Xiao made his way towards the front door of your house, a small bag in hand that he hoped would cheer you up, at least a little. He knew the last few weeks had been hard on you, and it hurt to see you go through it all.
Luckily, your home wasn't far from Liyue Harbor, so the food he'd picked up from one of the restaurants there would still be warm when you got it. It was late at night now, but luckily, one of them had still been open so he could get you your favorite meal and snacks. Despite the late hour though, he could see a few figures gathered by your door.
Instantly, he knew who they were, and he felt his blood begin to boil at the fact that they had the audacity to come around looking for you at this hour. You couldn't even answer the door right now, much less come out and greet them or solve their problems, which was what they were really here for. He gripped the handles of the bag tighter now, walking a bit faster towards the group of people.
"Tell me," he spat now that he'd gotten closer, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone standing at your door, "What business do you all have showing up here at this time of night?"
"Ah, Mr. Xiao!" One of the men, Dr. Rashon, the Adeptus recognized him as, took a step forward now as fake smile appeared on his face. "We mean no trouble, really! We just need to seek an audience with Y/n, that's all. Tell me, are they home now? We've been waiting quite a while for them to come to the door."
Xiao's eyes narrowed at the doctor, knowing they'd all probably been camping out here for hours in the hopes that they'd catch one of you coming home. Unfortunately for them, it had been him they ran into.
"The whereabouts of my fiancé are none of your business," he spat, a dark expression covering his face, "Especially for you who did not even bother to announce your presence before showing up at our home." He knew these doctors had been persistent when it came to talking with you, but he hadn't expected them to ever go this far. He had half a mind to teach them a lesson right now, but his priority was still to get back to you as soon as possible.
"Yes, well, we would have informed Y/n of our visit earlier," Dr. Rashon replied awkwardly, "But I have not seen them in the harbor in quite some time, so it had been difficult to contact them."
Xiao's eyes narrowed even more, if that were possible. He drew in a breath, trying to scrape together the last of his patience as he replied.
"Well, they are not home at the moment," he lied, "They've been out of Liyue for work for a while now, so I suggest you all be on your way." The last part came out sounding like a threat, but he couldn't even be bothered anymore. You weren't in a position to help any of these doctors like they wanted, and even if you had been, he knew it wouldn't have worked that way. These people just couldn't get that through their minds.
He pushed through the small crowd now, taking out his key as he began unlocking the door to go inside. He hoped they would all just leave once he stopped talking to them; you didn't need the stress of knowing that they were present.
"Is that so?" Dr. Rashon spoke as the Adeptus swung open the door, nearly smacking one of the nearby doctors in the face as he did so.
"Yes." He replied shortly, and was about to slam the door in the man's face when he continued.
"Tell me, Adeptus Xiao, are the rumors true?" He asked, a smug look coating his face as the yaksha's amber eyes looked over at him, "Is Y/n really in such bad shape that they cannot so much as leave their home anymore?"
Xiao didn't reply, nor did his expression give anything away, but the doctor kept talking.
"That's what everyone's saying; that they're ill, that they can't even fight like they used to anymore," he explained, placing his hands behind his back as he leaned down to look at the Adeptus, "That they're dying."
"I would advise you not to buy into mortal gossip," Xiao growled, his hand reaching down to touch the doorknob now, "Their condition and whether or not they even have one is none of your business. Now, leave this place before I make you." And with that, he slammed the door so hard that it shook the wall slightly.
He could hear the doctors continue talking outside, but he didn't even care to try and make out their muffled voices. He just wanted them to go away already, for your sake.
Finally, the voices became quieter, and he could hear their footsteps moving away as they finally left. It was a good thing too, because he was ready to use violence if they didn't listen. It didn't even matter to him that they were mortals; they'd bothered you too many times in the past for their actions to be forgivable.
"...Xiao?" A weak voice called from upstairs, instantly brightening his mood as soon as he heard it, despite how strained it sounded.
"I'm here!" He called back, "Don't move; I'll come to you." And with that, he hurried up the stairs to your shared room, where the door had been left slightly open.
There, you lay on the left side of the soft bed, propped up slightly against the pillows to see him better. You looked terrible; with your h/c hair messy and disheveled, and tear stains running down your cheeks. You were breathing heavily too; probably due to another recent coughing fit.
Still, to Xiao, you were as beautiful as ever.
"Oh, hey Xiao." You smiled despite the obvious pain you were in, "I was wondering when you'd get back."
"I'm sorry I took so long." He replied, coming over to kneel next to the bed so he could look at you better, "I ran into some...unexpected trouble on the way, but it was nothing I couldn't handle." You nodded, pushing yourself up so you were sitting a little straighter now.
He quickly set the bag down so he could help you, placing the pillows more comfortably against your back.
"Thanks," you smiled, and he couldn't help but soften just from the sight of it. Seeing you happy was his favorite thing, even if it was under difficult circumstances like this.
"I brought you some f/f from one of the restaurants in the harbor," he continued, setting the bag down next to you as you looked inside with a grin, "Hopefully it's still warm."
"Aww, thank you, Xiao." You grinned, your e/c eyes sparkling with joy. He took your hand gently in his own, brushing his thumb against it as he brought the back of your palm to his lips and planted a soft kiss on it.
"It's not a problem," he assured you, eyeing the ring on your left ring finger as he recalled how it matched his own. "But how are you feeling, my love? I'm sorry I couldn't be here more today."
You waved a hand dismissively.
"It's fine, I know how important it is that you protect Liyue." you replied, "I'm the same; I've mostly just been sleeping, but it's getting harder to lie around in bed so much. I want to do something!" You sighed in frustration at the last part, running a hand through your messy h/c locks.
"I know," he replied, being all too familiar with your situation by now, "Do you still feel faint? And have the headaches worsened at all?"
You shook your head, but in your eyes, he could tell you were lying. You didn't want to make him feel bad, even though he was arguably the reason this was all happening to you.
The worst part was that this was something mortal doctors couldn't even treat. He didn't have much to offer you to help you feel better, aside from a bit of medicine to calm some of the pain. Bosacius had taught him how to make it when you first began showing symptoms, but it was slowly becoming less and less effective the more your condition worsened.
"Are you sure...You don't want me to leave you alone?" He asked finally as you started opening the small box of food he'd brought for you, "It would ease your pain."
You paused, sending him a look that instantly made him regret suggesting it. You'd talked about this plenty of times before, but he still couldn't get over the guilt of what being around him was doing to you.
"No, I don't want you to leave," you replied with a sigh, repeating your own words yet again, "Like I said, I want to stay with you, Xiao."
"Even if it's killing you?!" he blurted out, glaring slightly as his amber eyes met your e/c ones. "I don't want to be the reason you have to die any sooner than you would have as a mortal." Your expression softened as you took his hand again, calming him a bit with your touch.
"I still want to stay with you," you assured him, "I love you a lot, Xiao. Even if your karmic debt is having negative effects on me. I'd rather spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how short, than have to be miserable if we're apart." You brought your other hand up to cup his cheek now as he leaned into the feeling.
"I don't want to hurt you..." He whispered, eyes beginning to brim with tears.
"It's not your fault," you assured him, brushing one of the droplets away, "I would have lived a shorter life anyway; you know that. This way, I just get to live it with you."
It was true, he was well aware of your own powers and the negative effects that came with them. His eyes flitted down towards your pyro vision now, which was still attached at your waist and glowing intensely. At least, as long as that light was still shining, he knew you had some life left in you.
He'd first met you because your abilities, and he remembered it like it was yesterday. You, a mortal warrior hailing from Natlan, had been summoned to Liyue by the god of contracts himself on account of your strange and unique ability.
Everyone called you the Miracle, and Xiao had to agree. Though, he couldn't have cared less about your powers. To him, you were a miracle because he'd fallen so deeply in love with you once again.
"Xiao, Bosacius, there is someone I would like you both to meet." Rex Lapis had said, approaching the two of them just as they were finishing off a camp full of enemies. Usually, the two didn't work together on such tasks, but today, they'd decided to keep one another company as they went about their duties.
After all, Xiao was still having a hard time with how much he missed you. He was feeling particularly lonely, and since the two yakshas were the only ones left now, they knew they had to stick together.
"Who is it, my lord?" Bosacius had asked, sheathing his weapon as he and Xiao went over to the god. Smiling slightly, Rex Lapis stepped aside to reveal you standing behind him.
You seemed a little nervous to be meeting Adepti for the first time, but as soon as your e/c eyes met Xiao's, you relaxed from the familiarity, even if you didn't know him yet. He, of course, recognized you too.
"This is Y/n." The Geo Archon replied, "I've brought them here because they possess a special ability that I thought could help you two." He gestured for you to explain, which you quietly did.
"I can bring back the dead," you admitted, staring them both down in order to gauge their reactions, "Certain conditions have to be met first, but your Archon was hoping I might be able to resurrect some of your fallen companions."
Instantly, the two yakshas exchanged a glance. They knew you were referring to Bonanus, Indarias, and Menogias, who had long since passed by now. It almost sounded too good to be true, but if their lord trusted you, they would hear you out.
"A mortal who can raise the dead..." Bosacius repeated, "I have never heard of such a thing, but if it is true, we will lead you to our fallen siblings." You nodded, following him and Xiao to where the other yakshas had been buried after the karmic debt became too much for them. As you three walked, you explained a little more about your situation.
"I'm not sure how it came to be," you admitted, "Once I got my vision, I just found that I could bring back those who had fallen, as long as I knew their name and their spirit had not passed on. Though, there may be other conditions I'm not aware of yet." Xiao nodded, trying not to question it too much. He almost wondered if you could have resurrected one of your past selves, but considering your soul had already reincarnated into the person you were now, that seemed unlikely.
Plus, he wasn't sure if the old versions of you would have wanted to be brought back that way.
"Some say I was blessed by a deity that lived during the Archon War," you explained to Bosacius, who was extremely curious about your abilities, "I don't know much about them, but they had the same name as me, so I suppose it's possible."
At this, the two yakshas exchange glances. They wouldn't have thought it possible for the you from your first life to bless anyone now, but if that were true, it would be wonderful.
Finally, the three of you stopped in front of the graves of the other yakshas, all of whom had been lain to rest next to one another because of their comradery.
You knelt in front of Indarias' grave first, summoning your strength as you attempted to bring her back. Your hands glowed a light red as you did so, and you closed your eyes, taking deep breaths to channel the energy.
When nothing happened, you sighed, turning back to them with a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can bring her back." They'd both expected this, nodding as you moved onto Bonanus' grave, only to receive the same results. Then you tried Menogias, who yielded the same results.
Xiao could see the guilt and shame clouded behind your eyes as you informed them that you wouldn't be able to save the other yakshas. He just nodded while Bosacius thanked you for trying anyway. They offered to help you find somewhere to spend the night in Liyue before you had to return to Natlan, which you gratefully accepted.
Only, you never ended up returning to your original home, because you found something better here.
You found Xiao.
Now, Xiao was holding you in his arms as a few more stray tears ran down his face. he hated himself for what he was doing to you, and yet he couldn't seem to pull away, either. He just wanted to stay by your side, like he had in every lifetime he'd known you.
Still, he couldn't argue the fact that you would have led a shortened life either way.
Since your arrival in Liyue, he'd witnessed you resurrect several people, despite being unable to do so for the yakshas. Each of them had been mortals, and their families had been so grateful for your efforts.
But Xiao had witnessed the other side of your powers; the effects you didn't tell others about. He'd missed them the first two times you brought back Liyue citizens, but after the third, he'd caught you.
You collapsed right out side the home of the person you'd just saved, clutching your chest in pain as you tried to regain your breath. Xiao, who had been not far away when it happened, saw it happen and rushed over as quickly as he could.
"Y/n?" He'd called, slightly panicked at seeing you in such a state. You tried to wave him off, but he gripped your shoulders tightly anyway, not willing to let go. "What's happening to you?"
"I'm okay..." You whispered, your breathing beginning to turn to normal now. "This happens whenever I resurrect someone."
"What?" he asked, a frown spreading across his lips.
"It's a residual effect." You admitted with a sigh, "I can bring people back to life, but it still comes at a cost." When you saw his horrified expression, you almost didn't want to continue, but you did so anyway. "It shortens my own life, which can just be a little painful."
His eyes widened, and he held you a little closer to him, despite you not knowing him all that well at the time.
"Then...Why do you do it?" He asked, his voice breaking slightly.
"Because it helps people," you replied with a small smile, "I don't mind cutting my own life short if I can return someone else's."
He was about to snap back, but seeing your earnest expression, he decided against it. Clearly, this was something you'd given a lot of thought.
"A lot of people see my abilities as a blessing," you continued, "And for others, they are. I can't just keep them to myself, even if for me, they're more of a curse. Surely, you understand that?" He wasn't sure how you'd come to learn about his karmic debt, but he knew that was what you were referring to.
Maybe you two were in a similar boat.
Since that day, you had only resurrected one other person. Most of the time, the proper conditions weren't met for you power to be able to work anyway. But Xiao also didn't want you to have to live an even shorter life than you already would, and you respected that.
Still, he'd seen many people approach you hoping you could save their loved ones. They would always be kind and polite at first, but then they switched their attitude the second you refused or were unable to help. Xiao had heard them call you all kinds of names and say so many horrible things.
It didn't seem to get to you, but it made his blood boil every time he thought about it.
That was why the doctors outside were always on your trail. They would beg you to revive their dead patients, being so persistent that your Adeptus lover often had to step in just to get them to leave you alone.
It infuriated him that they would even bother asking such things of you when they knew your condition was so poor now, too. You had saved many people in your lifetime, yes, but you couldn't bring back everyone. You were a miracle, like everyone said, but even miracles had their limits, which you were quickly reaching.
He knew he should have been more careful around you. In your past lifetimes, he hadn't spent nearly as much time with you each day. But in your past lifetimes, he hadn't known in advance if your life would be shortened.
He'd wanted to be around you as much as possible before you had to leave him again, and in doing so, he'd made sure that time would come even sooner. Who would bring you back, like you'd done for so many others?
"Everything will be alright." You assured him, breaking the silence as you stroked his hair. He held you a little tighter, afraid you might fade away the second he let go.
"I'm so sorry..." He whispered, making you shake your head.
"It's not your fault." You said again, but he couldn't find it in himself to believe you. "It'll be okay."
He didn't reply, only holding you close as you stroked his hair. You both stayed like that for a while, taking in the feeling of one another's warmth as the crickets chirped quietly outside. He felt a little better as long as he was in your embrace, but the nagging thought that you would eventually be gone again still lingered in his head.
Finally, you broke the silence again.
"Can we go sit on the balcony? I want to see the stars." He pulled away with a nod, knowing you weren't able to get there on your own. Your condition had gotten so much worse due to the karma that you could barely even stand or walk without collapsing anymore.
He felt absolutely horrible seeing you this way, but he never minded helping you. You tried not to complain about it much, but he could tell it was eating you up inside that you couldn't even do simple things on your own anymore.
Nonetheless, he gently pushed the covers off your body as he took you in his arms with ease. You chuckled as he carried you bridal-style to the nearby balcony; something he'd been doing more often now that you couldn't really walk on your own. Finally, he took a seat on the small couch that was set up out there, still holding you in his arms.
"Thanks..." You whispered, your eyes trailing up to look at the stars now, which glinted beautifully in the evening night.
"Anything for you." He replied, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead as you smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too." You grinned, cuddling a little closer to him as the cool night air bit at your skin. After that, you two fell back into another comfortable silence. He watched your eyes flutter shut as you both took in the peacefulness of the evening, a smile making its way onto his face from how cute you looked.
For now, he pushed any thoughts of your grim future out of his mind. You were in his arms and you were safe, which was the most important thing to him right now.
"Sleep well, my love." He whispered as he pressed another kiss to your forehead, "You are the greatest miracle I could have asked for."