The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

38: The Return of a Hero

Aether had shown up not two days after their date, and upon entering the teapot had immediately engulfed the two of them and Kazuha in a hug. Paimon was silent, watching them all as if she expected them to just vanished into thin air. Xiao wondered briefly what had happened in his absence, and if perhaps he should have stayed after all. He was quickly silenced by Aether asking them to tell him everything that had happened. Venti started speaking immediately, filling him in on business in Mondstadt and how Morax had been these days. Aether nodded enthusiastically at his boyfriend, attention entirely on the ex-Archon as he spoke.

After he had finished, and the food Kazuha had made only a half hour ago was eaten faster than Xiao had seen anything be eaten in just about his whole life, Aether pulled him aside. His look was one of purely him intent. His fingers flashed over his chest and face as he signed.

"I wanna spar." Though he had slept for who knows how long in that horrible dream, there were dark bags under his eyes, and his hair was pulled back in a ponytail instead of its usual long braid. For a moment, Xiao wondered if he knew how to braid his hair. He had walked in on Venti braiding the locks more times than one after all.

Instead of asking that, he just nodded in reference to his friend's request. If he wanted to take out his frustration, he was more than welcome to use Xiao. Perhaps Xiao could use this situation to take out his own frustrations regarding the lack of progress they'd made in erosion research. This was mutually beneficial.

They made their way out into the artificially created grasses, and down into the area Aether had created to avoid destruction of his property. Tall stone rose on all sides of them, dirt softening the blow as he jumped to the ground. Lanterns lined the tops of the rock, lighting Aether's face in a rather grim way, but somehow he was still just as beautiful as he was in the light of midday Liyue.

Though he hadn't noticed the others following them, Kazuha's voice floated down into where they stood, weapons drawn. He must have been repeating one of his poems for Venti, who giggled and started spouting poetry of his own as they watched Aether and Xiao.

Aether spoke, the only time Xiao had heard him use his voice in a situation that wasn't urgent.

"Ready?" Xiao braced himself, gripping his polearm and bringing it closer to his chest before nodding. And at that, there was a flash of gold, and a sword striking near his feet. Dust billowed from where he'd jumped, anemo coming to his aid as he brought his own weapon in a wide arc towards Aether's face. It was a half second before Aether leaned back, barely out of the way of the sharp point as it swung.

The blonde made a quick dash to Xiao's right, making a stabbing motion that Xiao went to block immediately, forgetting how exactly Aether fought. In a half second, Aether had circled around him, his sword slicing a line through the cloth of his sleeve, and making Xiao flicker through space behind Aether. Before he could make a move however, vines were growing from the ground until his movement was limited, letting his friend strike wherever he saw fit.

So this was dendro. Though he was aware of a dendro vision holder in Liyue, he'd never met the man, and therefore had no idea what fighting style might work the best when aided by it. Thankfully, he had more of his wits about him than he might have had if this was a worse day. He appeared behind Aether, swinging over his head in a moment to alert him of his presence. The next jab was blocked by the blonde's sword, a sheen of sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

Xiao could feel his old wounds aching, corruption beginning to build in his chest a familiar feeling, but not one he was fond of at all. His mask formed over his face, all his senses superfocusing into only Aether and his sword. He could no longer hear Kazuha and Venti speaking quietly above them, could no longer hear the leaves in the vineyard beside them rustling softly. There was only his own ragged breathing and the green glow surrounding Aether at the moment. His spear was flung, and he was teleporting behind Aether in the next second as he dodged. His hands gripped the sword, throwing it to the ground before he ripped the mask off his face.

"We're done." Though he knew the fight had ended abruptly, and that his companion could definitely go more rounds than just that one, his body was beginning to ache at the use of his vision, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to control it much longer if they'd kept on fighting. Although, any and all frustration he'd had was entirely consumed by all encompassing exhaustion now, so it had done what he had wanted.

Venti caught up with him as he stalked past the house and up a floating bride onto the next peak that Aether had designated for calming and meditation. After much debate, he had moved the shrine and hot baths up here as well as a huge lyre from Mondstadt and meditation stones from Liyue. It had become a favorite place of both he and Kazuha, an area for Xiao to quell his anger, and for the wandering samurai to focus himself and nap. Once Venti had come upon the two of them fallen asleep against a twisted tree, laughed and mentioned that he had never met anyone more comparable to cats than the two of them. Xiao had merely rolled his eyes as Kazuha smiled.

Now, Venti tagged behind him as he undressed into his underclothes and eased himself into the hot water of the baths. His boyfriend's overclothes were also discarded as he swung his feet into the water. His fingers carded through Xiao's hair softly as he spoke in that gentle, all-knowing way he did so little.

"Now, my love, why did you not tell me it was getting worse?" His words were in no way accusing, not even leaving room for Xiao to think they might be as he braided his hair behind his head carefully. Why hadn't he told Venti? It wasn't as if he hadn't helped him with it in the past, after all he'd been the only one to help him in the past.

"I suppose I didn't think it was necessary to worry you over something I have handled nearly alone for my whole life." Venti secured his hair behind his head with the ribbons from his own braids, groaning as he slid into the water next to Xiao. His gaze was pensive, hair blowing softly over his own face as it did when it was free.

"Whilst you did handle it on your own, I am more than capable of easing your pain the smallest amount my love. It is no feat for a creature of my power." He strummed his fingers through the air gently, music beginning to drift through the air towards them from the lyre on the other side of the separator.

"After all, if I can't ease my dearest's discomfort, what sort of god am I?" With the music playing, and Venti's hand still stroking gently at the back of his neck, Xiao began to drift off. Aether was safe and home, Venti was at his side, and all things would work themselves out.

Though he had thought that in his sleep-addled mind the last night, in the face of this matter, he wasn't so sure. When they had awoken in the morning to the gentle paws on his chest of the only cat not afraid of his partner, Venti had informed him that he planned on telling Aether of the erosion eating away at his body. Now, as they gathered the dishes from the first meal of the day, Xiao wondered if that was such a good decision in the face of all that had happened in Sumeru.

"Aether, I have, I have to tell you something." It was like every nerve in Xiao's body jumped at once, if he had been in his adeptal form his feathers might have ruffled in shock. So that's what his beloved had meant by telling Aether. Although he supposed they might have eased him into it a bit more, this would suffice.

"I um, currently, I am being plagued by the effects of erosion." Though Xiao had known the traveler would take it badly, he hadn't expected all the blood to drain from his face as it did. He looked horrified. Aether fell back into his seat, fingers shaking as he stared down at them. It seemed he couldn't even bring them up to say anything, a single shaky word leaving his lips instead.

"No." His fingers gripped at his pants hard, leaving his knuckles white as he looked up at Xiao desperately. They left his pants to sign frantically at him.

"Zhongli must know how to fix this." Xiao only shook his head sadly. From all the research they'd done in the past months, there was nothing to be done besides keep trying to bring him back to himself when he forgot. Kazuha had left this morning to bring the literature Xiao had given him to Tighnari, who might have an insight into the passages that they didn't.

"There's nothing we can do, Venti wants to simply enjoy his life."

Aether shook his head insistently, fingers fumbling his next sentence but getting the message through.

Xiao froze, looking towards Venti, who didn't look nearly as shocked as he felt.

"I love him. There has to be something."