The Past, Present, or Future
As Kaveh took in the beautiful view from a high overlook, Alhaitham took in his own view, a blonde smiling ear to ear, pure joy shaping his delicate features. Kaveh held his arms straight out from his sides, as if he were a kite, catching the comforting wind as it blew.
When the blonde turned to look at Alhaitham, he looked serene, at peace, all of his worries carried away by the breeze. It was a wonderful sight to see, if not perfect in Alhaitham's opinion. He allowed himself his own smile upon seeing such a thing.
"Come see this, it's beautiful!"
Alhaitham hesitated, simply wanting to watch Kaveh enjoy himself, "Just give me a moment, hm? No need to rush, we'll be here all day."
Kaveh smiled, and nodded, but turned towards Alhaitham. He hadn't even taken a step when it happened. Though the sound was dull, it rang through Alhaitham's ears. Kaveh stumbled backwards, looking down at, and feebly grabbing the shaft of the spear that had pierced his side.
Alhaitham's heart stopped in his chest as he tried to rush forward, and Kaveh reached out a shaking hand for him, blood dribbling down his chin with a sickening cough. Alhaitham wasn't fast enough, centimeters away as Kaveh fell backwards, and disappeared over the cliff ledge.
"No!" Alhaitham heard himself scream.
Without a second thought, he jumped after Kaveh, only to watch him hit the ground hard, broken.
Alhaitham sat up with a start, shaking, and covered in sweat. He spun to his left to find Kaveh, sleeping away in his usual awkward position. Carefully, Alhaitham moved the blonde's head in a way that it wasn't nearly bent in half. He wanted to say it was so that Kaveh wouldn't have a horrible kink in his neck come morning, but he also needed to feel that the man next to him really was okay.
Kaveh let out a little snort as his breath caught, but never woke. Alhaitham let out a shaky breath, and closed his eyes to control his breathing, willing his lungs to stop hurting. Slowly, he untangled Kaveh's arms from around him the rest of the way, and got out of bed.
As he drank his second cup of water, he thought about the dream, and shivered. It had been several nights since the dream had started, and it felt so real every single time. If he hadn't woken to find Kaveh laying next to him, warm and sleeping in their own bed, he wouldn't have been surprised to open his eyes to find the blonde broken, and cold. He shivered again at the thought.
"Hai? … What are you doing?"
Alhaitham nearly jumped out of his skin, too distracted to hear Kaveh coming, and caught the glass he'd been holding before it fell to the floor.
Kaveh's eyebrows rose at that reaction, and reached out a hand, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Something. Alhaitham shook his head, "Nothing wrong. I was just thirsty."
Now that Kaveh was awake, he was able to bury his face in the space between the blonde's shoulder, and neck, breathing in his scent. He'd come to find it so comforting, that he didn't even think twice about it. Unfortunately, Kaveh had noticed he did this.
"Okay, now I know something is wrong," Kaveh said, suddenly sounding more awake.
"I had a dream. It's nothing to worry about."
"A bad dream? What was it about?" the blonde put his hand on Alhaitham's cheek, "Are you still dreaming about… losing me?"
Even if it wasn't exactly the situation that Kaveh was thinking, it was still correct. Alhaitham gave a short, reluctant nod, and Kaveh's gaze turned even softer than it already had been.
"Well, there's nothing to worry about. I'm right here, aren't I?" Kaveh didn't wait for an answer, "You look exhausted, and it's still early. Let's go back to bed."
Alhaitham nodded again, and let the blonde drag him back to their room.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Alhaitham had watched the dark of night slowly turn lighter, and heard the sounds of birds waking up, shortly followed by the bustling of people starting their day. Still, he laid in bed, not having the energy to move.
He hadn't fallen back asleep, the fear of having that dream again creeping up in his mind every time he'd start to doze off. He'd jerk back to full alertness, and stare at Kaveh's sleeping face. Alhaitham knew the day would have to begin, though, and he didn't want Kaveh to see how tired he knew he must look, or he'd never hear the end of it.
Looking in the mirror, he grimaced, finding that he looked even worse than he thought he would. People weren't used to seeing him this way, not that he cared, but the dark circles under his eyes gave even him pause.
With a sigh, Alhaitham started getting ready. He brushed his teeth, skipped the shower so that Kaveh wouldn't see the dark circles under his eyes, grabbed a cup of coffee, and was out the door.
As usual, he ignored anyone who tried to approach him. Unless he was sitting in his office, he was off-duty, and not required to interact with those who might want something work related from him. He didn't talk to anyone he didn't have to.
Today, he had no intention of talking to anyone. The moment he entered his office, he locked the door, and sat at his desk. A cup of coffee with Lambad's messy scribble sat on the desk with a note. Alhaitham read it with a small smile.
"Have a great day, Alhaitham. I'm sorry I couldn't wake with you."
- Your Love
The blonde had been sending them all week. Alhaitham knew the pots he'd been making weren't exactly up to his usual standards, but he hadn't had the energy to pay attention to what he was doing. This was a wonderful gesture, one Alhaitham would even call romantic. Unfortunately, by the time he got home each day, he was far too frazzled to remember to thank the man. He'd even written reminder notes. They still sat on his desk from where he'd forgotten to take them home.
After a few large sips, which were far better than the coffee he'd made that morning, he got to work. Usually, he would complete anything that was part of his duties without complaint, or annoyance, but everything seemed tedious to him. There was no single task he could focus on, his eyes, and mind far too tired to do so.
Alhaitham sifted through the stacks of papers, ignoring the ones that fell off the desk, and picked out some random pages that seemed like they'd be easier. He felt it would be the best way to achieve something useful until his work day was done, without having to worry about messing something up.
This was how his day continued. He ignored the knocks at the door, letting them assume he wasn't there, and completed what he could. On his way home, he stopped at Puspa Café, and grabbed dinner for himself, and Kaveh. He recalled Kaveh had something about a late meeting with a client, then drinks with Tighnari. This worked in Alhaitham's favor, he would simply go to bed early. Though he hated the thought of missing out on his reading time, his pillow called him as if it were a siren.
Alhaitham left the food on the counter with a note, and a sweet treat, and went to bed.
Chapter Two
Alhaitham watched with a smile as Kaveh enjoyed the beautiful scenery around them. The blonde's face was lit up with joy, the brightness of his smile outshining the even sun. It was beautiful.
Kaveh turned to him, giddy with excitement, "Come see this, it's beautiful!"
A pang of dark familiarity shot through Alhaitham, but he couldn't place it, and chose to ignore it in light of Kaveh's beauty.
"Just give me a moment, hm? No need to rush, we'll be here all day."
Though he was expecting a protest, Kaveh smiled at Alhaitham, turning towards him. In a split second, both of their smiles were gone. It was like the world was moving in slow motion as Kaveh looked to the spear now lodged in his side, to Alhaitham, reaching for him, and fell backwards, off the mountain.
"No!"
He ran after his beloved, blindly jumping over the edge. He wasn't fast enough. All he could see was Kaveh's eyes closing as he lost consciousness, the ground below them swiftly coming up to meet their soaring bodies. He helplessly watched as Kaveh's body was crushed by the force of impact.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Alhaitham felt like he couldn't draw in a breath until he was sitting up, and flung his feet over the edge of the bed. His muscles ached, and shook from tension, and adrenaline. He tried to gather himself, ignoring the thrumming headache, and harsh pain in his lungs.
As soon as his body would let him, he turned to look at the other side of the bed, and sighed with relief. Kaveh was right there, asleep, and breathing, yet Alhaitham felt as if he was going to be sick.
He could feel things that happened in his dream, and it all felt completely real, from the heat of the sun, to the cool breeze, he could swear he was there. He ran shaking hands over his sweaty face. If this were one of the nightmares about Kaveh being taken in the City of the Dead, he'd understand why it was affecting him so much, but this was different. He had never been to a mountain top that looked like the one in the dream, and he certainly hadn't been there with Kaveh, who was laying on the bed next to him, alive, and well.
Alhaitham shook his head, and laid back in bed only to stare at the blonde next to him. Every once in a while, the corners of Kaveh's mouth would pull upwards, or he'd moan in a way that would have Alhaitham giving Kaveh a reason for those sounds any other time, but he had no energy.
He was beginning to lose track of how many days he had now laid awake as a new day began. Eventually, he dragged himself out of bed, and got ready to join the world outside his home. Sluggishly making breakfast for two, burning it, and leaving a plate for Kaveh on the counter.
On his walk to work, instead of attempting to greet him, people stared, no doubt taking in his sorry state. He couldn't help but enjoy the fact that it finally got people to leave him alone.
Once again, he locked the door to his office, drank the coffee Kaveh had sent, and attempted to complete any work he could before it was time to head home. There came a point that he simply couldn't handle anymore, and though he still had a few hours left on the clock, he went home.
The moment he was in the door, he kicked off his shoes, laid on the divan, and was asleep in moments.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
"Alhaitham?"
He tried to ignore the voice, but he had a hard time denying Kaveh attention when he wanted it. Alhaitham blinked open his eyes to a concerned look, and Kaveh reaching for his forehead.
"Alhaitham, are you sick? You're home from work early, is it another migraine?"
"I'm fine. I was tired, so I left work early," he responded sleepily.
More importantly, he hadn't been dreaming.
"Tired? You couldn't sleep again? It seems like this is becoming a problem, maybe you should see a doctor."
Alhaitham sat up slowly, and rubbed his face, "Having a little trouble sleeping is hardly a reason to see a doctor, Kaveh. If that were the case, you'd be there all the time."
Kaveh huffed, and crossed his arms. The blonde couldn't even deny it. While he did tend to sleep more, since Alhaitham helped him use up some of that excess energy, he would still often have sudden ideas that he'd stay up all night working on. A genius who couldn't turn off his mind.
"Fine, but you better tell me if something's wrong." Kaveh groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What am I saying? Of course YOU wouldn't tell me if something is wrong!"
Alhaitham knew this was the point where Kaveh would get himself all worked up. The blonde had already begun pacing, and ranting, listing off all the things that Alhaitham had failed to tell him about, and the issues it led to. Alhaitham grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled him close.
"Kaveh, it's just a few bad dreams. They'll pass, and I'll be able to sleep peacefully again. Don't worry about something that isn't going to happen. It's a waste of energy."
Kaveh pulled away, carefully observing Alhaitham's face. He knew he surely looked tired, but it wasn't as if he were sick. The blonde seemed to agree, though he shook his head, and rolled his eyes.
"Alright, but if it keeps happening, you have to tell me!"
Alhaitham nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure what Kaveh thought he would do to help in such a case, but if it made the man feel more comfortable, he'd agree to it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl from Kaveh's stomach. Alhaitham arched an eyebrow at him.
"Hey, don't look at me that way! I haven't had time to eat yet today…"
"I left you breakfast on the counter."
"I couldn't eat that, it was too burnt, and I needed to get out the door, so I couldn't make anything. Since you're home, I'll just make an early dinner." Kaveh pushed himself up, "You go ahead and rest. I'll let you know when it's time to eat."
As Kaveh left, he took one last look back at Alhaitham, before he left with an eye roll, and mumbled about Alhaitham giving him gray hairs before his time. With a smile, Alhaitham laid back down, and closed his eyes.
Chapter Three
The sun was bright, but Kaveh shone brighter. Seeing the man look so happy was one of the best things Alhaitham could ever think of. Radiance beamed from Kaveh on a normal day, elegance that was unmatched, but when he was like this, the blonde could be called god-like.
The wind flowed through blonde locks, freeing a few strands from where it had been tied back, and the sun gleamed in his eyes. Alhaitham could gaze upon this view for hours, or a lifetime, and never tire of it.
"Come see this, it's beautiful!" Kaveh beamed at him.
"Just give me a moment, hm? No need to rush, we'll… we'll be here… all day…"
Something was not right. He was certain they'd had this conversation before. Not something like the same one, but exactly the same, and he knew what happened next.
"No!"
In an instant, Kaveh was falling backward, spear and all, and Alhaitham went over the ledge after him, just as he'd done every single time before. Everything was the same as he'd seen, time and time again. He watched his love die, before meeting his own end.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Kaveh hummed as he worked, cutting vegetables, and meat. Alhaitham didn't like soup much, but he looked like he could use some. It was rare to see the man look so tired. Usually, Alhaitham would always allot for the time he'd need to have a good night's sleep. He'd even account for variables.
Normally, he would only ever see Alhaitham like this was after something traumatic had happened. When it came to issues with nightmares, Alhaitham would take the time to process them, and the reason behind them. Then, while he would have them from time to time, they were not a common problem.
This was different than Kaveh was used to. Nothing bad had happened. In fact, things had been quite calm for a few months, and they were both enjoying the peace. As far as he knew, there had been no incidents with experiments at the Akademiya, and neither of them had been on any sort of expedition in some time. So, Kaveh couldn't think of a reason Alhaitham might be having repeating nightmares.
"No!"
Kaveh jumped, and dropped the knife before he scrambled into the living room. Alhaitham was shaking, one fist clenched in a way that must have been painfully hard, the other hand reaching out into the nothing that was in front of him. Then he went still.
"… Alhaitham?"
Alhaitham's chest wasn't moving, and panic flooded Kaveh. His hands shook as he climbed over the other man, trying to recall exactly what Tighnari had taught him to do when someone wasn't breathing.
Just as he leaned over, Alhaitham gasped, sucking in a deep breath, and sat upright. Before Kaveh could respond, he was pulled into a tight hug. He could feel Alhaitham's entire body shaking.
"Hey… It's alright. It was just a dream, Haitham…"
Or at least he thought it was. In truth, he had no idea what just happened, and along with the million other things going through his mind, he was trying to figure out how to get Alhaitham to Bimarstan.
Alhaitham didn't respond, and Kaveh didn't know what to say. Eventually, Alhaitham pulled away, he looked terrible, very pale.
"Haitham, how long has this been happening?"
The silver-haired shook his head, "I started having nightmares… around a week ago."
Kaveh remembered a few nights earlier that Alhaitham said he had a nightmare, but that didn't explain why he'd stopped breathing. Alhaitham's nightmares about the City of the Dead would sometimes come, and go, just like any other bad dream, but they had never caused anything more than lack of sleep, and some panic.
"You said they were about what happened at the City of the Dead, but there must be something different about the dream now. Have you noticed anything?"
Alhaitham looked down at his hands, an odd move for him, "It's not from then."
"What?! You… you lied?"
"No. I never said it was about the City of the Dead. I agreed that it was about…"
Alhaitham cut himself off, and Kaveh found it unsettling that none of the usual sarcasm, or smugness showed in his face, only concern, and sadness. Then, he remembered what he'd said when he found Alhaitham awake that night.
"It's about losing me…"
"Yes."
"What happened in that dream?" Kaveh asked.
Alhaitham crossed his arms, "It doesn't matter. It's of no consequence, and nothing you need to concern yourself with."
Kaveh sighed. There was the arrogance that Kaveh hated so much. He loved Alhaitham with all of his heart, and soul, but the ridiculous man always thought he could handle everything on his own, he never wanted help, and he certainly never wanted to see a doctor. He took a deep, slow breath in an attempt to quell his annoyance.
"Haitham, did you know that you stopped breathing?"
Alhaitham's head shot up, and his wide eyes said everything, just as Kaveh had suspected. He supposed it could be understandable that Alhaitham wasn't prepared to go to a doctor over something that only seemed like dreams, but this was more.
"We need to find you some help, and I want you to go to Bimarstan-"
"Okay."
"- I know you won't agree – wait, what?!"
"I'll go. It's difficult to figure out the solution to a problem when you're not breathing, and I'm already completely exhausted. I don't know if I can stay awake another twenty minutes, never mind longer."
Kaveh blinked, "That was easy… Well, come on." he paused putting his shoes on, "… That really scared me."
"I didn't know that was happening, but from the way my lungs hurt after each time, I'd guess it has happened in every instance."
Kaveh closed his eyes to fight the swirling in his stomach for a moment. Alhaitham had stopped breathing at least seven times that week. At least he hadn't ignored it on purpose this time.
He took Alhaitham's arm, as if the man was going to drop at any moment, and the scribe didn't even argue. Kaveh could feel the other's muscles still shaking, and straining to do their job. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Alhaitham was slightly more steady, but he looked ready to fall asleep standing up.
Kaveh hadn't even said anything to their friends about it, and they were already showing up. Apparently word had spread quickly. The Akademiya's Scribe, notorious for refusing medical treatment unless he was completely incapacitated, walked into Bimarstan willingly.
Tighnari, the ever curious Amurta graduate, and good friend that he was, immediately started asking questions. Alhaitham was sluggish to answer them, and he still wouldn't tell them what happened in the dream.
After a time, Alhaitham lost consciousness mid-sentence. They tried to wake him, but he didn't respond to anything. It was expected that this might happen, but it wasn't any easier for Kaveh to process.
Not long ago, they had been at home, Kaveh making dinner, and Alhaitham taking a nap. Nothing odd, nothing unusual, and nothing out of place. It should have been a simple evening, but things had gone wrong so quickly.
Tighnari turned to Kaveh, and gave his the usual appraising look, "How are you doing with this?"
"I'm-well, I didn't…" Kaveh paused, trying to put together his answer properly, "I don't know. I didn't even know anything was wrong, at least not like this, until he yelled. I knew he'd been having some trouble sleeping, but I didn't know it was this bad, and leave it to Alhaitham not to tell me."
"Well, he doesn't like doctors very much, but it looks like it was for the best that you got him here." Tighnari shrugged.
Kaveh nodded in agreement, "I know, but with this… I don't think it's about that, not liking doctors. It seemed like he genuinely had no idea he'd stopped breathing. I've heard of such a thing with people who have snoring issues, but Haitham really doesn't have that problem. This seemed like it was linked to the dream," he sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead to try to relieve some of the tension, "At least he agreed to come. I was expecting a fight."
Tighnari nodded in agreement, "Seems it was a surprise to all of Sumeru City. As for the dream, I have to say, from an outside perspective, it's hard to see this as anything but a natural occurrence, breathing issues aside. There are different reasons that cause recurring dreams, though it's not all that surprising it would be about you. I'm just not sure what we can do, but I'll gladly do what I can to help."
Cyno returned with a few books about dreams. They huddled together around the foot of Alhaitham's bed, and compared notes, any little thing they found that could be useful. Unfortunately, that wasn't much. There were so few books available on the subject, and even less about recurring dreams.
Kaveh hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of Alhaitham, watching him like a hawk. Every twitch, or movement made his own breath catch, waiting for the man to stop breathing. The feeling had his stomach churning.
There was someone he knew might be able to help, and the others were surely thinking the same thing. Kaveh bit his lip, afraid to say anything, or ask, but the only person he thought might be of help was their Archon, but they already asked so much of her. It wasn't fair to her, to expect her to solve all of their problems.
"I think we should talk to Nahida," Cyno said.
Kaveh let out a breath of relief, glad that he wasn't the only one thinking it.
Tighnari, "I agree, I was thinking the same thing. We've found what we can about it, and it's not enough. This is Nahida's realm, she would be able to help us best."
"I'll go-" Cyno started.
"He's not breathing again!" Kaveh yelped.
The machines they had hooked Alhaitham up to started beeping frantically not a second later. Cyno rushed out the door, and Tighnari began to help Alhaitham. Thankfully, just as the previous time, it only lasted for a minute before the silver-haired man was sitting up, gasping for breath. Alhaitham grimaced, and gripped his chest before he started coughing.
Even through this, he reached for Kaveh, wrapping his shaking hand around Kaveh's wrist, fingers right at his pulse point.
"K-Kaveh…" Alhaitham wheezed.
"I'm fine, Haitham. I'm right here."
Confused teal, and gold eyes looked at Kaveh, then slid shut again, Alhaitham went limp. Tighnari and Kaveh each caught his head, and arm by instinct, so he wouldn't fall back to the pillow so quickly. Not even a second later, Kaveh could feel Alhaitham's arm muscles tense, and jerk in his hand.
Tighnari's eyes went wide, "Seizure, help me turn him your way-"
Despite the panic threatening to overwhelm him, Kaveh acted quickly. He felt helpless as Alhaitham's body shook, and reached out to touch his cheek. Thankfully, the seizure didn't last too long. The doctor and nurse had come rushing in just in time for Alhaitham's body to start calming down, his muscles finally relaxing.
Kaveh was pushed aside while the doctor evaluated, and Tighnari spoke with them, then they left the room just as quickly as they had come in. He stared at Alhaitham, and took his hand, needing to keep that contact.
He sat there for several minutes, waiting for the silver-haired man to wake, but it didn't happen, the same as when they tried to wake him before. Alhaitham seemed to be losing some sort of battle, and no one knew what it was.
"Why isn't he awake yet?"
He knew it was a stupid, and hopeful question, but he had to ask.
Tighnari shook his head, "It can take a little while. We can only be patient…"
Patient? Patience wasn't Kaveh's forte. Still, he waited as patiently as he possibly could. Fifteen minutes went by, then a half hour, then nearly an hour, and Alhaitham hadn't moved a bit. Not a single indication that he was going to wake up.
Kaveh had been so focused on watching Alhaitham, that when Cyno came in with Nahida, he squeaked, and covered his mouth in embarrassment. Their Archon went straight for Alhaitham, while the General went to stand by Tighnari. Kaveh could hear the Valuka Shuna updating him on what had happened, but his focus wasn't on his friends.
Nahida climbed onto a chair next to Alhaitham, and did her thing. She briefly put a hand on his shoulder, then moved to his temple, and closed her eyes. It only took a second for her eyes to snap open, jolting in the chair. Everyone moved toward her, but Cyno caught her before she fell.
Kaveh didn't want to be rude, but he needed to know, "Could you tell what is happening? What's wrong? How did this happen so quickly?! I didn't hear anything about any accidents, or other incidents, so-"
Tighnari gently put a hand on Kaveh's shoulder, "Try to calm down, Kaveh. Worrying yourself into a tizzy won't help…"
"It's okay. It's understandable," Nahida replied, and turned to Kaveh, "I had been meditating because I've felt a kind of disturbance for the last several days, though I couldn't quite tell what it was. I was trying to pinpoint it, but I just couldn't seem to. Now I know why. What Alhaitham is going through is both a dream, and a memory. It's a little like a recurring dream, but while those are based on memories, they are not exactly memories. This is."
"He… he's reliving a memory in the form of a dream?" Kaveh asked.
He began sorting through every memory of his own where he knew Alhaitham may have had this kind of reaction. He'd said it was about losing Kaveh, so that rapidly shortened the list.
Nahida nodded, "He is, but it is not just any memory. It's a death memory."
On the other hand, Nahida's statement threw his list out the window, and she seemed hesitant to continue.
"What do you mean by death memory?…"
"It is a memory from a time when you died, together in another life."
Kaveh blinked trying to absorb that information, to wrap his head around it. What was the solution to someone dreaming about dying in another life? He felt a little like his brain was stuttering, but he needed to pull himself together.
"Can you help him? What do we do?" Kaveh asked, voice pleading.
"The dream is influenced by something else… a drug. It's strong in his system."
Tighnari spoke up, "I don't know of anything that could do this to somebody, but I can go to the Akademiya, and check."
"I'll go with you," Cyno agreed.
Nahida nodded, and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, "Kaveh, can you think of any opportunities someone may have had to do this?"
They hadn't been out much, both being either busy, tired, or just wanting to spend time together. Alhaitham had only been to work, and home, with the occasion quick stop to order food, not having the energy to meet up with their friends. Things had been calm, and quiet, and Kaveh had been enjoying it.
"No, he hasn't gone far from home. We haven't even eaten out together lately. He did bring home take-out a couple of times, but we both ate the same food."
"I believe it would have been over a period of time, so it must have been at the Akademiya, then," Nahida said, tapping her finger to her chin. "I had hoped I could communicate with him, but he's too trapped in his memory, and I can't get in. The best I can do is reset the dream, but I can only do that for a short time before it won't work anymore. "
"He… won't stop breathing, then?"
The Archon nodded, and focused her attention on the scribe. Kaveh squeezed Alhaitham's hand, hoping he could somehow feel it. It was so Alhaitham-like to have said the dream was about losing him, when Alhaitham himself had died right along with Kaveh.
Kaveh sat himself in the seat next to him, never letting go of Alhaitham's hand, and waited.
Chapter Four
Tighnari stamped down his impatience the best he could, but when dealing with a situation where someone was in trouble, or incompetent people, he could easily lose his temper. Unfortunately, this situation was both.
"How could you not know where a substance, one which is supposed to be under lock and key, managed to walk itself off to?! Do you know what a phenomenally large mess up this is?" he yelled at the researcher.
He clenched his hands, and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm himself, while Cyno gently patted his arm. They had been able to narrow a list down to substances that had some effects which matched Alhaitham's condition.
The list wasn't small, and other than the fact it seemed to mess with the part of the brain responsible for memories, and dreams, they didn't have much else to go by. He, and Cyno had already been searching through the list for a time before Cyno nudged him, and pointed out that there was no item to correspond with the entry. When questioned, none of the researchers had any idea where it might have gone.
Tighnari let out a low growl.
"I'll stay here and investigate. You need to inform the medical staff what they are dealing with," Cyno said.
He was right. With one last glare at the researchers, Tighnari was out the door, speeding back to the hospital. When he arrived, Alhaitham was in the midst of a seizure, Kaveh looked stressed to the max, and Nahida looked worn out.
With Alhaitham having been taken care of, he was able to explain their findings.
"It was a drug, just as Nahida suspected," he said, nodding at the Archon, "The item in question was an oil made from a mix of plants. The mixture was listed as a possible way to relieve stress, but had yet to be tested, according to the record. I saw which plants were apparently used to make this. There's no reason someone in the botany, or medical fields should have been mixing these together, and it certainly shouldn't have been labeled as stress relief."
Tighnari had to stamp down his annoyance once more, "These plants are more known to cause a whole slew of health issues, including hallucinations. There is one specific plant that was used that was once involved in the ritual of seeing one's passed loved ones. Even without being distilled, the effects of these plants are potent," he looked at Alhaitham, "I think we're lucky he's still breathing."
He watched a range of emotions cross Kaveh's face.
"I don't see Alhaitham using this on himself. There's obviously someone else involved…"
While he sounded sure of himself, Kaveh's voice was shaky. Kaveh was an emotional person on a normal day, and this was a lot to take in. Tighnari's saved Alhaitham's hand from the blonde's near death grip.
"I agree. We all know Alhaitham can be wreckless in some cases, but not in this way. I also think that the combination is causing him to see this memory. You are the person he thinks about day, and night."
Nahida hummed in acknowledgement, "Yes. I believe that may be the case. Alhaitham is also very connected to his abilities, which can have a link to past lives. Between you, his memories of you, his capabilities, and these drugs, it seems reasonable." Nahida said, never removing her hand from Alhaitham's temple, "He's just barely hanging on now, his energy is nearly depleted, as well as my own. I'm going to have to act now-"
The door suddenly slammed open, and a young woman came rushing in. At the sight of Alhaitham, she began to cry dramatically. It was when she took the scribe's hand, and held it to her mouth that Tighnari's own mouth fell open. In a moment of being dumbfounded, he looked back, and forth between the woman, and Kaveh. His sights stopped on Kaveh, who suddenly looked murderous.
"Oh, Alhaitham! My poor, poor Alhaitham! What's happened to you, my love? It's okay, I'm here now. Everything is going to be okay!"
Tighnari could say he'd heard Kaveh happy, drunk, sad, and quite annoyed, even a bit angry, but he'd never heard the low growl of a voice that came from him now.
"You. Stop touching him! Who said you could come in here! LEAVE!" Kaveh yelled as he removed the woman's hands from Alhaitham.
The woman gasped dramatically, "Excuse me? You can't keep me from my Love! What right do you have?!"
Angry red eyes, got wider, "You really have no clue, do you? Do you not remember what you did?"
"Hay-Hay and I made a connection at a party, I don't see what your problem is-"
For some reason, the nickname "Hay-Hay" made Tighnari queasy. He had no idea who this woman was, but he was at a loss for what to do as he watched the drama unfold. He glanced at Nahida, who seemed to have drowned out the noise so she could work.
"Well, since you didn't get it through your head then, HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO TOUCH HIM. I don't know how you didn't understand his very clear message, but he wants nothing to do with you, and he never will."
"Oh? If he didn't want me, why did he keep drinking the coffee I left for him?"
"… Coffee?-"
She nodded, crossed her arms, and gave Kaveh a smug smile that Tighnari had half a mind to wipe off her face himself, "That's right. I left him coffee every morning last week, and he drank it every single time. My poor Hay-Hay has been so stressed lately, I even found a way to help him relieve his stress-"
"Wait, you what?" Tighnari cut her off.
She gave him an appraising look, as if she had just noticed him for the first time, and scoffed, "I'm taking care of him. I asked a friend to help me find something effective in relieving stress, Alhaitham had that terrible headache not too long ago, after all. He got me some ingestible oils, and said to only add a drop, but I added a few, with how stressed Hay-Hay was!"
She pulled a small vial out of her pocket, and waved it around with the same smug look as before. Tighnari, who recognized the same type of bottle used in the Akademiya labs, immediately snatched it from her hands.
"Hey!-"
This had to be what caused this entire problem, and as much as he wanted to lecture the woman, and shove her into a prison for harassment, and nonconsensual drug distribution, there was one more piece of information they needed.
"Who is your friend?" Kaveh asked through gritted teeth.
"Hah! Why would I tell you? You stole my darling Alhaitham from me! Haven't you done enough?!"
"Then you can tell me."
None of them had heard the room door opening, but Cyno stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Tighnari recognized the man's work mode, and he wasn't playing around, the electricity coming off him was enough to give those around him goosebumps. Cyno was small in stature, but he was exceptionally imposing.
"G-General Mahamatra! I-I… I don't-"
"Who is your friend?" Cyno repeated Tighnari's question quietly.
That was all it took to have her cowering, much to Tighnari's satisfaction.
"S-Scheimer! He's the one who help - who gave it to me!"
"And your name, for the record?"
The woman didn't even have to answer for herself, Kaveh stepped in, "Her name is Minya, and she's got delusions that Alhaitham is in love with her. She touched him inappropriately on one occasion, and now this."
"It's true! He DOES love me!"
"Only one person has ever taken Alhaitham's attention, and they are not you," Tighnari said bluntly.
Minya broke down, and Cyno dragged her out of the room. Even without knowing the entire situation, Tighnari could safely say that the woman was delusional. As he'd said, Alhaitham had only ever had eyes for one person, and that person was a tall blonde with a bright smile, and brighter personality. How could anyone think that drinking some coffee meant they reciprocated your love? He couldn't see Alhaitham simply accepting anything from Minya, either, especially if she had done something like touch him inappropriately. There was obviously more to the story, but that would have to wait.
He turned to their Archon, who hadn't said a word the entire time. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she had taken one of Alhaitham's hands in her one, while the other stayed on his temple.
Kaveh had returned to Alhaitham's other hand, now that they knew more of the situation, he looked even more upset than before. It was more than understandable, none of this should have happened.
Tighnari didn't think that Minya was trying to cause harm, she seemed to genuinely want to help Alhaitham, but they didn't know what the other person's goal was. The fact that this person, Scheimer, had told her only one drop, it didn't seem likely that his intentions were necessarily harmful, either, but people didn't just help someone steal drugs.
Starting from where Nahida was holding Alhaitham's hand, the green glow of dendro began to spread across his skin. The man began to shake, not with seizure this time, but pain. Tighnari was grateful he was still unconscious.
Kaveh watched, eyes wide. After a moment the glow died down, and Nahida let go. She looked down at Alhaitham's sleeping face for a moment, then up to Kaveh.
"I've cleansed his body to a certain extent. Even though some remains, it will work its way out of his system. The threat from that should be gone," she said, but Tighnari could see that there was something else.
"So, he'll wake up soon?" he asked, already guessing the answer.
As he suspected, Nahida shook her head, "He's been stuck in his own memory for too long. I need to find a solution."
Kaveh pushed Alhaitham's sweaty bangs out of his eyes, and ran the back of his hand down his cheek.
"Can… can you send me into it?"
Nahida looked at him, then back to Alhaitham, and nodded, "I can do that, but it is risky. You could also get lost in his memory."
"It doesn't matter. I'll do whatever it takes. If I'm lost there with him forever, then so be it. At least it'll be with him."
The Archon gave him a small smile of understanding, and turned to Tighnari, "You may want to hook him up to the same monitors, and it would be better if he were laying down."
Tighnari nodded, "I'll get everything we need."
Chapter Five
Kaveh was part nervous, not knowing what to expect, and part impatient. Though everything needed to be set up right, every moment they spent on it, was another moment Alhaitham was stuck.
"We're ready," Tighnari said, gently placing a comforting hand on Kaveh's shoulder, "I'll be right here with you, too."
Kaveh put a hand over his friend's, "Thank you, Tighnari."
Nahida climbed onto a stool that had been set between the beds, and pulled Alhaitham's hand to the center, "You can hold his hand."
He gladly took the warm hand in his own, and interlaced their fingers. Nahida put two fingers to each of their temples, and at first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, a tingling sensation ran up his spine, and arms, until it covered his scalp. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Kaveh shielded his eyes from the brightness until his eyes adjusted to the light. The scenery was beautiful, bright, and sunny. Overhead, in the distance, a few clouds floated by, occasionally giving them shade from the gaseous ball glaring down on him.
"Come see this, it's beautiful!"
He spun at the sound of his own voice. Standing up the hill was himself, arms spread in the breeze. Alhaitham stood a short distance away, leaning on a tree, watching the other Kaveh. The look on Alhaitham's face was nothing but love, and adoration. Kaveh never felt like he deserved to be looked at that way, and it was rare that he would catch Alhaitham in the act, but he knew it happened all the time. Tighnari, and Cyno had both let him know, countless times, that Alhaitham's favorite hobby was not reading books, or even teasing Kaveh, but staring at him, instead.
"Give me a moment, hm? No need to rush, we'll be here all day."
Kaveh couldn't move fast enough to the sound that flew past his ear. He could only blink in surprise as a spear pierced the other Kaveh's side. In an instant, Alhaitham's smile was gone with a pained "No!", and he watched as silver hair disappeared over the edge, chasing after blonde.
He ran to the edge of the cliff just in time to watch Alhaitham to fall next to the other Kaveh, both motionless, and broken. It was an image that would stick with him for a long time. A sharp pain ran through his head, then his lungs, and he couldn't breathe.
A moment later, he was shielding his eyes from the brightness again. It was incredibly disorienting, and he stumbled to the ground. It was only seconds later that he heard his own voice again. That gave him the adrenaline rush he needed to push himself back up, and run towards Alhaitham.
The spear was faster. He watched the other blonde fall over the edge, and Alhaitham's anguished scream, then they were both gone.
With a stabbing pain, Kaveh was back to square one.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Tighnari watched as Kaveh made pained faces, and noises, while the heart, and oxygen monitors wavered, helpless to do anything about it. He wasn't good at waiting, always one to take action quickly. He at least felt some solace that he'd be there for them when they woke. Both of them.
Cyno returned, and stopped in his tracks at the sight of both Alhaitham, and Kaveh going through the same thing.
"Nahida is assisting Kaveh's passage into Alhaitham's repetitive memory. By the time she was able to cleanse Alhaitham's blood somewhat, he was already too stuck inside the memory to pull himself out of it. I can only imagine what he's seen, and to have gone through it so many times…"
Cyno rubbed his back, and not being able to help it, Tighnari let out an embarrassing little purr. Though he didn't show it in a way that most would pick up on, Cyno was very concerned for his friends. He showed more outward emotion than Alhaitham, but to those who didn't know him, they'd never be able to tell. He and Alhaitham were similar in that way.
"I've found Scheimer, and already questioned him," Cyno said as they watched over their friends.
Tighnari's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Wow, that's fast, even for you, Cyno. What did they have to say for themselves?"
"Well, he's not exactly a hardened criminal. He was quite surprised when I showed up at his door. The suspect admitted that he made the concoction just for Minya to use… to try to impress her. He thought that helping her out might gain her favor. Unfortunately, she is obsessed with Alhaitham, as you know," Cyno narrowed his eyes, "Though I'm not quite sure why."
Tighnari gently elbowed the General in the ribs, but he didn't entirely disagree. Kaveh, and Alhaitham, they were made for each other. It was never surprising that Kaveh had many, many admirers. He was shiny, and handsome, however Alhaitham was one of the few people who stopped to admire Kaveh's brilliance.
People would tell Kaveh how much they liked his architecture, but his looks were more important to most people. Alhaitham was obviously off the deep end for everything Kaveh had to offer, every single thing that he was, the scribe would accept, always.
"Anyway, he admitted to providing the non per-Scribed medication."
Tighnari hid his palm in his face, and groaned.
"Do you get it? Because Alhaitham is the scribe, a word which makes up a part of-"
"I get it, stop!…"
Tighnari ignored Cyno's proud smugness at his own joke, and went back to watching their friends. He placed a comforting hand on Kaveh's ankle.
"Come on, Kaveh. You've got this."
~xxxxxxxxxx~
It happened again, and again. Alhaitham committed suicide just to follow the other Kaveh. He had stopped looking over the edge, unable to handle the overwhelming wave of emotions that came with seeing Alhaitham like that time after time. The problem was, he didn't know what to do, how to fix it.
He had tried everything he could think of. The most successful he had been was when he called to Alhaitham, and the silver-haired would glance his way, but he only seemed to see Kaveh as a distraction. In his mind, he was not a Kaveh that was supposed to be there, but instead an anomaly that he didn't have the time to stop, and investigate.
However, Kaveh had no plans on giving up. The transition was becoming slightly easier for him, less disorienting, so he was able to take action faster. It was never fast enough, though. His throat was hoarse, and his body ached as the brightness burned his eyes once more.
Before he could even see, he turned, and started running.
"Haitham! Please don't go! I'm right here!"
The shakiness, and sorrow was evident in his voice, and he could feel the hot tears on his cheeks drying in the wind as he ran. Alhaitham looked between the two blondes for a second, confusion, and took a step towards the Kaveh running at him.
For a moment, just one glorious second, Kaveh thought he had finally gotten Alhaitham's attention, until a spear went flying by, stopped by the Kaveh who hadn't even reacted to the other's presence.
Again, Alhaitham's attention was on the other, but as he started to run after him, to follow him down the cliff, he paused again, looking at the Kaveh who had finally come to stand in front of him.
"Haitham, it's me. Listen, you are-"
That was all he got out before both of them doubled over in pain. The last thing he saw, was a trickle of blood making its way from Alhaitham's nose, then the brightness was back.
Kaveh did the same as he had before, took off at a run before he could even see properly, screaming the other's name. This time, Alhaitham responded faster, turning towards Kaveh with the same confusion, and a bloody nose.
He was able to see how pale Alhaitham was as the man stumbled down the hill towards Kaveh. The other blonde was still on the cliffside, talking to himself.
"Alhaitham, you need to put a stop to this. He's not real. I am, and I need you to come back to me. Please, please listen to me…"
"… Kaveh?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm the real Kaveh! You need to think, this isn't the real us-"
The memory reset again, but as Kaveh took off towards Alhaitham, the silver-haired man started in his direction as well. As they reached each other, Alhaitham reached out, and touched Kaveh's cheek.
It was like a switch was flipped. Instead of being impaled, the other Kaveh simply stopped, along with everything else around them. Alhaitham looked back and forth between the two again, then wrapped his arms tightly around Kaveh.
As much as he wanted to stay in that embrace, he pulled back, "Haitham, this isn't real. It's a memory from another life. You need to think. Think about your real life, about who you are now. We're different people than they were.
Alhaitham cupped both of Kaveh's cheeks, and wiped the tears away, "I thought I lost you. I thought I was stuck in hell."
Kaveh shook his head, "I'm right here, but if you don't pull yourself out of this, I will lose you, and I can't do that."
"… How do I?…"
"Just remember yourself, what makes you, you."
The world around them began to falter. Before everything went dark, he felt a familiar warmth on his lips, and felt Alhaitham's breath against them.
"It's you."
Chapter Six
It wasn't difficult to remember everything that made him who he was. Especially when such a large part of it was staring at him with hope, love, and sadness, cheeks blotchy, and red. Alhaitham knew, because he could never forget.
The scenery began to break down around them, land, trees, and the other Kaveh falling away. Instead, it was just the two of them, himself, and Kaveh, standing together in darkness. He did the only thing he could think of at that moment, and pressed his lips against Kaveh's.
A moment later, he was looking up at a ceiling. He could feel a hand squeezed around one of his, and two sets of long ears came into view on his other side a moment later.
"Alhaitham, can you hear me?" Tighnari asked, wiping a damp rag up his cheek, and under his nose.
His throat felt like he'd swallowed several gallons of sand, and he didn't have the energy to talk, so he nodded instead. His friend's concerned looks turned into joy, and he felt a pat on his arm. He slowly turned his head the other direction.
His eyes landed on Nahida first. Their Archon looked tired, and he wondered what had happened to have her in such a state, but she looked as happy as Cyno, and Tighnari, so he let it go.
Turning his head just a little further, he found what he wanted. Kaveh laid on a bed next to him, and though he looked pale, and tired, he gave Alhaitham a big smile. Alhaitham gave a small smile back, and watched as Kaveh's eyes slid shut.
"I-is he-" he tried to ask, panicking a little.
"He's okay. You both are, you just need some sleep."
Yes, Alhaitham could feel that, the tug of weariness trying to pull him under the crashing wave of exhaustion. Without another word, he let himself drift off to sleep as well.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
Alhaitham woke to a beautiful pair of eyes staring down at him. He was entranced by them. At some point, he realized someone was talking to him, Tighnari's voice. Still, he didn't look away from Kaveh.
Tighnari, Nahida, and Cyno all had questions for him. It was difficult to follow everything they said, but what he did gather was that the coffee was not from Kaveh. He physically shuddered at the woman's name, and the thought that he'd unknowingly accepted a gift from her made his stomach churn.
He also began to have a problem with actual nightmares from the incident. The sight of Kaveh dying over, and over was practically burned into his mind. The feeling of it all, the realness, because it was no dream at all, but the end of a past life for both of them.
Alhaitham took some sort of odd solace in the fact that they had at least died together. Knowing what life was like without Kaveh being around was hard enough, but at least he knew the blonde was alive. He couldn't imagine living, knowing that Kaveh would never be with him again.
"Haitham, are you okay?"
He nodded slowly, still nursing the headache that decided to cling to him. The lack of sleep wasn't helping. They had both been allowed to come home, as long as they let Nahida, and Tighnari gave them both check-ups for a while.
Alhaitham was still upset by what Kaveh had risked, doing what he did, but he was grateful. It was why he was sitting here now, together with Kaveh on the couch, and not laying in a bed with a brain that no longer functioned, or dead.
"Do you… ever think about how… about the fact that we've been together in past lives?" Kaveh asked, his pencil coming to a stop.
He pulled Kaveh even closer, forcing him to put down the pencil and paper. He enjoyed Kaveh's comforting scent, the blonde's warmth seeping into his bones. Kaveh pulled a blanket over them, and settled himself against Alhaitham's chest.
"All the time, but I'm not surprised."
"What? How could you not be surprised? Do you have abilities that you haven't told me about?"
Alhaitham shook his head, "I could always tell, from the moment we met. To me, you're what the great poets write about, my other half, the missing part that completes me. The past, present, or future, you'll always be a part of it."
"I… y-you can't just," Kaveh sighed, "You're smooth. You can be really romantic if you want to, Haitham. Anyway, I suppose I've always felt that pull, too. I just… wasn't as sure of what it was;" he paused, "Regardless of… what happened, seeing us like that, knowing we've always been together. It feels right."
Alhaitham hummed in agreement. Kaveh had been mostly quiet about what he saw in that memory, his own death. When Tighnari had asked him about it, Kaveh only said that he knew it wasn't him, so he was able to set that aside. For Kaveh, the problem was likely seeing it happen to Alhaitham, just as seeing that happen to Kaveh was what haunted him. Alhaitham knew he wasn't the only one having nightmares, either.
He knew the toll it had taken on his own mentality to see Kaveh die so many times. He was still feeling it, suffering the aftershocks. Alhaitham would have gone over that cliff after Kaveh thousands more times, never letting Kaveh die alone.
It was late, and he knew they should have moved off the couch, and gone to bed, but he didn't want to let go. Kaveh had already fallen asleep, and they would both have sore necks, and back in the morning. Leaving each other's warmth for the few minutes it would take to lay down properly just wasn't worth it.
Alhaitham gently removed Kaveh's hair clips, and earrings, and let himself settle further into the seat. He simply watched the blonde sleep for a while, running his fingers through long strands. Though he was tired, he wanted to watch the Kaveh breathe. No, he needed to.
There was not a point that he lost Kaveh, this time, yet he had lost him countless times. He wished he had known about Minya's obsession. The notes never said her name, and were written by the owner of Puspa Café.
There was no reason to believe they weren't from Kaveh, but Alhaitham felt like he should have known, somehow. He'd gone over it in his head, and never once found a clue that would have indicated it was her.
He sighed, and let his cheek rest on the top of Kaveh's head. That woman and her accomplice could be dealt with later. There was no use in using more of his valuable time dwelling on it.
He closed his eyes, and enjoyed Kaveh's warmth as he slowly drifted off. The odds were high that one, or both of them would be awoken by a bad dream, but he'd take the comfort of Kaveh for as long as he could.
~xxxxxxxxxx~
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 :)