"Y/N?" Childe opened the flap of yet another medical tent. Upon seeing the young girl squating beside a medical bed, he felt relief flood into his body. "Ah... there you are. Don't run off like that, ok?" He said as he walked up to her. He crouched down beside her. She didn't look at him, instead continuing to pat the young boy shivering in the mattress in front of her. Y/N's eyes were downcast, and she looked sad. "He has a fever, and his parents sadly... passed in the recent accident." Childe turned around to see a man with bright green hair, and what looked like a snake wrapped around his shoulders. "He's been having chills, which is strange as its been rather hot in Liyue city recently. The medicine I prescribed should kick in soon though," He sighed once more.
Upon closer inspection, the man seemed tired- he had a cheerful air around him, but there were dark circles under his eyes- and his skin looked slightly pasty. He must have been working all day and night. Even the snake looked agitated. "My name is Baizhu. I'm the lead doctor here. Is there... anything you are looking for?" He asked. Childe shook his head. "No, sorry. I'm with the traveler, we wanted to see if we could help out. I was just looking for Y/N here." He gestured to Y/N, who still had not turned around to acknowledge the medic. "Hmm... the traveler you say?" Baizhu glanced over his shoulder to see Y/N. His eyes widened, ever so slightly. "Is that... the rumored she-demon?" Childe tensed.
"...Hmm. How interesting." Baizhu paused a moment to think, before continuing. "Well, yes, your help would be much appreciated. We are very short handed, as you may have seen." Baizhu gave a tightly laced smile. Wait, Childe thought. Baizhu... he had heard that name before. "Hey! You're that guy, aren't you?" Baizhu raised an eyebrow. Childe cleared his throat, feeling a slight embarassment at his sudden statement. "Pardon my outburst. But, correct me if I'm wrong, but you are Qiqi's guardian? I think we first met at Bubu pharmacy?" Baizhu narrowed his eyes. The white snake's pearly eyes stared at him scrutinizingly.
"Oh yes, you're the gentelman that visited us a while ago, yes... it was shortly before the- ah- incident, wasn't it?" Childe winced, but nodded. "It's a pleasant suprise," Baizhu said. "Is... Qiqi with you?" Childe asked awkwardly. Baizhu hummed. "Well, yes and no. She is here, but not at the moment. Last I saw her, she was bringing violet grass to some of the other tents. She really is helpful, Qiqi." His eyes had a fond look in them. Y/N turned around, seemingly interested as she heard her friend's name.
"Hmm?" She trotted up to Baizhu, stopping before him and staring at him, expectantly. "Oh?" Baizhu crouched down. "It's nice to meet you, little one. What's your name?" Around his shoulders, the white snake inched forward, its forked tongue flicking out and licking Y/N's nose. Y/N jumped, but giggled, reaching forward and patting it on the head. The snake relaxed, its head bobbing languidly as it closed its eyes. "...Her name is Y/N," Childe answered for her. "And uh... she's not very little. She's 18." Baizhu turned to stare at him, puzzled. "18? Really? I could never tell, with this form. Ha- I would have thought, being around Qiqi, who is actually much older than her current form, I would know right away. How interesting... do you know the reasons behind this?" Baizhu gestured to Y/N. Childe shrugged in response.
"I don't know," He answered. "I guess she just likes being like this more?" Baizhu chuckled. "I must admit, I am quite surprised," He said airily. "From the rumors I heard, she's quite a beauty as an adult." Childe felt the familiar bitterness flooding his mouth. "...What?" Baizhu laughed out loud. "Ah, don't give me that look... I truly mean no harm!" He held his hands up in defense. "But my point is, perhaps there is a reason she remains in an adolescent form. Beyond that of personal preferance. It may be a good idea to look into it," He advised.
Was that true? He glanced down at Y/N, who was playing with the snake, laughing to her self as it coiled around her small wrist. He had never thought much of it, the fact that Y/N was always in her child form. Come to think of it- the realization hit him- Y/N was never able to maintain her adult form for long, other than in combat. Were the two linked? Or was it maybe because... she hadn't consumed any human flesh? He hated the thought of it, the fact that because she was weakened because of it.
"...Do you really think-" Suddenly, a young woman with her black hair tied up into a pony tail burst into the tent. "Mr. Baizhu- we- oh, I see you have company?" Childe raised his hand and waved lamely. "Oh right, a patient just came in, he's been trapped under the rubble for a while, and he's in critical condition- we don't think he's gonna make it!" Baizhu's face hardened. "Bring me to him," He said, following the other medic out of the tent. Childe turned. "Come on Y/N," He said. "Let's see if we can help out." Y/N nodded with a look of determination. Together, the two headed out, the moon shining brightly above them.
~🌸🌊~
"Holy-" "Shh." Lumine seemed to materialize beside him, a deep furrow in her thin brows as they stared at the patient writhing in pain on the bed. In his years, Childe had seen a wide range of injuries- from the smallest cuts, to the most severe, gruesome, bloody wounds of all- most of which had ended with the wounded passing away. This- this was one of those. The person in question had a strange silvery colored hair, a pair of broken goggles on his head. He was covered in dirt and blood, so his features were hard to make out, but he looked young. At least 4 or 5 years younger than Childe. "Oh... oh no..." He turned to Lumine, who had a look of shock on her face. Wait. "Do you... do you know this guy?" His eyes widened. What a small world, this was. He turned to the patient once more, wincing once more as he watched the shallow rise and fall of the boy's chest. Baizhu spurred into action, taking a surgical pair of scissors and carefully cutting away bits of the boy's clothing and called for syringes and wet towels. Despite his obvious exhaustion, his movements were calculated and precise.
But somewhere, deep inside of him, Childe knew that it was all in vain. There was no saving this boy. He glanced him over once more. Even with Childe's vague medical knowledge, he knew there was no saving him. At least 2 broken ribs, a broken arm twisted at a strange angle. A collapsed lung. And- it looked like something had taken a chunk out of his upper calf. Childe grimaced. Even if he did survive, even he would not want to live with those injuries. He would almost be useless. He sighed and dropped down, squatting on his heels and tapped Y/N on the shoulder. She turned to him in confusion.
She didn't seem to understand what was going on, or why the people around them were so frantic. But Y/N did know, that that boy, that boy- he was in pain. He was hurting. And somehow, it hurt her too. "We should go Y/N," Childe said quietly. "We can't save everyone." He knew that better than anyone. After all, he had lost many of his dear comrades in the abyss war. "mhmm- mhmm." Y/N shook her head from side to side vigorously, clenching her fists. Her nails made crescents in her small palms, drawing small droplets of blood. She surged forward, escaping Childe's grasp when he reached out for her. Y/N leapt through the air and landed on the wooden table where the patient lay. "Y/N! Stop that!" Baizhu turned from the surgical table beside him, holding a syringe filled with strange liquid. An anesthetic. His eyes widened when he saw Y/N, kneeled beside the boy. For a moment, the hustle and bustle faded to a dead silence. Then, Y/N raised her small arms and pressed them both to the boy's chest. And then, they were engulfed in a striking violet-gold blaze.
"Y/N!"
~🌸🌊~
Childe willed his frozen legs to move, forcing them to make their way forward. He almost couldn't see the two bodies within the flame, Y/N's small frame a slightly darker shade against the bright tendrils of fire. He sucked in a breath, and thrust a hand within the fire. Behind him, Lumine cried out in protest, but he ignored it. Sorry Lumi. His eyes were screwed shut, bracing himself for the pain- but there wasn't. Nothing but a pleasant warmth, the kind one felt when they sat in front of a fireplace in Sneznaya after playing in the snow all day. Not the searing hot, stabbing pain that would bring him 3rd degree burns. He hesitated, before reaching further into the maybe-not-fire-fire and grabbed Y/N by the collar of her kimono. He pulled her out, the fire fizzing out around them. He pulled her up to stare her in the eyes. It must have been a comical sight, a harbinger holding up a child up to eye level, said child staring back at him with a deadpan look, arms and legs dangling and looking very much like a snarky cat who had just tracked mud all over the carpet and could not care less. Yes. Y/N looked exactly like Y/N.
"Y/N. You can't do that." She stared at him. "You can't just set people on fire. It's not nice- don't look at me like that-" Her eyes narrowed. Childe sighed. "You really surprise me sometimes, you know? Please stop running off like that, you'll just worry me." At this, Y/N looked a bit more remorseful. She nodded slowly, and Childe lowered her to the ground. "Childe." "Hmm?" He turned to Baizhu, who was staring down at the boy with astonishment. "What?" Baizhu ignored him, turning to the medic from earlier. "Physical assessment?" The medic adjusted her glasses, eyes sparkling as she stared down at a wooden clip board. "Heart rate... is slowly returning to normal. Breathing is steady... overall, he's stable," She breathed. Childe blinked. "What?" He repeated. "He's stable," The medic laughed again. "He'll live." "And the most astonishing part is..." Baizhu cut away the remnants of the boy's tattered pant leg.
"It seems that the flesh has, miraculously, regrown." He took a damp towel and cleaned off the blood, revealing smooth, new skin. "This was the most severe injury in my assessment," Baizhu mused. "Which leads me to believe that the other, less severe injuries, are healed as well. The medic nodded. "Based on his breathing pattern, his lungs don't seem to be punctured. He is, almost perfectly healthy. Minus the fatigue and mental stress, the physical injuries are healed." "Truly a miracle," She added, and the other medics around her nodded in agreement. As the medics clustered around the table, lifting the boy off the dirtied towels and moving him to a clean bed, Baizhu pulled him aside.
"Apologies, but were you aware of Miss Y/N's talent in healing?" "Huh- pardon?" Childe still felt shocked. "I believe is capable of healing very severe wounds. Perhaps it is due to her unique circumstances-" Because she is a demon. "but it is remarkable, no less. It's yet another thing, that you should look into. Or, there should be some who are knowledgeable in her kind, especially at the delegation, correct?" Childe frowned at the phrase, but nodded. With that, Baizhu left him to his own thoughts, and childe collapsed onto a nearby crate. He hadn't even done anything physically taxing today, but the stress, the sudden revelations- had made a toll on his mentality. Y/N trodded up to him, holding a small bag of sweets in her hand- from the looks of it, a gift. She carefully undid the ribbon at the top, pocketed the string, and fished out a brightly colored hard candy, holding it out to him. "Thank you Y/N," He said, smiling softly. She plopped down beside him, unwrapping on for herself and popping it into her mouth under her muzzle. He watched her as she ate happily.
"What other secrets are you hiding, Y/N?" Childe asked.
A crunch sounded as Y/N bit down on her candy. She unwrapped another one, shrugging as she did. He sighed, unwrapping his own. It was sweet- too sweet for his liking. It was flavored with some foreign fruit. Childe sighed.
"I don't know either."
~🌸🌊~