(Wattpad is being weird again-)
(It published the chapter before I could finish it but showed it as unpublished so I didn't notice...)
↢3rd Person POV↣
Chaos. Just, chaos.
This was supposed to be waiting but all Jean saw was pure chaos.
Ryoichi and y/n had teamed up and were chasing Kaeya around with sticks while Barbara ran after them, trying to calm the duo down.
Diluc was sitting on a rock, looking dead inside as usual, while Yuuna braided his hair and Klee watched curiously.
Albedo was sketching a picture of Razor and Aether running away from a Lawachurl y/n had pissed off and Paimon was chilling on the sand while enjoying the sunshine.
Just chaos.
Oh, the Lawachurl grabbed y/n.
Jean watched in silence as the Lawachurl threw the screaming girl into the water only for everyone else to immediately go after it while y/n was literally drowning again.
They were supposed to wait for the damn fish to go to the weird stones y/n picked up but in the mean time, they were all being idiots.
During the chaos, Ryoichi and Yuuna went to go save the drowning hiligirl.
"Breathe! Breathe!" Yuuna cried, shaking y/n as her soul literally left her body, "You can't die yet, Yuuna hasn't gotten the chance to tell you about her familyyy!"
"Wake. Up. Now." Ryoichi ordered, violently slapping tf out of y/n.
Y/n, who had actually been sleeping, opened an eye to look at the two in concern.
"Why are you guys hitting me...?" y/n asked and wheezed when Yuuna tugged her into a back breaking hug.
"You're alive! Good!" Yuuna exclaimed, "Now Yuuna has something to give to you. If she gets caught with it, she'll be in big trouble."
"Yuuna, no-" Ryoichi began.
"Shut up, nobody ask for your opinion." The child passed a pyro vision to y/n and she stared at it quizzically, "Tf is this?"
It looked a tad bit different than most pryo visions she'd seen. It didn't look like one from Liyue or Mondstadt nor did it looked like Childe's so it wasn't from Snezhnaya.
"This is our Uncle's vision! Yuuna is leaving it with you because she knows you'll take good care of it!" Yuuna chirped, "It's also cause Yuuna wants you to have a reason to visit us but you didn't hear that from Yuuna."
Y/n looked at Ryoichi who only shrugged.
"If you ever find your lost, just look for the pretty cherry blossom tree with the gravestone in front of it! If you keep walking east of there, you'll find the Katou household." Yuuna told her, "You're always welcome in our home. Yuuna is very grateful to you for helping her!"
Y/n tilted her head, "?"
"We're leaving." Ryoichi stated, "Your Fatui friend offered to take us back home since he's headed there for work anyways."
"My Fatui friend...?" y/n echoed, 'Ginger?'
"The one who uses a gun."
"Oh! Tris! :o" 'Not the Ginger :('
Y/n was starting to believe Tris was a sorcerer or something. He was literally everywhere and had the strangest book collection y/n and ever seen.(he happily showed her the few he brought from home)
The yellow eyed softy was a bit scary if y/n was being honest. Was he secretly bad?
Y/n could never tell what he was thinking since his face was always hidden and he was very aware of his own body language, others' included.
"[NOPE], ANYA, GET TF OFF OF THAT-!!!"
"Y/N, THAT KILLS PEOPLE, STOP-"
"OSIRIS, I GET THAT YOU DON'T LIKE ANYA BUT STOP THROWING HER OFF CLIFFS!"
Nah, he couldn't possibly bad.
Not with that frantic, motherly vibe.
"Katou..." y/n murmured, "So your full name is Yuuna Katou or something?"
Yuuna shook her head, "Katou Yuuna."
"Katou Yuuna." y/n echoed then looked at Ryoichi, "Katou Ryoichi?"
"Wow, you got a name right for once."
"Ryo, stop it. >:("
Yuuna punched her cousin in the arm before smiling at y/n, "Yuuna looks forward to seeing you back at home! You remind her a lot of Grandpa so Yuuna will introduce you to him! Just don't let him convince you to fight him, he'll kill you."
"Don't die before then." Ryoichi added, helping y/n stand up and giving her a small smile, "That way, we can have a nice fight without any interruptions."
Y/n grinned, "Hell yeah!"
"Come on, Ryo! We have to go quickly!" Yuuna reminded then looked at y/n, "Thank you for everything! Yuuna and Kuma can't wait to see you again!"
Y/n realized she was referring to the stuffed bear and laughed when the little girl moved the bear's arms to make it look like it was waving at her.
Y/n waved back, "Bye-bye!"
She watched the duo wander away, wondering how they were going to get off the Archipelago and nearly pissed herself when they ducking disappeared into thin air.
Y/n would never get used to waypoints.
She found Albedo first and held his hand until they wandered back to the group.
"What happened to your two friends?" he asked as he guided y/n along, simply to make sure she didn't take off as soon as she spotted hilichurls playing in the sand.
"They went home." y/n replied simply, "Well, they're going home. They didn't want to worry their family by staying away too long-OH!"
Albedo gave y/n a curious look when her eyes widened, "What is it?"
"I've been away too long! My family is probably thinking I died!" y/n realized, "I must return home now!"
Y/n, sweetheart, they're dead.
They've been dead for weeks.
Albedo decided not to remind y/n because when she had an emotional breakdown, he had no idea how to help.
"Would you like me to come with you?" Albedo asked and y/n looked thoughtful.
"Hm... yes please!"
After making sure everyone knew y/n hadn't drowned and Albedo convinced y/n to use a waypoint instead of using the boat, the duo wandered back to Dragonspine and to the spot y/n's family once lived.
Albedo had expected her to freak out over the absence of her family but was surprised to see her simply sit on her knees in the middle of the area in silence.
He remained silent too, not wanting to disturb her. They stayed like that, Albedo freezing alive while y/n sat on the ground in silence for two hours.
It was when Albedo was actually about to pass out that y/n finally got up with a, "Let's go back now."
When she got no reply, she curious looked over her shoulder and shrieked when she realized Albedo had indeed passed out, "OH HELL- ALBEDO-"
~~~ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ•°*
The stupid fish still weren't there when the duo got back to the Archipelago so y/n just decided that swimming lessons would be nice.
They weren't nice but is was a good idea.
"You're doing good, y/n, you've got this!" Paimon shouted from where her and Aether were watching y/n splash around in the water while screeching.
Diluc was holding her up so she wouldn't sink immediately and Razor was trying to show her how to doggy paddle since it was the simplest form of swimming aside from floating.
She was good at that but actually swimming was difficult. Hey! At least she could doggy paddle pretty fast!
"Razor! I'm doing it!" y/n exclaimed.
Razor grinned, "Good!"
"Diluc! I can do it on my own!"
"Hm... alright."
Not even a second later, y/n was back to thrashing around in the water and drowning.
Okay, so that didn't work.
"KENMA! I'M GONNA DROWN!"
Kaeya deadpanned, holding y/n up in the water while Diluc tried to show her how to move her arms and legs.
"That's not my name and you know it."
"Fine! Kenya!"
"That's not it either!"
Y/n looked thoughtful, "Then... what is it?"
Kaeya blinked once, it could've been a wink but it isn't very likely that it was, "Okay, I'm done."
Y/n shrieked when Kaeya let go of her, immediately sinking due to her inability to swim. If hilichurls can't float, Mitachurls definitely can't swim.
"**CK, KAEYA, HELP--!!!" y/n shrieked.
"Oh, so you do know my name." Kaeya purred while y/n screamed for help.
"AAAAAAAÃÅÀÂĄÄĂĀÁÆÆÆÆ!!!!!!"
"KAEYA, SHE'S DROWNING!" Diluc shouted when y/n didn't resurface.
Razor, Klee, Barbara and Jean all looked concerned while Diluc and Kaeya actually started fighting and Aether frantically tried to help y/n.
Okay, no swimming, that's fine.
Y/n gave good massages so that would work too. Massage as in her walking on someone's back.
"Here?" y/n asked, taking a step forward so she was standing on Aether's shoulder blades, "You okay, Nether? You look constipated."
"nOpe, i'M fiNe-" Aether wheezed.
"i'M fiNe-" Paimon mimicked, "Please, Paimon knows you just like being stepped on."
"Why would anyone like being stepped on. It's weird..." y/n murmured, frowning.
"Who wouldn't want to be stepped on by the all-powerful Bellator Minima?" Aether replied, simply as a joke and realized he made a mistake when y/n gave him a sparkly eyed look.
"Ohhh! You're right, Ether!"
"Aether."
"Aether." y/n corrected herself, "But you're right! Being stepped on by me is a blessing!"
"Oh boy, here we go..." Paimon murmured.
Y/n pointed at Diluc, "Hey! Diluc! Let me step on you since you're my footstool!"
Diluc deadpanned with a confused look and immediately scowled at Aether with a what-the-frick-frack-patty-wack-did-you-,do look.
Aether simply shrugged.
Anything to keep her busy.
~~~ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ•°*
After waiting until the next day, Paimon suggested that they go see if the fish arrived.
When Aether went to wake up y/n, he acutely couldn't find her. Nobody could.
"Did she drown while we were sleeping?" Barbruh asked, worried for the idiot.
"Probably." Diluc and Kaeya said simultaneously, earning a glare from literally everyone else.
"I'm sure she's fine, she probably just wandered off." Jean assured everyone, "Wandering is something she does often, isn't it?"
"HEY! LOOK AT THESE COLORFUL FISH!" y/n exclaimed, popping out of the water.
"Y/n!" Klee exclaimed, running over and hugging the delighted but confused hiligirl.
"Hm? Did something happen?" she asked, "Ohhh! You thought I drowned."
Everyone was silent for a moment before agreeing in a chorus of "yeah"s "mhm"s and "pretty much".
"Welp! I got your fish!" y/n chimed, passing the fish to Aether.
"Now that we have the scales, we just place them in the device!" Paimon exclaimed as y/n sneakily crept up behind.
Razor and Albedo noticed this but made no attempt to warn the Calvary Captain.
Sadistic mf had it coming-
"Mister Honorary Knight, are you gonna do it?" Klee asked just as y/n jumped on Kaeya's back with a loud "GOTCHA, ♀️🐶!!!"
Everyone ignored y/n and Kaeya as they were fighting... play fighting...?
Neh, nobody could really tell.
"Yep, did you want to?" Aether replied and Klee sighed heavily.
"I want to but I'm too short to reach." Klee said, feeling disappointed.
"When you say Now, I'll place it, alright?" Aether told thrnchild who smiled brightly.
"Okay!" Klee chirped then added, "But actually... I don't really understand this part. So if you place them for me, it'll be fine! I trust you!"
"Then we'll place the fish scales and let Klee activate the final and most important mechanism." Paimon decided.
"Okie dokie! I'm going to finally see you, Dodo-King! Hee-hee, time to see what you really look like!" Klee chimed.
"I must say, Klee's incredibly excited." Jean chuckled and yep, she's right.
Klee had as much energy as I do after eating three boxes of Peeps in one day..
"You can do it, Mister Honorary Knight! I'm cheering for you! Yay!!" Klee declared.
"I believe in you too!" y/n called from where Kaeya was carrying her over to the water and shrieked when he tossed her.
After placing the scales and dragging y/n back out of the water, Aether turned to Klee.
"We've finished placing the scales." he told her with a thumbs up.
"Yay, amazing! Hehehe, it's my turn now, right?" Klee inquired.
"Yep, we'll leave that mechanism over there to you, Klee!" Paimon confirmed.
"Klee! I'll stand beside you to make sure you're safe!" y/n said quickly, darting to Klee side, "If there's any danger, we can beat up our enemy together!"
Klee's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to fight alongside y/n. Typically, y/n was the one either causing trouble or shielding Klee. But to be able to fight on her side? Amazing.
Before Klee hit the button, she hesitated.
"Klee, what's wrong?" Barbruh asked, noticing Klee's hesitancy.
"I...I'm worried..." Klee murmured, "What if Dodo-King really is in here? And what if he doesn't allow me to become Dodoco's family, or if I lose to him.. Then Dodoco can't be with me, and Mom will be very sad too... Dodoco is my bestest friend that Mom ever gave me. I—I'm too scared to press it..."
"Huh? Scared?" y/n echoed then smiled, "No worries. If you lose, which won't be very likely, you can just leave it to me."
"Leave it to you?" Klee echoed.
"Mhm! I'll beat up Dodo-King for you!" y/n exclaimed, "So don't be afraid!"
"Mmm, but I don't wanna mess up..." Klee said, still having doubts, "Honorary Knight, can you press the button for me?"
"I can't help you press it." Aether replied with a shake of his head, "I have to hold my weapon so I can protect you."
"Yes, we're all here for you." Jean assured the child with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry Klee, we've all got your back!" Paimon declared.
"No matter who the enemy is, as long as we're here, you don't have to be afraid." Kaeya added. Man, if only he could be that nice to y/n too. Maybe he wouldn't have to sleep with one eye open on all the time.
"Perfect, I also want to see how strong the enemies on this island really are." Diluc hummed and y/n looked at him.
Okay, she was also looking forward to fighting strong enemies but damn, he could've at least been supportive-
"Go. I'm here." Razor said simply though his words were still comforting.
"Guys, don't say things like that..." Barbruh sighed, "What if Dodo-King just wants to invite Klee to his house to chat? Or yes, maybe he already approves of Klee!"
"Will he really approve of me?" Klee asked, eyes brightening a little.
"Why wouldn't he?" Albedo questioned, "You've always tried your best and have done a good job."
"Really?" Klee breathed.
"Definitely!" y/n and Aether exclaimed in usion before giving one another surprised looks.
Aether looked away form the puzzled hiligirl with a blush on his face while y/n tried to figure out why he was acting so odd...
"...Alright! Leave this to me!" Klee exclaimed, "Press, press... press the button!"
She pressed the button-
Then the world blew up.
Okay, okay, I'm joking.
The barrier disappear revealing a very non-threatening area that looked more like a vacation spot than a lair.
Y/n's tilted her head and was immediately dragged along by an excited Klee.
Y/n being y/n, immediately broke away from the group to look around the entire island.
It was actually quite nice.
"But who called everyone here?" y/n wondered aloud, crossing her arms with a frown, "Hm... is Dodo-King here...?"
She couldn't smell anything aside from the shrubbery, the water and everyone else on the other of the small island.
Before heading back, she halted for a moment to look at the water for a bit.
It was pretty.
She usually ignored the area around her unless there was danger or if it was new but for once, she found looking at a large body of water quite peaceful.
After a moment, she snapped out of her brief trance and hurried back over to where everyone else was waiting, popping up beside Aether as if she'd never been gone.
"Y/n!" Klee suddenly exclaimed, surprising the hiligirl just a little, "Do you love Klee?"
Y/n blinked, "Love?"
Ahh, love was pretty odd.
She still didn't understand it.
But the affection she'd felt for Matr and the rest of her family, that was love, right? The desire to protect them, make sure they were happy and to give them the best life... that was love, right?
Dang it, words. Words are complicated.
Matr's hugs were always so loving and warm. Since y/n couldn't quite tell what love was just yet, she simply crouched to Klee's level and pulled her into a hug.
She'd heard a phrase once before, saying actions spoke louder than words.
She never expected words in a book to actually have some meaning in the real world.
"Wait..." Paimon murmured, "Hey! Y/n's crying!"
"Huh? She is?" Klee asked.
"SHADDAP SALMON, MITACHURLS DONT CRY!" y/n snapped back in between tears, "I'M JUST CLEARING MY VISION SINCE I GOT SAND IN MY EYES."
(Whew, first update in a while)
(Have some Zhongli pictures I took-)