Genshin: Aether Oneshots

Two Is Better

        "You didn't have to come all the way out here to help me with this commission, you know?" (y/n) commented while she led the way through the rainforest. "I'm sure you have more important things to do than picking harra fruits." A scholar from Sumeru City was paying a beautiful amount of mora just for these fruits, but the task itself appeared to be rather simple.

        "I can't deny that, but I came along because I wanted to spend some time with you. I haven't had the chance to do that in a while." Both of them were travelers following a similar path to reach two different goals. They often met one another in different regions, and had become great friends because of it.

        "You just saw me yesterday, Aether." (Y/n) pulled back a section of leaves and held them out so that Aether could pass by.

        "Just briefly, yes. Only long enough for me to greet you. That doesn't even count." (Y/n) had nothing to say to refute his claim. Now he was leading the way in hopes of finding the sought-after fruit. For foreigners, they were doing well to navigate the rainforest with such ease. It sometimes surprised (y/n) how easily she traversed the complex terrain. Sure, she tripped over a branch every now and then, but who hasn't?

        "Well, that isn't the one we're looking for, but I'll take a few. Never know when you might need some," Aether spoke as he spotted a ripe set of zaytun peaches. "I'll share, don't worry," he added. (Y/n) stayed on the main path and watched him so they wouldn't get lost. He picked them fruits in a hurry as if he were being timed. She had seen him pick berries right off a bush while running past it, so this was no surprise to her.

        Aether brought the peaches to her and placed them in the basket that she carried on her back. It's straps made it seem like a backpack than a basket. "Leave some room for the actual merchandise please. I don't think I can give the wrong fruit and still get paid," (y/n) reminded him with a laugh. They kept going deeper into the lush area to find what they were really after.

        "Oh, there it is!" (Y/n) pointed at the fruits before rushing off to grab them. Perhaps it was a thing that travelers did because she also picked the fruits with haste, not wasting a single second to look around for more of them. It didn't take them long to find another pair of harra fruits.

        "(Y/n), do you mind if I ask you something?" Aether stopped her before she could go looking around again. She nodded at him so he could continue. "Do you enjoy doing commissions? Together I mean. Do you like doing them with me?" He stared right down at the grass and scratched his head.

        "Of course I do." (Y/n) panicked for a moment. "You didn't take what I said earlier seriously, did you? I didn't mean I don't want you around. It's always fun to have you join me," she quickly spoke.

        Aether shook his head at her and finally met her gaze. "That's not what I was talking about. I guess you could say..." he paused and sighed. "If you want to, could we start traveling together?" His eyes were full of hope and uncertainty. The question caught (y/n) of guard, stunning her into silence which only grew Aether's doubts, but he had nothing to fear.

        "I don't see why not! You're always getting into some sort of trouble every time I ask how you're travels have been." She grinned at him. "Now I'll get to bail you out whenever you need me to." His usual positive aura returned to him along with his smile. "Now, let's hurry up and finish this commission."

        By the time they finished the task, it was already well into the afternoon. If they spent too much time out in the rainforest, they might have to stay the night. "We'll need to hurry back. This place gets even more dangerous after dark," (y/n) noted. "We can take a quick break though. It's a long walk back from here."

        "More dangerous? It doesn't seem too bad right now," Aether mumbled. They sat next to a pond of water near a vast clearing. There was plenty of foliage to keep them out of the sun's reach.

        "That's because I've made sure to memorize which routes keep us away from the animals in this area that do attack. I'm not too worried about the sumpter beasts." Aether was a little surprised at her explaination. "Did you really not know?"

        "I haven't really come across anything I'd consider too dangerous," Aether said with a laugh.

        "Right. Taking down a full grown tiger is a mere walk in the park for the Honorary Knight, the savior of Liyue, the liberator of Inazuma! I bet you'd even be able to capture one if you desired." (Y/n) was only joking, but the look on Aether gave her was a bit frightening.

        "Don't. Move." She realized that he wasn't looking at her but rather past her as he carefully brought forth his sword and eased himself onto his feet. "I'm going to need you to come a little closer if you can," he instructed as he made an effort to inch closer to her while crouching. "When I say the word, I'm going to need you to run." (Y/n) was more than capable of protecting herself, but she couldn't see the threat and she trusted Aether enough to let him handle the situation. "Now!"

        A snarl sounded behind her, but Aether summoned a wall of crystals between himself and the threat just as (y/n) got up to flee across the pond. She immediately turned around once she had gotten to the other side. She saw Aether roll out of the way just as a tiger lept at him with its claws out. It had already landed and changed direction before he could get back up. Aether yelped in surprise as the animal pounced on him. He had managed to block the tiger's bite with his sword and just barely avoided the claws.

        Without thinking, (y/n) took a random fruit from her basket and threw it at the tiger. It landed square on the large cat's back, immediately catching its attention. As soon as it got off Aether and came charging across the pond, (y/n) attacked the waters with the element from her vision. The sudden elemental reaction momentarily halted the beast. Before (y/n) could do anything more, a burst of electricity sparked in the waters from behind the tiger, taking down the poor animal.

        For a moment, (y/n) stared at the fallen tiger to make sure that it was, at the very least, unconcious. Once she was satisfied, she looked to Aether who was on the other side of the pond clutching his shoulder with his hand. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

        "I should be asking you that!" (Y/n) rushed to his side to check for any injuries.

        "I can't believe you threw a fruit at a tiger," Aether laughed.

        "I had to do something," (y/n) muttered as she checked Aether's face for any scratches. He took hold of her hands before she let him go.

        "Hey, I'm alright. You don't have to worry." He tried to calm her down by rubbing the back of her hands. "But I would like to get back to the city as soon as we can. That was actually kind of scary even for me."

        "That's definitely something we can agree on," she said as she helped Aether stand. He leaned onto her for support for a moment, tired from the quick fight for his life. "Just be more careful from now on."

        "With you by my side, I'm sure that's going to be easier from now on," Aether claimed.
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I dunno, I kind of feel like I ended that off a bit strangely. Anyways, until next time you fantastic readers!