Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Naruto and Genshin Impact. Both the series and the video game belong to their respective owners.
Author's notes: Please check the end of the chapter for breakdowns, interpretations, thoughts, and questions. I will try to do a QNA whenever I have time.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
[Jutsu, Taijutsu, Sage-Arts, etc.]
A Beginning and an Ending
The murmur of wildlife set a tone of tranquility upon the landscape. Rushing ocean water pelted the shore nigh-endlessly and ebbed back out just as quickly. To Paimon, these noises got old the thousandth time.
Seeing the same beach, trees, and screeching animals and trying to keep herself occupied and active almost drove her to the brink of insanity.
She lost hope long ago, resigning to a life of scavenging and hiding away, fearing the predators lurking at night and in the oceans around her. She could only really shake her head and hope for the best.
She began her daily scavenging routine, moving on autopilot across the island's northern half. The giant stone altar at the center was a noticeable land marker and reference point for her location. She hoped to find a washed-up boat or some food to satiate her hunger—not that she believed she was a bottomless pit.
She couldn't help but be knocked out of her musings when a constant routine threw her for a loop. That anomaly was the telltale sign of a human body ahead of her.
"Is that?" Paimon paused, eyes scrutinizing the figure that washed up the shore.
It took her but a moment of discernment to realize that it was not, in fact, a figment of her imagination and was instead another person.
"Finally, someone on this stupid island!" She yelled out in tear-stained relief and agonizing frustration. She was elated to find someone else in this endless isolation.
"Huh?" Her confusion was evident as she got a better look at the downed person; she didn't know what to make of them. On the one hand, she was joyous to find someone else on this damned island, and on the other, she felt concern for the condition of the stranger.
The only articles of clothing covering the man's modesty were a pair of black gloves, black pants, shin wraps, and sandals.
He was a man of a lean, muscular build, tall for his height and a lithe form. His set in a perpetual frown, and he had prominent eye bags. Most curious of all, his hair. It was a whole mop of white hair that reached to his back and fanned out around him.
"His hair is just like Paimon's." She said, feeling a minor form of kinship. Slight similarities aside, she just wanted someone to talk to or help her get off this island.
Paimon wasn't an expert in medicine or a doctor, but even she could admit the guy's body had seen better days.
She almost thought he was a goner when he washed ashore, but she tossed that idea out the window after seeing the rise and fall of his chest.
Doing a once-over of his frame, she caught sight of his injuries. He had a multitude of shallow cuts, puncture wounds, and a missing right arm. Paimon also spotted lines of dried blood seeping from his eyes and mouth.
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any significant bleeding, and the cuts she had spotted were, at most, scars under all the dried blood.
A sigh escaped her lips, and any tension left over quickly dissipated, leaving her a little more relaxed.
Racking her brain for any means of treating the wounded man. She remembered her experience as the self-proclaimed "greatest guide and adventuring partner in Teyvat."
Getting to work, she unwrapped his shin wraps, thankful that his body was lying on the sand, as it would make moving him around a bit easier.
Having everything she needed, she began the arduous task of covering every inch of this man's visible injuries, praying to the archons for his recovery. She hoped he understood that he owed her for this.
"There, not too shabby if Paimon says so herself," she said, arms folded, eyes shut, and head held high in pride. It was just enough to cover his chest and the missing portion of his arm. Paimon beamed at her handy work.
"Now, Paimon just has to wait, but what if he wakes up?" Paimon pondered a little. He was surely going to be thirsty and hungry from malnourishment. He could have been floating adrift for days or months.
She remembered the body of freshwater she frequented and, if he was hungry, the fruits this island held in abundance.
With a renewed sense of purpose after endless isolation, Paimon set about her task with gusto, picking up speed to hopefully help her new friend in need.
Having left him alone to set upon her next task, she missed the slow opening of his eyelids.
A/N: Sorry for your less-than-stellar opening and blue balling from the interactions. If you could have guessed the mystery man's identity from my descriptive nightmare of a word salad, you, my friend, are the MVP. Consider this a pilot chapter of what's to come; if all this even counts as one, I will admit I am new to this. Please comment on the protagonist's identity, what you want to see, any criticism, and any improvements. I take corrections seriously and don't hesitate to comment on what errors I make.