writing this fanfic while i take a break from genshin for the day and then playing genshin while i take a break from writing this fanfic and then writing this fanfic while i

"Ready or not, here I come!"

I giggled in my hiding spot before quieting down and waiting for my seeker to start his search. We chose nighttime because hide-and-seek was too easy in the day. Both Aether and I agreed that we were too clever and that we needed to play the game in hard mode. We had to sneak away after lights out and make sure Katheryne didn't catch us like she did the last time.

"Lumine!" Aether called out into the dark forest. "Where are you?"

I rolled my eyes. I wouldn't reveal my position—not for a million Mora.

My eyes had adjusted well enough to the dim moonlight, but I heard my brother bumbling through the bushes before I saw him. Double-checking my position, I made sure I was securely crouched in the branches of my tree. I picked this tree out earlier today because it was the tallest, and it had so many wide leaves—perfect for hiding.

I spied the golden sheen of Aether's hair as he searched the area close to the bottom of my tree's trunk. Hm, there were tons of forest area to cover…how did he know to look here first?

"There you are!" Aether exclaimed and my jaw dropped open, he was pointing right at me.

"No fair!" I cried. "You cheated."

"How could I cheat?" he grinned. "I covered my eyes on top of a blindfold that you double-knotted. I win fair and square."

"You haven't won yet." I refused to admit defeat. "You still have to catch me."

"That's not in the rules!"

"Yes, it is!"

I could make out Aether's frown through the leaves. "Since when?"

"Since now."

There was no way Aether could catch me all the way up here. It took nearly all of my stamina to get to the top of the tallest tree in the forest, and I had to take breaks! Plus, I accidentally broke a few of the branches toward the bottom on my climb up here—he couldn't make it if he tried.

"Fine," he said after a moment. "I'll catch you, Lumine."

"We'll see about that!" I hollered from my spot in the branches.

I watched as he began his climb up the tree trunk. He got in a few good grips and branches to hold onto, but just as I expected, he couldn't make it much further past the broken ones. All according to plan.

"Just give it up. You'll never make it."

Aether didn't say anything to that—he just continued to grunt and pant as he failed to secure a proper branch time after time. Soon, he had found one branch that was firm enough to hold, and my smile melted away.

"Really, Aether," I rolled my eyes again. "Stop trying, or I'll…I'll throw a pinecone at you!"

"Now that would be cheating," he replied and continued to climb higher and higher.

He was halfway up the tree now, and I was growing more nervous by the second. What should I do? If he really makes it up here, and if I lose…I'll have to do his chores for a week! No. I wouldn't allow it.

Plan B: Escape.

I spied a branch from another tree hanging low close to me. I could probably hop onto it if I tried, but would it hold? Hm, maybe I should—

Crack!

"Uh, Lumine?" Aether's voice quivered. "I need some help."

"You can't trick me into coming down there." I hesitantly looked down to where he paused on a branch. "I'm not that…that…"

"Gullible?"

"Yeah," I sniffed. "I'm not that gullible!"

"Lumine, look! The branch is broken."

I focused all my attention on the branch Aether stood on, but I couldn't see anything wrong with it. I didn't want to believe him, but still. What if he was telling the truth? My stomach dropped. This was bad. I was way on top of the tree, but this was still a really tall tree. Aether was pretty high up. If he were to fall…

"Wait right there!" I commanded and began to slip down the branches to get close to him. "Try not to move."

Aether obeyed my words and stood as still as a frightened mouse. The branches I hopped down on creaked with my weight, and the tree swayed in the wind. Next time, I will pick a better tree.

"Okay," I jumped over to the branch just below him. "Bend down slowly and give me your hand."

I reached my arm out to him as he began to slowly lower himself down from the broken branch. He was so close! Our fingertips touched and I got excited and quickly stood on my tiptoes to grab his hand.

"I got you!" I smiled brightly at our success.

"No," Aether swiftly hopped down onto my branch and trapped me in a hug. "I got you. You lose!"

My jaw dropped open in shock, but before I could complain, the branch below our feet suddenly broke apart.

A scream escaped me, and I could feel Aether's arms tighten in a protective embrace. We tumbled down the tree in a mightly drop. Sometimes, other branches would come up and smack into us, and my arms got all scratched up. I couldn't see how far we were from the ground—it was too dark—but we landed really quick for how long the fall went.

"Ow," I croaked out loud.

"Are you," Aether coughed. "Okay?"

Aether had landed on his back, while I landed on top of him—his arms were still secured around me, and I quickly rolled away to see if he was hurt badly.

"Aether!" I panicked, thinking he broke his spine or something. "Aether, speak to me!"

"I was speaking to you just now, wasn't I?" He slowly sat up with a wince. "Good. You're well enough to worry about me."

"You shouldn't have climbed up that tree," I frowned.

"And If you're well enough to worry about me," he grinned mischievously. "Then you're also well enough to wash my laundry! Loser."

The pain of knowing I had lost the game hurt almost as much as my pains from the fall. Almost.

"How is it that you always win when we play hide-and-seek?"

Aether stood slowly, bracing himself against a tree trunk, and dug into his small pockets.

"You dropped one of your flowers." He pulled out a white flower and tucked it back into my hair. "And you're too trusting, Lumine. I didn't expect you to actually fall for that."

"I was worried about you," I muttered. "And now I've learned my lesson. I'll never be worried about you again!"

Aether sighed. "Then I guess I'll just have to worry for the both of us."

I jolted awake in my bed as if I had just freshly fallen from the tallest tree in my memories. A smile marked my lips as I remembered how the rest of that night had gone. Aether and I went stumbling back to the orphanage, covered in dirt, and Katheryne was waiting for us. She was ready with a lecture, but then noticed the state we were in. She took us inside for treatment and lectured our ears off while we were being healed.

There really never was a dull moment with my brother.

My stomach growled low and strong, and the remnants of my dream faded away. After classes ended for the day, I stopped by my dorm room in further pursuit of finding a Vision. There was nothing in my study desk or wardrobe drawers. When I had gone to check in my bed, a wave of exhaustion took over me, and I had fallen asleep.

I intended for it to be a short nap, but the darkness in my window indicated that several hours had passed by. My stomach growled again, and I could only hope that I wasn't too late for dinner. Quickly, I threw my shoes back on and left the student dorms in the direction of the dining hall.

Dinner was over.

I thunked my head on the locked door that was the entrance to my meals with a sigh. For the third time, my gut grumbled and I patted it lightly in acknowledgment. I would have to wake up early for a heavy breakfast the next day, then.

I sighed once more and turned to my next destination—the library. While I couldn't satiate my hunger for food, I could at least attempt to satiate my ever-growing curiosity of how I am able to wield an element without a Vision. With Celestia's library being as extensive as it is, I'm sure I could find something on the matter.

The library was a lot more empty of people than I had expected, and I couldn't have wished for anything better. The fewer people here, the better. While the library was a private, quiet space by nature, I would like to avoid drawing attention to any of my research as much as possible.

Scanning through the numerous aisles of bookshelves, I picked out the titles that spoke to me. History of Great Vision Holders. Controlling Visions: Picking a Weapon. Autonomous Elements. A Visionless World: Natural Elements. Elemental Beings. And so on.

I carried my pile of books over to a study table and spread them out in order from most to least relevant. I suppose I could start with Autonomous Elements. The book was rather thick, and I could tell from the front page only that the material would be dense. No matter, I'd gotten plenty of sleep during my nap. The night was still young.

I pored over the texts and took note of each diagram, example, hypothesis, and summary. Most of the information I could find all pertained to monsters in this world that are connected to elemental energy. Slimes, hypostases, specters, regesvines, whopperflowers, vishaps, cicins…but nothing on regular people. I quickly flipped through the pages of the next book I'd picked up.

Nothing.

Next book. Nothing. Next. Nothing.

I was hoping that perhaps History of Great Vision Holders would have a section on anyone else who was so great that they didn't need a Vision. So far, it seemed promising. It looked like there was a section on Visionless fighters who—

An unexpected hand suddenly clamped down on my shoulder and I jumped. Quickly utilizing the self-defense moves Xiao had taught us, I slid out from my chair and took hold of my assailant's wrist, pulling them forward as I pushed myself backward. I slammed their chest on top of the table, bending their elbow backward and immobilizing them.

My mind soon caught up with my body, and I could almost recognize the brown head of hair pushed into the table. He was a student.

"P-Please let me go," his voice wobbled. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Huffman?" I let go and took a step back. "Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

He rubbed his wrist. "I didn't mean to. I was whispering your name—this is a library—but you couldn't hear me. I guess you were distracted with your books."

"Yes," I frowned. "I was reading because, as you said, this is a library. Did you need me for something?"

"Ah, well, I just wanted to…you know." He scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to see what you were doing."

I balked. "Seriously? You invaded my personal space."

"Sorry. I mean, I guess I just got a little excited. I didn't see you in the dining commons for dinner, so I thought you might have gone to study at the library with that Pyro shielder again. But then I saw he was still at dinner, so I thought that maybe we could study together for once. You weren't here when I checked the first time, but I'm glad I came back."

I moved to stand in front of the books I'd gathered so Huffman wouldn't take notice. "I'm studying for Vision Studies. You're not in Vision Studies."

"We can still share the same space."

"I don't understand," I sighed. "There's practically no one else in the library right now."

"I know," he smiled ruefully.

I continued. "Meaning you have all of these study tables to choose from. We don't need to be cramped up at the same one. I have a lot of books."

"That's okay. I only have one book."

"Why do you insist on studying together?" I crossed my arms.

"I only see you in Beginner's Gliding, and even then we don't talk. I thought we might get to know each other in Physical Combat, but you moved up a level, so that wasn't possible."

"Okay…?"

"Lumine," his face turned red. "You're…you're pretty rad."

"I'm rad? Um, thanks?"

"No! What I mean to say was," he continued to grow more flustered. "I…really like you."

Is he saying what I think he's saying? Surely not. We've had maybe one interaction, and that was when I made him eat dirt in the sparring circles.

"I like you, Lumine," he repeated with more confidence. "You're so talented and skilled. Even without a Vison you still show up all the other snobs who think they're hot stuff because they have one. You're different. Gorgeous and—"

I held out a hand. "Stop right there. It's not going to happen."

"Wh-What?"

"You should leave, Huffman. Leave behind any hopes you have with me, too. I'm not interested."

"B-but…" he reached out to me with a shaky hand and I swatted it away.

"Huffman. You've already touched me without permission once. Don't make me show you exactly what the Conqueror of Demons teaches me while you've been stuck doing push-ups."

"Lumine—"

"Go," I cut at him and turned to sit down without even looking to see if he left.

He must have gone eventually, though. Soon, the sound of tears and sniffles faded away into an echo, and I was once again left in peace. Finally, back to doing my research. I returned my attention back down to the endless supply of words in front of me, but none of them were processed.

I couldn't focus.

The whole interaction with Huffman, from start to finish, was so surreal. How could Huffman have feelings for me? I'd only been tolerating him when he'd tried to push for partnered exercise and private gliding lessons. Huffman was…just Huffman.

Maybe I had been a little bit mean, but I blame my lack of a meal for being so harsh. The mixture of frantic researching to save my own skin with a side of hangriness didn't make for the most polite letdown. Plus, Huffman was really out of line. How was he so sure I would be at the library? It made me uneasy.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat and I looked up to find Kaeya. "Would now be a bad time to get down on one knee and present you with a bouquet of flowers?"

My eyes widened in shock before I realized Kaeya must have been nearby and witnessed the whole Huffman fiasco. "You heard all that, didn't you?" I groaned. How embarrassing.

"You didn't give him a chance," Kaeya tutted. "Poor guy burst into tears on his way out the door."

"I know," I winced. "I heard."

"I'd expect nothing less." Kaeya settled in the chair across from me, and I tried to swallow my panic since my research was currently very observable. "He had more of a spine than I thought, but it seems not everyone is able to read the room."

"Right?" I casually reached out to pull the books closer to me, stowing them away under my seat.

"Speaking of reading, what material has you so engrossed?"

"Oh you know," I waved a hand. "Stuff. Vision stuff. You know Visions...people have 'em."

I looked around the room, desperate for a change of subject that didn't involve my research or my rejection of Huffman's affections. This was Kaeya, so…wait a minute. This was Kaeya. I nearly forgot about my plot to get him to reveal the full student roster to me so I could get potential information on Aether.

"You," I pointed an accusing finger. "You've been avoiding me."

"Have I?"

"Don't play dumb." I glared at him. "One moment, you're expressing a concerning amount of attention towards me, and the next, you're giving me the cold shoulder."

"Aw," he propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. "Do you miss me?"

"I need you for something."

"Even better," his eye twinkled. "And what might that be?"

"You're a member of the student council, right? The student council, wow, what an honored and glorious position. You must be, uh, pretty rad."

"My interest has piqued. Now you're trying to butter me up with the same words your spurned admirer used."

"Do you have access to the student roster? I mean, the one for the entire school."

"I do."

Perfect.

"Can I see it?"

"Depends," he drawled. "Why?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"I figured that much. Who?"

"It's personal."

"I can't help you if you won't tell me."

"Oh, come on," I huffed. "Whether or not you know who I'm looking for—you can still show me the roster."

"Hm, you're right. I won't help you if you won't tell me."

"You're insufferable," I muttered.

"So I've been told," he smirked. "Although, I suppose I wouldn't mind handing over the roster if you instead indulged my curiosity. Why are you reading up on Visions and elemental powers that have no tie with them?"

"It's for class."

"Ah, she lies," Kaeya hummed. "Fine, then. I'll show you the student roster if you help me."

I frowned. What could he possibly need help with from me? There was only one thing I could think of. "With your treasure hunt?"

"Precisely."

"Do you have any leads? What information do you have on the treasure? How do you know if it even exists? And why do you want to scout out me to be your partner?"

"All good questions," he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Questions that I can answer for you, once you accept."

"I can't accept a request without knowing the details." I frowned, growing frustrated. These men were trying my patience today.

"Sure, you can."

"Fine. I'm getting a cut of the treasure, too."

Kaeya grinned wide and held out a hand, I grasped it and we shared a firm handshake. "It's a deal. And as a treat for this momentous occasion, I have brought you a peace offering."

He lifted a box out from under the table and slid it towards me. The box was nothing special—about the size of a textbook and carved out of plain wood. I eyed him warily before finding a latch. I opened the box.

"Fruity Skewers. You missed dinner, didn't you?"

I didn't hesitate to pick up one of the skewers, biting into and savoring every bit of the chicken and mushroom before quickly devouring it whole—minus the stick. At last, my hunger pains finally went away.

"Tasty?" he asked. "I made them myself."

I could barely speak in-between bites. "I think I might love you for this."

He chuckled and put a hand to his chest. "My condolences to Huffman."