*trigger warning - blood and violence*
After spending a nice amount of time sight seeing in Liyue Harbor, you were ready to move on. You spoke with Xiao the night before, and came up with a general plan as to where to head next. He suggested heading south to avoid having to cross Mt. Tianheng, as he felt it would be too difficult for you to traverse. You trusted his judgment, and checked the map of Liyue you had spread across the desk in your room once more. You headed down to the lobby when finished, and checked out. You handed your key to the inn clerk.
C: "Thank you for staying with us. We hope you enjoyed your time here at the Baiju Guesthouse."
You left the inn. Xiao was waiting for you outside with his arms folded.
X: "Ready?"
Y/N: "Yep. Let's go."
You gave him a smile. He started to walk, and you followed him. You were taking one more look around. The ambience the same as when you first arrived. You were noticing all of the lively people. Some working their stalls, others eating at restaurants. Men loading and unloading the ships at the docks. And the people walking around casually, just enjoying themselves.
You thought back to your time spent here. Certain places you passed on your way brought back vivid memories of your own experiences. Memories made that you'll never forget. You eventually reached the bridge you had to cross to completely exit the city. You stop, and turn back one final time. Noticing you stop, Xiao stops as well, and turns back to you. You don't say anything for a few moments.
X: "Is everything alright?"
You look back at Xiao with a content smile on your face.
Y/N: "Everything's fine. I was thinking about what a great time I had here, and got a little sentimental. I hope we can come back, and visit again sometime."
You both resume walking.
It had been some time since you left Liyue Harbor. Besides stopping to eat in the afternoon, you followed the path heading towards Qingxu Pool. You were expecting to get there within the next few days. But for right now, the sun was already setting, and night was upon you.
Y/N: "Doesn't seem like there are any inns nearby..."
You were mentally preparing yourself to camp outside for the night, something you got used to doing fairly early on in your journey. You looked out ahead, as far as you could and noticed what seemed to be a few houses.
Y/N: "Is that a village?"
After walking further up, you could see that there was one house that seemed to be a bit run down. On the opposite side of the pathway, there were two shacks, both dilapidated. The area was also completely devoid of people.
Y/N: "Guess not... How odd to have one lone house out here..."
As you looked around, Xiao spoke out.
X: "Areas such as these are often used as bases for Treasure Hoarders."
Y/N: "Treasure Hoarders?..."
X: "Human criminals. Bandits, thieves, deviants, and the like."
You had never heard of them before. You looked around nervously, and sped up a little bit to catch up with Xiao who still walking ahead of you. As you were passing the house, you got a better look at it. It was completely dark inside. After hearing what Xiao said, it looked substantially more creepy to you. You both kept walking, and eventually left the area.
Unbeknownst to you though, the house was not empty. You were being watched from inside.
?: "Looks like we're gonna have some fun tonight, boys."
A sinister smile formed across the unknown persons face.
You both continued on for some time. It was getting darker.
X: "We should set up camp for the night before it gets any later."
You went off path a bit, and found a good spot for the night. You set your belongings down, and Xiao started on making a fire. There was a small river nearby, and you went to get some fresh water. When you came back, you grabbed the little bit of leftovers you had from earlier in the day, and began to heat them up. You sat down while you waited. You looked over to Xiao, who was sitting down already, back against a tree, and one arm resting on the knee he had pulled up to his chest. He was looking at the fire, or so you thought. When you looked a little closer, he seemed to actually be looking past it.
You could never tell what he was thinking. After spending time with him, you realized there were certain times he would get lost in his own head more than others. As much as you wished he would talk openly about his inner most thoughts, you knew it just wasn't who he was. You could only hope that one day, he would feel comfortable enough to want to discuss it with you. But even if that day never did come, you already vowed to be there for him, even if it meant that you'd have to do so, silently.
After you finished eating, you grabbed your sleeping bag from your backpack, and set it down on the ground. You lie down on your back, and look up at the sky. You bring your arms over your head, and stretch out. You bring them back, and place them under your head to support yourself.
Y/N: " Another clear night."
You can hear the fire crackling next to you. You can hear crickets around you. There are fireflies flying around. It's peaceful. You're staring at the stars.
Y/N: "I can never get tired of looking at the night sky. It's never the same. One night, you can look up and see a cluster of stars with a full moon illuminating the sky, just like tonight, and the next, the sky could be clear, with only the number of stars you can count on your hands visible. It's magnificent."
You reach your hand out to the sky, as if you were trying to touch it. Xiao watches you, and then also turns his gaze up to the night sky. You bring your hand back down after a short while, and shift your position to where you're now lying on your side. A yawn escapes your lips, and you bring your hand up to cover your mouth.
Y/N: "I think...I'm going to sleep now."
You look at Xiao, and give him a small smile.
Y/N: "Good night, Xiao."
It's not long before you're fast asleep. He sits there for a while, occasionally throwing some wood on the fire to keep it going. It had been mostly quiet. As he looks out into the darkness, he can't quite put his finger on it, but something seems a bit off to him.
After some time, he gets up, and decides to patrol the immediate area, your safety being his priority. He gets down on one knee next to you, and places his hand gently on your head. After taking a look at your sleeping face, he heads out.
As he is walking around, he can somewhat sense movement in the area. He continues to walk around, trying to ascertain what he senses. As he moves forward some more, he suddenly stops where he is. After a few moments, he speaks.
X: "Come out."
It's quiet, as if he were talking directly to the darkness. After a few more moments, however, he hears a laugh.
?: "Oi, oi, oi...I guess you found us out."
Multiple men emerged from the surrounding area. A quick count, there were at least ten of them. They're wearing masks covering the lower parts of their faces, and are holding various different weapons. Xiao recognizes them as Treasure Hoarders. The man whose voice he heard first, walks out in front of the rest of them.
TH1: "So much for our sneak attack, huh?"
X: "..."
TH1: "C'mon, lighten up, buddy. No need to be so serious. We just want to have a little fun tonight."
X: "Get lost."
He mockingly exclaims as he turns and looks at the rest of the men.
TH1: "SOOOO SCARY!"
He makes an exaggerated gesture, eliciting laughs from around him. He focuses his attention back to Xiao.
TH1: "No. You see, I can't do that. You wanna know why? I have a good reason..."
Xiao doesn't care. While the man is talking, Xiao puts his hand behind his head, and reaches out. His spear appears, and he grabs it. He gets into a fighting position. The man sees this, and narrows his eyes.
TH1: "I have to pay you back, you know."
He pulls down his mask. Xiao has a quick flashback, and his eyes widen slightly.
TH1: "Remember me?"
X: ("He's one of the men that were harassing Y/N that night.")
Xiao gets a better grip on his spear.
X: "So, revenge? You think because you have more men with you, the outcome will somehow be different?"
A smug smile comes to the man's face.
TH1: "No, I know it will. This time, I made sure I'd have a little...leverage."
X: "..."
TH1: "You know, that girl really is a cutie, wouldn't you say?"
His smile was ominous. A foreboding feeling gripped Xiao's heart, and without saying anything, he turned around and ran back to where you were. He ran as fast as he could, agonizing over the possibility you could be hurt.
X: ("Please...")
His worst fears were realized as he arrived at the campsite. It was all a set up. There were about five more men already there. Xiao recognized two of them to be the other men that were there during your initial encounter. One was sitting, nonchalantly holding a stick over the fire. The other, had a hold of you, with one hand over your mouth, and the other holding a small knife up to your neck. The rest of the men still had their masks on, and were looming around.
After noticing Xiao's arrival, the man sitting down throws the stick into the fire, and stands up.
TH2: "There he is! The man we've been waiting for."
The one holding you hostage then speaks up.
TH3: "If it isn't the runt."
Y/N: "...Mmppff..."
You twist around a bit, wanting desperately to be freed so you can go to him, but the man tightens his grip on you.
TH3: "Quit moving."
He tells you sternly. Xiao glares at him. Soon enough, the rest of the men he left behind when he ran to you arrive on the scene. You're both entirely surrounded. The situation is dire. The man from before speaks up from behind Xiao.
TH1: "Well, now. Looks like we're all here."
He starts talking as he circles around the campsite.
TH1: "Let me tell you guys a little story. You see, all we wanted to do was have a little fun. And lo and behold, the perfect opportunity presented itself when we spotted this little cutie walking around all by herself one night."
As he says this, he stops in front of you, and lifts your chin.
The men all around start jeering.
Xiao's already clenched fists, clench together even tighter as he struggles to control the rage that has been building up inside of him. He let's you go, and continues.
TH1: "And just when we were getting to the good part, this little asshole shows up, and ruins everything!"
The men now start booing.
TH1: "He humiliated us."
He looks over to Xiao with anger behind his eyes. He then continues to address the others.
TH1: "But as fate would have it...Revenge is ours for the taking, wouldn't you say, boys?"
Cheers erupt from all around.
TH1: "Now then. What should we do?"
He walks up to Xiao. Xiao meets his gaze. The fire behind Xiao's eyes is evident, but he knows he has the upper hand, and gloatingly smiles down at him.
TH1: "Any suggestions?"
He looks around, and starts to circle around once again.
TH2: "I say we kill him."
TH1: "Oh, we're definitely gonna kill him, but that's too easy. We have to make him suffer first. Anyone else?"
TH3: "I know."
With a salacious smile, he continues.
TH3: "Let's have some fun with the girl, and make him watch."
He trails the knife down your chest as he says this, and pops off the top buttons on your shirt exposing your cleavage. He puts his nose up to your hair, and takes in a big breath. You squirm with disgust. Xiao reactively takes a step forward towards you. This causes all the men to ready their weapons.
TH1: "Uh uh uh. Don't even think about it. One more step, and she dies."
The one holding you, brings the knife back up to your neck. Xiao is enraged, but has no choice but to restrain himself. The men are relishing having this control over him.
TH1: "How bout this? Let's beat him until he's an inch from death, and then make him watch us ravage his girl. Then we kill him."
TH2: "Oh, I like that idea."
They're all nodding in approval. Xiao speaks up.
X: "Let her go."
TH1: "EHHHH?!"
X: "I said, let her go."
They all laugh.
TH1: "I think you forgot something important here."
He walks up to face Xiao.
TH1: "You're not the one calling the shots here."
Without warning, he punches Xiao in his stomach. Xiao hunches over from the sudden blow. Your eyes widen in surprise, and once again you twist around.
Y/N: "MMMPPPPfff"
You try calling out, but your mouth is still being covered.
TH3: "I told you not to move!"
He brings the knife up to your eye level to remind you of your predicament. You can only watch in horror. After letting out a few coughs, Xiao regains his composure, and stands upright once again, but keeps one hand holding his stomach. Once more, he speaks up.
X: "I don't care what you do to me. Torture me, maim me, kill me. I don't care, but I'm asking you to let her go."
The men all look at Xiao with contempt. Once again, the ringleader walks up to Xiao, and looks down on him.
TH1: "Why don't you...Beg me."
Xiao glances over to you, seeing the distress clearly in your eyes, and back to the man in front of him. The next thing you see, is Xiao slowly getting on his knees. You are utterly shocked, and tears begin to well up in your eyes. You're shaking your head.
Y/N: "Mmpf!"
You want to scream to him not to do it, but you can't. He's fully down on his knees, and he lowers his head.
X: "Please, I'm begging you. Let her go."
The man looks down on Xiao triumphantly. A warped smile comes to his face, and he addresses the others.
TH1: "What do you say, boys?! Should we let her go?!"
They all started shouting in disapproval. He looks back down at Xiao.
TH1: "Well, you heard them. No can do."
As soon as Xiao raises his head, the man punches him in the face. He falls over, and the man then kicks him really hard in his stomach. With a wicked look on his face, the other man walks up.
TH2: "Hey, leave some for me."
He too kicks Xiao, this time in his back. The other men start gathering all around him. With depraved looks on their faces, some of them join in beating him. Some are kicking dirt at him, and some watching with twisted enjoyment.
You were hysterical. You couldn't bear to watch. Your heart was breaking. You wanted to do something, anything, to help him. While watching the others, the man holding you, uses the hand holding the knife to you, to gesture to the others.
TH3: "Make sure you don't go easy on him!"
In that moment, his hand over your mouth loosens a bit. Your adrenaline starts pumping. With every bit of strength you could muster, you step on his foot. Caught off guard by the sudden pain, the man drops the knife. The hand over your mouth loosens even more. You can finally move your mouth. You use both of your hands to hold his in place, and you bite down on his hand as hard as you could. You bite him so hard, you taste blood.
TH3: "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
He instinctively lets you go, as he grabs and holds his hand in pain. Your eyes dart around the ground, and you see the knife he dropped. You rush to pick it up. When you have it your hands, you attempt to make your way to Xiao. Before you can take another step forward though, your hair is roughly pulled from behind you.
He regained his composure sooner than you were anticipating. Your face contorts in pain as he throws you to the ground by your hair. You unintentionally drop the knife. He looks down at you, with fury in his eyes.
TH3: "You little bitch! You're gonna pay for that!"
He menacingly approaches you. You try to put some distance between the two of you, but he stands over you. In a last ditch desperation move, you kick him as hard as you can in his crotch.
The men pummeling Xiao finally stop and give their attention to the commotion at this point. Although, beaten and bloody, Xiao lifts himself slightly off the ground with one arm, and can see what's happening through their legs.
The man falls to his knees after you kick him. As you're scrambling to get to your feet, he sees the knife, and picks it up. You get up, and once again, try to run forward. He is seething with anger. He pushes through the pain and gets back to his feet almost immediately. He catches you, and this time he wraps his arm around your neck. You struggle as much as you can. You're twisting and turning, and trying your hardest to get free. And then, your body involuntarily jolts, and you stop moving completely.
Xiao is watching, and it's almost as if it's happening in slow motion. Your stunned expression is all he can see.
X: "..No.."
It's so low, it's almost like a whisper. He watches as your hands fall to your sides, your eyes slowly close, and your body goes limp. You drop to the ground. The man is standing there with a bloody knife in his hand as he looks down at you. He stabbed you in the back.
TH1: "Oi, oi.. What happened, man?"
TH3: "Little bitch...had it coming. Look what she did to my hand!"
He holds up his hand to the other men, and they engage is some insignificant conversation. But Xiao can no longer hear it. Any rationality left in him, was gone at that point. Wind started to surge around him, and he slowly stood up.
TH4: "W-what is this?'
They all collectively start backing away from him. As he was standing there, the wind was getting even stronger. Almost robotically, he reached behind him, and his spear appeared. He held it to his side. With his free hand, he reached slightly behind him to his waistband, and slowly grabbed his mask. He had barely moved yet, but the tension was palpable.
They were able to get a glimpse of his eyes before he put his mask on. There was nothing there. They were lifeless. Devoid of any emotion, cold and blank. The men continued to back away. As he looked around at his cowering comrades, the ringleader tried to regain control of the situation.
TH1: "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? IT'S JUST ONE GUY AGAINST ALL OF US! WE CAN TAK-"
He never got to finish his sentence. Instead of words, blood came out of his mouth. Xiao ran his spear through his chest. There was such force behind it, it lifted him off the ground, and his legs were dangling. He looked down at Xiao. It was if he was looking at an actual demon. That was the last image he saw before he died. Xiao tossed his body to the side.
He moved so quickly, by the time they knew what was happening it was too late. Most of the men let out screams, and ran away. A few were so terrified, they dropped to the ground, unable to move frozen with fear. Xiao looked around, and found the second one he was looking for. He was running for his life, but it was useless. Xiao dashes a few times, and is now in front of him. He falls backwards and tries to beg for his life.
TH2: "P-please..We're s-s-sorry...H-have mercy...please..we didn't -"
He pulls his spear back, and thrusts it through his chest, killing him. He looks around once more at the men running in all directions. He doesn't see who he's looking for. Then all of a sudden, he looks over his shoulder. He dashes a few times, and comes to some large rocks. He walks around them, and he finds the man who stabbed you, trying to hide. The man was crying, and as soon as he saw Xiao, he let out a scream. He starts to crawl away.
TH3: "STAY AWAY FROM ME!...DEMON!...STAY AWAY!..."
As he's crawling away, Xiao is slowly following him. He stands up, and tries to run. Before he can even take one step forward, Xiao swings his spear, and cuts him in the back of his ankle, almost taking his whole foot off, so he can't run. He collapses to the ground in agony.
TH3: "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
He's writhing in pain. He attempts to get up once more. He's desperate. He tries to hop away. Xiao swings his spear again, this time, doing the same to his other ankle.
TH3: "AAAAAHHHH...NOOOOOOOOO!"
Once again, he's rolling around in pain. He ends up on his back. Xiao walks up, and is standing next him. His puts his hand up.
TH3: "STAY AWAAAAYYYY! STAY AWAAAAYYYYY! SOMEBODY!...SOMEBODY!...HELP MEEEEE!"
It's the hand that held the knife that he stabbed you with. Xiao uses his foot to push his arm to the ground. He's stepping on it. He grips his spear with both hands, lifts it up over his head, and drives it into his hand. He screams out in excruciating pain.
TH3: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Satisfied, Xiao pulls the spear out. He stands completely over him. He lifts his spear once more.
TH3: "NOOOO! DON'T!"
He drives it through his chest. The man dies instantly. He pulls his spear out, and swings it to get the blood off the blade. He then removes his mask. He gives one final look to the deceased man, and then turns to leave.
As he's heading back to the campsite, the sun is starting to rise in the distance. He stops, a short distance away, and looks at you lying there, face down on the ground, motionless. He sees the small pool of blood that had formed around your body. He very slowly walks up to you.
He kneels down next to you. He reaches out his trembling hand. He places it gently on your upper back. Just then, he gasps. The light returns to his eyes.
X: ("She's still breathing!")
It's faint, but you are indeed still breathing. His relief is immediately replaced with panic. He needs to get you to a doctor as soon as possible. He runs to your backpack, and grabs a random garment, and tears its. As gently as he can, he turns you over and lifts you into a seated position, supported by his leg. He uses the cloth as a makeshift bandage, and wraps it around your wound.
He takes a look at your face. There is blood on your mouth from when you bit that man. Your face is dirty from the scuffle, and he can see the tear stains clearly on your cheeks. He feels a tremendous amount of anguish, and looks at you apologetically, but he knows your health takes precedence right now. He picks you up, and takes you back to Liyue Harbor as fast as he can.
As he runs through the city, he attracts the gazes of worried and concerned onlookers. Zhongli is among them.
Z: "Xiao?"
He takes you to the hospital, and goes up to the reception desk.
X: "Please! This is an emergency!"
The staff immediately get to work. Xiao looks on worriedly as they take you to one of the emergency rooms. He has no choice but to wait. After some time, a doctor comes out to where he is waiting. Xiao stands up immediately, anticipating your prognosis.
D: "She is stable."
Xiao audibly sighs in relief. The doctor continues.
D: "She lost a lot of blood, but luckily the stab wound wasn't deep, so it didn't hit any vital organs. We don't know when she'll wake up. She can't have any visitors just yet, but we will keep monitoring her, and let you know if anything changes."
Xiao nods slightly, and the doctor gives a small smile, and leaves. He sits down, once again. He leans forward, and puts his elbows on his knees, with his hands clasped together in front of him. He drops head. He's relieved you're ok, but now, he can't help but to think about everything that happened.
Eventually, he gets up and leaves the hospital. As he walks out, a familiar voice calls out to him.
?: "Xiao!"
Xiao turns to where the voice is coming from, and sees a concerned looking Zhongli walking up to him. He looks Xiao up and down, and it was obvious to him something bad had happened.
Z: "What's going on? I saw you carrying someone here. Is everything ok?"
Xiao looks at him momentarily, then looks down.
X: "..."
He can't make out what he's thinking.
Z: "Let's talk somewhere else."
He takes him to the roof of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Xiao goes to the edge of the building, and is looking out into the city. Zhongli doesn't want to pressure him to talk, so he waits patiently for Xiao to be ready. Eventually, in a somber tone he tells him what happened. Zhongli wears a bothered expression as he listens to him. When he finishes, Zhongli speaks up.
Z: "What an unfortunate situation. However, I am relieved that Y/N is on her way to recovery."
Xiao continues to stare out. His expression stoic. Although difficult to discern, Zhongli has a good idea of what Xiao is thinking of.
Z: "Xiao. I do hope you are not assuming blame for what transpired."
He's met with silence. It was just as he expected.
Z: "Xiao. There are some things that will always be out of our control. What's important is that you acted quickly, and were able to save her."
His expression was unchanging. It wasn't any use. It wasn't going to get through to Xiao. Before he could continue, a messenger bird landed on the roof. If was from the Wangshu Inn. They both knew what it meant. Xiao had to leave for his mission. He stood up on the edge of the roof, about to jump down to leave. Before he did, he looked over his shoulder, and addressed Zhongli.
X: "I need to ask for a favor."
Zhongli's eyes widened. It was so unlike Xiao to ask for favors. In all the thousands of years he knew him, Xiao had never asked for anything from anyone.
Z: "S-sure. Of course."
X: "I don't know when I'll return. Can you check on Y/N for me while I'm away?"
Z: "I will. Anything else?"
He seemed to think for a moment before speaking again.
X: "I want her to return to her home. But I don't want her to go alone."
He knew this was important to him.
Z: "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Xiao nodded, and then left.
Zhongli kept his word and had checked on you each day. Three days later, you finally woke up. After getting checked by the doctor, he was able to come see you. You sat up in the bed, and smiled at him when he entered the room. He smiled back as he took a seat next to the bed.
Z: "How are you feeling?"
Y/N: "I feel...ok. A little groggy, but I'm alright."
Z: "That's great."
You fidget with your hands a bit.
Y/N: "Um, if I can ask...Why are you here?.. I don't mean it to be rude, it's just..."
You trail off, and look down at your hands again.
Z: "No need to explain. It's a perfectly reasonable question. Well, to tell you the truth, Xiao asked me to check on you."
You turn to look at him.
Y/N: "You saw him? Was he ok? Do you know where he is right now?"
Z: "Woah, woah. Slow down a bit."
He laughs a little.
Y/N: "I'm sorry...I was just a little worried about him."
Z: "I understand. I did see him a few days ago, when he brought you here. He had to leave shortly after for his mission."
You give an understanding nod. He continues.
Z: "He told me what happened to you both. My sincerest apologies that you had to go through such an ordeal."
You have a few unpleasant flashbacks. You shake your head a bit to stop thinking about it.
Z: "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'd like to forget about it."
Y/N: "It's ok."
He gets up and walks over to the window.
Z: "He was really worried about you. I think... No, I am sure he is blaming himself for what happened."
Y/N: "...I thought...he might be..."
Z: "Xiao is a warrior at his core. A protector. I think he feels he failed you. I tried to tell him that was not the case, but..I don't think it worked. He seems to care about you a great deal. I think you're the only one that can get through to him. From the outside, one would think he has no feelings whatsoever, but on the contrary, Xiao is more gentle and caring than you'd expect. Please, take care of him."
Y/N: " ..I will."
You continued to chat with Zhongli. He told you that Xiao wanted you to return home, and you agreed. After a couple of days, Zhongli actually accompanied you there himself. He saw to it that you made it right to your door.
Z: "Please don't push yourself too much. You are still healing, afterall. I will inform Verr of the situation. I'm sure she'll be by soon to check up on you."
Y/N: "Thank you for everything."
You hadn't been home in a few months. You looked around, dust visible in the air. You went over and opened the window to let some fresh air in. You sat down, and looked out. There were clouds forming in the sky. You folded your arms on the windowsill, and put your chin on your arms. You could only think about one person.
Elsewhere, Xiao had been fighting nonstop. Pushing himself to his limits. Every time the image of you being stabbed popped in his head, he took his frustrations out on the demons that kept coming. Unsure of himself, he was drowning himself in combat.
Y/N: (Xiao...please come back soon.)