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wesimpforxiao · 3 years

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Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 8.3; Lantern Rite Part 2

Author’s Note: Happy Valentine’s Day ;)

........

--Can feel your emotions...emotions cannot be permanently ignored...fall on deaf ears...early grave... Xiao scoffed and downed the rest of his tea before forcefully setting the cup back down onto the table. "You think admitting my alleged feelings for a mortal human would solve the problem?"

"She's done her part, now it is your turn," Zhongli straightened. "If you fail to do so, I fear she will perish from your karmic debt in no time at all. If what you say is true, it's a miracle she's still alive. Your admittance would seal the bond, as it would eliminate the side effects altogether."

Xiao's head whipped in the direction of the playing of an instrument note, but was only greeted with the joyful screams of children running around nearby. "Tch. How annoying," he played his mishearing off and returned to his normal sitting position. A few beats of silence passed before he spoke again. "I would only be prolonging her untimely demise. If we stay together, if she stays by my side, my sins will affect her with or without the bond."

"That is correct."

The archon was never one to sugarcoat things. "It would be selfish of me to admit to those emotions, selfish to indulge in them--she would die at my hand."

"Yes."

"Then why should I seal the bond, if us getting closer seals her fate?" The yaksha's voice nearly cracked, but he hid it well with his piercing gaze as he questioned his master. "Why?"

"How long do you plan on protecting Liyue?"

The random question made the yaksha falter. "For as long as our contract endures." What a silly question--it wasn't even for debate. It was his duty to protect Liyue, to absolve his sins and pay thanks to the archon that redeemed him. Why would Zhongli bring it up now?

"How much longer can you protect those who reside in Liyue? How long until the cracks begin to form within you, too?"

'Just as my fallen friends...' Xiao searched his master's eyes for a moment before parting his lips. "I--"

"I do not know the end of your story, Xiao, but I brought your unruly fate upon you. When the time comes for you to face the same darkness that's consumed you, you cannot face it alone."

.........................

Zhongli watched the three of you push your way through the crowd to greet him, his eyes narrowing at you in particular. "I see you have found your other teammates," he nodded approvingly.

"Yeah." You hadn't stopped scanning the crowd, and didn't so much as look his way despite being prodded by Aether.

"Something's wrong with her," the boy warned Zhongli. "She's not--"

"Do not concern yourself, traveler. She will be just fine."

"Huh?" Paimon grumbled. "What do you mean by that? Have you no concern for her?"

"We've convened earlier today. I will inform you, but first..." His eyes slid back to you, and he raised his voice to catch your attention. "You wish to see him?"

"Hm? U-um, yes..." His piercing gaze saw right through you, and it was an uncomfortable feeling. "What?"

"I'd advise you to leave the harbor," he nodded to the mountainside that was on the other side of the city gates. You nodded a quick thanks before running away at full speed.

I'm here, Xiao. But the yaksha didn't need to hear your impolite prayers to know that you were, when he could hear the distinct conversations of the people you ran past even though he was literal miles away from the harbor.

..............

You felt him before you saw him. Sitting on the rocky hill that overlooked the guarded entrance of Liyue Harbor, you peered over your shoulder to find the one person you had longed to see all day. The yaksha stopped in his tracks when you met his eyes.

"What...are you doing here?" It was like he was uncertain if he was hallucinating, eyes narrowing cynically as you stood to greet him. It was clear that he was weary from his day-long battle, but any pure exhaustion was hidden behind his tough façade.

"Childe brought me back for the Lantern Rite," you caught him snarling when you said the harbinger's name. "I--"

Your vision was suddenly obscured by his face once he appeared before you at the speed of light. His hand gingerly traced your cheek, a rare gentleness, a fondness seeping through his cynical eyes. You hadn't realized how much you had been craving his touch; your hand kept him from removing his from your cheek. How long had it been? Two weeks? It had to have been three by now, but it felt like an eternity from how much you had to deal with Childe or watch people die.

Real, Xiao's lips twitched into an unnoticeable smile, but the light in his eyes was bright as day. The two of you stood with foreheads pressed together for who knows how long until the yaksha was the one to pull away and regain his neutral composure. His eyes floated to that of the dark ocean before landing on the small lantern that sat next to your viewing rock.

"They'll be releasing them soon," you say, noticing his gaze. "I meant to make two, but it turns out its REALLY hard to make them..."

"Mm." He acknowledged you before sitting on the left side of the rock, silently prompting you to join him.

You did. "H-hey, is that blood?" You finally noticed the smear on his right cheek, worry entering your voice. "Are you okay? Here, let me see--"

"It's not mine." Xiao leaned away from your hand and wiped the smudge away himself.

Back to pushing me away, you faltered back, wavering eyes refocusing their attention on the black horizon to distract yourself from the hurt that panged in your chest. You sat on your hands as if to close yourself off from him--to restrain yourself from invading his personal space.

I did it again. Xiao inwardly cursed himself out for causing the sad look in your eyes. It's not like he meant to. He's too used to shutting people out for their safety; he's too accustomed to being alone. Xiao watched you out of the corner of his eye before finally gathering the courage to speak. She needs to know.

"I need you to understand," he started, sending you a brief glance before facing the ocean again. "Yakshas accumulate karma from the eons of slaughter we're tasked with. It eats away at our souls, corrupts us, or drives us mad. We become the monsters we're meant to destroy. Outsiders, companions, anyone who gets too close, will share and suffer that karma. It is why I order you and Aether to leave, and it is why I keep everyone at a distance."

You watched him continue to carefully sort his thoughts out. He's never talked so much without your prompting.

"None of us have had, nor will have, a happy ending. This is our fate. And it will be your fate too, if you continue to stay at my side. The karma I've accumulated will only grow in future years, and you won't be a stranger to it."

Your shoulders dropped. Is he...Is he going to leave me completely? Is he going to push me away for good?

Xiao heard your worries, and he briefly met your eyes again. "Could you still love a yaksha, while knowing this information? While knowing your fate will be sealed, and you won't find peace?"

"Of course."

"This isn't a light decision," Xiao admonished and rotated his body slightly to face you. "You cannot--" Do humans not understand danger?

"Xiao." The determination in your eyes made his next words stick to his throat. "I've already thought about it long and hard. I've seen your past. I've felt some of your pain. Even if this bond thing doesn't 'seal'--whatever that means--even if I am stuck with hearing those awful voices for the rest of my life, I will never be able to stop my feelings for you. Even if you don't return my feelings. I've come to accept all of it."

Could Xiao bring himself to admit his feelings if there was a high chance that fate would set its cruel sights on you? You could say all this now, but you've only felt the karma for a month. What happens in a year from now? A decade? A century? Your life wouldn't be as short as a humans because of his blood...Could he find it in him to confess if you were driven mad and he, ridden with guilt from causing your downfall? Sealing the bond wouldn't guarantee that the voices would leave you, and it definitely wouldn't make you immune to his karma. Xiao had thought he had decided on confessing, but now that he saw that raw, naïve determination in your gaze, maybe it was better that he kept it to himself for your safety--

"Do you trust me, Xiao?" His attention snapped back to you. "You felt my love for you in Zapolyarny Palace, didn't you? If you did, then you know my feelings are genuine..."

That's right...your feelings were so warm back then, and the way you had hugged him close...He felt his own version when he had heard your moonsong. 'How long can you continue protecting Liyue? When the time comes for you to face the same darkness that's consumed you, you cannot face it alone. Zhongli was righ--Archons, forget it. You had never lied to him, and he doubted you'd ever plan on doing so in the future. You were still just as stubborn as all those years ago on your deathbed of bloody soil; that aspect of you never changed. And if you were this stubborn, it wouldn't make sense for him to label your decision as a half-hearted, half-thought out answer.

Xiao examined you carefully for a silent minute, not quite listening to the words that flew out of your mouth. He didn't know how much longer he could stand tall against the swarms of darkness that swirled in his heart; he liked to think he could do so for another millennia, but that could change with one wrong move, one wrong thought, or one misplacement in willpower. But maybe as Zhongli said, he could find a new purpose, a new ray of light that could help him continue his duty if the day for evil to overwhelm him ever comes.

The yaksha couldn't quite find a place in the mortal realm, but he was curious on how it worked, how the humans were, what kind of customs they created. His karma made it impossible to quell that curiosity, and equally as dangerous for mortals. But he met you, that four year old girl that didn't do anything but provoke his curiosity and longing for kinship further. And then he really got to know you, all those months ago--what made you tick much like the other humans, the way you smiled, how you had the same sense of humor as him, the aggressive and the kind sides of your personality that clashed together to form this perfect, messy example of how humans worked.

Maybe he found out where to start when it came to you mortals, and that starting line was with you. You shone at the end of the tunnel, a beacon for safety and dare he call a symbol of peace that he could come home to. Xiao's eyes never left you as you continued to ramble on.

"--Then, I suppose, I could love you." The yaksha muttered the words like they tasted sour, but his eyes were soft when they landed on you.

"I--You--Huh?" You had thought he was trying to pull away from you for good, but this? He was confessing? Your oblivious mind wouldn't have guessed this would happen...So this is what Zhongli was inferring earlier!

"What?" Xiao narrowed his eyes and looked away as if he were embarrassed. "It's not that significant," he pouted. "Humans are flustered too easily by the smallest matters." Despite his crimson cheeks and beet-red ears, he found it difficult to fight back a smile when he saw the ridiculous look on your face.

"You..." Faint lights shone down on your little moment, and you glanced up to find that the lanterns were being released. "Wow, look!" You rose to your feet and stared at the distant lanterns before remembering that you had one of your own. Your gaze dropped to it, and an idea struck you. "Xiao...would you like to do this one together?" You picked it up and lit it with the match you had in your pocket.

"I still don't understand why humans discard their trash into the ocean," he muttered before standing as well. He watched the small flame burn brighter as it sat in your hands. "What's the point?"

"The lanterns represent our wishes and thanks to the adepti," you explained and gestured for him to take hold of the other side of the lantern. He reluctantly did so, but curiosity overcame him and he patiently listened to you with a slight childlike wonder in his eyes. "As for why we chose lanterns, I think it's just because they're pretty."

"Hmph."

"Do you have any wishes for the archons? We're supposed to write them on the lantern," you pulled a small pen out from your back pocket and uncapped it, offering the other end to him.

"Adepti don't go by your mortal ideals," he scoffed.

His clear distaste for your question drew a laugh from your lips. "I figured there was no harm in asking again! Okay. Even if you don't have a wish, let's release it, yeah? One, two, three..." The two of you gently pushed the lantern into the air, where it slowly made its journey to join the rest of its companions that now floated all around you.

"You didn't write your wish," he commented, his brows furrowing in confusion. How dare you ask him to write a wish, yet you did no such thing. The hypocrisy of humans!

"Why would I need to if it already came true?" You gave him a smirk before facing the sky. "They're so pretty," you marveled, nearly making yourself dizzy from staring straight up. "Don't you think so?"

"Mm." He agreed, but he was only looking at you. It took you a few minutes before you could gather the courage to return his gaze, feeling his stare while you watched the lanterns sparkle like the stars. Well, it was also when your neck got tired.

You returned your eyes to the yaksha only to find him staring hard at you with an unreadable expression. "W-what?"

"You're serious about me, even if it ends up killing you?" He still couldn't understand why...Wouldn't self-preservation be what everyone chooses when put in a perilous situation? Is this human stupidity, or is there some type of logic behind your trust that he failed to grasp?

You blinked, facing him fully. "One hundred percent." I don't need to think twice about my answer, but he's still concerned about me? "Xiao, do you trust me?"

He didn't answer and instead approached you after a few beats of silence until you almost breathed the same air. He was visibly struggling with something, but as for what, you had no idea. He allowed himself to slide a hand through your hair and play with the strands before it settled against the nape of your neck. He pulled you closer until his lips grazed across your eyelids. He ignored the shocked gasp that left your parted lips and let his brush across your other eyelid before they settled against the spot between your brows.

He then pulled away, his head resting against your forehead, and for a second you wondered if any of that was real until you managed to snap out of your daze. "D-did you just...? Xiao...?"

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #xiao genshin impact #xiao fanfiction #valentines day #genshin impact xiao

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yuonsan · 3 years

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「blossoms in your casket」

花びらを覆う血

．。heavy themes, explicit language, blood, gore, body horror, unrequited love, platonic love, implied death, oc death, game mechanics, non-canon。．

．。架空の病気。．

Hurting inside, sequestering away from the rest of the world

A touch and you unravel like silk ribbons

Nearly unconscious, breathing in septic air, exhaling petals

A bouquet of snow flowers in your lungs, tainted with your blood

Hurting like the world has collapsed on you, coughing out sanity

Alone when you’re with everyone, a cloud of friends and strangers

Kept for yourself, the burden that is dragging you downwards

Is death better than life without feeling, meaning?

．。つぼみで私を殺す。．

The flowers, that grew in their lungs were asphyxiating, intoxicating and above all excruciating. Their chest heaved agonizingly with every breath that left their lungs, squeezing their ribs with enough force to bend them backwards. Blood, red as wine, would emerge from their mouth and drip down their chin, staining their clothes in the process.

At first, only a few petals would surface, though as time meaninglessly passed for the immortal twin, the seeds that borrowed in their lungs grew within time too. Soon enough, fully bloomed flowers accompanied with their stems, would leave their lungs, each one more painful than the other. Although, as unfortunate as they were, they never seized to be bewitching.

Although that was before, an unknown god had decided to take their wrath upon the twins and swore to eradicate mankind, stripping them of their powers and separating them from eachother. And so, the sickly twin of the duo was casted into a deep slumber where the sea salt waves and golden sand acted as their company, with the indigo sky as their blanket for the decades that were to come.

。．{☆}．。

And even if the lonely twin was deeply slumbering for decades, their dreams were nothing but filled with agony and terror. The unknown deity, would still plague the golden haired child until their face was imprinted on the child’s mind. Never leaving them, always haunting them till it was time they woke up.

。．{☆}．。

Upon waking up, the flowers & petals, the sickly being awaited for did not resurface. Not for a while, as they were in a daze and their memories all fuzzy and foggy. Faceless faces, only waited them in their dreams with no data or recollection of them, for a while, that is. They were bound to remember, it was both a curse and gift, while everyone around them forgot with time, they along with their kin, could recall the events that had been buried underneath soil and stone, as if it happened mere minutes ago.

。．{☆}．。

As weeks passed, the memories, returned too. It was sudden, unexpected and painful. As more memories seeped into their brain, the intense pain amplified by tenfold. At the end, they were left on the ground, as their knees dug into the ground while their hands clutched their head, in a fruitless attempt to ease the pain. Their mind was left hazy and disoriented.

Before the traveler could catch their breath, sickening coughs replaced their breaths. They were wet, as if they were drowning and were desperately trying to rise to the surface. Alas, ichor started to flow from their pleura, discoloring the golden sand to scarlet. Immense dosses of blood were emitted from the young child, sizeable enough to be fatal for mortal beings.

Plasma was not the only thing discarded into sand, within the blood were flowers. However, they weren’t efflorescence nor well-formed. Instead, in their place were shriveled up and pale buds.

Once they were magnificent blossoms, yet now they were decayed & colourless. Though the golden eyed child, deemed that that it graced them quite well, and were a representation of their circumstances. Unsightly, they looked to some, though not the otherworldly being, who decided to take one of the decaying florets that where coated with scarlet blood, and twirl it in their hand, unbothered if the vital substance blemished their already gory attire.

Their aureate oculus, were obscured with melancholia and yearning, as they observed the shoreline.

。．{☆}・。

Two twins with faraway clothing & features foreign, were strolling through a meadow full of carnations, both the children and the flowers looked as delightful as ever. Untouched by the cruelty of life, as they took leisure in this pasture. The heavens were a seraphic saxe, while the sound of giggling could be heard in the paddock. Although it sounded young, airy and carefree— another sound of laughter joined in, it belonged to an adult because of the hoarse but soft tune. The twitters, shrieks as well as chuckles only escalated.

Merriment graced the estate, a blissful atmosphere suited for this faultless grassland, which no ephemeral being could even try to enter.

Only benevolent hands, and tender touches were used, to handle the saint-like twins. Not even a flicker of roughness were inflicted upon them. The grown-up looked at them with optics full of warmth, goodwill and care. Not a hint of malice hiding in the corners of those kindliness orbs. Such consecrated beings, without the blessing of a perpetual existence were bound to meet their demise. Impermanent beings were imprisoned by the law of time.

。．{☆}・。

The flowerets that grew in their lungs, are now like them. Sickly, decaying & ruined even more with every decade that passes. However to them, they will always remain delightful, for they were their favorite flowers, so many centuries ago. They always favored carnations above all other flowers for their meanings. So, the time traveling being wonders if they would like, the carnations they cough up from their lungs too.

。．{☆}・。

Carnation Story and Origins

Carnations are also called pinks because of their spiky petals that look like they were cut with pinking shears. There are several theories about how the carnation got its name. Some believe that it comes from the word coronation because it was used in Greek ceremonial crowns. Others think that it originated from the Latin word carnis, meaning flesh, because early carnations were typically pink.

Carnations scientific name is Dianthus caryophyllus. Some believe the name Dianthus originated from the myth of Diana. There are a few variations of this story. In one variation Diana, goddess of the hunt, was returning from an unsuccessful hunting trip. She stumbled upon a shepherd playing a flute and blamed his music for spoiling her hunting.

In a fit of rage she attacked him and plucked out his eyes. Once she cooled down, she regretted her actions. Where the eyes fell, red carnations grew as signs of innocent blood.

Others believe that Dianthus was named after Zeus, as Zeus in Greek is dios and flower is anthos. Carnations are also referred to as the flower of the gods.

Carnation Meaning

The carnation means fascination, distinction, and love.

According to a Christian legend, carnations grew from the Virgin Mary’s tears as she watched Jesus carry the cross. This is how they became associated with motherly love.

In the Netherlands, white carnations are worn to remember veterans and the country’s resistance to World War II.

In France, purple carnations are the traditional funeral flower.

In some countries, red carnations are worn on May Day to symbolize socialism and the labor movement.

Carnation Symbolism & Colors

Carnations grow in a wide variety of colors including pink, white, red, yellow, and scarlet. They are popular flowers for dying, so if you can’t find a natural color you like you can create it! Each color has a different meaning:

White carnations symbolize purity and luck.

Light red carnations symbolize admiration.

Dark red carnations symbolize love and affection.

Pink carnations symbolize gratitude.

Yellow carnations symbolize disappointment or rejection.

Purple carnations symbolize capriciousness.

Carnation Cultural Significance

Carnations have inspired many artists, poets, and authors. British composer Joseph Mazzinghi wrote a song entitled “Ye Shepherds Tell Me”, which told of a beautiful girl wearing a wreath of flowers.

A wreath around her head,

Around her head she wore,

Carnation, lily, lily, rose,

And in her hand a crook she bore,

And sweets her breath compose.

Esteemed artist John Singer Sargent was influenced by this song, and created a painting entitled Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, which depicts two girls playing with lanterns in the garden.

Carnation Facts

The scarlet carnation was adopted by the state of Ohio in 1904 to honor the late President William McKinley

The first carnations in the US were shipped from France to Long Island in 1852.

Carnations are the January birth flower.

Carnations are given on 1st anniversaries as a sign of love and commitment.

They’re the second most popular cut flower after roses.

Carnations are the national flower of Spain and Slovenia.

Carnation Uses

Carnations have a history of being brewed into tea to help reduce stress and restore energy. Carnation tea has also been used to reduce fever and treat stomach aches. In addition to tea, carnation oil is used in beauty products to moisturize skin, minimize wrinkles, and treat skin conditions.

。．{☆}・。

lmao finally finished something, sorry for being gone for so long, btw this is not canon and set back before the traveler met paimon, so this is literally them reminiscing about their disease— hanahaki disease— and about the unknown adult— and did i use a lot of fancy words no one will understand? yes i did lol — p.s the traveler can be seen as both lumine and aether

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xsparklingravenx · 3 years

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breathtaking

Title: breathtaking

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Albedo, Klee

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,275

Summary: The times that Klee and Albedo tell each other to breathe.

AO3

The paintbrush dashed across the canvas, and in turn, something true came to life.

On the grassy plains of Mondstadt’s surrounding areas, a boy stood silent, a palette of colour in one hand, the brush in the other. Gently, he curved those colours across the blank sheet, splashes of blue and green and brown, the boars that roamed the plains recreated in paint and chalk outlines.

These boars were unremarkable, but that in itself was what made them noteworthy. Such a contradiction shouldn’t have made sense, but to the boy, it was perfect enough to immortalise. Hilichurls and Abyss Mages took to these lands like they were their own, but still the boars persisted, living free and unafraid. At any moment, they could be hunted, for sport or for food, and yet the few before him had survived their entire lives out in an unforgiving world.

Now they lived immortal in his image. Caught up in his work, he paid no attention to the passing of time around him, how the sun crossed the sky, how the wind danced across his skin, the Anemo Archon’s quiet blessing. Another brushstroke here and there brought his vision closer to completion. The boars continued to graze. The grass was emerald green, and if he mixed his colours just right, then maybe—

A distant explosion had him pausing. The boy turned his head, a single strand of pale hair falling into his eyes as he searched for the source. Somewhere over the hills, it seemed, far enough from him that he needn’t pay it any mind. Were the Knights of Favonius out exterminating vermin today? He wondered, idly, if Sucrose was with them, though he didn’t identify any sort of Anemo traces in the air from this far away. Another boom in the air, and he cast the thought aside, returning his attention to his art.

Life stilled around him once more. That was it. The boars carried on quietly. The colours melded together. Three boars, quiet, content, living beings, born from the soil and destined to return to it. They breathed, interacted with the elements, survived—

An explosion shook the air, so close that it rattled his canvas. The boy stopped still, a frown on his face, because he was certain he knew that sound. And he knew that intensity.

And he knew that brand of giggling.

He opened his mouth to shout, to cry, wait—but he was a fraction too late. The sight before him erupted into fire and chaos as an explosion roared and took out every single sign of life in front of him. The grass flamed, the boars that had survived their entire lives out on the plain now little more than charred carcasses before him. He stared at the carnage in front of him, the canvas still depicting his quiet moment from moments before, wordless at the sight.

And then, from the smoke and disaster, a tiny figure came sprinting out, arms at her side, eyes wide. She skidded to a stop before the boy, planting her hands on her hips, looking immensely pleased with herself. “Albedo! Did you see Jumpty Dumpty! It went boom!”

Albedo looked beyond her, to where the grass was still burning, smoke rising up into the sky. “Klee…? Why did it have to be here?”

He knew better than to question her intentions, because her intentions were always cause the biggest explosion possible. She beamed at him, and then, spotting his canvas, she bolted up to it. “Oh! Oh! Were you drawing again? It looks really good!”

“I was…up until you decided to blow my subjects up, yes.” Albedo looked between the smoking grass, the charred meat that was cooking in the fire, and his art, which was miraculously unscathed. “How did you…why were you…where’s Jean?”

Klee giggled. “Master Jean is busy today, so she let me go exploring! I wanted to try out some of my treasures, but Kaeya says that ‘explosion inside city wall, grounded be thy woe’, so here I am!”

She admired his painting as he looked down at his colours and wondered if he should add the fires to his painting. It was hardly an interesting specimen to recreate.

“They look really cool, Albedo is so good at making pictures!” Klee sat on the ground in front of it and watched the flames rise. “I didn’t know you’d be here, I just got lucky! I haven’t seen you in a while…you’re always so busy, but now we can hang out, right? Maybe we can play with my treasures?”

Playing with her treasures was a shortcut to a fiery doom, but he couldn’t deny that her words instilled a sense of guilt in him. So caught up in his alchemic studies as of late, all his time had been spent with Timaeus and Sucrose. He’d been hanging up his do not disturb sign constantly, and Klee had been all but left to her own (chaotic) devices. “Sorry, Klee. I didn’t realise you wanted my attention. Seeing as the boars are all…well, halfway to becoming a sticky honey roast, I suppose I can spare some time to play with you. Not that it was exactly how I saw my day going.”

“Oh! Oh! Can we find a cooking pot? Can you make Woodland Dream? I love when you cook, Albedo! It’s just like when you do your alchemy stuff, like, you go poof and then…bam! You make something new!”

Her enthusiasm might have been infectious to someone else, but fortunately, Albedo had been blessed with the ability to remain calm and casual-minded in her presence. “Considering we have plenty of fresh meat right here, Woodland Dream seems like a waste.”

“But if you make that, then I can go and get all the fishes with Jumpty Dumpty! We can play, and then we can eat! And then you can draw. Maybe you can draw me?”

She hopped up as Albedo considered her request. He hardly ever used his skills to paint that which did not pique his interest in the realm of alchemy, but she’d asked so earnestly. Would it be so wasteful to dedicate a couple of hours to produce happiness?

“Albedo?”

He looked down. The fire was beginning to die away now behind Klee, the grass singed and blackened. She adjusted her backpack, and he said, “Yes?”

“You should breathe,” she said, smiling impossibly wide. “Come on, let’s go! We’ve got fishes to get!”

And then she was gone, dashing off across the plains, and he realised that she was right. In his pursuit of life, in his creation of art, he had not taken a single breath in. He closed his eyes and did as she asked, allowing himself the mimicry of human necessity. Nobody noticed, except her, and she didn’t question it.

In the distance, she turned and shouted, “Albedo! I’m gonna leave you behind if you don’t hurry!”

Packing up his art supplies, he chased after her, thoughts of eruptions in the back of his mind. It was going to be a long day, keeping her from wanton destruction, but at least she’d be happy—and he couldn’t deny that a day spent with her wouldn’t brighten his spirits regardless.

***

The outskirts of Dragonspine mountain were bitterly cold, the water close to freezing entirely, and yet the moment Klee went beneath the surface, Albedo didn’t hesitate to dive beneath.

It wasn’t supposed to be serious. He’d asked the traveller and her floating companion for assistance in collecting Starsilver for an alchemical recipe, and yet Lumine had shown up on the mountain side with Klee in tow, claiming that she’d been with her when he’d sent word to Mondstadt that he wished for her help, and that she refused to stay behind.

“It’ll be fine!” Paimon had declared in Lumine’s lieu. “Paimon thinks that even if things go bang, at least it’ll be nice and warm!”

“And we can always cook you over one of her open flames if things start looking dire,” Lumine added, looking a little smug.

Klee had been giggling then, but that had been before they’d run into the Lawachurl, before the lumbering beast had picked her up in its great hands and thrown her through the air. Her scream still rang out in his ears. Life born from soil was so fragile, and that was what he’d thought when he’d watched, helpless, as she hit the water and sank beneath it.

He had not thought through his plan, he’d just acted, tossing aside his sword and abandoning the traveller to the battle. The cold had not been a factor in his mind. The fight was forgotten. Miss Alice’s words echoed in his skull, treat her like a real younger sister!

Elder brothers protected their siblings. The traveller had told him stories of her own brother, how she would do anything to find him. She’d also mentioned the Fatui Harbinger who would do anything for the sake of his baby brother, and he knew of Diluc’s loyalty to his own non-blood sibling, how the rift between him and Kaeya had not prevented him from coming to his aid before. Albedo was not related to Klee, but she was his sister nonetheless, and that meant he had to save her.

The water was akin to ice, but his body withstood it, powered by something more than adrenaline. His eyes stung, but there she was, floating lifelessly, a small body so still, and something surged in his chest, emotion that he did not often feel, emotion that overtook his thoughts, his logic.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest, and oh, she was still a child, still so tiny, with so much power but as fragile as every other being. He thought of the boars she’d taken the lives of that day before his canvas, how she’d ended their existence with the childish joy of an exploded bomb, and he thought of the Lawachurl and its base desire to attack. They were not the same, yet they were; life was inexplicably difficult to understand.

He broke the surface, not choking or hacking, but that was normal for him. Klee did not move. There were no coughs, no groans, no cracking open of her eyes. She was limp in his arms, drenched through and frozen in his arms.

“Klee!” Albedo shouted, the roar of the Lawachurl’s fierce battle with Lumine nearly sweeping away his voice. He kicked his legs to keep them afloat, but he was losing his strength fast, the cold sweeping it away. “Wake up!”

Still, she didn’t move. She hung there in his grasp, and it was then that he realised that she wasn’t breathing. Fear gripped his heart as he dragged her through the water to the snowy bank. He had to hope that Lumine could hold it off without him. He had to hope that there was still enough of Klee left in her body for him to save.

Pushing back his shivers, he laid her on the snow and tipped her head back. Acting on instinct more than thought, he pressed the heel of his hand to her chest, one hand instead of two, not wanting to hurt her with his actions, but wanting to keep her with him through any means necessary.

Usually, he brought things to life through the act of creation, through alchemy, through his paintbrush and his clever mind. This was different. Klee was already living, he just had to keep her that way, and in his experience, keeping something alive was almost always more difficult than giving it a pulse. Practicality and alchemic practices went hand-in-hand, and yet here he was, doubting himself.

He pressed down. One compression. Two. Three. Keeping track of the time between them as Lumine shouted behind him, as the Anemo Archon’s winds whipped across his skin, as the unforgiving bitterness of Dragonspine bit deep into his bones of chalk. Albedo thought of blooming flowers, of exploding bombs, and he thought of Miss Alice and his own chest splintered beneath the pressure.

“Breathe, Klee!” he cried. “Breathe!”

And she did. She choked. Water expelled itself from her lungs as Albedo sat back to give her space. He heard the thump of the Lawachurl hitting the ground behind him, and, trusting Lumine to finish it off, he gave Klee all his attention.

As her breathing calmed, he asked, “Are you okay? Klee, speak to me.”

“Too much water…” she whispered, reaching out her arms to him. “I was scared…”

He knelt in front of her and answered her request silently, pulling her close to his chest as she buried her head into his. Alive. She was still frozen but she was alive.

“Your catalyst,” he said. “Your Vision. Use it.”

Between them, Pyro erupted, warmth in a different sense than her usual explosions. It swept through him and her both, and into his chest, she said, “You rescued me, Albedo…”

“Of course I did.”

And as she wrapped her tiny arms back around him, she said, “Breathe too, please?”

He closed his eyes and did. In and out in time with her, soil and chalk. The oxygen did nothing for him, but it did everything for her, so he followed her lead, this girl full of energy and life, his family until the end.

“Woodland Dream when we get back,” he said. “I promise.”

She held onto him tight, and he listened to her breaths, the cold forgotten, the fear draining away.

He could breathe for her as much as she needed him to.

#Genshin Impact #Klee #Albedo #My Writing

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