms like it wants to give him a hug, and starts singing a tune he’s never heard before. “Araongaku is Araongaku. Not porridge.”
“Hello, Araongaku. Why are you sad?” The poet smiles gently.
“Aranara not sad, only unhappy.” Araongaku clarifies.
“An Aranara?” He pinches himself, but Araongaku remains flying in front of him. Definitely not a dream. Perhaps there’s a layer of truth hidden within the worn pages of Sumeru’s children's books.
The Aranara continues. “After the Festival Utsava, Araongaku was very inspired by the Special Cooking Training and Arasaka’s taste of happiness. Araongaku wanted to find the song of happiness!” The Aranara starts to sob. “Araongaku couldn’t find it in Sumeru… so I went to the land of boom!”
“Then I was trapped in darkness! How scary it was! When I got out of the darkness, I saw lots of boom here! Even more scary! Araongaku doesn’t know how to get back to Vanarana and I haven’t found the song of happiness…”
Kazuha listens intently. “A festival… song of happiness… Vanarana.” He hums under his breath. He can't help but be reminded of lost children in the Inazuman markets, tripping over themselves to find their parents or some semblance of comfort. “What does it sound like?”
“It’s sweet like happy dreams created by young Nara, kind like Golden Nara, and gentle like laughter!”
These similes are going to make his head spin.
“How about… I accompany you around Inazuma. I am certain we will find the song of happiness along the way. Afterwards, I will help you get back home.”
“Araongaku agrees with Maple Nara!” The Aranara floats up, joining Kazuha by his side.
Maple Nara? The poet laughs aloud. “What will Beidou say when she hears Araongaku call me this?”
He walks along the shoreline, keeping a keen eye out for the shabby boat he used to visit the island. Kazuha spots a crystalfly in the distance and he can clearly hear the fluttering of its wings.
“The color of boom,” Araongaku acknowledges, “but not the song of happiness. Many in Varanara. Naras like to catch them.”
Crunch… crunch… crunch..
The samurai steps on a couple of naku weeds and he yanks one off the ground. “Every plant has a different sound. When I stepped on this…”
“Crunch! Song of happiness, no crunch!” Araongaku explains.
That's when the wind pushes him in the right direction and he catches sight of his boat.
“Araongaku sees smaller wood, before I was in bigger wood.”
“Ah, I see. You were on a ship, Araongaku.”
“Bigger wood is a ship? Araongaku will remember this.”
Kazuha steps into his rocky boat, careful not to tip it over. “Let’s go, my friend,” he sends a reassuring gaze, his hands sturdy on the steering wheel.
He can feel the wind already guiding them to their next stop: Narukami Island.
The bustling streets of Ritou are a familiar and welcoming sight to Kazuha.
A strong scent of fish and seaweed surrounds the port, but Kazuha has grown accustomed to it, thankfully, so it doesn’t bother him. Araongaku on the other hand…
“Noisy. Very noisy. Lots of Nara and unhappy fish. Wet leaves. No making porridge out of Araongaku!”
“Hm… Why do you believe… Naras will make you into porridge?” He asks.
“Araphala’s sister.”
He lags behind the flying Aranara, “Do Aranaras have families? Perhaps this is another term I am unfamiliar with.”
Kazuha points out the falling maple leaves and the chewing of lavender melon, but to no luck. They traverse throughout the port with Kazuha speaking to the fisherman or soldiers about any… ‘strange’ music they might have heard as of late.
Beyond mention of an event called the ‘The Almighty Arataki Great and Glorious Drumalong Festival’ and its use of a ‘terrible’ drum, there was nothing to note of. Soon, the pair adventure to the center of Ritou under the massive maple tree.
Araongaku hangs his head low, “Song of happiness is not here. It must be closer to the forest.” It suddenly disappears into the stone.
“Araongaku!” A shock runs through Kazuha’s spine, but it’s eased once he sprints further ahead to see an orange hat in the sandy outskirts flying towards Konda Village. He doesn’t notice the confused expressions from people around him as he chases after his new friend.
When he reaches Araongaku, the Aranara is hiding behind a tree, trembling. That’s when Kazuha feels something soft brush up against him. He looks down to see a kitsune, but strangely it doesn't seem to be frightened of him.
“Scary,” Araongaku flies to Kazuha.
Kazuha squints his eyes as he peers up at the sun, its orange glow beginning to dim, “We best get moving. Night is quickly approaching.”
With those words, the pair explore all throughout Narukami Island with the little light they have left. They find a discarded hand-held firework near a small fire, Kazuha lights it up before bringing it over to Araongaku.
Crackle… Crackle… Crackle…
“This is a sparkler,” it shines brightly in his hands against the sunset, “Could this…?”
“Song of happiness had a bit of crackle from boom!” Araongaku exclaims.
“There was electro in the song?” Kazuha has definitely never heard of anything like it.
The sparkler expires soon after and they rush off to find different sounds like the powerful beat of small waterfalls, the hollow stone of the kitsune statues, the wooden pillars of the Narukami shrine, the buzzing of the onikabutos…
However, fate was not on their side. The starry sky greets them as they (well, more like only Kazuha) sprint back to the port, “Maple Nara, Araongaku cannot find it!” It cries. “Song of happiness not in the land of boom!”
“Maybe it–”
“Kid! Over here!”
Beidou waves him over, the Alcor proudly behind her with almost all members of her crew loading boxes of materials. Except for one. Kazuha flashes her an almost sheepish smile.
“Are you joining us this time, Kid?”
“Hello, Captain Beidou. I will be,” he stops in his tracks, raising an eyebrow at the auburn hair next to her, “Heizou, I certainly didn’t expect to find you here of all places tonight.”
Heizou snaps his fingers, “Have I, the brilliant detective, finally thwarted the wandering samurai and my favorite former criminal?”
Kazuha hides his all-knowing smile. (He doesn’t need to know that he could hear his laughter from miles away). “Perhaps. Now, as a very honorable detective, you should answer my question, Heizou.”
“Am I not allowed to bid my friend goodbye, especially when I have no clue when he’s going to come back?” He gasps dramatically. “Speaking of which… where to this time, friend?”
“I found an Aranara named Araongaku,” he points to the Aranara, whose been surprisingly quiet this entire time, “and I–”
“Uh, Kid?” Beidou chuckles awkwardly, shifting her focus between Kazuha and the empty space he’s gesturing at, “You okay? Didn’t hit yer head on anything?”
“Grown-up Naras have seen much. They have grown beyond the roots of the forest and are no longer dreamers. Cannot see Araongaku anymore,” the creature explains calmly. “Araongaku is not sad. The forest will always remember the beautiful memories of those who have played with the leaves and rivers.”
Kazuha coughs, trying to mask the embarrassed red hue in his cheeks. He stares at the wooden planks, “I-I am alright. Sorry… I seemed to have been mistaken… The wind tells stories from beyond…”
Heizou snorts out laughing, clutching his sides. (He can hear the lies from his voice alone!) “I’ll let you off the hook this time, Kaedehara. Unfortunately, I can’t stay longer, else Madam Kujou will have my head about…” He mimics her voice, “Running off where you don’t belong! I gotta go back to chasing down clues and catching criminals!”
“I’ll be sure to visit you when I get the chance.” Kazuha promises sincerely. “See you soon, Heizou.”
The detective waves goodbye before running off into the streets of Inazuma City, his eyes sharp and filled with determination.
“Beidou, where are we going next?”
She lifts an eyebrow at him. “This is new! Aren’t you one for wanting to be surprised?”
“Recently, I discovered something of interest in Sumeru’s forests,” the poet spares a glance over to his Aranara companion, “I was wondering if we will be stopping there any time soon?”
“You’re in luck! We actually got some cargo to drop off at Port Ormos. As long as you finish your work, you can go on your way, Kid! So…” She ruffles his hair, “How about you get to it! Haha!”
He laughs, managing to escape her escapades, “Leave it to me, Captain Beidou.”
Kazuha watches from the crow’s nest how the moon glistens over the silent sea. There were a couple of seagulls croaking high in the star-filled sky. The wind is oddly calm, whispering sweet words into his ears. “Garden of seashells, fall to the moon / A—” His haiku gets cut short by Araongaku.
“Lots of salty water! It reminds Araongaku of Maple Nara,” it dances around happily, “This bigger wood is where Araongaku was in darkness for a long time and heard the song of happiness,” it hangs its head down, “but Araongaku can’t hear it anymore…”
“I must apologize. We spent valuable time around Narukami Island when it was best to search elsewhere. You heard it on the Alcor?” Kazuha asks sincerely.
“Maple Nara need not say ‘sorry’. Any time spent with friends is very, very good. Song of happiness is a hopeful melody carried by the memories of wood.”
“From an instrument?” The poet wonders. “Perhaps it is from one of the sailors?”
The Aranara shakes its head, “No Nara spoke. Only song of happiness!”
Kazuha sighs, “Maybe once I bring you back home, the answer will be clearer.”
After a moment of silence, he asks, “You don’t have to answer this, Araongaku. Why can I see you? Why not Heizou? Or Beidou?”
“Maple Nara is favored by nature and learned its language.”
He pauses, allowing the words to wash over him. Tomo would have loved the Aranara– Kazuha can imagine his childish gasp if he heard the creature’s way of speaking.
“Kaedehara Kid! Get yer feet down here!” A sailor calls him down, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Let’s hear one of yer stories!”
“I’ll be right there!” He turns to his Aranara friend, hoping to cheer it up, “Would you like to hear a story from Liyue? It’s a place far away from Inazuma, but right beside Sumeru.”
The creature spins happily before disappearing into the wooden planks below. Kazuha climbs down and spots an orange hat among the sailors.
Once his feet land on the deck, he can feel all eyes on him. Kazuha doesn’t let it startle him as he takes a seat atop a barrel, swinging his legs with the rhythm of the Alcor. “Liyue is no stranger to abandoned caves. In fact, I find myself very amused when exploring them,” he starts, smiling at the memory, “One in particular sticks out… where I found an Ancient Zither.”
After many nights of alcohol, laughter, and stories, the Alcor had finally made it to Port Ormos without much resistance from the sea. Everyone settles into a routine– unload the cargo, check all items, make sure it goes to the right place, rinse and repeat.
Kazuha wipes the sweat off his forehead once he sets the last crate down on the floor, “That’s the last of them!” He calls out.
“Good work everyone!” Beidou claps, “We’ll be staying here for a few days to get these boxes out in proper order! Prepare yourself!”
Everyone cheers and in a single moment of opportunity, Kazuha signals for Araongaku to follow him. Together, they slip into the crowd, “Maple Nara leaving all the Salty Naras so fast!”
“Do not fret, my friend,” he lets out a laugh, “They would be more surprised if I informed them.” Kazuha takes in the new sounds of nature, entertaining his senses, from the harmony of the stone beneath him to birds chirping in the two gigantic trees. “Where to?”
“Araongaku knows!”
The flying Aranara wastes no time zipping through the busy crowd of Sumerians. A couple of children double-checked to make sure the Aranara was real only to be brought back to reality by their parents.
Kazuha chases after the Aranara, following the flow of the river into the vast wilderness outside of the noisy port. Araongaku stops flying when it reaches a secluded area, waiting patiently for the poet. Once Kazuha catches up to the creature, he could feel the elemental energy around them growing stronger.
Before he knows it, the world fades away with a bright-green flash of light. A wave of nausea hits the samurai, making him stumble on his own two feet, “Are we being attacked?”
Kazuha is about to draw his blade, but his question receives an answer when the light slowly fades away and he finds himself in a forest of enormous blue mushrooms. The luminous glow emanating from the mushrooms shines down on his face like moonlight. It likely only took a second for him to be transported from one place to another, but he still stumbled to the ground, trying to catch his breath despite his head spinning.
“Araongaku not-as strong now, but music will guide Araongaku and Maple Nara home!” It waddles up to him. There was a faint stream of music notes on the grassy landscapes with a melody only Aranaras can understand. “Song of happiness will help Varanara like Nara Varuna!”
“I should ask Lumine for tips when teleporting,” Kazuha chuckles. He leans against the trunk of a mushroom, observing how the grass glows under his feet. Although he knew it was the afternoon, the sunlight grew dimmer as if shrouded in fog… It reminded him of Chinju Forest.
“This place deserves a tune,” he closes his eyes. “I am a visitor in a new land… it’s only fair after all.”
He takes out a leaf and begins to play.
It didn’t take long for inspiration to catch up to him. Kazuha creates long notes, sounding melancholic to the ear as he imagines a lonely soul being lost in an unknown land, far from home. A smile threatens to ruin his song. “You were right, Tomo – having a friend on a journey does make it more enjoyable.”
“La-la-la-la-laa…”
Kazuha opens his eyes to see Araongaku singing along like wind chimes swaying in the breeze. The forest itself seems to be responding to their duet. The mushrooms were glowing just a little bit brighter and the wind grew just a bit stronger–
Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever.
The leaf has dried up and Kazuha lets it float away with the breeze. Araongaku spins around, flying into the air, “Maple Nara found it! The song of happiness!”
All the poet can do is laugh heartily.
He remembers one night on the Alcor when the crew was headed back to Inazuma. As usual, he was lounging about the ship, basking in the stars when one of the children on board requested he play a song for him to dance.
“Shouldn’t you be off to sleep?” Kazuha playfully teased.
“Aw! But I can’t! I’m so bored! Please Mister!”
“Okay,” He ruffles the kid’s hair before taking out one of his leaves and plays a melody Tomo taught him. Kazuha remembers the boy inviting his friends to dance with him and it soon turned into a joyful night of laughter. (Even if he got a scolding from Capitan Beidou the next day.)
When his laughing fit subsided, he said, “Nature truly has a strange way of connecting all life forms. No matter the distance.”
“The forest will remember,” Araongaku flies beside Kazuha, “Maple Nara can now bring the song of happiness to Vanarana!”
Kazuha stands up, his mind clear, “Let’s head out.”
He walks alongside Araongaku, who is more lively than ever. Unconsciously, he hums the song of happiness while Araongaku sings along, causing another flash of light.
Afterwards, the bright-blue sky shines down on him as huge green plants swayed with the wind. More importantly, he faces… a stone? Its leaves looked to be oozing out of the strangely glowing rock and if Kazuha squinted, he could see green music notes floating around.
“Song of happiness makes Araongaku grow strong! Maple Nara helped Araongaku and can come to Vanarana! Play song of happiness in front of Silapna and Maple Nara can enter!”
Araongaku disappears into the ground and Kazuha is left in silence. “This has been quite the adventure.” He speaks aloud. “Tomo, you would have loved it.”
With those words leaving his mouth, he takes out one of his leaves, plays the song of happiness, and as if no time has passed, he is confronted with a pink sky.
“Arakavi! Arasudraka! Arayasa!” He hears Araongaku joyfully yell out to its fellow music-loving Aranaras.
Kazuha admires the green hills, small houses, and colorful flowers– a pleased smile on his lips. He found himself in almost a dream-like trance as if he were in a warm blanket after a long day out in the rain. Little did Kazuha know that there were many different types of Aranaras, and as soon as he stepped into Varanara, they all welcomed him.
“A Nara friend of Golden Nara and White Floaty!”
“Forest is safe. No bad Nara no more!”
“Running match!”
They all cheerfully accompany him as he is guided along a dirt road. “Hello, you all must be Araongaku’s friends. It’s a pleasure to be invited to your home,” he laughs.
The group only grew larger as they passed by a large rock formation overhead. “Maple Nara has the song of happiness! Nara can play like Golden Nara!” Araongaku excitedly says.
When Kazuha is met with a winding road down to an arch, surrounded by water, all of the Aranaras dispersed to be witnesses to another majestic melody. They create a small crowd near the riverbank, except for Kazuha who knows exactly what to do.
Underneath an arch made of wood, littered with blue flowers and leaves, Kazuha takes out his last leaf and plays the song of happiness.
He smiles.
At Kazuha’s core, he is a child of thunder, but to Araongaku, he is a friend.
