"the boy, the girl, and the cat."
chapter four
...
"No Xiao, you can't go outside." You spoke firmly, crossing your arms and pouting. Meanwhile, Xiao only frowned.. just like always.
It seemed he didn't exactly enjoy being cooped up in your room all of the time, as he kept trying to go out. Either to get familiar with his surroundings, or to practice his skills in private without breaking anything. Sure, you wouldn't mind before, but now.. with the news going around, you just couldn't let him spill such a dangerous secret; himself.
"I have been nearly caught by your parents multiple times being in your room." He replied in a harsh and rough tone.
"Still, I can't let you risk being caught." You wouldn't listen to reasoning this time around.
It's been a few weeks ever since his appearance in public; more so his accidental appearance. It's also been a few weeks ever since the spear went missing back at the Impact Museum. Many people had already made up many theories, trying to put two and two together. The appearance of Xiao, then his own weapon going missing.. some people were already beginning to figure out practically everything.
You were worrying about this, a little too much in fact. A powerful Adeptus capable of death, who was suppose to be pronounced dead thousands of years ago or less.. when visions and gods were still around. It was a story usually made to be fantasy and fiction, but she was worried that if perhaps the government ever found him, they'd take him away.
With the power and weapons that the government was said to even have really stressed you out. If they ever managed to take Xiao away.. wouldn't it have been her fault? For accidentally awakening the one and only? Well, now that you thought about it.. just how did you even awaken him in the first place?
You did just place your hand on his crystallized body, then-..
"I can simply teleport away to my own will. Do not worry so much, mere mortal."
His voice interrupted your nonstop running thoughts, causing you to snap out of it, and look back at him with a determinated expression clearly present on your face.
"... Fine. Just don't stray too far from the house. Or go anywhere too public.."
Then, you suddenly remembered something. The thing he mentioned back when you and Xiao met the second time.. in the backyard of your parents house..
"Wait.. so when do you plan on leaving my house and adventure on your own?" You mentioned.
He went silent, letting out a light hum and facing away from you. He had to think about it for a moment, he had to think on how he'd arrange his words into proper sentences instead of cutting himself off mid-sentence.
"... I am still unsure of my way nor where to go. I haven't found anybody whom I recognize, which I expected anyways. This place is still confusing and too unfamilar.."
"I need.. help adjusting and learning this.. modern day technology and.. stuff."
He never had asked you of many things, it was almost surprisingly he hadn't learnt much. At the same time.. he was always stuck in the house after what happened a few weeks ago. Plus, you were always either busy with school, homework, or busy hanging out with friends..
"Alright.. fine. But.. it's going to be difficult keeping you a secret to my parents. I.. might have to tell them about you soon when it comes the time."
You let out a deep and quiet exhale, adjusting your bag on your shoulders.
"Well.. I'm gonna have to go to school now. You can either stay in my room, or go in the backyard. My parents are probably going to be working until around 1pm."
Xiao didn't say anything as you left your room, and closed the door. After fixing your cardigan and hair in the mirror, and reapplying some chapstick since your lips were dry, you headed out.
The sunlight peered in your eyes, the rays dancing on your (h/c) hair. It was quite sunny today.. the sound of birds singing up along the wires and trees lining the neighbourhood were a perfect addition to such a perfect morning..
After locking the door behind you, you only saw your best friend Lumine, and her brother Aether. Right.. you forgot that you were walking with them today. As much as you loved the two platonically, they were quite chaotic.. and yes, Lumine was a nice and extroverted girl, while Aether was a mature and also extroverted boy. The two could be a little harsh on eachother sometimes..
"Come on, Y/N! Schools going to start in like.. twenty minutes."
Lumine smiled and waved you over, while you walked over to her. Her extroverted personality made her shine.. literally.. as an introvert, it was almost impressive how she always spoke her mind. Aether too, as they were twins..
"Oh, Lumine Lumine.. always smiling. What, did you fall in love with anybody?" Aether teased her as the three of you guys walked on the sidewalk.
"What makes you think that? You know it's the opposite." She replied, rolling her eyes.
"Hmm? Are you sure? I've seen you and Scaramouche do some quite.. mm.. lovey dovey things together?" Aether replied, smirking as he saw the faint blush appear on Lumine's face.
"What..!? No no, we were just holding hands and hugging!" Her reaction was enough evidence for Aether to continue teasing her.
"Hmm.. true.. Aether, you are in a band with him, right? He's usually so cold and blunt, but when he's with Lumine.. she always manages to get him to open up, despite-.."
You were trying to tease her and join Aether in this torture, but she quickly gave you an eye of dread. As if she didn't want you to say anything else.. now that was extremely suspicious.
"Nope.. I'm walking ahead. See you two slowpokes later." Lumine immediately began to speed walk away.. just when she was beginning to turn red. You and Aether looked at eachother with a smile.
You had already gotten quite comfortable with your best friend's brother already, explaining the hard teasing on your poor friend.
"Well.. now that we have my sister out of the way.. there's some news I'd like to share." Aether pointed upwards, fixing the strap of his backpack as it was falling off.
"Huh?" You raised an eyebrow, slightly tilting your head to the side in curiosity. "Like what?"
"Well, you've probably heard of what happened a few weeks ago. Apparently, the FBI themselves are now looking for him. After, with the clear video footage of the Adeptus Xiao, they want to find him and track him down. Probably because he wields such superhuman powers, they want to test on him and stuff."
Just hearing about that began to make your heart pound with fear.
Your eyes significantly widened, he noticed how scared and surprise you suddenly were.. to him, he was confused on why. Well.. now that he thought about it, an Adeptus in the city whos as strong as humans back then would be a little scary. At least, that's what he thought.
"You know, now I really wonder.. how was he suddenly spotted after so many years or being dead? It doesn't really make sense.. I feel like they were making it all up to distract everyone from something bigger.. but who knows?"
Aether played it off as if it was nothing.. it was almost impressive. However, for now, you didn't want to focus on any of that. All you wanted was to attend school, graduate, and have a steady job.
Still.. as you, Aether, and Lumine walked, your thoughts just kept drifting back to Xiao.. although you were unsure of why they kept going back to him, that sudden feeling of being watched arised again. But why?
While Aether was going on his phone to check a message, you took the time to observe your surrounds. There were houses, streetlights, other students passing by, cars, bikes..
You almost fell on the ground being startled by Xiao. He was hiding in the tree.. while most people wouldn't notice him at all, you could. That was because you still saw him very often.. you had to quickly look away as to not look suspicious, or risk of anybody seeing him.
You specifically told him not to, but he did anyways.. maybe he was just watching you over? You weren't sure. But, just as you were about to turn back and take another look at him, it was as if he disappeared. The birds which surrounded him flew away, chirping and making noises as they flew in the bright blue sky.
Now you wondered..
Just how did you even melt that crystal off of him? It was a question that just kept coming back over and over again. It was strange, and it was weird. And, from the books she read, most normal humans, who didn't possess a vision couldn't get too close to him. Because of the large amount of Karmic Debt he carried..
But she was unharmed. It was.. strange. And her parents weren't either, despite being in the same house as him.. or did it only work if they were close to him?
...
When Y/N spotted him, he quickly managed to teleport away at the speed of light. He managed to teleport back into your room, sitting down on your clean bed with a gentle sigh.
Now that he thought about it, why did he go against you in the first place? Why didn't he stay by your parent's house like you asked him to? Why was he watching over you like that?
He thought back to his own time. Back when things made sense for him. Teaching Ganyu and helping her train, receiving orders from Rex Lapis, witnessing Lantern Rite from afar while killing monsters, and everyone he met. Even the golden haired traveller, and their flying companion. Even that. Even down to the smallest detail, he missed it.
It was.. strange to him. It was so foreign to feel such sadness and longing for the past again.
But then.. there was still that lingering question stuck between the two forces of his mind; why was he sticking by you so much? Why was he watching over Y/N?
Was it because you were the one who melted the crystal off of him? Or was it because.. you reminded him of someone he loved back then?
For now, he decided to push such a thought away, as it was almost too difficult to answer it in his state.
But.. there came another. Why wasn't she affected by his Karmic Debt? And how did you melt that crystal off of him in the first place? It was clear he still carried it.. atleast, from his point of view. But your parents weren't even affected by it...
Did you hold some sort of power?
Some sort of power lingering inside of you?
...
"Y/N! Y/N, stop daydreaming about Albedo already! Snap out of it girl!" Yomiya waved her hand right in front of your face, as she saw you staring at Albedo drawing in the corner.
"Huh..? No wait, you've got the wrong idea..!"
You replied in a panic, which only arose more suspicion that you actually were staring. You were simply just.. zoning out. Yeah. You were just zoning out while looking at Albedo.
"Oh my.. someone's quite obsessed with a particular white haired man with blue eyes sitting in the corner.." Hu Tao teased you playfully. Lumine and Ayaka just chatted with one another.
"Hu Tao.. don't you dare start with that again. Otherwise, I'll tickle you." You said sternly, but a bit of playfulness found itself in your sentence. Hu Tao smiled ear to ear.
Ayaka immediately cleared her throat, as if wanting to change the topic. Hu Tao glanced curiously towards her, raising an eyebrow.
"Pardon my intrusion, but do any of you guys have Instagram? I got it a few days ago and wanted to add my friends." She asked politely. Immediately, your own eyes sparkled, giving a thumbs up.
All of your profiles.. so cute.
ayaka's
hu tao's
lumine's
yomiya's
urs
"Ah.. thank you."
Ayaka smiled, putting her phone away back into her pocket. She was always a little too polite, considering how rich she and her family was.
...
"Xiaoo?"
You mumbled out his name, setting your school bag down on your chair, and looking around. You nearly jumpscared yourself seeing Xiao all huddled up in a corner and reading one of your books. It was your history book thst you borrowed a few days back.. you really had to return it.
He sat with his one knee up, and his other leg laying against the flooring. He looked up with his usual emotionless face, gripping the history book with such gentleness.
"Do you want to go shopping with me? However, you'd have to change into something else.. maybe hide thst diamond mark on your forehead atleast."
He took a moment to think about your offer; going outside for once after being cooped up in your room for so long. "Fine. There's people outside, so I will just teleport to you outside." He mentioned, putting the book away and placing it on your desk.
"That works for me.. Just change into something quickly." You pleaded, going into your closet to find some clothes for him. In the end, he changed into some jeans, a tank top, and a simple grey sweater. He just decided to put on a cap in order to hide his diamond mark enough.
"Hmm.. Xiao? Can you wait for me outside? I still have to change.. I don't want to be walking around the supermarket still in school uniform. As much as I want to still wear it, I'm literally sweating.." You grumbled and complained.
He didn't reply verbally, instead giving a subtle nod and teleporting away in a flash. You quickly and practically jumped into your closet, looking for something simple to wear. It was quite warm outside, so zip up sweaters would probably be out of the look for today.
In the end, you wore a simple long sleeve heavenly pink shirt, and a denim skirt. It was simple, yes, but you were just going shopping. As much as you wanted to overdress, you weren't exactly the type of person to want to draw such attention to yourself. You also put on some over the knee thin white stockings, and took a small purse with you. You had to bring around two reusable bags though..
In your purse were the two very compacted reusable bags, your wallet, phone, keys, and some hand sanitizer.
"Mom, I'm going to be out buying groceries for dinner."
You yelled out to your mother as you were leaving your room. She replied with a nod, while you practically sprinted to your front door. After putting on your shoes, and opening the door, you head out.
The breeze was almost heavenly, as it wasn't too windy nor too little. The sun beamed down on you, and the smell of freshly cut grass caught your eye. But what else caught your eye was Xiao's gaze lingering on your very movements.
"Well.. let's go now. The grocery store isn't too far from here."
You mentioned, walking ahead. He didn't exactly say anything. The entire walk there was silent.. but it wasn't dead silent. After all, with the common sounds of the birds singing, and people chatting nearby still filled the awkward atmosphere with sound and voice. He looked around as the two of you walked to the grocery store.
It almost seemed like he had to slow down sometimes with how slow you were, but in truth, he was just an Adeptus who was fast in general. So your walking speed almost seemed slow to him atleast.
What intrigued him though was the many modern houses alongside the street, the streetlights, the strange cars and the roads and sidewalks. None of this was at all even seen back in his time. Where there were pathways, small cities, wagons, and.. Lantern Rite. A question came into mind.
"Do you mortals still celebrate Lantern Rite?"
He asked. You turned around, only for you to raise an eyebrow.
"Well.. when Lunar New Year celebrations come to an end, there's a Lantern Festival.. is that it?" You asked with such curiosity. He once again nodded.
"Wait.. what was Lantern Rite like back in the day? Could you please tell me?" It was a question that randomly popped up after he asked such a question. You were curious on what it was like back then.. plus, it could help her in the future for many history lessons and even projects. Xiao was basically like a walking time capsule, with information and knowledge about the past just waiting to be read to everyone.
"... I never enjoyed Lantern Rite. I always just continued my duties alongside the holiday, but.."
He continued. "The lanterns always lit up the sky each day of the festival. I always heard the music playing. And.. even I've released my own lantern after a while."
It was understandable, especially with his closed off demeanour. It would only make sense he usually would celebrate Lantern Rite back then as a well known Adeptus.
The entire walk to the supermarket was quiet, considering how both you and Xiao were basically huge introverts. At least the two of you slightly understood each other.. he was slowly learning about the environment, and how modern and different it was. It would probably take him quite awhile to get used to such a layout and go out on his own, she understood that.
At the supermarket, he mostly kept his head down. He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the entire place, with food lined up on shelves neatly. Now this was something entirely new to him.. usually, there were small markets to buy from or small shops that either sold food, ingredients, or dishes.
In the end, he helped you carry one of the bags that was filled with everything you bought. Alongside buying food for dinner, you also bought some food for your school lunch. You also had to get some eggs.. you ate the last one in the morning after all.
As the two of you were walking, crossing streets and passing by people, the two of you passed a small park. However, you stopped upon noticing a little cat staring at the two of you... it seemed unfriendly and hostile.
Xiao gently placed down the bag of food, slowly approaching the cat. He was slow, as if trying to make the cat truth him enough to let him come closer. You just watched in silence, quickly taking a few photos of the distracted cat.
Xiao put his hand out next to the cat's nose, before petting it. It purred, as if leaning into his comfortable and gentle touch. This was something new from him.. and certainly a little surprising. It was almost adorable how gentle he was with the cat..
You bent down to his level, a small smile slowly appearing in your face because of how cute and amusing the scene was. A cold Adeptus petting a cat..
"You seem to really like cats, huh?"
You mumbled.
"... They're quieter than you mortals." He replied in a gentle yet rough tone. Of course, he didn't want to scare the cat away with his rough and unpolished voice, which was why he spoke gentler than usual.
This was the day.. when you liked Xiao. Just a little more than before.. but it blossomed feelings deep inside you. Feelings you just wish you'd never have..
...
a/n
erm.. so all I have to say is wow it's been quite awhile. honestly, during the solar eclipse, I just had this sudden burst of energy and remembered this while in the shower. I came up with so many ideas.. and since this is such a unique idea which I haven't exactly seen in any books I've read at all, I wanted to continue this.
of course, I did introduce a new concept, as you could tell. I literally had to use my private Instagram account to make all of that.. worth it though. idk why is was so hard making their bios remarkably different D:
I'm gonna pray and hope I have enough energy to continue posting new chapters. of course, they'd going to probably be many delays in between, so be paitent :3
urs truly,
mio.