Chapter Text
When Childe learned of the junior herbalist at Bubu Pharmacy, both Baizhu and Zhongli had to assure him she was safe and capable of taking care of herself.
So sue him for taking one look at Qiqi, a girl frozen in time when she was no older than seven, and deciding no, fuck that and making it his personal mission to accompany her out of the city when he has the chance.
Which is what led him to his current predicament.
Usually they ran into little trouble. Just some hilichurls, maybe a few treasure hoarders, the likes of which Qiqi was surprisingly capable of handling on her own. Not that she does when he’s around, though. Childe is swift to dispatch any enemies so she can continue her work undisturbed.
He’s finishing up a hilichurl camp at the base of a cliff Qiqi begins to climb in search of violet grass when he hears an all too familiar mechanical shudder. Instead of the usual rush he’d feel alone or with a formidable ally, his heart drops to his stomach as he hears the whir high above his head.
His suspicions are confirmed true when he turns to face the noise, a Ruin Hunter floats in the air, its arms detached and spinning, no doubt locked onto Qiqi.
“Qiqi, get down from there now! There’s a Ruin Hunter behind you!” he yells, swearing under his breath as he aims his bow.
As expected, Qiqi can’t do much but mutter a quiet “oh dear,” as she’s already stuck in her current command.
Childe fires several shots to draw the machine’s attention. They do little damage against its heavy armor, but its gleaming eye swivels to face him nonetheless.
Before he can take advantage of its weak spot and stun it with a shot to its glowing core, the machine descends into its melee mode, having locked onto him as the new target.
“You wanna get up close and personal, huh? Fine, two can play that game.”
With a flick of his wrist, Childe dismisses his bow into the air and conjures his Hydro blades. The Ruin Hunter pulls a blade from its back and slashes wildly, forcing him to fall back until it reaches behind itself once more. Childe surges forward, jumping over its thrashing limbs to cut away at its joints.
He saws through one of its arms just in time for the limb to swing at him, unadjusted to the missing weight and whipping just past his head. He laughs, feeling his sweat cooled by the swish of air. His blood thrums, alight with energy as he hacks through its other arms and sends the machine crashing into the dirt.
It’s been awhile since Childe has felt so alive. His life has become awfully domestic, going on walks with Zhongli, and watching over Qiqi like one of his own siblings. It’s even been a while since the Traveler has given him a good fight, too caught up in other affairs to drop by.
He transforms his blades into a spear and plunges it through the eye of the collapsed Ruin Hunter, chest heaving as he bows his head and watches the light fade and die.
He looks up to see Qiqi running over, violet grass gathered in her hands with a soft smile.
“I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m ready to go now.”
“No worries kiddo! This is what I’m here for, yeah? I’m just glad you’re safe,” he says, jumping off the mechanical carcass before it can disintegrate and giving Qiqi a pat on the head. “Any other stops before we return to the pharmacy?”
Qiqi hums, unable to think of an answer. Childe waits patiently as she stashes the violet grass in her pouch and pulls out her diary to look over her tasks for the day. She opens her mouth to report back, but as she looks up horror dawns on her face near imperceptibly.
Before he can ask what’s wrong, blinding white hot pain rams through his abdomen, sending the both of them flying towards the side of the cliff.
He looks down to see the receding blade of a Ruin Hunter leaving a gaping hole in his stomach, and in his peripheral he can see Qiqi sluggishly trying to stand from where she hit the rocks.
“Qiqi,” he slurs, vision spotting and mouth filling with blood. “You need… to run. Please.”
She reaches for him weakly as he collapses, his mind screaming in protest. The girl is stubborn, forcing her stiff undead limbs towards him and summoning her sword as she drags herself along the ground.
She spears it into the dirt, forcing herself up by its handle.
“Sacred name: Fortune Preserver!” she rasps, standing between Childe and the Ruin Hunter.
“Do not worry. I remember you protecting me. I will return the favor.”
He wants to scream, but even as her healing frost takes over his body, he’s too weak to open his mouth.
‘Please,’ he thinks to himself as he’s losing consciousness. ‘Someone, anyone, please protect her.’
With the sound of metal meeting metal, Childe’s world fades to black.
While calling him personally by name is certainly the most effective way to draw his attention, little know that Xiao can hear all the pleas on the wind, only if he strains to listen.
It’s not entirely his control though, an impersonal plea often takes a certain kind of desperation for it to reach his ears otherwise he’d be overwhelmed with all the mundane toils of mortals in their everyday lives.
‘Please. Someone, anyone, please protect her,’ he hears, in a voice oddly familiar but undoubtedly on the verge of dying. He wastes no time contemplating its source, and in a flash of Anemo he arrives at the scene of the prayer.
Immediately he feels a surge of abyssal and divine energy, the latter coming from a familiar child facing off with a Ruin Hunter.
He steps between the two, wasting no time thrusting his spear through its core before turning back to assess the girl’s condition.
She had already fallen back, standing over her companion who lay in a considerable amount of blood.
Ah, the Harbinger. How troublesome.
“Qiqi, are you alright?”
She startles, looking at him with empty eyes.
“Do I know you? Are you a friend of Childe’s?”
His eye twitches at the insinuation, but he knows the girl’s memory is faulty and can’t blame her for the assumption.
“We have met before, and no. I am Adeptus Xiao. I could hear Tartaglia calling for help, so I came.”
Qiqi looks back at Childe, her little hands clutching his coat desperately.
“Can you help me too? I healed him as much as I can, but I think we need Dr. Baizhu.”
He really rather not, this man is a danger to Liyue and no less corrupt than the hilichurls. But still, as long as he remains, he falls under Xiao’s protection, and how could he deny the request of a child?
“Get on my back, I will bring you both to the pharmacy.”
Qiqi nods and does as instructed, leaving Xiao to gather the Harbinger in his arms before disappearing with the blow of the wind.