So much for lifting that Hiatus eh?

Oh well. This one will be a bunch of PoV switches, mainly because I didn't write this in one sitting. It's the last year of school and I have to lock in, so my updates will be quite inconsistent, but please bear with me. Either way, the disclaimer is in the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy!

Lumine and Paimon made their way through the streets of Liyue, towards Yuhei Pavillion, ignoring all the sights and sounds to focus on getting to their destination. The reason behind the visit? A note Naruto had left behind saying that he was taking on a rather dangerous commission in the Chasm by the order of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and to get something for Madame Ping. Normally, Lumine would've brushed this off, but as of the visit, Naruto had been gone for a whole week and she was starting to get worried. So, she was going to meet up with Keqing, Liyue's Yuheng, and close friend of Naruto, to ask about the commission and why he was taking so long. On the way, Paimon kept talking about how she'll give him an ugly nickname when they meet again.

The words brought a strange sense of comfort to the Traveler. 'Never change Paimon. Never change.' A few minutes later, she saw the person she was looking for, taking a walk outside on one of her rare breaks. "Keqing!" The woman turned around and a smile spread on her lips when she saw them approach. That lasted until she saw that a certain blond was missing.

"Hey you two." Greeted Keqing. "Where's Naruto? I haven't seen him in a while."

"Hey Keqing!" Paimon greeted back. "You haven't seen Whiskers either? Strange. Paimon could've sworn Whiskers said he was going to the Chasm on a commission for the Ministry of Civil Affairs last week, and he hasn't been back since."

Keqing's eyes narrowed. "Paimon? Are you sure he said the Chasm?" The fairy nodded, wondering if everything was ok. "But how? The Chasm was sealed off ages ago. It's not safe there." She turned to Lumine. "Traveler. I have a commission. Go to the Chasm and figure out what happened and who sent that idiot in there. Oh, and throw in a slap there too. Can you do that?"

Lumine nodded and left for the Chasm, trusting Paimon to guide her there. 'That idiot. When I meet him, he's getting an earful.'

-Meanwhile, in the Chasm-

Naruto condensed Anemo energy into his legs and jumped, leaping high as the Ruin Serpent he was fighting swam through the ground, creating a vortex of quicksand that would swallow anyone or anything stepping foot on the ground. Suddenly, the ruin machine flew out of the ground, rushing towards Naruto, ready to kill him. Before it could register what happened, the blond disappeared and a giant stalactite crashed into its head.

Said blond appeared on a ledge, crouched next to a blue haired woman holding up a bow. "Took you long enough to do something, Yelan. I was wondering why you were there if you weren't going to help."

The woman, Yelan, chuckled. "Well, you can't expect me to save you every other time, now can you?" Naruto nodded and stood up as she spoke. "Besides, you can't blame me for wanting to know how you fight outside your Sage persona."

Naruto sighed. "And I regret ever letting you keep those memories. Say, you haven't told anyone, have you?" THe words contained just a light edge of a threat behind them.

Yelan chuckled. "Don't worry. I know what it's like to hide between different personas. Your secret is safe with me." Yep. Yelan knew.

How did she know? Well, it was sometime after Naruto had chosen to reveal himself to Xiao, when the two had one of their secret meetings. They weren't much, but it allowed the Adeptus to vent, to let out his frustrations and (Naruto hoped) to let go of his past regrets. Part of these nightly meetings was monster hunting, where Naruto would join Xiao in his hunts as a way of 'sharing' the Karmic Debt gained from it all.

On one of these routine trips, Naruto sensed a presence behind them, and lo and behold, they found Yelan watching them from a tree top. Initially, he was going to wipe her memories, but Xiao convinced him to give her a chance. So, an explanation, a contract and a stern warning later, Yelan was free to go.

"So," Naruto broke the silence between them as they walked towards the research station above the glowing narrows. "What have you been up to?"

Yelan smiled. "Nothing interesting. Just the usual. I did find this weird, upside-down city in here though. Not sure what that was, but there was something blocking the way in there."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I saw that too. Not really sure what it could be, but I do know that a lot of Hillichurls go there quite regularly. None ever came back though, so I came here to investigate."

"Got caught up helping the researchers instead?" Yelan asked, giving him a pat on the back when he nodded. "You and your kindness. Hard to believe you work with the Abyss order. That name is synonymous with Hillichurl attacks."

"I plan on going there after letting them know. Speaking of which, we're here." Naruto and Yelan looked up at the narrow crevice. He summoned two Truth Seeker orbs that flattened into disks and moved onto one, inviting Yelan to do the same. "I'd advise holding on."

A second later, they were jetting up the narrows, Naruto guiding the disks through bends and curves as they neared the outpost at the top. Once they arrived, they shared a fist bump and split up, Yelan heading who knows where and Naruto heading to scout the city he'd found earlier. On the way however, he heard a pair of voices he knew very well. 'Don't tell me they're here! I just got the chance to check it out!'

As he'd dreaded, there they were. Lumine and Paimon, talking to Jinwu and Zhiqiong. With a breath, he prepared for the worst. "Hey! I dealt with the thing that's been causing the collapses here. Oh! You two are here too!"

Before he could say anything more, Paimon floated up to him and grabbed his ear. "There you are Whiskers! You disappeared for a week! A whole week! Do you know how worried we were? Do you know how many times Paimon had to go hungry?!"

"Owowowow Stooop!" Naruto shouted, faking pain to satisfy the fairy. Eventually she let go and he let out a sigh of relief, only to see Lumine stalking towards him with shadowed eyes. 'Oh shi-

*SLAPP*

-Timeskip-

After that whole fiasco in the Chasm, Lumine dragged Naruto back to the surface and off to the Adventurer's guild, where Keqing was waiting, chewing out Kathryne for allowing a commision to the Chasm. "Hey Keqing! What's going on? Why are you mad at Kathryne?" He walked up to the receptionist and greeted her warmly. "By the way, I completed that commission and the Chasm should be open for business soon. Not sure in how long, or for how long, but it should be open. Also, I need to meet Granny Ping to give her something, so we might need to hurry. I've been stalling for about a week now."

Just then, a scroll fell out of the air and landed smack on Naruto's head, making him cry in pain. "OW! Ok, which messenger eagle was that?" An eagle's cry sounded in the air, growing fainter by the second while Naruto mumbled about stupid messenger eagles holding a grudge. Everyone shared a quiet laugh at his expense while Naruto picked up the scroll and read through its contents.

Seeing his quiet expression, Lumine tapped his shoulder. "Something the matter?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing. Aunt Jean is just asking for my expertise in a possible operation against the Fatui. I'll have to go back to Mondstadt for it." He placed a hand on his chin in thought for a second before turning to Lumine. "Will you come with me, or will you stay in Liyue?"

"We'll join you." Said the girl without missing a beat. "Mondstadt is like home to us, and if the Fatui want to take it," she slammed her fist into her open palm with a smirk, "they'll have to go through us." Even Paimon nodded from behind them, no doubt thinking about Sara's sticky honey roast.

Naruto smiled at their enthusiasm. "Thanks! I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you too. Before we go, we need to visit Granny Ping though. I have something she asked for."

"Naruto! Let go of that right this instant!" Naruto winced as a pink haired girl with antlers shouted and smacked the object in his hand. "Smaragdus Jadeite is harmful to mortals! You saw what happened with Mr Krosl! Are you ok? Are you seeing things?"

Naruto held up his hands to stem the flow of questions. "Yanfei, Yanfei! Calm down! I held it with my prosthetic arm!" To prove his point, he removed his right arm and waved it in her face, much to Yanfei's ire. "See? I'm fine. Anyhow, is that enough for Granny Ping's project?"

"Yeah. It should be enough." Yanfei said as picked up the Jadeite chunk while Naruto reattached his prosthetic, moving it around and testing it. "I don't think anyone will like the idea of you holding a piece of Smaragdus Jadeite though."

"Sorry. Didn't have anywhere else to place it." Naruto said sheepishly. "Anyay, shall we give this to Granny Ping?" Yanfei gave an exasperated sigh and nodded, much to the amusement of Lumine and Paimon.

A few hours later, Madame Ping had taken the piece of Smaragdus Jadeite and used it to make a teapot. "I call it the Serenitea pot! Go on kids! Head inside." And so they did.

Inside, they found a sprawling house nestled between the peaks of mountains, making for an impressive and beautiful view. Sharing a nod, the trio went inside the house and were greeted by a bird in a smaller teapot. "Greetings! I am Tubby; a Teapot Spirit!" They shared introductions and exchanged pleasantries, Tubby showing around the place and how to furnish it to their liking.

In the end, the trio agreed for Lumine to keep the Teapot and for Naruto to have a Realm Dispatch that let him enter whenever he wanted to. They also decided to buy some extra furniture in Mondstadt and left the teapot to start the journey. They thanked Madame Ping and left Liyue, wanting to get some distance before teleporting with a Statue.

However, before they could tap into the Statue of the seven, they heard a voice from above. "Finally! You kept me waiting for so long, I almost fell asleep." They looked around and spotted a woman wearing a strange blue outfit and a very large hat, stretching on an old wall. She jumped into a portal made of Hydro energy and appeared behind them, summoning some kind of dial with constellations on the edges. "Haha. As usual, my astrological predictions were proven correct. You three. Yes, you three. Come with me."

WIth that, she walked off, leaving our trio wondering what was happening. "Um… are you some kind of door to door fortune teller?" Paimon asked. "Sorry, but we don't need your services."

The woman sighed and flicked her hair before pointing at the two of them. "You two… aren't from this world, are you?"

Lumine's eyes widened and she looked at Naruto. 'What does she mean by you two? Could it be…' Naruto however, had his eyes narrowed and fixed on the astrologer.

Instead of being mad, he sighed. "Guess that cat's out of the bag. In that case…" In the blink of an eye, he disappeared, appearing behind the woman with a pair of kunai held to her neck and the small of her back. "Listen here, miss astrologer. I don't care who you are, but you're going to tell me how you know about that secret."

With a 'hmph' the woman disappeared in a spout of water, reappearing in her earlier resting spot on the old wall with a confident smirk. "Now now, no need to panic. My name is Mona Megistus and I am a proficient astrologer, and I want to make the two of you my disciples. Don't try anything. It won't work."

Naruto still looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Really now? See, now that you told them about my origins, I don't have to hide behind a Vision anymore. So let me ask again…" he said, vanishing in a yellow flash, "how do you know about us? Just so you know, I can tell when you're lying." Mona's smirk fell when she felt a kunai at the back of her neck. "We can play this game all day if we have to."

The astrologer turned around to meet his eyes, only to freeze when she saw cold purple rings staring back at her. Hesitantly, she looked at his Vision, noticing that it had blacked out. "Fine. I'll tell you. Neither of you appeared in my astral charts and my master told me that only outworlders do not have records in the stars."

Satisfied with the answer, Naruto lowered his kunai and let it disappear in a puff of smoke. He looked at Lumine, his Rinnegan's purple rings shifting back into ocean blue as his Vision glowed bright. He hopped down and went up to the girl with a sheepish look on his face. "So, you're also an outworlder?"

Lumine slowly nodded. "Yeah, I am. Ended up stranded here with my brother a good while ago." She said tentatively. "What happened to leave you stranded here?"

Naruto looked away. "I'm not stranded. I can still go back. I just… liked it here." Paimon gave him a questioning look, making him chuckle. "It's a long story. In short, I was basically my home's pariah and seen as being even lower than trash. Here, I'm just another Vision holder. Nothing special, but nothing lesser either. I liked it."

"Ahem." Both turned back to look at the astrologist staring at them. "All this is good and all, but I still need my two disciples. Now, come with me. We're going to Mondstadt."

Naruto and Lumine looked at each other and shrugged. "Why not? We're going to the same place anyway." With that, they proceeded to join the woman and ignore any and everything she tried to tell them while discussing their abilities.

"By the way, that fire thing you did at the wharf." Lumine asked. "Was that your Vision, or your… Chakra?" Even Paimon was listening intently, wondering how he was going to answer this question.

"Well, that was just my Anemo Vision." Answered Naruto. He stopped and lifted up his leg to show her his heel. "This is made of a special metal alloy that sparks when it rubs against stuff." As a demonstration, he ran his foot over a rock, creating a shower of bright white sparks that he caught with an orb of Anemo. "See? I made this technique so that I can do something like my father does. You know how he throws fire birds at his enemies? I wanted to do something like that." Lumine nodded along, fascinated by the ingenuity that went into that move.

Time flew by as they talked, and before they knew it, they had made it to Wangshu Inn, where Mona made the mistake of declaring that she would be paying for her disciples. Naruto winced as he knew that Wangshu Inn's food was top quality and that his companions hadn't exactly had the chance to enjoy it properly the first time they were here. He also knew that his two companions

What followed was Naruto trying to hold in his laughter while Lumine and Paimon ordered, and actually finished, almost the whole luxury menu, which left Mona with just a salad and Naruto with some Golden Shrimp Balls. Luckily for the Astrologist, Naruto just passed his Shrimp Balls to her and went up to the counter, saying that he wasn't hungry and had something he wanted to do. When the bill arrived later, Mona would find it mysteriously cut down to just a thousand Mora.

Meanwhile, Naruto went up to the top of the inn with two portions of Almond Tofu and made a strange sound, almost like a bird call. Within a minute, the air rippled and Xiao walked up behind him. The blond smiled at his friend and handed one of the portions to him.

Xiao accepted and the two ate in silence, savoring the taste and the texture of the tofu and the warm feeling of eating with a friend.

"So," Xiao eventually broke the silence. "Are you going to tell her?" Naruto, with his mouth still full, tilted his head. "About your… alter ego? After all, considering your connection to him, she deserves to know more than anyone."

Naruto swallowed his tofu and sighed, biting his finger and applying a line of blood on the railing which turned into a silencing seal. "I know, but that's not my choice to make. If Aether chooses to tell her his side of the truth, then I'll tell her mine. Who knows; for all I know, Lumine will probably hate me for keeping it from her."

He closed his eyes and smiled. "But, if it does happen, then I won't hold it back from her." With one last sigh, he pushed off the railing and stretched. "Anyway, I should get going now. Can't make them suspicious now can I?" With that, he collected the empty bowls and left Xiao alone. "Until next time, Xiao!"

Some time after regrouping, the four of them finally made it to Mondstadt, and were now waiting for Alice's successor. Mona was, for a lack of better words, a nervous wreck. She was worried if they were going to be super strong, super fast, and everything in between. Much to her surprise though, the successor was… not who they were expecting it to be.

"Big Brother! You're back!" Klee's gleeful voice rang out as Naruto crouched down to embrace the girl running at him with open arms. He spun her around in the air before pulling her into her chest as she giggled. "Klee missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Fireflower." He said as they hugged. The scene of Klee nestled against Naruto's chest was frankly adorable, but Naruto had to leave to deal with Master Jean's request. The misunderstandings that followed between the two 'successors' were quite hilarious, but we aren't focusing on that.

Naruto's footsteps echoed through the Knights HQ as he made his way to Jean's office. Unlike before, his face was set into a determined mask. Opening the door, he saw both Jean and Diluc, discussing something important. They both turned to look at him when he walked inside, giving him a smile that he returned. "Good to see you, Dad, Aunt Jean. Heard you needed help with the Fatui. How may I be of help?"

Jean smiled. "Good to see you too Naruto. As for our problem, we have received reports that some of our… old acquaintances are working with the Fatui." Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "I'm not sure about the full details, so I'll let Diluc explain."

Diluc nodded and took over. "Recently, one of my sources found a Fatui outpost nearby. Originally, I was planning on dealing with it myself, but later reports indicated that someone from Mondstadt was helping them plan and move around inside the city. Yesterday, I managed to discover that the culprit was Schubert from the Lawrance clan. The reason we called you here is because we need someone who has little to no contact with the Knights to go undercover, because as we know, the Lawrence clan hates the Knights of Favonius. I would go myself, but my hatred towards the Fatui is also quite well known."

Naruto nodded. "So you want me to gain Schubert's trust and deal with the Fatui he's working with?" Jean nodded and Naruto responded with a thumbs up. "Consider it done. Give me a few days and you'll have all the evidence needed to legally deal with the guy and the Fatui."

With that, Naruto left, a cunning plan worthy of a fox already forming in his head. "Hahaha! You are truly my Kit!"

'Thanks Kurama.'

Meanwhile Lumine and Paimon went into the Angel's Share to unwind and maybe get a drink after helping Mona sort out her situation. Sitting down, she ordered some Grape Juice (a drink that Naruto had introduced her to), and settled down to drink. About halfway through, she spotted a person out of the corner of her eye, wearing a black cloak and a mask that covered half of his face.

Lumine wasn't sure why, but the man stirred something in the back of her brain, almost like a long lost memory. So, she did what anyone would do; she went up and sat at his table. Looking at him closely, he had some really distinctive diamond shaped pupils, with lines that curved inwards. "Umm… Hello?"

The man raised his head from his drink. "Hello. I believe we haven't met before." His tone was somewhat cold, but kind. He looked her over, a familiar glint appearing in his eyes as he studied her. 'Lumine? That's strange. Isn't Naruto supposed to be with her? Better to just get out of this one.' He composed himself with practiced ease. "May I at least know the name of the person who decided to sit at my table?"

The girl blushed at being called out and Dain had to hide a smile when he saw how much she looked and acted like her brother in that aspect. "Sorry. My name is Lumine and I'm a Traveler looking for my brother. He looks like me, has an earring, wears a crop-top and black pants. Have you seen him?"

"Hmm. Let me think…" Dain feigned a thinking pose, and tapped his forehead rhythmically. "Unfortunately, no. I'm terribly sorry, but I haven't seen someone like you described." He saw the way her expression flattened, but he had to stay on track. Step one was to steer her mind away from the topic of her brother. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Dainsleif. Since you told me yours, I suppose it's only fair that I give you mine."

Lumine plastered a small smile on her face. It hid her pain, but Dain could easily see through it after seeing the same expression on her brother's face. 'Five hundred years, and you still act the same… How deep was your bond? How does Naruto keep his secrets when she looks like this after he lies?'

The girl, oblivious to his thoughts, decided to change the subject. "So, Dainsleif? What brings you here to Mondstadt?"

'If I'm honest here, maybe she'll leave me alone.' Thought Dainsleif. "I came here to hunt down a monster called an Abyss Herald. It controls abyss mages and is a very dangerous and powerful foe. There have been recent sightings of it near Mondstadt, so I thought I'd take a look."

Dain leaned back in his chair, hoping that the thought of the dangerous mission would stop the girl from going any further. Contrary to his hopes, her eyes gained an interested glint. He forced back a groan. 'Of course she's like him.'

While that fated meeting was happening, Naruto was walking towards the church, hoping to catch a certain bard performing at his own statue. As he rounded a corner, he saw said bard from a distance, performing an ancient ballad about Barbatos alongside Barbara. What he also saw was a certain person standing behind a pillar, staring at the idol with a peculiar look on his face. Now, Naruto never really understood love, but he knew that expression all too well. Waay too well.

So, he did what any other bonafide prankster would do. Making sure the coast was clear, Naruto skipped up behind the man and leaned into his ear. "Oh Albert~" He said in a voice eerily similar to Barbara's own singing voice. It was a skill he'd learned when he was in the Shinobi Academy as a way to mess with his teachers. Now, it proved to be a very helpful technique for staying under cover in his Sage persona, and for dealing with this specific Barbara fan.

As he'd expected, Albert whipped around. "Barbara sa- *crack* OWWWWW!" A silencing seal stopped his voice from flowing out as he clutched his groin, falling over and twisting like a worm in pain. With his face covered in shadows, Naruto grabbed the pervert by his leg and tossed him over the wall, relishing in the dull thud he heard when the man hit the ground.

'No one peeps on my sister. No one.' With that thought, he walked towards the performance, managing to catch the final notes of the ballad as they gave a bow. As the crowd clapped and eventually dispersed, he went up to them. "Nice performance you guys!"

Barbara's eyes lit up when she saw him and she excitedly ran up to greet him. "Naruto! You're back! How was your journey! How long are you planning to stay?" Naruto chucked at her rapid fire questions and answered them all, discreetly giving a look to Venti, who was preparing to move.

After around ten minutes, they parted ways, with Barbara promising to give a message to Bennet on his behalf. He also met Albert trying to stare at her rear and pushed him over the fence again and left. 'Sure hope Rosaria catches that pervert. She's a lot better than me at confronting families.' As he walked, he looked around and when the coast was clear, he turned a corner, coming face to face with Venti giving him a cheeky smile. "Good to see you again Venti. I take it you've been barding around?"

Venti chuckled and leaned on the wall next to him. "Good to see you too, Naruto, and yes, I have been 'barding around', as you put it. Ignoring that, judging by the way you looked at me, I assume there's something you wanted to ask me?" Naruto nodded and Venti's smile widened. "Well, ask away~ I may not be the God of Wisdom, but I still know a lot of things." So, Naruto explained his situation to Venti and by the end of it, his smile was replaced by an unfamiliarly serious expression. "I see. So you want me to find out how to infiltrate the base?"

Naruto nodded. "Not really. I can just use a Genjutsu to do that. I just need your help to figure out the number of Fatui around here. My first step is going to be alerting Eula about this. If she finds out that the Knights arrested her uncle without telling her… I believe vengeance might actually be hers this time." The blond shuddered at the thought and Venti nodded sympathetically. He'd heard her energetic shouts enough times even without the aid of the wind to understand the Outworlder's worries. "And she can actually back those words up. I mean she literally dances with her Claymore. Dance. Only Noelle can beat that."

Venti nodded in agreement. He'd almost been impaled by Noelle accidentally throwing her old claymores. "Ok. I'll help you. Let me check right now."

While Venti was intruding on the private business of several Fatui, Lumine and Paimon were travelling around with Dain, trying to find this Abyss Herald he'd mentioned. So far, they had stopped it from corrupting Andrius and stumbled upon a cave with an upside down statue of Venti, holding a ball of abyssal energy in its hands. Along the way, he'd also mentioned the story of the first Field Tiller to her and how the Abyss Order was planning on using its eye and Osial's to create an artificial god.

He was then surprised to hear that it wasn't the first time Lumine had heard of this plan. "Yeah. Sage mentioned it, but he only said they needed Osial's limbs for it. All we know so far is that Osial is in a safe place."

It took some effort, but Dain hid his reaction well. 'He told her that? Now that's 's usually quite tight lipped. What are you planning?' Outwardly, he put on a thinking face. "That's a surprise. He never tells anyone of anything without a price. What did he ask of you?"

Lumine shook her head, focusing on the road ahead. "Nothing. He asked for nothing in return. I don't know what he was expecting, but I hope the price wouldn't be too much."

Dain nodded and continued ahead in silence. 'I hope you won't do something you regret Naruto. If Aether finds out about this…'

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine as he walked towards Springvale behind a well dressed man. He was surprised to hear from Venti that Shubert was at the terrace near the church and had sent a Shadow Clone wearing a Henge to possibly befriend the man.

As he had expected, he was rejected, but unexpectedly, it had turned out that the reason for it was because his etiquette hadn't appealed to the man. So, he went to find his friend Eula, and find her he did. She was on patrol and had stumbled in on some Fatui, and was currently in hiding to get a better idea of their movements. Being the menace he was, Naruto decided to deal with the Fatui himself.

In under a minute, all that was left were some shredded clothes and broken Delusions. What he'd ignored, was a lone Fatui soldier with a musket, standing on a tower. Before he could do anything, a blue coloured claymore met his head. Naruto smirked as he sensed Eula walking out of the bush. "Naruto. You stole my prey. Such actions will not go unpunished. Be aware that vengeance will be mine!"

The blond chuckled and raised both hands as he turned around. "Sorry, sorry. I just saw them there and assumed you had missed them, or that they hid from you, so I dealt with them. Is that a problem?" The two stared at each other's eyes, daring the other to make a move first. Eventually they both burst out laughing and shook hands. "Good to see you Eula. It's not everyday I see you anywhere."

"Likewise." Eula responded with a smile. "I heard you decided to accompany that Traveler on her journey. Have you found someone worthy of courting?" She asked teasingly. While Eula was outwardly a stern and strict person that gave out the appearance of a tyrant, she was quick to drop her walls around Naruto and Amber.

She was comfortable with Naruto because both were outcasts in their own rights and bonded over that fact. As for Amber, the reason was simply because the bubbly girl wormed her way into Eula's ice cold heart like an ember on a snowflake. Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't be around as often as Amber, but when they got together, the three of them would go on camping trips or patrols, laughing and joking in places where neither Eula's family nor her haters could find her.

So yeah, the two of them were great friends. Even so, Naruto had to break the news to her. "Listen Eula… As much as I want to say I'm here because Amber told me to get you, it's actually something a bit more urgent." The blue haired woman put aside her teasing and tilted her head. She gestured for him to keep going, and Naruto took a deep breath. "We have reason to believe that your uncle, Schubert Lawrence, is working with the Fatui."

Eula stood still trying to process the news. She knew in her heart that her family was evil, but hearing this straight from a trusted friend? She tried to hide it, but Naruto saw the small twitch of her lips and the way her pupils shook. Before she could break down, Eula took a deep steadying breath. "Is this true?" Naruto nodded solemnly and she… chuckled. "All these years, I knew they were evil pricks, but I always held out some hope, you know. I always believed that they might do something. And now, they are working with the Fatui." She sunk into the grass and sat down, lest she fall.

Naruto just sat down next to her and rubbed her back soothingly. He didn't try to hug her or comfort her. He was just there. He knew that Eula was the kind of person who never showed weakness. In that way, they were kind of similar; two outcasts who wanted to find a home, only Naruto had already found his. After letting her gather herself, Naruto decided to leave, but stopped halfway. "Hey Eula?" The girl looked up at him questioningly. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

With that, he left her alone, glad that he at least tried to help. With his experience, he knew how much a good friend could help in times of darkness. He also knew that sometimes, a little time alone could help a grieving person get things together

That was a good while ago, and now he was following Schubert who was under a Genjutsu that made him think Naruto was a supporter of the Lawrence clan. Was it a low blow? Yes. Did he care? Absolutely not. As it turned out, the Fatui had set up camp in the same place that they had hidden the Holy Lyre. Thinking back, it was quite the stupid move on their part, but it did make it easier for the knights to set up an ambush.

He walked inside the hideout with Schubert, watching him boss his way around the Fatui and laughing in his head until he met the mastermind. All he needed was one single piece of damning evidence. What he didn't expect was to sense Signora's familiar aura in the next room over. Naruto hid behind a pillar and watched the Harbinger send a soldier to meet Schubert while heading further into the outpost, saying that she should return to Snezhnaya. "So, did you bring what we asked for?" Asked the Fatui soldier.

"Of course." The aristocrat pulled out paper from his pocket and handed it to the soldier. "Here. A diagram map of Mondstadt's defences and patrol routes. I have fulfilled my end of the deal, so you'd better hold up yours." he then proceeded to go on a monologue about what he'd do after Mondstadt was his and all that, but Naruto tuned that out.

What he was more focused on was the actual drawing itself. 'Patrol routes and defences? That intel is hard to get. Wait a minute…' Pushing Chakra into his eyes, Naruto activated his Rinnegan. He closed his fist and focused his Chakra into a specific path. When he opened his hand, a small fly was nestled within. However, instead of the normal compound eyes, it had a pair of Rinnegan eyes. Naruto threw the fly into the air and it flew around the Fatui soldier, letting him see the piece of paper with the diagram and he had to stifle a laugh.

"What is this?" Asked the Fatui soldier, holding up a very badly drawn 'map' of Mondstadt with erratic circles and arrows everywhere. "This is not a map of Mondstadt! This is just a bunch of scribbles!"

Looking at it through his summon's eyes, he had to agree. The drawing was so bad that he had to wonder if it could even be used as proper evidence. He decided to let the people incharge decide that and deactivated his Rinnegan before walking out from behind the pillar. "Schubert Lawrence. This ends here. Surrender now."

The soldier looked at him and gritted his teeth. "You! You're that barkeep's brat! Get them!" All at once, several Skirmishers ran into the room, weapons blazing and ready to kill the newcomer while Schubert and the soldier ran off.

Much to their surprise, Naruto dragged his foot on the ground and caught the sparks, creating a fiery cone around him. He summoned Kubikiribocho and coated it in Anemo, letting the fire die out around him. He looked at the Skirmishers a smirk and jumped, spinning around and bringing the Anemo coated blade on the ground, creating a giant whirlwind that swirled the elements around him. When it subsided, he was gone.

"Hey!" They turned to see Naruto holding up his sword in a very similar fashion to his adoptive father. A position they recognised from their nightmares as the very one that preluded a giant bird of fire slamming into them and leaving them in a hospital for weeks. "Take this!" Naruto brought down his Anemo covered blade and let out a gust of wind. Halfway in, it took the form of a large, nine tailed fox, leaping at them and absorbing their elemental energy before exploding and causing a powerful release of elemental energy.

Naruto sealed his sword away and dusted off his hands. He ran towards where Schubert had fled, only to find him captured by Eula and some knights. He was trying to convince Eula to fight for the Lawrence clan and defeat the knights for another chance in the family. Instead of interfering, he kept quiet, watching how Eula would handle the situation. He wasn't disappointed. Eula proceeded to deny any and all involvement with the Lawrence clan and how she'll never return to them, making Naruto smile.

He walked up to her and gave her a nod before giving Schubert a chop to the neck. Once he was unconscious, Naruto told the knights to take the man away, before turning to Eula. "You ok?"

Eula nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing I'm not used to. More importantly, what did my uncle want with the Fatui?"

"He had a map of the Mondstadt's defences and patrol routes." Answered Naruto. Eula nodded and started walking further into the outpost, but Naruto grabbed her hand. "How about you sit this one out?"

She tilted her head and Naruto sensed a little anger simmering inside her. "Sit this one out?" She asked, her hair shadowing her eyes. "My uncle started this and you want me to sit this one out? It's my family's fault we're in this situation and I don't want their stupidity to be the reason Mondstadt is left defenceless."

"Yes." Naruto answered without hesitation, not letting go even as she tried to pull away her hand. "I want you to sit this one out because I don't want you to feel responsible for your family's actions. Their choices are theirs alone and their consequences are theirs to bear. You have no reason to take any blame. So sit this one out, and we can all go out for a nice meal later on. My treat."

Eula struggled for a bit longer, but relented soon enough. "Fine. But if you don't bring them to justice… Mark my words, Vengeance will be mine!"

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry. Vengeance will always be yours. How about I let you deal with the next lot of Fatui we encounter on a patrol?" Eula's lips curled into a small grin as she nodded and left, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts. 'Ok, step one; deal with Signora. Step 2; deal with that map. Step 3; check what Aether wanted me for. Sounds easy enough. Here we go.'

What followed in the next 30 minutes was a full on beatdown for the Fatui and another humiliation for Signora, where she was defeated by something shaped like a fox. Afterwards, he'd disappeared, citing personal reasons after sending a messenger eagle to Amber and Eula.

During those thirty minutes, Lumine, Paimon and Dain had managed to track the first Field Tiller to Dvalin's lair and extract the eye from it. After that, they went back to the cave to destroy the corrupted statue, but found the very Abyss Herald they'd been tracking at the start. Now, they were fighting it off, completely unaware that the Herald they were attacking was serving the Lesser Abyss Order. Cornering it, they launched an attack together, aiming for its weak spots.

*Clang* Only for their weapons to be stopped by two swords, held by a familiar masked figure. From behind him, a different figure leaped up, sending out a slash of light that sent them flying. Lumine and Dain flipped midair and landed on their feet, only for the former to be stunned by what she saw. Standing there was Sage, brandishing a pair of swords and in front of him, was her brother-

"Aether!" Lumine shouted in joy. "You're here! But why are you with… them?" Aether stayed silent, and Sage walked up to him, making his swords disappear and discreetly patting his shoulder comfortingly.

"Dainsleif. You were attacking our forces. Mind explaining why?" Sage asked in a cold voice. Everyone in the room was quite as he walked towards the Khaenri'an. "We had an agreement. I hope you didn't forget." He stopped midway and looked at the statue. "Oh… That makes more sense. In that case, you are free to go, Twilight Sword. As for her-" Lumine flinched at his gaze, "I assume you want to talk to your brother?"

The girl nodded and Sage reciprocated, turning to Dain and speaking in a sickly sweet voice. "As you wish, Princess. Now, Twilight Sword, how about we leave these siblings to themselves?" Before he could answer, a portal opened behind Dain and a hand dragged him inside while Sage walked through another one with the Herald, leaving Lumine and Paimon alone with Aether.

"Aether! I was searching all over for you!" Lumine said in a saddened voice. "Where were you? Are you ok? Wait… You defended that Herald. And what did Sage mean by your Herald?" He remained silent. "Please, say something!"

"Lumine." Aether spoke after a long pause. "Please don't try to stop us. Don't try to stop my… no, our mission." At her questioning look, he elaborated. "I have made many mistakes during my time here, and I wish to set things right. That's why I'm here."

"That doesn't matter!" Lumine said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please Aether! Let's go home."

"Home." Aether said slowly. "Of course. Home is where we are together. But I cannot go with you to the next world. Until I have set my wrongs right, I will fight against the Abyss. But, while I cannot join you, I can tell you something." He walked closer and took her hand, rubbing soothing circles into her palm. "I have travelled this world once, like you are now. Once your journey is over, you'll see the true nature of this world. Then, you can decide whether to stand with me, or against me."

He let go and walked away without meeting her eyes. "We need not rush sister. We have more than enough time. More than enough time to wait. At the end of this journey, we will be reunited. That I promise." Suddenly, a portal appeared in front of him, and he walked inside. Lumine ran after him, trying to follow, only to walk through it like it was never there. Unable to stem the flow of tears, she curled up into a ball and cried. The weight of years of separation and her brother's rejection crashed down on her, making her blood boil and heart ache. Paimon floated over to her, and tried rubbing her back, only to fail.

"Well, that was certainly something." Sage's smooth voice broke Lumine out of her unresponsive state and she leapt at him, grabbing his neck and slamming him to the wall before pinning him with her blade at his throat as Paimon screamed in fear. "Now now, calm down Princess. No one likes a crying girl."

"Shut up!" She screamed. "Before anything, let's see what's under this mask, shall we?" She gripped the strange looking mask and pulled it off, only to find- "Another mask?" She pulled this one off, only for another mask to take its place. She repeated this several times, only for the same results.

"You can do this for a hundred times more, and won't get any different results, sweetheart." Sage said in a condescending tone. "Anyway, I came here to talk to you about Aether." At the sound of her brother's name, she let him go, but still kept her blade at his throat.

"Talk." She said through gritted teeth. "Talk, or I'll kill you where you stand."

"*Huff* Well, I don't think I need to repeat what your brother said about correcting his mistakes?" Lumine nodded and even Paimon started paying attention. "Let me elaborate on that. A good while ago, there was no 'lesser' Abyss Order, just that one and Aether was its… Prince." Lumine's breath hitched. "Yes, that's right. The very same Prince that Kaeya told you about was your dear brother, Aether. Now, as for how he got there, I believe you know about the Khaneri'ah calamity from five hundred years back?" She nodded slowly. "What if I tell you he was awake back then?"

That got her reeling. "W-What? How? But I only woke up a few months ago. How did he wake up all that time ago?" Sage just chuckled before moving past her to sit on the steps near the upside down statue.

"That, I do not know, but I know he started growing used to Khaneri'ah. He liked it there and decided to wait for your return. Unfortunately, what happened happened and, much like you, he started a journey around Teyvat with a trusted companion. Any guesses as to who?~" He leaned forward, resting his weight on his knees as he spoke, adding an almost mocking look. As expected, her eyes widened again as she deduced the answer. "That's right. It was Dainsleif. Somewhere during his journey, he saw something that changed him and that something led him to start and lead the Abyss Order."

He stood up and walked the rest of the way to the statue and began inspecting it. "Eventually, he got tired of their work, but he wanted to avenge Khaneri'ah. All that crap about them being innocent, but all they did was wreck havoc on Teyvat for the better part of 400 years. As of now, he leads the resistance, also called the Lesser Abyss Order; though in my opinion, calling ourselves something else like the 'Abyssal Defectors' would avoid a lot of confusion."

He finished examining the statue and walked down the stairs and through Lumine, completely ignoring Paimon's scared squeal. "Now that I've told you all that, I hope you make a good choice, Lumine."

While his clone was putting Lumine through an existential crisis, Naruto was at Good Hunter with Eula and Amber. Little Klee was also there, sitting on his lap and happily munching away at the grilled fish he got her. The rest of them were sharing a few portions of Sticky Honey Roast when the clone's memories came back to him like a truck. He almost winced at the betrayed expression on Lumine's face. 'I should probably go and check on her once I'm done here.'

The four of them talked and bantered for almost an hour more before they decided to leave. By the end of it all, Eula was feeling a lot better about it, especially after learning that Naruto had managed to convince Jean to swipe Schubert's treason under the rug to help with her situation. All in all, it was a success and the blue haired girl was looking a lot better than before, so Naruto called it a success.

After some thought, Naruto decided to give Klee a piggyback to Jean's place before going to find Lumine. On the way there, the fiery girl decided to enlighten Naruto on the workings of her newest bombs and how she was banned from going to Liyue to help out some people needing her 'explosive expertise'. Naruto knew exactly what he was referring to, as the group in the Chasm had told him about an explosives expert that got grounded. He hadn't even tried to explain to them that the Spark Knight was just a little girl that was highly interested in explosives. 'Come to think of it, wasn't it a Treasure Hoarder from Mondstadt that ended up helping us with the explosives? What's with this nation and explosives?'

On the way, he ran into Noelle, who asked him if he wanted to train with her. Sadly, he had to decline because of the little girl on his back and because he wanted to find Lumine. However, he promised that he'll be treating them all to some food before leaving for their next destination. He also met with Bennet and Fischl, who had formed a partnership alongside Razor, making for quite a force to be reckoned with. Eventually, he arrived at the knights HQ and let down the girl before leaping into the air using his Anemo vision and unfurling his wind glider. In the air, he activated his Rinnegan and extended his senses, looking for the Hiraishin mark he placed on her clothes. Much to his worry, he didn't find it anywhere. 'That's strange. My current range extends all the way through Mondstadt. So if she's not in range, where could she be?' He thought about it as he glided down. 'Right! The Teapot!'

Without a second thought, he focused on the pot and found himself floating over the mountain. He dismissed the glider and fell, catching himself at the last minute. Sure enough, his keen hearing picked up what sounded something like sniffles coming from upstairs as he walked into the house. Feeling worried, he followed the sound and ended up outside the master bedroom. Taking a deep breath in preparation, he knocked on the door. "Lumine? It's me. Are you ok in there?"

Receiving no answer, he tried a different approach. "Lumine? Can I come in?" A few seconds passed and he heard the door unlock, but instead of Lumine, it was Paimon who opened it. The floating fairy let him inside and closed the door, finally letting him take a good look at Lumine. She was lying on her bed, curled up and slowly crying into a pillow. Looking at her, he felt a sharp blade of guilt, pierce him in the heart.

Without wasting a second, he knelt down next to the bed and gently ran a hand through her hair. 'Aether clams down when Kaa-san does this. Maybe she does too?' He didn't hear much of a change, but she didn't shy away from it either, so he kept at it. "Lumine? What happened?" He heard her mumble something, but it was muffled by the pillow. "Do you want to talk about it?" He felt her shake her head, but he continued. "Please Lumine. I know you're stressed, but talking about it can help, so please let me help you."

Lumine stayed silent for a while, before slowly removing the pillow, that blade of guilt twisting deeper at the sight of her face. Her eyes were red and hollow, lacking any of the brightness he'd come to love. She slowly sat up and Naruto moved in next to her, letting the girl lean on him and vent her frustrations. Over the next hour, she spilled everything, from meeting Dain to her encounter with Aether and how it ended.

When she was done, Naruto pulled her into a hug, rubbing small circles on her back in an effort to sooth her. "I'm sorry about what happened and I won't say I know how to help you. I will say one thing though. If you plan to take the journey, which I personally think you should, I will be with you every step of the way. Whether as a friend, or fellow outworlder, I will always be by your side till you find an answer. That is my, no, our, promise to you. Isn't that right, Paimon?"

The fairy floated up to Lumine and nodded. "Mhmm! Paimon is with whiskers here! As long as she's around she'll do her best to keep up with you!" In an impulsive act of affection, Paimon also joined the hug to comfort Lumine.

It took a minute, but she eventually stopped crying, and just melted into the hug, staying like that for a good few minutes. "Naruto? Paimon?" She asked slowly. "Thanks for being here. If it's not too much, can I ask for one more favor from you?"

Naruto loosened the hug to take a look at her. "Of course. I'm your friend, so ask away." The fairy nodded and flew up behind him.

She untangled herself from the embrace and looked at them with bloodshot eyes. "I'd like to hide my name in the future." Her companions looked at her confusedly. "I'm sorry, but after hearing what happened with my brother, I don't know if I truly want to be part of this world or even if I can be a part of this world. So please…"

Naruto thought about it for some time. "Ok then. I'll do it for you Lumine. Can I still call you that?" He asked tentatively.

Lumine chuckled. "Of course. I trust you." Naruto nodded and stayed next to her and Paimon for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Naruot squeezed her hand one last time and stood up to leave. However, Lumine didn't let go. When he turned around, she looked at him nervously. "If it's not too much to ask… Can you please stay with me for tonight?"

Naruto's eyes softened when he recognised the vulnerability in her eyes. "Of course. I'll stay here." He moved to settle in the corner, but Lumine stopped him, snuggling under her covers and gesturing to the space next to her bed. Without hesitation, Naruto took off his jacket and accepted her invitation, lying down next to her, back to back, just basking in the comforting presence of the other, neither finding it to be romantic in any way.

In his head, he could hear his mother hollering at him to make a move and his father trying to restrain her, much to Kurama's laughter. Despite all this, a single thought dominated his head. 'Aether's going to kill me!'

9k! So I know this reads a lot like a jumbled mess, and that I was very late in uploading this, but as I've mentioned before, school has started and it's ramping up. It's the last year, so I scraped together some free time to write this up and get this part over with. That said, I'll try for more frequent updates, but I can't be sure. Either way, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review and Peace out!