Chapter 5: Changes Must Be Made

**(With Zhongli, Moments Earlier)**

Zhongli smiled as the gates opened before the limo pulled up in the round driveway…when he frowned suddenly, seeing his guards at one of the broken windows. Wait…broken window?! The moment the car parked, Zhongli didn't wait for the driver to open the door. He stepped out of the car and instantly made his way over to his men. "Carver!" Zhongli called out to the dark haired male, who turned orange colored eyes to him and stood. "Mr. Zhongli." Moon Carver greeted, before the tanned man turned toward the window.

"We have no idea what happened, all we heard was Lumine scream and we rushed to the scene." Zhongli froze as he processed those words. "Repeat that." Zhongli responded, voice unnaturally calm and Carver stiffened a bit. Zhongli was controlling his voice if he sounded that calm. "We heard a window break and then Lumine screamed and we rushed to this area." Moon Carver pointed to the window. The curtains had been pulled back as the guards were examining them.

"She wasn't at the window, so we're guessing she went somewhere that would make her feel safe. There's no sign she left the area." The dark haired male explained and Zhongli frowned. Somewhere she would feel safe within the mansion? He knew it wouldn't be her own room but…Lumine never seemed like someone who would scream, even out of fear. She was always so calm, kept a level head and never seemed to show much emotion. Something had to have really shaken her to cause her to scream.

Zhongli turned and rushed into the mansion, he had to find Lumine! Zhongli first headed to the library, it was big and spacious, a lot of places for her to hide in but as he neared the door he stopped…she wasn't that familiar with the library. He racked his brain, trying to figure out where else she would go and spun on his heel, heading for the office. That was the most likely place, she was always at ease in the office. He touched the top of the door, not feeling the key and then tried the doorknob, it was locked.

He grabbed the keys he had, opening the door after unlocking it and headed to the desk. Zhongli saw her feet and moved the chair out of the way, almost jumping when the blonde screamed. He dropped to his knees, seeing Lumine there and the way she looked…he hated it. Tears ran down her face, her eyes were bloodshot from crying and she was shaking, hugging herself as she trembled. When she whispered his name, holding a shaking hand to him, all his restraint snapped and he yanked her toward him, wrapping her in an embrace to try and comfort her. Zhongli remembered Aether's words when he called while Zhongli was on his way back home.

"I got word from a contact that someone within the facility is looking for Lumine. The man has ties to the Fatui, Tartaglia is looking into it but his hands might be tied. Can you find anything?"

Zhongli told Aether he'd look into it and for Aether to remain low so as to not be found and caught. Tartaglia was going to have his hands tied, if he tried to dig too deep into the higher-ups, his position would be threatened and the rest of the Fatui could turn on him. Opting to push everything to the back of his mind for now, Zhongli brushed Lumine's hair aside and kissed her temple, feeling her still trembling in his hold. "It's alright now Lumine, I'm here." Zhongli soothed. "He was watching me." Zhongli froze as those words passed her lips. She still had the slight monotonous tone but there was an undertone of fear in her words. "He?" Zhongli questioned, voice unnaturally calm once more, his hold on Lumine tightening as he felt the urge to protect her rear its head once more.

She gave a small nod, pushing herself against his chest once more. "Camera. Second tree closest to the gate. Seems to have climbed the wall." She muttered, Lumine sounded lost and scared…he didn't like that. "Broke the window…I ran…" Lumine turned to press her face against Zhongli's chest, even as he lowered his head to press it against her own. "I felt…something like the need to flee appear. I felt the urge to scream, to alert the guards." She didn't even know what fear felt like! "I ran to the safest place I could think of. The office here…closest to you." It was where he always was, the place she knew he would go to.

Around him she felt safe…

Zhongli sighed and kissed her temple once more. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." The dark haired male apologized, yet she shook her head. "It couldn't be helped but…I don't like what I felt." Lumine's voice was trembling, a sign she had been shaken by what happened. "My head was pounding and I felt vulnerable. I drew the curtains closed as the pounding grew worse…that was when the window broke." Zhongli's face tightened in fury…they knew where she was. He'd have guards patrol the grounds more often, investigate the tree and see what clues they could gather. From now on, he wasn't leaving the estate. He'd tell Hu Tao what happened and possibly arrange meetings for his home or have it fixed where Lumine would be with him at work. He wasn't leaving her alone, not after this.

"He looked…familiar." Zhongli looked down at her, seeing a faraway look within her golden eyes. He brushed a few strands away from her face, making her mumble a little and cuddle against him more. Zhongli certainly wasn't complaining. "When one feels fear, they may begin to see things that are not actually as they are, a way for the brain to try and rationalize what is going on." Zhongli muttered, hoping to calm her. It was very likely that whoever watched her may have been looking for her. Not like he was going to say that, he wanted her to learn on her own and not have a surprise visit force her mind to remember. He didn't want any bad side effects of sudden trauma happening. Zhongli picked Lumine up since she was still trembling, he was worried she wouldn't be able to walk.

He left the office, Lumine bridal-style in his arms with her head against his chest, eyes still closed and hands gripping his jacket. Zhongli tensed when he heard someone shout; "Hey old man!" He almost rolled his eyes with a groan. "Hu Tao." He looked at his boss from the funeral parlor, seeing she was walking his way. "You got a lot of explaining to do as to-!" Hu Tao went silent as she saw the woman in Zhongli's arms, the way she was trembling and then she turned to the guards at the window and frowned. Hu Tao knew very little about Lumine, simply that Zhongli had another person under his employ within the mansion…but this seemed different. Instead, Hu Tao's instant need was to find the person and throw them in a coffin for scaring the shit out of a beautiful woman.

"Who did it?" Hu Tao asked, red eyes flashing with murder and for once, Zhongli was glad he worked alongside Hu Tao. "Unknown. All Lumine saw was a man outside the window. When she closed the curtains, the window shattered." Zhongli explained, feeling Lumine try and pull herself closer to him. Hu Tao almost growled, no one got away with hurting, much less scaring, those she considered close and since this woman was important to Zhongli, that applied to her as well. "I'll see if anyone else saw anything. Someone spying on the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? That's bound to get someone's attention." Hu Tao stated, she wondered if they had someone spying on him at the actual parlor. "Be discreet." At her brow raising, Zhongli sighed, leaning to whisper in Hu Tao's ears as Lumine whimpered, not hearing them.

"She's been kept a secret from unsavory ears." At her narrowed eyes, Zhongli knew he wouldn't get out of being interrogated by Hu Tao…he should've expected it really. He never told Hu Tao much about Lumine except that she worked for him. All she ever saw was a picture and that she worked for him. Hu Tao let Zhongli leave, however, to take Lumine to her room, tomorrow he better be at the parlor and Zhongli nodded. He'd be there…after he set up security measures here at least. He still had to talk to her about Lumine heading to work with him, she was safe around him but maybe if Xiao and Ganyu stayed tomorrow they would help, at least until he got home.

Once Lumine was on the bed in his room, as it would remind her of him, he sat down as well and brushed her fringe away from her eyes. "Lumine," He said softly, grabbing her attention as she turned tired eyes to him. She seemed exhausted. "Are you okay now?" He asked and she frowned softly, looking off to the side…that was all the answer he needed. Sighing internally, he laid down as well, facing her and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, grabbing her attention once more. "You're safe now." He said softly but the fear was still in her eyes…what could he do to make that fear go away? Ideas flew through his mind but none seemed like it would work, some he just wasn't comfortable with either…Lumine wasn't like other women. One came to mind and he steeled himself for it…he just hoped she wouldn't question it.

He wrapped his arms around Lumine and pulled her closer, shocking the golden haired woman and her eyes went wide before her gaze softened and she wrapped her arms around him in turn. She was small enough for him to nearly curl around. His legs moved, forcing her own legs to bend and rest over his right leg so he could curl around her. "As long as I got you, no one will harm you, okay?" He knew her subconscious mind might know what he spoke of, he only hoped she would accept the comfort her was offering without questions. As he hoped, she didn't ask questions, merely laid her head against his chest to hear his heartbeat. "I know." She said softly before finally falling asleep, relaxing in his hold and he sighed softly. Zhongli moved his right hand up, letting his finger graze her cheek with a soft stroke.

"I'll keep you safe…my star." He kissed her forehead, allowing himself that simple pleasure. He was not leaving her side unless absolutely needed.

**(Next Month, Monday-August 9th; Evening)**

Zhongli put the most recent files away, checking the small notebook by his side afterwards to see what else needed to be done. He still had one more appointment and then he could be done for the day…as long as Hu Tao didn't start up her antics today that is. "Mr. Zhongli." Lumine opened the door to his office and he looked at her before nodding, even as the golden haired woman nodded in return and opened the door fully to allow his last guest in. As Zhongli had predicted, Hu Tao did not mind having the female around at all; she almost seemed too pleased in fact.

After the incident back in July, Zhongli had explained everything to Hu Tao in the secret of his office at the mansion. Learning that Lumine very likely had once been part of a human trafficking ring underneath their city that they were still trying to root out…he guessed this boss would grow a soft spot for her. Hu Tao had even added security measures to the parlor of her own. Any unwanted guests would find a one-way ticket to the hospital…or to her coffins. Either way, Hu Tao didn't object and that was all that mattered.

Zhongli had contacted Tartaglia in which the ginger had told Aether and the boy had called Zhongli almost everyday since the incident to check in on his sister. She was safe. She is doing well. She is fine. Everything Zhongli said was only a temporary reassurance to the young man and Zhongli knew it was because Aether was worried about his sister. Knowing she was so close yet still within arms reach of the scum beneath their feet had the man on edge. More than once Tartaglia had told him that he had to stop Aether from going to the mansion.

Zhongli was tempted to just tell Tartaglia to let him, damn the consequences that follow. Then he remembered what they spoke about…the possibility of such a shock from trauma that could cause a traumatic coma. He was grateful that Tartaglia was so willing to stick to the plan. He still punched him when Tartaglia made a surprise visit to the parlor and teased Lumine a bit. Either way, Zhongli glanced at Lumine as the last guest left after making arrangements.

The golden haired beauty was fidgeting where she was and Zhongli gave an amused smile, holding a hand out to her. Lumine seemed to perk and hurried over to him where he pulled her close so she was sitting on his lap. "I told you Lumine, you're safe with me." Zhongli cooed in her ear, soothing her and Lumine grumbled a little, pulling herself closer to him. "I don't like being outside the mansion." Lumine complained against his neck, her lips brushing his neck and Zhongli resisted the urge to groan.

Archons, he wanted to ravage her when she was submissive like this!

"Aiya! Stop that!" Hu Tao shouted and that was when they noticed she was at the doorway, looking very displeased. This happened many times, Hu Tao coming into his office to talk about upcoming ceremonies and whatnot…only to see Lumine sitting on his lap. Hu Tao ALMOST regretted saying 'yes she could work at the parlor with him' but she generally enjoyed all the teasing material she got from them. It made the sickeningly sweet moments between them worth it…sickeningly sweet to her at least.

"What is it, director?" Zhongli asked, hiding his annoyance at their moment being interrupted. Hu Tao sighed, shaking her head to regain her thoughts. "We're gonna close, so you two can head on out. Also, got this for ya." Hu Tao walked in, handing a letter to Zhongli, before turning to leave. "Oh and Lumine," The golden haired woman looked at her. "Don't worry about making food for lunch on your next work day. I'm taking you and Zhongli out to lunch." Zhongli almost smirked, it was Hu Tao's way of sniffing out possible clients…for her coffins.

Once Hu Tao was gone, the door closed to give them privacy, Zhongli patted Lumine's hip and she got up, collecting the suitcase that held Zhongli's files so he could look them over at home. Zhongli closed and locked everything in his office, before he and Lumine left the parlor as the others finished closing. Once in the limo, they were headed back to the mansion, the golden haired beauty leaning her head against his shoulder. Zhongli moved an arm to merely pull her closer, eyes trained outside for anything unusual.

They got home without incident and once inside, Zhongli took the suitcase from her. "Are you tired?" Zhongli asked Lumine, yet she shook her head. "No, shall I get started on dinner?" Lumine asked and Zhongli hummed, thinking it over a bit. They had more people at the parlor today, something Lumine was NOT used to at all, despite having worked there for weeks now. He wasn't sure he wanted to add her normal chores on top of how much she worked at the parlor. "Don't worry about it for today. Ganyu left some food for us before we left so that we could eat." She nodded and headed to the kitchen to reheat the food.

As Lumine did, Zhongli thought back to the work schedule he had set up with Lumine. She couldn't be at the parlor all the time. Zhongli worked at the parlor four, sometimes five, days out of the week, Lumine was only there for three of those days, sometimes two. Zhongli always made sure Ganyu and Xiao were here to help her stay calm. Ganyu and Xiao both stated she was restless when he wasn't there, always worried something would happen or another incident would happen. Zhongli had taken measures to ensure it wouldn't but it seemed like it didn't reassure Lumine. She didn't feel safe unless he, himself, was there.

Since the incident, the two had been almost inseparable, except the times he was at the parlor without her. The moment Zhongli was back though, Lumine was at his side and he kept her close without complaint. He had almost confessed a few times but as Lumine still didn't show any emotion past care and friendship, it always stalled his confession. Still, the fact she was showing some form of fondness meant there was a chance his own love could, possibly, be reciprocated. Any chance was better than no chance after all.

The only thing that worried him was the fact that, on some days, she was unnaturally quiet. He tried getting Ganyu to try and pull the information out of Lumine but, a week later, when he asked if Ganyu got any information, his daughter's eyes went wide and she clammed up quickly. He, at first, thought maybe she forgot but the way Ganyu said she couldn't say a word, having promised to stay quiet told Zhongli it was something that made Lumine uncomfortable.

A shatter and a scream from the kitchen yanked Zhongli from his thoughts and he rushed towards the kitchen. "Lumine, wha-?!" He froze, seeing her gripping her head tightly, eyes wide with horror and tears streaming down her face. A cup on the ground in pieces. "No…no, stop! Get out of my head!" Lumine shouted, closing her golden eyes as she tried to erase whatever she was seeing from her mind. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" She chanted, backing up and hitting the cabinet, trying to control herself. "Lumine!" Zhongli rushed to her side and held her arms, not sure what to do. Zhongli had never seen Lumine like this before, he didn't know what to do to help her!

"Mr. Zhongli, get it out of my head!" Lumine begged, leaning her head against his chest but not removing her hands from her head. "Get what, Lumine?!" Zhongli begged in turn, wanting to help her. "THEIR FACES!" She shouted and he froze, eyes wide as his body went rigid. Their…? Multiple? He, at first, thought maybe it was from the incident but if she said 'their'...then she was seeing more than just a single person. This wasn't from the incident…this was from her actual past. "They won't stop grabbing me!" Zhongli wrapped his arms around her, hoping to comfort her in some way.

Did the incident last month trigger this?

Lumine couldn't get the image out of her mind. People grabbing her and a male who looked similar, nothing was discernible, details too blurry but it all made her head hurt. It felt like it was being split apart by some unseen force and that terrified her! An unseen enemy…an unknown reason…Lumine hated being kept in the dark about something pertaining to her. Why did it hurt so much?! Warm lips to her temple came with a rush of warmth filling her being and she gasped, clutching to Zhongli instead.

"Mr. Zhongli…" She whimpered and felt his hold tighten. "Please Lumine, tell me what is wrong." The fact she tensed raised alarms for him. Did she not trust him to tell him? She told Ganyu but…why not- "I didn't want you to worry." Lumine whispered against his chest, seeming to slowly compose herself. "Lumine, I'm here for you, remember that." He kissed her temple again, hoping to coax her into talking about it. "I said I would keep you safe, let me do the same for whatever plagues your mind." Damn it all, why did he have to sound so sweet?! Lumine didn't like it that he was able to disarm her like that!

Sighing, bracing herself, she took a few steps back, a sign to release her and, as he did, Lumine reached behind her neck, unclasping the thick choker she wore. Her maid outfit generally hid her neck, as did the dress as it had a band that wrapped around her neck to keep the dress up on her body. With other clothes, she wore a choker to keep her neck hidden. When she removed the choker, she heard Zhongli take a deep breath, watching his eyes widened in what looked like horror and concern.

He reached a hand forward, barely stroking the skin before he snatched his hand away in fear of hurting her. Around Lumine's neck was incredibly dark skin, deep cuts that looked like they didn't heal properly covered her neck, many crisscrossing to cover as much skin as it could. Faded lines cracked from the scarred tissue showing the damage had been worse at one time but was, in fact, healed. It was as bad as Aether's wounded neck. Lumine grabbed his hand, bringing it to her neck so he could feel the skin. It was rough with too few patches of smooth skin. Zhongli watched her face for any sign of discomfort yet she didn't seem the least bit in pain. "It's healed Zhongli, it's okay." Lumine didn't use formality with him, letting down her walls.

Nodding to himself, Zhongli moved his hand forward, gently stroking the skin and feeling her shiver, yet she said it was fine. He kept his movements slow, it's obvious her neck was sensitive, most likely a result of the scars. "Lumine…" His voice was thick with concern, before he wrapped her once more in an embrace, one she returned as she accepted the comfort he was offering. Lumine knew when to accept the comfort and when she felt it wasn't needed. "Everytime I see the scars," So she had more than just her neck then. "And I remember that man…these odds…images float through my mind." Lumine was trying to explain it in the only way she knew how.

"I can't make out any features, everything is too blurry but…I see someone who looks like me trying to pull me away from those grabbing at me." She pressed on. "He keeps shouting my name, 'Lumine, Lumine,' as he tries to keep me near him." Lumine stated, closing her eyes to keep any tears forming back. "Sometimes it's the same image, sometimes it's different but…the boy is almost always there." Lumine explained, feeling herself relax as she finally got it off her chest. "Maybe it has to do with your past." Zhongli offered, if only to comfort her. They wanted to slowly work her into remembering her past, not have a sudden trigger that would make her remember everything at once.

Zhongli pulled back, holding one of her hands up to inspect and pushed the bracelet up, frowning a little at the scarring he saw there. It wasn't as bad as her neck, nowhere near but…it was still bad. "I don't know where any of these came from but…everytime I see them…since the incident…I…" Zhongli shushed her by pulling her toward him once more, kissing her forehead. "Enough Lumine, I understand." He said softly and she lowered her head. "I apologize…" Lumine said softly, wondering if she had somehow upset Zhongli. He shook his head. "Don't be, you've done enough and your tired." Zhongli rubbed her back, hoping to ease any lingering discomfort she had.

"Do you wish to rest?" He asked her and she thought for a moment, nodding but looked at the fridge. "What about food?" She asked, wanting him to eat. "That can wait, your more important." Zhongli said as he picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, staying close. They have had moments like this where Zhongli would carry her back to her room so she could sleep. However, when he went to take her to her room, she shook her head. "No, no…I…" She mumbled something against his neck, confusing him.

"Hm?" He pulled her back a bit so he could see her face better. "Lumine?" Zhongli prompted again, making her look at him. "I, um…I…I don't want to be alone…tonight…" Lumine sounded almost like she was stuttering. Zhongli was surprised, before letting a soft smile cross his face. It would only be tonight, he'd share a room with her. Once he was laying down with her, she snuggled against his side, closing her eyes, feeling comforted by his presence and he gently stroked a cheek as she fell asleep. Once he knew she was in a deep sleep, Zhongli got up and grabbed the letter he had in his pocket, opening it. The name Tartaglia was written on the back, so it was from him.

'Zhongli,

My hands are tied, I can't get anymore information from the higher-ups without risking my position, or risking Aether. You know I don't care about my position but I won't let Aether come to harm, I just won't.

While most of the Fatui don't seem to care or seem interested in me, two have begun following me as much as they can. Number Two-Dottore and Number Six-Scaramouche. Their pictures are attached to the letter.' Looking inside he saw the two pictures.

'I'll work on keeping Aether safe but, if something happens to me, I need you to promise me you'll look after him and keep him safe. His sister is with you, that will put him at ease but I can't let him come to harm. Promise me you'll look after him!

Anyways, be on the lookout for Scaramouche and Dottore. They are some of the more dangerous of the Fatui Harbingers. Be careful.

Sincerely, Tartaglia'

Sighing, Zhongli put the letter in the top drawer of his nightstand, rubbing his forehead before glancing at Lumine. She had been having memories come back then…he didn't know if it was good or bad. At least it was on her own, in a way, each memory made her want to remember more, he could tell but he only hoped she remembered at a slow pace. He reached a hand forth, smoothing some hair back from her face, before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I'll be right back, Lumine." The Zhongli was getting up and heading to the kitchen.

So this is where things get interesting. As we can see, Zhongli and Lumine are growing closer and generally, I would've made them getting closer a slow burn thing...but I'm not good at writing slightly emotionless characters...so hence why what was MEANT to be a slow burn wasn't actually a slow burn. T^T I can't do slow burn stories, sadness...

Anyways, Lumine and Zhongli are getting closer and Zhongli has officially taken charge and is like; "Oh yeah, no, she's not leaving my side." Granted she can't be at the Funeral Parlor all the time since she's not an actual employee but what do they tell the customers? She's Zhongli's assistant and ya know what, none of them question it. Why? Because I say so. XD Its a fanfic, I'm gonna take creative liberties if I can. DO NOT LIMIT ME! XD Haahaa...but yeah, no, in all seriousness the way Lumine and Zhongli get closer is kind of sad.

See, Lumine feels really vulnerable when she has her episodes and the only way to calm down is to be with someone safe, someone who cares about her and loves her. I doubt these episodes are anything like a panic/anxiety attack (which is what I'm sort of basing them off of with minor differences) and what calms me down is being held by family. I feel vulnerable after I have an episode, so I figured maybe it'd be the same way for Lumine as it's the only experience I really have with anything traumatic.

Well, hope you all are still enjoying the story despite the darkness the surrounds it and see you in the next chapter. ^^