Chapter Text
Warning(s): T, none
“Thank the Archons, you’re awake.”
“Whuh— ‘Course I’m awake, ow—”
Itto’s greeting to his deputy splintered the moment he was forced back by the force of the strain that the punch through reality had delivered upon him, the Oni forcing himself upright while the kunoichi wrapped her arms around his meaty forearm to haul the hulking Itto to his feet. Towering a good foot taller than anyone else in their party, it was a wonder he didn’t receive a jolt of vertigo from the abruptness.
Pedaling slightly to regain his balance, he smiled crookedly as he wheeled back to the enormous portal he’d created, straightening to perch a hand on a cocked hip. “Well, well, wouldja look at that! Looks like my little plan worked after all, toldja!” he crowed triumphantly, though Yānfēi sighed frustratedly.
“No one’s going to deny that much, but we still don’t know if it’s even safe. So, I wouldn’t be calling it a success just yet,” the lawyer reasoned with a stern look on the Oni, but she didn’t appear cross; just concerned.
“Senpai has a point, boss. Let’s wait until Yèlán gets back and tells us what’s up,” Kuki bolstered as she stood close by the immortal, Itto unable to help the slight quirk of his lips at the obvious gravitation between the two women, like two opposing poles drawn inexorably together. And, well, speaking of Adeptus, if there was gonna be a little wait anyways…
“Hey, you holding up alright over there?” Itto broached towards the Yaksha who’d been meditatively standing with his arms stoically folded, golden eyes fixated on the shimmering wall of light that cascaded through the barricade, before they flitted towards the Oni. Though he half-expected the immortal to rear on him, Itto was pleasantly surprised to see that he was at least doing better.
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with such trivial matters,” Xiāo began at first, bearing the exact tone Itto would’ve expected of him, but a cloying smile from the Oni seemed to thaw through his defenses. “I… would like to thank you for your concern. Earlier, I heard your voice, then those of the others…”
“Yeah, well, what d’you expect? I mean, hey! No one’s saying you’re not a top-notch warrior or anything, but…” Itto released a sigh he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding, a gusty sound through the sagging of his spine. “I kinda heard Kuki lecturin’ you guys before I really passed out, and y’know it’s all true, right? I don’t care if I’ve only known you guys for five weeks, or five minutes. You might not, but I consider you all part of my gang now, and I’ll be damned before anything happens to you. You included, mister bigshot Yaksha.” The reds in his gaze suffused with a buttery warmth, as though it melted too deeply through the icy façade Itto had no doubt was usually maintained around people who didn’t otherwise make such passionate assertions of camaraderie, or the like.
More than that, Itto could see as Xiāo’s gaze became faraway, lost somewhere between the past and forever, seeing him before he saw someone else, then back again. Stunning golds furtively glanced sidelong at the rest of their comrades and it happened once more. There and back again between people he’d known, and people he was coming to know. A bridge spanned between past and present, uniting them without losing sight of the other.
“Where’s Yèlán? We shouldn’t dally here longer than we need to,” the Yaksha stated with a subdued voice, but Itto knew better. Something was sinking into the guy, he knew it. The thaw had begun, and Itto couldn’t be happier if it bloomed into spring completely, because dammit, these people meant a stupid-lot to him and he wanted to see them all emerge alive.
“Well, well, I suppose I arrived back in time. How are you feeling, Arataki?” Yèlán inquired with her hand perched on a cocked hip, the humor threaded through her voice. “I’ll admit, it’s not the most conventional means I would’ve used, but I’ll take it. The portal’s stable, at least, so we might as well get a move-on.”
Yet, just as the group was preparing to file through the ingress, Yèlán at the head of the column stopped short, inclining her head towards the rear where they followed in tow.
“I’ll be honest, of all the ways I expected by day to go, teaming up with the biggest, most unexpected ragtag group that could ever exist in Teyvat was on the bottom of that list, if it was a consideration at all.” Though Itto felt admitted guilt at what earnestly sounded like a firm scolding, such thoughts were silenced immediately when she continued. Yèlán smirked slightly, shaking her head in amusement. “I guess, what I’m trying to say is that you and your deputy made a pretty emphatic point back there. Why, if I didn’t know any better, I might do something crazy like calling the five—no, seven of you my friends.”
It was Aether who finally emerged from a roundabout corner that nodded in agreement, Paimon floating closely along. “Um, Paimon thinks we should be careful, though— Uh, sorry! Did Paimon interrupt something?” the fae flustered as she flitted behind Aether.
“No, Paimon, I don’t think you did,” Yānfēi giggled in amusement, touching Kuki’s shoulders who jerked back at the Adeptus. “If anything, I don’t think Yèlán minds since she’s not usually one to give pep talks.”
“Oh, and you’re suddenly the expert on that?” Yèlán retorted with a chuckle. “Maybe you should take a page from your associate’s book and learn a thing or two about who does and doesn’t give a good motivational speech, will you?”
From the rest did hearty but warm laughter result, Itto ranging his gaze towards Xiāo who folded his arms and smirked, the faint twitch of his lips something that sent Itto’s heart fluttering for reasons he couldn’t name. Lingering protectively close to the Yaksha, it was then that they began their march into the unknown, the cool, misty breath of the shimmery gold opening accepting them as though they were secrets eager to be told.
One thing was for sure, and Itto only prayed they wouldn’t become fodder for supernatural spooks or anything of the like!
Yikes, definitely not! As long as he had Ushio at his side, he’d be ready for anything!