Xiao
He stands before me, his hands gently touching the cherry blossoms that bloom around his home. The wind blows gently enough, that it carry's his scent to me. He smells of the forest, and the trees, where we train and run free at times. His hair blows so gently in the wind, that the sun catches it perfectly in the light.
"The blossoms are beautiful this morning, wouldn't you say?" He turns to me with his soft smile.
You're beautiful I think to myself. He beckons me to come closer to him and as I do, his hand reaches for my hair. He smiles and takes the blossom that landed in it.
"You had a petal in your hair." He chuckles and before he tosses it aside, I take his hand in mine.
His skin is soft against my touch. My hands are probably rough but when his hand is mine, it feels soft, gentle and warm. A touch I never thought I'd feel from any human ever again. I gently take the petal from his hand and place it in his hair, running my fingers through his long blond locks.
"It looks better in your hair then on the ground." I tell him.
He smiles at me and touches my cheek. His touch is so soft and welcoming. I feel so warm inside, I want to cry with how gentle he is with me. If he truly knew what I was, would he still be gentle with me like he is now? Would he still want to be around me or run like all the humans have?
"Come on, let's go home." He says to gently and hold his hand out to me.
I take his hand and we walk together, admiring the cherry blossoms together. I look at him and he's smiling again, he looks so beautiful in the sun and the blossoms falling around him. My chest tightens and I feel my heart beating hard and fast, what is this feeling?
I should have told you, you are the first human to make me feel something, you were the first human to not run from me or cower, you the first human to treat me like a human and not a monster.
Please...I just didn't want to be alone...with my thoughts...my heart stopped beating the day you stopped breathing...
I blink my eyes open and can hear a vibrating buzz coming from my pocket. I take in a deep breathe and rub my eyes, and slowly sit up, feeling a sharp pain in my side. I groan and look at my side and see it's been patched up.
I look around and see I'm in a bed with sheets as soft as flower petals and blue as the ocean itself. Their room is filled with boxes and stacked neatly against the wall. A wooden desk sits near the door and on top of it sits a couple boxes and a small garbage can next to it.
The window has a view of the town, I can see a windmill and a wall around the town. Nothing has changed in this tiny town and it honestly shows. Mondstat is a small area, looks like a town most people would find in a fairy tale book. With the brick walls, the houses all closed together and vines growing on them. A church that sits on top of the hill and the people keep the peace and to themselves. There's just enough to make a living and just enough to do, but it's too small in my opinion, and fears changes.
Liyue has changed a lot though. It's still a habit but mountains have been blown out, more build song and shops have gone up, and now a college sits on top of a hill overlooking Liyue as if it were a castle on the hillside. The college is huge and looks almost like a small village with the houses we have for the residents that have been blessed by the Gods. It also has its own shops, restaurants and outside areas for study and student life. Master has put much thought into the campus and how to make everyone feel welcomed.
I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear laughter behind the door. It amazes me how someone can be this happy in the morning already. I wait for someone to enter, but the door stays shut. I look around a little more and see there were pictures or posters hanging on the wall, my eyes drift next to the night stand, that a medium lamp on it and a picture. As I reach for it, my eyes catch a blanket and pillow on the floor.
I retract my hand as soon as I hear the door open and see a male with skin as fair and soft as a feather, with long blond hair that looks as though the sun kissed it, itself walks in laughing with his eyes closed.
"It's not funny Aether!" I hear a female voice shout after him and he keeps chuckling.
When he opens them, our eyes meet and I feel as though I'm looking at a pot of gold with how bright and yellow they are. His smile fades for only a few seconds, and then it's back. The way he smiles, I can feel blood pumping through my veins, my heart pounding and my chest tightening. So...it wasn't a dream after all...
Aether...His cheek has a bandage on it, did I do that, or was it Bo...
"Good morning. I was just coming to check on you and see how you were doing." He walks towards me and then kneels next to his bed.
"My name is Aether and my sister and I have been taking care of you for the past three days." He holds his hand out to me and I take it to shake it.
My vision suddenly changes to seeing him in the light blue robes with white trimming. When he lets it go, I'm back in reality and he's wearing a white short sleeve shirt with black pants and white socks on his feet.
"Three days?!" His words finally rest on me. And throw the blankets off me and ignore the pain in my side as I shoot up from his bed. I get a sudden dizzy spell and fall back on the bed. Aether catches me and helps me down.
"Hey, take it easy." He sits next to me and I pick up a woodsy smell from him, why does he always smell so good.
As we sit on the bed, I put my hand on my head and think how it's been three days. I'm sure Childe is freaking out, Bo probably escaped and is who knows where, then there's Master...
I quickly feel for my phone and take it out of my pocket. I have about 100 or so missed calls from Childe as well as messages, a few from Master and only 1 from Bo. I stand up before he can say anything else and think about how I'm going to explain this all.
"Is everything okay?"
"I need to go." I tell him. I almost don't want to talk away from him.
Well before you go, would you like something to eat?" I walk over to the door and stand in the in front of it.
"No, I'm sorry, I need to go." I walk out of his room and can smell someone cooking breakfast.
I see a blond girl with short hair standing by the stove with an apron on, looking at her phone, and laughing at images. Mortals are so strange sometimes.
She turns and out eyes meet just like her brother's, she also has gold eyes. Seems as though Aether always comes back with a twin. I don't say anything at all and start for the door.
"Wait!" His voice stops me in my footsteps. "Please have a bite to eat before you go, you've been out for three days, surely your hungry. Or at least drink some water, before heading out." Why does he care so much?
"Would you like-"
"I said no! Now goodbye! Man you are annoying!" I stomp off and slam their door shut.
I walk fast away from their house and just want to get out of Mondstat as fast as I can. I can feel my breathing is heavy and my hands are balled up in a fist.
"Xiao..." Don't start this morning
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
"IT HURTS!"
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
I put my hand up to my face and try to focus on my breathing. Deep breath in, and out. I walk the streets slower and look ahead in the crowd, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. Deep breath in and out.
I blink a few times trying to focus on reality. I can feel them, the way they wrap around my body and pull. The screams, the pain, the bindings everything. Deep breath, deep breath, if I cave now...I'll I'll
"Sorry to bother you again." That voice...
I turn and see his hair practically glowing in the sunlight as he smiles as me. He holds out my leather black jacket to me and smiles as his eyes are closed.
"You forgot your jacket, not sure if we'll run into each other again, but wanted to return it to you." Why, why is he so nice to me.
"Don't cry...we'll...meet...again..." I swallow hard and take my jacket from his hands.
He then gently places a muffin in my hands along with an orange, turns and leaves. He doesn't say anything and I don't say anything back to him. I watch as his long blond hair sways as he walks away. Why are you always the first one to show such kindness to me?
"We'll meet again..." I shake my head and walk out of Mondstat.
"Oh Xiao, you just can't catch a break can you." SHUT IT! I can't deal with you this morning, so SHUT! IT!
The others and Master are probably wondering where I am. The new term will be starting here soon and I need to get back before the new students arrive. I remember Master telling me, they would start here and then join the rest today.
As I come to the bridge, I look around and see I'm too out in the open to call forth my wings. It's also morning time, so everyone is walking around getting ready for the work day or whatever they do here in the small town.
It wouldn't be uncommon though if I used the wind and guided myself back to the school. As I start my run, I use gust of wind and run as fast as I can back to the school.
As I near the Liyue Harbor, I slow my run down and spot the campus on the hilltop we've chosen for it and over looks Liyue and the harbor itself. Great east spot for a view of everything.
The School is wide and and big and long and in the to the side of the school is our longest spire, for astronomy class. Glass windows line perfectly with the build and it's scaling. The roof tops are all hip-and-gable and has two large pillars in the front.
The rooftops are a minty green, the boarders around the windows are also the same color. While the building itself is a light off white color. These colors were chosen to match the colors of the buildings in Liyue. As you approach the front entrance, there are two large pillars out front, the top having the same color as the roof and the pillar itself being an off white just like the school.
Leading up to the school, are small housing buildings for students. Each house has two bedrooms, one kitchen and two bath for its inhabitants. There's also small shops and restaurants scattered through out and study areas if anyone wants to study outside or indoors somewhere.
As I'm coming up in the entry, I'm stopped suddenly by a hand. Red hair and blue eyes like the ocean give me a stern look. Childe has always been lean and tall, his while collard uniform shirt is untucks from his pants and his ties hands loosely around his neck.
"Where hell have you been?" Childeasks me sternly. I move my shoulder out of his grip and turn my back to him.
"None of your business" I walk into the school, until he grabs my shoulders and turns me to him.
"You have any idea how much we've been searching for you? Three days Xiao, you've been gone for three days! What the hell happened the night when you and Bo were fighting?The moon wasn't full, did you give into it again?" Was Bo there he's been missing and this would be day four." I don't have time for this, I can barely remember what happened that night anyway.
"Were your beads on?!" At this point I make a fist and almost punch him, but he turns me towards him and holds both shoulders. "Did. Your. Beads. Come. Off?" His voice almost sends chills through my spine, with the how serious he sounds.
"No...they didn't." I tell him with confidence.
I shove out of his grip. "If you have to know I was knocked unconscious, lost some blood and was in Mondstat getting patched up by losers alright." Before he can say more I'm walking off as fast as I can.
Did I really mean to call them losers or was I just getting annoyed by what Childe was telling me. If I remember right, I picked up Bo's presences and could feel him in the area. I could also feel how he was changing and becoming out of control but the rest of the night is blank. I can't even remember what brought him out, yes I could feel him wanting to take over and perhaps he did, here's my concern, the moon wasn't even full and I don't remember much of the fight.
I feel a hand on my shoulder right before I enter the school and can feel my anger reaching a boiling point, but calm down immediately when I see brown Amber eyes looking at me.
"We'll talk later, good to see this morning headmaster." Childe drops the "serious" act and is his annoying happy self again. Master simply nods at Childe and off he walks.
Master Zhongli stands before me, with a stern look on his face. As always he's dressed in the best formal wear one could ever obtain. White dress shirt, black dress pants with shoes to match as well as a black vest. His tie perfect aligned and tied, the color starts out as brown and slowly fades into yellow.
I look down at the ground feel shame for realizing I have been missing for three days. Didn't say anything all I knew was, I had to get away from everyone and everything. He's been becoming so strong lately, why should I be around others, when he's trying his best to claw his way out.
"Master, forgive me for my leave of absence, I have no excuses for my actions" He leads me into the school, a huge grand stair case is seen while walking in.
We take a right, to his office that has the most gorgeous view of the ocean and the harbor part of Liyue. His desk sits right in the middle, of his office and has a nice big black comfy desk chair, that matches the dark mahogany wood perfectly
On both sides of him he has book shelves stacked with information on elements, history, teaching, running a school, fighting techniques and other books I've seen. Though he's not the most avid reader, he will read when he is stumped on something or needing something to help with a solution he can't find.
In front of his desk sits two comfy chairs and by the doors sits a couch on one side and little reading nook on the other. A chair, a table and a lamp. Sometimes students will come into his office and read, or study or talk to him about their classes.
Master is a very caring teacher and care taker of the school. He tired his best to accommodate everyone that comes to him about a problem or needing extra help with something.
I owe Master Zhongli my life and as well as the other two Yaksha I'm with currently, the other two we're still looking for. He took us in and told us that we could help protect the students at the school and venture out with them when needed. He knows our story, our curse our burdens and he tired to redeem us with us helping humanity by slaying beasts that roam this world.
He knows how we feel about humans though. Some days I don't even go out and help them or I turn a blind eye. There are some tasks humans can do on their own. I'll fight the monsters, but if there is a group of students, then I'll watch from afar and make sure they don't get hurt.
He pulls a seat out for me and gestures for me to sit. As I take my seat, he goes and pours himself a cup of tea and sits down at his desk. He looks like a commander in chief whenever he sits down and is about to share some battle plan or strategy.
"I'm glad to see your okay Xiao." He says in a calm voice. His voice can be a lot like Aether but it's a calm before the storm, while Aether's is a calm that can be before and after a storm.
He takes a sip of his tea quietly and clears his throat. "Can you tell me what happened? I already know your beads were on, your wearing them as we speak. Did something make you mad?" At least Zhongli knows me well enough that I wouldn't take them off, or someone that someone would even attempt to take them off.
"The two that cared for you, did they say anything about the beads around you neck?" Come to think of it, Aether nor Lumine asked about them, I just remember waking up and seeing his eyes for the first time in so long.
I didn't even notice my necklace, until I started moving and getting up. Aether and Lumine we're both busy packing for something. I never really talked to them and Aether I think said they were both getting ready to leave.
"No they didn't say anything about it, they just patched me up and that's it. I was out for three days and I'm sorry I made everyone worry. I don't remember what happened or why or even if o transformed." He simply nods and goes back to drinking his tea.
We both hear a knock on his door and it swings open, revealing Master Jean. When she arrives, it mainly means the new students are coming. Zhongli gets up from his seat, swings his suits jacket over and puts it on.
"You should come Xiao, two of them will be going with you to Wangshu inn with the others that have been blessed with Anemo." He says placing his hand firmly on my shoulder.
I nod and get up and walk with him and Master Jean. As they talk about the new students, I wonder about all the work I'll have to catch up on. I'm not a teacher not an advisor. I'm more of a resident assistant really. Zhongli assigned all Bo and I to be the resident assistant as a way to keep us here and a way to interact with humans.
As the two talk and we near the front entrance I stop dead in my tracks. My eyes go wide as I eye two blonds looking and pointing around the front entrance. One turns towards us and I feel my heart skip a beat as he smiles at all three of us.
"Headmaster Zhongli, may I please introduce Aether and Lumine." Master Jean says with a proud smile on her face.
They both turn fully around to face both of and give a bow.
"Good to see you again Xiao, guess we're both going to the same school huh?" Aether says in his happy voice. I look away ignoring him.
"Aether and Lumine, let me welcome you to the school for the gifted. I look foreword to working with the both of you." Master Zhongli tells them both.
"Oh Xiao, this will be fun won't it" shut it!