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Chapter Text

Wind blew softly through the light-green blades of grass, the sound of birds singing heard overhead as a myriad of creatures scuttered across the forest floor. Crimson eyes gaze over a nearby cliff, watching the water crash against the rocks below with narrowed brows. The winds had been silent throughout their walk, shifting unnaturally and suddenly, something that did nothing to ease the ronin's nerves.

A pair of footsteps ranking through the grass knocked Kazuha from his thoughts, glancing over his shoulder to see the tall captain of the Crux Fleet looking at him with a glint in her eyes. Beidou doesn't speak, knocking her head to the side towards their other travelling partner, a half-adepti girl named Ganyu, whose buttons Beidou liked to push even as she tried to read their map. Initially, Ningguang had insisted that she tag along when Beidou had decided she needed to take the commision of clearing out the nearby Fatui camp that was causing trouble near Liyue's entrance. Her worry only worsened upon Kazuha's compliance to go, leading to their current situation with Ganyu.

Kazuha blinks as the captain flicks his forehead, raising a hand to rub the spot through his bangs as she laughed and turned towards Ganyu, who seemed to have given up trying to read. He takes one look at the tired girl and sighs. "Ganyu..." The ronin trails off, "The map is upside down."

The look on the half-adepti's face was nothing short of pitiful and red, and immediately sent Beidou into a laughing fit. Ganyu raises a hand to her face, wiping her eyes before flipping the map back the right way.

"I apologize," Ganyu starts, blinking away the tiredness, though Kazuha can see the dark circles under her poor eyes,"it seems that I'm off my game today." Accompanying her joke was a half-assed smile on her face. Beidou slaps an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder and ruffles her hair like she has done to Kazuha many times before, Ganyu letting out a wince as she did so.

"Awe, don't worry about it." Beidou reassures, letting the adepti rest against her arm. "If you aren't feeling too up to it, we can take the camp on by ourselves." Ganyu quickly shakes her head in protest, pulling away from the woman and taking their map back up from off the ground.

"I cannot," she starts, brushing herself off. "Miss Ningguang would be very upset."

"She won't know." Beidou counters, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around to face them. "I assure you."

"I cannot disregard a direct order." Kazuha sighs, turning away from the two arguing women, leaving them to their own devices for now. The ronin continues walking towards the way Ganyu had been directing, the trees fading into a bright field of flowers and bursts of color. The sight brought a smile to Kazuha's face, seeing the sights was always his favorite part of wandering. He walks forward, looking towards the baby blue sky that was filled with bright, cotton-textured clouds. Despite the strange change in the winds, the day was almost perfect.

Kazuha closes his eyes, taking a moment to bask in the warmth of the sun on his face as the songs of the birds fill his ears once again.

A moment of serenity... all too quickly shattered.

"Kazuha,"

The man blinks, turning to Ganyu, whose usual soft expression had hardened, looking past him. Kazuha hadn't realized he had started walking again until Beidou's hand landed on his shoulder, a teasing smile on her lips.

"And I thought you were supposed to be 'in tune with nature' and 'hyperaware'?" The woman jokes, jolting her head to the camp of Fatui just a few feet away. He blinks again, eyes widening momentarily before he lts out a sigh.

"I must be tired." He brushes off, rolling his shoulder so Beidou would remove her hand from him. She rolls her eyes, glancing at a still serious Ganyu, her bow ready in hand.

"Are we going in guns blazing?" Beidou questions, "or quiet and sneaky?" Ganyu huffs, her fluffy hair shifting as she shakes her head.

"There's no need to be quiet."

That was all Beidou needed, summoning her claymore before charging, electro-charge crackling around her. Ganyu watches her go for a moment, wide-eyed and shell-shocked before she quickly follows. Kazuha lets out a sigh before trailing the two.

Beidou takes care of the lesser Fatui fairly quickly, blasting them away with a laugh and a slash of purple lightning. Ganyu shoots from afar as Kazuha speeds up into a sprint, slashing at them with anemo-charged swings, quite literally blowing them away. Beidou's boisterous laugh fills his ears as she takes down a Mirror Maiden, the woman falling to the ground in flashes of blue and purple.

A Skirmisher turns his attention to him, making him duck and target a strike at the enemy's leg and knocking him down quickly. With the use of Ganyu's found vantage point, perfect cryo-infused arrows flew over his head and onto the fleeing lesser Fatui members. Kazuha finishes off the Skirmisher, turning to gaze around the camp for any other enemies as Ganyu jumps from her position, following his lead with brows raised.

"This is... strange." The adeptus mutters, letting her bow vanish with the wind. "This isn't any normal Fatui camp. They usually aren't this.. large." She continues, crouching down beside one of the bodies, digging through the now deceased person's pockets.

"Oh, so we're body looters now?" Beidou questions, standing over the periwinkle-haired woman as she searches the body. If the look Ganyu shot Beidou was anything to go by, another fight was about to break out, and once again, Kazuha chooses not to listen to their argument.

The man wanders towards one of the smaller tents, pushing the fabric aside, glancing in. Crimson eyes gaze over the table in the middle of the room where piles upon piles of paper were stacked messily, some already fallen on the floor. He kneels, picking one of the clutter pieces from the ground, frowning as he sees the words that were written in Snezhnaya's native language. Regardless of whether he himself can read it or not, it's most likely filled with vital information, especially if Ganyu's assumption about this camp was the truth.

Kazuha stands to his full height, pocketing the paper before turning back, exiting the tent. Upon exit, his eyes land on Ganyu moving around as she continues to check on each body, with Beidou throwing snarky remarks as she follows her insistently. He moves to return to them, but is stopped in his tracks as a thump reaches his ears.

Eyes narrowed, Kazuha turns toward the direction of the sound: a large red tent. His hand hovers by his side, waiting to summon his weapon at any sudden movement, carefully pushing the curtains to the side and glancing into the eerily dark tent.

The winds seem to shift again, causing Kazuha's posture to tense even more, finally summoning his sword. As he steps into the room, his eyes adjust to the darkness as he slowly gazed around the room, eyes landing on what looks like a closet across the room. As soon as his gaze latches onto the object, it jolts, causing the man to jump backwards in caution, sword aimed as the doors of the closet burst open.

Kazuha nearly drops his weapon as everything piled inside falls out, including a person. The silver-haired man's instincts kick in and he quickly rushes to catch the figure before they can collide with the ground, eyebrows furrowing as his nose is quickly filled with the scent of blood.

"Kazuha?!" Beidou yanks the tent open, eyes widening as they land on him as he quickly lowers the person to the ground, clenching his fists as he gets a proper look at them. "Archons," the woman mutters, looking away as Ganyu steps by her side, letting out a gasp as she raises a hand over her mouth.

Glossy e/c eyes meet Kazuha's own as he observed their whole being; their hair was a mess around them, skin darkened with various bruises and cuts, a cloth stuffed into their mouth, and their arms tied uncomfortably by the wrists behind them. Their clothing was nearly tattered at this point, and they looked at the three with terror-filled, teary eyes.
Kazuha raises his hands as they quickly squirm out of his grip and away from him, whimpering as they back up against one of the walls.

"It's alright," Kazuha starts, remaining on his knees as he cautiously approaches the assumed hostage, eyes softened as he gives their form a one over again. They keep their eyes locked on him as he moves, eyes widening in terror as he reaches for his sword.

"I'm not gonna harm you.. I want to cut you free." Kazuha quickly explains, watching as they blink a few times, their thick tears starting to fall and staining their skin. A few moments of hesitation pass by before they lean away from the wall, cautiously observing him as he slices through the ropes with ease, frowning at the red marks that it leaves behind.

As soon as their hands are free, they rip the gag from their mouth, spitting out what looked to be bits of fuzz. Their eyes land on Beidou and Ganyu, the latter of the two taking a step towards them, making Kazuha move away to give the newly freed person some space.

Ganyu's expression is kind, kneeling beside them while still maintaining a comfortable distance. "Hey," she starts, reaching a hand towards them, only to pull back slightly as they flinch. 'It's alright, you're safe now," the adeptus reassures, though there was something behind her eyes that seemed conflicted.

They stare back at her with a wide, teary gaze as Ganyu lays a hand on their head, petting their hair down gently. Immediately, they lean into the affection, making her let out a sigh, eyes filled with empathy.

"What do we do with them?" Beidou questions, crossing her arms over her chest as Ganyu uses her vision to heal the hostage to the best of her abilities, frown staining her face as stubborn bruises simply refuse to fade.

"I think it's best to take them to Mr. Zhongli..." Ganyu says, 'He'll.. know what to do." Beidou raises a brow at this, as does Kazuha, but the woman beats him to it.

"And why exactly should we take a clear hostage to the Archon turned Funeral Parlor worker?" The captain questions. Ganyu lets out a sigh as she stands, aware of the e/c person's gaze as she did. Instead, they switch their gaze over to Kazuha as he takes a step towards the two, a soft smile gracing his features, only to kneel as he speaks again.

"Can you speak?" The ronin questions, keeping his voice in a low tone as to not scare them any further. They stare silently for a moment, eyes fluttering shut before they nod. "My name is Kaedehara Kazuha. And you?" He questions, laying his arm over his knees as their fearful demeanor starts to melt, the previous terror fading from their expression, now replaced with a dull glaze that shows how bright their eyes once were, almost unnaturally so. Ganyu, who had been watching silently, seemed to be waiting for their identity as well.

"...Y/n." They finally speak, voice meek. Anyone else would have had to strain to hear it, but fortunately, Kazuha heard it loud and clear, allowing his expression to fall into a much brighter smile with closed eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Y/n." Kazuha opens his eyes again, watching them lock onto his own with a somewhat curious gaze. Ganyu huffs, turning back to Beidou as she begins speaking.

"I'm taking them to Zhongli, because they are a demon." The adeptus finally reveals, crossing her arms, looking down at Y/n with a look of sympathy. The two's eyes widen, but Beidou is the first to act, summoning her claymore much to their dismay. Y/n quickly scurries behind Kazuha, hiding behind the ronin as the captain points her claymore towards them.

"And we're not killing them?" Beidou questions, voice on edge and filled with disbelief. Ganyu quickly smacks the brunette at this, frowning.

"You're scaring them!" The adeptus scolds, turning back towards the ronin and the cowering figure sheltering behind him. "Look at them," She motions towards the demon. "They're harmless."

"They’re a demon." Beidou says again, letting her claymore disappear, leaving only astonishment on her face. "You can't be serious, Ganyu."

"They were being held by the Fatui, a mere demon would be able to defeat them easily. Y/n, on the other hand, could not." Ganyu theorizes, gaze not moving from Y/n's form as they crouch even farther behind the silver-haired ronin. "Besides, I've met plenty of demons through the years that let me know they mean no threat at all." She shakes her head at Beidou.

"We'll take them to a healer, maybe to Bubu Pharmacy. Then, we take them to Mr. Zhongli." Ganyu huffs again and motions for the rest to follow as she steps out of the tent. Beidou only shoots Kazuha a bewildered look before shaking her head, reluctantly following the adeptus back outside.

Kazuha turns towards Y/n, giving them a comforting smile.

"We're going to take you somewhere safe now." He reassures, but Y/n only glances towards the flap of the tent, looking back at him with an unsure expression.

"That woman.. she wants to hurt me." Their voice was quiet as they trailed off, but it was still clear to Kazuha's keen ears, the ronin frowning at their words.

"I won't let her," Kazuha reassures again, hoping to finally bring comfort to the obviously traumatized figure. He couldn't imagine what they had been through, especially not with the rumors of what the Fatui do in secret roaming around. Demon or otherwise.

Kazuha offers them a hand, getting to his feet. Y/n stares at his hand for a few moments before taking it, wincing slightly as he pulls them to their feet.

Their skin was soft, their nails were practically claws that nearly dug into the skin of his wrist as they attempted to steady themselves. He grabs their shoulder, the other hand shooting to their waist to keep them upright. "Can you walk?"

Y/n nods, taking a few steps with his support. The ronin was worried to let go as he watched them wobble even with his assistance; the determined expression on their face was cute, but Kazuha let out a sigh as they nearly trip, covering their eyes from the sudden light with a small yelp.

"Anytime today would be nice!" Beidou calls from the other side of the Fatui camp, Kazuha shooting her a soft warning glare as Y/n's finally adjust to the light. The silver-haired ronin feels a swirl of emotion fill him at the look of wonder on their face, at how they gaze up at the clear sky with bright eyes, as if they'd never seen it before.

They don't make any move to walk again, and with the impatient Crux Fleet's captain staring them down, Kazuha gently rests one of his arms around Y/n's back, ducking the other underneath their knees before lifting them off of the ground, making them squeak. He then easily catches up with the other two, making sure not to jolt the demon around in his arms too much as they inspect their surroundings in awe.

"Where... are we?" They question, interested bright e/c eyes locking with Kazuha's. The man smiles softly at their sincerity, despite the twisting of his stomach at the question.

Just how long were they with the Fatui like this?

"Liyue Harbor," He replies, adjusting his hold. Y/n nods in acceptance, eyes continuing to move around all over as they watch their environment slowly change, a look of genuine excitement washing over their face at the sight of every animal they passed by.

Eventually, the h/c demon rests their head on the ronin's shoulder, eyes still wandering as they neared the Harbor. Ganyu pauses, spinning around to face the two.

"Beidou, Kazuha, I am going to inform Mr. Zhongli of our new friend's presence. May you please take them to a healer?"

"Of course." Kazuha finally beats Beidou to answer, the Crux Fleet's captain rolling her eyes. He doesn't bother waiting for the brunette's compliance, walking towards the location of the nearest healer in Liyue.

__________________

Kazuha glances around the corner of the room where both Ningguang and Keqing were talking, Beidou standing with her arms crossed by the doorway, glancing at him. He clears his throat, making Ningguang immediately turn towards him, eyes hardened. "Where is it?"

Kazuha narrows his eyes. Y/n may be a demon, but regardless, they were still a person. Calling them an 'it' was simply not right.

The silver-haired ronin clenches his fists, but doesn't allow any trace of anger to show on his face. Lightly moving to pull the now newly dressed Y/n into the room, the h/c demon's arms wrapped around one of his own as they eye the othered in the room fearfully.

The healer had been gracious enough to offer Y/n some of their own clothing: a little too small kimono decorated in a thick blue and purple flower. The fabric only comes down to just below their knees, a black coat, and a pair of sandals.

"This.. is the demon?" Keqing questions, crossing her arms with a raised brow. "They look like any other average traveler. Aren't demons supposed to be monsters?" The lavender-haired women added, looking them up and down with scrutinizing eyes.

Y/n's grip on Kazuha's arm tightens, bright eyes narrowing towards the woman. He ignores Keqing's question, only turning to Ningguang as the tall woman takes a step towards them.

"I assume Beidou has already explained everything." The ronin speaks, watching as Ningguang, too, examines the shorter figure.

"Yes.." She trails off, a frown appearing on her face. "Poor thing.." She sighs as her features soften. "Is there by any chance Ganyu is incorrect? I simply find it hard to believe that this.. person is a demon."

"I don't believe the adepti are ever wrong when it comes to this kind of problem, Miss Ningguang." Keqing replies, tapping her nails against her desk lightly. "They've never been wrong before, much less Ganyu."

Ningguang could only let out a breath.

"Where is Ganyu?" Kazuha questions, Y/n resting their chin on his shoulder to look up at Ningguang, obvious curiosity and hesitance in their eyes. "She told us she was going to call for Mr. Zhongli." These words cause a sound of annoyance to fall from the woman's lips.

"Yes, she did. However, it seems that Mr. Zhongli was not all too fond of meeting them without the Conqueror himself by his side." Y/n tilts their head, lightly bonking it against Kazuha's own as the ronin sighs, looking towards the floor.

Keqing lets out a soft scoff.

"I'm sure the Yaksha can take care of this one too easily." She says, ignoring the glare both Kazuha and Ningguang send her way. Y/n's eyes widen and they duck their head down, attempting to hide even more behind Kazuha's form, as if to blend into the background.

"No one is killing them," Ningguang starts sternly, "They might be.. inhuman, but they were with the Fatui. They are a hostage in one of the largest camps that we've ever seen." She turns to the window. "Y/n is something of vital importance to them, which means only one thing. They have information that I'm sure the Fatui would be more than willing to try and take back, even at any cost."

The woman crosses her arms, clenching her eyes shut.

Y/n peeks back over Kazuha's shoulder, getting a good look at the rest of the room, eyes filled with even more amazement as their bright eyes gaze over the various priceless items that littered the room.

Their curiosity brings a sad smile to rest on Kazuha's face.

Chapter Text

It was much too noisy around the harbor for Xiao. 

The Adeptus was standing under one of the many trees, watching as the citizens pass him by. Some glanced at him with a glint of curiosity or fear, others not even sparing him a look. He had been called down from his isolation by Rex Lapis,  or as the mortals would now know him as, Zhongli. 

The former Archon had sent a messenger to Wangshu Inn with a letter. The content was vague; in fact, all it had stated was: "Something supernatural has come up.". The phrasing of the letter causes the Yaksha to furrow his brows as he pushes himself off the tree. 

A familiar blue-haired figure approaches him, eyes tired like usual. Her eyes brighten ever so slightly as they land on him, Ganyu greeting him with a polite smile. 

"Xiao, it's nice to see you." The half-Adeptus greets, her voice professional. Xiao gives her a nod, looking past her for any sign of the person that called him here himself, only to huff at the sight of the missing Geo Archon. 

"Why am I here?" Xiao finally decides to speak, cat-like eyes locking with Ganyu's as she lets out a tired sigh. 

"Zhongli has insisted on your presence, despite my attempts to convince him otherwise." she explains with a slight shake of her head, blue curls swishing along with her movements. "We are meeting someone... someone that Ningguang believes can have serious information on the Fatui. Considering the way we found them, she may be correct." 

Ganyu cocks her head to the side as she starts to walk, Xiao following hesitantly. "Me, Beidou, and Kazuha cleared a Fatui camp and found them being held hostage." As Ganyu explained, she caught up to the other's speed. "The only thing is—" 

"Ah, you have finally arrived." 

Zhongli greets them with a small smile, unknowingly interrupting Ganyu's explanation. "I hate to drag you from your duties, but I'd like the extra precaution," he says, walking beside Xiao as Ganyu now takes the lead, presumably heading towards Ningguang's residence, the opposite direction of the Liyue Qixing's base. 

"An extra precaution?" Xiao trails off, his curiosity and annoyance peaking further by the vagueness of both Ganyu and the former Geo Archon. "For?" Zhongli's expression falls, varying degrees of negative emotions flashing through his eyes. 

"It appears the Qixing have found someone similar to yourself," was what the tall immortal decided to say after a long stretch of silence. Ganyu stops and turns toward the other two non-humans as they reach the entrance to a building near the entrance of Liyue. 

"Xiao," Ganyu acknowledges, her eyes hardened as she gazes over him. "When we enter, please.. don't do anything stupid." Xiao scoffs at the plea, crossing his arms at the Adeptus, biting back a retort. Ganyu gives him a pointed look before turning on her heel and giving Zhongli a glance, knocking with a certain rhythm into the golden-colored door that stood before them. 

As soon as her fist left the surface, the door flew open inwards as the trio was greeted by the smile of Keqing with two Qixing guards behind her. The lavender-haired Qixing member places her hands on her hips.

“It’s about time you’ve gotten here.” She greets, motioning for the guards to step aside so they can enter. “And it seems you’ve pulled our Yaksha from the shadows as well.” Keqing says, giving the Adeptus a look as he passes her by. 

Xiao ignores her, trailing behind Zhongli as he greets Keqing politely, apologizing for taking so long. Ganyu and Keqing lead the Archon and Yaksha up a set of stairs, Xiao ignoring the idle conversation between Keqing and Zhongli, noticing Ganyu keeps looking at him with a tint of nervousness in her eyes, Confusing him greatly. 

Why is she looking at him like that? 

Now wasn’t the time to ask as Ganyu stops before a red-tinted door, turning around to face Zhongli and Xiao as Keqing slips into the room before them. “Okay, I need to make this clear before we enter.” Ganyu starts, looking between both the immortals with a serious glint behind her eyes. Ganyu sucks in a breath, clasping her hands together in front of her mouth. 

“Y/n Is not a Threat, So please-” She cuts herself off, eyes narrowing towards Xiao. “Do not try to kill them.” Xiao raises a brow about to question the blue-haired Adeptus; but she spins around, pushing the door open and striding in. Zhongli enters before Xiao, a look of surprise falling on his face as Xiao enters to stand beside him. Before both of them, was Ningguang, the woman has been in mid-sentence about a relic that was resting in her hands. 

Beside her on one size was Beidou, the captain of one of the more popular ships that’d dock in Liyue harbor, Xiao only knew of her name, not the woman herself. On Ningguangs other side, a much smaller figure compared to the Qixing leader and the Pirate. A strikingly familiar scent drifting from off of them causes Xiao’s eyes to widen. 

“Xiao-” Ninggunag was unable to finish as the Adeptus had leapt from beside Zhongli, Polearm summoned in seconds, aimed right for the h/c figure. Only for someone else to step in his way, the spear end stopping just above the tip of his nose as the red-gazed man glares at him. 

“Xiao!” Ganyu’s voice echoed in his ears, but he refused to tear his gaze away from the person eyeing him fearfully from behind their protector. 

“I’d advise you to step aside.” Xiao starts, narrowing his eyes as the silver-haired mortal moves to shelter the demon behind him even more. The Adeptus looks the unfamiliar man up and down before letting out a huff. 

“Adeptus Xiao.” Keqing starts, arms crossed as she steps towards him. “Would you please not threaten our guest?” Xiao blinks. This...demon was the person Ganyu was talking about. Xiao glances towards the older Adeptus in question, seeing her glaring at him from beside Keqing. 

“Stand down.” Finally, at Zhongli’s insistence, Xiao takes a step back, golden eyes locked with red ones as the demon had ducked behind him, effectively shielding themselves from the Yaksha. The silver-haired man relaxes slightly without the weapon in his face. Ningguang lets out a heavy sigh, stepping between Xiao and the unknown man, looking down at him with narrowed eyes as Zhongli lays a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back further to put more distance. 

“Well, I was hoping this introduction would go smoother.” Ningguang starts, shaking her head slightly. “Zhongli, Xiao. This is Kaedehara Kazuha.” Ningguang introduces the silver-haired man, his glare fading in favor of a small, somewhat polite smile and an awkward wave. “He’s one of Beidous traveling partners and a refugee from Inazuma.” The cream-haired Qixing leader finishes, turning her gaze to the figure that was now peaking over Kazuha’s shoulder with wide eyes, mainly focused on Xiao. 

“And this is Y/n.” Ningguang says, motioning to the demon that takes a timid step out from behind Kazuha, eyes cautiously examining the two immortals. “Ganyu, Beidou, and Kazuha rescued them from a Fatui camp, they were a hostage.” This causes both Zhongli and Xiao to raise a brow. The taller of the two raises a hand to his chin as he steps forwards, looking them up and down.  

“You don’t look like the demons I’ve seen through the decades…” The Former archon trails off, tapping his chin as Y/n’s eyes seem to contort into a look of curiosity. “But you emit the same type of energy they do...Truly interesting.” Zhongli turns to Ningguang. “The Fatui you say?” The woman nods and Zhongli lets out a hum. 

“We brought them here as we believe the Fatui might be looking to...retrieve them.” Keqing says, glaring at the floor. “They were being held at quite a large camp, and we have retrieved many of their documents though it’s taking our translators some time to convert them. I was hoping it’d give us some more information about our new friend. Why the Fatui had them and all.” 

“You can’t ask them?” Xiao questions, staring the demon down with narrowed eyes, ready to summon his polearm again at any sight of hostile movement. 

“They’ve just escaped from something traumatic.” Xiao was surprised to hear Kazuha speak up this time, a frown across his face. “It’d be counterproductive to try and interrogate them while they are in this state of mind. With time I’m sure Y/n will be willing to share.” Xiao blinks a few times,  gaze landing back on the h/c figure with unnaturally bright eyes staring right back at him with a twinge of fear, still sticking close to Kazuha’s side. Zhongli hums, extending an arm to Y/n who jumps slightly. 

“Well, It is a pleasure to meet you, Y/n.” Zhongli greets. Y/n stares at his outstretched hand for a few moments before, very hesitantly, taking it. The former Geo Archons' eyes soften. “You are definitely unlike the demons I’ve met before...Very timid.” Zhongli speaks quietly, more so to himself than the others in the room. Xiao crosses his arms, remembering that both Zhongli and Ganyu have met the creatures before without needing to slay them, it seems Xiao just attracts the bad crowd of the monsters. 

Y/n themselves could easily blend into the mortal eyes, they had no physical attributes that would allude to them being immortal, unlike the ones Xiao has encountered. The only reason The Adeptus could tell they weren’t was the familiar smokey musk that surrounded all demons. 

“The Fatui is our main concern” Ningguang speaks up again, tapping her fingers against the desk she was now leaning against. 

“We can’t keep Y/n here.” Ganyu starts “This is the first place the Fatui will look, Liyue Harbor.” The blue-haired adepti explains, copying Zhongli’s mannerisms by raising a hand to her chin. “But I don’t want to send them to Mondstat either, The Fatui run rampant there more than in Liyue.” Ganyu looks up to Zhongli with a sigh. “I was hoping you could help us.” Zhongli hums, looking back over to Y/n for a moment. 

“There are many places that the Fatui tends to frequent.” The former Archon begins, looking up at the ceiling in thought for a moment before a glint appears in his amber eyes, gaze shooting to the Adeptus beside him.  “But I know of a place they wouldn’t think to search.” Xiao’s eyes widened in realization, as did Ganyu's. 

“Are you..sure that's a good idea…?” Keqing trails off, a bewildered look in her eyes. 

“Wow, hiding the Demon with the Demon slayer...Smart..” Beidou speaks for the first time in a while, an amused smile on her lips. “The Fatui would never expect it.” She continues, seeming to run the idea through her mind a few times. 

“You...expect me to protect the very thing I’m meant to destroy?” Xiao questions, eyeing each person in the room. At his words, Y/n seems to take a step back behind both Kazuha and Ningguang. “That would go against everything I’ve ever done.” 

“Y/n could be a very important asset to us.” Keqing speaks up again. “And even still, the Fatui is no doubt going to be looking for them whether they have information or not.” The lavender-haired woman lays a hand on her chest, eyeing Xiao. “Wouldn’t you rather have them under your watchful eyes instead of being used by the fatui?” Xiao takes in a breath, gaze turning to glare at the Qixing woman, though she did have a point. The mention of… 'being used’ didn’t bring back pleasant memories. 

“...If you believe this is the best course of action, I suppose I have no choice but to agree.” Xiao says, turning to Zhongli. The taller man looks the yaksha over for a moment before smiling. 

“I’m sure Y/n will give you no trouble.” The demon in question had been watching the conversation with wide eyes, seeming attached at the hip to Kazuha with his arm tightly wrapped in theirs. 

“I-” The demon starts to speak, their voice soft, matching their demeanor. “uh...You’re not g-gonna-” they cut themselves off, seeming to shrink under Xiao’s harsh gaze. “Do I have to…?” The demon finally gets out, weakly, burying their face into Kazuha’s back, the silver-haired man looking them over with a frown. 

“It’s much safer than keeping you here.” Ningguang says, lightly patting the shorter person's hair. “I understand Xiao is a bit…” Ningguang trails off, glancing at the yaksha in question who was looking back at her with a raised brow. “Scary...but I assure you, no harm will come to you with him.” Y/n stares at Ningguang for a few seconds, before Kazuha speaks. 

“Do you mind if I assist you?” 

“Uh- Kazuha what?” Ningguang questions, taking a step back in surprise. 

“I wish to help Xiao keep an eye on Y/n.” Kazuha says, the silver-haired man locks eyes with Xiao again, giving him a small smile that the Adeptus couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. “Besides, I’ve never seen past Liyue Harbor, it’d be nice to see the Dihua Marsh.” Xiao blinks, about to argue when Zhongli speaks. 

“Are you sure? I imagine you’d have to remain here in Liyue for quite a while. You seem like the type to wander.” Kazuha blinks, a glint of surprise in his eyes that vanishes quickly. 

“I’m sure. Beidou can spare me for a bit, can’t you?” The Crux Captain narrows her eyes, a worried expression crossing her face, before letting out a sigh, nodding with an ‘I suppose’.

Keqing claps her hands together. “It’s settled then. Xiao, Kazuha. You are officially Y/n’s guards” 

________________________________________________________________________

The Yaksha doesn’t know how he’s gonna make it with two new strangers invading his space. The demon was enough but now he’s got to keep an eye on a mortal as well.  Xiao had planned to just teleport them to the Wangshu Inn, but there was no way he could teleport two people at once and he didn’t feel like taking two trips seeing as Kazuha didn’t seem like he was going to change his mind no matter how much Xiao glared at him. 

Kazuha’s indifference towards the whole situation also kind of pissed him off. How the fuck is he so calm? With a Demon on one side and a Yaksha on the other while they walked through Dihua Marsh towards the Inn. Xiao kept his eyes on both of them, Y/n and Kazuha seemed to be too distracted with taking in the scenery of the marsh to care or notice. 

Xiao was thankful that at least his new company was quiet, though that seemed to be for varying different reasons. Y/n had gone to speak to him several times but in the end, never got a word out. Xiao isn’t surprised they’re probably afraid of him considering their first meeting. Kazuha was a different story, he seemed to just be somewhat quiet in nature. Taking in the beauty of everything in silence. 

As the Inn just started to appear in the distance, Kazuha finally decided to break the quiet. 

“There's a lot of empty Hilichurl camps around…” the silver-haired man’s voice was quiet. “I assume that’s because of you?” Xiao glanced behind him at Kazuha, the ronin’s gaze was off to the side, seemingly looking at a bundle of flowers growing at the base of a tree growing in the water of the marsh. Xiao hums. 

“Adventures tend to wander through often to kill them, but yes, most of the time I’m the one that ends up taking care of them.” Kazuha looks back at him as he starts talking, a glint in his eye. 

“You have an Anemo Vision.” Kazuha starts, giving the yaksha a small smile. “I have one too.” Xiao raises a brow but before he can speak the ronin continues. “We have something in common.” 

“So?” 

“Well, If we’re going to be spending time together I’d like it if we didn’t dislike each other.” Kazuha’s smile drops slightly. “I understand that this probably isn’t a...pleasant situation for you. You seem to be the type that likes to be alone.” Xiao stares at the silver-haired man for a minute, a bit surprised that Kazuha was able to read him like that, before tearing his gaze back to the Inn that was getting nearer every step they took. 

Though, he'll admit, he’d rather not despise the people he was now stuck with. Kazuha was a different story than Y/n. Getting along with a mortal wasn’t too hard, Xiao’s done it before. But Getting along with the very thing he killed on a nightly basis was going to be a bit harder. It was practically instinct at this point to attack when he sensed the smoky energy. Speaking of Y/n, Kazuha had started to speak again. 

“I believe Y/n has a vision as well…” The ronin trails off, but his words cause the Adeptus to pause in his tracks, the demon in question bumping into his back a few moments after. Xiao looks at them, eyes narrowed. The h/c colored demon takes a step back, a nervous look crossing over their features, clearly, they hadn’t been paying much attention to the previous conversation. 

“You...have a vision?” The two non-humans stare at each other for a minute, Kazuha standing a few steps ahead with a glint of nervousness in his eyes, looking between the both of them. Finally, Y/n nods, slowly holding out their arm towards him as if afraid of startling a feral animal, the sleeve of their coat falling down enough for Xiao to see the bright blue color of a Cyro vision latched onto a leather bracelet. That's...interesting. 

Xiao had never seen any immortal with a vision other than the Adepti. Not once can he remember slaying a demon with a vision over the thousands of years he had been under Rex Lapis. “Hm.” Is what the yaksha decided to say, despite the many thoughts plowing through his head, he turned back to the ever-nearing Inn in the trees, they were just about to the bridge that led across the domain of the Inn. The Milleth Guard that usually stood post is currently nowhere to be seen. They were right by the Inn, Xiao didn’t have to escort them anymore. 

“You can walk yourselves from here.” the yaksha starts, eager to get away at least of a moment to get his shit together. “I assume you have enough sense to know how to check into a room by yourselves.” Kazuha lets out a short chuckle, a smile on his face, but the slight annoyance in his eyes exposes his true feelings. 

“Should we let them know we’re with you?” The ronin questions, crossing his arms. 

“If you see it necessary, then sure.” Xiao states, turning away from the mortal and the demon. “I have work to do.” and with that, the yaksha disappears in thin air.

Chapter Text

The sugary scent of Silk flowers was almost overwhelming as Kazuha and his companion approached the treehouse-esc building. The afternoon sun was angled just behind the branches of the trees, bringing a pretty overcast of the wooden porch below.

There were many people scuttering around the wooden platforms, Presumed maids lighting the lanterns as night approaches and residents settling down at the many tables with books or drinks. Kazuha glances towards the h/c haired demon by his side, looking up at their surroundings with wide eyes. They seemed a lot less nervous as they stepped into the semi-crowded area, Y/n seemed to like it when attention was not on themselves. Y/n meets his eyes, and the ronin gives them a small smile. 

“I Don’t think I’ve seen you two before, would you like me to lead you to check-in?” Y/n squeaks, quickly jumping from their stop and behind Kazuha as the woman who had spoken also lets out a noise of surprise. “Ah, I Didn’t mean to startle you!” The worker apologizes, bowing slightly in apology. 

“It’s alright.” Kazuha starts, watching as Y/n takes a few steps out from behind him, their face a twinge red from embarrassment at getting scared of the woman. “You are correct, though. This is our first time here.” While Kazuha can’t really speak for Y/n, he assumes they have never been here either. 

“I knew it.” the young woman grins. “Most of the people that stop by are our regulars. Travelers from Mondstadt or Liyue Harbor. Sometimes from farther. But They’re usually the same. I’ve learned all their names and faces.” The maid grins, clapping her hands in front of her. “Which means I’ll need yours as well! Oh, but that can wait- Let me get you checked in.” The maid motions for the two to follow her. 

The woman leads them with a smile to an elevator platform, the machine in question seemed to have just ascended, and the maid turns to Kazuha and Y/n. “I can’t go up with you, It gets pretty rowdy around here in the afternoon, but You should be able to find the check-in desk easily.” The maid informs.

Kazuha thanking her with a nod before turning to Y/n, the demon picking a silk flower from one of the branches that had started to grow on the bark of the giant tree the Inn was sat on. The stem fell from the flower as they pulled it from the rest of the bush, causing them to cup the bulb in their hands. 

Y/n raises the flower to their face, smiling slightly as the petals of the blush-pink plant brush against their chin. “These flowers...They smell like...candy and...” the demon trail off, letting the bulb rest in one hand to run a finger gently against the petals. 

“They’re silk flowers.” Kazuha informs, the sound of machinery whirling, filling his ears as the elevator starts to descend again. “Your clothes are made of them.” Y/n looks away from the flowers, locking eyes with Kazuha. A twinge of amazement in their eyes. 

“You mean..I’m wearing flowers?” The h/c demon glances down at their clothes, dropping the flower in the process. “But, These are pink, My clothes aren’t pink?” Kazuha lets out an airy chuckle, not loud enough for h/c haired figure to hear as they run their thumbs over the end of their coat. The silver-haired man's attention is turned back to the whirling elevator clicking back into place. Kazuha glances back at Y/n. 

“Come, I hear around Liyue Harbor that this inn has the best view.” Y/n’s attention shifts from the shimmery fabric of the kimono to Kazuha, their smile widening slightly at his words. The two vision holders hop onto the machinery. Y/n staring over the wooden railings as they went up with sparkles in their eyes.

He can’t judge them for it, the view was quite impressive. In the distance, Kazuha swears he can see the tops of buildings of Liyue. Nearly just out of sight and somewhat hidden by the growing darkness. The setting sun behind the Inn Casting a warm orange glow over the land before the light disappears with the sun just as the elevator clicks into place. 

Kazuha glances to Y/n as a gasp leaves them, their eyes widened with what looked to be excitement before the demon jumps from his side and onto the wooden deck of the Inn.

Kazuha blinks, prepared to chase after them when the demon stops only a few feet away, crouching down in front of a dog sitting outside the doorway to what was presumably the inside of the Inn, The white and gray animal looking up at Y/n with puppy-dog eyes as they run their fingers through the animal's fur, Its Tail thumping against the wooden floor softly.  

Kazuha lets out a sigh quietly stepping off of the elevator, walking towards the demon as they continue to dot over the fluffy dog. A small grin on his face. 

“Do you like dogs?” He starts, crouching beside Y/n as the dog rolls over onto its stomach, letting the demon pat its belly. Y/n lets out a short laugh, almost a giggle. 

“Yes!” They begin, cupping the dog's face in their hands gently. “Look how cute.” They say, turning to Kazuha with a large smile. It was much nicer to see them excited and happy. 

“Well Look at this!” Both the young adult's jump, Kazuha standing up abruptly to see a tall, blonde woman walking towards them. The woman raises her arms at the defensive movement, shaking her head. “Oh, Don’t let me stop you. It’s just that Richie doesn’t really get along well with Guests like Wei.” She begins, motioning inside the building to a small cat resting on what looked to be the reception desk. 

“He doesn’t?” Y/n questions, tilting their head as they continue to pet the dog's head. 

“Nope, Seems like you two are an exception.” She laughs softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m Verr Goldett, I own the Inn.” Y/n leaves the dog's side as Verr Goldett steps back into the reception area of the Inn, Kazuha trailing after her with a polite smile. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Goldett-” 

“Oh, Don’t say Miss. Makes me feel old.” The blonde innkeeper cuts off his words, shuffling some papers sitting behind her desk and effectively waking the cat on her desk. Y/n immediately reaches out and softly strokes the kitty's head, the cat letting out purrs as the demon scratches behind its ears. Goldett clears her throat, setting down a few papers before looking back to the two. “I’m assuming you guys are here for a room? Not many people come by just to eat at night.” 

“Yes.” Kazuha says with a nod, watching as Goldett scribbles something down on a separate piece of paper from the piles of others. 

“Can I get one of your names? Just a last name is fine.”  

“Kaedehara.” Goldett hums, raising a brow but she doesn’t ask any questions, quickly scribbling down, presumably, what Kazuha had just said. 

“And would you prefer a single or a double?” Goldett continues, not even glancing at him. 

“Double.” The blonde raises her brow once again. 

“You guys aren’t a couple?” Kazuha shakes his head and Goldett shrugs, turning back to her paper. “Alright…” She trails off, turning away from her paper to a set of drawers behind her.

Crouching down in front of them, she digs through one and reveals a bronze key with a tag tied to the end. Setting it onto the counter, Kazuha is quick to take it, glancing at the tag. “If you have any questions, I’m here to answer. Breakfast is free for residents.” Kazuha pockets the key, glancing at Y/n who was staring back at him with the cat now cradled in their arms, a bright smile on their face. 

“Ah, I do have something to tell you.” Kazuha starts, turning back to the innkeeper who smiles warmly. “We came here with The Adeptus that stays here.” Kazuha pauses, watching as the woman’s expression contorts. 

“You...know Xiao?” She blinks, expression morphing before landing on a small smile. “So he does have friends.” She mutters. 

“Ah, We just met him today.” Kazuha’s words cause her smile to droop slightly.  “I was just wondering if you’d know of a way to befriend him, since he stays here.” And with that her grin returns even wider. 

“Actually, I do.” She chuckles a bit, leaning against the counter. Y/n sets the cat onto the floor, the animal strolling away as the demon leans towards Goldett. “Usually he’s either up on the balcony-” Goldett points towards the stairs. “Or hiding away somewhere no one can see him. We ‘lure’ him out with Almond Tofu, Seeing as it’s the only thing he likes to eat.” She continues, trailing off with a small laugh. “Yanxiao will make it for you for free if you tell him who it’s for.” Goldett points to the kitchen. 

“Ah, Thank you.” Kazuha says with a nod, raising his hand to his chest. “You’re very kind. I can see why he likes it here.” the blonde waves a hand. 

“Oh, Don’t worry about it.” She shrugs off the compliment, smiling at both of them. “Make yourselves at home.” 

“I imagine we might be staying for some time, so Rest assured.” The silver-haired man jokes, nodding his head at Y/n before moving towards the staircase, key in hand. Y/n quickly joins his side, waiting until the both of them are up the stairs before turning to Kazuha. 

“I like her, she’s nice.” The demon starts, looking around the Inn with bright eyes, turning to the balcony. Neither of them stepped out onto it, though even from his spot inside the inn, Kazuha could see the distant lights of Liyue Harbor just past the smoky clouds. “I like the animals too.” Kazuha chuckles. 

“It seemed to me they were your favorite part.” Y/n smiles slightly, looking towards the floor. 

“I used to have a dog…” The demon trails off, their smile falling. “I wonder where she is now…” They trail off, looking back out onto the balcony with a sigh. Kazuha lightly rests his hand on their shoulder. 

“I’m sure wherever she is, she’s safe and happy.” The ronin starts. Y/n looks back at him, nodding, the demon fidgeting with their fingers for a moment as Kazuha moves from their side towards a hallway nearby.

Only three rooms rested there, the one at the end of the hall was blank, but still a room. The Inn was more known for its food and scenery than its actual accommodations.

Y/n steps past Kazuha, the hall was warmer than the stairway as it wasn’t open to the outside. Liyue tended to be warm at night regardless, but there was still a cold breeze that flowed through the entirety of the building. 

Kazuha trails them, stopping at the doorway with the number matching the tag on the key, quickly unlocking the door and pushing it open. A burst of cool air hits Kazuha as the door lightly flies open, the small balcony at the opposite end of the room letting the cold air circle through. A small, wooden sliding door was latched to the side, presumably the door to the balcony. 

Y/n ducks under the ronin’s arm and into the room, the breeze fluttering strands of their hair into their face that they are quick to attempt to blow back into place, flopping down onto one of the red covered beds in the room, nuzzling their face into the cloth of the pillows. Kazuha spares them a glance, quickly moving towards the balcony, looking out over the Dihua Marsh. 

“I don’t remember the last time I slept in a bed…” Kazuha’s ears pick up Y/n’s muttering, ripping his gaze from the view to the demon. Y/n had kicked off their sandals, rolling themselves into the blankets like Sakura Mochi.

The words they’d just said broke the silver-haired man's heart. Y/n raises the blanket to their face, nuzzling against it again. “Soft…” Kazuha sighs, turning back to the balcony, unlatching the door from the wall to slide it closed, blocking the stream of cool air. 

Y/n doesn’t speak again, their breathing softening as they presumably have fallen asleep. Kazuha settles on the bed opposite of the one Y/n had taken, pocketing the key to the room before leaning back onto the pillows with a sigh. He crosses his arms over his chest, closing his eyes. 

Neither of the two aware of the Cat-eyed figure settled on the branch just outside the balcony of the room.

Chapter Text

The time when the sun is just about to rise is one of Xiao’s favorite sights. The sky turned into a mix of all sorts of blues and purples with the stars dotting them like a painting.
It was a nice way to end the night, though this night the Yaksha had stayed close to the Wangshu Inn to ensure there weren’t any…incidents with the two new residents, one more than the other. Every once in a while, while Xiao was wandering around Dihua Marsh in search of Monsters to murder he’d teleport back to the balcony of the room. Just to make sure they were both still there, or the human hadn’t been attacked by the demon. 

Now He sits at his usual spot at the Inn, resting in the branches of the large tree the inn sits on, watching the sky turn from it’s dark purple to a soft Lilac, Stars quickly fading away as the darkened sky lightens again. The sounds of the early rising staff echo through the quiet inn. There were lots of people at the Inn that liked to get up at unreasonably early hours and Verr Goldett really doesn’t like it when People hover around the inn while the rest of the staff are asleep, which leads to Her having the staff awake at even more unreasonably early hours just to avoid having guests up when the staff are not. No one seemed to mind though, except the waitress Yuhua but she quit complaining about it a while ago. 

The sky had only just faded into a mix of blush pink and baby blue when the familiar sound of footsteps walked onto the balcony below him. Verr striding onto the balcony with a plate of almond tofu, like she does every morning. Regardless of if she knows he’s actually there or not. “Good Morning, Xiao!” she calls out, a bit too loud for how early in the morning it was, setting the plate onto the ledge of the balcony; dangerously close to the edge, before striding back inside the warm inn without waiting for a response. Well, It wasn’t like he was going to give her one anyway. The adeptus jumps down from the branches onto the balcony. Catching the plate before it can tumble over the side of the Inn. It was cold, probably prepared the night before. That's probably why Verr got it here so quickly. Usually Smiley was always the first to wake, getting the kitchen ready for the rest of the day. Maybe he slept in? 

Xiao props himself up against the railing of the balcony, looking out onto Dihua Marsh and Liyue Harbor in the distance as the Pink in the sky turns orange, a sliver of the sun growing over the horizon. It was quite easy to ignore the Staff running around the Inn downstairs as the many birds living in the Inn’s tree started to awaken as well with songs. Xiao thinks, Mornings are probably the most peaceful time of day. Most of the world is still asleep and only the sounds of nature accompany him as the sun rises. 

The Yaksha thoughts are shifted as the sound of heavy footsteps meet his ears, followed by the distinct sound of Yuhua’s voice. 

“Are you sure you should be fixing people's food if you don’t feel well?” Yuhua questions the chef as they walk by the balcony. Xiao isn’t too worried about staying out of their sight. They know not to bother him unlike the inn patrons that get a bit too curious, Like a certain blonde traveler. 

“I’ll be fine, Feeling a little unwell is no excuse for me to neglect my job.” Yanxiao argues back with the younger woman as their voices fade. Xiao sets the now empty plate down on the railing again, making sure it wouldn’t fall, unlike Verr. The adeptus turns to return to his usual spot on the roof of the Inn, just in time to see the bottom end of Y/n’s outfit.

Wait.

Xiao quickly turned on his heel, rushing towards the entrance to the balcony to see Y/n had stopped just at the top of the staircase, where Yuhua was still standing. How had Xiao not heard them walking around? And Where is Kazuha? Xiao glances down the hall the demona had come from, No ronin in sight. That's…fine, he’s probably just…still asleep.

“Ah, It’s you! Good Morning-...” Yuhua trails off, with an awkward little laugh. “What was your name again?” Y/n gives the waitress a small smile, arms crossed behind their back. 

“Y/n.” They speak quickly and Yuhua nods with a hum. Xiao debates whether he should retreat back onto the balcony or stay to keep an eye on them. Before he can truly think it over, Yuhua is leading Y/n down the stairs. Fuck, he quit listening to their conversation. Hesitantly, the yaksha trails behind the two of them. And they both notice immediately. Yuhua turns to him with a short laugh. 

“Oh, Are you coming too? I’m sure Smiley would love to make you another plate of Almond Tofu!” The taller woman jokes, Xiao gives her a glare that would have caused any normal person to shake in their boots. Yuhua was used to it. The whole inn staff was used to it and So the woman simply shakes her head and continues down the stairs. Y/n glanced at him wearily, sticking as close to Yuhua as possible without making the waitress uncomfortable. “Would you like to hear of some of our special dishes? We Don’t have any inazuman cuisine but I’m sure you and your friend would Love our Liyue specialties.” 

“Ah…Anything is fine. I only had an apple yesterday.” Y/n says, hopping off the last two stairs like Yuhua had with a wince. 

“Only an Apple?! All Day?!” Yuhua questions in disbelief. Turning to face the demon. Y/n nods with wide-eyes, probably a bit surprised at the dark-haired woman's sudden outburst. “You must be starving then!” Yuhua starts, Crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll bring you some of my favorites, Then. Wait here!” Yuhua quickly shuffles down the stairs into the kitchen, calling out a ‘Smiley!’ as she does so. 

Verr Goldett wasn’t at her desk, thinking back on it, she looked like she hadn’t even started getting ready for the day when she brought him his food. It must be a slow day today. Y/n shuffled on their feet, fidgeting with their hands. They were nervous, it was quite obvious by how they refused to look at him, eyes focused on the spot Yuhua had been. It’s silent for a pretty long while before Xiao speaks. 

“Where is he?” the yaksha questions, Maybe a bit too aggressively as Y/n jumps, craning their head to look at him. 

“K-Kazuha?” Y/n asks, before averting their eyes again. Looking just off to Xiao's side. “He’s asleep, still…I-” The demon cuts themself off with a breath “I didn’t want to bother him because I was hungry…” Y/n looks to the floor. Xiao crosses his arms, unsure of what to say or do next. He isn’t the best at conversation, especially when the people he is talking to are afraid of him. A dog's bark breaks the tense silence. Richie, the dog that likes to sleep on the bottom balcony, stumbles into the main area. Tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging so hard you’d think he’d start to fly away. 

Y/n stumbles a bit as the white and gray dog jumps on them with another bark, a small laugh leaving them as they move their hands to scratch behind the animals ears. The dog's attention is averted quickly when a voice from behind Xiao calls out to him. “Richie! What did I teach you about jumping on Patrons!” Huai’an, Verr’s husband, Quickly rushes past the adeptus, brushing the dog off of Y/n with a few curses towards him. Richie runs from Huai’an with a whimper, hiding behind Xiao’s legs with his head down. “Oh don’t look at me like Th- Ah, Xiao!” Huai’an attention is averted quickly. “How nice to see you, It’s rare you actually make an appearance.” 

“I was…Bored of sitting upstairs.” Xiao makes up an excuse, though Huai’an doesn’t seem convinced, he doesn’t ask questions either. 

“Well, Whatever the reason, don’t be afraid to ask us for anything.” Huai’an snaps his fingers before pointing outside, his attention now returning to the dog still sitting at Xiao’s feet. “Richie, Out. You aren’t allowed in after..Last time.” Richie quickly rushes back outside with his head low and Huai’an lets out a sigh, turning to Y/n who was frowning slightly now. “I’m so sorry about that-”

“It’s alright.” Y/n starts, turning their gaze from the floor. “I like dogs, So It’s okay.” They continue. 

“Good, That's great.” Huai’an starts before pausing. “Ah I can’t stay to chat any longer. Vacant rooms need cleaning.” With that, Huai’an quickly rushes down the stairs to the kitchen area, nearly knocking into Yuhua who was returning with some dishes stacked in her arms. 

“Ah! Be Careful!” Yuhua yells, Incredibly not dropping any of the food as she stumbles. 

“Uhm…That’s a lot…” Y/n trails off, raising their hands slightly. 

“It’s alright, Breakfast is Free for Patrons!” 

“That's not what I mean-” Y/n is cut off as Yuhua slides the dishes onto Verr’s desk, something the Boss would have scolded her for if she was there. Yuhua grabs another plate of Almond Tofu before holding it out towards Xiao. 
“...No Thanks.” The waitress lets out a loud gasp at that. 

“What?! You don’t want it?! Since When?!” the yaksha winces at the woman’s yelling. 

“I already had some.” Xiao says quickly, Silencing the coming rant. Yuhua huffs, setting the dish down with the rest, Muttering something under her breath. 

“So…What do you..recomend?” Y/n questions, tilting their head slightly. Yuhua crosses her arms. 

“You're not taking it all?” 

“Uhm-” 

“Of course not.” Xiao starts for them “The entirety of the Staff couldn’t eat all of that, how can one person?” Yuhua frowns, glaring at the adeptus. 

“Fine, well. My favorite is the Bamboo Shoot soup. It’s really creamy and-” Xiaos lets out a sigh, leaning against the railing of the staircase and Yuhua begins to explain every dish to Y/n, who looked less than pleased to listen. But they did, probably to be polite. Y/n was definitely more Human than demon. Animals are usually aggressive towards most paranormal things and Richies seemed almost excited to see them. Though, Richie was excited to see literally anyone that wasn’t Huai’an. 

Not that he would ever admit it, but Ganyu had somehow convinced him (and Shenhe) to help her name every dog she saw in Liyue and Now Xiao had a soft spot for dogs. The adeptus would sneak Richie and Wei something from the kitchen every time he’d go down there. Smiley hasn’t noticed yet but Verr sure had and she had a great time teasing him about it. Xiao’s broken from his thoughts as Yuhua piles a few dishes into Y/n’s outstretched arms. The demon smiled at her but they were wobbling on their feet as they attempted to balance everything the woman had given them. With a huff, Xiao steps over. 

“I’ll help you.” he says quietly, taking a few of the plates from them. 

_______________________

A warm brush of air wafts over the ronin, shifting his hair against his nose. Kazuha blinks awake, sleepy crimson eyes gazing around the sizable inn room before landing on the balcony door Where the Liyue breeze was coming through. The shutters on the door had been lifted slightly, Letting in light and leaves as well as the wind. He must not have noticed last night when he closed it. Kazuha closes his eyes again, debating if the small issue is enough to get out of bed for. Though, once the sounds of travelers and inn-goers from below start to invade the room Kazuha sits up blinking a few times to get rid of the sleep in his eyes. Kazuha, albeit sluggishly, quickly moves towards the door, flicking the shutters closed; effectively muffling the early morning noises. 

Kazuha stretches the stiffness from his joints, realizing lots of bugs probably invaded the room during the night with the lanterns still lit, Spying a small moth resting on a lantern as his eyes scanned the room again. The ronin’s slight agitation is short-lived though, replaced with panic as his eyes land on his new companion's bed, which was lacking said new companion. Just a mess of blankets and sheets that look like Y/n had struggled to get out from. Before Kazuha can storm out of the room in search of them, the door of the room opens suddenly. 

Y/n rushes in, with a plate settled in each hand, a bright smile on their face as their eyes land on him. “You're awake, Good morning.” They speak quietly despite the grin on their face. They set the two plates down on the table as Kazuha lets out a breath of relief. Before Kazuha could express his worries, someone he hadn’t expected stepped into the room as well. The yaksha mutters something about how indecisive someone is as Y/n takes the other two dishes from his hands gently, for some reason. 

“I see you headed down for breakfast without me?” Kazuha questions, though a soft smile remains on his lips. “I was very worried when I awoke and you were gone, luckily you returned before I could panic.” 

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Y/n says. “I didn’t want to wake you up, I thought I’d be back before you did but the Waitress was really talkative and I didn’t want to be rude.” Kazuha chuckles. 

“It’s alright. As long as you're safe.” the ronin starts, raising a hand to his chest. “Though, I suppose I can’t worry too much with an Adeptus around.” Xiao hums at that. 

“We are sharing this duty together.” Xiao starts, narrowing his eyes. “I wouldn’t break a contract with Rex Lapis, no matter how it contradicts with my original one.” Kazuha’s smile drops slightly. 

“I see.” The ronin stars, crossing his arms as his smile returns. “I’m sure we’ll grow on you.” Xiao doesn’t say anything, leaning against the doorframe with an unreadable expression. Y/n clears their throat causing Kazuha’s attention to shift from the adeptus to them. 

“Let’s talk about something else.” They start, pushing one of the food items towards Kazuha. “Yuhua said this was Grilled-Tiger fish…I don’t know what you like So I just took what she said was best.” 

“Oh? That's alright. As Long as it isn’t rushed I should enjoy it.” Kazuha says. “I do hope you got something you liked as well.” Y/n blinks a few times. 

“Yuhua said they didn’t have any Inazuman food and I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever eaten Miso Soup and a few other things. So I just took what Yuhua gave me.” Y/n looks down at a bowl of what seemed to be Bamboo Shoot Stew. “I’m sure there's something I’ll like. I’d like to try their new things too.” It wasn’t a surprise that Y/n was also from inazuma seeing as the hidden vision on their wrist was in the shape of an inazuman one. But that doesn’t really mean they are inazuman, it just means that's where they were when they got their vision.

“Are you from Inazuma?” Kazuha questions, glancing back where Xiao was to, unsurprisingly, see him gone. 

“I think so? I don’t remember my childhood much…” Y/n trails off. “Just being with…them.” The demon hugs themself. 

“We don’t need to think of that now.” Kazuha changes the subject quickly. “What would you like to do today, hm?” 

Chapter Text

What Y/n wanted to do today was very simple. ‘Just, go outside’ was all they said and so, That leads to now, Kazuha and Y/n standing on the bottom-floor of the Wangshu Inn. The seating area was scarce, unlike the day before. Though it was still quite early in the morning so most of the Inns patrons were either still sleeping or currently getting ready for the day. It was extra warm today, usually, the extra heat was a sign of a coming storm In Liyue. Kazuha was on the lookout for any dark clouds as He followed Y/n across the wooden platform towards the other side, where there were bamboo rafts floating in the water. The fishermen that usually made their home here were nowhere to be found, their fishing rods were all that remained. 

The Sun was shining perfectly on this side of the Inn, Lighting the water a bright turquoise as well as revealing all of the fish swimming under the clear surface. Y/n speeds up their steps, leaning just slightly over the side of the platform (that had no railing, to Kazuha’s dismay.) To see the silver and gold scaled creatures. A few of the fish had swum away as Y/n shadow passed over the water. Y/n watches the fish glide through the water for a short while before raising their head towards the sky, shutting their eyes as they face the sun. They seem to bask in the light for a few seconds before turning to Kazuha. 

“It’s so…Warm here.” Y/n trails off, averting their gaze to the floor with a frown.

“Do you not like the heat?” Kazuha questions and this causes Y/n to raise their head.

“No, No. I like it.” They are quick to correct him. “It’s just…weird. I’m used to the cold.” Y/n turns back to the water, kneeling on the deck and dipping their hand in the brightly colored water. They cup some of it in their hands before letting it drip back into the Marsh, letting out a small hum. “Even the water is warm…” They speak softly.

“It really only ever gets cold In Liyue during the end of Winter.” Kazuha starts. “That's the only time it snows, and It’s never much. Though, Don’t take my word for It. I heard that from Beidou.” 

“Snow…” Y/n stares at the water with a pensive expression, before standing. “Do you know what kind of fish that is?” Kazuha blinks a few times, a bit jarred by the quick change of subject. The ronin glances at the water, seeing that most of the fish had migrated away except for one. A multi-colored Madaka. Scales of silver, blue and purple. 

“Ah, I’m no expert on fish. You’d have to ask one of the fishermen when they start working for the day.” Kazuha says, giving the demon an amused glance when they frown. “Is there any reason why you wish to know?” 

“It looks…Pretty.” Y/n says, crossing their arms. “It reminds me of a Crystal Fly.” They turn towards Kazuha fully. Y/n, without a word, strides past him and towards the seating area of the Inn where Yuhua was setting the tables. The waitress didn’t acknowledge the two as they walked by. Y/n hopped down the stairs and paused, glancing around the small island the Wangshu Inn was situated on with a small frown. Kazuha simply trails behind them, unsure of what exactly to do to entertain not only them but himself. There wasn’t really much around to do aside from look at the scenery. 

“Do you…Have a weapon?” Kazuha breaks the silence. Y/n cranes their head over their shoulder to look at him with a raised brow. “I was just wondering since you have a vision.” Y/n stares at him silently for a moment before spinning on their toes to face him. 

“I do.” They confirm with a small nod, resting their arms on their hips. “She-” The demon starts, but stops suddenly, shaking their head as their small grin falls from their face. 

“Can I see it.” Kazuha questions, revealing his own Blade. The blue-tinted sword the Traveler had gifted him a while back. It was a pretty weapon and seemed to better his abilities much more than his old one did. It felt more like he was holding air than a sword. Y/n watches Kazuha swing the sword a bit, running a clawed finger over the glowing blue blade when he stops. They let out a small hum, smiling slightly with a conflicted emotion in their eyes. 

“Pretty…” They trail off, pursing their lips before taking a step away from Kazuha. He hadn’t noticed how much closer they had gotten to each other. “I have a Catalyst.” Y/n starts, summoning the floating weapon over their hand in a puff of blue mist. A silvery-blue metallic casing with a sapphire and lilac crystal floating in the middle, letting off a soft, white glow. Light blue veins of some kind of stone run through the metal casing of the catalyst, also glowing but less intense. 

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that before.” Kazuha says with a small tilt of his head. “It’s very beautiful.” Y/n lets out a small giggle, their cheeks turning the slightest bit pink. 

“Ah Thank you. I’m very fond of it.” Y/n says, letting the weapon disappear. The demon raises a hand to their chest, staring past Kazuha with a soft smile. The ronin examines them for a few silent moments, before lightly grabbing their wrist. 

“I’d like to see how you fight. Would you spar with me?” Y/n looks back at him, taking a moment before their eyes widen in surprise. 

“Wh-…what?” Their voice is much quieter than before, a mix of emotions Kazuha can’t place filling their eyes. “I can’t…” They tug their wrist from Kazuha’s grip and the ronin takes a step back to give them a bit of space. Maybe asking that wasn’t the best idea. Y/n turns away from him and back to the scenery surrounding the Wangshu Inn silently. Their wrist to their chest, though not the one Kazuha had a hold of, the one with their vision. They seemed to be staring down at it. Their other hand gripped the skin under the bracelet tightly. 

A bit too tightly, as Kazuha notices the skin around where they were gripping was turning white. “I apologize. I should have realized that might have been a sore subject.” Kazuha moves to stand on their other side, hesitating to touch them again before lightly grabbing the arm that was currently cutting off their circulation. “We can head back inside if you’d like. I’m sure Miss Goldett wouldn’t mind if we borrowed some of her novels.” Y/n releases their wrist, watching their skin redden then darken, leaving a bruise. Kazuha inwardly winces at the sight of it. It’s very quiet, aside from the sounds of the Wangshu Inn’s business going on behind them. Y/n let their arm drop back to their side, sucking in a deep breath before releasing. The demon does this a few more times before turning back to Kazuha with an apologetic glance. 

“No.” They start. “I’ll…I’ll spar with you.”

Chapter Text

“You’re sure you are alright with this. I don-” Kazuha is cut off as Y/n summons their weapon. The silver catalyst swirling slowly as they began to infuse it with elemental energy. The two had walked a few feet from the Wangshu Inn, a spot of grass with no trees nor enemies nearby to interrupt. It wasn’t far at all from the Inn, but not close enough to both the other residents. 

“I’m fine.” Y/n starts, standing calmly a few feet away from Kazuha as he summons his sword. “I just…Haven’t fought in some time. so..I was nervous.” Kazuha narrows his eyes slightly, but quickly returns to his neutral expression. That explanation was bullshit, but he has no right to ask them to explain. Maybe they could open up eventually, now was much too soon to even try to pry. 

“Alright.” Kazuha looks down at his blade, noting the scratches and scraps that tainted the otherwise flawless stone it was made from, before staring back up at the demon across from him with a grin “I’ll try to go easy on you.” 

Y/n gives him a closed eye smile back. “You shouldn’t” Their tone was teasing. Before the Ronin could respond the catalyst in their hand started to spin wildly. The air around them both turned cold. A stark contrast to how warm it had been moments ago. Neither of them went to attack first, just the two staring each other down with smiles. Kazuha squints for a moment before infusing his sword with anemo, raising the sword and slashing it through the air, sending a slash of wind towards the demon. 

Y/n doesn’t move to dodge. Kazuha almost panics, but right as the blast would have hit them, what seems to be a shield forms around them, breaking away just as quickly as it had formed. It had shimmered with blue and lilac in the sun from the brief glimpse he’d gotten of it, it seemed to mirror the texture of feathers. Though they were glassy. Kazuha moved to stand up straight, watching closely as Y/n swirls their wrist, twirling on their feet as wisps of colored cryo energy formed around them and above their hand. Y/n swings their arm, releasing their attack. Kazuha quickly slid to the side to avoid the ice, bits of it brushing against the exposed part of his arm with a burn. The demon doesn’t decide to give Kazuha the chance to recover. They raise their catalyst above their head as blue and purple cryo energy engulf them for a moment. Y/n quickly moves their hands down, sending a spear shaped manifestation of ice at him. The ronin’s eyes widen as the makeshift weapon pierces the ground by his feet.

The spear disappears in a wisp of element energy and Y/n lets out a small chuckle as Kazuha shakes his head. “You know we're only sparring, right?” Kazuha questions, shifting on his feet. Y/n nods with another giggle. 

“I know.” they state with a smile. “I just wanted to show that you don’t need to go easy on me.” They continue, letting their catalyst swirl again. Y/n sends a few normal attacks at the ronin, Kazuha dodging each one with the icy mist simply brushing his clothing. They were letting him get closer it seemed. Kazuha propels himself forwards with anemo, slashing his blade towards Y/n’s feet. The demon vanishes in a puff of the purple and blue mist, appearing again just a foot away from the ronin, now that Kazuha has gotten a closer, the mist around Y/n are actually…feathers? They melted away quickly and Y/n’s eyes seemed to be glowing brighter than they usually do. 

“You’re more experienced than I expected.” Kazuha says, using his vision to send a blast of anemo towards the demon from behind. Y/n lets out a yelp as they stumble forwards, glancing up at Kazuha with a pout. The ronin storms forwards before Y/n can regain their balance, bashing the blunt end of his sword into their stomach. The demon lets out a choked noise before stumbling backwards, wrapping their free arm around the afflicted area causing Kazuha to  freeze in his steps. “Archons, I didn’t hurt you did I?” 

Y/n sucks in a breath, shaking their head. “I’m fine.” They speak, though it seemed to be through gritted teeth. 

“You don’t sound very fine.” Kazuha states, letting his sword disappear. “We can take a quick break-”

“No!” Y/n says quickly, finally ripping their gaze away from the ground. “I want to keep going.” The demon stands up straight again, the catalyst spinning by their hand. There is a wide grin on their face. Kazuha hesitantly re-summons his sword just in time to counter one of Y/n’s normal attacks with another anemo slice, infusing the wind with cryo as it pushes Y/n back a bit. They let out a gasp as the now cold wind slashes against their skin, but it doesn’t leave any injuries. 

“I really don’t think that-” Kazuha cuts himself off this time, raising his sword to block one of Y/n’s ice spears, the cryo infused item breaking into shards as it collides with the blade of Kazuha’s sword. 

“I wanna keep fighting!” They say, raising their fists to their chest. “This is fun, I haven’t been able to use my weapon in a while. And you’re hit didn’t even hurt!” as if to prove their point, the demon puffs out their chest. 

“If..you insist.” Kazuha says, shaking some of the dark blue ice off of his sword. Y/n waits for him to get ready, Kazuha falling into a defensive position as Y/n seems to be keen on taking the offensive. Again, the two stare each other down for a few moments, and Kazuha notices something. 

Are Y/n’s eyes…purple now? Well, not completely purple, there was still E/c surrounding their pupil, but the pupil itself was now glowing a light lilac.

The demon moves again, as if sensing he was distracted. They summon two of their cryo spears this time, throwing them towards Kazuha with a simple flick of their wrist. The ronin rolls out of the way, assisted by anemo to move faster, as the spears impale the ground behind him. He quickly jumps back onto his feet, rushing towards the demon. Kazuha uses his vision to propel himself into the air, swinging his sword towards Y/n from above. As the sword comes down, the shield from before reappears, the blue blade of his sword bashing across the shiny surface of it. The impact causes the feathers made of cryo energy to fly around him. Sure enough, the shield was made of the same thing their regular attack was. The ronin wonders what exactly the attacks are based on. The shield disperses as Kazuha lands back on his feet. Y/n raises their arm, blue and purple cryo mist swirling around it. Kazuha backed up a few feet, the look on the demon's face was not reassuring. A glare in their multi-colored eyes with a large grin on their lips. 

“Y/n, I think we should stop.” Kazuha decides to speak up, lowering his sword but still keeping it by his side. With the way things are going he might need it. Y/n narrows their eyes slightly, grin falling into a small frown. “It’s almost lunch, we can go back to the Inn and get something.” Kazuha reasons. Y/n doesn’t speak for a moment, staring at Kazuha with a piercing gaze, one that sent shivers down his spine. What happened to the person he was talking to on the deck this morning. 

“I’m not done yet.” Y/n finally speaks, their smile returning. It wasn’t nice like before though, it was unnerving. The demon clenches their fist, the mist that had accumulated around them moving to form in it. Y/n pulls back their arm. The air gets even colder and Kazuha raises his sword in defense. 

“Y-Y/n Do-” Kazuha is cut off as a force hits him from behind, knocking him and whatever hit him to the ground. The ronin cranes his head around to see a diamond shaped formation of cryo shatter on the ground where he had been standing a moment ago. 

Wait, How did he get so far away from the point of impact? 

Kazuha turns his head forwards again, locking eyes with a pair of amber-colored ones. “Are you alright?” Xiao questions, tilting his head to the side slightly. It kind of reminded Kazuha of a puppy but a lot scarier.

“I’m…fine.” Kazuha says quietly, before turning his head in the direction Y/n had been. 

Oh.

Y/n was laying in the grass, unmoving. Kazuha feels the familiar warm air of liyue returning. “Did- Did you ki-” 

“Of course not.” Xiao states, with a defensive tone. “I just knocked them out.” The adeptus continues, looking back over to them with an unreadable look in his cat-like eyes. Kazuha nods, shuffling away from Xiao so he can stand. It just then occurred to him how close the two had just been. 

“What happened to them?” Kazuha questions, crouching down by their side before resting the back of his palm on their forehead, flinching away as their skin is ice cold. “They were…” Xiao lets out a quiet hum, shuffling to the demon’s otherside before lifting them into his arms. 

“It might be something similar to my Karma.” Xiao states, looking towards Kazuha as the ronin stands again. “Grab my arm.” The yaksha doesn’t bother to explain his meaning, so Kazuha follows his instructions, laying a hand on his arm and in a flash the three stand in the bedroom of the Wangshu Inn. 

“Oh, Teleporting is not as disorienting as I expected it to be.” Kazuha states, watching with cautious eyes as the green-haired adeptus; a lot gentler than expected, lays Y/n down on the wrong bed. Not that it matters. “Will they be back to normal when they wake?” 

Xiao is quiet for a while, staring down at the demon as their chest rises and falls. “I believe so.” He finally speaks, averting his eyes towards the wall across the room. “I don’t think it works the same as mine.”

“Were you watching us?” Kazuha asks, raising a hand to his chest. Xiao shakes his head. 

“I was in Jueyun Karst.” Xiao states and Kazuha’s eyes widen, before he can ask, Xiao continues. “I could feel the mass of energy they were creating from there. Quite Impressive actually.” Xiao crosses his arms over his chest, brows furrowed. “I’ve only known a few Adepti able to create that much. And They’re all dead now. Except Morax.” Kazuha isn’t sure how to respond and to his luck Xiao keeps talking. “Chi…were also able to do that. But I don’t believe Y/n is one.” 

“Chi…” Kazuha trails off, raising his hand to his chin. “Do you have any guess as to what kind of Demon Y/n is?” Xiao finally turns his gaze to the ronin. 

“I’m only familiar with the ones native to Liyue.” The yaksha starts “There are shuǐ guǐi, yuān guǐ. Most are native to Wuwang Hill now and are not much of a threat. I doubt whatever they are is a native creature of Liyue.” Xiao shakes his head slightly. “You fought with them. Is there anything similar to their fighting style from Inazuma.” Kazuha supposes Xiao asked because of Y/n Inazuma vision. 

“Hm…I would say a Tengu is the most similar, but those are Yokai and I believe there is only one left.” Xiao hums again, turning back to Y/n as they roll over on their side. It didn't seem like Xiao whacked them in the back of the head with his polearm so they weren’t hurt. 

“We should discuss this with Morax and The Yuheng if they arrive sometime this week.” 

“If you’d prefer.” Kazuha starts. “I can head into Liyue Harbor and let them know. Ningguang is one of my friends so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” 

Chapter Text

_________________________________________________________________________

“Ah, I think they’re warming up now. Let me get some more blankets” The familiar voice shook the demon from their sleep as her footsteps began to move away. They scrunch nose as they let out a wince at the pain in the back of their neck. Y/n’s limbs felt heavy as they tried to move. Sluggishly raising their hand to their eyes to wipe away the sleep before blinking the e/c orbs open their, eyes meeting the wooden pattern of the ceiling of Wangshuu Inn. It was dark, lantern light shining through the room. Y/n’s eyes move towards the balcony, the blinds on the door closed allowing small whisps of the darkness outside in, Though the Lantern would swallow it whole with its light. While Y/n is unsure how long they had presumably been out but it had been around lunchtime when they were last conscious. Speaking of Which. What had happened anyway?

“You’re awake.” The demon flinches, ripping their gaze away from the door to the other side of the room, leaning beside the open door that leads into the room. Xiao stood there, arms crossed with one of the legs resting against the wall behind him. That's when the memories flooded their mind again. Eyes wide, Y/n quickly sits up. The demon tears their gaze around the room, in search of the familiar silver-haired inazuman. Only for him to be nowhere in the room. E/c eyes shoot back to the door as a very concerned-looking Verr Goldett rushes into the room, arms full of two folded blankets that were much thicker than the sheet that was resting on the bed. 

“Oh!” The woman calls out, slowing her pace as if noticing their increasing anxiety. “Here, I got you some thicker blankets.” She says, setting them at the edge of the bed. 

“F-For me? Why?” Yn asked, brain jumbled from the memories as well as general anxiety. Waking up and imminently having a kinda panic attack isn’t very fun. Verr frowns, laying a hand on their forehead as her expression morphs to concern. She grabs one of the blankets and throws it around the demon's shoulders, tucking it around them tightly. 

“That's not going to work,” Xiao speaks up, Verr turning to give the yaksha a small glare. She doesn’t say anything to him. Getting up from where she had sat on the bed. Y/n moves to shrug the thick blanket off of them. They didn’t feel cold at all, actually, with the added blanket, The inn room felt hotter than ever. Verr moves towards the door again, saying something to Xiao that the demon was unable to catch before leaving the room once again. This time shutting the door behind her. 

"Are you feeling alright?" Xiao questions, tilting his head slightly. He doesn't move from the entryway to the room. 

"Yes…just kinda sore" Y/n speaks quietly, a hint of confusion lacing their tone. "What happened?" Xiao hums, brows furrowing for a moment as he stares at the demon. 

"You seemed to have lost control for a moment while sparring, I'm not surprised you don't remember. I can't remember what I've done after karmic episodes either." Xiao finishes the small rant with a sigh, golden eyes falling closed as he lets out a heavy sigh. Y/n blanches for a moment. Memories of what had transpired only hours ago flooded their mind and mixed with their already looming anxiousness. Their eyes dart around the room once more before their breath catches in their throat.

"Did..did i-i kill-"

"No." Xiao speaks quickly, finally moving away from leaning on the entryway and moving toward the stressed figure. "Kadehara is unharmed, he left for Liyue Harbor to speak with the Qixing on my behalf." Y/n let out a heavy breath, raising a hand to their chest. Tears that had threatened to fall seconds before finally did as they clenched their eyes shut. 

"Thank the archons…" Y/n stutters under their breath, bunching the hand on their chest into a fist. Xiao lets the silence last for a moment. 

"I had to hit you in the head with my weapon, Kazuha was worried you might have had a concussion so I asked Verr to take a look." Xiao glances at the demon as they let out a small noise that almost sounded like a laugh. 

"Thank you." Y/n says, raising their head to look at him. Xiao doesn't say anything, though he is unsure what they are thanking him for, and simply nods. Y/n finally releases their tight grip on their clothing and lets their hand fall to their lap. 

The Adeptus takes a step towards the table in the room, grabbing a mug of tea Verr had brewed earlier, and holding the glass out to Y/n. "This will ease any pains you might have." Y/n takes the steaming mug. Their clawed fingers tapped against the glass in a satisfying clicking noise. Y/n raises the mug to their nose, taking a whiff of the liquid. "It's tea." 

"What kind of Tea?" Y/n questions as they take a sip. 

"It's made of Qixings" Xiao starts, pausing in his words as the demon's brows furrow and they allow the tea to spill back into the mug from their mouth. "Is something wrong?" 

"Why is it so Bitter?" Y/n shakes their head, slightly glaring down at the tea in the mug. 

"Sugar lessens the effects, I also prefer it that way." Xiao crosses his arms, eyes narrowing slightly. Y/n blinks at him.

"Well…maybe you should have it then." They say slowly, holding the mug back out to Xiao. He stares at them silently for a long few moments before the door to the room swings open. 

“Dinner is Served!” Yuhua calls, stumbling over her feet and almost dropping the tray she was holding as she enters, Xiao distances himself from the demon. Taking a few steps back towards the table as Yuhua sets done one of the smaller dishes on the large tray. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I just brought Xiao’s usual,” she says, setting down two small plates of Almond Tofu. Y/n moves to stand. 

“Don’t.” Xiao speaks up, stopping them just as they swung their legs over the edge. “You probably wouldn’t be able to walk anyway.” He says, reaching out to something on the table. Y/n frowns and turns their gaze to Yuhea who lets out a small giggle, hand over her mouth. 

“Well, I’ll let you serve our guest for now.” Yuhua says with a short bow. “I hope you feel better tomorrow, Y/n!” The lively waitress says with a wave. Yuhua leaves as quickly as she enters and Xiao turns back to Y/n, taking the mug from their grip without a word. The demon watches him for a few moments as Xiao drops a spoonful of the syrup covering the Almond Tofu into the tea, stirring it slowly with the same spoon. 

“Here.” Xiao says, setting the spoon back onto the plate before grabbing the mug and turning back to Y/n. “It should suit your tastes now.” Y/n smiles slightly, taking the mug once again from his hands. 

“How sweet.” the demon mutters, taking another sip. It wasn’t too much sweeter than before, still bitter but not unberingly so. Y/n lets out a hum, nodding their head. “That's much better.” Xiao lets out a ‘humph’ turning away before they can meet his gaze again.  

“I’ll leave these here. It’s getting late and I haven’t even started my watch.” Xiao says, taking a few steps toward the doorway. 

“Ah, Wait!” Y/n speaks up, nearly spilling the Qixing tea as they jolt. “D-do you know when Kazuha will be b-back? I-i don’t wanna be alone.” They state, lowering their gaze. Xiao pauses, not bothering to look back at them before letting out a sigh. 

“The walk from Liyue Harbor to Wangshuu inn isn’t very long, but it’s already late and I doubt he will be back by tonight. It’s better for him to stay in the Harbor than walk back at night.” Xiao explains, crossing his arms. Y/n lets out a small sound, their hands grasping the mug tightly. 

“I see…” they trail off before sucking in a breath. “Well, I’m sure I can handle it!” they start, nodding their head. “I just need to…Read! Yes, Reading will distract me.” Y/n turns to the bedside table, snatching the pamphlet from the top. It’s silent for a few moments, and Xiao crosses his arms as Y/n continues to stare at the 3 paged paper with a pensive gaze. “...I don’t know Liyuen…” 

“I won’t be gone for long.” Xiao starts, taking a few steps toward the demon. “I will just be patrolling Dihua marsh, It won’t take longer than twenty minutes. Do you think you can manage that long?” Y/n blinks a few times, choosing to ignore the insult, and nods their head. A grin breaks out on their face. 

“Thank you, Xiao!” 
_____________________

The ronin lets out a breath, stretching his arms above his head. Ruby-colored eyes stare up at the starry sky. The moon bathes the night scenery with silver lighting. Animals rustling in the greenery by the path and water flowing from the Dihua marsh nearby. It was a peaceful and beautiful night. The kind of night you’d expect to hear of only in stories, cloudless sky, and shining stars. A view Kazuha will commit to memory as he does with every fantastic scenery he’s seen. 

“Eh, Enough stargazing. If you keep getting distracted you’ll waltz right into a camp of Fatui. Again.” Kazuha lets out a huff, turning to glance over his shoulder at the captain trailing behind him. The two meet eyes and Beidou lets out a laugh loud enough to awaken any sleeping hilichurls nearby. “You seem off your game lately, Kazuha.” The pirate teases, ruffling his already messy hair as she walks by. 

“It might just seem that way to you.” The ronin states, shaking his head with a smile. “My senses still work perfectly fine while gazing at the sights.” Beidou chuckles, hands on her hips as she spies their destination in the distance. “I told you, you didn’t have to join me.” Kazuha says as they both slow their strides. 

“It’s fine.” Beidou says, swinging an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t feel good letting you walk back by yourself, no matter how skilled you are.” Beidou releases him and the two walk side by side towards the bridge “Also, I heard the Wangshuu inn has some wine traded in from Mondstadt and I’d love to try it.” At this, Kazuha rolls his eyes with a smile. 

“As expected of you.” Beidou raises a brow but doesn’t say anything simply allowing a grin of her own to grow on her face. 

“So how exactly is our new friend doing? You and Ningguang were doing a lot of whispering in there.” the ronin blinks, smile falling slightly. 

“I hope they’re alright. An…incident happened and they were injured when I left.” Beidou nodded crossing her arms over her chest as the two cross the bridge. 

“Well, if they’re any better tomorrow, maybe I can swing by and say ‘Hi’ before we leave.” The captain states, sending Kazuha a questioning look. 

“I thought you were wary of them?” Kazuha questions, the duo pausing by the elevator as they wait for it to return. Beidou shrugs and turns her gaze forwards onto the Dihua Marsh. 

“You seem pretty fond of them and your judgments have never been wrong before. I trust you.” Beidou says, her eyes softening slightly. “Just a little worried for you was all.” 

“Ah, I see.” Kazuha says, voice quiet. “You shouldn’t worry so much about me, Beidou.” The captain lets out a short laugh. 

“How can I not when these are the situations you get yourself in.” she jokes with a shake of her head. The duo ride the elevator up in silence. Beidou gazes at the marsh once more as Kazuha gets lost in thought. It was late at the Inn, but Verr was still standing behind the counter as they approached. The boss was scratching under Wei’s chin as she stared tiredly down at the purring kitty. She perks up as the two step through the entryway. 

“Oh, You’re back!” Verr says, a bit too loud at the time of night. “We weren’t expecting you back till tomorrow.” She continues, lowing her tone. Kazuha gives her an apologetic look. 

“I was a bit too restless to Stay in Liyue Harbor.” the ronin admits and Verr nods. “This is Beidou, the Captain of the Crux.” Beidou grins at the boss of the Inn and Verr’s eyes widen in recognition. 

“Ah, Welcome!” Verr greets, perking up even more. The tiredness disappeared from her face. Kazuha glances at Beidou as she approaches the counter. 

“I’ll head to my room, see you in the morning.” The ronin gives Beidou and Verr a wave as he rushes up the stairs. Kazuha keeps his steps silent as he reaches the residential area. He isn’t sure how late it is but the Inn seemed to be fast asleep. No one was even on the lower floor when they passed. His discussion with Ningguang (And Keqing, since she insisted to listen in.) was long, though it was more theorizing than anything of substance. Ningguang stated she’d consult Ganyu about the Issue and that it Ganyu wasn’t sure, then surely one of the other Adpeti would have some clue. (Kazuha thought of going to Zhongli but Ningguang insisted to leave him alone for now.) 

The white-haired man reaches the door, listening for a moment before lightly knocking against the door. In case anyone was still awake. At the silence, Kazuha retrieves the spare key he’d taken from Verr before he’d left, He’s sure she wouldn’t mind if she even noticed. If not then he’d return it the next morning. Kazuha pushes open the door lightly, squinting his eyes at the darkness. The lantern that lights the room had gone out. Embers all the remain in the bottom. Kazuha lightly shuts the door behind him and steps into the room, eyes gazing over the room as they adjust to the darkness. Ruby eyes fall onto the bed closest to the balcony where Y/n lays on their stomach, covered in a variety of blankets of different fabrics and colors. What surprised the ronin though, was leaning against the bed on the floor was Xiao. The Adeptus had one of Y/n’s hands lightly in his own and seemed to also be asleep in a very.. uncomfortable-looking position. 

If Kazuha wasn’t sure the slightest touch would awaken him, he’d be compelled to try to move him. Alas, the ronin would rather not startle the timid Adeptus and simply gives a small smile at the scene. “How interesting,” he mutters quietly. “I’d never expect to see the conqueror of demons to hold one's hand,” Kazuha mutters with a small giggle under his breath. 

Chapter Text

The sounds of birds chittering and chirping filled Xiao’s ears. A heat surrounded him, much similar to lazing in the sun with the soft texture of the dew-covered grass below his skin. The Adeptus lets out a short hum of confusion. Golden Eyes blinks open as his arm brushes against the fuzzy surface one more. A light cream-colored blanket had been draped over his shoulders. The cloth work was large enough that it covered his whole form in a drape of warmth and comfort. Confusion filled him, did he really fall asleep while he was supposed to be guarding Y/n. 

“Hm, are you awake?” Xiao jolts, head shooting up to look across the room. Kazuha sits up from his spot on the bed across from him. “Did you sleep well on the floor?” The ronin questions with a slight teasing pitch to his voice. Xiao blinks a few times before letting out a scoff, tearing his gaze away from the Inazuman man. 

“You should have woken me.” The Adeptus says, cautiously getting to his feet so as to not wake the other sleeping person in the room. Kazuha tilts his head, a lazy grin on his face. “I only meant to stay til they fell asleep.” 

“But you seemed so peaceful, I couldn’t bring myself too.” Xiao shakes his head at the response. Turning on his heel with a huff and muttering something under his breath. It seemed Kazuha had only just woken up as well, the sun just peaking over the horizon letting light flood in. The cold morning air stung what skin Xiao had shown with its metaphorical claws. The desire to curl back up under that blanket was strong but the embarrassment of falling asleep was gnawing at his consciousness too much for him to even consider it. 

“Enough of this.” Xiao states, not lingering any longer and disappearing in a puff of teal and black smoke. Kazuha lets out another small laugh, feeling as though Beidous playful nature might be rubbing off on him. The ronin glances over to Y/n, the demon rolled over to face the balcony doors, curled in a ball under the many blankets they had acquired. Kazuha could feel the cold air surrounding him, cooling his face that was uncovered by both clothing and blanket. The ronin takes a moment to debate whether to get out of bed yet or not with the warmth calling him back into its comfort. But Kazuha always enjoyed starting the day early and he’d slept late enough the day before. 

A shiver runs over his spine as his feet hit the floor, chilled from the morning air. It was a bit unusual for Liyue to be this cold in the Spring though not too strange, sometimes the winds shift and bring in the cold breeze from Dragonspine down the Liyue. Though those breezes would never make it past the mountains surrounding the Harbor. Wangshu Inn and its residents weren’t so lucky it seems. Kazuha quickly makes his way to the outerwear that he’d left folded on one of the room's table chairs. Quickly reapplying his layers the ronin turns at the sounds of shifting behind him. 

“It’s early…” Y/n trails off, glaring past Kazuha and at the window above the table. Kazuha lets out a chuckle, watching as Y/n moves to stand. The demon swings their legs over the side of the bed and stands before stumbling forwards and nearly falling onto the other bed with a yelp. Kazuha quickly moves to catch them but they steady themselves and glance at him with a nervous laugh. “My legs are still tired, it seems.” Y/n says stretching their arms over their head.

“Are you alright?” Kazuha questions. Y/n nods and gives the ronin a smile. 

“I’m fine. That's what happens when you don’t walk for several hours.” Y/n states with a nod. “Gotta get the blood rushing back through them.” Y/n continues, placing their hands on their hips. Kazuha watches them for a few moments as they do a few more simple stretches, the sound of their joints popping loud in his ears. He decides not to think too much about their previous statement and returns the smile. 

“Good Morning Then. Would you like to eat breakfast downstairs instead of in the room today?” Kazuha decides to ask. Y/n’s eyes light up a bit, previous grin widening slightly. 

“Yes! I wanna feel the sun on my skin!” 

____________

It was indeed much warmer outside. Surprisingly the Inn was bustling despite the early hours of the morning. Though it seemed most were departing from the Inn to continue their travels rather than having breakfast. Y/n picked a table in the corner of the platform where the Tree holding the Inn wasn’t blocking the sunlight. A good choice. It also had a nice view of the crystal clear water below accompanied by the calming sound of the water sloshing against the pillars holding up the Inn’s framework. Yuhua had brought the two some menu’s the moment they sat down. Seeming excited as they were the only ones that seemed to be staying for food. Perhaps Yanxiao was as well, less work for the both of them. Y/n flipped through the little pamphlet of a menu the Inn had, all of them Liyuen delicacies that Y/n didn’t know how to read and judged based on the images. Perhaps they should learn to read the script while they are staying here. 

“Is something on your mind?” Kazuha asks, he’d left the table for a moment, looking over the edge of the deck to look into the water. Enjoying the bustling of the morning and watching the colorful fish swim by. 

“Eh, no.” Y/n says a bit embarrassed that they had been attempting to read the menu the whole time Kazuha had been turned away. “I just…can’t read this.” A flash of realization springs in the ronin’s ruby-colored eyes. 

“Right, you’re not from Liyue. I’m sorry I didn’t assist you sooner.” He says, sliding into the seat next to them. 

“It’s alright!” Y/n says, tapping their chin as they avert their gaze back to the menu. “Is there anything here you’d recommend?” Kazuha lets out a hum, eyeing the script across the paper with a pensive gaze. 

“Why don’t I give you one instead?” Y/n lets out a squeak, jumping and dropping the menu as they throw a look over their shoulder. The captain lets out a loud laugh, raising a hand to her chest. “Well, aren't you jumpy?” Y/n blinks. 

“Beidou…” Kazuha trails off and a pout falls onto the taller woman’s face. 

“Sorry, Sorry,” she says with a wave of her hand. Taking a seat across from the demon. “I think we got off on the wrong foot when we first met. So-” Beidou holds out her hand to them, palm flat. “I’m Beidou. Captain of the Crux fleet and Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean!” She introduces herself with a grin as bright as the sun shining behind her. Y/n stares for a few moments, before slowly reaching out their own hand and taking Beidous in a short handshake. 

“My name is Y/n. I don’t have any cool titles like that though.” Beidou lets out another laugh. Leaning back in her chair The captain rests her arms behind her head. 

“Who knows, maybe you will someday,” Beidou says with a grin, turning her gaze to Kazuha who had a soft smile on his face. “Ah, enough greetings though. Let me see that menu.” Y/n passes the papers to Beidou with a nod. 

“Nothing too difficult to eat would be preferred.” Kazuha says, brows furrowing. “I do believe Y/n isn’t used to most Cuisine in general. Certain tastes and textures could make them sick.” 

“I’ll be fine.” the demon in question disagrees. A slightly determined glint shone in their eyes. “I Like all kinds of food.” Their views on food remind Kazuha of a certain white-haired fairy companion. 

“If you’re certain.” Kazuha says, only a bit worried for them. He knows they probably didn’t get meals like the cuisine of Liyue often while with the Fatui and switching from such bland things to something like the Jueyun Chili Chicken or a Stir-Fried Filet might upset their stomach. The other food they had before had been low on spices and Beidou was known for enjoying lots of peppers in her dishes. Beidou sends Kazuha a teasing grin as she sets the menu down. 

“How about I surprise you?” the captain questions, meeting the demon's eyes. Y/n nods in agreement, a little smile taking over their features. “Alright!” Beidou says standing up. I’ll go to the waitress then, want me to choose for you too, Kazuha?” 

“Sure.” The ronin agrees, watching warily as she saunters towards Yuhua who was helping some other Inn patrons with their luggage. “I do hope she doesn’t order any alcohol. It’s much too early for that.” Though, knowing the captain well, she doesn’t really care too much when. Beidou is responsible enough not to get more than just a little tipsy before 5’ o'clock. “But I have a question for you, Y/n.” Kazuha says, snatching their attention away from the boisterous captain. 

“Hm?” Y/n hums while meeting his gaze. They were in pretty high spirits today. Feeling a continuous rush of energy. Probably because they had slept for so long the day before. They had been very tired even after their interval of awakening. 

“I’d like to take you on a walk to Qingce village.” Kazuha says, looking towards some cliffs and mountains near the Inn. “I’d take you into the Harbor but It seemed to overwhelm you when we were there last. Qingce Village is a small place with mostly Children and the elderly so I believe it’d be a nice place to visit aside from just staying at the Inn.” 

Y/n has a look of surprise fall onto their face. “R-Really? I can…go to other places?” 

“Of course, you can. You aren’t being held hostage.” Kazuha says, realizing the poor choice of words after but Y/n doesn’t seem to take a problem with it. 

“Ah! I know I didn’t mean it like that-” 

Beidou slides back into her seat with a lazy grin. “What are you two going on about over here?” She questions with a teasing look sent toward Kazuha. 

“Nothing too Important. Did you get to order?” The Captain huffs at the blatant change of subject but doesn’t both try to switch it back. Leaning back in the bamboo chair once more. 

“Yep. Now we just wait. Shouldn’t be too long since we seem to be the only ones here.” She states, tapping the heel of her boot against the ground. “So, do you want us to bring you anything back from Sumeru?” Beidou questions, turning her gaze skyward. Kazuha hums, raising a hand to his chin in thought. Y/n doesn’t follow his response. The demon’s eyes locked onto the captain and the words she had spoken. 

“Sumeru…” They trail off, clenching their eyes shut. The land of flowers and dreams was the nation of Sumeru. Jungles are full of giant flowers and deserts roasting in the sun. Y/n had heard of this place. Y/n had been there before. 

____________________

“Kimaya, Kimaya!” a small child's voice fills their ears, eyes shooting open. “Kimaya! Y/n fell in the fountain again!” A boy stood nearby the scene, giggling his head off as he sprinted away from an approaching figure. 

“Ah, are you alright?” The figure questions. A woman with dark skin and hair with a soft look in her eyes. “I told you to stop trying to freeze our water supply.” 

“I-I’m sorry.” Y/n says, their voice a higher pitch, pout decorating this younger version's face. They stumble out of the fountain with little grace. Trying to squeeze the water from their clothes. “I just wanted to use the weapon you gave me.” 

“You can use it in actual battle. I only gave it to you to protect yourself when you head into town.” Kimaya says, ruffling the teen's hair. “Sumeru’s a dangerous place. Wouldn’t want to get caught by any monsters out there.” 

“I won’t. I’m a big kid now.” Y/n says, hands falling on their hips as they tilt their head toward the sky. “I’ll go to Sumeru city and get a job so I can help out here!” 

They hadn’t known at the time it was a lie. 

Kimaya lets out a laugh, turning down a path back to a building in the distance, hidden in large trees covered in vines, high multi-colored grass, and giant glowing white flowers. “Be sure to bring the other children back some toys.” Kimaya says. “Now come along, It’s almost dinner time and I need help preparing the food.” 

A good memory. But they still remember how it all ends. 

_______________

“Y/n?” The demon in question blinks their eyes open, turning their E/c eyes towards the person who spoke. Kazuha looked back at them with a hint of concern in his eyes but Beidou speaks before he can question. 

“So, what do you think?” Y/n rips their eyes away from Kazuha and to the Captain. Resting on the table below was a dish. The food must have arrived while they were zoned out. “I Ordered us a whole platter of Golden Shrimp Balls to share. I haven’t had them in a while and I think it’s one of the perfect foods for a newcomer to try.” Y/n looks down at the platter, Brightly golden colored balls with little shrimp tails sticking out. It had two bowls of different sauces in the middle. 

“It looks…cute.” They speak, poking the crispy ball with their nail before picking it up. “Smells good.” They say with a smile. Still reeling a bit from the sudden memory. They hadn’t realized they’d forgotten. 

“Are you alright?” Kazuha questions. Y/n feels like they’ve been asked that quite a lot lately. They nod, deciding instead to take a bite of the food then answer. They turned their attention back to Beidou who seemed to be waiting for their reaction with an easy look on her face. 

“It’s good!” Y/n says, letting the taste melt on their tongue. Beidou grins suddenly, resting her arms on the table as she grabs one, dipping it into a red sauce before holding it out to them. 

“If you think it’s good by itself, you should try it with this stuff.” 

“Beidou.” Kazuha starts “I don’t think-” Y/n takes the ball from the Captain and takes a bite right where the sauce ends. “Oh…” The ronin trails off, sending Beidou a glare as she moves to cover her mouth. 

“Ah…” Y/n starts dropping the rest of it. “That's hot.” They say, face scrunching up quickly as they begin to breathe from their mouth. “What was that?!” Beidou bursts into laughter and Kazuha quickly passes Y/n one of the glasses of water Yuhua had brought as well. The demon gulps it down quickly and then sends the Captain a half-hearted glare as she laughs. Mind thoroughly away from the previous thoughts for now as their mouths still burned. 

“Sorry I couldn’t help myself.” Beidou apologizes as Kazuha lightly pats their back when they let out a cough. “Don’t drink too fast.” 

“Should I ask Yuhua for some Milk?” Kazuha questions and Y/n shakes their head. 

“No, No. I’ll be alright.” They look back at Kazuha with a grin though their eyes are watering. “I’ve hurt worse.” Kazuha isn’t sure what to say, concerned filling his eyes again as Y/n looks back to Beidou, the Captain offering them her water. It’s quiet as Y/n takes a few moments to regain their composure. “Is Beidou gonna come with us to the Village?” 

“I’m afraid not. The crux takes off from Port Ormos this afternoon so I gotta head back to the Harbor soon.” Beidou explains with a small smile. “I hope you two have fun though, I know quite a few of the locals. Tell them you know me and you might come back with a few free things.” The captain says with a wink. Though it was hard to tell she was winking with the eyepatch. 

“I’ll try to remember to mention it.” Kazuha says, gaze softening as Beidou gets to her feet, stretching. 

“I’ll see you when we get back then?” Beidou asks, questioningly looking at him. 

“Of course. I’ll head to the harbor as soon as I hear you’ve docked.” 

“Uh-huh. You just want your Loutus’s faster.” The Captain teases, placing her hands on her hips. “See ya round then.” She says leaving the table. Y/n gives her a wave as she passes and Kazuha lets out a sigh. 

“So, about the way to Qingce Village.” Kazuha starts. 

Chapter Text

The bamboo forest was very lively today. Boars scattered past as the demon and the ronin as they walked by. The light shone through the bark and slim leaves of the trees, barely blocking the bright sunlight that had only gotten warmer as the day continued on. Y/n, despite not knowing which way to go, had decided to take the lead and Kazuha didn’t protest. The path to the Qingxe Village was pretty straightforward. No twists or turns in the path so there was no worry of either getting lost. Kazuha had not been to the farming village before but Beidou tended to give the place a visit every time she returned from a voyage and the Captain loved to talk so Kazuha knew quite a bit about the place. 

“Ah, It’s so pretty…” Y/n trailed off, eyes wide as they gazed around the forest. The demon lets their palm run over the bamboo as they walked by, claws catching on the bark and leaving white lines in the green. The sound of water flowing nearby as well as the songs of finches gave the little forest a very comforting and calm atmosphere. Kazuha found himself agreeing with his companions' comments. 

“It truly is, but I don’t believe it can compare to the view from the Wangshu Inn.” Kazuha says, trailing behind Y/n as the path turns. They nod with a hum, letting their gaze wander. Nearby was a house at the top of a somewhat large hill. They must be close now. 

As the stocks of bamboo start to become scarce the dirt path also turns to stone. The house they had passed seemed to be abandoned but the rest of the village was not too far away. Y/n could spy the roofs of the houses just over the hill. “So…What is the village like?” Y/n questions as the two carefully walk over the long wooden bridges. 

“It’s a quiet place, Beidou says. There are only Children and the Elderly at this time of day. The adults work in the harbor all day.” Kazuha explains. A pair of squirrels that had been chittering at the end of the bridge scattered away as they approach, leaving a cluster of nuts and berries behind. 

“Aw, You scared them away!” The duo stops in their tracks as a head pokes out from behind one of the many stone walls surrounding the farmland. A child stood with wheat seeds sticking to her hair. 

“Apologizes.” Kazuha begins, moving to stand by Y/n’s side as the girl hopped over the wall. “We hadn’t realized you were here.” Y/n nods in agreement and the girl shakes her head. 

“It’s alright!” she cheers, placing her hands on her hips, brown pigtails flopping with her movements. “I’ve never seen you two before you must be visitors,” she says, laying a palm on her chest with a bright smile. “I’m Yaoyao.” 

“Nice to meet you!” Y/n speaks before Kazuha can. “I’m Y/n, this is my friend Kazuha.” Yaoyao grins. The little girl's name was very familiar to the white-haired man but before he could think more of it, the girl speaks once more with a clap of her small hands. 

“Welcome to Qingxe Village, I live here so I can give you a tour if you’d like.” Yaoyao offers. The basket attached to her back rustles as she moves. “There's not much, but I can at least lead you into town.” 

“That’d be wonderful.” Kazuha agrees. 

Yaoyao leads the two up the singular path in the little town, the items in the basket shifting a nearly falling out as she walked. The young girl would point out anything interesting as they passed by. Such as what the resident children had named a certain scarecrow, or telling a story of how Little Ying and Little Liu had eaten a bad batch of Jueyun Chili’s ending up sick for a few days. Y/n allowed their gaze to wander as the girl explained various things. Eyeing the vast fields of wheat and other crops that lined the surface of the village. The river that ran through the town was the same that ran through the little bamboo forest they had before. 

The higher they walked, the more abundant the houses became and Kazuha could tell they were getting closer to the heart of this little village. The now trio passes a home with a solemn-looking girl standing on the porch. The girls’ eyes light up as they passed by and Yaoyao sends her a wave. “Hello Little Liu!” the brunette calls out. Liu, in response, jumps from the porch. The girl stumbles a bit but ultimately doesn’t fall over and continues her pursuit. 

“Are you okay?” Y/n questions as Liu makes it over. Yaoyao shakes her head as Liu begins to speak. 

“Yaoyao, it’s about time you’ve come back,” Liu says with her arms crossed. “Is there any news from my dad?” The little girl seemed sad as she asked this. 

“He’s alright. But it doesn’t seem like he’ll be returning to the village anytime soon. I’m sorry Little Liu.” Yaoyao explains. Liu blanches, holding her arms to her chest with furrowed brows. Kazuha and Y/n send each other a glance as the two children speak, before the demon turns back to them both, reaching out a patting the ginger-haired girl lightly on the head. 

“I don’t know what your story is but I’m sure your dad loves you very much and he must be working so hard to keep you safe and happy here.” Y/n starts, crouching down to be eye level with her. “Perhaps, instead of being sad he is not here, we can work to make things easier for him once he returns.” Y/n says, motioning to the village. The demon talked like it seemed natural, Though Kazuha can guess speaking to children is easier than to adults. Little Liu stares at the both of them and Yaoyao saunters over to stand behind Y/n’s shoulder. 

“Thats right!” Yaoyao says, hands falling on her hips as she smiles softly. “The rest of the village is also counting on you Liu. Instead of being sad, Let’s be happy for all that we have.” Yaoyao seemed just as good at comforting children as Y/n. The brunette girl grabbed the other’s hands. “Like now! Why don’t you help me give these guests a tour.” 

“Guests?” Liu mutters, looking Y/n and Kazuha up and down with a now scrutinizing gaze. “You both have visions…” The girl eyes the one attached to Y/n’s wrist. “Lucky.” 

“Liu” Yaoyao says, snapping the other girl from her daze. 

“Mh, Sorry.” Liu says. “I’m Little Liu. I want a vision myself.” 

“I can tell.” Kazuha says with a smile. “Though a vision is quite a hard thing to obtain just through desire alone.” The ronin explains. Not to crush the poor girls dreams but more to simply inform. “There is a saying, ‘When one's fervent ambition burns brightly, the gods will cast their gaze upon you’” Liu looks confused at the explanation but doesn’t both to ask any questions as they group reaches the village. It was scarce. The usual bustle of the Children was missing. Probably playing somewhere else. The was an elderly man and Woman sitting at a table nearby. The waterfall and creaking of the waterwheel cast a peaceful ambiance on the town. 

“What a lovely home you both have.” Kazuha says as Yaoyao turns to face the two adults. She nods enthusiastically. 

“Yes, it’s very beautiful and calm. A lot different than all the hustle at the Inn.” Y/n says, more to themselves than to anyone else as their eyes trace across the various decors and structures. “I wouldn’t mind Living here.” 

“But it’s so Boring” Liu complains, arms crossed over her chest once again. “I can’t wait til I’m big like you so I can leave.” 

“Liu!” Yaoyao calls, looking more saddened than angry. “Don’t let Granny Ruoxin hear you, you’ll make her sad.” Liu’s face falls slightly. “Speaking of Granny, I should take you to her!” Yaoyao changes the subject quickly. Turning so fast her stuffed rabbit nearly falls out of the basket. “She’s the Community Leader so It’s important that you talk to her while visiting.” the little girl explains. “We’ll come back and hang out Later Liu.” 

The girl in question simply waves as Yaoyao leads the two adults up a short set of stairs to a wall-less structure. Inside sitting an old woman at a desk, writing quickly on sheets of paper. “Granny Ruoxin!” Yaoyao calls, catching her attention. The woman tears her gaze from the papers with a smile on her face. 

“Ah, Good Afternoon, My sweet Yaoyao. What brings you here today?” The woman questions, Voice raspy and soft.

“We have Visitors!” 

“It seems we do. Good Day young ones.” The woman named Ruoxin says, hobbling to her feet as she leaves her work behind. “It’s not very often we have Young adults visiting the village.” Ruoxin gives the duo a bright kind smile. Kazuha shakes the frail lady’s hand lightly. 

“We heard about the beauty of Qingce Village and thought it is the perfect place to visit.” Kazuha tells her, more as an excuse than anything. “It certainly doesn’t disappoint.” Rouxin lets out a laugh, shaking her head.

“Well, I’m happy you little ones Think so. Though I can’t see very much of it anymore, It’s good to know it’s still as beautiful.” Rouxin says, laying a hand on her chest. “Welcome to the Village. Stay for as long as you’d like. 

_______________

Yaoyao had led the duo back to the middle of the village where it was most active. The girl had explained since it was a weekday that the village was quiet. It’s usually much more bustling during the weekends as the Adults from the Harbor are home. Currently, the demon and the Ronin sat at one of the tables in the town. Their little tour guide decided to order them one of the resident villagers' famous tea. Kazuha leans onto the table towards Y/n with a small smile. 

“Are you enjoying our trip so far?” Y/n seemed to snap out of their thoughts, turning towards Kazuha with a blink before their expression softens slightly. 

“I really like it here.” They speak quietly as they turn their e/c gaze across the little area longingly. “It reminds me of home.” Kazuha tilts his head. 

“Can you remember your home?” The ronin decides to ask, being careful with his wording so as to not upset them. Y/n is silent for a few moments, looking down at the bamboo table with a pensive gaze. 

“A little bit.” They say with a nod. “I lived with a lot of other children. I think that's why this place reminds me of it.” Kazuha hums at their words, laying his head in his palm. 

“That makes sense. You were very good with both Yaoyao and Liu.” The ronin comments with a smile. “You’d make a wonderful parent.” Y/n opens their mouth to respond but is cut off by a tray landing on their table. Yaoyao had returned with a bright grin, crawling up into the chair between the two. 

“This is some of Pop Kai’s teas, Everyone in the village loves it.” The brunette girl explains, grabbing a cup and blowing on the top to cool the steaming liquid. Y/n takes a sip first. The demon letting out a hum with a smile. 

“It’s very sweet.” Kazuha comments. Lightly set the glass back onto the tray. “It also seems to have a twinge of spice as well.” 

“Mhm.” Yaoyao nods. “It’s made with the essence of Juyuen Chili’s” Y/n pauses in their sips. 

“Interest. I’ve never heard of that before.” Kazuha says, sending Y/n a small grin. They must be thinking back to this morning with the crushed chili sauce and Beidou. The demon sends a halfhearted glare back as they continue to sip on the tea. It wasn’t bad if a little too sweet. Probably to dim the spice from the chilies. 

“I think it’s great.” Y/n says whilst sending Yaoyao a big smile. “Does Qingce have any other Specialties?” Yaoyao taps her chin in thought for a few moments. 

“I think Miss Bai had a special Almond Tofu recipe.” Yaoyao says after a silence. The ronin and the demon glance at each other. Y/n nods as they both come to the same conclusion. 

“Do you think we can get one to go?” 

__________________________________________

Kazuha sets the nicely decorated box down on the table as he returned from the Mill. Miss Bai had insisted he watch her make it for some reason and though it looked quite different from the Dish Yanxiao had made it smelled the same. Besides, if Xiao doesn’t like it He’s sure he and Y/n can finish it instead. The ronin had returned to the bamboo table they had taken up residence at and had been surrounded, by children. 

“It seems you’ve started a party without me.” Y/n lets out a soft chuckle as the white-haired man crosses his arms in mock offense. One of the children, A Boy, points at him with excitement filling his eyes. 

“You! You’re Part of the Crux Fleet too, Right?!” the little one shouts, bouncing on his heels. “My Daddy is part of the Crux too!”

“Really now? Maybe I know him.” Kazuha states, watching as the children begin to talk amongst themselves. He turns back to Y/n, who had given up their seat for a little girl and was now standing by the table instead. 

“They want to play with us.” Y/n says as Kazuha steps to their side. “I told them we had to wait for you to get back first.” Kazuha nods, looking over at the group with an amused look as what seemed to be the leader of the crew approached them, chest puffed out. 

“We decided to play hide and seek.” The girl says, laying her hands on her hips. “You can’t leave the village and you can’t use your visions.” The girl turns to the rest of the group. “Especially you, Yaoyao!” 

Y/n agrees to the girl's terms and suddenly the duo was speed walking down the stairs to Qingce village. As soon as another one of the little kids started counting the group scattered. Y/n glances around with vague excitement in their eyes, hand wrapped around the ronin's wrist as they pulled him along. Kazuha was content to simply follow their lead. They were at a slight disadvantage, what with being taller than most of their opponents but this is simply a game after all. The demon spies a spot, a little jut out from the cliff behind one of the houses, and quickly makes their way over to it, dragging Kazuha along. 

The two step down onto it and Y/n crouches down, throwing their legs over the ledge whilst keeping their head low. Kazuha snickers a little and follows their movements, moving into a similar position though instead leaning back and resting his hands on the grass instead. Surely the house would hide them significantly. “What a wonderful view.” Kazuha mutters. Most of the fields were visible from this place, the sun shining through the golden wheat and red rice planted in them. The sun shone off the water and cast a rainbow light glare onto the rock around it. 

“If These fields are all wheat, Where do the rest of the crops they have come from?” Kazuha blinks a few times to process the nowhere question. 

“I believe they might have some supplies brought in from the harbor.” Kazuha states, turning his head to look at Y/n. They sat with their elbows on their knees and their head resting on their palms, staring down at the lake running through the village with an expression Kazuha couldn’t place. “Is something wrong?” They shake their head. 

“Nothing is wrong. I’m just thinking-” Y/n pauses, the sound of children laughing as they run by breaking the peaceful quiet that had fallen over them. Ah, He’d almost forgotten they were playing a game. Kazuha lets a small laugh escape him, ignoring the glance Y/n sends him as the children's voices fade in the distance. “Do you think we might be hiding too well?” 

“Not at all.” Kazuha says. “I’d say we aren’t even hiding in this spot.” Y/n lets out a hum, shifting slightly in their spot. A couple of pieces of dirt fall and tumble down the cliff, Y/n leans forwards and watches them crash against the rock. 

“Maybe we should-” Y/n is cut off once again, this time not by the children rushing by no but by the excess of rock they had decided to sit on and decided now was the best time to erode and fall. Convenient. 

The tumble is surprisingly short and not nearly as bad as Kazuha had been expecting. “A-Are you okay?!” The white-haired ronin blinks his eyes open, meeting e/c ones staring down at him wide open. Kazuha lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and lets out a short laugh. It seemed in the scuffle that the demon had somehow latched onto him and seemed to break their fall as well as keep him from getting more than a few scratches, clawed hands lightly holding the back of his head with their arm tossed over his torso. Right, Y/n is a demon. Sometimes he forgets. 

“So much for my vision.” The ronin states, giving Y/n a soft smile. “I’m alright, don’t worry.” Y/n lets out a huff and their brow furrow. 

“Make sure to use it next time.” The h/c demon says, raising their arm from around his waist to flick his forehead. 

“And miss getting to see this view? Never.” Y/n doesn’t say anything for a few moments, staring into Kazuha’s ruby eyes with their own e/c orbs. 

“Are you flirting with me?” Kazuha nearly chokes, regaining himself before he can. He hadn’t expected that response. Y/n’s expression softens slightly. Still not moving to push the white-haired man from their lap. “Flowery Words don’t work on me anymore.” Y/n says with a grin. It seemed so. So far they only seemed to be flustered by their own actions and not by anyone else. The ronin had taken a gamble with that comment. 

“Kazuha! Y/n!” Yaoyao’s voice rings out, the little brunette sprinting across the field to where they had fallen as fast as her stubby legs would let her. “Are you hurt?!” The girl cries, nearly falling over as she stops. 

“Ah, We’re fine. Not even a scratch.” Kazuha says, lifting himself off of the demon. Y/n stands only after Kazuha had gotten to his feet, patting Yaoyao’s head lightly. 

“It was actually kinda fun.” Y/n says, side-eyeing Kazuha as they stepped past him.