INAZUMA - HANAMIZAKA
The afternoon sun beat down on the small clearing behind the Naganohara Fireworks residence, where the most important battle in all of Inazuma was about to take place.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Arataki Itto's voice boomed across the yard, drawing cheers from the assembled crowd. "BOYS AND GIRLS! PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN! THE ONE! THE ONI! ARATAKI NUMERO UNO ITTO—" He struck a dramatic pose, flexing. "—VERSUS THE CHALLENGER! LITTLE TAKERU FROM DOWN THE STREET!"
The "crowd" consisted of three members of the Arataki Gang—Akira, Mamoru, and Genta—plus Saika, Matsuzaka, and Iwao, the neighborhood kids who'd become Yoimiya's unofficial little siblings. They cheered dutifully, though Matsuzaka was clearly suppressing an eye-roll.
"You're going down, Boss!" Takeru, a scrappy ten-year-old, held up his onikabuto beetle with fierce determination. "My Thunderbolt is undefeated this week!"
"UNDEFEATED THIS WEEK?" Itto laughed, his oni horns catching the sunlight. "MY PRECIOUS ONIKABUTO CHAMPION—THE CRIMSON KING—IS UNDEFEATED THIS MONTH! THIS YEAR! THIS LIFETIME! PREPARE TO WITNESS GREATNESS!"
He held up his own beetle, a magnificent specimen with impressive horns and an aggressive temperament.
"Are all oni this loud?" Saika whispered to Matsuzaka.
"I think it's just him," Matsuzaka replied.
Inside the house, Yoimiya was trying to work.
Trying being the operative word.
She sat at her workbench, surrounded by firework components—tubes of varying sizes, carefully measured gunpowder, fuses, the tools of her trade. Normally, this was where she felt most at peace. The workshop smelled like sulfur and possibility. Her hands knew the work by muscle memory. Creating beauty from controlled explosions was her art, her purpose, her joy.
But today, her hands were shaking.
Three weeks since Klee left Inazuma. Three weeks of wearing this cursed necklace, feeling its constant warmth, knowing that somewhere across the ocean, Klee wore its twin. Three weeks of jumping at every unexpected touch, terrified that someone would brush against the crystal and trigger another episode.
The first trigger—when Saika had touched it on the beach—had been bad enough. But the second, three days ago...
Yoimiya closed her eyes, trying to push away the memory. The red lightning. The pain that felt like dying. The sensation of someone else's agony mixing with her own, someone in another nation suffering because of her.
And the knowledge that someone had died. A treasure hoarder in Liyue, according to the fragmentary reports Ayato's intelligence network had gathered. Dead because they'd touched Klee's necklace.
Is Klee okay? The question haunted her. Is she safe? Is she hurt? Does she know what's happening?
The necklace pulsed against her chest, warm and alive. Sometimes Yoimiya swore she could feel emotions through it—not thoughts, exactly, but impressions. Determination. Fear. Loneliness. Hope.
Was that Klee? Or was it her own feelings reflected back?
"Miss Yoimiya?"
The small voice made her jump. Sayu stood in the doorway, her ninja outfit immaculate despite the afternoon heat, her expression unreadable.
"Sayu! Hi!" Yoimiya forced brightness into her voice. "What's up? Need something?"
"Can we talk?" Sayu's tone was carefully neutral. Too neutral.
"Of course! Come in!" Yoimiya set down the firework tube she'd been pretending to work on. "What's on your mind?"
Sayu entered, closing the door behind her with deliberate care. She was small for her age—a source of constant frustration for the young ninja—and moved with the controlled grace of someone trained in stealth.
"I want to talk about Klee," Sayu said bluntly.
Yoimiya's chest tightened. "Klee? What about her?"
"You talk about her. All the time." Sayu's voice was rising slightly. "Klee did this. Klee said that. Klee's so energetic. Klee's so creative. Klee, Klee, Klee."
"I... I do?" Yoimiya blinked. "I didn't realize—"
"The kids too. Saika and Matsuzaka and Iwao. They talk about her like she was the most amazing person ever." Sayu's hands were fists now. "She was only here for a few days! A few days! And suddenly everyone acts like she's more important than the people who've been here all along!"
"Sayu, that's not—"
"I help you!" Sayu's voice cracked. "I help with the festivals! I carry supplies! I've been your friend for way longer than Klee! But you never talk about me like that! You never—" She stopped, blinking rapidly. "You never look at anyone the way you looked at her."
Understanding crashed over Yoimiya. "Sayu... are you jealous?"
"NO!" The denial was too fast, too loud. "I'm not jealous! I just think it's stupid that everyone cares so much about some kid from Mondstadt who isn't even here anymore! She's gone! She left! But you still wear that stupid necklace and stare off into space and—"
"This necklace is important," Yoimiya said quietly, her hand going to the crystal at her throat. "It connects me to Klee. And yes, I care about her. But that doesn't mean I care less about you, or Saika, or anyone else. There's not a limited amount of caring, Sayu. My heart doesn't work like that."
"Then why does it feel like there is?" Sayu's voice was small now. "Why does it feel like ever since Klee left, you've been somewhere else? Like part of you isn't even here anymore?"
Yoimiya opened her mouth to respond, to explain, to somehow make this better—
But impulse or not, the curse didn't care.
The red lightning exploded from the crystal like a star dying.
Yoimiya's world became pain.
Pure, distilled agony that shot through every nerve, every muscle, every cell. The electricity wrapped around her like a living thing, crushing, burning, tearing. She tried to scream but her lungs wouldn't work. Tried to pull away but her body wouldn't obey.
And across the ocean, across impossible distance, Yoimiya felt Klee.
Felt her confusion—what's happening, why now, please make it stop—felt her pain mirroring Yoimiya's own, felt the desperate attempt to stay conscious, to endure, to survive.
I'm sorry, Yoimiya thought toward her. I'm so sorry, Klee. Not again. Please not again.
The house shook.
Outside, Itto's booming voice cut off mid-sentence. "What the—IS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE?"
The ground convulsed. Not a gentle tremor but a violent bucking, like something massive was trying to tear its way up from beneath Inazuma's foundations. The clearing tilted. Trees swayed dangerously.
"BOSS, LOOK!" Akira was pointing at the house. "RED LIGHTNING! COMING FROM INSIDE!"
Through the workshop windows, crimson electricity was visible—massive arcs that lit up the interior like a demonic festival. The glass cracked. The wooden frame groaned.
"YOIMIYA!" Itto was running before he consciously decided to move. "GANG! WITH ME!"
He hit the door at full speed, his oni strength allowing him to simply smash through rather than waste time with niceties like doorknobs. The Arataki Gang followed—Akira, Mamoru, and Genta, loyal to a fault.
The workshop was a nightmare.
Yoimiya convulsed on the floor, red lightning wrapping around her like chains. Sayu was locked to the necklace, her hand smoking, her small body shaking violently. The air smelled like ozone and burned flesh.
"YOIMIYA!" Itto lunged forward, reaching for her—
The house continued to shake. In the clearing outside, the onikabuto beetles—caught in the epicenter of the earthquake—were going berserk. Itto's prized Crimson King and Takeru's Thunderbolt met in confused combat, locked together not by the rules of the game but by pure chaos.
Then both beetles simply exploded.
Not metaphorically. Literally burst, their shells unable to withstand the magical pressure radiating from the curse. Green ichor splattered across the fighting ring.
"MY CRIMSON KING!" Itto wailed. "NO! WE WERE GOING TO BE CHAMPIONS!"
"FOCUS!" Genta grabbed his boss's arm. "THE BEETLES DON'T MATTER! YOIMIYA MATTERS!"
Two minutes. Two full minutes of hell.
The red lightning pulsed in waves. Yoimiya's body arched off the floor, muscles locked in agony.
For a split second after the first blast of crimson lightning, the world seemed to hesitate.
Then the ground lurched.
Not a gentle tremor. Not the distant shiver of a passing cart or the rumble of waves striking the harbor wall.
The earth beneath Hanamizaka jerked violently, as if something enormous had slammed into the bedrock beneath the district.
Stone cracked.
Tiles rattled.
Wooden beams groaned as the buildings shuddered from foundation to roof.
The quake rolled through the street like a living thing.
A tea cup slid across a low table inside a small restaurant, trembling violently before tipping over and shattering across the floor. Porcelain fragments skittered across the wood as the owner grabbed the edge of the counter, eyes wide.
"What—?!"
Outside, paper lanterns hanging across the narrow street began to sway violently, their cords creaking as they swung back and forth. One snapped free entirely, the lantern crashing to the stones and rolling away as the ground continued to shake.
The second tremor hit harder.
Windows clattered in their frames. Shutters slammed against walls. Decorative signs hanging above shop entrances began to swing wildly, banging against their chains with sharp metallic clanks.
A vendor pushing a cart full of dango lost his footing as the cobblestones bucked beneath him.
The cart tipped.
Skewers scattered across the street.
"Earthquake!" someone shouted.
The word spread instantly.
"EARTHQUAKE!"
Doors burst open as people poured out into the street—shopkeepers, travelers, children, merchants clutching ledgers and money pouches. Some stumbled as the shaking intensified, grabbing doorframes or walls to steady themselves.
A stack of ceramic bowls toppled from a stall and smashed loudly against the pavement.
Dogs barked.
A baby began screaming somewhere down the road.
The air filled with the chaotic noise of panic—voices shouting over one another, the sharp crack of wood under strain, the dull rumble of the ground shifting beneath the district.
Then someone looked up.
And screamed.
"LIGHTNING—!"
High above the rooftops, the sky over Hanamizaka split open with red.
Crimson lightning erupted upward in a violent column from somewhere within the district, branching outward like the roots of a burning tree. The arcs twisted through the air, jagged and unnatural, illuminating the clouds with bursts of scarlet light.
The color was wrong.
Not the violet of Electro.
Not the blue-white flash of natural lightning.
This was blood-red.
Each strike tore through the sky with a deafening crack that echoed between the buildings, followed by a horrible metallic shriek that sounded like steel being ripped apart.
The air itself seemed to vibrate with the energy.
People froze.
For a heartbeat, the entire street stared upward.
Another bolt exploded into the sky.
The flash painted every rooftop, every lantern, every terrified face in blinding crimson.
Someone dropped to their knees.
"That's not lightning…"
Another tremor slammed through the ground, harder than before. The street lurched so violently that several people lost their balance and fell outright.
Roof tiles slid loose from a nearby building and shattered on the pavement.
A wooden support beam in an old storefront cracked with a loud snap, sending dust spilling down from the eaves.
Now the panic truly began.
People started running.
Some fled toward the main streets. Others dragged family members or children by the arm, trying to reach open spaces away from the buildings swaying around them.
"Get out of the street!"
"Move!"
"Something's exploding—!"
The red lightning struck again.
This time the bolt was so bright it left white spots in people's vision. The thunder that followed slammed into the district like a cannon blast, rattling windows and sending another wave of frightened cries through the crowd.
Several people clapped their hands over their ears.
One elderly man staggered against a wall, staring at the sky with pale terror.
"That's… that's coming from inside the district…"
Another arc ripped across the clouds.
The tremors rolled through Hanamizaka again, low and violent, like something beneath the earth was struggling to break free.
And throughout the entire district—inside homes, inside shops, in the streets and alleys and rooftops—people looked toward the source of the red lightning with the same sickening realization settling into their chests.
Something was happening.
Something impossible.
And whatever it was… it was tearing the district apart.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
The lightning vanished. Yoimiya lay motionless on the workshop floor, smoke rising from her clothes.
"YOIMIYA!" Itto dropped to his knees beside her, hands hovering, afraid to touch. "Come on, wake up! Don't you dare die! THE ONE AND ONI HASN'T GIVEN YOU PERMISSION TO DIE!"
Saika pushed past him, her small hands pressing to Yoimiya's throat. "She's breathing! Her heart's beating! She's alive!"
"But she won't wake up!" Iwao's voice was rising toward panic. "Just like last time! She won't wake up!"
Outside, new sounds. Shouting. Running footsteps. The distinctive clank of armor.
The Tenryou Commission.
Kujou Sara appeared in the doorway, flanked by soldiers in full battle gear. Her expression was cold, professional, and utterly uncompromising.
"By order of the Tenryou Commission," she announced, her voice carrying absolute authority, "Naganohara Yoimiya is hereby placed under arrest for possession of a dangerous cursed artifact. All witnesses are to be detained for questioning. This area is now secured."
"ARREST?" Itto rose to his full impressive height, positioning himself between Sara and Yoimiya. "She didn't do anything wrong! She's hurt! She needs help, not a jail cell!"
"The cursed artifact in her possession has caused multiple supernatural incidents," Sara said, unmoved by Itto's size or fury. "An earthquake affecting the entire district. Reports of injuries from falling debris. And according to our intelligence, a similar incident three days ago at the Kamisato Estate. The artifact is a threat to public safety. It must be confiscated and Naganohara-san must answer for the harm it's caused."
"The artifact can't be removed!" Matsuzaka stepped forward, his young voice steady despite his fear. "We've tried! It regenerates! And it's not Miss Yoimiya's fault! She was given it as a gift! She didn't know it was cursed!"
"Ignorance is not a legal defense." Sara gestured to her soldiers. "Secure the suspect. Confiscate the artifact. Use force if necessary but avoid direct contact with the necklace—witnesses report it triggers the curse."
The soldiers advanced.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Itto planted himself firmly in their path. "You want to arrest Yoimiya? You go through the ONE AND ONI first! And I don't go down easy!"
"Boss—" Akira started.
"I'm with the boss!" Mamoru moved to Itto's side. "Yoimiya's one of us! We don't abandon our people!"
"Same here!" Genta joined them.
Three members of the Arataki Gang and one large oni against a squad of Tenryou Commission soldiers. The odds were terrible. But Itto had never been good at math.
"Stand down," Sara commanded. "This is your final warning. Interfere with official Commission business and you'll all be arrested."
"Then arrest us!" Itto's grin was wild. "But you'll have to catch us first! ARATAKI GANG! OPERATION SAVE YOIMIYA! EXECUTE!"
"What's Operation Save Yoimiya?" Akira whispered.
"I'M MAKING IT UP AS I GO! GRAB HER AND RUN!"
Chaos erupted.
Itto charged the soldiers, using his size and strength to simply bowl them over. The Gang grabbed Yoimiya—Mamoru and Genta each taking an arm, being extremely careful to avoid the necklace—while Akira scooped up the unconscious Sayu.
"KIDS!" Itto bellowed. "GET OUT OF HERE! GO TELL THE KAMISATOS WHAT'S HAPPENING!"
"But—" Saika started.
"GO! THAT'S AN ORDER FROM THE ONE AND ONI!"
Saika, Matsuzaka, and Iwao ran.
They burst out of the workshop, past the ruined onikabuto battle ring, into Hanamizaka's streets now filling with concerned neighbors. The kids sprinted toward the Kamisato Estate, their legs pumping, their hearts pounding.
Behind them, the sounds of combat. Itto's bellowing laughter. Sara's cold commands. The clash of claymore against naginata.
"We have to get help!" Matsuzaka gasped as they ran. "Miss Yoimiya needs help!"
"The Kamisatos will know what to do!" Saika insisted. "They protected her last time! They'll do it again!"
Inside the workshop, Itto was holding off six soldiers simultaneously while his gang carried Yoimiya toward the back exit. He was fighting defensively—not trying to seriously hurt anyone, just create enough chaos to buy time.
"YOIMIYA'S A GOOD PERSON!" he shouted while deflecting a spear thrust. "SHE MAKES THE KIDS HAPPY! SHE MAKES THE FESTIVALS BEAUTIFUL! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE ARRESTED FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NOT HER FAULT!"
"Your loyalty is admirable but misplaced," Sara said, entering the workshop properly now. Her Electro vision crackled. "The law is the law. The artifact is dangerous. It must be contained."
"THE LAW CAN WAIT UNTIL SHE'S AWAKE TO DEFEND HERSELF!"
Sara's expression didn't change. "Then you leave me no choice. Soldiers—subdue the suspects. Non-lethal force authorized."
The fight intensified.
But Itto had achieved his goal. Through the back exit, the Arataki Gang was escaping with Yoimiya, moving through the narrow alleys of Hanamizaka with practiced efficiency. They knew these streets. Knew every shortcut, every hiding spot, every place the Tenryou Commission wouldn't think to look.
"Where do we take her?" Genta panted as they ran.
"Konda Village," Mamoru decided. "It's far enough from the city. The fog will hide us. And the villagers there owe Boss a favor."
"Konda Village it is!"
They disappeared into Inazuma's back streets, carrying their unconscious friend toward safety, while behind them Itto continued his one-oni stand against the Tenryou Commission.
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE!" he bellowed. "WELL, YOU MIGHT TAKE ME ALIVE BECAUSE I DON'T ACTUALLY WANT TO DIE! BUT YOU'LL TAKE ME WITH DIGNITY! THE DIGNITY OF THE ONE AND ONI!"
Sara sighed. This was going to be a very long afternoon.
---
KAMISATO ESTATE - THIRTY MINUTES LATER
Ayato was reviewing trade contracts when three children burst into his study without announcement, his guards trailing behind them looking apologetic and overwhelmed.
"Lord Kamisato!" Saika gasped for breath. "It happened again! The curse! Miss Yoimiya's necklace was triggered and there was red lightning and an earthquake and now the Tenryou Commission wants to arrest her and Arataki Itto is fighting them and—"
Ayato held up a hand. The children fell silent.
"Guards, leave us." He waited until they departed, then gestured for the children to sit. "Now. Slowly. Tell me everything."
They did. The story poured out in overlapping fragments—Sayu's jealousy, the curse trigger, the earthquake, the exploding beetles (Matsuzaka seemed particularly traumatized by that detail), Itto's heroic intervention, the Gang's escape with Yoimiya.
When they finished, Ayato was quiet for a long moment.
"Thoma," he called.
His retainer appeared instantly. "Yes, my lord?"
"Send word to my sister. Tell her we have a situation that requires immediate attention. Then prepare a travel party—we're going to Konda Village. And contact our intelligence network—I want to know every move the Tenryou Commission makes regarding Yoimiya."
"Understood." Thoma left at a run.
Ayato looked at the three children. "You did well coming here. Yoimiya is under Yashiro Commission protection. The Tenryou Commission may have legal authority, but we have political leverage. And unlike them, we understand the full context of the situation."
"Will Miss Yoimiya be okay?" Iwao asked quietly.
"If I have anything to say about it, yes." Ayato's expression was calm, but steel lurked beneath. "The Tenryou Commission wants to arrest her for the threat she poses. I want to help her because of the value she brings to Inazuma's cultural identity. These are incompatible goals. And when two Commissions have incompatible goals..."
"You fight?" Saika asked.
"We politic," Ayato corrected with a slight smile. "Which is infinitely more dangerous."