Fugitive of Inazuma (Genshin Impact)

❀ XVI ❀

Izanami broke through the water's surface as she felt the balethunder stinging her skin. Although it was a struggle with her injured leg, she swam downstream to escape the area. Eventually, she reached the sea and hauled her body onto the sandy shore. Laying on her back, she whimpered in pain when she tried to move any part of her body. She stared up at the sky and waited for the balethunder's effects to wear off.

When it did, the shinigami was able to move her arms and upper body without jolts of pain. She pushed herself up into a sitting position to examine her injured leg. The bolt lodged into her right thigh was still intact. Grabbing the bolt, she held her breath and yanked it out. The scream that threatened to erupt from her throat was quelled by her biting her bottom lip.

Tossing the bolt aside, Izanami watched the bloody hole in her thigh heal. As she did, she was reminded of the time when the Fatui surrounded her in Liyue. Their multitude of bullets pierced various parts of her body, resulting in some heavy bleeding. Unlike bullets, bolts were much easier to remove and the wounds left behind were easy to heal. She also didn't have to worry about removing any metal fragments.

The moment her injury was healed, she sighed. "Guess being immortal isn't all that bad..."

Carefully, she stood up and stretched her newly healed leg. No pain was present, meaning the injury had healed perfectly. With her leg back to normal, she proceeded to wring out her hair and shake off her tail and ears. She did her best to brush off the sand that clung to her body, but that would be impossible since she was still wet.

As she wiped some sand off her face, the sound of rustling leaves caught her attention. The second she turned around to check what was causing the noise, her body was enveloped in a warm embrace. Her face was buried in a toned chest with two arms wrapped around her. She stumbled slightly from the abrupt hug but kept her balance. She gradually reciprocated the hug by winding her arms around the adeptus' torso. "Xiao," she whispered his name.

"You're too reckless," he remarked. He held her tighter, cheek pressed against her hair. "When will you learn to be more careful?"

"I'll admit I was careless, but Gorou needs to know about the spies." She pulled away from him just enough to peer up at his face. "If we tell him to not alert his soldiers, that'll give us the time we need to search for any other spies. Speaking of spies, what did you do with the men?"

"Nothing. Finding you was more important than disposing of them." He glanced down at her leg to see her wound was gone. "You've healed."

"Just one of many perks of being immortal." She looked away from him and eyed her once injured leg. "Thank the Archons it wasn't a bullet this time."

Xiao grabbed her chin between his thumb and index finger to tilt her face upward to reconnect their gazes. "Although immortal, you aren't invincible."

"A death spirit dying..." She mumbled. "Sounds poetic, but I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Good." He released her chin and freed her from his grasp. "If you truly desire to inform the general about the spies, I won't stop you."

Izanami could tell he didn't like the idea. She knew he didn't want to argue and that's why he wouldn't convince her to back down like he did earlier. She wondered if the small argument weighed heavily on him. "Xiao?" She placed her hands on his cheeks and stared deeply into his golden eyes. "Do you blame yourself for what happened to me?"

He looked away for a brief second and sighed. "What if I said I do?"

"Then I would tell you it's not your fault. I'm the one who stormed off and got hurt."

"You wouldn't have left if I hadn't sparked an argument."

Out of the blue, the shinigami ruptured at the seams with laughter. She lowered her hands from his face to hold her sides as they started to ache. She didn't stop laughing until she saw the yaksha's befuddled expression. "S-Sorry, it's just... Arguments in relationships are normal. We both like to play the blame game, but many people blame others. The two of us have a bad habit of blaming everything on ourselves."