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The battlefield is now so eerily quiet as you make your way out of the bushes right beside the clearing, battered and bruised.
You had the misfortune of encountering a good sized pack of geo vishaps and there was no way you could deal with them, especially without a vision.
You called his name, voice shaking in fear, your body flung in the air by one of the vishaps.
It was an instant and before you could hit the grass you felt an arm wrap around you and your smaller frame being pressed against someone's well built chest.
"Are you hurt?" he asked as he landed a few meters away from the monsters, his polearm already drawn in front of you in a defensive position.
"Just a few bruises I think" you answered, barely above a whisper "I'm so glad you're here"
Xiao nodded and slowly let go of you, guiding you to stand behind him.
"I need you to run and hide as quickly as possible, I will take care of this first" you didn't have to hear it twice and bolted between the trees.
As you enter the clearing once again you see all the vishaps laying dead and you sigh of relief, only to feel a strangled scream come out of your throat the moment your eyes lay on Xiao.
He's lying face down in the grass, completely still, a pool of blood slowly growing under him.
Did the vishaps do that to him?!
It almost seems umbeliavable that some simple geo vishaps that you had seen him defeat so easily before could have done this.
You drop to your knees beside him and slowly and gently turn him around.
"Xiao? Please answer me!" you call for him, increasingly panicked.
He doesn't answer, eyes glued shut, face so pale his lips have started to look almost blue, breath barely audible.
Was he already hurt when he came?
He has a large still hemorraging gash on his side.
"No no no!" you press your hands on the wound, desperately trying to stop the blood and life from gushing out of his increasingly pale form.
"You can't die! I'm too selfish to let you go!" you scoop him into your arms, holding him close to your trembling form, his forehead tucked into your neck.
"Please Xiao!" you pleade uselessly "not now that I have finally brought down your walls! Not now that I told you about my feelings for you!" his body grows colder in your grasp.
Why does he have to pay for your stupid mistake? Why did you decide to stray from the main road?! If you had been less of an idiot now he would be okay.
Tasting bitter bile in your mouth you let go of shattering sobs.
You're too far from any civilzed place to try carrying him there.
If feels like you're being stabbed as it truly sinks in that he's going to be dead in minutes, you can feel his blood soak your clothes at this point.
"I love you...please don't die on me...!" you rasp between the sobs "please...!"
A green aura envelopes you both.
It feels so warm, so familiar.
You hold on Xiao for dear life, not knowing what to expect, until you hear him groan, the sound suffocated against your shoulder.
You gasp loudly, untightening your hold to take a better look at him.
His eyes flutter open as his skin gains color once again.
"The wound...it's gone!" your voice has grown an octave higher.
"What...happened...?" Xiao croaks out, both drowsy and confused.
Tears come burning down your cheeks again as you wail against his chest.
"You...you were dying...!"
"So the wound had reopened"
"Why did you come in those conditions?! You almost died in front of my very eyes!" you protest in between sobs.
"And leave you with those vishaps? What do you think would've happened to you?!" he bites back, but there's no poison in his tone, just exasperstion as he brushes a gloved hand through your hair in an attempt to help you calm down.
"How is it that I have not a single trace of injuries on me now though?" he looks down at the huge bloodstain where the gash used to be, now he can only see his intact skin from the cut in the fabric.
That's when he sees it, partially hidden in the folds of his bloodied shirt.
He takes it between his gloved fingers, a small golden charm with a green square insert.
"Look" he simply says, holding it between his pointer and thumb.
You slowly raise your head.
"Is that...a vision?! A dendro vision?!" you exclaim, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
He nods and gently places the charm in your open palm.
"And you're a really strong healer it seems" he adds.
"thank the dendro archon" you whisper closing your hand around the vision, you can feel the warm energy cursing through you.
Xiao gently takes your hand in his, tracing circles on the back of it as you finally stop shaking.
You sigh, feeling drained and almost in a daze.
"Let's go back to the inn" the yaksha rises to his feet, bringing you with him.
You stagger a bit before you're solid on the ground.
"That must have taken a toll on me"
"Healing that wound on your first try must have depleated your energly" he pulls you close and in a flash of teal your on the top balcony of the inn, the wind whipping the clothes against your bodies.
Xiao guides you to your room, passing in front of a horrified Verr Goldet.
"What happened to you both?! You're covered in blood!" she exclaims.
"Long story...tell you later" you mumble out, staggering some more before entering your room.
He helps you peel off the blod soaked clothes that have now started to dry and stick to your skin.
You let out a whine as the sticky fabrick is tugged away from your skinn.
"Yuck" you mumble.
"I know" he simply asnwers, offering a small comforting smile.
Once you're all cleaned you clumsily throw on a shirt and a pair of random pants not even bothering to pull out pijamas.
You flop on the bed, your newly recieved vision still clutched in your hand.
A pair of soft lips presses on your forehead.
You hum in response.
"I'll lay down with you as soon as I'm done, okay?"
You hum again content with the answer.
You can feel his now ungloved knuckels brush gently on your cheek and a blanket being pulled up to cover you.
"I owe you my life...thank you" and the last thing you remember before dozing off is the warmth of his presence moments before he steps away.