Love or hatred? (Diluc x y/n) OLD VER

32:Duties in the motherland

Third person POV
It's been two weeks, Diluc had to return to Mondstadt last week because of some incident that have something to do with a certain cat-girl who tired to blow up the dawn winery with Klee's assistance. (Y/n) was at her secret spot on a hill in the forest near her parents' house. She went there to enjoy the view or to train, but sometimes, she just goes there to get away from duties.

The view from the hill allows her to see a frozen lake below, nobody comes to this place often, so it's a perfect place to be alone for a while.

(Y/n) decided to play around with her pyro vision, she created three ribbons of fire. She manipulated them freely as she twined them together as if she was tying a braid. The result looked awesome. The braid she created was like flaming hair, it melted the snow and frost under it and warmed its surroundings like a torch. (Y/n) smiled to herself.

"CRASH!"

(Y/n) looked in the direction of the noise. It was Lumine and Paimon? They were at the frozen lake, it seems like Lumine resonated with cryo and she was learning how to use it. (Y/n) saw that she had cracked the surface of the thick ice and when Lumine touched the broke ice surface which revealed the cold water under, she accidentally froze the water again.

(Y/n) extinguished the fire she was playing with and watched from afar. She sighed, she can't really camouflage with her ginger hair so she gathered some snow and dropped it on her head, hoping that it was enough to make her seem like a fox covered in snow or something.

(Y/n)'s injuries were about fully healed, Childe's injuries on the other hand...well...he's only halfway healed.

Lumine and Paimon soon left, they disappeared into the forest. (Y/n) sat up, she missed Diluc. (Y/n) planned to return to Mondstadt next week, surely a week won't be too long right?

(Y/n) got up and walked back to the house, she saw Teucer and Anthon playing Rock Paper Scissors while Tonia was chatting with Dad about something. Childe was sitting inside the house, he was flipping through a list of some sort. "Ah! There you are sis! A list of tasks just came in for you. And I have to say, you would be quite busy this week. They assume that you're well enough so. Anyways, here you go!" Childe tossed the list over to (y/n).

The list read:

LIST OF DUTIES FOR (Y/N):
-Debt collection of a resident at -insert village name-
-Debt collection of a merchant at the main port
-Check on research of advance technology at -insert location name- and write a report by Friday
-Find and assassinate Fatui traitor:
Name: Bucker Woods
Male, buff and tall. He uses a claymore but no vision. He has a newly untested delusion in possession.
-shut down a group of a rebellion against the Fatui agents at -insert location of a city in the mountains-

-insert more debt collection tasks-

These are to be done by Sunday.

(Y/n) frowned.

"Is it just me or did they seriously apply your debt collection job to me while you get better?" Said (y/n) in an annoyed voice. Childe shrugged. "I better get started I guess, it's Monday and this will take a while...maybe if I'm fast, I can finish this by Friday night..." muttered (y/n).

(Y/n) POV
I went outside and told dad that I had to get to work, he told me to be careful before I left. The checking on the research and the debt collection can wait, the traitor has to be killed first. (Y/n) reached the place where the traitor was last at, she did some investigation and found a campsite hidden by the trees and other plants. The thick forest of pine trees will make it hard.

A new untested delusion huh. I assume that one can backfire and it isn't powered with one of the elements...I should try to avoid having to use my own delusion. Here goes nothing...

I climbed up a nearby cliff right above the campsite. I saw the traitor, he was reading the contents of a folder. When he close the folder,my eyes widened. It was a folder with the Fatui symbol engraved in it, big golden letters which read PLANS were engraved on the cover. That folder had the details of every past and future plans all written in pages of documents inside. I plunged down, the force knocked Bucker off balance and threw him backwards. I snatched the folder as he dropped it.

"Well, look what we have here. A dirty little traitor who stole years worth information in this folder! How bold of you," I Said coldly. Bucker got to his feet, he summoned his claymore and got into a battle stance. I decided not to use my sword against the claymore after what happened with Diluc last time. I conjured two blades made of condensed pyro energy.

I attacked in Childe's style, the fire blades were heating up the claymore. Bucker's skills was impressive, he swings his claymore quite accurately compared to most claymore users, he could even be compared to Diluc if his skills were just a bit sharper. I smiled, I switched to my blade once I think he claymore is hot enough. With a pyro charged blow, i cut off half of the claymore's blade. Bucker stumbles backward, dazed as he looked at the broken claymore.

Bucker threw the broken claymore aside and activated the delusion. I sighed, this man won't die so easily. His appearance didn't change, the only thing that changed was his eyes. Bucker had dark blue eyes but his eyes were now the colour of an electro vision. He placed a hand on the ground, glowing purple spikes suddenly erupted from the ground.

I narrowly dodged them, they came fast and disappeared as quickly. I knew that I can't beat him like this, I had placed the folder in my bag which I brought with me. I'm not sure if Bucker noticed, but I threw the bag up into a tree while hitting his claymore over and over again with the fire blades.

I was getting tired. Bucker wasn't giving me a chance to rest at all. I felt a sharp pain as I stumbled at one step. I gasped to see a spike had pierced my side. I tried moving but I felt electricity. I was electro charged. "What k-kind of power is this..." I growled through the pain. With an injury like this, I would surely die if I use my delusion.

I slowly got to my feet, wincing as my wound stung. I picked up my sword. "I won't die so easily!" I shouted. Bucker looked at me mysteriously. "Neither will I, you will die, foolish puppet of the Fatui!" Said Bucker, a strange demonic voice seems to overlap his deep voice.

I was quite shaken by his words, I never considered myself as a puppet of the Fatui. I shook my head and charged at Bucker. As I was about to bring a fatal blow onto his head, a spike popped out of the ground and blocked my sword. Overload threw me backwards and I slammed against a boulder. "Argh!"

I was sweating despite the cold and I was bleeding. I tried several times to land an attack on Bucker, but all of them was blocked. I swung my sword at him still, trying hard not to show desperation in my movements. I tried shooting arrows but none of them managed to hit him. It turns out, Bucker now had enchanted speed and strength too. He landed a punch on me which made me cough up blood. I was at a huge disadvantage.

I looked desperately at my delusion which was attached to my left shoulder,debating if I should use it. Bucker knocked the delusion off of my left shoulder, it on the snow nearby. Bucker slammed me against the boulder behind me, he was about to land the final blow on my weak and tired body when chains wrapped around his arm and pulled him backwards.

Word count: 1396