"You have got to be kidding me."

From his place on the floor, leaning against the door of her shop, Childe's lips quirked up in a pained but obviously satisfied grin as he offered her a two-fingered salute.

"Yo, ojou-chan. Fancy seeing you here."

"I run this shop, Tartaglia."

"Oopsie!"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, her hopes for a quiet, easy day at work crumbling right before her eyes.

I just can't catch a break, can I?

Sighing deeply, she shifted the leather strap of her medical bag on her shoulder and fished her keys out of her pocket.

"I need a little help, ojou-chan-

Unlocking the door, she grabbed the sitting male by the red scarf around his neck and hauled him off the ground, effectively cutting him off.

Dragging him inside with a huff, she shoved him towards a chair and made a beeline for her medical cabinet. Grabbing fresh bandages, disinfectant of her own making, and clean rags, she sat on the high stool beside him.

"Ojou-chan-"

"Hush."

Eyes roving the busted lip and streams of blood trailing down the sides of his face, Sakura set about wiping away the blood and dust. He winced when the disinfectant came into contact with his open wounds, but he didn't pull away.

"What did you do this time?"

Childe chuckled, grin wide and genuine despite his predicament. "Little old me? Nothing at all-"

"Childe." She sent him a pointed look, nudging his knee with hers and clearly indicating she did not believe a word. "You've been showing up battered and beaten for nearly a whole year. I find you outside my shop, bloodied and bruised, at seven in the morning, soiling my doorstep and scaring away my customers. In short, cut the bullshit and tell me what happened."

Childe's grin widened, his blue eyes glinting challengingly. "Oh my, is that any way for a lady to speak?"

"Well, I'm speaking to no gentleman, am I?"

He pressed his free hand to his chest, an expression of hurt clouding his features. "Ouch, ojou-chan, you wound me."

Sakura snorted, dabbing more disinfectant on the cut on his cheek. "Convincing, but not enough. Try harder."

"I could go hard, if you'd let me-Ouch!"

Lessening the pressure on the bleeding gash, the woman glared at him half-heartedly, too used to his antics to be truly bothered. "Did no one teach you not to flirt with the person stitching you back together?"

He smirked, running a hand through his hair with a wink. "Well, no one ever told me my physician would be as pretty as you. I expected an old hag, yet look at what I found instead."

Rolling her eyes, the woman nudged his knee again. "Tell me what you did."

Childe chuckled, scratching the back of his head in a manner that she certainly didn't think was adorable. At all. She didn't. Definitely.

"Well, uh, I may have poked at the wrong slumbering dragon-"

Sakura's hand on his head stilled and the silence that followed was deafening as she gave herself a moment to process his words. A range of emotions flickered across her face, her expression shifting from bewilderment to heated disapproval.

"Are you out of your goddam mind?!"

"H-hey, ojou-chan-"

"The Primo Geovishap? Really?"

"I wanted a challenge! The Adventurer's Guild has been having trouble with it, so I thought it'd be worth checking out. It gave me a real workout!"

"A real beating, you mean," she retorted, pinning him with a chastising glare.

"Don't exaggerate. I kicked its ass, pardon my language."

Knowing there was no way to reason with him when it came to engaging in unnecessary fights just for the adrenaline rush, Sakura sighed deeply and shifted her attention back to the blood dripping down the side of his head.

"You're an idiot."

"Aw, don't be so harsh, ojou-chan. I might think you don't like me."

She rolled her eyes, attention focused on her task. "I don't."

"How very hurtful!"

"You'll live." Having ascertained that his wounds, albeit bleeding, were mostly superficial and in no need of stitches, she stood to put her supplies away. "You're good to go."

Adjusting his scarf around his neck, Childe chuckled. "Trying to get rid of me so soon?"

"Clearly. I have customers waiting outside, who actually need my help."

Lips curling down in a pout, the man shot her a hurt look. "Hey, I needed your help too."

"Your injuries were your own fault. You went looking for trouble," she retorted, arms crossed across her chest. "Now, please see yourself out, Master Childe. I have patients to tend to, and I'm certain a diplomat like yourself has more important matters to see to."

For just a minute, the Snezhnayan regarded her with interest, his blue eyes sweeping her form, making the hair at the back of her neck stand on edge. His gaze was intense, penetrating, and for only a moment, Sakura felt bare before him, as if he had stripped her of all her defenses and seen all the way to her soul.

Lips spreading in a wide grin that was all too knowing, Childe bowed at the waist. "In that case, I humbly thank you, my lady. I will take my leave now. See you later, ojou-chan. Don't miss me too much!"

He waved at her animatedly as he walked out of her shop, and Sakura couldn't help but stare at his back, observing as he apologized for taking too long to the young pregnant woman that was waiting for her turn outside the shop.

This man…

XxxOxOxOxxX

Breathing in the gentle breeze of Liyue Harbor, Sakura allowed the fatigue of the day to leave her muscles.

Clutching the strap of her bag, she made her way through the crowd, walking slowly to allow herself to enjoy the sight of the late afternoon sun on the waves. The harbor was lively like it always was, children and vendors filling the streets with chatter and laughter. It was a comforting image, one that brought back memories of lazy days spent at Ichiraku's ramen stand or sharing cups of sake on top of the Hokage Mountain.

Though slightly melancholic, the smile that rose her lips was genuine as she felt the sun's rays caress her skin, warming her cheeks.

"Miss Sakura! Miss Sakura!"

Turning at the sound of her name, Sakura's eyes brightened at the sight of young Xiangling waving and sprinting towards her excitedly.

"Xiangling," she greeted as the girl skid to a stop in front of her, "What a lovely surprise. How have you been?"

Clapping her hands in front of her, the younger girl grinned at her. "Hard at work! I've been testing out these recipes from your home you gave me. Could you swing by the restaurant and give them a taste? I want them to come out just perfect!"

Chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm, Sakura patted her head. "How about we arrange something for this weekend? I'd love to come right now but I'm afraid I've already made plans with-"

"Me," a voice from their right said and both women turned to look at the newcomer.

Sakura's eyes brightened when they landed upon the elegant, aristocratic figure of the consultant, her smile widening.

"Zhongli. I was on my way to the funeral parlor to meet you."

The man smiled, bowing his head in greeting. "I was delayed be a client. My apologies."

Sakura pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, waving his apology off. "No need to worry. I had a lovely conversation with Xiangling here. Are you ready to go?"

He nodded, offering her his arm with a gentle smile. "I have reserved our usual table at the Third-Round Knockout-"

"My, my! What do we have here?"

Sakura resisted the urge to groan at the sound of that voice, plastering a pleasant smile on her face as she slipped her arm through Zhongli's and turned to meet the bane of her existence.

"Master Tartaglia. Fancy seeing you here."

The young man grinned, offering them a two-fingered salute. "No need for the formalities. We're friends, aren't we, ojou-chan? Taking our pretty doctor on a date, sensei?"

Zhongli hummed thoughtfully, regarding the Harbinger with the same calm interest he always did. "Well, we did agree to meet beforehand, and we are going to be conversing over drinks and food, so I suppose one could call this a date."

For just a moment, Sakura was certain she saw Childe's eye flash, but she held her tongue, too tired and anxious for a break to provoke him by commenting on it.

Tightening her grip on Zhongli's arm to get his attention, she turned her body in the direction of Master Degui's little tavern.

"We really need to get going if we are to catch our reservation. Master Tartaglia, you're still healing. Please take it easy and make sure to rest."

Childe chuckled, an edge to his smile, and waved at them as they walked away arm in arm. "Have fun! I'll see you later, sensei," he said cheerfully, his piercing gaze landing on her, "Ojou-chan."

XxxOxOxOxxX

"Go upstairs and get some rest, you hear me, girlie?"

Grinning tiredly, Sakura rose from her kneeling position beside the elderly woman's bed. Pressing a gentle kiss to her wrinkled cheek, she pulled the covers over Madame Bao's body.

"I will, I promise. Don't worry about me, obaa-chan."

Madame Bao huffed, patting her cheek fondly. "How can I not worry, girlie? You work way too hard. Young people shouldn't be forced to look after wrinkly old crones like myself."

Chuckling, Sakura fluffed the blanket, making sure the elderly woman was properly tucked in. "You know I love my work and taking care of you, obaa-chan. No one's forcing me to do anything. After all, I just returned home from a friendly outing. See? I have fun too," she said, grin still in place.

Madame Bao sighed but her thin lips lifted in a smile. "You have a good head on your shoulders, girlie. It will serve you well in this life. Make sure to remember to lock your window this time, will you?"

"Of course," the medic replied, kissing the woman's forehead before heading for the door. "Goodnight, obaa-chan. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sweet dreams, girlie."

With one last smile, Sakura shut the door and adjusted the strap of her bag as she ascended the stairs to the second floor of the house where her bedroom and a small bathroom was. It used to be Madame Bao's old bedroom, but in her advanced age, her arthritis was unforgiving, and her frail bones could not handle the strain of the stairs.

Closing the door behind her, Sakura sighed, the fatigue of the day finally catching up to her now that she was no longer amongst the lively crowd of Third-Round Knockout.

Dropping her bag on the small desk pushed up against the wall, she headed over to the other side of the room to close the window.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your boots off the mattress?" she said in exasperation, folding her arms across her chest as she turned to regard the male on her bed.

With wide grin that only served to enhance his boyish charm, Tartaglia rose from the bed and covered the distance separating them in three long strides.

"Not the kind of reception I was expecting, ojou-chan!"

"Huh," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "And pray tell, what exactly did you expect, Master Childe?"

"I don't know, a smile? Perhaps a hug…" He hummed, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, fingers tracing her jawline. "Maybe even a kiss?"

Sakura snorted, meeting his gaze head on. "Bold of you to assume I go around giving kisses to anyone who asks, Master Childe."

His gloveless hand caught her chin, blue eyes boring into hers. "Really now…How did your little outing with Zhongli-sensei go?"

"Splendidly, as always, I assure you."

"Is that so?"

"It is-hmph!"

His fingers curled around the base of her neck as he kissed her, lips moving on hers languidly as he took his time to enjoy the moment. Her hands fisted on the fabric of his gray jacket, smiling into the kiss.

Childe pulled back for just a moment, allowing her to breath before he reclaimed her mouth, arms wounding tightly around her waist. He hummed against her lips, kissing a trail down to her collarbone where he stopped, resting his forehead in the crook of her neck.

"Did he really have to call it a date?"

Sakura giggled, amused by his antics, though not really surprised. "You do realize that the concept of a date does not hold the same meaning for Zhongli as it does for you, right? His calling it a date was purely technical. You have nothing to worry about, I assure you."

"I still don't like it." Mumbling into her shoulder, Childe pulled her flush against him. "I'm gonna tell him you're mine. Him and all of Liyue."

Running her fingers through his ginger hair, Sakura pressed a kiss to his cheek. "How about we get ready for bed? You can tell me all about how much you don't like it while we cuddle."

He glanced at her with a pout, fingers drawing circles against her lower back. "Just cuddle?"

"Yes, just cuddle. It's nearly midnight and Madame Bao is sleeping downstairs."

"I can be quiet-"

"No, you can't," she cut him off, sending him a pointed look as she untangled herself from his arms.

Scratching the back of his head, Childe grinned. "Oopsie!" he shot back at her, though he didn't look sorry at all, making Sakura roll her eyes good naturedly.

"Before we get to that though, I want to say one thing, Ajax-"

"Calling me by my real name? Oh no, that's not good-"

"If you ever go poking at the Primo Geovishap again, I'll seal that cave with you in it."

"Yes, ma'am!"

TBC

Hey guys!

I wanted to post this chapter earlier, but I've been swamped at work. Still, I do hope it was worth the wait and that you enjoyed it.

How are you guys liking the 1.4 Windblume Festival event? I'm enjoying the minigames immensely, especially in co-op, and I'm simply blown away by how many hints and clues regarding the main plotline of the game they have dropped in this update.

Kaeya, what are you planning?

Anyway! I'd like your opinion on something! I've been thinking about creating a Discord server for us to chat and get to know each other better. You have been supporting my stories for so long, put up with my delayed updates, and left lovely reviews that always make my day. I'd love to get to know all of you better.

Would you be interested in something like that? We wouldn't even have to chat about fanfiction. Everything is on the table. :)

Drop me a review or a message to let me know!

Since it's the Windblume Festival, next chapter will probably take place in Mondstadt so stay tuned!

Until next time,

Lots of love!