Remember when I said that Aether and Lumine's Father would die and get what he deserves?
So it's angst, but a different kind of angst.
For this to make sense, read the main story chapter 5. And it's not canon btw. This is a what if.
"I can hear her! Crying! Xiao, I think we found her!"-Aether
Oh please let it be true. All those days of crying will come to a end. Theyll go on a nice and long break with Lumine and their parents to Liyue beaches and ports. Theyll visit Zhongli and his siblings. Theyll have a nice day with no one trying to hurt them.
"ARIA!" Aether ran to his daughter laying down on the dirty rocky floor. She looked lifeless. She had no pulse. She was dead. Aria was dead. This couldn't be true, she was just crying. Was it a illusion?
"She's...no. No! I refuse to believe she's dead!"-Aether
"She bled out. Someone stabbed her because she was crying. It's fresh blood, just before we got here. Fatui."-Xiao
Aether was angry. That word made his blood boil. Fatui. That organization has killed almost everyone he cared about. They killed his mother, and now his daughter. They have every right for Aether to kill them right now.
"Let's go. Let's bury her in the garden. She loved the garden. Near the flowers I planted. Please."-Aether
Xiao hadn't seen his lover this sad before. He teleported them to the garden. Aria looked like she was crying in pain and tears. Aether caressed her face before going to ask someone inside for a coffin for Aria.
"Lumine. Do you have a coffin?"-Aether
"What? Aeth, no. Of course I dont. Why would you be aski-"-Lumine
"Okay. Bye."-Aether
Strange. He never acted like this. Lumine followed her gloomy brother back into the garden. She now understood why he asked.
—
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"It's just a stupid child. I don't see why we need to hold a week worth of work to mourn her passing. It's her own fault she's dead."-Aether's Father
"Aether..."-Lumine
Aether was no longer Aether. He was done with his father. He's been doing this all their life, and yet he let him continue. Because he's family. He slammed his hand on the table.
"A STUPID CHILD WOULD MEAN NOTHING TO YOU HUH? THEN WHY HAVE YOU CALLED ME STUPID ALL THESE YEARS?! OH SURE, YOURE MY FATHER, YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU CAN SAY ABOUT ME! BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN TALK SHIT ABOUT MY DAUGHTER! AND I DONT EVEN WANT TO HEAR HER NAME FROM YOUR MOUTH! YOU DONT EVEN DESERVE TO BE CALLED MY FATHER ANYMORE!"-Aether
"YOU DONT TALK LIKE THAT TO YOUR FATHER!"-Aether's Father
"YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER! ONLY MY BOSS! Not anymore. Because I quit!"-Aether
"Fine! So be it! Your mother would think that you are such a quitter anyways!"-Father
Aether started sobbing. His mother died to the Fatui because someone paid them to do it. She was the kindest person ever. She loved Aether and Lumine so much. Now he wished he didn't look so much like his father.
"YOU PAID THEM TO KILL MOM DIDNT YOU?! BECAUSE SHE WAS HOLDING US BACK AND ALWAYS MADE SURE WE HAD BREAKS?!"-Aether
"No! Like I said before, I was doing business in that icy land! I couldn't had time to pay someone to kill your mother!"-Father
"You had so many chances. And they were all done in secrecy. You paid for a assassin to kill mom in silence and paid for your silence. You paid multiple people and probably had affairs with someone there too. I could tell on your face that I'm right."-Aether
"You lied about mother's death? YOU LIED ABOUT HER DEATH?! TELL ME IT ISNT TRUE!"-Lumine
Their father laughed. He put his hair on his face as he moved his bangs out of his eyes. "It's all true. But what are you going to do about it? You have no power over nothing. You are still young."-Father
"Do you know how every room is set up? Every room except the bedrooms has cameras so only Xiao can see. Plus, I recorded everything. So yes father, we do have power." Aether held up a pen and played the exact message that was said.
Their father was outraged. He's been played. He threw a pole at Aether, catching him off guard. The blond fell for it, Lumine was now supposed to pick a side.
"Just let me bleed out. At least I can see the both of them this way."-Aether
"No! We are getting you help!"-Lumine
"You will not get him help. You'll forget this ever happened. Or, you join him. I'm sure you don't want that to happen."-Father
Smack! Their father was hit with a pan! Xiao saw Aether bleeding out on the floor.
"AETHER! Are you okay?! What happened?"-Xiao
"That's always your first question. Mmmm."-Aether
"Get him patched up. I can't have another person die today." The guard nodded, carrying both Aether and his father somewhere different. A prison and a hospital.
—
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"You should've left me to die. I couldn't save her in time."-Aether
"It's not your fault. It was the Fatui. Remember our promise."-Xiao
Aether recovered quickly. It was to be expected but he still felt at fault. Aria died because he was too slow. Aria died in pain. His only child, four years old, died in pain.
"I want to die. Her named being mentioned just makes me want to cry. I'm scared. I don't want her gone. I want my baby girl back."-Aether
Xiao let Aether cry into his back as he blankly pat him on the back. He missed Aria as well. But he already made a memorial for her. He plans to go and respect her passing everyday. Even when it's raining, he'll go and visit.
"*Sob* I wanna see her again. I just wanna-*sob* Xiao, I-"-Aether
"Stop crying and making those pathetic sobs. The time we had with her was phenomenal. She had to pass so soon. It wasn't her time." Now Xiao was crying. Aria died too soon. She had her whole life ahead of her.
"It's okay Mama and Papa, hugs for everyone! And Auntie gets a hug too!"-Aria
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