“i’m not exactly sure yet,” you sigh, sitting on the ground, looking down on liyue. such a beautiful nation, you think. i truly hope they will be okay without our protection.

alatus sits next to you. “you don’t have to leave,” he says softly. “i have faith that we will be okay.”

“you don’t know that, alatus,” you reply, voice shaking from emotion. “manogias and bonanus turned on each other, killed each other… it was so sudden, too…”

alatus is quiet.

“bosacius is already is poor health,” you point out. “do you think we’ll meet the same fate?”

“i don’t know,” alatus says. “i feel like all of my memories are still intact. i feel the same way i always have.”

you stand up again. alatus follows. “maybe i’ll return. maybe someday soon, maybe in a hundred years… maybe never.” you say. “but i hope to see you again, alatus.”

you spent the next 500 years in solitude. you would speak to the people you ran into, but most of the time, it was just you. you had found peace in your own company, spending most of your time collecting herbs to make your own medicine so the pain from the karmic debt was tolerable.

but, you always stayed close to liyue. even if it was just the outskirts of the nation, you were always close by just in case. one day you had finally decided to travel further away, planning to visit one of the neighboring nations, but you felt as if something was pulling you back to liyue. something was wrong. as fast as you could, you tried to find what was causing this horrific feeling deep inside you. eventually, you were lead to the chasm.

the millelith surrounded the area, fighting against monsters coming from deep within. your instincts kicked in, immediately joining the fight. no one questioned who you were, they were just thankful for your help.

you stopped in your tracks when you notice someone bigger than everyone in the millelith, four arms protruding from them, decorated in purple tattoos.

“bosacius?” you breathe. “bosacius!”

but he doesn’t hear you, and just keeps fighting. you shake your head to get yourself grounded.

now isn’t the time. focus on fighting these monsters.

“there’s too many! we need to retreat!” someone yells.

“we can’t! the lives of everyone in liyue are at stake. we need to fight!” someone replies.

“we still have the compass. if there’s a time it gets used, that time is now!”

“get the yaksha and the others to start the process. we need to seal these monsters away quickly,” someone says. they turn to you. “please, help me keep these monsters away from the compass.” they ask.

you nod and continue to fight.

“i shall hold the line by sealing the surface,” you hear a familiar voice say. in the corner of your eye, you see the amazing sight of the compass being used. blue light emits from the compass, and you can see the energy coming from it. bosacius stands next to it.

you can’t see what’s happening from all the light, but the monsters seem to be slowing down, and you won’t stop to look. and then, it’s quiet. the monsters have stopped. but bosacius is gone.

the mood hasn’t changed. no one cheers or congratulates their comrades for sealing the monsters away. it’s still somber.

“thank you,” a soldier thanks you. “you helped us immensely.”

“what about them?” you ask. “bosacius and the others? where have they gone?”

“bosacius…?” the solider furrows their brows. “do you mean the yaksha? is his name bosacius?”

you nod. “yes. him and i used to fight alongside each other long, long ago,” you explain. you tell the soldier your name.

“your name…” the solider sighs. “i heard bosacius talk about you. he kept calling for you and someone named alatus.”

“he also asked me where menogias was once,” another solider says.

“menogias and alatus were other yakshas we fought with,” you say. “do you… know where alatus is?”

the solider shakes his head. “no. i’m sorry.”

“and bosacius,” you add. “will he be okay?”

silence falls between you and the soldier, giving you the answer you were dreading to hear. you just nod, before walking to the seal that separated the monsters from the citizens of liyue.

“i’m sorry, bosacius,” you say. “i’m sorry i left. it seems that your memories are long gone… but i’m glad you still remembered me, even if it was for a moment. i won’t let them forget about you. i won’t let them forget about any of us,” you sigh. your chest feels heavy. what kind of feeling is this? you think. grief? or just sadness? “goodbye for now.”

you leave the chasm after that. and you don’t return.

you needed to look for alatus. you refused to believe that he was gone. if you and bosacius had survived all this time, there was a good chance alatus was still alive.

“alatus!” you shout. “alatus, can you hear me?”

a green flash of energy bursts in front of you, and alatus appears from behind it. he almost seems shocked to see that it’s actually you.

“you came back.”

you nod. “i did… i…” you try to collect your thoughts. “i had to.”

“i thought i was the only one left,” alatus admits. his voice is quiet as if he’d be shunned for thinking it. “you and bosacius have been gone for long. i didn’t know what happened to either of you.”

bosacius.

that’s right. you have to break the news of his fate to alatus.

“alatus…” you begin. “bosacius… he…” alatus’s face lights up at the mention of him. “he’s gone,” you quickly say. “monsters began to come out of the chasm, and i fought alongside him there before he was sealed away with the monsters,”

“you saw him?” alatus asks.

you nod. “he wasn’t in the best of conditions, not mentally.” you say. “someone told me he was asking for us.”

“he lost his mind before he left. i thought he died but it seems like i was wrong. perhaps he’s been residing in the chasm all of these years?” alatus suggests, more to himself than you.

“perhaps.” you agree.

“i can’t believe he managed to survive so long down there… i should have tried to find him, maybe this wouldn’t have—“

“alatus,” you interrupt him. “i will not let you put the blame on yourself. one way or another the karmic debt was going to catch up to him. it isn’t your fault this happened.”

for a moment his eyes meets yours before he quickly glances away, hesitantly nodding.

“do you plan to stay?” he asks.

“yes,” you answer. “now that we are the only ones left… i don’t see much reason in leaving again.”

from that day forward, alatus never left your side. you traveled around liyue together, usually taking refuge on the mountains. you introduced him to the medicine you had made to help ease his pain, and luckily, it worked. alatus was good at hiding the pain, but his drastic change in mood was proof that it was taking a toll on him.

you began to think that maybe it was fate that you and alatus were the last yakshas standing. maybe you were both safe after all.

what a foolish thought.

after awhile, you found yourself becoming tired much easier than before. no matter how much medicine you took, your body ached with so much pain you couldn’t move too much even if you wanted to. alatus did everything he could to help you.

there were many nights when he held you in his arms as you cried from the pain until you fell asleep. sometimes it felt unbearable, but having someone by your side made it easier.

one night, alatus helped you walk outside of the cave you were both staying in so you could see the sun set. you had spent the entire day asleep to combat the pain, but asked him if he could help you watch the sun set when you finally woke up. he helps you sit down on the grass as the sky fades into cool shades of orange and purple.

you rest your head on his shoulder, sighing. “this is the prettiest sky i’ve seen since…” you pause, trying to remember what you were seeing in your head. “there was one time, long ago, when i had fought alongside the other yakshas throughout the entire night, only finishing once the sun had risen. it was beautiful,” you say. “i remember looking at it with… someone i can’t remember the name of.”

“bonanus, right?” alatus tells you. “i remember seeing you two watching it. kind of like how we are right now.”

you nod. “right, bonanus…” how long ago had it been since she died? how long ago had it been since you and alatus decided to stay together? you couldn’t remember. “alatus, please stay with me.”

“of course. why would i leave you?” he asks.

“i just don’t want to die alone,” you admit quietly.

he doesn’t reply. he just grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours.

the next morning, alatus wakes up alone.

he feels lucky that he was able to make at least one of the yakshas feel loved before they died.

“slow down, slow down,” itto says between breaths. “i think i’ll be fine. might have to take it easy for the rest of the night, but i won’t die or anything. it was just one bean.” his face scrunches up. “so gross.”

you refill his glass of water, and he drinks it all in the blink of an eye. “d’you mind if i crash here for a bit?” he asks. “just a few hours, tops. i promise i’ll be gone before the sun sets.”

you nod. “that’s fine, i guess. what do you want me to tell the guys?”

“just tell ‘em to head home and that i’m taking a nap here. they’ll be outta your hair then.”

you did just that, and although hesitant, his gang members left. by the time you came back inside, itto was already fast asleep. you didn’t have to leave home, so you just went on with your day and kept an eye on itto.

the sun started to set and itto finally started stirring. “itto?” you ask quietly.

itto’s eyes flutter open and he rubs them before lifting his head. “oh man, how long have i been out?”

“three days,” you reply. “just kidding, it’s only been a few hours.” you quickly add on once you see the look of horror on itto’s face.

“not funny,” he mumbles, setting his head back down. “how am i still so exhausted?”

“well, you are extremely allergic to beans. ‘extremely’ almost doesn’t seem like a good enough word to describe how badly allergic you are,” you tell him. “just stay the night.”

“are you sure?” itto asks after a few moments of silence. “i mean, i’m sure i can make it home just fine. granny is probably worried about me,” he says.

“i understand that, but i don’t really think you’re in a condition to make that journey back to your granny right now. surely she’ll understand when you get back?“ you suggest.

“yeah, you’re probably right. she’d probably be mad at me for walking that much when i’m like this.” he says. he groans. “i need to go back to sleep. my head is killing me,”

“no worries. hopefully you’ll feel better in the morning.” you say.

“hey, (y/n), thanks for letting me stay here while i recover. i owe you big time.” itto says.

you chuckle. “don’t worry about it. you’re not in best itto condition, i can’t let you go around inazuma looking like that,”

he laughs. “yeah, thanks for — wait, what do you mean by that? how bad do i look?!?”

xiao

“he’s on the roof, as usual. i… don’t think he’s in the best condition. could you please check on him?”

verr goldet’s voice sounded more nervous than usual. as you made your way to the top of wangshu inn, you were just expecting to see xiao exhausted from conquering demons — it was a rare sight, but it did happen. you had never actually seen him physically hurt.

“xiao?” you ask, stepping onto the roof. you couldn’t see him. “xiao?” you repeat.

you hear something behind you. turning, you finally see xiao. you can tell by the way he’s standing that he’s in great pain — eyebrows furrowed, face contorted in a way that makes it only more obvious he’s trying to hide his pain. “you called?”

“verr goldet asked me to check on you… are you okay?” you ask, stepping closer.

xiao grunts. “i’m fine.”

it’s then when you notice his arms are cut, exposing dark gashes on his arm that are the complete opposite of a human’s flesh. gasping, you put a hand on his arm, making sure to be wary of his injury. “what happened?”

“i said i’m fine,” xiao gently moves away from your grasp. “it’s just a flesh wound…”

“it should still be cared for,” you tell him. “please let me look at it.”

xiao crossed his arms before sighing. “alright, fine.”

“i’ll be back in just a moment. don’t leave.”

you quickly go down the stairs of wangshu inn and retrieve a first aid kit. you’re back to the roof in no time and pleased to see that xiao hasn’t left. “sit,” you say, gently helping him sit down. you start to disinfect his cuts.

he doesn’t even flinch. he clears his throat. “…is it bad?”

you shake your head. “no. it isn’t deep enough to need stitches or anything,” you reply. “but whatever got you, got you pretty good.”

you bandage up his right arm and start cleaning the next. “where were you when i got here? verr goldet said you’d be on the roof.”

“i knew she’d send you after me,” he mumbles. “i didn’t want you to see me hurt.”

“why?” you ask. “it’s a good thing i did, right? you could get more hurt if you left these untreated.”

he shrugs. “i suppose you’re right.”

“if you didn’t want me to see you like this, then why did you still show up?” you ask.

“because you called out my name. and i promised i’d be there whenever you did.” xiao replies.

you finish bandaging him up. “you’re good at keeping promises,” you say, packing the first-aid kit up. “so promise me you won’t hesitate to ask me for help.”

xiao pauses for a moment before nodding slightly. when you start to descend the stairs to return the kit back to its place, you feel xiao’s eyes on you, watching intently. “i’m just putting the first-aid kit back,” you tell him. “i’ll be back. would you like me to get you some almond tofu from chef yanxiao?”

“okay,” he says, shoulder dropping in relief. “just… make it fast, please,”

kazuha

doing business on the docks of liyue, you had grown close to the captain of the crux, beidou. you were the first to welcome her back and the last to send her your regards and well wishes before she left. so when she returned to liyue after a trip to inazuma, she wasted no time to introduce you to kaedehara kazuha.

he was timid, only speaking to beidou, avoiding all eye contact with you — beidou told you once it was just you and her that he had been through a lot recently, fleeing from inazuma after witness his friend get slain.

before the pair left the dock, you called out his name.

“kazuha, if you ever need help, ask beidou where you can find me.”

it was just an offer; you couldn’t deny that his story pulled at your heartstrings a bit. he had gone through so much. losing a friend, fleeing your home nation, suddenly coming to a new nation you don’t know anything about. it was a lot.

a few weeks had passed since kazuha had arrived in liyue. you had only spoken to him once since beidou introduced you to him, but you saw him around the city a lot and would always wave or give him a friendly smile. it wasn’t until a stormy night that kazuha took up your offer of help.

you almost didn’t hear him knock on your door. it almost blended in with the pounding rain against your house. but you checked anyways, and you were greeted with a soaking wet kazuha at your doorstep.

you immediately pulled him inside, running to grab a towel to dry him off. he looked like he was soaked to the bone, his clothes were sopping wet and rain dripped from his hair. you wrapped the towel around him and sat him down.

“i tried to find shelter,” kazuha chuckles as he pulls the towel tighter around his body. “but as you can see, i failed.”

“it’s been raining for hours,” you say softly, throwing more wood in the fireplace nearby. “have you been in the rain this entire time?”

“not the entire time. i was in a cave when the rain started, but the wind started to blow the rain in. so i started to make my way here.” he explains. “it still took some time, though.”

“i’m glad you knew where i was. besides from me there’s only two other houses nearby, and i’m not sure they’d be as welcoming to a stranger.” you tell him.

“after we met a few weeks ago i asked beidou where i could find you if i needed it. since i’ve been here for some time now, i didn’t have any trouble finding you, luckily.” he replies. he sniffles, pushing his wet hair back.

“let me get you some food, you must be starving.” you say, pushing a chair closer to the fireplace. “sit here. get warmed up,” you help him stand and get him seated by the fire.

you quickly go to your kitchen to retrieve some soup you had made earlier while you rack your brain on what to do about his clothes. you had some old clothes you didn’t wear anymore that might fit him; he just needed something for the night. you left the kitchen to get kazuha some food in his stomach.

“here’s some soup,” you say. “you’ll have to change out of those clothes before you get sick, though,”

kazuha nods, taking the soup from your hands and sips it, sighing in relief at the warmth. “thank you for helping me,” he says. “i don’t think i realized how cold i was until i got here.”

“of course,” you reply. “there’s no way i’d leave you out there. let me get you those clothes now,” you go to your bedroom and find the clothes — looking at them now, they’d surely fit him.

when you return, kazuha had finished the soup and was standing by the fire. he had just finished drying his hair; it was out of it’s usual ponytail now. “i’m sorry for causing any—“

“shh,” you shush him. “it’s fine. i offered to help and now i’m helping.” you hand him the clothes.

his eyelids are heavy. he looks so exhausted he could fall asleep standing up.

“i can take you to my room and you can have my bed for the night.” you tell him.

kazuha shakes his head. “no. i can’t do that. i can just sleep out here on the floor.”

“kazuha—“

“i’ll be fine. i’m used to it. having a roof over my head is enough for me.” he says.

you listen to the rain outside for a few moments before nodding. “okay. you can put your clothes by the fire, hopefully they’ll be dried by morning.” you say. “are you sure you’ll be okay?”

kazuha smiles slightly, nodding. “yes. i can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done so far.”

“alright, then. i’ll see you in the morning.” you leave kazuha by himself and go to your own room. it takes you some time to shut your brain off and fall asleep, but you manage.

in the morning, you leave your room and see that kazuha has already woken up. he was back in his own clothes that had dried and had neatly folded yours and set it on the table.

“how are you feeling?” you ask.

“okay,” kazuha replies. “although… i can feel a cold coming on,” he sighs.

“well, you can always come back if you need to. a cold will definitely leave faster if you have proper shelter. i can also get you some medicine from dr. baizhu. i have to deliver something to him today anyways,” you tell him.

kazuha nods, grinning. “thank you.”

you quickly get ready and head towards the harbor with kazuha. the smell of rain still lingered in the air, children were jumping in the puddles left behind while the wild animals drank from them.

“i have to head to the crux,” kazuha says. “thank you again for all the help.”

“you’re welcome. feel free to come by anytime,” you tell him.

he nods, a soft smile on his face. “i’ll definitely consider it.”

childe

there had been a few times before when you had needed to patch up the mysterious man from snezhnaya — usually just a few cuts and bruises, but for a toy seller, he was getting hurt an awful lot.

so when he showed up on your doorstep, clothes tattered, covered in blood, you knew there was definitely something he wasn’t telling you. but that didn’t mean you were going to deny him help.

silence fills the room as you disinfect his cuts and clean the dirt off his skin. you noticed that body was basically covered in scars.

“you’ve definitely seen me in better shape,” childe finally says, voice strained. he’s still able to crack a smile.

you look to him. even though he’s smiling, you can sense some kind of hurt in his eyes. you quickly glance away. “i have.”

“i appreciate your help. i didn’t know who else to go to. the pharmacy is closed, and i’m not sure i’d get the same kind of help there as i will from you.” childe says.

you nod. “you made the right choice. so, what happened?” you ask.

the question makes childe shift uncomfortably in his spot. “i can tell you’re suspicious.”

“of course i am. am i supposed to think toy sellers get in fights like this?” you question. “either way, i don’t care. we’ve already established some kind of friendship, so…”

“it was never my plan to keep my real job hidden from you,” he admits. “but it would change your mind about me. and it felt kind of nice to have someone who didn’t know what i’m really in liyue for… but everyone figures it out somehow,” he says, chuckling.

“childe…” you say softly. “i’m still helping you. and i plan to do this whenever you need it.”

childe looks to you, with an almost confused and hurt expression on his face. “i’m not a good guy.”

“then i’ll pretend you’re a good guy.” you reply, pressing a bandage onto a cut on his shoulder. “if mr. zhongli trusts you, then surely you can’t be all that bad? i’m starting to get a feeling you don’t talk too highly of yourself.”

childe looks down at the floor. “okay. then we can pretend i’m just a toy seller.”

you pull childe’s sleeve back down to cover the bandage. “alright.”

childe stands up from his seat and heads to the door. “thank you again.”

“are you sure you want to leave? you must be exhausted. you’re already hurt and it’s dark outside. you should really—“

“i’ll be fine.” childe cuts you off. “i shouldn’t take up more of your time. you’ve already helped me this much.” he opens the front door. “i hope i’ll see you again soon.”

truthfully, you aren’t sure how tartaglia comes up with his gifts. they’re thoughtful, for sure, but it seems like everything is imported from a different nation. he claims it’s because he travels all around teyvat, but how does he have the time? everytime you go a few days or weeks without seeing him, he returns with a gift for you to apologize for being gone, or just because he thought of you when he saw whatever trinket he returned with. seeing your face light up whenever you see him return, souvenir in hand, is the highlight of his day.

“ah, yes, the payment… just put it on wangsheng funeral parlor’s tab, as usual.”

zhongli certainly has expensive taste, all of which is for you. jewelry made out of noctilucous jade or cor lapis, osmanthus wine of the highest quality, lavish meals at the restaurants of liyue are all things that zhongli has treated you to, simply from the kindness of his heart. he truly believes you deserve only the best things that life has to offer, and if he is able to provide you with them, he is sure to do just that.

physical touch

his arm around your shoulder, your hand in his, draping his arms around your shoulders as he stands behind you, this is what itto needs. feeling your skin against his makes everything feel okay. plus, he can’t help himself. he just loves being so close. he doesn’t care if you’re in public, he will be attached to you at the hip. he doesn’t care if the rest of his gang pick on him and say he’s whipped. because he loves you the most, and doesn’t care who knows it. (honestly, he wants everyone to know how much he loves you.)

as the general of an army, who would have known gorou loved something as intimate as physical touch so much? whether he was the one holding your hand or scooting just a bit closer so your bodies were touching when you sat next to him, or if you were the one rubbing his shoulders when he got too tense or grooming his tail before you both went to sleep, he loved it all. after taking care of his troops all day, he finds solace in feeling cared for by you.

maybe you realized dainsleif was touch-starved before he did. the expression on his face the first time you gently grabbed onto his hand in an attempt of reassurance was a once in a lifetime thing - as if everything had fallen into place, and for a moment, everything was okay. from that moment forward, dainsleif always had to be close to you.

acts of service

it’s no secret that thoma loves to care for others. he’s friendly and easy-going, and loves to give back to everyone. if you happen to voice even the slightest problem you’re having to him, he will go out of his way to help you figure things out. he couldn’t imagine being able to go about his day when he knows you’re feeling troubled. not only that, but he’ll get up early to make breakfast for you and take care of household chores while you’re out so you can come home to relax by his side.

behind ayato’s mysterious shell, he is kind and inspires everyone around him. you often helped the yashiro commission with events and never expected anything in return, so you were surprised to notice that ayato showed his face around you more often, helping you with your duties and even inviting you to drink boba with him after a long day of hard work. you were thankful for the kindness he showed you.

words of affirmation

all kazuha needed was someone to remind him that things would be okay, and he was overjoyed when he realized that person was you. after particularly hard days of traveling that exhausted him or days when his thoughts got the best of him, it was always you who helped him feel better. even after months of your words uplifting his spirits, kazuha wasn’t tired of it. just hearing your voice, promising to stay by his side, was enough to make everything he had done in the past feel worth it.