The Road To Nowhere

by Kaliesto

Kaeya doesn't know where he is, or why. What started out as a simple patrol, ends up becoming a mystery as Kaeya tries to find his way home. Diluc is no help, and only makes matters worse. (M for blood, violence, non-consensual drug use, attempted suicide) Please be cautious of triggers! Rosaria, Klee, Kaveh, Alhaitham, Tighnari, Cyno, OC's

Whether or not they are directly linked, or the characters know each other, I think of my stories as all having happened within the same little world! In my stories. I frequently mention things that have happened in others I have written, but most of them should be able to be read stand alone without issues.

Also, while I try to keep it very close with Genshin lore, I don't know every single bit of lore, and can't remember it all. So, some things are slightly different, there are also some things that are only guessed. I'm just here to write stories for people to read, should they choose!

As for my version of travel time, everything is small, and close together in the game, so I spread it out a little. It should take time to get places! (More dramatic that way rofl)

Thank you to my husband for being my proofreader!

As always, thank you for reading, I hope everyone enjoys it!

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Chapter One

"Wha…?"

Kaeya looked around, his lips split painfully, and a coppery tang hit his tongue as he grimaced, squinting into the sudden brightness. He had no idea where he was. He was surrounded by water, standing on what seemed to be a small island, and any other land he could see was distant. It didn't look like Mondstadt from where he was, but possibly Fontaine? Thinking was difficult, though he didn't know why that might be. It was usually his specialty.

"You seem to be working awfully hard at it."

He spun at the sudden voice, stumbling slightly, and automatically reached for a sword that wasn't there, only to find Diluc. It was slightly embarrassing that he hadn't noticed the redhead before, or that his sword was missing, but to be fair, he had been disoriented. Well, he was still disoriented, but he was starting to get his bearings a little, and he definitely needed to deflect that statement.

"Well, I wouldn't have to work so hard at it if you weren't chattering away while I'm trying to concentrate."

Diluc didn't even look slightly disgruntled by the statement, and simply raised an eyebrow in his direction. Was that really the best he could come up with? Right now, yes. Kaeya sighed, and rubbed at his face. Judging by the sunburn on his cheeks and nose, it seemed he had been in the open for a bit. Despite being a cryo wielder, his skin didn't burn very easily. Always the opposite of Diluc.

Speaking of the redhead, Kaeya did a visual once-over to make sure his brother wasn't hurt. He didn't seem to be. He was sitting on the ground, but Kaeya could see no outward injuries, no blood, no bruises on his face, which somehow wasn't sunburned. It was odd, but right now Kaeya would take it as a win.

Kaeya's own limbs were tired. Heck, his entire body felt tired, actually, and he was beyond hungry, and parched. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days, and he was shaky. There wasn't anything that seemed particularly edible on the island, no fresh water, either.

"Do you have any idea how we got here?"

Diluc shrugged, "I know as much as you do."

"Surely you might have seen something, or have some clue as to why we're on a tiny island in the middle of… nowhere?"

The redhead simply, and quite unhelpfully, shrugged once more. Kaeya let out a quiet growl, and joined Diluc on the ground. He hadn't noticed until his left side pinched that there were a few cuts along it, and his arm, both in the same pattern. It looked like he might have been dragged along a surface with sharp spots in it. It didn't matter, they weren't deep, and only stung a little. What was more noticeable was the pressure throughout his entire skull, and distorted eyesight, along with the sharp pain in his neck.

As he brought his hand up to rub his neck, the crook of his elbow caught his attention. Right under the torn material was bruises, and right in the center of each was a small red dot. The anxiety he had been ignoring upped several notches, and he racked his brain once more for anything he could remember. Nothing. He couldn't remember anything. The last he knew, he was on his usual patrol. In fact, it was usually the safest route, but obviously something must have happened. That still didn't explain why Diluc was there. Had he been out doing his vigilante thing? It wasn't night when he'd been out, but that didn't always mean Diluc hadn't been up to something.

"Diluc, are you injured at all? Cuts, scratches, bruises, and kind of marks?"

Diluc shook his head, "No. I'm fine," he crossed his arms, "Should we start the 'What did Kaeya get himself into this time' guessing game? Smugglers? The Abyss? Fatui? Perhaps it was one of your ever so helpful contacts. They're really the trustworthy type, it might have been one of them."

No. No to all of those. Why did Diluc look so smug? Really, it wasn't just the smugness, the redhead was acting weird. He didn't look hurt, or sick, and his clothing was completely in-tact. Also, despite Diluc's words, he didn't look angry, sad, sarcastic, or anything else. His face was held in complete neutrality. Diluc didn't care that they were stuck there.

"Why are you-"

"Hey, you!"

Kaeya turned towards the shout. A way out from their little island was a boat that had somehow managed to sneak up on them. Actually, Diluc should have been able to see them coming, yet he said nothing.

The bluenette stood on somewhat unsteady feet, and waved at the men staring them down, "Hello! We seem to have gotten stuck, would you be so kind as to give us a ride to the closest city?"

His voice was so dry that he wasn't sure it would carry that far, but the men laughed heartily at Kaeya and Diluc's situation. He turned towards his brother, expecting him to start losing his temper. Instead, Diluc just sat, unperturbed by the crass sailors. He was starting to worry that the redhead was sick.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand mora for a ride."

What?! How could anyone with a conscience ask for so much from someone in need? As ridiculous as it seemed, the next island was a long way away. Using his cryo to freeze the water to walk across was complicated with Diluc, and he'd rather not swim that distance, especially with how his head felt.

"Certainly," Kaeya begrudgingly agreed, and walked to the edge of the water.

The sailors laughed again, "Mora up front, or no ride, sweetheart!"

Sweetheart? That should probably be a sign that he didn't want to be anywhere near these men, but he had Diluc for back-up, far scarier than them, and they needed help to escape their current plight.

However, how was he supposed to get that much mora while he was stuck on a puny island? He hated being taunted, but the day was just getting warmer, and the sun beating down on his bare skin was uncomfortable. He could feel it burning.

"I'll be able to pay as soon as we get to a bank. I just need to be able to get there," he tried to bargain.

They left. Those men just laughed, and left them there to burn in the sun, starve to death, or die of dehydration. What a cruel world it could be to live in. Kaeya didn't like being left, it hit too close to home. Stamping down the panic of abandonment, his temper flared as he turned back to Diluc, and glared at him.

"Why didn't you say anything?! You could have told them who you are. They might have given us a ride! If it's because you're ill, or hurt, we need help."

Diluc finally stood, and crossed his arms, but still showed no emotion, "Why would I do that? You seemed to have the situation handled. I suppose I was wrong. You'd think you would at least be able to handle the simple task of procuring a ride. I should have known better," he said bluntly.

Kaeya's jaw dropped, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you've managed to fail again, and I'm the one who'll have to suffer the consequences, I'm sure," the redhead said simply, as if this was somehow Kaeya's fault.

Kaeya took some deep breaths to calm himself. Diluc is stressed, too. He supposed he could ask Diluc why he was acting this way, saying hurtful things, and not caring for their safety, but he had a feeling he wouldn't get much of an answer. He didn't feel like wasting energy fighting, either, and if he kept talking to the redhead while he was acting this way, there would be fighting.

With a few deep, calming breaths, he called on his cryo energy to start freezing the water. Hopefully Diluc would just silently follow. It was most likely that they wouldn't get very far before they had to swim, since the hot-head tended to melt his ice, but he'd get them as far as he could.

Kaeya got further than he thought he would, and it wasn't because of Diluc melting the ice that they ended up in the water, but exhaustion instead. Once he had gotten closer to his destination, and the haze began to clear up, although everything was still blurry, he could see that it was actually a desert he was headed for.

Of course it had to be the desert, because he needed to be burnt more. There was also the issue of being a cryo user. It was similar to the way Diluc had issues with Dragonspine, though not as quite as bad, or as quickly, but extreme heat, and cryo didn't like to play together. He'd have to use more energy to keep his Vision running to cool himself off continually, and he was already exhausted.

That said, assuming this was Sumeru, it could be a good thing. Technically it was a step in the right direction, but that also meant he'd have to traverse Archons know how much of the sandy terrain. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen any boats since the jerks who had stopped at the island.

Kaeya let himself drift on his back for a time, annoyed at the way the salt water stung his wounds. After a while, he would switch to rowing with his arms towards the land, correcting his course as needed, and checking that Diluc stayed with him.

By the time he washed up on shore, he had fallen asleep. A crab pulling at his ponytail roused him, and he opened his eyes to Diluc simply watching the critter trying to run away with its blue, stringy loot. Kaeya quickly sat up, and the crab, who was unwilling to let go of its prize, was flung along with the hair. When he tried to grab the crab to pull it off, it used its other claw to snap at Kaeya's fingers.

"This is my hair, little crab," Kaeya negotiated, "Perhaps you'd like some red hair better?"

"Hmm."

The crab clicked its claw at him again in protest, Kaeya ignored it in favor of glaring at his brother.

"Hmm? Is that really all you have to say? You could have stopped it!" He clenched his fists at his sides, having given up on crab removal for the time being, "You've been quiet, even for you, and you haven't done a single thing to help. There's no way you're enjoying this! What is wrong with you, Diluc? Just tell me, please!"

In response, the redhead just cocked his head to the side, and stared on in silence.

He had enough. If he hadn't been looking at the man himself, he'd say it wasn't even Diluc standing in front of him with smugly crossed arms. He could only guess that whatever was used to knock them out was having an odd effect. Kaeya pulled himself up, and moved closer to his brother, who simply stepped away.

Normally, Kaeya would chase the redhead, but he was far too drained for that, and the redhead wasn't even so much as pale. He tried one more step forward with the same results, and turned away with a growl.

"Fine, but you better not be hiding an injury or something!"

His own shouting rang through his ears, and he grabbed the sides of his head until it subsided enough for him to be functional once more. They needed to get out of this place. They needed to go home. He missed it more by the second.

Since directly ahead of the beach was a cliff face, he chose a direction, and started walking. The crab hung on for dear life, until it got tired of bouncing around, and let itself drop to the ground. At least the crab wasn't bad company, not compared to Captain Grumpy trailing behind him. Or maybe he was the grumpy one. He wasn't even sure anymore.

Eventually, Kaeya found a way up, and away from the water, at which point he realized he was beyond thirsty, now. Unfortunately, there was not a source of freshwater in sight, as was usually expected of the desert. He looked out at the miles of sand and grimaced. This was not going to end well. He wished the ice he summoned melted into water, instead of dispersing back into the air.

A quick glance at the redhead had him narrowing his eyes. Despite the sun being bright, and completely unimpeded by clouds, Diluc had no sunburn whatsoever. It didn't make any sense. He doubted Diluc had finally gained enough common sense to have started carrying his own burn cream, and Kaeya's satchel that typically contained the jar he carried for his brother was nowhere to be seen. Kaeya, on the other hand, was going to be feeling his sunburn for a while, once he finally got somewhere.

Having at least some idea of which direction they needed to go, he aimed for the east.

Chapter Two

"How is it even possible to "lose" someone for nearly two weeks?!" Diluc asked, exasperated, "And why am I only hearing about this now?"

The moment he had returned from a two-week trip to Liyue, he was handed a message by one of the knights at the gate. Jean needed to see him straight away. He had missed her during his trip, but he knew she would not have used Knights resources simply to send him a note in regard to their relationship, which meant there was something going on.

He had expected to be asked for help with a tough group of monsters, or questioned about some oddball thing. What he had not expected was to find out that Kaeya had disappeared, apparently without a trace. That kind of failure seemed a bit much, even for the Knights of Favonius.

Jean sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked tired, and knowing her, she had probably been working non-stop to find Kaeya, most likely without rest. He wasn't trying to snap at her, he was just shocked, and very much so panicking.

"Jean, I'm sorry…"

The blonde stood, and came around her desk to take Diluc's hand, "Don't be. If it were Barbara, I would feel the same. I sent out notes, and you never responded. I knew then that there was something going on. I tried several ways to send a note, it never seemed to get to you. I even sent a Knight. Their body was found just inside Mondstadt's border…"

Someone was intercepting their notes, then, and going so far as to kill people to put a stop to it. Jean was obviously beyond stressed, and how could she not be? Kaeya was a close friend. The three of them had spent so much time together as children, until Jean's parents separated.

"Okay, so what happened? How did this start?"

"He was on patrol, and disappeared. There was no sign of struggle along the path he was to take, nothing off the road, or anywhere else we've checked. He's just… gone. It was close to where the Knight's body was found that we also found his weapon, and satchel. Diluc, part of the reason I asked you here is because… Do you know anyone who can find out anything?"

Diluc blinked at Jean. She hadn't straight-out said that she knew he was involved with something like that, but she obviously had a pretty good idea. However, this was the first time she had asked him about using it. They were desperate now, and both of them cared about Kaeya.

So, instead of denying it, Diluc nodded in agreement, "I'll check."

Even though they were in Jean's office, Diluc still glanced around before pecking her on the lips, and hurried out the door. It wasn't the easiest thing to just contact the Network. They operated more on a "don't contact us, we'll contact you" basis. Unfortunately, Diluc needed their help. They might have an idea which way Kaeya went, but even if that was the correct assumption, which way did he go from there? There were a million different places he could have gone.

Charles greeted him the moment he stepped into the tavern.

"Master Diluc, anything on Sir Kaeya's whereabouts?" he asked hopefully.

Diluc shook his head, letting out a breath he felt like he'd been holding since he left Jean, "No, but we're still working on it. Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself tonight?"

He hated to do that, but he needed to get a few things ready for whatever they found. If he got nothing out of the Network, he would be leaving to search the nations one by one, and he wanted to be prepared.

"Of course, of course! You bring Sir Kaeya back to us!"

Everyone else in Mondstadt knew Kaeya was missing, and were wanting their Captain back. They needed him back. So many people relied on him. Diluc quickly put together his message, and sent it off with Dawn before sprinting home.

Upon entering, Adelinde was happy as always to see him, but she had that look of worry she always got when something was going on.

"Adelinde, could you please prepare some travel foods for me? I'll be in my room for a few minutes, but I won't be long," he said as he started towards the stairs.

"Master Diluc! I'm so glad you're home. I sent several messages to where you were staying in Liyue, but I never heard a reply."

Diluc paused halfway up the stairs, and turned around, "… You were sending me messages, too?"

"Yes! I know The Acting Grand Master was as well. Master Kaeya, he-"

"I know," he held up a hand to stop her from having to say it, "I know, and soon I'm going to be leaving to search for him."

The head maid nodded, "I'll have some travel rations packed away shortly."

It seemed a little silly to hurry up, just to wait for the return of information. It could take Dawn quite some time to deliver the message, and bring the response, but he didn't want to be doing this when it was time to go. He'd rather be ready.

He descended the stairs, and found Adelinde waiting by the door with several small packages that he could easily tuck into his pockets.

"I'll be at the Knights Headquarters for now, but the moment I hear anything, I'll be headed out."

"Of course. Master Diluc? Bring him home."

Diluc nodded as he left. While he would certainly be angry, along with everyone else in Mondstadt, he hoped this was some sort of stupid prank Kaeya was playing. He knew it wasn't, though. Kaeya wouldn't do this to people, and he definitely wouldn't duck out on Klee, and Albedo voluntarily.

Speaking of the alchemist, and Spark Knight, they were in Jean's office when he returned. Klee, who was extremely difficult to truly make upset, had obviously been crying, and Albedo even managed to look worried.

Klee ran to him, and threw her arms around his legs, "Klee is so sorry, Mister Weird Grown-up! We–we miss Kaeya so much, too!"

Diluc pulled her off his legs, and lowered himself to the floor, "It's alright, Klee. Everyone is working hard to find him. He'll be taking you out fish blasting in no time."

Klee threw her arms around his neck as Albedo spoke up, "After analyzing each area I was given to comb over," he paused, glancing at Klee, "I'd say he just walked away. We haven't found a single indication that there was a fight of any kind, so, given that evidence, I believe he left, or someone forced him to go quietly."

"I think we all know Kaeya wouldn't just leave," Diluc said, picking up Klee as he stood, "I'm waiting to hear back from someone, and if that doesn't work… I'll start searching."

Jean nodded, and rubbed Klee's back, "For now, it is a waiting game. I suggest we all try to get some rest."

Albedo pulled Klee off of Diluc, "Come on, Klee. Why don't you help me come up with a back-up plan."

As soon as Albedo shut the door behind them, Jean replaced Klee's spot in Diluc's arms, and let out a tired sigh. Nothing felt comforting in the same way as having Jean in his arms, but she was exhausted. He pulled back, and tugged her over to the couch.

Diluc sat at one end, and put his feet up on the coffee table, then patted his lap, "Lay down, get some sleep."

Jean looked like she wanted to argue, but her shoulders slumped, and she laid across the couch with her head in Diluc's lap. He ran his fingers through her hair, and hummed a lullaby that his father used to sing to him, and Kaeya.

It wasn't long before Jean's eyes closed, and her breathing evened out, giving him too much time to think. What would he do if he lost Kaeya? Or if Kaeya really had chosen to walk away from everyone? What if the Abyss was after him, trying to reclaim what they felt was theirs.

Diluc didn't think his brother would go with them willingly. As far as he could tell, he was "trained" by being tortured, and Diluc would kill everyone responsible if he could. He had a hard time picturing parents harming their own child, and dropping him off in the freezing rain, nearly killing him, but when they found Kaeya, he had seen it with his own eyes.

As a child, he hadn't understood why Kaeya was so thin, sick, and frightened. The bluenette was very afraid of all of them. Now, he realized the bluenette had probably been brainwashed to think everyone who wasn't Khaenri'ahn was evil, and wanted to harm him. However, these people also ensured that Kaeya was too weak to run away from the people he'd been told to be afraid of. They sent a small child to do their dirty work.

Since Kaeya never followed through with his orders, had they done something to him? There were too many what-ifs, he could end up doing this all night. Diluc looked down at Jean's sleeping form. It seemed like if things started to go well for their family, something tragic would happen. At this point he wondered if he was cursed, and maybe he was inadvertently causing harm to those he loved. He wasn't exactly superstitious, but the incidents were building up, and many had to do with something he had done wrong.

He let his head fall to the back of the couch, pain was thrumming at his temples as a headache began to make itself known. Traveling always did that to him, add the stress of a missing brother, and it would be making him miserable in no time. How did Lumine deal with it? By doing exactly what he was ready to do, he supposed. Scour the lands until you find your last piece of family.

He had left Kaeya, once. Diluc had hurt his brother, and abandoned him for four years. He'd left someone who already had abandonment issues, who had also just lost their father. He knew he was a terrible person for it. Kaeya was broken too, but didn't go off on some quest for revenge, or answers that were never found.

Instead, he stayed in Mondstadt, and became an entirely different person on the outside. He'd turned himself into a character for others to see, afraid to let anyone else see who he really was after how badly Diluc had reacted. None of it was Kaeya's fault. None of it had been his choice. If anything, he'd made the right choices out of what he was given. He'd found a family in all of Mondstadt, who loved him, and needed him.

It was on that note that Diluc wasn't able to fight sleep anymore, and fell into a slumber full of dreams with more what-ifs, and unwanted memories.

Chapter Three

"The more you look at me like that, the more I'm going to insist that you look like a gopher," Kaeya said without turning to look at the redhead trailing behind him.

Diluc had been glaring at his back the entire time, and every time Kaeya had tried to fall back to talk to him, or turned to see if he was still feeling alright, he was met with indifferent red eyes. Kaeya would be lying if he said he wasn't weirded out by Diluc's behavior. Because of this, he had taken to trying to coax the redhead into an argument, or debate, or anything that might indicate that Diluc was not some sort of advanced automated machine that had replaced his brother.

They had been walking for hours, and Kaeya, who had already felt like he'd walked a thousand miles, was ready to fall over, especially in the extreme heat, and without water. He'd been having to use his Vision sparingly, worried he would pass out in the sand. The heat was getting to him. Diluc, on the other hand, looked exactly the same as when they had set off. In perfect health, and not a single sign of needing to stop.

At this point, they needed to find a place to hide away for the night. They had managed to avoid roaming monsters, and wild animals, but it would do no good for Kaeya to pass out in the open sand. He had read plenty about the desert, he had enough knowledge to know for certain now, that this was the Sumeru desert, and his decision to head east was correct.

Kaeya remembered reading about the Eremites, and how vicious they could be in protecting their land, but he had never been to a desert before. The closest he'd ever gotten was Port Ormos, that if he recalled, was a long way off from the warm sands of western Sumeru.

Kaeya's skin itched and stung where the sun beat down on it, burning it, and his lips were chapped, but he had yet to find any drinkable water. He was now infinitely thankful for Mondstadt's nearly constant perfect weather. Never too cold in the winter, only the rare overly hot day in the summer.

Eventually, Kaveh found a very small cave to curl up, or more accurately, pass out in. It didn't show any signs of being used by hilichurls, or animals, so he hoped it'd be safe enough to sleep for a few hours. Diluc sat in the sand just outside, and Kaeya mumbled to him about resting, but the redhead simply looked over his shoulder, then back out at the barren landscape. His brother would sleep if he needed it, he told himself, and passed out the moment his head was down.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Kaeya woke with a start, and looked around the cave. Except he wasn't in the same cave anymore, and Diluc was nowhere to be seen. He planted his hands on the ground to get up, only for them to land in a puddle of… slime? He could barely see it, but it was blue, slippery, and smelled wretched -and he was covered in the stuff. He gagged.

Eventually, he managed to get his shaky legs under himself, and used the wall to hold himself up as he walked to the new cave's entrance. It was dark, but the moon was bright. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize the area as anything he'd seen before. Of course, he could be wrong on that, dehydration had a way of zapping your attention span out of existence. He was fairly sure, though.

Kaeya carefully edged his way out of the cave to get a better look at the rest of his new surroundings, and fell backwards when Diluc popped over the top of the entrance. He was both relieved, and annoyed at the same time. The redhead simply stared at him from his perch. That was what he looked like, an oversized bird. Kaeya couldn't find it in himself to try to talk to his brother. It was a waste of time anyway. He assumed it was Diluc who brought them here.

Chilly night air had replaced the overbearing heat, and Kaeya was freezing, but he didn't get up. It was just more energy that he didn't have to use. He'd rally some strength later, and get going again. It was probably better to do so while it was still dark instead of waiting until daylight, yet he didn't make a single move to get up.

He hadn't even realized he'd dozed off until something wet hit him in the face. His eyes flew open, unable to focus on the dark clouds that were looming above him, and his brain was having trouble catching up to the entire situation.

It happened again. Something wet landed on his forehead, but this time he could hear the small sounds around him. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground! It was only seconds before he was drenched from a torrential downpour, but he could drink this water.

Kaeya dragged himself the couple of feet to where the water was dripping from the overhang of the cave entrance, and cupped his hands to catch the water as he drank it. As much as he wanted to gulp it down, he knew better than to do so. It had been too long since he'd had anything to drink, and needed to take it slow, or nothing would stay down.

He looked up to see Diluc simply staring down at him, almost like he was judging him.

"You should drink," Kaeya said, his voice gravelly from being so dry.

"You shouldn't be so concerned with me when you can't even take care of yourself."

What did that mean? Had Diluc finally decided it was time for a fight? Kaeya wasn't up for it. He sat down with his back against the cave entrance, and let the water drip over his body, hoping it would clean off some of the slime that had dried solid, and ease his sunburn.

After a few minutes, he pulled himself into the cave, shivering slightly. Flashbacks from his childhood hit him, being alone, stuck in the cold November rain, barely able to move from hunger and sickness. Though this time Crepus wasn't going to save him, and as far as he could tell, Diluc didn't care much to help out either.

The redhead just stayed outside. What in Celestia was wrong with him? His brother hadn't eaten or drank anything either, the pale skin that would practically sunburn if he got too close to a window for too long was just as light as before, not a hint of red. Yet somehow, all of it was fine. Diluc was not sick, or hungry, or burnt, or cold, or hot. He was just there, simply existing to watch Kaeya slowly die.

Before the rain stopped, Kaeya took another drink, wishing he had his canteen with him, but the small one he usually brought on patrol was missing along with his other gear. He'd only been left with his Vision, and the clothes on his back. He was thankful that he at least had his Vision, it meant that he'd have some sort of defense if he really needed it. Although, he was so low on energy, he doubted he'd even be able to freeze a fly. At this point, he wasn't sure if he could even run, he could barely walk.

Speaking of walking, now that the rain had stopped, he needed to get going before daylight. It was difficult to guess what time it was with the clouds overhead before, but they had started to clear away. He guessed it was around four in the morning, if the bright, blurry blob in the sky was anything to go by. He would be cold for a while, but he should be able to make better time than trying to trek through the heat, and he had to be getting close to the forest.

He turned to the redhead, "You ready?"

Diluc only shrugged, and Kaeya rolled his eye, then started walking, or possibly, depending on who you asked, wobbling. The sun seemed to rise far too quickly, and Kaeya was sweating away precious moisture again, and concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.

Having kept his eyes on the ground, Kaeya missed the hilichurl camp, until he got too close. Thankfully, those things weren't known for stealth, and got his attention with the racket they made. Knowing he would never win in a fight at this point, he tried to backtrack, attempted to yell for Diluc to run, and hoped the hilichurls would quickly give up the chase. That was the case for most of them, but apparently the mitachurl wanted to get its swing in.

It put on a quick burst of speed, and caught Kaeya with the end of its weapon, and him flying into the sand. He tried to open his eyes, to see if Diluc got away, but the darkness pulled him in instead.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Kaeya felt a hand on his neck, checking his pulse, he realized. He tried to open his eyes, but he only got a glimpse of bright red hair before he squeezed them shut again. His head, no, his entire body hurt, and he was pretty certain he was going to vomit.

"Luc…"

The hand quickly pulled away, and Diluc cleared his throat, "Ye- uh… Yeah, it's me. Diluc. Your adopted brother…"

Alright. Have we gotten to some kind of next level weird? They never called each other that, especially not to each other. Kaeya didn't even know how to respond to that, and didn't really feel like he could anyway.

His entire body ached, and now his head felt ten times worse than before. He didn't think walking would be an option, at least until he got his bearings again, then he'd figure out a way to keep trekking along. He was yanked out of his dazed thoughts by a sharp pain in his arm, and the feeling of being flung forward, then someone's shoulder sticking into his guts.

"I-I can walk…" he wheezed. It had to be better than this.

"Uh, excuse me, sir? Is he okay?"

Diluc yelped. Kaeya had no idea the redhead could yelp like that, but he'd be sure to make fun of him for it later. He deserved it after this. Currently, he was trying to place the voice he just heard. It was familiar.

"Y-yeah, yeah. He's fine! Just… a little too much to drink, and ran into a hilichurl camp. All good!" Diluc exclaimed far too loudly for Kaeya's splitting head.

Again, what was wrong with him?! They were not okay. Kaeya was not okay. He tried to adjust himself, but failed, and ended up being dropped instead.

"Not… okay…" he ground out through grit teeth.

"Oh my god, Captain Kaeya?!"

Alright, he definitely knew the voice, then. A far gentler hand pulled him to lay on his back.

"What are you doing all the way out here? Well, business, I suppose, with your brother being who he is. Here, let me help you."

Kaveh, the pretty architect, that was who the voice belonged to. This time, the blonde carefully sat him up, and he managed to get his eyes open for more than a few seconds. Kaveh knelt in front of him, and pulled Kaeya's arms over his shoulders.

"Hold him on my back while I get up," he said, as he looped his arms under Kaeya's legs and lifted, "Kaeya, are you able to hold on at all?"

"Yeh…" Kaeya responded as he weakly looped his arms around the blonde's shoulders.

Kaveh started walking, obviously trying his best to be gentle, but there was only so much you could do while trying to walk across sand with another grown man on your back. Kaeya had no idea where they were going, and honestly, he didn't care at this point. He couldn't.

"You're lighter than I expected," Kaveh said, "We're just going over to my build site, we have a sumpter beast. We'll get you to Aaru, not too far from here. One of my workers saw you, how did you end up out here?"

Kaeya waited a moment for Diluc to answer, but the redhead remained silent.

"…Don't know." Kaeya said, starting to feel a little better from being able to close his eyes and rest, "Aaru, still in the desert?"

"It is, but it's close to the border. Candace should be able to help you from there, she's a good person." Kaveh stopped moving, "Okay, here we are. Hajin, Mak, could you help lift him? Careful, he's hurt. Here, you can get up with him, and hold him on."

A moment later, Kaeya felt coarse fur beneath him, and a person who he guessed was Diluc behind him, he didn't bother trying to see, but let himself relax into the swaying of the sumpter beast.

Chapter Four

A tapping noise startled Diluc and Jean from sleep. Diluc stumbled over to open the window. Dawn was waiting for them, impatiently staring at them through the window. She always knew when something serious was going on, and she never took well to anyone she considered family being in trouble.

The moment the window was open, she fluttered to Diluc's arm, and let him remove the message she was carrying. Diluc's hands were shaking, nervous that the note would say they were out of luck. Jean put her hand on his arm to help comfort him.

Kaeya Alberich was seen walking alone

through the nations of Mondstadt,

Liyue, the Chasm, and last seen in Sumeru.

Reasons unknown, no stops.

Hope this helps,

L

That said a lot, but not really enough all at once. He was just walking? Did he have a destination? A reason? Was he in trouble of some sort? What did no stops mean? What routes did he take?

"Diluc, don't drive yourself crazy. We have a direction now."

Yes, they did have some sort of direction, and a very long distance it traveled in. Who's to say he hadn't made it further at this point, and that Diluc wouldn't just end up chasing him, but never catch up? It didn't matter, though, he was going, regardless.

"I am going to assign some Knights to you-"

"Jean…"

"In case anything happens, they will be able to help protect you-"

"Jean, stop."

The blonde shook her head, "Anything could happen while you are out there looking for him. I would rather you have backup than simply roaming the countryside alone."

Diluc took her hands in his, and brought them up to his chest, "I'll be able to walk freely through cities, but a group of Knights won't be able to. It'll raise questions, and cause delays. I need to move quickly, and having others along will only slow me down. I'll be as safe as possible, Jean. I promise."

He could see exactly how badly she wanted to protest, and he knew all too well that she would be coming with him herself if she could, but they both knew she needed to stay. Mondstadt needed to be protected, and she would need to be there if Kaeya did show back up.

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if she would never let go, "You had best come back, both of you, or I will send Adelinde after you."

Diluc let out a small chuckle, and kissed the top of her head before he pulled away, "I'll be back, dragging your Captain by the eye patch, if I have to."

With Jean's small nod, he was out the door, where he immediately ran into Rosaria, and Albedo. Neither of them spoke to him, but simply started following him. They got all the way to the fountain before Diluc turned around, and confronted them.

"You aren't coming," he said quietly.

He knew that they both cared deeply for Kaeya, but just like Jean, it was better if they stayed, and continued to keep an eye out for the bluenette's return.

Rosaria planted her hands on her hips, and gave him her usual unimpressed look, "You'll need help. We're good at helping. It's a win-win situation."

He didn't have time for this. Time was wasting arguing with people over whether they'd accompany him or not, and he needed to have left already. Truthfully, it was bad enough that he had rested beforehand.

Diluc opened his mouth to simply tell them no, when he had a thought, "Fine. Rosaria can come, but Albedo should stay here," he held up a hand when the blonde began to speak, "Klee… won't do well with both you, and Kaeya gone. Stay with her."

It was difficult to tell what Albedo was thinking, or feeling, but even he couldn't keep the disappointment out of his eyes. However, Diluc was right, Klee would need Albedo more than Kaeya, Rosaria, or himself, and the blonde quickly accepted that.

"Very well. Good luck, and… do come back. All of you."

Diluc and Rosaria set out from Mondstadt at a sprint. Surprisingly, the nun was quick on her feet, especially considering she was wearing heels. After a while, they switched to walking. This was how he often traveled when he was alone, switching out between walking and running, with rests now and then. As long as he had the energy, it was efficient enough, and she seemed to be fine with the pace.

"What is your plan? Do you know where we're going?"

"Starting with Liyue, and heading west. Even though he was last seen in Sumeru, when we get to Liyue, we are going to split up, and take different routes to look for signs of him. If he's coming back through, we need to try our best to make sure we don't miss him. One of us is going to take the boat from Liyue to Port Ormos, while the other goes through the Chasm into Sumeru. It's the best we've got."

"Hm. You take the boat, I'll go by land."

"You should let me take the more dangerous route."

"What, you don't trust my abilities?" Rosaria asked, raising a brow at him.

"That's not the issue, but rather I would prefer you didn't get hurt. Kaeya would not forgive me."

Even outside of being stalked by her when he had first returned, he had heard plenty of other things about her abilities. She was no lightweight, but Diluc was weary of people getting hurt. Especially those he knew.

"It'll get you there faster while we still have eyes on the road. Besides, it's not like Sumeru isn't dangerous."

That was true. Mondstadt tended to be more tame than the wilds of Sumeru. Diluc had met the angry fungi that liked to roam around, along with the tigers, and crocodiles. Everything there wanted to kill you. Diluc also knew people in Sumeru, and it would be helpful to have someone familiar with the area to help look.

"Fine, just… be careful."

He didn't like it, but it was what it was. They needed to cover area quickly, and this was the best way to do it, regardless of who went which direction. This did bring another question to mind.

"Does this mean you're willing to trust me now, after everything that happened with Kaeya?"

Maybe he didn't deserve to ask that question, but it slipped out before he could stop it. In fact, he knew full well that he would never deserve anyone's trust again, but he would always work to redeem himself.

Rosaria was slow to answer, "He was broken when he lost Crepus, when you two fought, and when you left. I know you already know that. As an outsider, it's all too easy for me to judge your life, but the truth is, I don't have a right to, for more reasons than one. So, I'm trying to focus on the fact that Kaeya trusts you, and the knowledge that you have been trying to earn that trust back. I'll trust Kaeya on this. Besides, all of us probably need redemption for something."

That might be the case. Diluc's own list only seemed to grow, rather than shrink. He wasn't sure who he had angered to curse his family in such a way, losing everyone he loved, one by one, and now, he might be the only one left to live in misery. Well, it was awfully greedy of him, terribly so, in fact, but he hoped he wouldn't be left alone. Kaeya had lost so much, as well, and Diluc wanting him to stay was terribly unfair.

They made it to Wangshu Inn at around two in the morning. Both needed to eat, and he wanted Rosaria to get some rest, as far as he knew, she hadn't had a nap like he had. They would split up from here, he'd head to Liyue, and she would head to the Chasm.

It still made him uneasy to think that she would be traveling not only through there, but through a good chunk of Sumeru alone. When he voiced his concern again, she still insisted that they should stick with their plan, before going off to bed for a few hours.

Diluc didn't sleep, but sat on the balcony of the inn, with his eyes closed, and the night wind in his hair. The footsteps were so light, they could have easily been missed. He opened his eyes to see the Yaksha, Xiao, looking over the railing.

"When you come through Liyue, you are usually out slaying monsters at this time of night."

"I have a long journey ahead. I'm resting tonight."

"…" Xiao turned to face him, and narrowed his eyes, "You are troubled."

It didn't surprise Diluc that the adeptus could pick up on his tone, and he only nodded in response.

"The blue haired man, Mondstadt's Cavalry Captain. He's your brother, is he not?"

That got Diluc's attention, "You've seen him?"

Xiao nodded, "He was headed west. Monsters attacked him, but he ignored them, and simply kept walking. I intervened, and followed him to the Chasm. I didn't conceal my presence, but he never acknowledged that I was there. It was… odd."

"Was he hurt? Did he say anything at all? Was anyone with him?"

"Nothing, and he was fine, aside from a few scratches. There were others who were passing through the Chasm, but they were not traveling with him." Xiao crossed his arms, and looked troubled, "Is he ill? I would have stopped him, had I known."

Of course, Diluc didn't know the answer to that, "He just… left. We're searching for him. We've been told that he had been spotted in Sumeru. My traveling companion and I are going to split up. I'll be going by boat, she'll be going by land."

Xiao looked out across Liyue again, "I'll travel with her. I can go as far as Sumeru City."

"… I won't turn down the help, but you don't have to do that."

"Family is important."

Diluc nodded. Xiao's answers were always short, straight to the point, and often hit the nail on the head.

"It is, and thank you."

With that, Diluc leaned back, and closed his eyes again.

Chapter Five

"Hey, are you with us again?"

Kaeya groaned in response to the person's question. Honestly? He didn't want to be conscious. It felt like he was nursing a few hangovers, all at the same time, and how he got that way was fuzzy at best. He reached a hand up to swipe at his sweaty forehead, nearly hitting himself in the forehead in the process. His arms were shaky.

Once he actually managed to get his hand there, he felt a bandage on his right temple before his hand was gently pulled away. For reasons not quite even known to himself, he started trying to sit up. Probably not the best idea, he hadn't even opened his eye yet.

"Whoa, whoa… wait! Just—hold on a second!"

Kaeya felt an arm slide under his back, and he was carefully lifted forward, and another pillow slid behind his back. Even though he hadn't expended much effort on his own part, he was panting.

"T-thanks…" he rasped.

He slowly opened his eye. He was in a small room that was blessedly dark, aside from some candlelight, and Kaveh the nice architect sitting next to the bed, looking worried. When had Kaveh gotten there? No, that wasn't quite right, he remembered something about the blonde, but it felt like a dream that was quickly fading away.

It seemed like Diluc should be there, he was sure he'd been with the redhead, but before he could ask about it, he started coughing. A man carrying a pitcher quickly came in, and shoved a cup of water into his hands.

Kaeya hadn't even realized how thirsty he was, and the water was so soothing to his throat. It tasted almost sweet as it went down. By the time he was done drinking, he could barely keep his eyes open again.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"Thank you for helping him, Candace. I'm still not sure why he was out there, but it looks like he hasn't eaten or drank anything in days!" Kaveh said, frowning at the sight.

"Yes, I agree. The sunburn is going to be hurting him later, too." Candace shook her head, "Once we can get some of that dirt, and slime off of him, we'll apply some soothing cream for him."

Kaveh grimaced, "How did he even manage to get covered in slime like that? It's so weird!" He glanced at the Guardian, "I'm sorry I have to leave for a short while. I have to make sure everyone at the work site is doing okay. I shouldn't be long, though!"

"Kaveh, don't worry about it. I know he's your friend, and we'll take good care of him. Go do what you need to," Candace soothed.

She was always such a wonderful person, lending help to anyone who needed it, despite their village having so little. Kaveh collected his things, and left to assign one of the workers to be in charge. Then, he'd be able to send a note to Kaeya's brother as he watched over his Mondstadt acquaintance.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

He didn't like the feeling of being carried, but on the rare occasion Diluc had to, he was usually careful. In this case, Kaeya was being half carried, and half dragged. Actually, he didn't even know if it was Diluc, come to think of it.

It only seemed to get more, and more difficult to open his eye, but if he was being dragged by an attacker, he supposed he needed to do something about it. There was very little daylight, but he wasn't sure if it was morning, or evening. He didn't even know what day it was. He had just been on patrol, he remembered that.

His shoulders hurt. His arms were pulled over someone else's shoulders, and being used to hold him on, while his feet dragged along the around. With a slight turn of his head, he could see bright red hair, and relief flooded him.

"Luc… I can walk…" he mumbled, causing his brother to jump, and let go of his arms.

Kaeya landed face first in the dirt with an "oof", only having his lame arms to try to catch himself. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, but he wasn't used to Diluc being so jumpy. Speaking of the redhead, Kaeya could remember he was annoyed at him for something, but he couldn't remember what. It was probably for dropping him, if this was any indicator.

He didn't even know what to make of how Diluc was carrying him. He'd always carried him in an embarrassing bridal carry, or a fireman's carry, but he could never recall being dragged along on his back.

"A-ah, right. Sorry."

Kaeya knew he wasn't quite with it, but did Diluc just squeak? He slowly pushed himself off the ground. It felt like Andrius had been using him as a chew toy. Looking around confused him even more. There were trees everywhere, many covered in moss, and thick foliage spread across the ground between the giant trunks.

"Are… are we in Sumeru?"

Diluc didn't answer, he was only met with the sound of the brush moving. Kaeya turned to look at the redhead, only to find no one there. He spun a slow circle, eyeing the bushes carefully, but couldn't see a thing through the layers. Why had his brother left him?

"Diluc, this isn't funny. Come back."

He felt his anger, and panic rising. Had he really just been left in the middle of the rainforest, alone, injured, and apparently without a weapon? Why did everyone leave him? The short, sharp breaths he was trying to take in made every muscle hurt in response, and his eyes stung at the thought of being abandoned again.

"Diluc, please!"

"What."

Kaeya nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice behind him. His brother was standing only a few feet away, arms crossed smugly. He hadn't heard the redhead approach him, and he was not in the mood for these games. Archons, how he wanted to punch him right in the face, but it wasn't like he'd ever get that shot in, even on a good day. Of course, on a good day, he wouldn't have the desire to hit his brother.

"Why did you do that? That wasn't funny, Diluc!" He hated how hurt, and weak he sounded.

It was when Diluc simply shrugged that Kaeya was assaulted by flashes of… were they memories? He covered his face when a wave of nausea hit him, while he was mentally accosted by images of Diluc doing the exact thing he had just done, surrounded by water, then sand.

The redhead's smug face as he made it obvious that he didn't care what was happening to Kaeya as they trudged through the desert, being covered in sand and slime, exhausting himself to get them both across water. It was all so confusing, and he was becoming disoriented, having trouble being able to tell what was happening currently, or what had already happened.

"Why are you even staying with me? You're not hurt, you could go get help, and bring them to me."

"Hm. I suppose I could do that, but I'd surely hate to leave you all alone," Diluc said sarcastically, "I'm just along for the ride."

"What?…"

In the blink of an eye, Diluc was right in his face. Kaeya knew full well just how fast his brother could be, but this seemed instant.

"Isn't it about time you ended this yourself, Kaeya?"

"What's that supposed to mean?-"

Diluc turned on his heel, and started slowly walking down the path.

"It means, that you have become pathetic. You should just end it, Kaeya. Wouldn't the world be better off without you? Both of your fathers would be so disappointed," the redhead replied without turning around or stopping.

At this point, if Kaeya could have caught Diluc, he probably would have punched him. No matter how much they fought, how much they screamed at, or hit each other, or the huge fight they had, Diluc had never said something like that to him. Tears stung his face as they slid down his burnt cheeks. Slowly, he stumbled down the road in the same direction Diluc had gone, but was in no hurry to catch up to him.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"But… he was in terrible condition, I doubt he just walked off on his own!"

"I know, but nobody saw anything."

How is that even possible? There are guards…"

"They… They fell asleep, and don't remember anything. I believe they may have been drugged," Candace said, anger evident in her normally calm voice.

As she spoke to one of the villagers, Kaveh sat on the edge of the bed. Drugged? How could all the guards have been drugged? Kaveh looked at the cup of water Kaeya had been drinking from, picked it up, and began fiddling with it. He barely knew the Cavalry Captain, but he knew absolutely nothing about the man Kaeya was traveling with.

As he played with the cup, he caught a scent, and sniffed the inside. It smelled different, not like water, but slightly fragrant.

"Candace," he held out the cup, "Smell this? Is it some sort of medicine?"

As she smelled the cup, her brows knit together, "I don't recognize this. Is this the cup Kaeya was using?"

"Yes. That man who was with him gave it to him… Kaeya was out cold within moments of drinking this," Kaveh's eyes went wide, "Oh. Oh, no. Could he have drugged all of them? He really was gone for a long time for only getting some water…"

Candace shook her head, "Other than yourself, they are the only two outsiders here right now, and one of them was unconscious. Why would he have a need to do this? Was all of this just to take Kaeya?

Kaveh thought for a moment. When he'd first been approaching them, he'd heard Kaeya say "Luc". Of course, Kaveh knew his brother's name was Diluc, and assumed he was talking about the fierce redhead. Other than that, he hadn't called the man anything, but seemed comfortable enough with him.

A thought struck Kaveh, and he didn't particularly like it, but he voiced the thought out loud, "Um, it's a little far-fetched, but when I first found them, I heard Kaeya say his brother's name. At the time, I thought he was just talking about him with the other man, but with the situation they were in, that wouldn't really make sense. What if he was calling that man by his brother's name? He may have thought a stranger was actually his own brother?"

"Hallucinations? None of the guards have woken up, and since Kaeya seems to be his target, he may be giving him something different. We won't be able to figure that out until the guards have recovered. I have people out searching the immediate area, but with a lot of our manpower unconscious, I'm not sure how successful we'll be. I'm going to head out to the desert soon, myself, but there is only so much we can do right now."

Kaveh nodded, "I'll search in the direction of Sumeru City, and bring back help, if I can."

"Be careful, Kaveh. If that man really did do this, we have no way of knowing what else he's capable of."

They parted ways, one towards the desert, one off to the city.

Chapter Six

"Xiao," the teal haired boy stated gruffly as he crossed his arms.

Rosaria looked at the kid standing before her. She wasn't expecting a travel companion, and she was surprised that Diluc would send someone so young into such a dangerous place with her. She would admit that she didn't know the wine tycoon all that well, but she was fairly certain that he wouldn't just send random kids into danger.

"Alright. I'm Rosaria, and I think you should stay here."

"I told Diluc I would travel with you, and I'm prepared for travel."

"Look kid, I'm sure you're capable, but the Chasm is a really dangerous place."

"I'm well aware of the dangers, and I'm no child," he huffed, "I'm much older than I appear."

He was very serious, that much was obvious. It was already quite obvious that he wasn't going to budge, and she needed to be underway. Rosaria figured she could help to protect him, but she still didn't like the idea. Later, she'd make sure Diluc paid for sneaking off before she got up, a few pranks with Kaeya's help would do. It was time to wrap this up, and leave. It was doubtful that he'd do as she said, and stay, so it seemed agreement was the only way to go.

"Alright, fine, but keep up, and keep out of trouble, kid."

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Diluc took the earliest boat out that he could. It wasn't a short ride. It would be quicker than going by land, but still took longer than he would have liked. Kaeya had been missing for so long at this point, that he could be anywhere. They needed to cover a large amount of land with so few people. Diluc imagined he'd be in trouble for telling Rosaria of their slight change of plans in a note, instead of in person the prior morning, but he'd deal with that later. He hoped she'd realize that the Yaksha would be a great help.

He pushed away from the ship's railing, and stretched. At this point, it had been nearly two days since he last slept, and he'd have to stop soon, whether he liked it or not. There was a small inn at the port that he'd stayed in before, and he only needed a few hours.

When he'd left Mondstadt after his father's death, he'd sometimes go three or four days with only a couple of hours of sleep. There was always danger. If it wasn't the possibility of being found by enemies while in an exhausted or injured state, or more commonly both, it was the worry of freezing to death.

Being separated from his Vision for that time had proved incredibly difficult in such a cold environment, but his anger kept him going. He'd quickly learned to bunk down in people's barns, or he'd have to start fires, and lay right next to them. Fires could lead people straight to him, so that was rarely an option.

Now, the tiredness caught up to him easier most of the time. He supposed staying up until three in the morning roaming Mondstadt, and its countryside, then getting up by seven could catch up to a person. However, sleep wasn't something he looked forward to. All of that time he could spend sleeping would just be riddled with nightmares, so he felt he might as well go exhaust himself before trying to rest.

There was only one thing he had finally found that helped a little with the dreams; Jean. Sleeping next to her had a way of pushing those nightmares away. While her presence didn't entirely fix it, it helped to calm his mind, and body. When he did have a nightmare with her around, she had the ability to comfort him, and bring him back to the present.

Unfortunately, because of their busy schedules, their nights spent in each other's arms didn't come nearly as often as he would like. He wanted to spend every night with her, until the very end of time.

Soon the crew completed their docking procedures, and he was off the boat. He was wobbly, and not from the ride. Thankfully, the inn was just down the road.

As he walked, Diluc noticed something, Port Ormos was exceptionally busy. Dozens of merchants were setting up stalls, and stands, and many of them looked like they were from other nations.

There were a couple of problems with the port being so crowded, however. One, it was hard to breathe with so many people around, anyone could run into you at any time. Two, everyone else got there before you, and you were out of luck trying to find a place to stay.

"Not even a cot I could sleep on? I'll pay full price." Diluc grit his teeth, and took a deep breath through his nose as someone bumped into him for the fifth time.

"I'm sorry, sir. Everything is booked, and being used by the people involved in the Merchant's Fair! We're full for the next week, not even an extra cot. If you start off now, you might make it to Sumeru City by nightfall!"

Diluc nodded, and left. There were two options. Find a corner to rest in for a short time, or continue to Sumeru. As much as he wanted to zoom ahead, it would be reckless, and would not help Kaeya. Time to find a spot.

On the west side of the port, he found a building, and tucked himself in next to it, mostly out of sight, and closed his eyes.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"Sir!"

Diluc's eyes blinked open to a guard frowning down at him.

"You aren't allowed to sleep here, sir. Please move on."

"Right. I apologize. There was no availability at the inn."

The guard nodded, "The port is very busy right now with the fair, and I won't issue a ticket for this reason, but I'm afraid I can't allow you to sleep here."

Diluc rose, and took a moment to let his sleepy limbs get used to movement again, "Thank you for your understanding," he said with a short bow, and left.

He looked at his watch. It was already into the evening, but luck was on his side. The boats to take up the river to Sumeru were still running, though with everything going on, it was three times the price. Once again, he found himself thankful for his privileged life.

As he rode, he snacked on the rations Adelinde had sent with him. He hadn't eaten much on this trip, only enough to keep going, but he wasn't even remotely hungry. He'd have plenty of time to eat when Kaeya was safe at home.

Vimara Village was where the boat ride was over, and he took the road north, but in the distance he could now see the giant tree that housed Sumeru City. It was still hours before he would arrive, but he was getting closer.

At the first overpass, barely out of the village, was one of the infamous rishboland tigers eyeballing him, changing its stance.

"I wouldn't if I were you, unless you want to be my next meal," he warned as he planted the tip of his claymore in the ground.

Though the tiger looked unimpressed, it seemed to catch his meaning, and walked away. He'd always had a strange understanding with cats, it seemed these tigers were no exception. The only cat who never liked him was Diona, but he'd been told it was all a misunderstanding, and he'd fix that one day.

Once he was in the city, there was another problem. Diluc wasn't nearly as familiar with Sumeru City as he was with Port Ormos, and didn't actually know where the person he was looking for lived, only the street name. Hoping that would be enough, he started asking around.

He found that the guards didn't like to talk much, but the merchants were pleasant enough, and gave him directions that eventually ended at a single house between two of the large ramps.

Gray hair, and teal eyes greeted him.

"Master Diluc, what a surprise," Alhaitham said in the nearly monotone voice he remembered from the man.

"I apologize for the sudden visit, but I could use your help." Diluc was quick to get to the point, they needed to act fast.

Alhaitham stepped aside, and allowed him into the house. It was larger than it looked from the outside, and it looked like a library, with books everywhere, and an art gallery where any extra wall space was taken by paintings.

The gray haired man pointed to one of the couches, "Have a seat, and explain the situation."

"My brother went missing two weeks ago, and we received information that he was seen walking in this direction. With this being your turf, I was hoping you would help me search for him, or direct me to someone who can."

Alhaitham tilted his head slightly, "If he was seen walking, assuming it was without being coerced, I would be inclined to believe that he is not missing, but had chosen to leave, instead."

Diluc had been expecting something like that, but he knew better, "I know him better than that. Kaeya wouldn't simply leave. He has people at home whom he loves more than anything else in the world. There has to be a reason behind it.

Alhaitham seemed to think for a moment before he answered, "I can help, and I know someone who may also be-"

Both men were instantly on guard as the door slammed open, but Diluc recognized the man who came rushing in.

"Haitham! I need your help-" he noticed Diluc, and his eyes went wide, "Oh! … Oh. You must be here for your brother?"

"You've seen him?! Where?"

Kaveh was obviously flustered, and very upset, but Diluc could see him calm as Alhaitham put a hand on his shoulder. It was amazing how two people who were so different could find that in each other.

"I found him in the desert, it looked like he'd been there for days. He wasn't in great shape. We took him to Aaru village for treatment, but he disappeared when he was left to rest. There was a man with him when I found him, and Kaeya seemed to know him, so I didn't think anything of it at first. Then all the guards of Aaru Village were drugged, and we believe Kaeya have been as well. I think it may have been that man." The blonde finally took a breath, "Because we couldn't tell which direction they went, I was sent this way, while Candace began to search the desert."

"How long ago was this, and did you find anything on the way here?" Alhaitham asked.

Kaveh shook his head, "It was yesterday, and no, I didn't see a single sign of them. Haitham, I have no idea how to track them! They could have gone anywhere!"

This was bad news, but also good news, in a way. He had been in this area, and recently, but he was gone again. Lost to who knows which direction, and in what condition. Kaeya was out there, not alone, but with someone who was likely responsible for this, and it was getting worse.

Alhaitham gave a short nod, and headed for the door, "Alright. We'll get some help, and start searching.

Chapter Seven

Rosaria had to admit, she was extremely surprised by the boy's skills. In fact, she'd go so far as to say he far surpassed her own fighting prowess. She could have sat back, and let him clear the way. That was where her questions came from.

"Who are you really?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the kid.

There he was, standing before her, not even out of breath after the long battle they had just been through. It was obvious she was missing some information.

The boy was silent for a moment before he answered, "I am someone of little consequence. All that matters is that my duties are fulfilled, and I sufficiently protect those under my watch."

So, that's how it was going to be.

"Who is under your watch?"

"Liyue."

Rosaria raised an eyebrow at the kid's back, "All of Liyue is under your protection?"

"To the best of my capabilities, yes. One day, I will fail, but until then I'll try my best to ensure no harm comes to the people of Liyue."

Was this kid sixteen, going on fifty? She sighed. Ultimately, it didn't really matter. He wasn't hindering her in any way, but instead expediting their journey, so prying further might not be the best idea. She could live with that, but she'd certainly owe him one.

So far, their search had been unsuccessful, aside from one of the guards at the entrance to the Chasm recognizing Kaeya. He'd said the bluenette just barely responded to them, but that his friend was able to provide any answers they needed to pass.

Who was this friend? No one else in Mondstadt was missing, but she had no way of knowing who Kaeya might know in Liyue. There were times when he was sent on official Knights business, so he was bound to have met a few people over time.

Still, it was hard to picture Kaeya not having something to say to the guards, let alone leaving it to another person to get them access. As a Knight, he'd have no problem being let into the Chasm, so he'd have no need for help. It was unsettling.

A large group of hilichurls rounded some jagged rocks, and started yelling at the two intruders. Xiao didn't even bat an eye as he charged into them.

How much longer until they were out of here?

~xxxxxxxxxx~

He had been watching the blue haired man since he entered Avidya woods. The man was a mess, but when Tighnari had approached him, the man seemed to think he was a wild animal, and called him "Dog man". At first, it was confusing, maybe slightly insulting, but he soon realized that the man was hallucinating when he was frequently fighting with someone who wasn't there.

For now, Tighnari had decided to simply follow him, and make sure he didn't get himself into trouble. He could see injuries, the man was extremely sunburned, and even from the distance he had been keeping, Tighnari could tell that he was dehydrated. The man seemed to have dizzy spells from time to time, which wasn't surprising, considering the condition he was in, and had to lean against trees to keep himself upright.

Just as he was ready to try approaching the man again, he caught a glimpse of someone dodging behind a tree. Was the bluenette being followed? Tighnari decided not to wait to find out.

He stopped the man again, and he sent a truly defeated look Tighnari's way before he raised his fists, and glanced to his left.

"I may not be worth it, but you could help me, Diluc."

His voice was hoarse, and sad. He had obviously been through a lot. Tighnari wasn't sure how he'd gotten this far without somebody else stopping him, except that the path leading directly north went past Sumeru City, and was less traveled. Still, how had this man not collapsed?

"Look, my name is Tighnari, and I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help," he said as he raised his open hands for the man to see.

The man looked confused by his talking, and started to respond, but was cut off by an arrow whizzing past his head, leaving a red streak across the bluenette's cheek. Tighnari dodged it, and pulled out his own bow, sending arrows in the direction it had come from as he positioned himself between the attackers and the man.

The bluenette, still confused by the situation, backed up a few steps, and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Archons-" Tighnari breathed out.

It was hard to tell because of the thick foliage, but that side of the road had a sudden dropoff that led down a steep hill, and the man had just found that out the hard way. Just a little further down the road, and it would have been a cliff he'd fallen down. Tighnari sent a few more arrows in the direction they were being attacked from before he followed the blue haired man over the edge.

As he used his heels to slow himself, he could see the man come to a sudden stop at the bottom, now unmoving.

The best Tighnari could hope for at this point was that he wasn't dead.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"Stop! Stop firing! You're going to kill the test subject, and we won't get paid!" Isvey screeched.

"You idiot. This has got to be the stupidest thing you've done for money, yet."

Isvey's partner, Davin had finally showed up out of nowhere, and was yelling at him? Davin was supposed to show up a week ago with the extra mixes he needed to carry on his tests with the experimental potion.

"After this is done, the payout will be huge! We need the money. Stop complaining miss-late-to-the-show, and calling me an idiot. Pfft. Maybe I won't split the mora with you! What were you even doing? I had to go meet the contact myself, almost lost track of the subject, and I was worried he'd identify me when I had to have direct contact with him! Luckily, he thought I was his stupid brother."

Davin crossed her arms, "After all those messages you had me intercepting for you, I started asking around about this little test of yours. I can't believe you got yourself involved with the Fatui. How stupid do you have to be?! They're nothing but bad news, and probably won't even pay you. Back out while you still can!"

"Of course they will! The Doctor is rich, and he'll be happy with these results. He's even offered a bonus for finding a real Khaenri'ahn to get results on!" Isvey held up the notebook he'd been marking everything down in, "You'll see. It'll be worth it. Now come help me find the subject. If he's dead, I'll be testing it on you next!"

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Kaeya was fairly certain he was in some kind of hell. The only thing he'd been able to hear as he was rolling down the steep hillside, was the sound of Diluc's laughter. He realized he was a sinner, but he'd tried to make up for it by doing good for the people who had accepted him. So how in Barbatos' name had he ended up like this?

Once he finally came to a skidding halt, he just laid there, not having the willpower to open his eye again. He was sure he could sleep for the next few weeks, and still not have the energy to move.

When he felt a hand on his leg, he weakly kicked out. Honestly, he didn't care if it was Diluc, or a total stranger, he'd preferred they just left him there to die. He was so done. Kaeya had no idea where he was, where he had been, where he was coming from, or where he was going.

He didn't know what he had done for Diluc to be so angry with him, to the point of wanting him dead, and he didn't know what in Celestia was happening. He felt absolutely terrible with a stabbing headache rattling around in his skull, nausea, and a complete feeling of weakness throughout his entire body. It ran so deep that it would certainly never go away. His throat felt like chalk, there were injuries all over his body – all Kaeya knew was that he'd had enough of whatever this was.

"Hey, I'm just here to help you," a soft voice said.

Oh. It was that weird talking dog again. Had he seen it using a bow? He was pretty certain dogs couldn't use bows. Although, he wasn't sure what he was certain of anymore.

When he didn't respond, or kick again, he felt the hand once more.

"I'm checking your bones to see if anything is broken, but we need to get going quickly. Who knows when the attackers will find us."

Kaeya opened his eye to look at the creature again. It looked different this time, more human with long fox ears, and a soft looking, fluffy tail that made him want to fluff his hands through it. He looked friendly, more so now that he looked like he didn't want to bite him anymore, and a lot friendlier than the redhead smirking from behind the dog man. Kaeya growled.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Kaeya closed his eye again, tired of being awake, "No… b-brother. S'rry…"

He could feel unconsciousness tugging at him, and all he could do was hope he didn't wake up again. He really didn't want to wake up again.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Tighnari wished he'd been able to get the man's name before he passed out, but at least being unconscious would give the poor guy some relief. This entire situation was strange, and he would certainly be sending a note to Cyno after he'd made sure the man was safe.

He had seen plenty of odd things in his time as a Forest Ranger, but this was up there. A man, who was not dressed like someone from Sumeru, wandering around dangerous countryside, likely high, or drugged, and hallucinating, injured, and being followed, as well as attacked.

When he reached Gandharva Ville he notified the watchers to keep an eye out for anyone approaching, and report it immediately. As he entered his medical hut, he nearly ran into Collei.

"Master Tighnari! Oh, what happened?" she asked as he helped him lay the man down.

"I'm not sure yet. Collei, could you write a note to Cyno for me?"

"Of course!" she grabbed a pencil, and some paper, "What should it say?"

Tighnari had her write a detailed description of the man, his condition, and that the name Diluc was mentioned. She was quickly out the door.

He rechecked the bluenette's vitals, he was still stable, but his pulse was a little high. He was absolutely filthy, covered in sand, dirt, and slime that had dried solid. His skin was burnt, and peeling, he'd obviously been in the desert for a long period of time without protection.

Tighnari moved to open the man's uncovered eye. A star shaped pupil, it was pretty, and he'd never seen one like that before, but he would call it dilated.

He had quite the bump on one side of his head, it had already been bandaged at some point, but grime had long since infiltrated it. It seemed like his head had been otherwise spared by his fall, along with his ribs, and extremities.

The man looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. By his attire, he'd guess that he was from Mondstadt, and he'd just been there with Cyno, and Collei, so he'd probably seen him in passing.

By the time Tighnari was done checking the man's injuries, Collei had returned with clean rags, and warm water. It would take a while, but they'd make sure he got cleaned up, and comfortable.

Before they could even start cleaning, shouting caught their attention. Tighnari wasn't prepared for the sight they were met with.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"Wake up!"

Kaeya tiredly blinked his eye open at being shaken silly by…

"Luc? … Go away."

He rolled over, and tried to get comfortable. His body hurt, and he didn't even know why. It was obvious that he'd been through something, but the last thing he remembered -and this was just flashes – was trying to get himself and Diluc across a river, with crocodiles hot on their heels. The other thing was the sensation of falling.

He also knew that looking at Diluc made him angry, and he may not know why, but it was probably for a reason. Normally, he mostly ignored his anger, but his was deeper. Not knowing why he was so angry at his brother was probably best, and that he should let it go, but he wasn't in a good enough mental state to simply push it aside.

"I won't. You need to come with me. Now."

Unfortunately, the urgency in the redhead's voice was also difficult to ignore.

"Why?!" he shouted as much as his hoarse voice would let him.

He hadn't actually meant to yell at Diluc, but things were quickly becoming impossibly overwhelming. Kaeya just desperately wanted to go back to sleep.

"Um… You're hurt, and the guy who did it is coming for you. He'll kill you, so we've got to go."

"Why can't you just knock him out or something? I'm tired Luc."

The redhead didn't answer quickly, and Kaeya looked at him. He didn't think he'd ever seen his brother thinking so hard. Some part of Kaeya thought that the redhead may have been affected by the same thing that was clouding his own mind, and that he should let go of the anger he was feeling. He could tell that something wasn't right, but he couldn't grasp what it was.

"I'm… hurt too, and he's powerful. I won't be able to fight for us," the redhead finally said.

Kaeya took a deep breath, and started working to sit up. He felt bad for asking Diluc to fight for him when there was something obviously wrong with his brother, too. Guilt gnawed at his gut as Diluc grabbed his arm, and none too gently yanked him to his feet, leaving Kaeya breathless, shaking, and in pain.

They quietly left the hut. Kaeya didn't know where he was, but he would have expected more people to be around, considering there were many buildings high in the trees. They didn't see a single person on the way out, until they came across some downed men. Kaeya couldn't tell if they were dead or alive, and he was pulled away when he tried to check.

"We don't have time! The people after us did this!"

Diluc tugged him along until they were on solid ground. Kaeya caught a glimpse of something white, and blue up ahead.

"J-Jean?"

Had she been pulled into this, too? How much of Mondstadt was in danger? Two of its most powerful people had been pulled away from their city, and it seemed like it was his fault. Even when he worked so hard not to be, he really was dangerous to everything he cared about. He was a curse.

The blonde didn't answer him, but rolled her eyes at him before angrily turning to Diluc.

"There's no way this is worth it, you idiot! I didn't even want to be involved in this," she complained as Diluc started to push her up the road, and they began to run.

Firstly, had Jean just used the word idiot, and at Diluc, of all people? Kaeya always thought that the first time she'd ever said that word, that it would eventually be aimed at him when she'd had enough of dealing with him, not the man she loved.

Secondly, he was running, if it could be called that, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. He felt like he hadn't slept in weeks, and that his body was falling to pieces. How exactly was he supposed to get away from someone chasing him?

Chapter Eight

Diluc had seen the General Mahamatra around Mondstadt before, at the last Windblume Festival. He'd heard some of the jokes the man had told, and made sure to avoid him. Interesting that the very same person was here.

Two more women had arrived, one named Candace and the other named Dehya, and informed them that they found evidence that Kaeya and this man had gone in the direction of the forest. The problem was, they couldn't find which direction they went from there. Rain could make it nearly impossible for even the best tracker to track.

"I showed the guards the pictures Kaveh drew, and there have been no reports of rogue researchers from the Akademiya. Sir Kaeya has not been seen, however, the other man was spotted entering the Grand Bazaar, and leaving again a short time later. He left via the south gate," Cyno said.

"We'll have to split into two teams to find which direction he went from there-" Alhaitham was cut off by shouting.

"General! General Mahamatra, I have a note for you," a young man panted.

Cyno took the note, and read it before turning to Diluc, "Someone who matches your brother's description is in Gandharva Ville."

Diluc was ready to go, "Which way?"

"We'll take you, it's not far!" Kaveh said, putting his arm close to Diluc's shoulder to direct him, but stopped himself from touching at the last moment, "I'd bet that man will be somewhere nearby. I'm so sorry that I didn't realize before. Kaeya may have thought he was you."

"You had no way to know. The important thing is that we find him," Diluc nodded.

They were close, but Diluc wouldn't be happy until he could see his brother. At this point, he'd happily bicker with the bluenette, as long as it meant he was okay. Diluc would be surprised if Adelinde didn't tie Kaeya up, and not let him out of her sight anymore. He had it coming.

The group exited through the south gate. He couldn't believe they were headed in the same direction he'd come from, guilt gripped at him. How close had he come to Kaeya without knowing? He should have been looking harder, paying more attention. If he had been more careful, he may have seen him.

When they reached a certain point in the road, the General, and his Matra silently disappeared into the woods, presumably to hunt down the other man. When the rest of them arrived at Gandharva Ville, it was in chaos.

Diluc had smelled the smoke when they were getting close, but he hadn't expected to find a building on fire. People were injured, some had burns, and some had cuts and bruises. One man, or was he a fox, had an arrow in his shoulder, but he was still taking care of others. Diluc realized he was also familiar. Beyond that, there was another building on fire, and it was close to spreading to other structures.

Those who weren't injured, and some who were, worked on trying to put out the fires, but they were having a hard time with it. With the fires, and the injured people, it was obvious that this was some sort of attack. Diluc could guess why.

"Tighnari! What happened here?!" Kaveh rushed up to the fox-man.

"We were-" Tighnari grunted in pain, "- taken by surprise a few minutes ago. Buildings, two buildings were set on fire, when we… tried to put them out, we were fired upon. I suspect it's about our guest…"

Alhaitham helped Kaveh gently lower Tighnari to the ground. He looked nearly ready to pass out. His shoulder was still bleeding, and looked as though it had completely taken a back burner to others' injuries.

"You sent a note about him, where is he?" the scribe asked, as he looked at the area around the arrow, and started to put bandages around it.

"My -ow!- my med hut. He was… sleeping, but I'm worried…"

"I've got this, Haitham. Take him to his brother!" Kaveh said, taking the bandages.

As Alhaitham quickly led him away, he heard the blonde mumble "He bandages like a barbarian", and Alhaitham laughed under his breath. They made a short trip to the higher level of buildings, and Diluc could feel the strain in his legs.

The only people they saw here were a few random people laying on the ground. He and the scribe quickly stopped to check for pulses. They were alive, but the fact that they were taken out was concerning, and similar to the tactic Kaveh said they had used elsewhere.

The door to the hut they arrived at was open, and just as Diluc feared, no one was inside. There was, however, a fur lined cape that he knew all too well. It was torn, and dirty with a variety of things, but most notably, blood.

"Is there another exit from this town up here?" he asked as he shoved the cape into his pack.

Alhaitham nodded, and was already headed out of the building, "Follow me."

They made their way out of Gandharva Ville, and down a small path. It was difficult to tell what direction they were traveling, but he guessed north, from the few gaps in trees where he could make out the sky. Not too far down the path, he saw something else he recognized.

"These footprints here, they belong to Kaeya. It looks like there could be two people with him, but… we've got to be close."

So close.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Kaeya was trying to run, but ended up falling several times. Finally, he was grabbed by rough hands, and shoved head first into a small hollow made by a tree trunk, and the ground. Admittedly, he wasn't even sure how he was still moving on his own at all. The world had never stopped spinning, and every bit of his body felt like it was on fire, being stabbed, and numb at the same time, everything was shaking.

He managed to flop over to look at Diluc, and Jean. They were both glaring at him, angry that he was weak, but he didn't have anything he could do to help them with that. If he could speak, he'd tell them to run without him, to stay safe, but he couldn't seem to get anything except coughing to come out of his mouth.

"Kill him!" Jean snarled.

Kaeya had never heard her sound like that before. His body involuntarily curled in on himself at her words. That didn't seem like it could be right.

"I can't! We've come this far, if it's not finished, we won't get paid! We can just… leave him here, and come back for him later! There aren't a lot of Khaenri'ahns in the open to try this on!"

"They'll find him, and he'll talk. Kill. Him."

Paid? What did that mean? Was Diluc turning him in for being from Khaenri'ah? His brother was extremely rich, he wouldn't need reward money. Same with Jean, for that matter.

Jean scoffed at Diluc's lack of action, "Fine. I'll do it myself."

Kaeya watched wide-eyed as his old friend drew her sword, hate plastered across her face along with a nasty grin. She raised the weapon above her head, and began her strike. Next, there was a flash of fire, and red, and the familiar sound of a claymore hitting the ground.

Did he have double vision? There were two Diluc's. One of them backed against the tree trunk, and the other was fighting the love of his life. Kaeya made a weak noise, and tried to move back out to the road. He didn't want them hurting each other over him, he wasn't worth it.

Jean ran up onto the road, and one Diluc followed after a quick glance in Kaeya's direction, while the other grabbed Kaeya by the collar, and pulled him up, and he felt a sharp pinch in his neck. This time it was a flash of green in front of him, and someone he thought he should know, but couldn't quite think of a name.

The Diluc who was gripping his shirt deflected a swift strike, and kicked at the silver haired man, forcing him to dodge. Kaeya was dragged out of the root den by his collar, this time he felt the unmistakable edge of a blade on his throat, and warmth dripping down his neck.

The man holding him slowly edged backwards, away from the other version of Diluc, and man in green. A wave of dizziness hit Kaeya hard, and his already wobbling feet gave out, yet he was held in place.

"S-stay back, or I'll kill him!" Diluc's voice behind him insisted, yelling right in his ear.

"Let my brother go." Diluc's voice in front of him countered.

Archons, what is even happening? This was too much, and he was once again starting to think that maybe dying wouldn't be so bad. Nobody would care, anyway. Not his biological family, nor his adopted family. It would lessen their burden, and everyone here could just go home to peacefully live out their lives.

"Stop right there," a new voice from beside him said, "Release him."

Kaeya heard the man gasp in fear, but he didn't release him until even more commotion started. He pried his eye open as he was thrown through the air, and straight over a cliff. The last thing he knew was the feeling of falling.

Chapter Nine

The tracks had been easy to follow. The first was wet, and all three sets of footprints could be seen, as well as where Kaeya had fallen to his knees off and on.

Diluc wasn't surprised that the scribe could silently keep up, he seemed capable. Something of which Diluc was grateful for right now. The words "kill him" rang clearly through the air, and they were able to pinpoint where the people were. Diluc drew his sword, jumped over a tree root, and used his blade to come under the one that was aimed at his brother. He shoved the attacker back, and she stumbled towards the road. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green headed towards the hollow.

The woman he was fighting was skilled, but didn't last long against his heavy strikes. When she was down, he turned to see Kaeya being held up, with a dagger to his throat, eyes closed. Anger coursed through him.

This man had the nerve to make demands, and for the moment, they had no choice but to follow them.

"Let my brother go," Diluc grit out, barely containing the rage that wanted to tear this man to pieces.

Through the woods, Diluc could see Cyno and his Matra emerging, surrounding the group below. There was nowhere left for the man to go, unless he wanted to jump into the ravine beside him.

The General kept his face carefully neutral, focused on the man they were chasing, and his victim. The moment Cyno said to release him, the man's eyes widened at the realization that he was surrounded.

Diluc could see what the man would do next before he even tried, and darted forward as Kaeya flew over the edge. He barely managed to get his hand closed around the bluenette's wrist, and he could feel it when the limp weight of Kaeya's body dislocated his brother's shoulder, but he had him.

Much of Diluc's upper body was balancing over the side of the edge, to the point that any movement might make them both go over. Alhaitham came beside him, and took his other arm to pull him back, then reached down to help pull Kaeya up, but his hand was slipping faster than they could grab on.

Suddenly, a black and teal puff of smoke appeared around Kaeya, and he was gone. Knowing exactly who that effect belonged to, Diluc turned over to see Xiao gently placing Kaeya on the ground, and Rosaria, and Cyno with their spears pointed directly under the chin of the man responsible for this whole situation. She looked angry, and that man was extremely lucky that he was still breathing.

His brother looked like he'd been to hell, and back. He'd been told that he was in rough shape, but to see how bad it actually was, was an entirely other thing.

The person before him was barely recognizable as Kaeya. Hair terribly matted and dirty, skin nearly as red as Diluc's hair, but even that was hidden under several layers of grime. Dried blood streaks ran down one side of his head, and more from his nose. Through that, Diluc could see that Kaeya's lips were chapped, and peeling badly, as well as split in many places.

Kaeya's clothes were torn in various places, and there were cuts and bruises that could be seen through the holes. Some of the cuts were red, and angry looking, but none of them were large, Diluc hoped that the obvious infections wouldn't be a problem. Another thing he noticed about Kaeya's clothes, was that the silly he wore corset was loose, the bluenette had lost weight that he didn't have to begin with.

Cyno came to stand next to them, "Is he alive?"

Diluc nodded, and let out a breath he had been holding, "He's breathing, but he needs help."

"I'm afraid we don't have a stretcher here, will you be able to carry him?"

Diluc nodded, and lifted Kaeya, trying his best to be careful of his dislocated shoulder, and any other larger injuries. He could have sworn he could feel the bluenette's pulse just by carrying him. His brother's body was shaking, even in unconsciousness, and beads of sweat were coming through the layers of filth on his face, making light streaks.

Kaeya moaned at being jostled, but remained otherwise unresponsive the entire way back to Gandharva Ville. Diluc quietly spoke to him as they traveled, as he tended to do when his little brother was unconscious. That was more for himself than Kaeya, a distraction from the situation, a focus to help him keep his panic at bay.

When they reached the small tree village, the fires had been put out, and the injured put onto stretchers, with Kaveh temporarily taking over for Tighnari with instructing people on what to do to get them going.

Diluc was told that with Tighnari out of commission, they didn't have anyone who could help with the more severe injuries, and would all need to be transported to Sumeru City.

Kaveh came running over, "Bring him this way, I already have a stretcher for him! Archons, he's even worse than before…"

He gently laid his brother on the small cot, and tucked a blanket around him. The cut on his neck was only slightly bleeding now, along with some other small cuts he had attained by being pushed around.

Kaeya was even thinner than the worst Diluc had seen him since his return to Mondstadt, and he worried that this event would cause his eating habits to slide back downhill. He and Adelinde would have to be diligent in making sure Kaeya ate.

Diluc, and Alhaitham carried Kaeya's stretcher. It felt like the trip back to the city took four times as long as it took to get to Gandharva Ville, and that had seemed like it took forever. At the gate, Xiao nodded goodbye, and vanished, he'd have to stop in and thank the Yaksha as soon as he could. Rosaria questioned Cyno on what was going to be done with the criminals. She wasn't happy with the fact that they wouldn't be killed, and otherwise lack of response, but she remained respectful.

Kaveh, and Alhaitham directed the injured to the hospital, and Cyno, along with Rosaria, and any Matra who weren't carrying someone, went a different way. Diluc would find out what was to be done later. For now, he was more concerned about Kaeya's care.

A message had been sent ahead, and a large amount of staff were waiting to accept the wounded. Diluc refused to let Kaeya out of his sight again, and with the glare he sent the nurses trying to tell him otherwise, he wasn't approached to leave again.

The conversation between Kaveh, Alhaitham, and a nurse as she worked on cleaning, and bandaging Kaeya's wounds was interesting. It seemed the two men found their fair share of trouble.

"Are you sure neither of you are hurt? It seems impossible that one of you two would be here and not have injuries! I should check you both over, just in case. Sit. Sit!"

Frankly, it was amusing to see someone who kept such a straight face all the time, roll his eyes. Kaveh, of course, had more to say about it.

"Now wait just a minute. It's Alhaitham who is in here more than me! He's always in trouble, but will gladly act like my helping others is the most dangerous thing in the world! That's not even counting the fact that he's afraid of the hospital, and waits until illnesses are out of hand before seeking help." Kaveh crossed his arms, and lightly stomped his foot in protest.

"Perhaps if you didn't constantly do things like give animals your last drops of water, leaving yourself to pass out in the desert, I would have less to say on the subject. As it is, if one of these men needed a kidney, you would donate two. Your self-preservation is severely lacking, Kaveh. That's why your friends and I have to constantly keep an eye on you."

Diluc noticed the lack of denial about having a fear of the hospital, but apparently Kaveh had missed it, or had chosen to ignore it in light of his annoyance at the scribe's response.

The blonde's face turned red, and he clenched his fists at his sides, "Why, you-!"

Alhaitham turned to the nurse who had been conversing with them, and pointed at Kaeya, "He requires a blood draw. He was given drugs, and we need to know what's in his system."

The nurse had drawn blood and left, and Diluc sat back in his chair, listening to the other's banter. They bickered a lot, but those two looked at each other like they were the only thing in the world. He missed Jean, and really could use her closeness right now.

He wasn't sure how long it would be before Kaeya could travel, but it would be nice when his family was all at home again, and safe. Well, as safe as any of them tended to be. Adelinde would certainly wrap them in blankets, and never let them leave the house if she could.

The nurse came and checked on his brother as frequently as possible, given all the other patients. Kaveh had been given oxygen, and intravenous fluids. Diluc was told that when they could spare someone, that Kaeya would be cleaned up more, and his injuries better tended to. It was frustrating, but some people from the village had been badly hurt, so it was also understandable.

Kaveh had dragged Alhaitham, who had been quite content reading a book in the corner, along to check on Tighnari. Diluc hoped the Ranger was doing well. There was a lot of damage done because of this entire situation. It was a mess, to be sure.

They had a difficult time getting all the disgusting sludge out of Kaeya's hair, and it took a couple of tries. They had needed to check for other head injuries, but his hair was too matted to see, or feel through. Diluc intervened when they decided to shave it off, and was given the task of cleaning it, since he'd insisted they not take that course of action. Once it was clean, and his head was checked over for other injuries, Diluc was handed a comb. Something to keep him occupied, he suspected, but he didn't mind.

The nurse had a hard time cutting Kaeya's destroyed clothes off. The slime had made parts of the clothing solid, they had to be cut around. The bluenette had numerous bruises along his body. Some were older, and turning red and yellow, and some of them looked pretty painful, but none of them seemed too severe. Unfortunately, Kaeya's skin was nearly as dirty under his clothing. It was all hauntingly similar to when their father had first found the tiny bluenette.

His ribs were easily visible, and his arms, and his wrists were so bony, and fragile feeling in Diluc's hand. What caught Diluc's attention was obvious needle marks along his arms, and neck. There were so many. Diluc felt sick. How many times had he been given drugs? How many kinds of drugs was he given? What were the long term effects going to be?

Diluc had heard of drugs that could change a person forever, and he worried that would be Kaeya's future. He'd take care of his brother until the day he died, but he didn't want this for him. It wasn't fair. Outside of trying to drink his woes away sometimes, Kaeya was no drug user.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that the "Tighnari no!" didn't register, but the touch on his arm did, and he jerked backwards, sending the tray that was next to the table loudly clattering to the floor. When his brain caught up to who and what he was seeing, he let out a breath, and unclenched his fists.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

Diluc crouched, and started trying to pick up everything that fell. It had made quite a mess. Another nurse had come over, and took over, telling him it was fine, and not to worry about it. It really wasn't fine, it was embarrassing.

"Kaveh said you're his brother, so I just wanted to talk to you about his test results. We can just step right over here, out of the nurses' way. We don't have to go far."

Diluc leaned against the window sill, and looked at the man. He looked pale, and like he should be resting along with the other injured people. He glanced at Kaveh, who gave him a silent signal not to mention the Ranger's condition.

"So, what did they use on him?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Tighnari sighed, "It's a mixture of things. Some components I recognize as hallucinogens, and some are known to cause issues like memory loss… kidney, and liver failure."

Kaveh spoke up, "Have you checked his kidney and liver function, then?"

"We hadn't, but we're going to draw more blood. That should give us a good idea if we're dealing with those issues," Tighnari said.

Diluc clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt. Rosaria had joined their group, standing at the foot of Kaeya's bed. He couldn't see her face, but her posture changed.

"Furthermore," Tighnari continued, "there are some components that I don't recognize at all, and we don't know what side effects may occur, if any. However, there is a specific person Amurta scholars study in the Akademiya, and I'd say this reeks of him. His name is Zandik, or better known now as Il Dottore."

Just like that, Diluc's world was crumbling down again. He could distantly hear Rosaria talking to him, having appeared from somewhere, but his eyes bored into Kaeya's prone form. Dottore was targeting Kaeya now.

The experiments on him didn't go how he wanted, or Diluc had escaped too many times to become with the effort, so he'd moved on to hurting someone else.

"S-stay…" was the best Diluc managed as he dazedly walked away.

Kaeya would be safe with Rosaria, she'd take care of him. Diluc couldn't breathe as the familiar panic bubbled up inside of him. He tried to stamp it down, but the flashes of the Fatui doctor doing things to him were overwhelming.

Diluc could feel it. He could hear that disgusting laugh as the man cut him, injected him, and touched him however he pleased. He couldn't control it, no matter how hard he tried, and there were too many people, too much noise, not enough air.

Diluc could hear the voices of the people he had just been talking with, but it was nothing besides pounding white noise in his head.

He found the closest door, and slid inside.

Chapter Eleven

The group watched Diluc stumble away. At the mention of Il Dottore's name, what little color he had instantly drained from the redhead's face, and he had started shaking. He also stopped responding to any of them. He'd said stay, Kaveh assumed to Rosaria, and closed himself off into the first room he found.

Kaveh understood panic attacks, and could recognize one from miles away. He'd had far too many not to. This, though, was slightly different from just being overwhelmed. There was one particular thing it reminded him of. His kidnapping. He still had flashbacks sometimes, and they always seemed to come out of the blue, and could bring him down faster than he knew what was happening. It sometimes confused him when he'd have a dream, or a flashback of the incident. It was terrifying.

Just a week prior, the smell of a burlap bag had him cowering in a corner of the market until Cyno came along, and took him to Tighnari. His friend had told him about something called post-traumatic stress, and that Kaveh's memory had been triggered by the smell, causing the flashbacks.

Tighnari turned to Rosaria, "I'm sorry again, I didn't realize this would cause an issue for him…"

"He's had a few run-ins with Il Dottore, and to say they were traumatic… well, that would be putting it mildly. It's why he doesn't like it when people touch him," Rosaria said quietly.

Kaveh could only imagine what had happened to have developed this kind of response.

"As a friend, it may help if you were to talk to him," Tighnari suggested.

The nun shook her head, "I'm closer to Kaeya than I am to Diluc. I know what happened because the sisters insisted I help at the cathedral infirmary. Honestly, one of you might have better luck."

Kaveh watched as she turned back to the Cavalry Captain, and he could see it. With Kaeya, she was more than just a friend. She liked him. He didn't know if they were together, but he could see the possibility of it happening some day.

Alhaitham nudged Kaveh in the side, and he glared at the scribe, "I barely know him, I don't think that's a good idea!"

"Other than Rosaria, you know him better than the rest of us, and I believe you may understand him more than we do, Kaveh. Besides, this would also be the correct time to use your ideals, for once."

Kaveh clenched his fists, taking Alhaitham's bait before stopping himself, "You…! Fine, since you are incapable of showing compassion."

He turned on his heel, and marched confidently to the door Diluc had disappeared through. Too bad saying something like that didn't bother Alhaitham. Honestly, if he didn't love the sarcastic, silver haired, emotionally stunted scribe, he'd have probably wrung his neck a long time ago.

Kaveh stopped at the door. He really didn't know what to say, or do to help the redhead feel better. He didn't know what had happened, or what may even be another trigger. Any time he'd ever seen Diluc before, the man always seemed so solid, and strong. Like nothing could bring him down, or catch him off guard. Quite a bit like Alhaitham in that regard, actually. That said, even Alhaitham lost his composure sometimes.

He took a breath, and slowly opened the door. It was a supply closet that Kaveh had never even noticed before, full of shelves stuffed with bandages, blankets, sheets, and other medical supplies. Diluc was sitting in the corner with his knees tucked up to his chest, and his head laying against one of the shelves.

The redhead looked small, and unimposing this way. He didn't seem to hear Kaveh come in. Diluc kept his eyes closed, he didn't move, his hands were shaking, and his breathing was uneven. Ultimately, Kaveh wasn't sure it was a good idea to engage him, not wanting to startle him worse, or bother him. Diluc may not take well to being soothed by a nearly complete stranger.

He settled for sitting across from him, so Diluc would be able to see that he was there, but gave him space, and Kaveh watched to make sure he didn't get worse. He'd call for Tighnari if he had to.

It was always Alhaitham who pulled him away from, and out of his panic attacks and anxiety. He didn't know if Diluc had a significant other, but one of the people he probably relied on was laying in a hospital bed, and everyone else was so far away.

It was some time before Diluc showed any change. He slowly blinked over at Kaveh, finally noticing his presence, then rested his head on his knees. He could hear the redhead trying to even out his breathing.

Eventually, Kaveh broke the silence, "Are you alright?"

It took a moment before he received a half nod from the redhead. At least he seemed to be coming back from whatever horrible memory he had been stuck in.

"If you need to talk about it, I don't mind listening," Kaveh said, hoping he didn't sound like he was prying.

Diluc was quiet for long enough that Kaveh thought he might have gone to sleep, but the man eventually answered with a shake of his head. It was another long couple of minutes before the redhead looked Kaveh's direction once more.

"I… I'm fine. I just… needed a minute…" Diluc said, and let his head fall back to his knees.

The redhead sounded different, and Kaveh was a little worried when he still didn't move. It looked like the energy had been drained from him, and he supposed it probably was. The man had just spent several days chasing down his lost brother, worried about him the entire time.

"Anything you need. I'll just be right here, if that's alright."

Diluc didn't respond, and Kaveh took that as a sign that he was okay with it. Another long while later, the redhead started to move again. He stretched his legs out, then started to stand. Kaveh hovered without touching him, but if it came to it, he wouldn't let him fall.

When he finally made it up, Diluc seemed a little more like himself, just tired, and a little pale. He looked in Kaveh's direction, but still not directly at him.

"Thank you. I apologize for wasting your time," he said shakily.

That sounded like an echo. All the times he'd apologized to Alhaitham for wasting his time when the scribe had to help put him back together. Out of all the rude things the scribe could sometimes say, or all the times he'd laugh at the trouble Kaveh's morals got him into, he's never made him feel bad for having emotional breakdowns. Instead, he'd hold Kaveh close, and let him cry on his shoulder, even before they were involved.

"I know we don't know each other well, but being there for someone in need is never a waste of time. Sometimes just having someone sit with you is enough, even if they are a complete stranger. I'd rather sit with someone I don't know for as long as they need, than have them be alone."

There was a soft knock on the door, and Tighnari's voice carried through, "Is everyone okay? Need any help?"

Kaveh went to the door, and looked at Diluc. With the redhead's nod of approval, he opened the door. Tighnari briefly looked at Kaveh, then his eyes moved to Diluc, assessing them both before he stepped away. Kaveh eyed the Valuka Shuna right back. Tighnari should have been resting, not pushing himself this way, but he knew there would be no point in pushing. His friend could be stubborn, and would want to see this through.

Diluc made his way back to the chair next to Kaeya, slightly hunched over. He looked pale, and clammy at this point. Rosaria carefully watched him, Kaveh could swear he almost saw a flash of suspicion cross her face, but that was quickly replaced by concern.

With one look sent Alhaitham's way, Kaveh was able to let the scribe know that he didn't want to leave them just yet, and Alhaitham nodded in agreement. Chairs had been brought over, and set out of the way. That was where He and Alhaitham situated themselves.

A few minutes later, with the help of Cyno, Tighnari came with food. The Ranger paused at Diluc, and leaned in closer to talk to him for a moment, then nodded at something the man said back, before climbing onto the empty bed next to them to eat.

Kaveh glanced up now and then, making sure the redhead was eating. He didn't really do more than pick at his food, but he got some down, at least. He knew Alhaitham would be calling him a mother hen when they got home, but really, he was in no position to actually do any such thing. Also, Alhaitham wasn't wrong. That was exactly what he would be doing right now if he could. Tighnari had only narrowly avoided it by laying down.

Eventually he'd have to go back to the building site, but he'd sent a note to Candace, letting her know that Kaeya had been found. He hoped that the guards were doing alright, and would be checking in on everyone when he was headed back through.

For now, he sat back, and waited with his friends.

Chapter Twelve

"Good news!"

Diluc could feel the hand slowly touching its way down his body, sometimes stopping at areas that were far too personal, and made his muscles twitch involuntarily, and his skin crawl. He wanted to vomit.

"I've rerun some calculations. There will be new tests today!"

Run. Run. Run away. He would run so far away if he could. Instead, a tear making its way down the side of his face was licked off, and trying to jerk his strapped down head away only resulted in stabbing pain running down his spine.

"Now, now, don't move! Although, I suppose it ultimately wouldn't matter if you were to become paralyzed. My helpers would appreciate it, those you haven't managed to kill yet, that is."

Dottore's hand slid across his shoulder, grabbed the thing that was attached to the back of his neck, and moved it. It was so, so much pain. Too much, and Diluc couldn't hold back the scream. Laughter echoed through his head until everything went black.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

It burned. Every single piece of him was on fire. He writhed on the floor wishing the coolness would extinguish the flames that were threatening to make his veins burst. It was an injection. The doctor hadn't even had him taken into a room, but instead administered the shot right in the tiny, bright white cell they kept him in. He was going to burn to death from the inside.

"Tell me, how does that feel?" Dottore laughed, "Oh yes, you lost your voice from screaming. I would have thought someone as 'tough' as you could have taken it. What a pity."

Death wouldn't be so bad.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

He was dazed as he was suddenly blinking at the bright light above him again. It felt like there was a sumpter beast was sitting on his chest, and it hurt to draw in a breath. Familiar horrible laughter rang loudly in his ears, and he closed his eyes, trying not to let tears fall.

"I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to start your heart again this time! I had to insert a needle directly into your heart, you see. Oh yes, I should remove that, shouldn't I?"

Diluc's eyes flew open just in time to see, and feel, a long needle yanked out of his chest. He screamed between gritted teeth, tasting blood where he bit down on his lip, and the doctor giggled.

The small amount of water he'd been given came back up, and unable to move his head, he choked on it.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Diluc didn't recognize where he was at first, surrounded by shelves of blankets, bandages, and… an architect? Right, he'd started to have a panic attack, and must have blacked out. He pulled his knees up to his chest, and let his head rest on them. It still felt like his chest was being crushed, but it was getting better. It had been a while since that had last happened, he thought he'd gotten these attacks under control.

Control. That was something he'd never had, wasn't it? If he wasn't losing his own control, it was being taken from him. He couldn't look at Kaveh, embarrassed by the situation. He wanted to get back out to Kaeya, but couldn't move just yet. The familiar feeling of failing his brother rose in his chest, and made his heart ache. He should be stronger than this.

He tried to nod when Kaveh asked if he was okay, but it made the room spin.

"If you need to talk about it, I don't mind listening," Kaveh offered.

The man was kind. The type to go out of his way to do anything he could for anyone. Diluc owned him a few cases of wine as thanks for helping his brother. This was a huge mess, and they didn't even really know what actually happened yet, only speculation.

He belatedly realized he hadn't answered the man, and shook his head once more while he tried to wrap his sluggish brain around forming words. He knew he was being overly slow about responding, but he was trying.

"I… I'm fine. I just… needed a minute…" he finally managed, looking up at Kaveh, but it seemed to take what little energy had left, and let his head back down.

"Anything you need. I'll just be right here, if that's alright."

It took a while before Diluc could will his body to move, but eventually his muscles started to loosen up from being so tense. Slowly, he stretched out his legs, and started working on getting up. He was shakier than he would have liked, but he was determined to go back to Kaeya. The blonde hovering next to him didn't go unnoticed.

He partially turned towards Kaveh, "Thank you. I apologize for wasting your time."

That was the best he could come up with, and it was sad. This person had sat with him, used his time to make sure Diluc was okay, and that was the best he could do. It took a moment for Kaveh to respond, but his answer just went straight back to showing what a good person he was.

Before Diluc could respond again, there was a knock on the door. It was the Forest Ranger checking on them. Kaveh went to the door, but stopped, and looked Diluc's direction. He realized the man was silently asking if he was ready, and he gave a nod. He wasn't, but he might never be. It was time to pull himself together, and check on the brother he had once again abandoned for no good reason.

With his first few steps, he quickly found out how shaky he was. He always was after a panic attack. It had happened enough times that he now knew he needed to give his body some fuel, and recharge. Diluc was relieved when he made it to the chair next to Kaeya's bed. He didn't look at Rosaria, but could feel her eyes on him.

She didn't like him, and he understood. He'd hurt Kaeya, and he hated himself for it every day. Now, she'd just watched him abandon Kaeya again. Even if it wasn't for long, he'd let his emotions control him once more, until he couldn't handle it, and hid.

Diluc was still shaky, and his thoughts seemed to become more sluggish by the minute. He didn't know how long had passed before food was being put on the table next to him. He stared at it at first, as if trying to figure out what to do with it, then Tighnari bent a bit closer to him.

"You've been through a lot, your body is running a little slow. Eating this will help it out, can you do that?"

"Running slow?" he blinked at the man standing next to him, then stared at the plate again, "I can do that…"

He could hear himself talking, but the words weren't completely registering. He had no desire to eat, but it was important to eat, that was all that was sticking for the moment.

Tighnari nodded, and gave him a small smile, "Great! Go ahead."

Diluc ate what he felt he could. He wasn't hungry, in fact, he felt a little sick, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew not eating wouldn't do him any good, so he picked at the food, and watched Kaeya.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Diluc hadn't meant to fall asleep, instead intending to stay alert until Kaeya came to. Unfortunately, it was his brother's groan that roused him from his nightmares.

The bluenette wasn't awake, but he was sweating profusely, and moving. It seemed like he was in pain, and each movement made it worse. Diluc put his hand on Kaeya's arm to calm him, and Kaeya jolted, trying to pull away, then let out something like a whine.

"Kaeya, it's Diluc-"

At that, his brother's eyes shot open, and he looked terrified. With what little strength he had, Kaeya was trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Kaeya…"

The bluenette was scrambling right for the edge of the bed. When Diluc reached out a hand to stop Kaeya from falling, his brother pulled his arm back in fear, and fell over the edge of the bed with a clatter. Diluc immediately had a spear at his throat.

"What did you do?!" Rosaria demanded.

Diluc didn't have the patience for this right now, his first worry was to see if Kaeya was alright. Thankfully, Tighnari had been roused by the commotion, and was checking on his brother. He ignored the nun's question, and held his breath while he waited to see what the ranger had to say.

"He's alright. It wasn't a hard fall, but he's unconscious again," Tighnari said, and looked at Rosaria, "This is a hospital, put that away. Diluc didn't do anything to him. We have reason to believe the drugs he was given cause hallucinations, which previously included Diluc, and who knows what that involved."

As Tighnari went to get help, Diluc started to move to where Kaeya had fallen, but was stopped by Rosaria.

"If he sees you again, we don't know what might happen. You should stay back."

Diluc wanted to argue with her, but she was right. It was only luck that Kaeya hadn't gotten hurt when he fell out of bed, and Diluc was the reason it had happened. Even if he wasn't meaning to, he was causing his brother more pain.

He moved to behind the head of the bed. Kaeya would have to work to see him there, and he could still keep somewhat of an eye on his brother. Rosaria seemed satisfied with this, and went to Kaeya's side.

It wasn't long before help arrived to re-situate Kaeya, and check that the various tubes, and lines were still hooked up the right way. Tighnari sat on the edge of his bed with a small sigh, and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize he would be afraid…" Diluc trailed off.

The Forest Ranger shook his head tiredly, "There was no way you could have known how he would react," he paused for a moment, seemingly thinking something over, "When I first met him, he was afraid of me. He seemed to think I was some sort of wild animal. He was also talking to someone who wasn't there. It was you. He said 'I may not be worth it, but you could help me, Diluc.'.

Diluc stared at his fists in his lap, the fingernails cutting into the skin of his palm. This was his fault. Their fight years ago had resulted in Kaeya frequently thinking these things. It wasn't unusual for his brother to suffer from depression, it had been that way from the start.

This time, Diluc wasn't in Mondstadt to even know that Kaeya was missing. He hadn't been there to help, and it took so long to find him. Kaeya had no way of knowing that the Diluc he saw, and whatever it was saying to him wasn't real.

He was malnourished, dehydrated, and had suffered head injuries. Those alone could cause things like hallucinations, but he was drugged out of his mind on top of that, and had no reason to believe that it wasn't Diluc.

Something in the back of his mind told him that many of these things were out of his control. He wouldn't have been with Kaeya on that patrol to begin with, he couldn't stay in Mondstadt all the time, and he never would have drugged Kaeya, but the guilt dominated those thoughts.

"We're going to get this sorted out, but his recovery is going to take time. Those drugs need to be out of his system, and until they are, the next time he sees, or hears you could have an even worse reaction. I understand not wanting to stray too far from him, but it would be best for now if you stay out of sight, and remain quiet, "Tighnari said with a sympathetic look.

With Diluc's nod the Ranger laid back down on his own bed, and closed his eyes. Diluc let his head fall against the wall behind him, and stared at the now dark ceiling.

Quiet was something he could do. Patience could sometimes be a test for him. He'd make sure he passed that test this time. There was too much riding on it not to.

Chapter Thirteen

Kaeya shivered. Sweat clung to his aching body, as a haze settled in his brain. He had no idea what was happening. When he was conscious, or at least thought he was, he'd go from seeing a room he didn't recognize, to flashes of what were either dreams or memories, and they felt too real to be dreams.

The problem with that was that these flashes were terrible, and frightening. Many of them involved Diluc either being utterly unhelpful, laughing at his pain, or hurting him. Forget the physical pain that was caused, there were words that kept playing in his head over, and over. There was also something about Jean wanting to kill him bouncing around in his head.

Even if it was true, even if his brother was right that he should just rid the world of himself, it hurt so much to have been said by someone Kaeya loved so much. One of the very few people he viewed as real family.

Thoughts of other people he cared about ran through his head as if on a high speed reel. Klee, Albedo, and Rosaria. If he were to end it now, he would still want to say goodbye. He knew it was selfish, but he needed it. No, no. He couldn't do that to them. It would be better to just do it, and stop causing all this pain his existence caused for others.

Distantly, he could hear someone moaning painfully, and it took quite a while to even half realize it was himself. It made sense, everything hurt so badly that he couldn't pinpoint any one thing that hurt, or didn't. It was made all the worse by his soaked, scratchy clothing sticking to his skin. He couldn't stop from crying.

At one point the ceiling was moving, then he was in a darker, quiet room, alone. Kaeya had become aware of every noise around him, and they all pierced through his skull like swords. It made him nauseous, and the pain got to the point where he couldn't even open his eyes anymore.

When he tried to sleep, he'd see things. Sometimes it was Rosaria, Albedo, or even Klee. Other times it was Diluc, or Jean, and he feebly tried to crawl away with the only arm he could get to move. Invisible hands would hold him down until he couldn't struggle anymore.

Sometimes, a dog would come talk to him, it might have been a rabbit, or fox, he wasn't sure. They seemed friendly, and as far as he knew, they hadn't hurt him. There was something familiar about him, a few flashes of the long ears had joined the others, but they were always helping, not hurting. Sometimes there would be two sets of long ears. He was seeing double.

Kaeya didn't want help, though. Pain, and misery enveloped him, and he didn't understand why, but he knew that he wanted it to be over.

If he could just get his working hand on something sharp.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

It was difficult to watch. At first, Kaeya would make pained noises, cry, and sometimes try to move a little. Then, as his body was given nourishment, and rest, he was able to move more, but he was still hallucinating.

After he'd been moved into a small room to try to minimize sound, and light, he lashed out at Rosaria as if she had been attacking him, same as he had with Diluc. They quickly learned that it didn't matter who it was standing in front of Kaeya, he was likely to think it was someone else.

When it seemed like he wasn't hallucinating anymore, Tighnari suggested that Diluc try presenting himself again. Diluc was nervous about it, not wanting to hurt Kaeya, and it turned out he was right to be.

It didn't go well. Kaeya was still terrified of him, and tried to get away. Talking to the bluenette didn't work at all, either. It was like he couldn't hear a thing being said. Diluc was left discouraged, even Rosaria looked as if she pitied him.

For the first time in a while, Kaeya was sleeping somewhat peacefully, with only the occasional noises coming from him. Tighnari had said that he thought Kaeya was improving, but wasn't sure how well he was progressing mentally.

Even though he had small disturbances throughout his rest, Kaeya had been mostly asleep for over a day. Tighnari had some concerns about the drugs having long term effects on his mentality, but all they could do at this point was wait and see.

Right now was not particularly good proof of Kaeya's mental health. The bluenette had fallen out of bed again, but this time he managed to put a fair sized gash in his arm. While a nurse was trying to stitch it up, Kaeya went from laying still, staring blankly into space, to grabbing the scissors. Before her guards could even react, they were on the floor.

Diluc and Rosaria had no choice but to intervene, but they found they couldn't get close. Now, Kaeya was sitting in the corner, having used what little energy he had, and was mumbling to himself while he shakily held the point of the scissors to his body. Kaeya was trying to kill himself.

Any time Diluc or Rosaria got close, Kaeya would yell at them to get away.

"NO! D-don't! I-I'll do this myself!"

Diluc put his hands out to show that he was non-threatening, "Kaeya, the nurse needs her scissors back. She has to help other patients."

Kaeya's only response was mumbling. Trying to go up to him and to take the scissors might push his brother over the edge, but trying to talk him down wasn't working great either. Unknowing of what else to do, he hoped the best option was to distract him until the rest of Kaeya's energy was drained.

Diluc scooted closer when Kaeya rested his head on his chest, while Rosaria, and Tighnari stopped the guards from rampaging into the room.

"… I-I know… I hurt people," Kaeya's breath hitched, and tears dripped onto the hospital gown he was wearing, "I don't m-mean to! I've never wanted to hurt a-anyone, Luc. I'm s-sorry… I know I have to- I know I h-have to d-do this…"

"No, you don't, don't do it- Kaeya!"

The second he saw the tip of the scissors pierce the gown's material, things seemed to move in slow motion, yet instantly at the same time. Diluc skidded to his knees next to Kaeya. He grabbed the scissors, threw them across the floor, clamped a hand firmly over the wound the bluenette had managed to make, and pulled his weakly struggling, sobbing brother close.

"W-why? Please let me… d-do this for everyone. I hurt… everyone, Luc…"

"No, you don't, Kaeya. You don't."

Rosaria knelt close by while he could hear Tighnari pacing nervously behind them. It wasn't long before Kaeya went lax in his arms, and Diluc was able to get him back to the bed. As much as they hated to, Kaeya had to be strapped down. Diluc could feel the panic rising with the sight, and he could feel the invisible straps of Dottore's torture table on his own arms and wrists.

Obviously having noticed Diluc's reaction, Tighnari stepped close "We could step out for just a minute-"

"No… I won't leave," Diluc panted.

Control your breathing, stop being a weak idiot. Kaeya needs you. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT. Diluc gripped Kaeya's hand, and closed his eyes. It's only so he doesn't hurt himself again, nothing else. No one is hurting him, it's the opposite, they are trying to help him.

Diluc repeated that over, and over in his head as his eyes fluttered open, and he watched blankly as the doctor worked on Kaeya's new wound. He could hear Rosaria's voice nearby, then his name being said by Tighnari.

"Diluc, you should sit. Can you hear me? Kaeya is all bandaged up, and he's okay. Please sit before you fall?"

It took him a moment to realize that the doctor had finished, and gone. Diluc had been staring at nothing, and holding onto Kaeya's arm a little too tightly. A chair had been set behind him, and both Tighnari, and Cyno had been hovering.

He wasn't sure if the Ranger thought he would catch someone twice his size if they fell, but he'd rather not have him try, and Diluc was dizzy. He plopped down on the seat, and closed his eyes against the nausea that seemed to be sloshing around in his stomach as the world spun.

Diluc could hear the General speaking, and he was trying his best to take it in, to concentrate on the words. Surprisingly, it was helping a little, but what was said just made him angry.

"The initial questioning wielded some results, but there's still much more to learn. Thus far, the woman confirmed that the creator is in fact-" the General paused, "The person we suspected. Furthermore, It was confirmed that the drug was being tested for mind control, and side effects. She had also mentioned genetics, but nothing else as yet. I'll be interrogating them further shortly, but I wished to see how everyone was faring here."

So Kaeya was targeted, but possibly for being Khaenri'ahn. Leave it to the Fatui to know exactly where to find one who wanted nothing to do with any of them. When would this happen again? Who would be next? There were many people in Mondstadt who had extreme genetics, and capabilities. Were none of them safe?

The Harbingers, so entitled to destroy any life they please. Sitting on too much power, every one of them tainted by their Delusions, and it seemed like there was no stopping it.

Diluc turned around, and closed his eyes, drowning out the conversation from that point.

He was tired.

Chapter Fourteen

Kaveh and Alhaitham walked in to find Diluc slumped over in his chair, with his head laying on the edge of Kaeya's bed. That was a relief to Kaveh, he'd heard Diluc hadn't been sleeping. Then there was Kaeya, strapped to the bed, sweat causing his hair, and clothes to stick to him.

On the floor next to the redhead, was a damp rag. Kaveh guessed he'd been using it to help Kaeya before he passed out himself. Alhaitham picked up the rag, and bowl of water, and quietly left.

On the other side of Kaeya's bed was Tighnari, also asleep. The Valuka Shuna was bound to regret that. It set his injured shoulder at an odd angle, and the fact was Tighnari should have been resting to begin with, in a hospital bed, not taking care of others.

His friend's long ears twitched when he got near, and Tighnari quickly sat up. He blinked up at Kaveh tiredly, then gave him a small smile.

Kaveh shook his head, "How is he doing?"

Tighnari shook his head, "He's having a rough time. He has a lot to get out of his system. I don't even know how he was still standing, let alone managing to walk. This stuff should be enough to shut down anyone's system. Permanently. He was also extremely dehydrated, and I couldn't tell you when the last time he ate was, but it has to have been a very long time. He's tough, for sure."

Kaveh looked at Kaeya. His normally slightly tanned skin was bright red, and blistered in on his cheeks, and forehead, skin peeling at the edges, and his lips were cracked, and bleeding. Anything that wasn't burnt was a sickly gray color instead of its normal slightly tanned hue.

Where the man's gown had been soaked through by sweat, a bump for each rib could be seen. Kaveh remembered from their previous meeting that the Captain was tall, but very slender. He wasn't large himself, but Kaeya made him look chubby.

He pointed at the straps, "What happened here?"

Tighnari sucked in a breath, and Kaveh could see an array of emotions flicker across his eyes, "He tried to kill himself. I… don't like that we had to do this, and because of it, his brother had another…" his shoulders slumped, "Kaeya isn't the only one having a hard time with some of the things going on. Diluc is fighting it, but as you know, traumatic stress is not something that you say 'nope' to, and go about your day. Especially with triggers involved." Tighnari glanced at the straps.

Alhaitham returned with fresh rags and water, and Kaveh took over where the exhausted redhead had left off. Alhaitham looked at the straps, and raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask. Instead, he dragged Tighnari away to rest, and took over their friend's seat.

Kaeya flinched at the cool cloth, but he didn't wake. Kaveh hated to imagine what had happened earlier. Kaeya was always smiling around others, always outgoing, and social. It was all quite the mask, one which fellow pretenders would see through with ease.

People like that walked through life bright on the outside, and screaming in agony on the inside. Reaching the finish line was such a hard road to travel, but most would get there, even if they had to claw their way across. However, add the effects of drugs, and it could quickly come crumbling down, leaving nothing but rubble for those around them to dig through.

Kaveh had a hard time believing that the Cavalry Captain would come back from this, but people could recover from some pretty terrible things, and Kaeya seemed to be pretty tough. He sighed, and jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I can hear you overthinking this," Alhaitham whispered into his ear.

"I am not-"

"There's no way to determine his outcome, Kaveh. The only thing we can do is wait, and see. Maybe even help, if needed."

Kaveh let out a fake gasp, and twirled to face Alhaitham, "Did I just hear you offer to help someone? It can't be so…"

"I didn't say that I would be the one helping. I have too much reading to do."

"Pfft. It wouldn't kill you to admit that you can be caring, Haitham. The world won't end if you do."

Kaveh planted a small kiss on Alhaitham's cheek, and reveled in the blush it left across them before he turned back to helping the bluenette. He had already handed off most of his responsibilities from his current project to what he hoped was capable hands, and planned on helping Kaeya with what he could. Surprisingly, Alhaitham, in all of his selfish "I just want to read" glory, had agreed with him.

Neither of them knew the Ragnvindr brothers well, but they didn't seem like bad people, and they definitely didn't deserve this, surely. Now, they were far from home, and friends. Kaveh knew what it was like to have your family be too far away. As someone they had met before, Kaveh hoped it would at least help them feel a little more comfortable while they had to stay in Sumeru.

After a while, Kaeya became more, and more agitated in his sleep. Now it was to the point he was struggling wildly, wiggling as much as he could, shaking, and crying. Kaveh couldn't tell if it was a nightmare, or something else.

Alhaitham left to get help, and Diluc was quickly on his feet, quietly talking to his brother.

Kaveh felt like he was intruding.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

"It's just a dream, Ky. No one here is going to hurt you. You're safe."

At first, Diluc wasn't sure if Kaeya could hear him, but he started to calm down after a short time, only wiggling, and groaning occasionally. His skin still felt hot, and his clothes were soaked through. The nurses had already changed them a few times, but the nurses' presence was agitating Kaeya, frightening him, so they had been coming in less frequently, and only when really needed. Diluc had to give them credit for not even batting an eye after Kaeya floored a couple people.

Usually, even when he was sick, Kaeya would come out of nightmares pretty quickly. Drugged Kaeya was very different. The best Diluc could do was talk to his brother, and hope that he eventually calmed down.

Talking to him did help, but not very well. Sometimes, Kaeya would half wake up, but he was never quite with it. You never knew which Kaeya you were going to get, either. Most often, he was sad, but he'd also been angry, scared, and overcome with guilt, along with suicidal.

Right now, Diluc guessed his brother was somewhere between sad, and frightened.

"Kaeya, you are safe, I promise."

It was a surprise when Kaeya opened his eyes, and looked at Diluc. He flinched, and closed his right eye when he realized it wasn't covered. This was the most awareness they had seen from him yet.

"Luc… Y-you hate me… Don't have to s-stay."

Diluc was caught more off guard by that statement than he probably should have been. He thought he had shown Kaeya that he never hated him, but based on his brother's issues that creeped up sometimes, he knew that things like self-hatred wouldn't let him truly live in peace.

Diluc sucked in a breath, unsure of how much to tell him, or if he'd even believe it, "That wasn't me, Ky. Some people gave you drugs that made you see things. I don't hate you, and I'm staying right here… as long as you're okay with it."

Kaeya made a small noise, and opened his shaky hand for Diluc to take. That seemed far too easy, and it may not last, but he would take what he could get. Kaeya seemed to be fighting sleep, eyes opening for a moment just to look at the ceiling, then closed again.

Diluc glanced up at Kaveh, who was attempting to not act awkward as he went back to gently cleaning Kaeya's sweaty face. He hadn't even noticed the change from Tighnari to the blonde, and he assumed the man's boyfriend was nearby. It was a testament to how deeply he had been sleeping. Days with nothing but a few hours sleep had caught up to him.

He wondered how many days Kaeya went without sleep, food, and water. It was long enough that even without the drugs, being denied these things had made him quite sick on top of everything else.

There were still so many unanswered questions, and it was uncertain if Kaeya would ever be able to answer them. Even if he remembered, Diluc understood very well that the bluenette might not want to. Kaeya was excellent at keeping secrets, and whether others liked it or not, it was usually for a good reason. Diluc's initial reaction to Kaeya's past was perfect evidence of that.

Alhaitham came back with the doctor, and left with Kaveh. The doctor had him answer question after question for Kaeya only having been awake for a moment. He knew it was information they needed, that it would all help in the long run, but everything was wearing thin. Still, Kaeya tried his best to answer as the doctor took his vitals, mumbling nonsense answers half the time until he fell asleep. Shortly after, the doctor informed Diluc that Kaeya was doing as well as could be expected given the situation, and was once again left alone.

Alone… where had Rosaria gone, and when? She had been glued to Kaeya's side almost the entire time since they found him, it seemed odd for her to be gone. Ultimately, it didn't matter. She always did her own thing, something he understood very well. It would be fine as long as she didn't get them into trouble.

He grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote an update for Jean. In the last message she had sent back, she let him know that Klee was still very upset, and insisted that she needed to see Big Brother Kaeya. Unfortunately, that was not a good idea for the time being. The trip was long, and could be dangerous -for those who came across the little Spark Knight- and Kaeya wasn't ready to see her.

Diluc could guess that Kaeya would not want Klee to see him like this, but there was also the issue with his mood, and current incapability to discern reality from hallucination. His brother wouldn't want her near, and neither did he. He'd grown fond of the pint-sized, noisy pyromaniac, and would do his best to protect her.

When Kaeya was a little better, he had a short letter from Klee, which included a picture at the bottom of the page. He wanted his brother to be able to understand it, and see it, without something accidentally happening to it, so he'd decided to wait to give it to him.

When the architect and scribe returned again, they had food. He'd be lying if he said the sight of it didn't make him feel sick. Unfortunately, he was handed a plate, and watched expectantly. Diluc decided slowly nibbling on it would be the best course of action. He'd be getting some food into his body, ideally keeping it there, and Kaveh, having been kind enough to bring it to him, would hopefully be satisfied.

After he managed to make it look like he'd eaten enough, he slipped out of the room, leaving Kaeya with Kaveh, and Alhaitham. He'd come to trust that they would protect his brother while he was gone, and he only needed enough time to send the note off with Dawn.

As he went to exit the building, Rosaria came through the door. She simply gave him a nod, and walked by. She had an odd look on her face. Diluc could only guess what that was about, he was sure to find out soon.

It had been quite a while since he'd been out of the hospital. The air was stuffy, very humid, and quickly sent his hair frizzing in random directions. When he whistled for Dawn, she was there in a matter of seconds, nuzzling Diluc's hand affectionately before she looked at the hospital door, then sent a questioning look back to her human. He knew what she was asking.

"He's… getting better."

Dawn chirped at him, sounding mildly annoyed.

"Don't worry, he'll be back to spoiling you in no time," he said, and she chirped once more, "Did you think I didn't know about the unhealthy snacks he sneaks you?"

The bird looked at him with one eye while she held out her leg. Diluc was amused that she didn't want to talk about the sweets she would gobble down from Kaeya. Between Dawn, Jean, Klee, and his brother, Diluc was surrounded by so much personality. It was the thing worth living for.

He finished attaching the note, and gave Dawn's chin a rub, "Make sure Jean is doing alright for me, would you?

With a couple more chirps, the falcon took to the air, and was out of sight. He felt guilty for using Dawn to get messages back and forth, but their messages were being intercepted before, he didn't trust any other way.

When he came back to Kaeya's room, Rosaria, Tighnari, Kaveh, and Alhaitham all turned to look at him. Rosaria looked troubled, Tighnari looked sympathetic, Kaveh looked sad, and slightly panicked, and Alhaitham wore his usual nearly blank expression, with a hint of something else as he left with Kaveh, and Tighnari close behind.

He sighed, and looked at his sleeping brother, "What is it now?"

Rosaria walked to the foot of Kaeya's bed, and gently put a hand on his leg, "The General Mahamatra allowed me to help with the interrogation in Kaeya's case. Cyno has an impressive ability to get others to tell the truth. The man told us everything, and while the woman remained tight-lipped, her facial expressions told us more than enough." She looked from Diluc to her unconscious friend, "From what we know, they are not a normal part of… his crew, but instead something closer to contractors. They were hired as an outside source to test the effects of these drugs, and were offered a bonus if they could find… a Khaenri'ahn to carry out the tests on. The man is one of Kaeya's informants, and apparently knew enough."

Part of that was a huge relief, and he let out the breath he had been holding. The Doctor hadn't necessarily been after Kaeya specifically. Just knowing that felt like the tight knot that had been sitting in the pit of his stomach let loose, and he felt so much tension drain from his shoulders that he physically swayed.

The downside was that Kaeya may now be on Dottore's radar. Diluc knew this wasn't the same one who had tortured him, but they were all from the same man, and Diluc had no problem with killing any of them who stepped foot in Mondstadt. Every single one of them was guilty of committing crimes to humanity, and the world would be a better place for their absence.

There was also the issue with it being one of Kaeya's own informants who did this to him. That would help to explain why there hadn't been any signs of a struggle, he knew the person. Because there were two of them, one probably distracted him, while the other would have delivered the shots they had been using.

He'd never known Kaeya to be incredibly trusting of his informants, but given the right situation, like having some sort of trouble in the wild, and his brother would probably stop to help. He wasn't a heartless person, and had an actual interest in keeping people safe.

Diluc reigned in his anger, and sat next to Kaeya, staring dully at the needle marks in his brother's arm, and neck. It was so much, and they had no way of knowing if Kaeya would fully recover. He had come back from things like severe head injuries before, even one that had taken his hearing. Diluc knew it was ridiculous to place his hopes based on those past situations, they were nothing like this, but it was all he had.

He will be fine.

He will be fine.

Kaeya will be fine.

Chapter Fifteen

Everything that touched his skin itched, and burned, his clothing was like sandpaper, and his arms were like solid iron, far too heavy to lift to try to ease his suffering. One of them felt like it had a dagger through it, but he hadn't yet found the energy to look. It wasn't like he'd be able to do anything about it anyway.

Now and then he heard voices. Some he knew like the back of his hand. Diluc's deep tone reverberated through his head. It scared him. The reasonable part of him knew that his brother wouldn't hurt him, but there was something else right on the surface. Memories of Diluc letting him suffer in blazing heat, carelessly tossing him over his shoulder, or painfully dragging him. Hearing that voice was overwhelming, and Kaeya tried his best to shy away from it.

He knew Rosaria's voice all too well. He enjoyed listening to her talk as they shared drinks. Usually, it was smooth to his ears, a pleasant underlying ring that he had never yet become tired of. However, that same exact ring seemed to stab at the walls of his skull, and his eyes stung at the pain.

There were other voices that he knew, but couldn't quite place. A loud one, a quiet one, and one that rarely spoke. Just as every other noise, these voices took no mercy on him. Eventually, between the itching, burning, and noise, it finally became too much, and he began to sob through a dry, aching throat. He felt a hand on his arm, burning hot, and trying to calm him, but he couldn't stop. It wasn't helping at all. It hurt.

Kaeya didn't know what to do, what was happening, or how to stop it. All he knew was the bubble of pain he snugly trapped inside. Darkness was all he could see, but it wasn't enough. All of it needed to be gone. Every single thing. He needed to float away to a place where he would never be found again, where nothing would hurt him anymore. Where no one would hurt him.

Death, that was what he needed, and he realized with no small amount of despair that he had failed at achieving something so simple. He had tried, and his brother had stopped him, just to prolong his torture, obviously.

Diluc's face flashed across his mind, a look of pure disappointment spread across his features.

Then, Diluc's face came into his vision, a look of pure worry pulling at his mouth, and eyes, his brows furrowed.

Kaeya would beg for forgiveness, if he could. Then he'd be at peace. He would ask the person standing before him to help stop all of his needless suffering, because he had suffered long enough, hadn't he? To be done with this, he would beg.

Please, kill me.

Please, Diluc.

I can't anymore, it's too much.

Please… please help me end this-

"Please kill me…"

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Diluc froze when he heard it.

Kaeya had been having a difficult time with noises, and touch. Everyone had been trying to be as quiet as possible, but even in a separate room, a hospital was not a quiet place to be. Kaeya would jump, and whimper with every clink, and bang, every time a bed rolled by, and especially if anyone spoke.

He'd also been trying to get away from anything that was touching his skin. He tried to pull away from the fluids he was being given intravenously, the straps, and Diluc holding his hand, so it took them too long to figure it out. No matter how quiet they were, it wasn't enough. Kaeya had started sobbing, and pulling at the restraints, which made him cry more.

Diluc tried talking to him as quietly as possible, his brother didn't respond, but he wasn't trying to get away, either. He decided to test the waters, and very lightly touched Kaeya's arm. When he didn't flinch at that, Diluc kept trying to let his brother know that he wasn't alone, that he was going to get through it, that people needed him.

After some time, Kaeya even looked up at him. That's when his little brother rasped out the short, yet horrible phrase.

"Please, kill me…"

Even worse, Kaeya kept repeating it, barely audible, yet very clear. Diluc had hoped his brother would be past this stage, that they would be able to take off the straps, and Kaeya would continue to get better. He should have known differently, he'd let his hopes get the better of him. Nothing went easily for Kaeya, ever.

Kaeya's eyes flashed from suffering, to fear in the blink of an eye, and he was instantly trying to back away from Diluc. Worry hit the pit of Diluc's stomach like a rock. Kaeya began to mumble nearly incoherent words, but Diluc was able to catch some of them.

"No, n-no, no. I w-won't do t-that. W-would hurt, would hurt h-him. No! N-not real-he's not real… h-he's not real. D-doesn't want me, no one wants… me… Not real… doesn't m-matter. I-I want to die, please."

"Kaeya? Talk to me, I'm right here. Nothing is going to happen, just talk to me, please?"

Kaeya looked away, and shook his head back and forth while still muttering, and crying. Once again, Diluc didn't know what to do, and Rosaria looked just as clueless. Kaeya hadn't even seemed to see her, or at least hadn't responded to her.

"Kaeya, Rosaria is here. Would you like to talk to her?"

His brother didn't respond, but squeezed his eyes shut. With Kaeya being unwilling, or unable to talk, the usual method of comforting the bluenette was the best they could do. Diluc sat right where Kaeya would be able to see him if he opened his eyes, and talked.

Diluc talked for hours while Kaeya was asleep, if he stopped the bluenette would start moving, and crying within a couple of minutes. After a while, Kaeya had relaxed, including where his hands had been clenched into fists. It had to have hurt tensing those muscles so much with his shoulder recovering, but Diluc supposed there were probably enough other things going on for it to make no difference.

Kaeya had also stopped shaking as much, and when Diluc took a closer look, he found the bluenette wasn't sweating as badly, either. A look at Rosaria told him she was thinking the same thing, and she left to find someone, preferably Tighnari.

While they didn't mean to use the Forest Ranger, especially in an injured state, they had come to trust him, and in this situation that trust was beyond important. In the small amount of time they had known him, they had learned that he could be short-tempered when it came to others not taking care of themselves, himself excluded.

Temper aside, Diluc could see that Tighnari was someone with integrity, and genuinely wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe, and well taken care of. It wasn't a wonder that he and Kaveh were so close, they were similar in that way.

Diluc had stopped talking, and as before, this didn't go unnoticed. This time was a little different, though. Kaeya opened his eyes, and slowly took in the room, stopping when he got to Diluc.

"Luc…"

Despite his voice sounding like gravel, and barely having his eyes open, Kaeya was calm, looking at Diluc without fear.

"Kaeya? I'm right here."

Instead of saying anything else, he looked at Diluc for a while.

"I… I t-think y-u're… not him. N-not… real…" Kaeya slowly slurred, sadness filling his eyes.

Carefully, Diluc reached out, and took Kaeya's hand. His brother flinched, but didn't pull away, "It's me. I'm right here, sitting next to you, very real."

It was difficult to tell if Kaeya was processing what was being said, or if he believed it. He just kept looking at Diluc until his eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. It was then that Rosaria came back with a tired looking Tighnari in tow, and guilt clutched at his stomach again. The man was injured, and should have been resting, and they kept disturbing him.

The Valuka Shuna sent a look his direction, "I was already awake, and like I said, I like checking on him. Come find me any time."

Slightly annoyed that everyone could apparently read him like a book, he simply nodded. Kaeya had opened only his left eye again, aware enough that they weren't alone, and was looking at Tighnari this time. The confusion was very evident on his face as he stared at the man trying to give him a checkup.

Tighnari helped Kaeya drink some water, and spoke quietly, "I'm just going to see how you're doing. Do you mind just talking to me for a few minutes?"

"D-dog man?"

Diluc could feel his own cheeks burning in embarrassment, and Rosaria stifled a laugh. To his surprise, Tighnari laughed out loud.

"Not exactly, no. I am a Valuka Shuna. My race comes from the desert."

"Oh… " Kaeya's brows knit together, "You were t-there before? Uh…"

Kaeya seemed to be unsuccessfully searching for what he was trying to say, but Tighnari apparently understood.

"You've seen me before, yes. I was nearby when you took a tumble down a hill," Tighnari said as if things like this were an everyday occurrence, "Kaeya, can you tell me what else you remember?"

For a moment, Kaeya looked almost dazed, staring at the ceiling as he had done frequently, face twitching with different emotions. Tighnari was patient, and gave the bluenette the time he needed to think.

"There was… ocean, desert… r-rain… and-" his eye wandered over to Diluc, and away again, "…"

Tighnari nodded, "It looked like you were in the desert for days. When I found you, it was in the forest, and you were talking to someone. Kaeya, you said Diluc's name, but no one was there. Medications had been repeatedly given to you, causing hallucinations, amongst other things. You were very sick, and right now, your body is trying to recover."

Kaeya looked at Diluc again, uncertain. They weren't entirely certain of everything he had been through, only what they could see, and they didn't know what the hallucination of Diluc was saying to him. It couldn't have been anything good for Kaeya to have the initial reaction he did to seeing Diluc, and now, he looked confused, and hurt.

There was a big difference between now, and even just a day ago, though. Kaeya hadn't tried to scramble away from him, or acted like he wanted to hurt himself. Diluc hoped it was an improvement, a step in the right direction.

Kaeya looked down at himself, suddenly becoming aware of his confinements, "Why-?"

"You didn't know what you were doing for a time, and this was the best way to keep you safe. Once we know you're a little more stable, we'll take them off. The good news is, I think you are finally on your way to feeling a little better."

Tighnari made sure Kaeya would be alright like this before he left. Kaeya was looking his direction again, and Diluc could see his brother had questions, but was having problems saying them. He couldn't tell if Kaeya's hesitation was from still being a little scrambled, or fear.

"I'm going to go get some fresh air, and find some food for us. I'll be back in a while," Rosaria said, then leaned closer to Kaeya, giving him a small smile, "I'm glad to see you feeling better."

When she left, Diluc and Kaeya sat in silence, questions still sitting on Kaeya's face. The bluenette looked so tired, Diluc was a little surprised he was still awake, but he obviously had something he wanted to say.

Diluc was first to break the silence, "Is there something you want to ask, Kaeya?"

"… No." Kaeya rasped, his breath caught as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Kaeya, you can tell me."

His brother sat quietly, looking at his feet, and Diluc helped him drink some water. They needed to get rid of that dry throat. He could tell Kaeya was in pain, but with all the ointments, and burn creams the doctors kept on him, Kaeya's skin was looking much better, and it seemed to help soothe the pain a little.

"I… I d-don't know what was real. I r-remember things… but I don't know," he said slowly, both eyes pinned on Diluc now.

That was tricky. Diluc didn't yet know what had happened. They had been able to make guesses based on injuries, but some of them they were still uncertain about. Then there were the hallucinations. Apparently, it was mostly Diluc, and he hadn't been nice.

"Well, I think everything you remember happening, actually happened, but as far as we know, you didn't have much contact with other people, so some of that isn't real. You had contact with Kaveh, Tighnari, and a woman named Candace. There were also… the people responsible for this."

Kaeya looked down again, brows furrowed. Diluc wasn't used to Kaeya being this confused. It had happened before, but that was caused by a head injury, and so far, this was much different from that experience.

"I… remember y-you… carried, dragged me. You weren't there, t-then… then you were mean." Kaeya's words didn't come out angry, but sad, trying to understand, though his brain was currently only running on fog, "You said t-that I'm pathetic, that father would be d-disappointed… That I s-should kill myself-" his voice broke as tears began to flow down his face.

Diluc sucked in a breath, his stomach rolling, and Kaeya let out a small noise. He was recalling something horrible that both had, and hadn't happened. How was Kaeya to know, though? It was perfectly real to him. At that time, the Diluc that was standing in front of him said these things.

"Kaeya, look at me?" he didn't continue until he had most of his brother's attention, "When you had physical contact, I think that was the drugs putting me in place of the person responsible for this. The rest was not real. Not a single bit. Please… don't hurt yourself."

Kaeya shook his head a little, but didn't say anything to Diluc's pleading. It was frustrating, Kaeya might not even believe what he was saying. It could easily sound like lies, but the bluenette needed to know what had happened on Diluc's end, some of the information he was missing.

"I had just gotten back from Liyue when I was told that you had… disappeared. Jean and the Knights hadn't been able to find you anywhere, nor any clues as to what might have happened. I contacted someone, and we were able to find out which direction you had gone."

Aside from crying, there was still no response from Kaeya, and Diluc didn't really know what else to say.

"Kaeya… I know I've been terrible before, and I've made awful mistakes. I know I said mean things, but I've never, ever wanted you dead. You're all the family I have, and I need you. You've been my support for so very long, even when I didn't deserve it." Diluc leaned forward, and rested his hand close to Kaeya's, "I understand that you've been through so much, and that it could be impossible to sort out, but if you need me, I'll be right here, as long as you are okay with that."

Once again, Kaeya sat silently for a long time. Diluc could see him trying to work through everything, then he could see the panic quickly rising. Kaeya's free hand opened, searching for something, anything that might ground him, or give him the comfort he needed, and Diluc grabbed it.

"It's alright, Ky. I don't have to stay, I don't want to hurt you-"

"I-it's all so real, I'm so conf-fused, Luc. I d-don't know what's real…" Kaeya glanced around the room nervously, "I don't e-even know where I am! How d-did I get here? I want to go home. I w-want to go home… I want to go…"

Kaeya's sentence faded into sobs. Diluc hadn't seen him quite like this since they were kids. Now that he knew more – if only a very small amount – about where Kaeya came from, he understood better why he had such a hard time feeling like he belonged anywhere. He'd been discarded by his own family, but not before he'd been brainwashed not to trust, and to believe no one would want him.

Now, it was drug induced panic, and there was no comfort that would truly help. Rest and recovery was the only option, sort out your mind later, when you can think clearly. Kaeya was squeezing his hand so hard, it was starting to go numb, but if that was what he needed to do to get through it, Diluc didn't care.

Chapter Sixteen

When he and Kaveh walked in on Kaeya's breakdown, Alhaitham slowly, and quietly, backed them out the door. If Kaveh had been in there for any longer than two seconds, he'd have been trying to help them, and outside help wasn't what those two needed right now.

Kaeya had been through a lot. Too much, really. Now, his mind was trying to take back control of itself, and his body. His brother would be the best tool Kaeya could have to help him heal, and they didn't need to get in the way.

Alhaitham had to admit, the man did look better, and regardless of the crying, he even sounded better, a little more stable. However, he wasn't under the illusion that Kaeya didn't still have a long way to go, both physically and mentally.

In his own opinion, Alhaitham felt that what Kaeya had been through was torture. Not only was he left with bodily wounds, but with paranoia of what was real or fake. Psychological distress was not something that people easily got past. In fact, this would probably add to the burden his mind carried around day, and night, for the rest of his life.

The situation was most certainly not enviable, and greedy as it may be, he was more relieved than he'd ever be able to express that it wasn't Kaveh. A few minutes after they left the room, Tighnari came back with a hospital eye patch. Upon seeing Alhaitham and Kaveh waiting outside the room, he sat himself in a close-by chair, and let out a soft sigh.

He was certain the Valuka Shuna's ears could hear the brother's conversation just fine, and would know if help was needed. Alhaitham's sensitive hearing could hear nondescript words, but also picked up on some of the louder talking.

Alhaitham had noticed that he had an eye behind the patch, and seemed to be able to see out of it, but was uncomfortable with it being uncovered. Any time Kaeya was aware enough that he noticed others in the room, his right eye stayed closed. It seemed like second nature for him. It was a little odd, but everyone had their own thing, he supposed.

"Do you think he's okay now?" Kaveh asked, pacing.

The blonde barely knew Kaeya, but that never stopped him from worrying about someone. Kaveh would give everything to a total stranger, or random desert foxes, without a thought for his own safety, and did so frequently.

"They're fine," Tighnari said, "Don't worry, they are working through it. Kaeya seems much better. Hopefully, with some rest, he'll continue to improve. Unfortunately, I don't know if he'll ever be able to completely work out which things actually happened, or not, but time will help."

They chatted amongst themselves, and Rosaria joined them. She was an interesting person. A nun in accordance with Mondstadt's famous Cathedral, but with her own way of dressing, and no qualms with fighting. From everything he'd read, this behavior was far from the standard expectations of the nuns. He guessed that she had an intriguing background that led her down this path. One thing he could be certain of, was the reason she had stayed after Kaeya was found. He understood it.

Tighnari stood, and stretched as best he could, "They've been quiet for a while. I'd say Kaeya is asleep, possibly both of them. I'm going to peek in, and drop this off, but I would like to get some food after. Join me?"

With some doing, and a promise to come back later, Alhaitham was able to talk Kaveh into having some supper. He didn't like that the blonde had hardly been eating, preoccupied with the other issues at hand. It was amusing, however, that Kaveh had constantly made sure everyone else ate.

With Tighnari's help, Alhaitham dragged Kaveh out of the building.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

When Kaeya finally fell asleep, Diluc was also finding it hard to keep his eyes open anymore, and laid his head on the edge of the bed. He didn't dare try to pull his hand out of the death grip his brother had on it.

In his last wave of panic, Kaeya was completely convinced that Diluc was going to leave him. That he was going to be left all alone again, something Kaeya had always been troubled with, and something Diluc had done before.

Diluc heard the door open, and found the energy to look up, only to find Tighnari laying an eye patch on the bedside table. His long ears twitched when he noticed Diluc watching him.

"Hey," Tighnari whispered, "I just wanted to see how he was doing, and give him this. It's not exactly fashionable, but I noticed he's uncomfortable with his right eye being exposed."

Diluc nodded slowly, hoping not to aggravate the splitting headache making itself known, "He's always done that, it became worse when he got that scar. He has to be very comfortable with someone to willingly take off the eye patch."

Tighnari hummed, and put his hand on his chin in thought, "Interesting. Has he ever told you why he wears it?"

"… Never. He rarely likes to talk about serious things that involve himself."

Tighnari chuckled lightly, and shook his head, "It runs in the family, then." he turned to leave, "Get some rest, I'll be back in a while."

Even if that had been "doctor's orders", it wouldn't have taken much convincing to get him to close his eyes. They were drooping all on their own. The terrible kink in his neck from sleeping this way didn't even slow down his descent into the dream world.

Unfortunately, his dreams didn't have anything good planned for him. No fond memories from his childhood, or Jean straddling his lap while wearing almost nothing. He really could have used some dreams like those after the very difficult several weeks he'd had.

Instead, he got the usual nightmares, along with new ones of Kaeya suffering, and dying alone in the desert, falling off cliffs, or a multitude of other ways. Sometimes their father was with him, and sacrificed himself, only to have Kaeya die anyway. Other times, Diluc would be running towards his brother, a futile attempt to get to him, as he never gets anywhere, while Kaeya screams out in agony with his last breath.

Diluc sat up with a jolt. Kaeya was staring at him, wearing the new eye patch, and his free hand hovering over Diluc's shoulder, the straps that had been confining him gone. He looked overly worried, and definitely looked as if he were about to vomit.

"Kaeya? Are you okay?"

Kaeya nodded slowly, "I'm fine… You were having a nightmare."

Right, not going to get away with that one then, "It was nothing."

"Sure," the bluenette said, obviously unconvinced, "Luc, I made it out of this okay. I'm alive, and … getting better. It's alright."

Diluc sighed, "You're the one who's hurt, I should be the one comforting you. You look like you're going to be sick."

"Ah, well… I might." Kaeya said with a half smile, half grimace.

There was a shadow of Kaeya's sarcastic way of saying things in that sentence, and perhaps for the first time, Diluc was happy to hear it. It seemed as though his slur was nearly gone, barely even noticeable. He was still visibly tired, and not feeling well, but he was getting better.

"The entire Sumeru group was here earlier, even the General Mahamatra. You slept through it, you must have been tired."

Had he? That was embarrassing, and it must have shown on his face. Kaeya chuckled, but was cut short as he turned several shades of green. Diluc scrambled for a bucket of some sort, but it seemed that his brother was already prepared.

Somewhat fortunately, Kaeya didn't have much in him to come up. However, it was still exhausting for him. He laid back on the bed, already falling asleep. A moment later, Tighnari came in with a steaming cup.

"Oh, I was hoping to get this tea to him before that happened. It was meant to soothe his stomach."

Tighnari set the bucket aside, and checked on the bluenette, "He's doing alright. I think he's at the end of it, but it's still bothering his stomach. What they were giving him," he sighed, "that was some disgusting stuff. I'm sorry he's having to go through this."

Diluc nodded, "How long do you think it'll take him to fully recover?"

The Forest Ranger bit his bottom lip, "Well, it's been a little unpredictable, and has lingered. I had expected him to be a little better off by now, even if not great, but… I think he'll just show more improvement as time goes on."

Tighnari came back around the bed, and looked at Diluc through squinted eyes. Diluc knew that look, of course. His father had frequently given him that look, as well as Adelinde, Kaeya, and Jean. He shifted in his seat, and refused to make eye contact. It was impossible to escape scrutiny within the room, however, and Tighnari saw everything he needed.

"You're going to make yourself sick."

Diluc shook his head in denial, "I'm fine. There's no need for concern."

The Valuka Shuna laughed, "Sure there isn't. You sound just like him, insisting he's fine all the time. Did he tell you how long you slept this last time? Fifteen hours." Diluc's head snapped up to meet Tighnari's eyes this time, "If you had still been asleep when I came back, I was going to have them load you onto a bed, and start you on fluids. You haven't been sleeping, or eating. You've hardly even drank anything, either. I'm guessing you've been too distracted to notice, but everyone else has. How will you help your brother if you're also sick?"

Diluc tried to think back to the last thing he'd eaten or drank, and truly couldn't recall. He definitely couldn't deny the fact that he hadn't been sleeping. In the several days prior, he'd slept no more than a few minutes each day. It was careless, and he should have known that his body would give out on its own eventually.

Still, in spite of the situation, and being lectured for it, he couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "You sound just like Adelinde."

Tighnari raised an eyebrow at him, "Well then, Adelinde is obviously a very smart person. How about we make a deal?"

"A deal? Are you in the business of buying wine?"

"Hah, Archons no. Kaveh drinks enough for all of us, and I definitely don't need more around for him to drink. How about you get some food and drink in you, and keep it that way, and I won't insist on putting an IV in. I really don't want you to collapse, and I'll be honest, you look awful."

How could he argue with that deal? "Either get healthy or I'll stick a needle in you.". The man knew how to bargain, and Diluc wouldn't claim that he didn't have this coming. He gave Tighnari a short nod, and received a smile in return.

"Great! I asked Rosaria if she would mind bringing you something. She has quite the attitude, but she needed to get some fresh air, and agreed."

"She… does things her own way. Thank you, for everything you've done to help us. How are you feeling?"

Tighnari relaxed into a seat against the wall, "Of course, it's no problem. I'm doing fine. My wound is healing well, and quickly."

Just as Tighnari had said, Rosaria returned with food, and a scowl. Not long after, and some rearranging, another bed had been added to the room. It was a tight fit, but there was still enough room for Rosaria, himself, and the odd group of Sumerian friends who kept coming to check on Kaeya.

It was somewhat amusing to watch them. Kaveh didn't stop talking, or moving. He was always on the go, not stopping to take care of himself while he made sure everyone else was alright. Alhaitham, on the other hand, rarely spoke, and usually just had his nose in a book. Diluc assumed that Kaveh had been dragging him along.

Tighnari was looking much better, and often returned Kaveh's conversation, or even the random debate the scribe, and architect would have. Those were frequently aimed at Kaveh's ideals, and Alhaitham's apparent "Complete lack of aesthetic sense". On occasion, Cyno would join them, typically with a deck of Invokation TCG, and tell terrible jokes as he set up his deck.

Diluc wasn't sure why Alhaitham and Kaveh were still coming by, but it wasn't an unwelcome distraction. Since initially meeting them, the blonde had kept in touch somewhat. He always made sure to send letters, and cards on holidays, even Mondstadt centric ones. It was kind, and Kaeya always seemed to enjoy hearing what Kaveh had to say.

It wasn't uncommon for Rosaria to join their debates, pointing out the flaws in both sides of the argument. Outside of the enjoyable ruckus the friends brought with them, she was her usual quiet self. Diluc wondered if the other nuns were missing her, or were relieved by her impromptu vacation. A little bit of both, perhaps.

After a few hours, Kaeya woke back up. It was amazing that he had slept through Alhaitham and Kaveh's latest argument, but the sleep had done well for him. He was looking better, and better. Tighnari had asked that they stick around for a few more days, but it was looking like they'd be able to make a slow journey back to Mondstadt soon. Kaeya's eyes lit up at the thought of finishing his recovery in the comfort of his own home, and familiar surroundings.

Chapter Seventeen

Kaeya would be lying if he said that he wasn't still easily tired out. It was like his body had been turned into pudding, then put haphazardly back together. Even basic exertion would easily catch up to him. The only thing that made it slightly easier to deal with, was the fact that he was lucky it hadn't been his brain that was turned to mush, regardless of the mitachurl's efforts.

Hilichurls aside, according to Tighnari's analysis, that could have easily happened. Apparently Dottore had put some pretty nasty things into that drug. Things that usually killed people by painfully shutting down their organs one by one. Even after the who knows how many doses he'd been given, his body was only just starting to show signs of failure, but nothing that wasn't still reversible. He'd be getting extra rest, and would be on some medications for a while, but he was going to heal.

Aside from a few things that had come out on their own, Kaeya hadn't talked much about what he had been starting to remember from his "journey". He remembered things like walking into groups of monsters without a second thought. Simply waltzing right on through them. He had literally been sent walking on the road to nowhere, too drugged to care about things like danger most of the time.

There were people, random strangers who tried to ask him if he was alright, who he ignored completely, likely offending them. Who wouldn't be, it was terribly rude, and he wasn't looking forward to the possibility of ever meeting any of them again, even if the behavior was not of his own doing.

Kaeya now knew who was behind all of this, and other than saying "Oh" when he was told, he hadn't said anything else. That simple word didn't come anywhere close to describing how he felt about Dottore being responsible, but he didn't even know where to start with those feelings.

Diluc was his first thought, and he saw the way his brother flinched, and visibly paled when he was being told the information. The redhead was scared, worried, and angry. Rightfully so. One Dottore had taken quite the interest in Diluc, so much so that it had turned into an obsession, and went as far as sexual assault. It was reasonable to believe other versions of the doctor might also become obsessed with him.

Now, Kaeya seemed to be on Dottore's radar, and Diluc was trying, and failing, to pretend that he wasn't completely stressed out about that. For Kaeya, while he was worried, he had already decided that the best he could do was keep a close eye out for anything that may be related to the man, and deal with it as it came at him. He had already begun doing this after the last time Diluc was taken. What he had gone through was rough, but it wasn't anything close to what his brother had experienced. Kaeya would do his best to keep the disgusting man away from everyone he loved.

Kaeya stood, leaning against his bed, trying to steady himself, Diluc on one side, Rosaria on the other. He only needed to be able to walk short distances, but right now, even that seemed like it took everything he had to give. It didn't matter, he wanted to be home so badly. He missed Klee and Albedo. Diluc had given him all the get well letters the tiny blonde had sent.

Rosaria was quiet. That was common for her, especially when she was debating who she needed to kill to fix a situation. There was nothing she would be able to do to fix this. He had been used against his will, had nearly died, and the person responsible could possibly even best Diluc in a fight. If Rosaria were to be hurt, or killed because of him, Kaeya wasn't sure what he'd do with himself.

He had come out of this with some scratches, and maybe a little bit of brain damage, but who would notice anyway? He'd take what he could get, although he wasn't looking forward to being on light duty for the next several weeks. Paperwork was not for him, at least on patrol you got a nice walk out of it.

One of the things he had remembered, but not told anyone, was when his contact, Isvey, had approached him while on patrol. Kaeya was cautious, and kept an ear open for other trouble, but it hadn't mattered, they had still taken him. Realistically, knowing Davin and her joy of killing things, he felt lucky he hadn't been killed instead of kidnapped. Kaeya had always avoided her.

Did it still count as kidnapped if he technically walked away on his own? It was all against his will, so he supposed it did, but it was all very confusing to think about. In fact, he didn't want to think about it at all. He was just happy to know that those two were locked up, and he hoped to never see them again.

After giving many thanks, and their goodbyes to their Sumeru friends, -and explicit instructions from Tighnari to have NO alcohol-, they were finally on their way home. The journey from the city to the tiny village to the south where they would catch a boat to port Ormos took hours. Kaeya was very slow, but Diluc and Rosaria were patient. He didn't miss the look the tiger gave Diluc as they passed. The redhead had an odd relationship with cats.

Just that trip exhausted him, and he found himself leaning against Diluc on the small boat, dozing off, but listening to the small talk the gondolier made. Kaeya heard the man ask if he was okay, and he gave a hum as an answer, but it seemed to go unheard as his brother answered for him.

Once they were in Port Ormos, Kaeya only had to make it to the ship, and he would be able to rest until they arrived at Liyue. He was starting to think that he'd been a little hasty in leaving the hospital, but he was starting to get antsy just sitting around in a hospital so far from home. He was just starting to get his strength back, and while he needed to take it in stride, his muscles would never recover if he just laid around.

Kaeya found the swaying of the ship comforting. It was a little like being in a hammock, and it lulled him to sleep. From Liyue to Wangshu Inn was something of a blur in a carriage. Even though he hadn't done much walking of his own, Kaeya had still managed to become exhausted, and was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next day, Kaeya felt substantially better. Walking from the Inn to the winery didn't go nearly as slow as they had been expecting, with Kaeya only having to stop to rest a few times. At the winery, Adelinde was waiting for them, and gave him one of her rib-crushing hugs.

"I'll be on my way back to Mondstadt," Rosaria said, then let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm sure I'll have an earful waiting for me when I get to the cathedral. I suppose I have it coming for leaving without telling anyone."

Diluc gave her a nod, "Thank you for all your help."

"Yes, thank you for coming for me."

"Well if I didn't, who would pay for my drinks?" Rosaria laughed as she walked away.

As always, he watched with interest as those swaying hips disappeared over the hill, and out of sight. Diluc rolled his eyes, and waited impatiently for Kaeya to be done with his sightseeing before he led him inside. Kaeya was a little disappointed that he'd have to wait until the next day to see Klee and Albedo, but he was also ready to take a nap.

The moment he was inside, there was an excited squeal. With a wide smile, he dropped to his knees, and held out his arm for the tiny blonde. The speed at which she ran into him was a bit rough on his injured shoulder, but it didn't matter, he was so happy to see her.

"Klee!"

Kaeya smiled up at Jean and Albedo standing nearby. Jean had her usual small smile. There was no anger, hatred, or deadly glint in her eyes, just Jean. It was great to see everyone, and he had to stamp down the unexpected wave of emotions that hit him. He didn't want to worry Klee by crying in front of her.

"Big brother Kaeya! Klee missed you soooo much! It was so scary because no one knew where you were, and Klee was going to go find you, but Jean, and Brother Albedo said no. They said Klee needed to wait here, and be ready to help when you returned. Klee is so happy you're home!"

"Oh, well, I missed you so much too. I'm not going anywhere now!" his voice gave away more emotion than he wanted, "Come sit with me, and tell me everything that's going on. It was super boring with no one but Master Diluc to talk to the whole time, you know."

Kaeya and Klee sat on one of the sitting room couches while she chatted away, refusing to let go of him, as if he would disappear again if she did. Albedo sat on his other side, listening with a small smile playing on his lips, while Diluc and Jean cuddled up on another couch.

It was so nice to be home.

I hope you enjoyed!

The idea behind the Gandharva Ville attack was that Davin set it up so that when she started fires as a distraction, she could just cut a rope, and have it automatically launch arrows while she could just walk away. She really loves her weapons, and chaos! I just couldn't find a good way to fit this into the story, lol.