A Starward Vortex

by BlindRider

A boy who has seeked countless worlds, and the dreams of a young girl who wishes nothing but a better future for her land. He finds strength in her powerful yet gentle gaze, while she finds strength through his understanding and compassionate actions. Time can only tell as the curious surge of electricity meets the elements of the unknown. Cover by enefue on Pixiv

11. His Answer

"Ah, good afternoon, Lady Keqing. Is everything alright?"

Katheryne's voice had driven Keqing out of her mindless stroll. It had been a rather hectic day for the Yuheng, and she had been more than happy to have let her autopilot take over as she headed past the wharf, and back into the terrace complex.

Maybe she had let her stray thoughts write itself all over her face.

"Oh, Katheryne." Her throat felt dry. An idle thought at the back of her mind, wondering just how long had she wandered around in silence, "Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

The guild clerk waved apologetically, "My apologies. I didn't mean to pry, but it looked as if you have a lot going through your mind."

Well, that woman always had such observant eyes.

Walking up towards the guild stall, Keqing situated herself on the railings directly across. She contemplated her response for a few seconds. Weighing in whether or not she could speak freely for a little while, before sighing to herself while she gazed up at the crimson Liyuean sky.

"You wouldn't be mistaken."

Flashbacks of the day's activities began flooding through her memories. With the number of events that were planned to arrive within the coming months, work had just seemed to be an entirely endless trove of troubles.

"Even for my standards, it had been a rather chaotic and encumbering day." She started, eyes closed to further engross herself in the calm breeze surrounding them, "With both Moonchase and Lantern Rite coming in the next few months, our divisions of labour have been under an immense pressure, unlike anything we've had before."

Katheryne hummed in sympathy, "I see… I can only assume that the lack of adepti support had been quite a difficult adjustment to make."

"Somewhat, but I believe that we are managing." Keqing lightly scoffed, a piercing side-eye directed to no one in particular on her eyes, "If only those arrogant nobles are willing to pick up the slack in their respective positions, we wouldn't have had to worry above the lack of organization within our lower ranks."

While the Yuheng went off on her tangent, Katheryne listened attentively.

In all honesty, she had been waiting to find the time to meet the extraneously busy young woman. One of her hands laid on the letter that she had hidden under to flap of her desk. Waiting for the right opportunity to present itself, as she forged through waves of relentless ranting.

Eventually, her patience paid off.

Keqing's tone slowed. Gone were the harsh pitters of criticism that had layered it, and in comes the soft, anguished, and longing tone that Katheryne had no idea was coming.

"Above all that, it's been a month since I've heard anything from…" Pausing momentarily, Keqing shook her head at the thought, "…Never mind. That one isn't as important of a detail."

Is it now?

Was what Katheryne had been itching to say. Assuming from her face alone, Katheryne could tell that it definitely wasn't such an "unimportant" detail as Keqing had waved it off to be.

But she knew about the potential consequences that could befell her if she decided to play around with the Yuheng's iron emotions. So, she gave herself the safest route that wouldn't end up with her sword up on her throat.

She pulled the letter up from its hiding spot.

"I'm sure you will strive through it all." The receptionist said, trying to sound reassuring. Pushing the letter forward to attract her attention, "In the meantime, Captain Beidou had asked me to deliver this to you. I had wanted to drop it off at the Pavilion later on, but it looks like timing can be favourable, once in a while."

She was ready to answer any question that Keqing was most definitely about to ask, only to find herself surprised at the anticipation that grew in her eyes when she practically snapped the letter from her hands.

Keqing ran her hand through the emblem that had sealed the envelope, "T-This seal…"

"I recognized that it had your own personal insignia." Katheryne remarked, "If you don't mind me asking, should I be listing letters with such seals to be of priority?"

Eyes still glued on the seal, Keqing's reply had been as absentminded as it ever came from the normally sharp and attentive woman.

"I, Uhh…, it's a seal that I gave to Ae-, I mean… the Traveler."

"Ah…"

It's an answer if there ever was one for Katheryne.

"I shall put that down as a 'yes' then."

Keqing's thoughts had already been elsewhere. It's unlike him to still leave a letter to be placed at the Adventurer's Guild. Considering their new routine through the teapot.

Within the coming seconds, Katheryne was sure that her presence had pretty much disappeared from the thoughts of the woman in front of her, seeing as the moment Keqing opened the envelope and began reading its content, silence was all that was coming from her.

Katheryne simply shrugged, and moved on to putting away the other documents that had been laying around her desk. Hearing the occasional grumbles from Keqing's internal reading of the letter.

But it wasn't even half a minute later, before Keqing's voice came tearing through the air.

The urgency within the temper of her question snapping Katheryne's attention right back to the now wide-eyed Keqing.

"Katheryne, is Captain Beidou still in the harbour?"

---

In hindsight, she couldn't quite remember what her train of thought had been.

All she felt was this unfamiliar sense of dread before her mind finally collected itself the day after.

Which promptly woke her up to the fact that she's on the Alcor, halfway across the ocean that separates Liyue and the land of Inazuma.

The salty air tickling her nostrils only serves to further ground her realization into the reality around her. While the ocean sways the great ship like a baby in the arms of their mother, her eyes couldn't spare itself the time away from taking in the contents of the letter in her hand.

"Hey there, I know it's been a while.

I won't try to make up an excuse.

Kind of in a bit of a pickle here…"

Now, considering his track record and her own experiences in dealing with his shenanigans, a so-called pickle in his terms could really range from a mountain of different things. She knew this, and she had internally braced herself for whatever trouble he was about to reveal to her.

Yet, her brain still couldn't fully comprehend the chaos that he had just presented him with.

"So, remember the whole helping the resistance thing?

Yeah, it ended up going pretty well, and we managed to find a compromise with the Shogun.

But uhh… It was a different case for me and Paimon.

Seeing as we are outsiders. Plus, we don't exactly have any official diplomatic bearing to the government of any other region, nor did we enter the country in any legal manner, we're kinda in the middle of being charged for some pretty serious crimes.

One of them, funnily enough, is treason against the Shogun.

So, long story short, seeing as you're not only a leader of another region's government, you know me the best out of every figure of authority that I have contact with.

I know I'm asking for a lot. But I'm really running out of ideas.

I've already told Beidou, and I gave her the next set of instructions. Just so that she could hand it to you, in case you actually do go with this.

Take your time and don't rush. I don't want to involve you anymore than what is necessary.

I owe you, again.

-A."

Sometimes, she wondered how he had managed to travel through so many worlds without having been executed for his utter negligence for the laws of any nation. Getting in trouble for running from the authorities in Liyue is one thing. But causing a whole diplomatic issue in a nation that had isolated itself from the rest of the planet is a new level of recklessness.

Yes, she knew that he was already treading hot waters by involving himself with a rebellion of all things. But, had she known the succeeding in helping their cause would leave him to getting detained all the same, then she would have made her objection to his face loud and clear as day.

If she wasn't careful, she would've torn the letter in half with how tight her grip had been. Frustration tingling the edges of her fingertips.

He had to know by now, that there was no way she could refuse when he, of all, people, had asked for her help with anything.

Heaving a heavy sigh, she stored the letter away. Allowing her cumbersome body to leave its weight on the railings of the ship while she groaned her gibberish mutterings onto the folds of her elbow. Her sensors ignoring the footsteps that were approaching her position.

"Looks like your boy has got it rough, huh?"

At this point, Keqing simply didn't have the energy to provide a trademark snarky reply to the captain's teasing. Moreover, she couldn't find it in her to lift her head up and kept on speaking as her voice was muffled by the pads of her forearm.

"One of these days, I'm going to strangle him to submission."

Beidou snickered. She couldn't help herself.

"Oho? Sounds kinky."

Now that, Keqing couldn't just ignore.

"BEIDOU!"

Beidou merely laughed exuberantly, observing the Yuheng's beet red cheeks with amusement. Not to mention the look of utter disbelief that she had adorned.

"Hey now, I'm just playing around! Besides, isn't it nice to see that someone trusts you to bail them out of a tight spot?"

Keqing groaned once more. Her posture deflating all the same, "I won't lie. It's nice to see that he trusts me with what is essentially his life. But such measures wouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't been such a damningly nice person!"

"Well, what can you do? The dude's selfless like that." Beidou affirmed, her vision trailing to the sea as she trudged through her memories, "He even helped the resistance fight against the Shogunate army for virtually nothing. Even for a bunch of cutthroat mercs and veterans like me, it was still quite a gruelling battle. Not to mention, he probably took out twice as much doushins than the rest of us did."

Keqing's ears perked up, "Was? You were there?"

The captain simply nodded. She then leaned in towards the younger woman, materializing a letter in hand.

"He told me to warn you. You'll be meeting a lot of people who can help you get to the Shogun, and they all know him personally." She paused, letting Keqing grab hold of the letter, "But they will act as if nothing's wrong. As if he wasn't being held in their country as a diplomatic prisoner."

"But, how come?" Confusion evident in Keqing's line of question.

"I'm not sure. Most likely, they don't know." Beidou replied, closing her eyes in thought, "These are nice folks that you'll be meeting. I don't think that they'd just idly sit by if they knew that he was in that kind of trouble.

"Then, wouldn't it be better if I inform them? That way, I can gather their assistance and-,"

"No, Aether said that it would overcomplicate things." Beidou interjected, "The tri-commissions of Inazuma are rife with corruption. Even if his connections are able to get something going, there's too many variables that wouldn't just land him and his connections in more trouble, but also get you swept along with it. And that's the last thing that he would want to happen."

Unable to hide her frustration, Keqing couldn't help but to growl. She'd always pride herself in knowing just about everything there is to know about the ins and outs of Liyue and its surrounding regions. Yet, when it comes to finding any information that pertains to a nation that had barred itself from the rest of the world for the last year, she found herself thoroughly beaten. Even an inquiry with Sumeru's Akademiya yielded fruitless results. She can't just enter the land of eternity with the instincts that she had developed from studying other nations. How does the Shogun govern her people? What are the extensions of the Sakoku Decree? How are the people affected by the ruling in general?

The more she thinks about it, the more it irritatingly gnawed at the corners of her mind.

At the end of it all, she could only hold her head in her arms. Tossing the thoughts away for the coming days.

And no sooner had she stopped thinking about it, came the time for the Alcor to enter the Inazuma port city of Ritou.

"We got lucky. The thunderstorms are normally brutal round these parts." A flash of relief evident in Beidou's eyes, "I'll get you acquainted with my Ritou contact as soon as we land."

Though not as crowded as her beloved Liyue harbour had been, Keqing could tell that the port has its fair share of traffic, for a port operating in the midst of a border shutdown that is.

Mooring had been rather smooth. With the dock steps successfully deployed onto the port, Beidou signalled her crew to take a rest whilst she and Keqing disembarked from the Alcor.

Keqing followed the captain's steps. Before noticing a blonde-haired young man in red clothing sat on a couple of random crates, seemingly waiting for someone. A look of enthusiasm flashing in his emerald eyes the moment he spotted his target.

"It's rare for you to be this punctual, captain Beidou."

Beidou replied with a literal jab on his shoulder, which was met with a wry smile on his lips.

"You've got some jokes, kid. Tryna mess with my reputation in front of my boss?"

"I'm not your boss." Keqing quipped almost incredulously.

"You kind of are…"

Before she could argue, the young man had jumped off the crate. Situating himself beside Beidou as he bowed with a level of courtesy that she could only wish to imagine to have come from her seafaring friend.

"You must be Lady Keqing. Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing?" He questioned, the colour of his voice layered with a shade of professional formality, "Welcome to Inazuma! My name is Thoma. Servant to the Shirasagi Himegimi. I've heard a lot of great things about you from both Beidou and the Traveler."

Keqing lightly bowed in return. Figuring she could at least use that one custom that she had a vague sense of familiarity with, to show her respect towards the local populace.

"Good to meet you, Thoma. And please, just call me Keqing." She sent a brief glare towards the unassuming captain, who grinned nervously, having seemingly gossiped about her in another land, "It seems like my reputation precedes me. Even in a nation that has been alienating itself from my own nation's attempts to openly communicate."

Thoma understood that she hadn't meant anything behind her piercing words, and came to Beidou's rescue. "Hehe, I assure you that the two of them had said nothing but high praises about you. Had our government allowed it, I'm positive that both the lord and milady would've been more than happy to establish contact with someone of your stature."

"Okay, and that's my cue to leave. Looks like you two got a lot of high society whatever to go through." Beidou turned her gaze to Keqing, patting her shoulders confidently, "You should be all set here. Thoma's one hell of a guide, so anything you wanna know about, he's got the answer."

"Or I'll at least try to answer to the best of my knowledge!" The young man shouted out.

"I know you will!" Beidou's voice then turned low, a wink following suit, "Good luck, Lady Yuheng."

Keqing sighed. Knowing that she was going to need it.

"Thanks." Nodding in affirmation, she stepped forth towards Thoma. Keeping Beidou within her peripheral vision, "You be careful out there."

"Always am. See ya around!"

The two exchanged a wave of goodbyes. Neither looking back as they made their way towards their respective destinations.

Casting her gaze upon the blonde man, she stood at the ready.

"Well then, Thoma. Shall we get going?"

---

The first order of business had been simple in nature.

But sometimes, Keqing couldn't help but think if, the international troublemaker who she trusts to guide her through his mere letters, remembers that she wasn't exactly someone who'd you call a people person.

Which makes the first step of his instructions to be an outright challenge.

If it was anyone else, she would've thought that he had been trying to mock her.

"To start, you'll need to find a way to get in contact with the Shogun. She's not one to shy away from a proper negotiation.

Your best bet will be to get through one of the leaders of the tri-commission. Luckily, Beidou can lead you to Thoma. Who in turn would lead you to either of the Kamisato siblings. But seeing as he spends more time under the younger sibling, he'd most likely bring you to Kamisato Ayaka."

Who, if Keqing had recalled correctly, was the person persuaded him to go and help the resistance in the first place.

The thought of reprimanding the woman crept through the back of her mind.

"A note about Ayaka, is that she's a bit timid in front of new people. Especially those who she has a more personal connection to. From the looks of it, she doesn't have too many friends that are her age. It would probably be an easier time for you to get closer to her. Since… you know…

Let's just say that the two of you have a lot in common.

She will have plenty of resources to arrange something for you. I'm sure you'd be able to keep up with all the processes.

Anyways… Try to be patient with her. Who knows? Maybe the two of you can find something to take on the long run."

Well, there goes that plan.

She scrunched her nose in confusion. Why is that guy telling her to play nice with the people who can't even be bothered to notice that he was in trouble? Considering the fact that he was in that position because of their problems, she found it astoundingly insulting that their ignorance had placed them in such a roundabout situation.

Not to mention, the gods had really been testing her temper by blatantly painting her rampant thoughts on the creases of her features. Which did not go unnoticed by her Inazuman guide.

"Umm, Lady Keqing… I'm not boring you, am I?"

Her distant mind rushed back to her senses. She silently thanked her idle attentiveness for its services in making sure that she had somewhat caught all the guide spiel that he had been going on about for the better part of their walk through the city.

"N-No, not at all. All the locations you've mentioned sounded interesting. I'll be sure to give each one a proper visit, should my schedule make it possible."

Wanting to avoid talking about all the things that she hadn't really paid attention to. She diverted her gaze, focusing on a minor detail of his question.

"And as I've said before, it's just Keqing. I won't have a friend of the Traveler refer to me in such a formal matter."

"Ah, my apologies. It's really a force of habit." Thoma admitted.

It was his turn to avert his gaze. Looking up to the sky as he placed both his hands behind his back. His pace slowly melting from the rigid form that it had been.

"Even with someone who I've been with for a long time, I still can't find it in me to refer to milady by her name on a regular basis. It's a whole other story when it comes to someone that I've just met."

He smiled inwardly. The soft undertone of his voice leaving Keqing with little to no reply. The gaze that he held striking her thoughts in a way that reminded her of the way she would talk with a certain someone.

"Besides, Aether had told me that you are an important leading figure in Liyue. I simply can't afford to paint a bad light on the Yashiro Commission's reputation, slim as the chance may be."

Alright, she gets it. This guy does have an employer's image to maintain. Somehow, she isn't surprised to see that these are the kind of people that both Beidou and Aether would find a sense of camaraderie in.

So carefree, yet so deeply rooted in the principles of their lives.

"Very well. I won't force you to call me in such a manner if you can't help it." She relented. The stiffness of her form slowly making its way out, "But do treat me the way you would treat any guest. I'm sure Aether has mentioned this before, but Yuheng is just a title. Treading lightly around me would bring more harm than good."

Thoma laughed. A knowing look adorned on his face.

"Never mince my words with you, is how he had put it." His laughter subsided, replacing it with a solemn grin, "I'm starting to see why he has so much admiration for you."

Well, that certainly hadn't been fair to her unassuming heart.

Of course, that meant she that hadn't wanted to dwell on the topic any longer.

Not that she wasn't interested. But delving into that sort of topic without preparation might lead to some unwanted details leaking out.

"A-Anyways, back to our itinerary." She managed to save herself from an unreasonable amount of stammering. "You said that we we're heading to Inazuma City?"

After her landing at Ritou, Thoma had gotten her through all the proper registration that is required for a foreigner to enter Inazuma. A relief to say the least, because even though the restrictions on the control of the border had been loosened due to the resistance's successes, it still would have been an arduous process, had Thoma hadn't been there to speed things up.

Seriously, two million mora for a so called "processing fee". She wonders how such a primitive intimidation method both still works and is still allowed by the governing bodies of the nation.

Then again, Beidou did mention that the tri-commissions are plagued with corruption.

"Hanamizaka, to be precise. It's the at southernmost tip of the city." Thoma explained, gesturing towards an awaiting doushin, "I've secured a transport that will take us straight to our destination. That way, you can rest up after the long journey you had on the Alcor."

A bit of a rest sounds nice, that much she can admit.

"Alright. Then let's not waste any time."

The carriage journey to Inazuma City went on to become as smooth sailing as he had promised it to be. Ever the opportunistic individual she is, she took the time to garner whatever bit of information she could get out of the Inazuman guide.

Who turns out to have not been an Inazuman native himself. His passionate recollection of his Mondstadtian background being a surprise that Keqing had not seen coming.

A similar passion with what she had seen when she would ask him about to woman that she serves.

Through the eyes of one Thoma, Kamisato Ayaka is someone who he'd described as a well-rounded person. Kind, elegant, learned, yet the man wishes that she would be able to speak her mind much more confidently. Confessing that he would much rather see her speak to others with the same earnestness that she had bestowed upon himself.

Her lack of connections with people her age, is also something that he had wanted to change.

"She had always been surrounded with formality and maturity that is way beyond her age. Hence, it felt as if she had never known the true feelings of simply following her own heart."

Keqing took note of it. Predicting that said notion would be a reoccurring point of interest in her attempts to get to know her.

Other topics of their conversation hadn't been so heavy. He had wanted to know how it had felt to be someone who is as wealthy as she is, living in the land of commerce. The look of disbelief on his face when she told him that her wealth doesn't even come close to what Ningguang had managed to accumulate, will forever be a unique deposition in her thoughts.

"At that point, what do people do with their money… Build a floating castle?"

He probably thought that she was joking when she told him that he wasn't wrong.

Eventually, their conversation had come to a halt. The man who had been controlling their balloon carriage peeked back towards the passenger chamber.

"Sorry to interrupt, Thoma. But we've arrived at your destination."

"Oh, perfect." He pulled out a watch, and nodded at the time, "We're right on time. Let's get going, Lady Keqing."

With a nod, she got off the carriage. The two of them thanked the man who had taken them there, and proceeded to make their way towards the courtyard of city's perimeter. A great, big Sakura tree standing tall and proud as it showers them with its cherry leaves. The light pitters of the miniscule waterfall that the watermills brought upon the stream decorating the sounds of the people's activities.

Her eyes traced the footpath leading towards the city. Catching the sight of Inazuma's signature structures as it began to litter the various corners and lengths of the street ahead of them.

Before she knew it, Thoma had stopped by a place that she had deduced to be a workshop of some sort. Two people dressed in primarily red, and another dressed in mostly blue stood at the front porch of the building. Seemingly enamoured in a conversation of their own.

Thoma's words were gently voiced, yet it permeated the atmosphere all the same.

"Milady, I've arrived with our guest."

The woman dressed in blue quickly turned her attention towards where they both stood.

"Oh, Thoma. You're right on time."

Side-stepping to present her, Thoma gestured towards Keqing. Who stood forth as she kept eye contact with the white-haired woman.

"May I introduce you to Lady Keqing…"

"…Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing." The woman had finished. She held the edges of her dress as she bowed with respect, "I am Kamisato Ayaka. The Shirasagi Himegimi and daughter of the Yashiro Commission's Kamisato clan. It is an honour to have finally meet you."

Keqing knew when it was time to let her professionalism shine through.

"The honour is all mine, Lady Ayaka." Keqing bowed in kind, keeping her eyes on her, "Thoma has spoken a great deal of things about you. It's astonishing to see that a branch of the tri-commission has such a young and bright leader in their midst."

"You're too kind, Lady Keqing. From what we have heard from the Traveler and Beidou, we can wholeheartedly say the same about you."

"No way. Is that the Keqing. The one in Aether's stories?"

Looking past Ayaka, Keqing realized that the interruption had come from one of the people wearing red. Specifically, the lady who had looked like she had been bursting with excitement on her heels. The other person being a young man that Keqing couldn't help but feel as if she had seen him somewhere before.

Ayaka giggled at her friend's enthusiasm before looking back towards Keqing.

"Ah, allow me to introduce to you, two of my dear friends." Ayaka began, gesturing towards the woman and the man respectively, "This is Naganohara Yoimiya. The owner of this firework establishment we are currently speaking in. And this young man is Kaedahara Kazuha. He is-,"

"A wandering samurai, normally with the Alcor. If I'm not mistaken?" Keqing finished. His name bringing about the sense of familiarity that she had felt, "I've heard of you from Beidou before. She said that your natural artistry is second to none, and that your musicianship is unlike anything that she had seen."

Acting in a manner that could only be described as akin to an envious child, Yoimiya pouted while she playfully punched Kazuha's shoulders.

"No fair! Why do you always get the cool compliments!"

A soft chuckle came from the Kaedahara. His hands expertly parrying the abstract hits coming his way, "Beidou's too kind. It's enough of an honour for someone of your reputation to have heard of me, Lady Yuheng."

"Don't sell yourself short. Beidou's not one to exaggerate her compliments."

Keqing knew that first hand. After all, she's had her fair share of dealing with the Crux fleet's antics.

She hadn't failed to notice the items that were littered around the workshop. Her brain began turning its cogs, another issue that had poked the recesses of her mind now bringing itself up to the forefront of her thoughts.

"And Miss Nagonohara, was it?"

The blonde perked up at the sound of her name, yet stumbled all the same.

"Y-Yes, Lady Keqing! You can just call me Yoimiya… I get too fussy if someone were to call me in such a formal manner."

The opposite of how Thoma had been. Such a polarizing group of people, yet they seem to have known each other quite well.

"Very well then, Yoimiya. It's quite a coincidence to have met the owner of a fireworks shop." Keqing professed. It might have been a show of good omen. Considering the fact that a certain event is making its annual return to the streets of her nation, "Liyue is a few months away from its annual Lantern Rite event and we have a firework show in the cards as its new main attraction. It would be great if I could garner a few pointers from an expert in the industry."

Yoimiya's eyes had sparkled joyously. The excitement her body had showcased now permeating itself onto her golden orbs. If Keqing didn't know any better, she would've thought that the girl had consumed too much sugar for breakfast.

"Just like Aether said, you really don't mess around. I'll do my very best to help in any ways possible!"

Damn that sneaky man. Just how many things had he told them about her? Another disadvantage being that she had nothing as a reply. She knew very few things about some of the people there, and she had only just met some of them. Even her quick wit would falter in the face of such a handicapped situation.

Oddly enough, her salvation had come in a way that she once again could not have hoped to perceive in the first place.

"Let's not get carried away now, Yoimiya. We shouldn't burden her with complications to her schedule, seeing as she is here to meet her Excellency."

Hold up, how did she know?

Keqing knew for a fact that she hadn't mentioned anything that would suggest that she had wanted to meet their Shogun.

She had to keep her face steady. Reacting with the amount of confusion that she truly had within her would just serve to signify to the others that something was amiss.

Something Aether had specifically told her to avoid.

Luckily, such a situation is where her wit never fails to bail her out of trouble.

"Oh? It seems like you're already familiar with the details of my itinerary."

"My apologies. Was it not something that should have been said out loud?"

The look on Ayaka's face whilst she partially covered her mouth led Keqing to believe that she hadn't meant any harm in her asking.

"Not at all. On the contrary, it saves me a great deal of time. It's far more efficient if we skip past the small talks of formal business. It is normally quite an arduous and unnecessary task, especially with people who had their own agenda at hand."

In this particular scenario, she had honestly felt relieved. In her perspective, ice breaking had always been a tiresome process within negotiations. Considering the fact that she had met so many people who wanted to do nothing but bribe her with showers of compliments just so that they could get some leniency in the terms of her negotiations, this predicament turns out to not be a predicament at all.

Of course, she was never one to fall for such cheap tactics. Once she had set her terms, there was no changing it.

Apparently, such a path is also one the greatly suites the Shirasagi Himegimi.

"Your transparency is one that is refreshing to see from someone who is also at the helm of their nation's governance." Ayaka giggled. Her vision wandered onto the city. The twelve o'clock sun bathing them with the warmth of the land, "But, seeing as it is almost lunchtime. How about we discuss the details of the arrangement over a nice meal at Shimura's?"

Keqing's not one to pass on the opportunity to learn more about her surroundings. Who knows, maybe in a laxer environment, she might uncover a thing or two on the workings of Inazuma's tri-commissions.

"Sounds like a good plan." She replied, a smile on her lips as she turns towards the other two people in the group, "Would the two of you care to join us?"

Yoimiya nodded vigorously whilst Kazuha grins at her response as he provided his own.

"We would gladly join you."

Thoma clasped his hands together.

"Alright then. On to Shimura's it is."

For Keqing, the walk to the Tenryou district of Inazuma City had been quite a sight for her anxious mind. Through the hustle and bustle that is evident from the capital's activities, she didn't fail to notice the similarities that the capital had shared with her own hometown. The waterworks that were interspersed at the sides of the footpath, the mix of established shop and street vendors, the idle chats of people from an age group that knew no range. It reminded her of all the small things that she had always loved about Liyue Harbour.

The moment she spotted their designated lunch spot, only served to bolster her happiness. Seeing that instead of an over-the-top restaurant, Shimura's turned out to be a rather modest stall. One that definitely had the charms of a hidden culinary gem that had found its rightful spot in the midst of the luxurious city centre.

Maybe the two of them do have a lot more in common than they might think.

"Uyuu Restaurant? That place isn't even worth mentioning."

Typical as it is, such a place would definitely have such an exuberant owner.

But what is a modest business, if it hadn't been built atop of a powerful personality?

Though the moment they took their respectful seats and ordered their fills, Ayaka had seen the change of expression on her face. With her own features bearing one that had been laced with concern.

"Is everything okay, Lady Keqing? I do hope that this place suits your preference, and we can mostly definitely head to another establishment if you wish for it."

She waved her new friend's concern away.

"It's all fine. I'm just glad that our preferences had been surprisingly similar. I do have a certain fondness for more modest culinary choices." Keqing admitted freely, though still having a differing point to make, "And please, maybe Thoma adopted his habit from yourself, but you can simply refer to me as Keqing."

Evidently, she had been right on the mora. Judging by the fond look that Ayaka had casted on Thoma whilst she laughed in contemplation.

"Now that you've mentioned it, the influence that my brother and I had on his demeanour is probably larger than what we would admit to ourselves."

Keqing could see it in her eyes. That look of afterthought. Reminiscing on the times that have brought them to the present.

"Truthfully, there is no telling how I would have managed to cope with the series of events that our family had to go through, if he wasn't there to be the rock for the both of us."

Yeah, she's had that experience. More recent than she would like to admit.

"Indispensable, isn't he?"

"Most certainly." Ayaka affirmed, a thought proceeding to filter into her mind, "Just like how indispensable Aether had been in our efforts to repeal to Sakoku Decree, and his heroics that helped both of our nations."

Right. Though to Keqing, he had served a rather different kind of indispensable.

One that had been a lot more personal than what she would want to share.

Yet, while they were on the subject of said Traveler, she took the time to find out if there were more to the story than what he had been telling her through her letters.

"It seems like you've all spent a considerate amount of time with Aether." She questioned. Garnering the attention of the other members of their group who promptly lifted their heads from their food, "How was he like? I do hope that he hadn't given you too much problems."

"No, not at all!" Yoimiya shook her head while her voice peppered itself with what had sounded like a layer of guilt, "In fact, it mostly felt like we were constantly roping him into our own issues."

The other three nodded in agreement. Not a single veil of deception to be traced.

Interesting, so he actually managed to behave this time around.

Continuing with her piece, Yoimiya rested her head on her hands, "He helped me plan a firework show for a bunch of little kids that likes to hang around my shop. It got us in a bit of trouble with Madam Kujou, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was busy handling that Arataki oni's antics, we would've been in for a longer-than-usual lecture."

"Are those two still quarrelling with one another?" Thoma asked, quirking the edges of his lips upward, "Sometimes, we should really just let them get a room."

"I know, right? How long are they planning to keep that act up?"

Keqing was not one to gossip, but she decided to play along regardless.

"This Madam Kujou and the oni… Are they a couple?"

"No. Well… no yet, in my honest prediction." Yoimiya stated, shrugging her shoulders afterwards, "But they already fight like an old married couple, and she wouldn't admit it, but she definitely has a soft spot for that brute of a gang leader. So, we're all just waiting around to see if something's going to come out of that."

A seemingly established individual and a brutish gang leader?

Eh, she's heard more absurd pairings than that.

Moving on from the subject of another couple's love life, Keqing averted her attention back towards the wandering samurai.

"What about you, Kazuha? No tale of troublemaking from your end?"

"Not at all. I share my sentiments with Yoimiya. It does seem like our Traveler friend has a habit of unintentionally involving himself to our own challenges. He had helped me rediscover my family's lost swordcraft, the Isshin Art. There is no amount of trouble that would ever cost him my gratitude for his assistance."

An eloquent answer, if there ever was one.

In the midst of his recollection, Thoma softly nudged Ayaka's shoulder. The same teasing expression still drawn on his face.

"Milady, you should tell Lady Keqing about that time you and the Traveler visited the festival at Amakane Island."

At the mention of the suggestion, the tip of Ayaka's ears visibly turned beet red as she once again attempted to cover the high-pitched groan that she was emitting.

Oh, now Keqing must know.

"But, Thoma… That was such an embarrassing story!"

"Go on now. I for one, would love to know more about this story." Kazuha urged.

With a defeated sigh, Ayaka slowly turned towards Keqing. Desperate to find any sort of salvation from the Yuheng.

Only to see that her eyes had been filled with same look of curiosity as everyone else had been.

"A-Alright… Well, as Thoma said, the Traveler and I went to a festival at Amakane Island, but before that I attempted to cook and gift him a certain piece of clothing from Ogura Textiles. The former didn't go well since I am not used to cooking, while latter failed due to the lack of Liyuean textile supplies."

Thoma was the first to start snickering.

"Onto the festival, it was a whole lot of fun. Being able to see all the stalls and vendors, we even got to do a prayer panel at the end of it."

Keqing hummed in confusion, thinking that the others have merely exaggerated the dramatism of her story, "Huh, none of that sounds like if should have been that much of an embarrassing experience…"

"Oh, she hasn't gotten to that part, Lady Keqing." Thoma assured.

Ayaka shot him a quick glare. Well, as sharp as a stare that the soft-spoken girl could muster, "A-Afterwards, we made our way back towards the Kamisato Estate, and we passed through the beautiful night light of Chinju Forest."

Both Yoimiya and Thoma could barely contain their giggles at this point.

"A-And I… honestly couldn't exactly describe what came over me. I suppose it is due to the overwhelmingly positive developments that Aether had brought to our efforts, that made it feel necessary for me to thank him in such a way."

Deep within her, Keqing couldn't exactly tell why her chest had sudden felt heavier the more time passed by.

"S-So I… Uhmm…"

Ayaka sighed, accepting her fate.

"I-I danced for him…"

…

She what?

"Oh, dear." Kazuha murmured, whilst Yoimiya and Thoma finally burst out laughing, the former holding onto to the samurai's shoulder as she choked out his own words.

"Oh, dear indeed… Kazu-boy."

"I-I didn't know!" Ayaka meekly protested, twiddling her fingers amongst one another, "It was the first occasion where I've felt such emotions, so I did the one thing that I am most familiar with when it comes to showcasing gratitude…"

"We know… You're too adorable sometimes, dear princess." Yoimiya cooed as she grabbed hold of Ayaka's arm, nuzzling her cheek on her shoulder as Thoma provided her comfort through ruffling her hair.

"You should've seen the look on milady's face when I corrected her at the estate." Thoma mentioned, an adoring smile on his lips, "Though such a custom is common in the upper echelon of Inazuma's society… It's not something that you would often see from other nations. Not from Mondstadt, nor Liyue. Right, Lady Keqing?"

To be completely honest, Keqing hadn't really took in any of the things that they had been doing since Ayaka had finished her story.

She couldn't exactly describe the emotion that she was feeling as well.

Her throat had constricted itself, whilst her chest became increasingly heavy. And most of all, her heart felt like it was twisting itself, in and out of her ribcage. The more she explored internally, the more questions she found herself asking.

What was this feeling? Why is it tugging at her mind with a force that no other emotion could ever do?

Why did listening to all that had irritated her so much?

Why had she felt that way?

"Lady Keqing…?"

In the end, she had no choice but to supress it all. Realizing that all eyes were waiting for her answer.

"O-Oh, right… it is not something that us Liyueans would resort to. But I wouldn't exactly describe it to be entirely uncalled for."

Ayaka found a tiny bit of reprieve from Keqing's deliberation, "S-See, even Keqing could say that it wasn't entirely unreasonable!"

Shimura Kanbei, who had been idly listening to their conversation couldn't help but to provide his own two moras to the topic at hand.

"Ah, Lady Ayaka… Your pure innocence provides me with more hope for our future generation."

Groaning, Ayaka fully left her weight to lean on Thoma, who now stood behind her.

"Not you too, Shimura…"

The rest of the lunch event flew by for all parties involved. Keqing could only vaguely remember that they had agreed for an arrangement with the Shogun to take place on the early hours of the coming day. That way, the Shogun could spare the allocated amount of time to her schedule.

The remaining time of the day had been spent on observing the Naganohara's firework products. With what little focus she had left to spare, Keqing made a mental note to come back for a much more productive review of the subject. Seeing as she barely could get any of the energetic owner's words into her mind, not with all the distractions that it had been conjuring within.

Eventually, it came time for them to escort her towards the capital's inn. Where a nice and comfortable suite had been reserved for her period of her stay in the land of eternity.

Waving their final goodbyes for the day, Keqing made her way back to her room, and promptly closed the door shut.

In didn't take long for her thoughts to fog itself once more.

Why had she reacted that way?

It surely wasn't the fault of any of her new acquaintances. After all, she had been the one to request their perspective on the man that she had sorely missed.

Yet, hearing about all the things that they had gotten to do with him had an undesired effect. The effort of making a firework show for a bunch kids, the adventure of rediscovering a forgotten swordcraft, and most of all, going to a festival and sharing a crucial part of your being with him.

A level of intimacy that she had longed to share with him once more.

Again, she still couldn't exactly pinpoint what the crushing, and venomous feeling had been.

Even as she thought long and hard to comprehend her heart, it proved to be for naught. Leaving her to slumber into the dead of night, with her mind still clouded by the swirling storm eroding her heart.

---

The morning came faster than what she had prepared for. Her mind now not only muddled by the thoughts of the previous day's event, but also limited by the exhaustion that for some reason, just decided to mercilessly plague her. She could blame it on the restless night of sleep, but she knew that it had been more than that.

Opening up the last part of his letter, she'd hope to find something that could be of use. Both to make sure that her conversation with the Shogun would bear fruit, and to find a source of distraction from the increasing fatigue.

"Now, here are some pointers to look out for. Should you eventually encounter the Shogun. Or rather, her puppet.

Long story short, there are two sides to the electro Archon's personality. And it's important that you get through to the original one, being Ei, or Beelzebul.

The one you'll initial meet will most definitely be the puppet, and she is unrelenting. Getting any information out of her will be quite the task. So, my suggestion would be to soften them up. Ei will always be listening in as she presides in her realm, so anything the puppet hears, will be relayed to her.

Try to discuss about reinstating Liyue's relationship with Inazuma, or something like that… Something formal. So that the puppet doesn't merely wave you off. Once you've gone on to the meat of things, you can start venturing into the topic of… Well, me, I guess…

I have the utmost confidence that you'd be able to crack through her without any need of this, but best of luck all the same!

I'm sure somewhere along the way, Ei would find interest in you. She has a keen eye for unique individuals.

And you're as unique as they come.

At least, as the puppet would probably describe it:

Among the mortals, that is.

I'll see you when all of this is over.

-A."

Okay, that last part hadn't been necessary. She knew what he was trying to say anyways.

Another thing she understood is the notion that she might as well leave her questions for another time. Knowing that it be best if she just asked most of it to the blonde once she gets him out of this mess.

Something tells her that she was going to have an easier time maintaining conversation with the puppet, rather than the actual Archon herself.

A knock on her door left her with little time to further ponder over the new batch of information. Leaving her no choice but to steel herself then and there.

Through the fabrics of the sliding panel, Thoma's voice rang muffled.

"Lady Keqing? Pardon my intrusion, but it is almost time for our arrangement."

Sliding the door open, Keqing huffed her last bit of hesitation. Eyes filled with steadfast determination.

"Let's go."

This time, the trip to Tenshukaku had been one that bore a much formal sense of scenery. Larger, much more reinforced buildings, the police station separating the political district with the commercial ones, and most of all, the massive statue of the Almighty Shogun herself.

Huh, it might not be such a bad idea to build one of Rex Lapis.

But, that's an idea for another day.

Passing by the towering monument, she didn't miss the momentary shiver that Thoma went through. Jolting her memories to that one harrowing day in the teapot.

Maybe the statue had something to do with whatever had happened that day?

Again, another question that she would have to keep within her.

A few more minutes of walking and there it was.

Tenshukaku. The dominion of the electro Archon.

She's got to admit. The Shogun definitely knows how to establish a dominant presence.

The aura that the palace emitted alone would've been enough to make even a seasoned veteran a little weak in the knees.

Fortunately for her, she was running out of patience.

The more her mind trudged through the issue, the more her irritation gets to her.

There was no time for her to be sharing the same bout of anxiety that those who visited the premises often have.

As they took on the final set of stairs that leads to the Shogun's domicile, an Okuzumeshuu stopped them on their tracks.

"Stop right there! You are entering the private premises of her Excellency, the Almighty Shogun. Failure to produce a valid proof of arrangement will result in your removal from the establishment."

She eyed Thoma as he nodded calmly. Pulling out a set of documents that were swiftly snapped up by the officer, who scanned through its content.

"Hmm, an arrangement under Kamisato Ayaka of the Yashiro Commission, in regards to…" A look of realization dawned on the officer, who promptly went wide-eyed, "O-Oh, my sincerest of apologies. I would not have been so callous if I had been notified of your arrival, Lady Yuheng."

Great. So now, even the Shogun's personal bodyguards are aware of her presence.

"It's all fine. You are simply doing your job."

"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Keqing." The Okuzumeshuu bowed apologetically as he gestured towards Thoma, "Though unfortunately, only those who are personally involved in the matter at hand are allowed to enter the Shogun's chamber. I will have to ask Thoma to wait by the-,"

"By the military post, I know the drill, Takeshi." The man reminded. Understanding that the officer might have forgotten under the duress. Thoma looked back towards Keqing, "Well, Lady Yuheng. You heard the man. Rest assured; I won't leave until you've finished your conversation with the Shogun."

"Got it, I won't take long." Keqing nodded.

"Right this way, Lady Yuheng."

Following Takeshi up the stairs, Keqing soon found herself in front of the massive door to the Shogun's chamber. A series of knocks by Takeshi served as a signal to the guards inside to open the door. After a quick exchange between the two officers, he promptly stepped aside to let her in.

"The Shogun will see you now."

Stepping through the door, Keqing won't lie. The space had been massive for it to be the personal workspace of one person. Who would've thought that the day would come where she would encounter a personal chamber that had been larger than what Ningguang has in the Jade Chamber.

Well, Ningguang. Someone's got you beat in one thing; I suppose.

And sat at the centre of it all, was the Raiden Shogun herself.

Approaching the seating area, she found herself surprised when the Shogun's voice had been the first to echo itself.

"Lady Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. It is a pleasure to have finally met you."

Before she could reply, the Shogun towards the seat across from her.

"Please, have a seat."

Straightforward, she could play with that.

"Thank you, your Excellency." Keqing bowed before she folded her legs on the floor cushion. "It's both an honour and a relief to have finally establish direct communications with you in person. I am sure that we would have plenty to discuss."

"That indeed."

Is this the puppet? Honestly, she couldn't tell. But, something about that hardened gaze told her that it hadn't been all that human. Terrifyingly close, but missing something that Keqing just couldn't quite put.

"Shall we begin?" Looking towards her documents, the Shogun seemed to have had some things prepared, "According to this document, our first order of business is regarding the re-opening of the mercantile guild's import route for textile and clothing from Liyue."

…

…Excuse me?

Import routes?

What in the world is this god talking about?

Yes, she might be in charge of a lot of things in Liyue. But, establishing trade routes and import details falls outside of her jurisdiction as the Yuheng. Commerce is well in the hands of another Qixing member.

Actually, hold on. Since when was there any sort of premeditated topic that she was supposed to be aware of? To her knowledge, there was no way for the Shogun to know what sort of items that they supposed to be discussing.

And even if there was, why didn't he specify it in his letters!?

For Archon's sake.

Well, she has no choice but to play along for now.

Just because she wasn't supposed to be its subject matter expert, does not mean that she doesn't have a wealth of knowledge when it came to commerce. Albeit neigh comparable to the expert themselves, it wouldn't stop her from trying act the part.

"Of course. I can only assume that the prerequisites would remain the same. Seeing as before the border shutdown, plenty of Inazuma's industries rely on Liyue's textile market to craft their own products."

"Unfortunately, it is no longer that simple." The Shogun replied, pushing a paper riddled with statistics onto Keqing's attention, "In the year where the lockdown had taken place, plenty of our local businesses managed to source textiles of their own. I am wary that by allowing Liyuean imports through, it might jeopardize the livelihoods of those who have chosen that industry as their source of income."

Livelihood management. Finally, some familiar territory.

"I understand, but I do believe that your people would have ascertained the risks before building their businesses. Especially one with a high degree of specialization." Keqing countered, the hesitancy in her tone now completely evaporated, "Moreover, from what I have heard, is that many of the shops here prefer our textiles more than the ones that had been locally produce."

The Shogun hummed softly.

"That may be true. But Inazuma is currently undergoing sizeable changes, after such a volatile year behind us. I'm sure you understand that securing the economical flow of our newly formed industries is one of my utmost priorities. A range of additional tariffs and quotas on the returning imports would be a sound solution for both parties, would you agree?"

Keqing wasn't born yesterday.

Even she could tell that the whole notion she was offering had been preposterous off and on paper.

And honestly, Keqing couldn't but to feel offended.

The Shogun had underestimated her.

Very well, then. She can throw "acting the part" right out the window.

"Though I empathize with the challenges that both your Excellency and Inazuma had undergone in the past year, I find that proposition to be entirely disadvantageous and outright unfair to the Liyuean market."

The Shogun quirked an eyebrow at her statement.

"Oh, how so?"

"To my knowledge, our specific markets have been cooperating and prospering smoothly under the deal that we have created prior to your lockdown. There was never any need for any changes to be implemented from both sides of the party."

Seeing that the Shogun had nodded in agreement, Keqing continued.

"As I've said before, I can only offer my empathy in regards to your situation. However, with all due respect, we shouldn't forget that such a situation had only risen due to poor decision-making from your end of the table, your Excellency."

The Shogun casted another gaze upon her. This time, it had felt much more electrifying than before.

But, Keqing knew that this wasn't the time to back down,

"Oh? I've yet to encounter anybody who would speak so freely at the presence of an Archon before."

"I aim to have you realize by now, that I am far from your typical anybody."

Her reply had rivalled the sharpness of the Shogun's gaze. The tumultuous emotions of her heart began rising on to the surface of the features.

"I am Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. You may be an Archon, but that does not exempt you from being held accountable over your own actions in the past."

She placed the paper back down on the table.

"So, if you are insinuating that my people, people that I care about, are supposed to compensate for, and suffer due to your poor judgement…"

Keqing firmly placed the paper back to the Shogun's side of the table. Both of their amethyst eyes still locked onto one another.

"…Then I'm afraid that such an arrangement would not be in our best interest.."

Sharpening her gaze once more, The Shogun's tone had turned inquisitively threatening.

"My intuition tells that you are no longer specifically referring to this trade deal, Lady Keqing."

"Then you know damn well what I am referring to, your Excellency."

Give Aether back to me, you insufferable Archon.

…

For a couple of heartbeats, the room fell deftly quiet.

So much so, that Keqing was willing to bet that neither of the two guards stationed by the door were willing to so much as move a strand of their hair.

Their eyes remained locked. Engaged in a psychological battle of their own.

Before the Shogun's eyes suddenly averted itself. Now seemingly looking past her.

"Oh, you wish to speak?"

The Shogun paused for a second, before nodding affirmatively. Keqing looked to her side to see if there was anyone else that she should be wary about, only to find no one else around.

"Guards. Vacate."

Her voice had boomed towards the two officers, who immediately vacated the premise without any further questioning.

"Give us but a moment, Lady Keqing."

Before she was able to respond, the Shogun had suddenly frozen and her eyes slammed shut. Almost as if… she had been deactivated.

Only for her eyes to open back up. This time, with a different light than what Keqing had observed throughout their meeting.

She kept her silence as she watched the Archon stretched her arms out and blinked her eyes into focus. Before noticing the amused look that the previously emotionless features of her face.

"Allow me to apologize. That was merely a test that I have setup with the Shogun."

Keqing decided that she wasn't going to wait for her.

"Can I assume that I am now talking to Raiden Ei, instead of the puppet?"

Ei paused once more. A short giggle elicited from her lips.

"Ah, I take it that Aether had revealed my cards to you beforehand?" Confirmed by Keqing's nod, Ei scoffed humorously, "He's been acting a lot like Miko lately. That being said, I am impressed, Lady Keqing. Aether had only the utmost confidence that I would have found you to be an interesting individual. And my oh my, haven't you proven him right."

Keqing had to clear her throat to keep her composure.

"S-So, you knew that I was by no means in charge of Liyue's commerce?"

"Well, of course. But I had wanted to see your expertise, and that famous grit the Yuheng is known for." Ei admitted, a smile now on her lips, "And colour me impressed. I have yet to see anyone render the Shogun puppet speechless the way you have done. So, bravo!"

"You know what, if I may speak much more freely?"

"I did not stop you before, did I?"

Right.

"Sometimes, you Archons are quite the insufferable kind of beings."

Ei laughed with vigour. A satisfactory sigh at the tail end of her chuckles.

"I suppose so. I can only hope for your patience in dealing with us – millenniums old folks." Flashing an apologetic grin, Ei rested her chin on her hand, "It is as Aether and Rex Lapis had said: You are relentless, no matter who you face."

"As they should know." Keqing confidently supported, "Doesn't matter if they've saved Liyue. I'm not going to let them have freebies here and there just because of their divine abilities."

Ei could only laugh once more.

That being said, Keqing decided that it was time to get to the matter of things.

"But in all seriousness, I will have to ask you to release Aether. I'm sure we can come up with an arrangement that could be sensibly agreed upon by both parties."

As her joyous laughter fades away, a look of confusion took its place within Ei's tone.

"Release him?" She had initially asked, tilting her head like a curious feline, "Release him from where to be exact?"

It was Keqing's turn to be riddled with bewilderment. Unable to decide whether or not Ei had been a bit too loose with her jokes for the day.

"From the political detainment that you are currently putting him under. At least, that is what Aether had informed me when he asked for my assistance through his letter."

Another pin drop silence came about.

Before once more…

…Ei burst out laughing.

While Keqing could only feel as if she was silently mocked for something that she could not, for her life, see.

Trying her best to get her sentence out, Ei had reminded Keqing of how Yoimiya had been during Ayaka's retelling of her unfortunate story.

"S-So, that is why you had become so upset as the negotiations went on, I suppose?" Her laughter dimmed to a chuckle while she struggled to wipe the stray tears away from her cheek, "Oh, you poor soul. It wouldn't be amiss to punish Aether with more than just slap on the wrist."

Slowly, Keqing began to put the pieces in place.

"W-Wait, a-are you telling me that…"

"I suppose it would be best for Aether to be the one to tell you that."

Still processing the newfound revelation, Keqing could only sit there as Ei stood up and gestured towards the door.

"Come, I shall arrange for someone to take you to Watatsumi Island."

---

Apparently, what Ei had meant by "arranging", is to personally take her to the individual who she would've thought to have a guide for such a destination.

That individual being none other than the Guuji of the Grand Narukami shrine herself.

Keqing had been so off-balanced by the previous revelations that she had almost forgotten about the young man who had been waiting for her at the military post. Only to be reminded of him when she heard a rather feminine squeak as the two of them passed by the exit.

To give credit to Thoma's determination, he quickly recovered from his rather… girlish reaction. Though it is without saying that the Shogun clearly noticed the momentous buckling of his knees.

When Keqing told him that she would be fine with the Shogun in tow, it was clear that he had actually been relieved. But his sense of duty still prevailed over his fear, and had to doubly make sure that Keqing was absolutely fine to traverse the rest of Inazuma without his company, which Keqing duly assured him of, with a confident nod.

Fleetingly, the Shogun made a remark about the young man the moment he retreated away from their location.

"I do suppose I owe the young man a proper apology."

Can't blame the man for holding such a fear. If her strength was capable of knocking Aether off his feet, then Thoma's chances of withstanding her blows would've been in the negative.

All in all, their initial encounter had set a rather… unique mood for the journey towards the grand shrine.

Though most of their talks had been in relation to their respective nations, some of the subjects that Ei had decided to delve into had been somewhat of a surprise to the Yuheng.

"So, your Archon had decided to retire his godhood."

A piece of information that, as far as Keqing had known, to be strictly classified between the members of the Qixing.

"It looks like your knowledge of need-to-know information hasn't been lacking." Keqing quipped. "Did you by any chance had an encounter with him, after his fated 'death'?"

"Oh no, not at all. I had merely been informed by our outlander friend."

Keqing had forgotten that the gods have chosen to paint all her emotions on the colours of her face. Only to be reminded of that fact as Ei inquired with amusement.

"Are you not privy to the fact that he had known about that little piece of information?"

Yeah. Nothing from her side.

In all honesty, she should've known that he'd probably come up with a perfectly valid excuse if she ever had a chance to ask him. Maybe he was trying to protect her? Maybe he had thought that she would've known?

Who cares. She's exhausted.

"No. But, I'm inclined to think that he has his own reasons to have never mentioned it to me."

Ei could only hum. Keqing letting her internally muse to whatever it is that Archons would normally think about.

They arrived at the shrine to an atmosphere that Keqing would normally have felt every time she would arrive at the open courthouse. Everyone's beady little eyes stuck on to her, thinking about how she would deal with their requests of the day.

Only this time, the attention had mostly been on their Archon. Who walked by them with a friendly nod. Catching most of the onlookers off guard as they would have never thought that their Archon would ever so much as spare a glance at them.

Successfully making their way pass the front side of the shrine, they made their way onto the back, where Keqing couldn't help but to stare in awe at the great Sacred Sakura Tree. She'd seen pictures of the great tree through travel guides beforehand, but to see it in person was a whole different view. She'd been lying if she were to say that it hadn't captivated her.

"Ah, look who has decided to grace us with her presence."

Keqing turned her attention away from the tree. Just about noticing the two figures that had been stood at the centre of the courtyard that they had been approaching. The woman's voice had been as coy she had appeared.

"Don't be like that, Miko. You act as if I have never visited you from time to time."

The fox woman, who Keqing now realized to be the Guuji herself, chuckled mischievously, "Mhmm, it never bores me to mess with you, Ei."

"Alright, Yae. That's enough of your antics for now." Ei motioned towards Keqing, who realized that she had been called to, "There is someone here that needs your assistance."

"Oh, and who might you be? It is quite rare for my Archon to personally escort anyone to my shrine. You must be someone of great importance."

Oh boy. She never knew that she would ever feel this way, but having had to introduce herself for what felt like a hundredth time in a span of barely two days had started to take its toll on her sanity.

Luckily for her, the man who had stood beside the Guuji seemed to have had prior knowledge of her identity. His voice was firm, meandering softly through the air with a familiar sense of formality.

"Pardon my intrusion, but if I am not mistaken, aren't you Lady Keqing?"

Keqing assessed the man. His formality hadn't been the only thing that jogged her memory, but his features as well. Yet, Keqing knew for a fact that she had not met this person before.

"Yes, you are correct." She answered, her tone ready to politely apologize, "Though forgive me, I don't think we've met…"

"You are familiar with her, Ayato?" Yae asked.

"Not quite, but she is Ayaka's guest and a dear friend of the Traveler's." He swiftly answered to the Guuji, placing his hands over his chest whilst bowing respectfully, "It's good to finally meet you. My name is Kamisato Ayato. As you might have guessed, I am Ayaka's brother, and the commissioner of the Yashiro Commission. Thank you for everything that you've done for my sister and her efforts."

"It's good to meet you too." Keqing responded, puzzled by his show of gratitude, "But I'm afraid to say that I haven't done anything to have helped your sister or any of her efforts."

"Ah, but you've taken care of the Traveler before he got to Inazuma." Ayato pointed out. His sincerity shining through his voice, "You are a pivotal part of his journey. In his own words: he wouldn't have been there in that point of time, had you not been there to guide you."

She had to wonder at that point, did the guy deliver a speech about the story of what he had been doing prior to his visit to Inazuma?

It was a foreign experience to have a group established individuals knowing a charitable number of things about her, while knowing nothing about them in the process.

"Oh, so you are the lady in the little one's stories?" Yae chided in, her voice almost begging as she turned towards Ei, "Please tell me that you pitted her against your puppet, Ei."

"That I did." Ei confirmed, folding her arms together, "And she did magnificently, might I add."

"What a shame… I should have been there to see it."

"Okay, it's good to know that everyone here has such uplifting opinions of me, and I am grateful for it, I really am." Keqing interjected, a sigh of exhaustion coming out of her lungs, "But, I am terribly exhausted. And I miss him terribly, so it would be great if I can be directed to his location without any further distractions along the way."

The three of them simply stood there in silence. Unsure if she had noticed her slip up, seeing as Keqing herself didn't seem to notice. But the general tension that the young woman had emitted was more than enough to tell them that she had ran out of patience.

Internally, Keqing had been screaming at herself.

Why in the name of Teyvat had I said that!?

She was losing her sanity; she knew that for sure.

Ayato chuckled. In a way that had conveyed his understanding of her own intentions.

"I understand. Then we shan't delay you any further."

With a crystal-clear whistle and a snap of his fingers, a nearby barrel suddenly puffed up in a cloud of smoke. Revealing what Keqing had initially thought to be a little child who decided to play costume.

The girl yawned her drowsiness out of her system, clearing her eyes as she looked up to the man who has summoned her.

"At your service, Lord Kamisato…"

"Lady Keqing, this is Sayu. She is one of the members of the Shuumatsuban." Ayato explained, noticing the look of uncertainty on Keqing's face, "She might look small, but I can assure you that she can get you to Watatsumi Island within the hour. All while guaranteeing that you arrive there in one piece."

"Lord Kamisato… How many times do I have to tell you!?" The girl complained, her hands on her hips as her nostrils adorably flared, "I'm still growing!"

"To be fair, Sayu…" Yae teasingly chimed in, "You are in your twenties."

The girl couldn't help but let her grumpiness take control. She practically stomped her way towards Keqing, who was still unsure whether or not is still person actually a full-grown adult.

"Lady Keqing. Let's get away from these terrible people."

You know what? That's a good idea if there ever was one.

Not that she had thought that the company had been terrible, but she would much prefer if she could be somewhere else, at the moment.

"Can you take me to Watatsumi Island in under an hour, just like Lord Kamisato had said?"

Sayu gave her a quick thumbs up. Absolutely no hesitancy.

"Sure, can do."

"Well then. Lord Kamisato, your Excellency, and Guuji Yae." She bowed to each of them respectively, "I will have to leave our conversation for another day."

"Understood, do give him our regards." Ei mentioned. "We shall gather for tea should our schedules permits it."

"I'll be sure to let him know."

With a nod to the rest of the group, Keqing went on to follow the ninja down the footpath of Mount Yougou. A small wave not forgotten as she casted one final look towards the group. Before turning her attention back towards path ahead of her.

"I must say. That was the first time I've ever seen an individual stun the two of you to silence." Ayato confessed with a chuckle. "Even you couldn't afford to tease her, Lady Guuji."

"Oh, please. I was merely caught off guard, that's all." Though if Yae were to be honest with herself. She really had her speedy wit shut down for the first time in what felt like forever. "Though I must admit. I hadn't thought that she would actually be as interesting as the little one had described in his stories."

"We could definitely say that again."

Ei echoed her agreement. A smile upon the sight of the Yuheng heading for the coast of Narukami Island.

"Afterall, she is the one who has captured the heart of our dear Traveler."

---

It's no wonder that the commissioner of the Yashiro Commission had guaranteed that she would reach Watatsumi island in under an hour.

Keqing thought that she was about to perish.

If she were to provide a review of how Sayu had piloted the waverider that they took from Narukami Island. It would've been enough to just write two words.

Utterly suicidal.

She had never seen a waverider go that high up into the sky in her adventurous life.

Sayu, on the other hand, had seemed to be pretty chuffed with herself. Murmuring a low "That'll show'em." Under her breath.

It seems like in the midst of her rage, she had almost unwittingly brought an innocent Keqing down the path of vehicular manslaughter.

With her victims being their very own souls.

And amongst all the ruckus, their audible landing on the shores of the island seemed to have attracted the attention of a patrolling squad of Sangonomiya troopers.

"Stop right there. State your business here on Watatsumi Island!"

How many times can one encounter the same chain of events without losing their minds?

Keqing had been sure that she was on the edge of finding out.

"Relax boys, it's just me, Sayu of the Shuumatsuban" The ninja had confidently stood between the troopers and her VIP.

However, it didn't look like the troopers had been convinced.

Though in all honesty, Keqing couldn't really blame them for their choice of reasoning.

"The Shuumatsuban? Yeah, right!" One of the soldiers at the forefront of group raised his weapon even further, "As if the Yashiro Commission would hire children to be a part of such an elite group."

Gone was the confident ninja that had stood in front of them. In comes the ball of pure rage that Keqing had seen a glimpse of back at the shrine.

"A child!?" Sayu practically shrieked.

If only anyone would tell her that her stomping did not do well for her cause, she would've probably learned to stop doing so, long before this moment every arises.

"You know, they have quite a valid argument, Sayu."

"I am in my twenties!"

"Alright, boys. Break it up!"

A different voice had sounded from the group of ahead of them. A voice that immediately caused the squad to fall in line and lower their weapons. Parting away to reveal a canine-human walking towards them. A figure that Sayu immediately brighten up to.

"Y-Yes, General!"

"Gorou! Thank the Archons you're here."

"I rushed here as soon as I heard the commotion." Gorou motioned towards the squad apologetically, "Apologies for the cold welcome. We have been bolstering our security ever since the Fatui incident, and they are a relatively new batch of graduates. Their commanding officer had failed to inform them of your stature and our alliance with the Shuumatsuban."

Realizing that the little woman had actually been telling the truth. The men within the squad bowed down fearfully. Their quaking knees providing Sayu with some much-needed self-satisfaction.

"We-we offer our sincerest apologies, Madam Sayu."

Keqing had an inkling. Something tells her that if she were to let Sayu reply with her true intentions, then that's another distraction that would prevent them from moving on from this small incident.

So, she stepped forth. Accepting the apology on Sayu's behalf.

"We understand. I'm familiar with the threat that the Fatui can serve to pose. It's good to see that your men are staying true to their protocols. In the end, it is better to be safe than sorry."

Ignorance is bliss. Such as the bliss that is ignoring Sayu's grumbles of protest. Gorou choosing to focus his attention to his guest, whilst letting his men bear the brunt of the ninja's complaints. Many of them caving in to the unusually terrifying shinobi.

"I thank you for your understanding, miss…?"

"It's Keqing." She replied shortly. Just her name for now. There was something that she had been curious about, and Gorou served as a wonderful opportunity to test her theory.

"Miss Keqing…"

The general had only been thinking for mere seconds, before the same look of realization that she had seen from everyone else dawned on his own features.

"Ah, are you by any chance the same Lady Keqing that had been in the Traveler's stories?"

Jackpot.

She'd been right on the money all along.

The question now, is just a matter of how much do they know about her?

She sighed. Scolding herself wistfully, always forgetting that the more question she had to ask, the likelier it is for her curiosity to turn into a prickly and troublesome thorn in her mind.

"It seems like it." She confirmed almost reluctantly, "Your Archon had told me that I'd be able to find him here. Please, for the sake of my sanity, tell me that it's true."

"Of course, he is currently here in Watatsumi Island."

Finally.

An answer that she could take for what it is.

"However, I am not entirely sure where in this island had he gone. I haven't had the chance to meet both him and his companion today. We might have to ask Her Excellency for his exact location."

Oh, my gods…

Why is it never just that simple in this place?

"Hold on… So, you're saying that I had to ask the Shogun for the specifics?"

"The Shogun?" Gorou observed her puzzled expression, before he noticed where she might have misunderstood, "Oh no, when I said 'Her Excellency', I wasn't referring to the electro Archon herself. Rather, I was referring to Her Excellency, Sangonomiya Kokomi. The Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, and the leader of the Watatsumi Army."

Alright, this man is most definitely a fan of her. If she knew anything about a canine and human hybrid, is that their tails provide a tell-tail sign of what sort of emotions are running through them. Just like how a normal dog would have acted.

Gorou's tail had been wagging so enthusiastically, he might as well have created a mini gust of wind for those standing behind him.

"I see, that's a relief." Keqing muttered, crossing her arms together, "Then is it possible for me to meet her right away?"

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Turning towards Sayu and his men, Gorou shouted his commands.

"Squad, I will be escorting our guest to the Sangonimiya Shrine. Sayu, would you mind if I leave the supervision of their remaining shift to you?"

A devious smile made its way to the girl's face. While the men in the squad could only cower in despair.

"It would be my pleasure, General Gorou."

And just like that, they left the squad of terrified men, and made their merrily way to the innards of the island.

Another beautiful spectacle. That's one thing that Keqing could outright give to Inazuma so far.

Looking past the island's unique cove-like structure, the amount of nurture that the people of Watatsumi had given to its foundation throughout the years have clearly not been for naught. The corals surrounding their path had proven to be a beautiful signature of its appearance. With the varying hue of blue accompanying its aesthetics, she could very much envision that for those who prefer the stillness and tranquillity of life instead of the hustle and bustle of a capital like Inazuma, Watatsumi would have looked to be the perfect location to spend their most of their lives in.

She'd have to watch herself. With how fatigued she had been, the lulling atmosphere of the island had threatened to leave her falling into a standing slumber.

Her drowsiness soon left her as they made their way through the shrine entrance. They were greeted by the shrine maiden who had stationed herself at the coral platform opposite to the gate.

"General Gorou. What brings you here at this time of the day?"

"Oh, Tsuyuko. We were just about to see if Her Excellency is in her office. We have a guest here who is looking to seek the Traveler's whereabouts, and we think that she might have an idea of where he might be."

A look of hesitancy had flashed through the shrine maiden's face.

Keqing groaned internally.

What now…?

Tsuyuko's voice had been low. Attempting to make sure that her voice had been out of earshot for anyone else who had been around them, "I'm afraid Her Excellency is current going through another bout of directive ninety-eight."

The growing concern within Gorou's voice could only serve to signify a problem.

"But I thought her duties for today had been well within what she has recovered for?"

"It was, but the logistics department ran into a pressing issue with the distribution of medicinal supplies for our elderly care." Tsuyuko explained, "Her Excellency offered to reroute the management herself. However, the issue had been much deeper than they initially thought, costing her more time and energy in the process."

"There's no doubt that she would be struggling through the rest of her duties for the day."

Hearing the struggles of their leader, Keqing began to ponder on how she'd been acting ever since the day had started.

These people had their own issues to go through, yet she had just been pressing them as if her issues were the only ones to exist in the current plane of life. She'd been acting somewhat spoiled. Unbecoming of the professional and uncompromising Yuheng that she had been known for.

Exhausted as she may be, it was no excuse for her to have been acting so callous towards their accommodating efforts.

So, this time, she decided to stop lording over her own miseries.

"How can I help?"

The two of them stopped their conversation. Stunned at the mere thought that an important guest had asked said question out of nowhere.

"N-No, we can't possibly trouble you with our difficulties." Gorou began.

"The General is right. We are grateful for your offer-,"

"It wasn't an offer, Miss Tsuyuko."

Keqing stood forth, her eyes brimming with the same shine of determination that she had during her heated discussion with the Shogun puppet.

"So far, everyone in Inazuma have been incredibly accommodating to my sudden presence. And I have been taking it for granted. Allow me to assist, and I will be sure to do what I can to alleviate some of the pressure from your leader's shoulders."

Had it been any other person, Gorou and Tsuyuko would have never caved so easily.

But, something about the sincerity held within her gaze had reminded the two of them of a certain someone.

Someone, who would've no doubt done the same had he been in her shoes.

The two nodded in agreement after sharing one final look.

"Very well then. Follow me!"

Rushing through the villages, Gorou led her to a spot on the cliffs above them. Stopping by a tree that had an abundance of purple foliage decorating it, Gorou led her through a cave that had been rather secluded from the view of anyone who would've been on the main paths of the island.

The cave had turned out to be a repurposed hidden base.

And seeing as one young woman dressed in blue had been dozing off at the table within. Keqing could only assume that this had been the Divine Priestess' personal base of operations.

"Oh… Your Excellency."

Gorou almost cooed as he approached her table. Finding a grip on her wrist, he sighed freely as he made sure that she had been okay.

"Her pulse is stable. She's just out cold at the moment." Gorou stated, turning back towards where he thought Keqing had been standing, "I'm sorry, Miss Keqing. But I think we will have to wait until… Miss Keqing?"

Only to find that Keqing had grab a hold of the documents that had been unceremoniously scattered around Kokomi's desk.

"Hmm… Daily reports regarding coordination with the Shogunate army, task reports from the island patrols…" Keqing mused, noticing that the documents that Kokomi had been taking care seemed far from what the leader of the nation should be focusing on, "Why do reports of this calibre still require direct supervision from your Divine Priestess?"

"M-Miss Keqing… Those are confidential information regarding Watatsumi's daily operations-,"

"Which isn't something that your leader should be thoroughly focusing on. Normally, you'd have a division that would specifically monitor activities of such a timely scale." Keqing countered, softly flicking the paper at hand, "And don't worry, these kinds of information would normally become public through government archives. Plus, if Aether had done a good job of telling people about who am I and how I operate, then you'd know that you can trust me to preserve the confidentiality of the document's contents."

With Gorou unable to procure a response, Keqing took it as a signal to take initiative.

"Like I said, I am here to help. Transferring the data of one report to a cumulative one is something that I am very efficient at. Though it is not at all difficult, it does tend to be quite a tedious set of tasks to do." Keqing continued to observe the rest of the documents and what is required to be extracted of them, "It doesn't look like she was able to get through much before she couldn't go against her exhaustion. But, with you here to guide me on what goes where, I can get through most, if not all of her remaining tasks before she wakes up."

Noticing the General's hesitancy, she had thought that she would need to further convince him. Only to find that his concerns had been of a rather different nature.

"Y-You would be willing to do all that? There are quite a lot of documents left to shift through…"

"Depends on how well we cooperate. If it had been regarding Liyue's day-to-day, then this would have been a walk in the park for me."

"Of course, the Traveler did mention that you are somewhat of a… For lack of a better word, a work addict."

Keqing sharpened her gaze at the General.

"Do you still want my help, or not?"

Not wanting to waste any more of her time, Gorou nodded with determination.

"Let's do this, Miss Keqing."

---

Kokomi knew that volunteering to take on the additional task was a mistake.

She had exerted herself once more, and it had always costed her more energy than she would normally expend. Especially after such a tiresome few days.

Realizing that she had once again fallen asleep on her desk, she reached over to where she had last placed her journal. Wanting to input the latest update to her energy levels of the day.

However, instead of finding the leather cover of her journal, her fingers had suddenly come into contact with had felt like another person's skin. Jolting her senses into consciousness as her eyes tried to adjust to the unfamiliar presence beside her.

"Oh, apologies, Lady Kokomi. I hadn't meant to wake you up."

The more her eyes attempted to sharpen its focus, the more she began to understand that this wasn't someone who she had known.

But, just like anyone who had just woken up from a deep slumber. Her brain hadn't exactly regained total control of her body, leading to a jumbled set of words practically leaking through her mouth.

"H-How… Who-, wait… B-But-, y-you are?"

"Please, don't panic. My name is Keqing." The figure sat beside her began speaking, "I am a friend of the Traveler's. Who I can only assume to have mentioned me to you before?"

Fortunately for Kokomi, her brain had decided to lock onto focus faster than what it usually takes for it to come back to its full functionality.

Unfortunately, it made the dawning comprehension about her situation to fall on her, much more instantaneously, and rather, much more brutally.

She had fallen asleep in front of an important guest.

Needing no invitation, her brain promptly skyrocketed to overdrive.

"Oh dear… Dear, Oh dear, Oh dear…"

Keqing could only chuckle.

"Seems to me that people really like to say those words around these parts of Teyvat, huh?"

"I-I can only offer my deepest of apologies. It is so rude and unprofessional of me to have acted this way in front of an esteemed guest." Kokomi launched out of her chair, hands clasped by her chest, "Please, do not mistaken this as an act of disrespectfulness on behalf of Watatsumi Island."

To Kokomi's surprise, Keqing's chuckle had grown from that of a soft titter to one of a more rounded laughter.

"It's fine. Trust me, I can sympathize with you. It just shows that you were pushing yourself to the limit for the sake of your people, and I find that to be highly admirable."

After a few seconds of internal deliberation, it finally dawned on Kokomi just who it is she is truly talking to.

"Oh… you don't happen to be that Lady Keqing, are you?"

"I suppose as everyone else have placed it, the one in Aether's stories." Keqing smiled, "That would be me."

Kokomi's eyes immediately brightened.

"Wow… It is an honour to have finally met you in person! You have been an incredible source of inspiration for the people who have heard your story. Myself, included."

"You're too kind, Your Excellency."

"Oh, please; you can simply call me Kokomi."

Keqing nodded at her request. Watching as the Priestess took in the changes that had occurred within her surroundings. Specifically, the contents of the documents on her desk.

Kokomi had to make sure that her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her.

"Hold on just a second… Did you happen to have finished the rest of my remaining tasks?"

It was Keqing's turn to feel that tiny bit of guilt.

"Y-Yeah, I can only apologise for my… unique indulgence in never leaving any sort of work unfinished." Keqing admitted, gesturing towards the neatly stacked pile of paper at the sides of the desk, "Your General had lent a major hand in helping me go through your workload, but he had to leave early to attend a routine inspection. You had seemed so exhausted; I couldn't help but want to do something for the people here. Seeing as all of you have been extremely accommodating to me, yet I have not given anything back in return."

Kokomi still stood there, gawking at an explanation that Keqing had thought to be still within the logical bound of things.

She could only watch as Kokomi slowly went back to her seat, and shifted her hands to grab both of hers.

"I-I'm not entirely sure of what to say." Kokomi had started. Eyes shining in idle curiosity, "T-Thank you. Even though Aether had said that you're not one to shy away from lending a hand whenever you can, it still doesn't bode well for me to have had to make you go through the trouble of doing so."

"But I'm sure he would have mentioned that I thoroughly enjoy working." Keqing reminded her, "Besides, I had to take my mind off a few things, and there is nothing that serves to be a better distraction than to take care of a few reports here and there."

Kokomi hadn't looked like she had been entirely convinced by her assurance. But something teller her that Kokomi was able to interpret her reasonings in a manner that she could accept.

A soft chuckle came out of the Priestess.

"It is actually quite fortuitous, if I were to think about it." Kokomi mused, her gaze wandering as she seemed to have remembered something, "The last time I had such an identical issue, Aether had been the one to assist me."

Of course. That's typical of him to do.

"And you know what he told me afterwards?"

The question had clearly been rhetoric, so Keqing just made sure to show that she had been paying attention.

"After I woke up and felt fully refreshed, he began telling me a story about someone who is extremely dear to him had a similar tendency. And that, if he had a choice, he'd want to be by said person's side whenever they have a tough time. Which urged him to be there for me too."

Keqing's heart swelled.

"Little did I know, that I'd meet that person in his story in the most fitting way possible."

Smiling at the implications, Kokomi beamed.

"You two do have a lot in common after all."

On another day, Keqing would have refuted such a statement right off the gate.

But today had been anything but ordinary.

"I guess so…"

The two shared their contemplation in silence.

Before Kokomi suddenly stood out of her seat.

"Right, you must be here to ask of his whereabouts!"

To be honest, Keqing had almost forgotten. Having touched no form of work for the past couple of days really made her writing all those reports been an actual blast. She had completely lost track of time, just about noticing the sunset that had begun to colour the sky.

"I've actually almost forgotten. Even though it had been my entire reason for coming to Inazuma in the first place."

"Not to worry, let me mark it on the map for you."

Within minutes, Kokomi had explained the direction of where the blonde Traveler should roughly be. Explaining that he had scheduled the entirety of his day in trying to get rid of as many specters as he could possibly find. With the end of his activities pinpointed to be in the island's southwestern region.

"Please, do send us our regards and gratitude to Aether." Kokomi said as she finished marking the small map, "And once again, thank you for what you've done for us."

This time, considering that Ayato had implied beforehand, Keqing took the show of gratitude wholeheartedly.

"Happy to have helped."

With a quick wave of a goodbye, Keqing began her path towards the marked area of the island.

Though she had been aiming towards this goal for the entire time she had been in Inazuma, it had also provided her with the opportunity to finally take in her surroundings without having that lingering question of his whereabouts forever tickling the back of her mind.

And finally, she was able to breathe much more freely.

For the first time since she arrived in Inazuma, she could wholly appreciate the scenery that had been staring at her. Begging for her eyes to become its lone audience. A spectacle for her, and her exhausted mentality.

And it had been magnificent.

Under the warm light of the sinking sun, Watatsumi's beauty had only grown by the tenfold. The floating jellyfishes that had been translucent under the blue sky now decorating the sky. Each of them glowing radiantly under the shift of the light. The bubbles being their faithfully companion as they go hand in hand through the air.

The breeze had been warm, yet imbued with that tiny bit of chill that just melded oh so perfectly with the serene atmosphere that her body had begun to feel. Reminding her of the peacefulness that both Qingyun Peak and the teapot had provided her with, every time she had sought for tranquillity.

Her feet felt light. Now with that hidden weight on her shoulders had been lifted. She began to wonder how it would've felt like to float amongst those jellyfish with no care for the world below her.

The sight had been intoxicating. So much so, that she hadn't noticed just how far she had been walking through the island.

In a way, it was also a therapeutic experience. How she had waved passed the people of Watatsumi Island. Each individual waving back at her as she nodded in acknowledgement. Happy to see that even in such a peaceful island, people are still aware of the importance of being productive. How the guards stood at attention the moment she was about to pass her. Showcasing their steadiness and vigilance. How the bridges had swayed calmly as it ensured her that it would remain capable of bridging people's lives for years to come.

It truly is a beautiful land.

A carbon copy of the serenity that her heart had long for.

For the person that she had long for.

With the view holding captive of her vision. Her ears had become the forward guide to her consciousness.

It was only until her ears had captured a voice, did the trance that the view had put her under, finally shattered.

A voice that had instantly halted her to a stop.

Her heart gradually increased its thumping. Her body having processed the audio signature far before her mind had finished formulating a cohesive response.

"You sure took your time, my dear Yuheng."

She wanted to outright believe that her ears hadn't playing tricks on her. That her exhaustion hadn't been so terrible that it had begun simulating her inner most thoughts as its own sickening form of torture.

She willed her eyes to slowly make its way towards where the voice had come from.

Her breath hitched the moment her amethyst orbs locked on to those ever-familiar fiery-gold retinas. His gaze softening, taking her in as much as she had been longing for him.

"Hey…" His voice came through clear as day. He rose from the rock he had been sitting on with a huff, "It's been a while."

Time stilled for the both of them.

Aether merely stood there, unable to decipher her frozen gaze.

Then again, he probably had no right to urge her to respond.

He's the one who had been making her wait after all.

Eventually, she began moving towards him. Her pace had been hesitant and tentative, as if waiting to see if he would disappear, the closer she got to him.

The moment she knew that he had, in fact, not been a product of her own imagination.

Her pace quickens.

Yet, in Aether's eyes, he had noticed a change in her gaze.

One that genuinely made him feel as if he was in a mountain of danger.

That electrifying look. How the air around her had sparked viciously, a tempest thunderstorm beckoning upon him.

Oh.

She was pissed.

"Uhh… Keqing…" He slowly backed away. Though the further he went, the faster she had closed the distance. "Please, let me explain…"

Unaware of his surroundings, the dread he felt as his back fell flat on an all-too-comfortably positioned tree had been on another level.

He had invariably cornered himself. Stuck at the behest of her mercy.

It wasn't a second later before Keqing had shoved her face up to his. The glare in her eyes penetrating his very soul. It was as if she had been looking to the recesses of his mind to find proof of his very existence.

He felt naked to the core.

Suddenly, both her hands jolted towards his face. At that point, Aether had been ready to prepare for the worst.

Only to feel the softest of touches on his cheek. A hold that had been akin to a sculptor's admiration of its latest creation. Laced with that sense of carefulness, as if whatever they were touching could be gone in a matter of fragile seconds.

Her thumbs prodded around his features. Moving from his lips, nose, cheekbone, and onto the strands of his hair. Appraising his physical presence to her heart's content.

And he lets her. Anticipating that this was all just a way for her to be sure.

When she spoke, his heart swelled at just how much hope it had been filled with.

"Y-You're here…" She faintly remarked. Eyes still trailing through the rest of him, "You're actually here…"

Snaking his hands up to the one on his cheek, he intertwined his fingers with hers and just… held her.

"I'm here." He assured. Nuzzling her open hand, "And I'm not going anywhere."

The moment he finished his sentence, he felt the air suddenly leave his lungs.

For she had pulled him into an embrace that had been as tight as it comes.

His arms flailed momentarily. Processing the abrupt change of positions.

Feeling her warmth, closer than he had ever imagined.

She nuzzled deep into his chest. All the longing that she had felt for him, bursting through the dams of her patience. Her throat felt heavy as her vocal cords grew watery.

"I missed you…"

His hold on her had been the final bit reassurance that she needed. To let her know that he was there. It had been a touch unlike any other. How his hand had ran flawlessly through her hair, how gentle it had been, how distinct and full it had been.

No other touch had ever made her feel this safe.

This protected.

Aether rested his chin on her head. Pulling her deeper into his hold.

"I missed you too…" Though she couldn't see it, she could hear the gentle smile that he's had on his lips, "More than you know it."

They stayed there in each other's arms for Archon knows how long. With nature swaying serenely around them, time became non-existent. The evening wind sung its chorus, matching the contentment these two specks of the universe had exuded.

She breathed him in. His scent forever the same foreign mix of everywhere that he has been through. One that she had grown to recognize from that times that she had spent around his teapot.

One that had slowly rooted itself in her senses.

Still, as much as she missed him, she wasn't about to let him off the hook just for finally showing up.

In her books, showing up was the very least that he could've done.

Sneaking her hand back towards his features, she made sure that he had no time to react whatsoever.

Before snapping a chunk of his cheek and pulled hard.

Extremely hard.

Venting all the frustration that she had accumulated over the past couple of days to that one singular motion.

Aether on the other hand, felt pure fire on the surface of his skin. Even so, he made sure to keep one of his hands on her, while the other one hover itself over the iron snap that she had trapped him under.

"O-Ow… Keqing, that-, OW, hurts…" Trying his best to appeal to her conscience, only to have been met with a steel gaze, telling him one, and only one thing.

She was still, understandably so, pissed.

"A-Are you upset with me?"

"Hmm… I'm not too sure myself." Keqing shot back, sarcasm frothing in the tone of her voice, "It's not as if I had to traverse through an entire nation that I've never been to, thinking that someone who I had cared deeply for, could've been in a potentially life-threatening situation. All while aimlessly trying to figure out a way to get to him."

Aether grimaced at her description. Knowing that he was getting off rather easy for the scale of the stunt that he had just pulled.

"I think I at least deserve to be slightly upset."

"You're right… I'm sorry." Aether conceded. Not that he had any plan to oppose her in the first place.

"Mind telling me why all that had been necessary in the first place?"

"I-I will… But first, can I humbly request that you have mercy on my poor cheek."

"As if this is actually hurting you." Keqing scoffed, "I bet this barely even tickles."

"It's starting to hurt emotionally." Aether reasoned.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know…" He admitted. Sighing as he had run out of moves, "I was just hoping that you'd let go eventually."

She couldn't help but to find his idiotic honesty to be brutally adorable. Seriously, how was she supposed to stay mad at that face?

And to be fair to him, she is still in his arms.

Keqing could only release a heartfelt sigh, allowing his cheek to gain its well-earned freedom. A pitiful hiss coming out of him as he massaged his sore feature.

"You're going to be the death of me one day." Keqing stated, a pointed gaze on him to drive her point home. She's said this to him before, but he was unconscious then, "You know that, right?"

"I know, I know… I'm a mess." Aether acknowledged, still recoiling from the soreness, "To be honest, I'm actually sort of glad that you're upset with me. Livid, even."

"Is that so?" Keqing swiftly quipped, raising her two fingers back towards his face, "Should I have not let go of your cheeks then?"

"Please allow me to carefully rephrase that statement."

"Then please do so, before I change my mind."

"Right… Umm-,"

Aether took a moment to gather his thoughts. Keqing could practically observe the deliberation that had been going through his mind. Another thing she absolutely finds adorable about him is his free-flowing expression. His reactions rarely hide anything from her.

"I'm glad, because…"

"Because?"

"Even though I hadn't been looking for any sort of proof. It still showed me that you truly care about me."

His finger brushed her past her cheeks to gently caress her wayward hair while she processed his words.

"And it gave me the opportunity to show to you, that I care for you all the same. Hopefully, just as much as you've cared for me."

A part of her had to think it through.

Though she had no doubt that he had shared the sentiment. She struggled to understand just what he had meant by giving him the opportunity to show it to her.

Until she realized, that he had been referring to the people that she had met through her short stint in Inazuma. How everyone had their view of who she was, and what she is to the man who had helped their nation through a turbulent time.

How he had told them about her importance to him.

"Huh, so that's your reason for telling everyone about me." Keqing relented. Leaning her forehead onto his chest once more, "That's incredibly unfair. Who knew you had it in you to be this cunningly deceptive?"

"You're the one who made me understand just what is it that I have around me here." Aether reminded her. Flashbacks of their conversation in Qingyun Peak blinking through her memories, "I'm just sticking that lesson close to my heart, Lady Yuheng."

"Oh, so this is my fault then?"

He chuckled. His lips brushing the strands on her forehead.

"You know what I mean."

Yes, she won't lie to herself. She knew exactly what he had meant.

"You know I would've come all the same if you had just asked me to."

"I know you would."

Aether knew that for sure. Since for all that she would've done for him, he would've done so with no hesitation. Then again, it would strip him of off the opportunity to show her what she had truly meant for him.

"But it's a lot more fun this way, don't you think?"

Keqing scoffed, rolling her eyes at his childlike mind, "Do you to mean say, fun for one of us?"

"Oh, come on…" Aether groaned lightly, knowing that she hadn't been entirely truthful to herself, "You can't say that you didn't at least have a little bit of fun?"

Oh, how well does he see through her. Coincidentally, if he had suddenly told her that he had been partly, if not, entirely omniscient, she would honestly would have had no quarrels with such a confession. The number of times he had read her like a book is baffling, seeing as she would normally loath the sense of vulnerability that she felt, if she were to bare her heart for anyone to see.

But then again, it all comes back to the safety that she had felt with him, and only him.

She can hide nothing, and still, he would make her feel safe as a child in their mother's arms.

His hand rested on her cheek. Connecting his eyes to her once more, urging for her true answer.

Like she said, there is no way she is winning against that.

"Alright, you win…" She relented. Her hand reaching up to tighten around his, "I did have a little bit of fun. That much I can admit."

He laughed at her restrained response. Knowing that she had only done it to deny him the full satisfaction of have read her correctly.

"Well, who's being unfair now?"

Her heart soared at the sound of his laughter. Though when she ran her thumb through the surface of his palm, she felt a bump that threw her back into the one time she had almost lost him.

The scar from the cut that she made to save him from the aftermath of his battle with the Shogun.

Managing to sneak a quick peek at said cut, she saw that it has now faded into a thin white line that might as well have blended with the creases of his hand. With only its protruding shape separating it from being a natural part of his bodily feature.

Does he know? She didn't want to ask. Though a part of her knew that she would have to eventually, she decided to allow time to play its part. If he were to bring it up, then would hide nothing as always.

"By the way, I can assure you that those people that you've met, had the best of time in getting to know you." Aether continued. His voice thoughtful, "I knew that after I asked Beidou to get you to Thoma, it would be smooth sailing from there. I just thought of it as a more natural way to introduce you to them. They can get to know you from a personal perspective, rather than from the point of view of someone else."

"So, you're saying…"

Nothing gets past her; he should know that by now.

"That Beidou knew all along?"

He kept his silence.

"I'm going to have to talk to her when I get back."

"Please, have mercy on her."

"You should be more worried about yourself." She quickly warned.

A quirky grin was all she got in reply.

"But I guess I can let this be. Seeing as you haven't been causing that much trouble here, aside from the whole 'I'll fight a government' fiasco."

She couldn't figure out why, but the more she reminded herself of all the stories that she got from her new acquaintances, a certain feeling became increasingly apparently within her.

It was the same feeling that she had felt when she heard of all those stories.

The way her chest felt heavier, the way her throat had suddenly closed in on itself. The wave of anxiousness that her mind is suddenly assaulted with.

She tried her best to continue speaking in the way she would normally do, only to no avail.

"It was nice to hear about all the things that you got to do. How you've impacted the lives of those you've met. The bonds you've created."

While she was able to keep her words flowing, she couldn't keep the confidence in her voice. The hesitancy caused by the cloud over her heart now weakening the tone of her voice.

And Aether hadn't been one to miss it.

"The adventures you've had to discover a lost sword art. How it must've felt to be able to play around with kids and create a firework show for them…"

Slowly, it dawned on the man who felt the distance in her tone.

"How one was able to dance and express her inner feelings for you…"

She was still right there in his arms, yet he felt the invisible gap that was slowly increasing itself the more she had spoken her mind.

"Keqing…"

He had to make sure that she was still there. He had to find a way to reassure her. Even if it hadn't on purpose, he had to reply to the feelings that she had unwittingly shown through her words.

And he knew exactly what those feelings had been.

"A-Are you… Jealous?"

Ah…

Jealousy…

It's been so long since she had truly felt this way.

"I guess I was…"

Her admissions had prickled her heart, more than she had liked it to be.

She knew that she probably had no right to feel this way. He wasn't hers, and even if he was, she'd rather think that she'd be mature enough to prevent such thoughts from ever breaching her mind.

She is the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, for Archon's sakes. She didn't build a stonewall reputation around her mental aptitude only to have it be dismantled over something as petty as jealousy.

But to her standards, it did manage to breach her.

And she didn't quite know how to deal with that.

All she knew is that: she had her own reasons for it. Whether or not said reasons were justified, remains to be seen.

"It could've been jealousy, but it had been less about what any of you had done. I think deep down, I had just been in denial about what I had truly wanted to do when I came here."

Aether once again, kept his silence.

And she knew that it was to give her space.

"Even though I kept telling myself that I was only here to get you out of your trouble, I knew that there was more to it. Hearing about the bonds you have made with those people simply made me impatient. The closeness, companionship, the feelings, and just having you right there by my side…"

She leant further into his touch.

"I want it all back."

Her eyes closed, wanting to feel the link between their souls.

"I know that it's foolish. Selfish, even. But from the moment I asked you that question, I would be lying if I said that I hadn't been thinking about what your answer would have been."

Slowly, she placed her head back on his chest. Feeling his heartbeat for all it is. The steady rhythm soothing her turbulent soul.

"So, please. I promise to wait for as long as you need. But please…"

His warmth. The protection his hold had given her. How his presence alone is enough to calm her mind. How his hands provided her with assurance that he is there.

"Let me have this moment, even if it was but a fleeting one."

Closing the minute gap that between their bodies, she held him flush to her own. Wishing to ingrain that feeling in her mind.

For if she had to wait her life for this feeling to return, she would.

Yet, it didn't stop her from wondering about what he had been feeling.

Had she pushed it too far? Was she moving too quickly? Had her impatience cost her dearly once more?

All her questions evaporated the moments she felt his strong hands around her once more. A breath she hadn't known to have been holding, flushing with the waterfall of a relief that followed suit.

But it hadn't been the end of that.

In a flash, she felt the familiar sensation of swiftly being lifted off of her feet and landing onto a different surface the next moment.

They had teleported. That much she was able to tell in an instant.

She had wanted to look up, but soon felt his hand on her chin.

"Hey… Look up."

With a push of his finger, their eyes met for a brief moment.

And for a second, she thought she had seen in the stars in his eyes.

Before his lips had suddenly captured hers.

Her brain had no other reaction but to short circuit. All that she had initially seen had been the sparks setting off within her mind. Desperately trying to make sense of what she was supposed to do.

Does she dare to say that she had envisioned this before? Not entirely. But it didn't stop her from wondering about what she would do should such a time arrives.

But her thoughts are mush, she couldn't form a coherent thought process.

Yet, she realizes all the same, that she hadn't needed to do so.

What she felt, the impulse, the visceral reaction of feeling his soft, warm and passionate lips on hers.

That was all she needed.

She could only think that he had felt the confidence within her grow, because the moment she had solidified her conviction and settled her mind, he presented her with a small breathing space, before locking them in once more.

It was if she could feel all of him. The slight part of his lips, how its warmth stood out from the rest of his body, how it had tasted with so much of everything, yet with so much of him all the same.

How it had all felt so foreign, yet so right…

And when they part, she noticed that she hadn't been mistaken.

His eyes were glistening. Glazed with the mirror of blinking stars and a sea of sparkling lights. It held the wealth of emotions that the man had been feeling, all for her to see.

"Hopefully…" He said breathlessly. An aftermath of the adventure their hearts had been enduring, "That could serve as a start to my answer."

His answer?

She couldn't entirely think about it. His breath on her nose had been far too much of a distraction.

"I've lived for hundreds of years. I'm not perfect. I can be frustrating to deal with, and I can be incredibly dense at times." He began, holding both her hands in his, "I tend to rush into things without thinking too much about it, and at times, it would be difficult for me to stop. That being said, there are too many times where I've let too many things cloud my judgement."

His grip tightened as their foreheads touched.

"But, if there was anything that I'm sure about from this world, is how important you are to me."

Her breath hitched. No matter how many times he had told her that, she never could quite get used to it.

"You've saved me countless of times. You've been there for me through all the pain and the sorrows, and you saw through me in times where I needed it. Which is why I wanted to let people know just exactly what you mean to me. As much as I've said it, I wanted to show that to you."

The stories, everything he had said to everyone else. It served as a guiding post for his feelings.

"I wanted people to see you as I have seen you. An amazing woman with a wonderful, kind, and understanding heart. A person who offers her companionship with a level of trust unlike any other. Someone who can truly understand, just who you are."

He smiled. Her heart fluttering.

"A person who you couldn't help but want to be by her side."

Her feet felt light. She would've been speechless, if she hadn't cared so deeply all the same.

Which made it her turn to say her piece.

"Remember that time when I said that you've managed to show me that some dreams are more than just a pipe dream?"

He nodded slowly. The visions of that moment clear as day in his mind.

"When I started as a Yuheng, I had a dream about this person. A person who had been someone who I can trust to carry my dreams with. Someone who I knew, would be worthy of standing beside me, and myself beside them."

Keqing kept her eyes on him. The vision of the person in her dreams, slowly moulded by his features.

"But more importantly, it was someone who could understand me the way I understood myself. Someone who had the means to see the world through their own eyes, yet also see it the way I have envisioned it. A person rich in youth yet also decorated by wisdom."

Within less than a year, she has had her worldview be enlightened by a man who had seen many worlds. A man who had understood her unlike no other. Someone who she can offer something more than just her trust.

Something that she had long lost in her life.

"Back then, I thought that finding people that I could trust was more than enough. That it had been what I've interpreted my dreams to be." Keqing mused, shaking her head at the outdated notion, "But now I realize that the person I'm looking for comes through the extension of trust. The way my father had placed it; take trust, companionship, respect, and a bond unlike any other, then I'll find what it is that I've been looking for."

Her heart pounded. A deep desire that has been long locked away within pushing its way into the surface of her emotions.

"And that feeling had been…"

She placed a chaste kiss on his hand.

"Love…"

The heat on her face had been unbearable. But she knew that it had been a necessity to recognize what she truly wants. As many doubts as she could have in her mind, there was no stopping her from trying to convey her desires.

"I'm callous and impatient, and my methods of doing things doesn't usually accommodate others, you know this better than anyone. I'm stubborn in a way that you've never seen before, and I don't entirely listen well to anyone but myself."

The fact that listing those aspects hadn't really bothered her could only speak volumes about how determined she is in doing things her ways.

She took a deep breath, knowing the worst of it is to come.

"And above all… I'm selfish. When I set a goal, there's no stopping me from getting to it. I'd be willing to put aside just about everything if it meant achieving any sort of progress that I had been personally seeking. You're just about the only one outside of the people of my past, who knew just how much I've sacrificed."

Of course, Aether knew that she hadn't been referring to anything remotely materialistic.

Everything in her past. Peers, friends, foes, relationships, and most of all… Family.

These are the things she had lost.

Meanwhile for Keqing, a new thought decided to intrude into her mind.

She scoffed dryly, "It's ironic isn't it, considering what I am asking of you?"

Aether tilted his head inquisitively.

"If your age is anything to go by, you would most likely live for far longer than I have time in this world." She explained. A tone of dejection lacing her voice, "And here I am, basically asking you to endure that possibility. The possibility that I will leave you far before you begin to grow old-,"

"I'll take my chances."

He had chimed in before she had finished her sentence. Her eyes turning wide at his declaration.

"W-What…?"

"Sure, it might hurt in the future. No matter how long that turns out to be. Especially considering what you are to me."

Aether could admit that much. He's realistic in a way. He's lost a few people before. People who either had their time cut short by the destiny, or people who have just simply reached the end of their times. It hurts either way, and gods forbid he attempts to imagine what it would be like to lose her.

His heart simply wouldn't be able to take it.

But that doesn't mean that the present is something that he should look past.

"But I think I'd regret it even more if I had never taken the chance." He continued, the fondness in his eyes growing by the second, "If I had the choice between a lifetime of memories with your love, and one that had been without it…"

He grinned, seeing as he never really had any doubt.

"I think I know which one I would rather have."

The determination that he has, now fully felt by her contemplative hope.

"A-Are you sure…?" She asked, almost timidly. "Besides the whole immortality aspect, I can't help but think but there would be mountains of difficulties for you to go through. Even through dealing with me in general."

"Then I trust that you'll be there for me, like I would be there for you." Aether assured, poking her nose playfully, "Besides, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Is it really what you've been looking for if it had no challenges for you to conquer?"

He always knew what to say.

But this time, it just makes her fall deeper for him.

"I suppose so."

Aether chuckled, his voice still a melody in her ears.

"I can't promise you that it will always be sunshine and rainbows. Our current conditions in life alone are enough to give us a handful of problems, and things can escalate from then on."

Keqing lightly grimaced, almost forgetting how both of them had a reputation to be wary about. With her being a leader within her nation, and him practically a celebrity throughout Teyvat. It would be an absolute miracle if they could even have any privacy to comprehend their newfound relationship.

But with his words and his touch, she feels as if they could go through anything.

"However, none of that will stop me from giving you anything but one hundred and ten percent. Since this is uncharted territory for the both us, there is really only one way to go…"

"…Which is up." Keqing finished. Understanding what he had been trying to point out.

"Exactly." Aether beamed.

"Though I find it hard to believe that this would your first relationship in your hundreds of years of living…."

In hindsight, even Aether had to admit that it would be rather difficult to believe. But he knew that he had solid evidence for anyone who would ever question that notion.

"How about this, when I get my sister back…" Aether challenged, though unenthusiastic at the thought of his twin pulling up his past to Keqing of all people, "You can go ahead and ask her. She'd be more than happy to corroborate my statement."

She almost forgot.

"Not that you've mentioned her…" her eyes trailed towards his arms now back to being around her waist, "What would Lumine think about… us?"

Aether merely shrugged; his expression almost neutral.

"Honestly? She probably wouldn't believe me the first time around. She used to think that I was blind to people's emotions since I was so dense."

"Really? Even when they personally gave you a beautiful dance by the lake?" Keqing couldn't help but to tease.

"Oh, come on… She did tell you that she didn't know, right?" Aether pouted at her remark, all while Keqing laughed her heart out, "Besides, it wasn't by a lake. She was in the lake. Mind you, it was a great dance. But I would've been able to pay better attention if it wasn't for the fact that she was still wearing her goddamn socks!"

All he got in return was her poor attempts at concealing her laughter. Which he responded to by exaggerating his frown as he looked away from her teary-eyed expression.

"Aw… don't be like that, you little baby." She directed his face back towards her, nuzzling her nose with his, "I love it when you make all those funny expressions."

"Oho, and is that the only thing you love about me, Lady Keqing?"

Crap, I fell right for that one.

Well, the cats out of the bag anyways. There's no more reason for her to play safe with this strapping young man.

"Alright fine…" She faked an exasperated sigh, "I love everything else, all the same."

"Even the reckless acts of heroism?"

"Especially, the reckless acts of heroism." Keqing countered, linking her arms around his neck, "It wouldn't exactly be you if you didn't charge heedlessly into any kind of a battle."

"Well, then…" Nodding with satisfaction, Aether brought their features closer, "I'll be sure to love you to the best of my abilities… And make this a relationship that you can cherish for life."

He stole a quick peck of her lips. Almost proud at the fact he can still catch her off guard.

"There's more of that from where it came from, by the way."

Keqing rolled her eyes, "Please… I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not the first time you and I have shared a kiss."

She smirked with a degree of smugness as his eyes widened, alongside his reddening cheeks.

"W-Wait, when did you…"

He felt her thumb caressing the palm of his hand once more. Feeling the scar that's origins are never quite known to him.

All he knew from Tubby, was that it had been the aftermath of treating the injuries that he had sustained from his battle with the Shogun.

"So, it was you after all, huh?"

"You knew?" Keqing questioned with the tilt of her head.

"I had a hunch…" Aether mused, thinking back to moment he regained his consciousness, "That, and Tubby is a terrible liar. I knew it wasn't her, that's for sure."

Figures. Keqing had almost thought that he somehow felt that it was her who had been the one to administer the care that he needed.

Again, it wouldn't have been too far-fetched to have thought about it that way.

"Put it on the list of times where you've saved me, yet again." Aether leaned in closer, "It makes choosing this place to go to all the more fitting, don't you think?"

It is quite fitting really. It almost felt like he had all of this planned. She hadn't had the time to take a look at their new surroundings, but she knew that there was really only one logical spot for him to have taken her too.

Qinyun Peak.

The breeze alone was enough to clue her in to where they had been.

Now a place of many beginnings for the two of them.

A place where they first truly discovered each other's companionship.

A place where they first saw a true glimpse of what had been underneath each other's exteriors.

And a place where they solidified the convictions of their newly found bond.

To have someone who thought of her to such a length had been unfathomable before. But, now that she had a taste of what it's like to be truly understood and loved, she had only one thing in mind.

"Hey, Aether…"

Her voice had been quiet, almost a whisper. Their eyes mere inches from one another.

"Hmm?" He replied in a whisper of his own. Lost in the universe that is her gaze.

She smiled as the night serenades tranquillity into their souls.

"Thank you…"

He didn't need to say anything.

The soft nod and her swaying in his arms were all she had need.

For they stayed that way, as time became non-existent to their hopeful hearts.