Tags & trigger warnings: Emetophilia, Vomit, whump, sickfic, hurt/comfort, mentions of Baal and the Vision hunt decree

Pairing: Slight Kazuha/Gorou

Summary: Ever since the vision hunt decree was handed down, Kazuha has lived his life as a fugitive on the run. He desperately hopes that'll change once he makes his way to the resistance camp.

Posted to Ao3: July 26 2021

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"It's cold tonight, " Kazuha noted softly to himself as he gazed up at the star-filled sky overhead.

He was long used to the warm humid mornings and cold crisp nights that Inazuma carried, although that did little to help especially when he was forced to be exposed to the elements.

The soft, warm heat from his burning campfire doing very little to combat the crisp, icy chill brushing across his skin.

If Kazuha had a choice he probably wouldn't be out here like this, he'd have either gotten a room at one of the many inns in Inazuma city or camped closer to town. But Kazuha didn't have that luxury, at least not anymore sadly not when he was currently a wanted fugitive.

The vision hunt decree, handed down by the Raiden Shogunate and Electro Archon Baal, had effectively painted a target on his back. One that only got bigger the more Kazuha fought tooth and nail in an effort to keep his vision.

A vision was a favor granted by the Archons to those who displayed abnormally high drive and ambition, so some may argue that since the Archons had handed out the visions they also held the right to take them back. No one was a firmer believer of this than the Electro Archon, in her pursuit for a god's everlasting eternity she had trampled her people's ambitions.

And that was what Kazuha ultimately despised her for.

Sighing Kazuha shifted a bit closer to the fire, exhaustion weighing heavily on him as the cold air seemed to scrape across his skin leaving him trembling.

He hasn't been sleeping much if at all these past few days, always waiting, always on edge as he listened for the familiar sound of footsteps made heavy by the armor that the soldiers of the Shogun wore. He usually smelt them before he saw them, the stench of blood and iron weighing heavily on their forms like a thick miasma.

It is no surprise that Kazuha is on the verge of dozing off, barely able to keep his eyes open as his body jolts with a soft sneeze.

He sniffles, shaking his head slightly as he leans back against a tree, his gaze going up to the sky once more.

He used to have a friend traveling with him, someone to keep him company, but that was a while ago and although the wound still feels fresh he has no choice but to make this journey alone if he didn't wish to meet the same fate as his friend.

It was either run, fall in line, or be killed and Kazuha chose wholeheartedly to run.

Kazuha closes his eyes for a moment as his mind runs through his plans for the next day or so. He was close to Tatarasuna having made his way across from Amakane island after finding his way out of Inazuma city.

He had to pass through the frontlines on Nazuchi beach where the resistance and the shogunate forces frequently clashed, and make his way through Musoujin Gorge and Higi village to get to Fort Fujitou where the resistance's main base was.

Where Gorou would be waiting for him. Once there he would be able to find a way to leave Inazuma and hopefully find someone who could help the resistance put a stop to Baal's tyrannical actions.

He opens his eyes slightly giving a quick glance around, sensing no other presence besides his own Kazuha closes his eyes and tries to get as much sleep as he can.

~~~

When Kazuha wakes up it is early morning, the sky's once dark hues fading slightly as night turned to day.

Despite the still cool crisp morning air Kazuha feels groggy and uncomfortably warm, which isn't surprising to him considering his body is begging him to go back to sleep, not to mention he'd fallen asleep beside his campfire in an effort to stay warm.

He sits up slowly running a hand through his hair as he glances over at the still smoldering embers of his campfire before turning his gaze to the sky.

Considering he could still hear the soft chirping of cicadas in the distance it meant that he'd woken up somewhere between 1-3 in the morning.

There's a dull ache forming at the base of his skull, probably another headache brought on by lack of sleep and stress of which Kazuha has been suffering from both.

He takes a sip of water from his flask, a soft sigh of relief leaving his mouth as it soothes the slight ache in his throat.

His chest feels a little tight, constricted almost but he chalks it up to the odd position he'd been sleeping in last night.

As he eats his small breakfast of dried salted fish and lavender melon he begins his usual morning ritual. He puts out the remains of his campfire before picking up the charred sticks and tossing them off to the side in some bushes.

Considering the Tengu warrior, Kujou Sara was no doubt doing her damnedest to track Kazuha down under Baal's orders he couldn't afford to make any mistakes, so covering his tracks was a must.

Once his temporary camp had been dismantled Kazuha got to his feet, a soft sneeze leaving him as the cold morning air pricked at his skin.

He massages his chest with one hand as he turns and begins walking, hoping that the tightness he still felt there along with the grogginess would ease up as the day continued on.

By the time Kazuha makes it to Nazuchi beach, it is afternoon, the sun hanging at the highest point in the sky, cloaked by the ominous gray clouds.

Kazuha stops walking for a moment using one hand to steady himself on a nearby cliff face as he pants, his eyes on the ground.

The dull ache he'd felt at the base of his skull has only grown in a sharp throb that seemed to pound in time with Kazuha's heartbeat. That grogginess and uncomfortable warmth is still there weighing down his limbs making his movements abnormally clumsy and sluggish.

His stomach is aching slightly as well, a slight tinge of nausea nagging at him. It's annoying, yes, but not detrimental.

Besides, even if it was, there's nothing Kazuha can really do about it on his own anyway.

He coughs, massaging his chest slightly as it seems to constrict with each breath he takes, the tightness there making breathing a bit more of a struggle.

Scowling Kazuha quickly takes a sip of water from his flask, or at least he intends it to be a sip but the water feels amazing on his dry aching throat.

Feeling slightly better and more alert, Kazuha pushes away from the rock wall, his gaze going to the sky as a familiar wet earthy scent enters his nose.

Rain, he can smell rain faintly in the distance. Along with that, however, he smells something else that has a cold jolt of panic and fear piercing through him, blood and iron.

The shogunate's troops were close by, Kazuha needed to get moving and now .

~~~

Kazuha ran, stumbling frantically through the forest like a confused drunk as rain poured down heavily, pelting the ground and working with the darkness to obscure Kazuha's vision.

His chest was burning, no, his whole body was burning, an uncomfortable, almost unbearable heat gripping him. The ice-cold rain drenching his clothes and body doing very little to soothe it.

If anything it made things worse, weighing down his aching body as his joints screamed at him a sharp ache shooting through them with each step he took.

But none of that matters, his pain doesn't matter, not when he can hear a near horde of footsteps following after him.

The sound of trampled twigs and rustling bushes echoes in his ears as the scent of blood and iron fills his nose the rain doing little to drown it out.

It's a constant reminder that his life is in danger and Kazuha needs it right now, especially as he pushes his exhausted body to keep going, doing his damnedest to ignore the pain nearly overloading his senses.

He stumbles, unable to catch himself as he crashes to the ground, pain blossoming in his chest and stomach in an instant as a cold visceral fear grips him. He feels a slight sting in multiple places on his skin and he knows he's probably covered in cuts.

The footsteps are closer now and Kazuha shakily pulls himself to his feet coughing as he tries to drag in air. It feels as if he's breathing through a straw as he violently coughs, his chest burning and his limbs screaming at him as he forces himself to keep running.

He's moving quickly yes but also clumsily, as he tramples bushes and grass in his path. He's leaving a trail right to him, it's sloppy and Kazuha knows this, he can only hope that the rain is obscuring his purser's vision as much as it is his own.

Kazuha stumbles to a stop, his head throbbing viciously as his heart pounds. Nausea swirls violently in his stomach, only made worse by the fear and panic currently gripping him.

He's reached a dead-end in the forest with nothing but a cliff face in front of him and large bushes and trees to both his left and right side.

It takes him a precious moment or two to make a decision as he darts to the right, his movements a bit more careful as he half walks, half staggers a few feet away crouching down beneath the brush as the footsteps draw ever closer.

And Kazuha has never been more thankful for his small frame than now, he practically holds his breath to get himself to stop panting.

His chest is burning, that familiar tickle flaring to life at the back of his aching dry throat as his nausea hits him full force.

He clamps a hand over his mouth glancing back from his position as soldiers clad in familiar purple armor enter the area, with Kujou Sara very close behind.

And Kazuha tenses, forcing himself to remain perfectly still, his body trembling slightly against his will both with exertion and from the cold.

While Kazuha feels as though he's burning inside out his skin is so cold from the onslaught of rain that it feels almost numb.

His stomach is in knots at the moment, swirling as it churns angrily and Kazuha gives a small wince glaring down at it when it gurgles rather loudly.

"Spread out and search for him, he couldn't have gone far. Climb this cliff face if you have to," Kujou Sara orders and Kazuha fights the urge not to curse as the soldiers fan out and begin their search. Leaving Kujou Sara behind to search this area.

Kazuha is pretty sure that he's sick with something. He doesn't know what but it is the only answer for his current symptoms, the headache, the exhaustion, the tightness in his chest, the stiffness in his joints and the near unbearable nausea currently consuming him.

His stomach sloshes, the water he'd so greedily drank earlier brushing against its walls leaving him feeling as though his stomach was a water balloon.

He clamps his lips shut just barely holding in the soft hiccup that bubbles up his throat.

He can hear Kujou Sara walking around, her footsteps careful and meticulous as she begins searching the area

A vicious throb stabs at Kazuha's head leaving his brain feeling almost numb as he grits his teeth to hold back a whimper, his vision blurring and swaying sickeningly before his eyes. He swallows trying to clear some of the excess saliva from his mouth.

Kazuha's other hand goes to the hilt of his sword as he tries his best to listen intently for the sound of Kujou Sara's footsteps over the sound of the rain.

He can feel bile bubbling at the back of his throat and his eyes widen in horror as he swallows rapidly, Kazuha knows that he is fighting a losing battle against his body but he needs to hold out just a little more.

Considering his own Archon wants his head on a pike Kazuha should know that the universe isn't that kind.

Kazuha's stomach heaves, giving an ominous sickly sounding growl its contents gurgling up his throat, filling his mouth in an instant. Kazuha's eyes widened as he just barely caught himself from lurching forward, his hand tightening slightly over his mouth.

He hears Kujou Sara's footsteps pause and Kazuha freezes, small panicked rasping breaths leaving his nose.

He needed to hold it together, for now, he just had to, there was no other option because if she finds him then it's all over.

His stomach however is making the task incredibly difficult as it gives a low gurgling noise, the angry, aching organ practically bubbling like a boiling pot of water as it heaves again forcing even more of its stomach contents up his throat.

The bitter, sour, slimy remnants of his breakfast filling his mouth, Kazuha's cheeks bulging out with the effort of containing it all.

His already aching throat burns, feeling raw due to the acidic bile that coats it.

But Kazuha does not care as he squeezes his eyes shut, his body trembling almost violently as he forces himself to swallow. His stomach gives a loud gurgle, an ache streaking across as its contents are forced back inside of it, sitting there heavily like a rock.

He shudders slightly, shakily wiping the drool from the corners of his mouth with one hand. His stomach is killing him, clearly angry with him at having its rejected contents forced back inside but it was a lot better than the alternative.

Kazuha stiffens when he hears another set of footsteps enter the area.

"What have you found?" Kujou Sara demanded speaking to who Kazuha assumed was one of her soldiers.

"We found footprints leading away from the cliff face ma'am we believe he's heading for Musoujin Gorge," the soldier tells her.

And Kazuha hears Kujou Sara snort. "The boy must have a death wish to travel there during this storm. We shall wait till the storm passes, rally the troops, for now, we shall set up camp for tonight," she orders her voice firm.

As her footsteps fade along with that of the soldier's, Kazuha doesn't bother muffling the soft sigh of relief that leaves his mouth.

Along with the relief though comes exhaustion and pain, nausea still swirling in his stomach like a whirlpool as he rubs at it still crouched down in the brush.

He is so, so tired, exhaustion weighing down his limbs as he violently trembles from the cold. Feeling a tickling at the back of his throat he coughs harshly, his chest constricting around every gasping, shuddering breath he drags in.

His breaths coming out more as ragged strained wheezing than actual panting.

He whimpers waves of nausea crashing over him as he turns to face the ground once more. He opens his mouth, drool dripping from his lips as he waits for his stomach to give in.

Kazuha feels horrible, so he figured it was just best to try and get it over with so he could cross it off the list of the many things bothering him at the moment.

His body jolts with soft hiccup then another, a series of them bubbling out of him as if he were drunk. Kazuha gives a low groan as his stomach growls, the next hiccup he gives turns into a loud, gurgling, burp that has him bringing up a small watery wave of vomit.

The sour, bitter, slimy liquid splashes onto the ground tinging the puddle of rainwater in front of him a murky pink and brown.

Gasping he coughs, ticky coppery tasting saliva hanging from his lips as his body lurches forward with a strained raspy retch, his throat burning as another larger wave of vomit gurgles up his throat.

It splashing into the puddle in front of him and he squeezes his eyes shut panting when he recognizes chunks of the lavender melon he'd eaten floating in the disgusting slurry.

A pained whimper leaves Kazuha's mouth right before he gives a strangled retch the noise both sounding a feeling as though it's clawing its way up from the pit of his stomach. His nose burns as another gush of watery vomit surges from his lips and nose with an almost violent force, his stomach wringing out the last of its contents.

Gasping and trembling Kazuha sits back slightly, queasy hiccups still leaving him as he wipes at his mouth with one shaky hand. His head is throbbing so violently it feels as if his brain is falling out of his ears, his vision blurring in and out of focus as he takes as many breaths as he can.

He needs to get out of the rain, out of these wet clothes that are only worsening his condition. But he doesn't have that luxury, he needs to make it through Musoujin Gorge before the rain stops, before he's being hunted once more.

Kazuha shakily climbs to his feet, leaning heavily against a nearby tree to steady himself as much as possible.

The motion is too quick for his still upset stomach and he gags emptily a small amount of drool dripping onto the ground. Coughing harshly and with his limbs trembling Kazuha begins his journey once more.

~~~

Musoujin Gorge was dangerous on its own but even more so in a storm, lightning striking the purple grass as buzzing static filled the air. It was as if the electro archon's heart lay buried here, rivers of pure purple electro energy flowed as numerous amounts of Naku weeds sprawled across the land nearly choking the river banks and overwhelming the lush purple grass.

Kazuha stumbles to a stop panting before his stomach suddenly flipped and he lurched forward with a violent retch, stars bursting before his eyes as black spots dotted his vision.

The small amount of water he'd forced himself to drink splattering the ground at his feet. Gasping he wipes his mouth with a trembling hand blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

The resistance's main base wasn't too far now, Kazuha had pushed his body this far he could keep going. This would arguably be the toughest part of his journey, made even harder in his current condition and by the incredibly strong and dangerous monsters currently populating the gorge.

But Kazuha doesn't intend to fight if he can help it, and considering how numb his fingers were he prayed he didn't have to, because he was fairly certain he'd be unable to grip his sword right now.

Taking a deep shuddering breath to gather his bearings as much as possible Kazuha begins doing what he knows best. He runs.

The moment he enters the gorge electro stabs at his skin the sharp prickling managing to break through the numbness there as he darts forward.

A loud thunderous crack splits the air as if the very ground beneath his feet were splitting open as a bolt of lightning strikes the ground where he'd been only seconds later the air buzzing and humming with electricity.

Kazuha keeps running even as his chest burns, every breath he takes clawing at his lungs and throat. His still aching limbs scream at him as his joints throb.

He rushes past some monsters and leaps into the air, using a burst of Anemo to propel himself across the river of electro before the monsters even have a chance to truly realize what they'd seen.

He barely catches himself as he lands, not wasting a single second as he continues running another bolt of lightning striking the area he'd just been seconds before.

It's extremely difficult and is only accomplished using a combination of his vision and sheer willpower but Kazuha eventually manages to make it out of the gorge and to Higi village.

And that is when his body, finally unable to take anymore, gives up on him. Kazuha crashes face-first to the ground in a heap, weak shuddering breaths leaving his mouth as he pants and coughs the harsh rain pelting his body.

He retches weakly spluttering as he coughs up a small trickle of cloudy bile onto the ground.

Kazuha wants to get up, to keep going. No, he has to, no matter what but no matter how much he tries to urge his body to move it won't obey his commands.

His vision blurs in and out of focus and his body feels strangely numb, even the ache in his chest has seemingly disappeared despite his ragged breaths.

He thinks he hears a set of footsteps approaching him over the pitter-pattering of the rain. A figure clad in what he thinks is either purple or red armor appears in his vision.

And Kazuha can't help the hot tears that gathered in his eyes, because he was so, so close to his destination. He was almost safe, almost free but just like before he'd been too weak, too slow .

As static fills his ears and his vision begins to fade, Kazuha thinks he feels a pair of hands on him, touching him and he can only hope that if he's truly going to die like this. Weak, helpless, and scared, he can only hope that it's a quick merciful death.

~~~

Kazuha is slow to wake up, but the first thing he realizes is that he's uncomfortably hot, although there's something cold on his forehead which feels really nice.

Kazuha groans, his eyes fluttering open as an unfamiliar wooden ceiling comes into focus, a sharp panic gripping Kazuha even through the fever-fueled haze blanketing his mind.

His hand reaches out frantically yet blindly searching for his sword and he flinches, turning his head, eyes wide when a warm calloused hand grasps his own.

"Shhh, it's okay Kazuha. It's alright you're safe, you're with friends, " Gorou told him softly as Kazuha's dazed glassy eyes darted frantically around the room before settling on Gorou's face.

His eyes narrow, a slight scowl on his face. "G-Gorou?" Kazuha whispered, able to make out the other boy's face despite his vision blurring in and out.

Gorou nodded, giving Kazuha a small smile as he reached out cupping his cheek with one hand. And Kazuha leans into his touch with a soft sigh.

Kazuha's fever is still just as high as when he'd first arrived at the resistance camp, carried on the back of the soldier who'd found him passed out in Higi village.

"Where..." Kazuha begins as his eyes slowly rove around the room as he struggles to sit up. The panic and fear that had been in those crimson eyes slowly vanishing. Kazuha coughs violently his small form curling in on himself as the noise rattles in his chest making Gorou grimace.

"You're at Fort Fujitou, you're safe, " Gorou told him, patting Kazuha on the back as his coughing continues.

Taking a gasping breath Kazuha looks up at him, his body shivering despite the numerous blankets he was currently wrapped in.

"...I...made it?" Kazuha whispers a slight amount of shock in his voice as he slowly blinks.

Gorou nodded again as he carefully guided Kazuha to lay back down. "Yes, you're safe now. So just rest, " he told him softly as he continued holding Kazuha's hand.

As if a tremendous weight had been lifted from him, Kazuha's body relaxed in an instant, his eyes fluttering closed.

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze Gorou gives a small warm smile. "Rest well, Kazuha."