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“Got you,” Tartaglia said, using his water blades to immobilize the traveler.
She stares at him, unwavering, a smirk on her face. “Do you?”
In a flash she releases herself from his grip, making him face her sword with a swift movement. They were both exhausted already, yet not finishing their spar was totally out of question. This was just the start .
It has been like this since the very beginning, the two of them, under the moonlight, a dance of sword and whatever water weapon he deemed worthy of her this time.. It was the way they portrayed their feelings, their resolution. He wanted to be at the top of the world, she wanted to find her brother. And for tonight they would be on the same page.
I love you and me, dancing in the moonlight
Nobody can see, it's just you and me tonight
Another clash, another hit, another powerful stride, packed with the force to take down the throne of every god. Yet this was friendly. Yet this was love. No one else could get a grasp of what happened between the two of them. This was the language warriors spoke, and they’ve been yelling everything so loud, pouring their feelings in every movement they made.
A match made by the heavens, bathed in blood and fire. No one could compare, no one could begin to comprehend the bond between them. They fought with all their worth, all their being , drawing their weapons oh-so close to their hearts. Yet it didn’t hurt. Such cuts and bruises only served to stitch their destinies closer. Where in the world would they find someone who could keep up with this? You don’t typically draw your sword to the person you love, after all.
But that was the key. The answer to the big question that no one dares to ask. They were a perfect match because no one sane would fight this way with the person they love. A dance of swords, a dance that no one else appreciated the same way they did.
Nothing in the world can make me feel
The way you do, the things you do
And then, when the moon shined the brightest, she was once again the one crowned victor. Her exhausted smile was everything and he could swear that no star in the sky would shine brighter than the one in front of him. She was always capable of amazing him, with new tricks that helped him to improve, that inspired him to be better. He wouldn’t stay in the same place when competing with a shooting star.
They both layed on the ground, looking to the sky while trying to recover their breath. There were no actual rules in their weekly matches. Or at least they haven’t discussed any. So it wasn’t strange for them to end up with some wounds or their skin bruised, purple and blue. Nothing actually dangerous; they could be actually insane to the rest of the universe. They knew where to draw the line, even if they crossed the one they shouldn’t. Being involved with their enemy wasn’t the smartest decision they made, but when they looked into each other’s eyes it made sense. It always did.
“One day I’ll be the one victorious, just wait.” He said, still exhausted yet full of determination. She knew him enough to acknowledge the weight of his words. Still, she almost laughed.
“Well, you’re the best second place I’ve ever met.” She mocked while recovering her breath.
The harbinger took a seat on the ground looking to the golden star in front of him. He wanted to argue, to complain, but for the first time in his life a second place didn’t sound that bad. If it was to her, if it was just the two of them, it was good enough.
Don't wanna play this game of love, oh-eh-oh
There's nowhere to hide
There was something that the golden traveler learned the hard way. That once her destiny was intertwined with Teyvat’s own fate nothing would ever be the same as it used to. She was a fighter, a warrior, yet war wasn’t her place in the universe. A battlefield could be her element but not this one. Not with the screams of those who fall ringing through her ears. Not with the fate of this world that became her home now hanging by a thread.
How did it happen? How did a star find shelter in this forsaken land? The answer was so clear yet she didn’t want to say it or even dare to think of it… Of him. It was wrong from the very beginning, they knew that but still… Nothing could stop her feelings, not even herself. And now she was fighting for this world with his laugh in her mind, like a reminder that there was someone else waiting for her. She had her twin, yes, but there was more.
She wanted to protect whatever they had, and so this world needed to endure enough to let them be. So she fought. Fighting against everything that stood in her way, proving once again the power behind the traveler, behind the shooting star that graced this doomed land.
Those who fought by her side were marveled and distraught by the sheer power she held. All these years she had been hiding her true potential and now was the moment in which everything was truly needed if they hoped to somehow take down the Heavenly Principles. This was the real reason behind all her training, behind all those fights that seemed like child’s play. This was the center stage and the traveler was the literal star of the night. As such, she navigated her way between enemies with grace. This was her element, her place. Even if she preferred peace she was a warrior, and a warrior’s true nature was of course, war.
But she had never been alone. Her twin brother was usually the one by her side, as two halves of the same whole. Always in a synchrony that no one could ever manage to achieve… Or that was what they originally thought until the eleventh Fatui harbinger appeared. He was chaos incarnated, a wave of blood-lust that only sought it's the next foe. He was a weapon of war. And somehow in his madness, he was the true ally she needed to face the adversity. All their spars had attuned them to one another. They knew their moves, their flaws and strengths, their everything. Even being on opposite sites, they were what complimented the other. Where one faltered the other would rise up and vice versa.
This was their own stage, and they were the true stars of the night.
I love you and me, Dancing in the moonlight
Nobody can see, It's just you and me tonight
It was a true spectacle of skill and coordination that would marvel anyone who could manage to keep track of their steps. But they were quicker, more nimble, far more graceful. The chaos of war wasn’t helping anyone to pay attention to the titans fighting for them, pushing their most powerful enemies back. Turning the tides in favor of the mortals. This was Teyvat’s hope.
But for them? This was their soiree, their dance, their moment together to portray the true nature of their relationship. They weren’t just comrades, they were much more. Something that not even they wanted to acknowledge until this was over. It was their biggest weakness yet the main reason they were capable of pushing themselves forward.
There was so much inside that only their body language could tell, the trust in each other, the way their eyes met screaming what their mouth couldn’t. “Later” both of them muttered. “Later” they say while their swords clashed against their destiny. “Later” they whispered the moment they had to separate to intercept their next target. There was so much to say, yet the only word that left their mouths was that. Later. It was a new beginning, a promise of something that was so close yet so far, and they were fighting in the most literal way to get closer to that place. To get their very own “later”. Was it their “happily ever after”? Or was it the beginning of the end?
The path ahead remains littered with enemies, though. They had no choice right now. They’ll find out later, later, later. Right now, all they could do is continue in their dance of blood and death, of chaos and destruction, and of desperations and sprinkles of hope.
Look at you, now look at me
How you ever, ever gonna find someone like this?
They were starting to get exhausted, the long battle finally taking its inevitable toll to their bodies. And the worst part was that it didn’t seem to be close to an end. Not one that would benefit them, at least. But surrender wasn’t an option, not now, not ever. The only thing that kept them going was the knowledge that losing at this moment was losing forever. That after this wouldn’t be any second chances, all the lives that mattered to them would be lost. There would be no later. And the both of them had sworn to fight till the very end to protect those who they loved.
But… In this battlefield, by their side was the main reason they were fighting, they both knew that. And their concern for the other would be their doom. They have a future to protect. Or at least that was what they thought.
The creature that they were fighting was something different, something made out of horrors that struck with the fury of the heavens. And they fought, with all they had.
It wasn’t enough.
Not even their best could match whatever this thing was. And being the two in the front, the point of the spear that defended Teyvat, they paid the price. Both of them lay on the ground, covered in blood and dust. The pain was way too much to bear, barely able to keep breathing. There were no tears, just shallow gasps trying to grab some air.
They looked into the other's eyes and with what little energy remained, they extended their hands to interlace their hands. There were so many things left unsaid and now there was no time. There was no later that could hold the promise of a future.
I don't care about your first love
This should be your last one
This wasn’t fair. This couldn’t be their end. There was so much that they wanted to achieve. Regret. So much of it. Why? They were supposed to come out victorious from this and then enjoy their time together, to properly confess the feelings that had been there for so long. Where was the tomorrow their efforts needed to bring? She needed to meet his family, she needed to find her brother. They needed to laugh and smile and dance together more. But no. They were sharing their last minutes alive regretting all that could be. Why was this “later?”
Life wasn’t fair. Love wasn’t fair.
“Hey… I’m sorry.” Childe muttered. Sorry for what? She wanted to ask but she was barely able to keep conscious enough to hear him. “I… Wanted to take you on a date…” He coughed, blood spilling from his mouth, the pain unbearable as the foul legacy faded. “It seems…”
“Ajax” She mumbled , a whisper so low that he was barely able to hear it. He looked at her with his eyes so full of devotion, shocking her who was used to the void pools that she knew. “I…”
He smiled, he wanted to comfort her, to embrace her little frame and held her till the end of time. But the only thing that was ending was their own time in this world. So unfair.
“I… Love you… Ajax.” She smiled one last time, closing her eyes.
He wanted to joke how she won this time again, confessing her feelings before him. But he knew. There was no one to hear him now. He was alone as he ever was. The golden traveler, the savior of so many nations was no more. “I love you too, Lu.” He whispered, closing his eyes too. And under the moonlight rest the secret between the harbinger and the traveler. Teyvat could be saved, but the two of them only hoped they could meet again. With their hands interlaced, their bodies became cold as the remaining proof of a promise that they couldn’t fulfill.
I love you and me.