Subconsciously Flawed | Genshin Impact OC Story

08

(A/N: Sorry this came late, I was sick.)

Up the concrete path, trailed with beautiful sakura trees and scattered blossoms that he carefully tried to avoid stepping on if he could. He readjusted the bag clipped upon his waist, heavy with concoctions and ingredients. The setting sun shone past the wooden red overheads built along the path, occasionally blinding his vision with it's hues.

Finally, he made it to the top, face to face with the Grand Narukami Shrine. A lady, unfamiliar kindly smiled at him as he entered, and he returned it. Normally he'd see another woman brooming the stray blossoms from the entrance—he wondered where she was. Oh well.

He made his way around the first building, and to the large Sacred Sakura Tree. Everyday he saw this tree, and yet he was still captivated by its beauty and grace. Ever since he was a child, he would stand before this tree and he would pray for its safety, for the Shogun's safety, for his safety, and for Inazuma's safety.

He firmly clasped his hands together, closing his ruby colored eyes to pray, like he did everyday.

"Off somewhere soon?" A familiar sultry voice spoke behind him.

"O-Oh, Miss Guji Yae," the man jolted from his prayer, and turned to face her, "Yes actually, how did you know?"

"You always come once more than normal before you're off traveling somewhere. This would be your third visit today...You really like it here."

He smiled a bit, nodding and separating his clasped hands. "I suppose I just tend to like praying here more than anywhere else. It's peaceful and beautiful here, and the shrine maidens are quite nice..."

"Oho, are they?" The woman hummed to herself, "Where to now?"

"Ah, erm..." he hesitated on whether to tell her, they weren't really too close after all, "I'll still be in Inazuma if that's a good enough answer."

"Does the Sangonomiya Shrine require your services?" She questioned, shocking the man who's eyes flew wide open. How could she have possibly known that? She always had her ways, he supposed...

"Y-Yeah, they do. Some of their maidens have fallen ill and since I work alone I have to deliver the medicine myself."

"Hm, I see."

"...Lately a lot of people have been becoming sick. That's why I pray everyday to the Shogun that she tries to protect those who revere her from all illness."

"Hah, well if she has the power to do that, you wouldn't really have business here would you? You'd have to go somewhere else."

"That is likely," he shrugs, "But I could make my life some other way besides being a doctor."

"Consider yourself a man of much talent?"

"Err, no, not exactly."

Yae quietly watched the man who shied away from her gaze. It was terrifying, he would admit. He felt like she was looking down on him for some reason, even though he would love to say he was trying really hard to be an upstanding citizen for the Shogunate as a whole. He was charismatic at times, but under her perceptive eye, it was hard for him to remain cool.

"Would you be willing to help the ladies and visitors at my shrine too? Before you go, or soon anyhow."

"What?" He finally met her eyes, now more serious when the topic switched.

"You come here often so you must've seen that some of our regulars have been missing."

He nodded, noticing some familiar faces absent from the shrine.