𝒜𝒻𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎 | Xiao x Reader

...𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚃𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙷𝚒𝚖

Xiao opened his eyes as he reappeared in Inazuma City. Squinting, he took in the sight of so many people nearby, as well as the extremely different architecture of the buildings that surrounded him.

Since he'd never been to Inazuma before, he was surprised he'd even ended up in the right place at all. It was all based on descriptions the traveler had given him about their time there, which wasn't a lot to go on.

He hadn't even asked Zhongli before leaving Liyue, he realized only now. He'd been in such a rush to get here and search for any clues on your whereabouts that it had slipped his mind entirely. Though, since the former Archon knew his situation well, Xiao suspected he wouldn't be too upset about it.

Plus, he planned to make this trip as short as possible. After all, he wanted desperately to get to the bottom of this.

The only issue was that he'd never been here before, so he was unsure of where the publishing house was. Xingqiu had said to look for Yae Publishing when he arrived, but where was that?

It didn't help that the amount of foreign people around right now was overwhelming him, and he drew in a breath as he looked around for it. Unfortunately, all he could see nearby were a few restaurants, a clothing store, and a small bridge leading over a little stream.

As uncomfortable as being here was though, he wasn't about to let that stop him from getting closer to you. After reading through the seventh book just briefly enough to get an idea of the story, he could confirm that it also followed the events of one of your past lives, which wasn't even surprising at this point.

Still, the idea of someone outside the two of you putting those stories out into the world angered him to no end. Whoever they were, he just wanted to hunt them down and teach them a lesson for what they were putting the both of you through, even if you weren't necessarily around to see it.

If he found out you truly were alive like he suspected, and that this so-called author was hurting you, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back against them, no matter how much he hated killing mortals.

Sighing, he decided to stop waiting now and just start walking around aimlessly in the hopes that he'd find the publishing house. If it came down to it, he might even just have to ask some of the mortals where it was.

Since there seemed to be more buildings down the street, he started making his way there past the restaurants he'd noticed before.

He was well aware of the awkward stares he received from people wherever he went, but then, being an Adeptus in a place like Inazuma was bound to bring him a lot of attention. He despised it.

He was so focused on trying to blend in a little better that he didn't even notice the group of kids coming his way until it was too late.

One of them bumped right into him, dropping whatever they'd been holding in surprise. The others, who held little action figures, came to a stop behind him. Their eyes all widened as they looked up at him, and Xiao crossed his arms instinctively. The little boy gulped, scooting back and not even bothering to grab the item he'd dropped on the ground.

Xiao was debating whether to say something or continue observing them for another moment when the kids all exchanged concerned looks, and then scrambled away in fear.

He was used to getting that reaction too, but a sigh escaped his lips now as they left and ran down the nearby stairs. Glancing down at the floor though, he realized they'd dropped a book, and not just any book, but a very familiar one at that.

"'The Miracle'..." He whispered to himself reading the title outload as he bent down to pick it up, "'the eighth installment by Qing Xin'..." He could feel his heartbeat quicken at the last part, and clutched the book tightly in his arms as he opened it up to search for any kind of biography from the author.

Before he could find one though, a voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me." He looked up to see a cheerful looking blonde woman with gold eyes staring at him. "Are you alright? I don't think I've seen you in the city before, and you seem distressed."

He frowned at that, wondering why someone like her would randomly come up to him like this, but then he saw the kids from before crouching behind some of the nearby bushes as they watched the exchange. It seemed they must have gone to get an adult upon seeing a suspicious person like him around.

"I am fine." He replied, crossing his arms again as he still held the book close to his chest. "This is my first time in Inazuma."

"Oh, I see!" The woman grinned, "Well then, welcome! My name's Yoimiya, and I can show you around if you want. Where are you from?" She eyed his clothes, and based on the knowing look on face, it seemed like she already knew the answer.

"Liyue." Xiao said simply. "And that will not be necessary. I am only looking for the Yae Publishing House."

Recognition flashed in her eyes as she noticed the book in his hands now.

"Oh, I see!" She replied, "I can show you the way then. It's just down here." She gestured towards the nearby staircase, "What's your name, by the way?"

Xiao wasn't sure if her friendly attitude was normal for people in Inazuma or if she was just putting up a front to make him feel more welcome, but either way, it caught him very off guard.

"Xiao." He said quietly, wondering if she, someone living in this city, might have ever met the author of those damned books.

"Nice to meet you, Xiao!" She replied cheerfully, and the Adeptus briefly wondered how one person could have that much energy. He followed after her as she lead him down the steps. They passed the bushes, where the kids were still hiding, and Xiao pretended he couldn't see their tufts of hair poking out from the leaves.

Finally, they reached a little building with shelves of books set outside, some of which he recognized as the earlier ones in the series about you and him.

"Here it is!" Yoimiya exclaimed as Xiao just nodded.

"Thank you."

"No problem!" She assured him, "I hope you enjoy your time here in Inazuma, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to come and find me at Naganohara Fireworks!" He nodded, watching as she turned and walked away.

People in Inazuma really were strange.

..........

A/n: I've always thought it would be interesting and fun for Xiao and Yoimiya to meet so this one was fun to write! (They're the two strongest characters on my account and also my two favorite Genshin characters so I just love writing them <3)