The Silk Flowers - YanTao Hanahaki AU

Chapter Two ~ Regrets

(A/N) I'm sorry this chapter took a while to come out. There's been a lot going on in my life, but it should get better now- so expect Chapter 3 to come out soon! I hope you enjoy!!

The Next Day...

Raindrops drummed onto the roofs of Liyue's buildings. Hu Tao tightly gripped her black umbrella with both hands, wary of it possibly being blown away by the disastrous winds that blew her coppery-red pigtails behind her.

The streets were deserted and eerily silent; apart from the occasional boom of thunder. Even the Qixing guards, typically stationed at the entrance of the city gates had left. As Hu Tao exited the typically bustling city, her shoes were caked in the mud and grass on her venture to the top of the grassy hill.
Even worse, she had succumbed to a terrible cough due to the rain.

At the peak of the hill stood a singular cherry blossom tree, resting on its thick wood bark. Yanfei sat, her back leaning on the tree's foundation. She held a book in her lap, its delicate paper shielded from the rain, thanks to the pink petals above.

"Yan-Yan!" Hu Tao shouted, skipping towards Yanfei and the tree.

Yanfei gave her a sweet grin as she stood up, shutting the lengthy book she had previously been scanning through. Hu Tao sprung into her open arms as the two embraced each other into a hug.

Hu Tao noticed a cluster of sakura petals that had been embedded in Yanfei's long, pink hair. She gently brushed them off, and they fell down to the mud-soaked ground, contrasting the dark brown with their light-rose hue.

"Training may be more difficult today," Yanfei said, gesturing at the dark grey sky that brightened from the lightning. I sighed as the raindrops sprinkled on top of my hat, then began to cough again. "Just allergies," I affirmed Yanfei. She nodded.

"Shall we walk together, m'lady?" Hu Tao asked Yanfei, surprisingly in a flirty tone. She extended her hand towards Yanfei, and they joined together, both blushing in embarrassment.

Hu Tao held her umbrella up, shielding both of them as they steadily travelled down the hill's path. Even the monsters had gone into hiding. Maybe we're the only ones left in Teyvat, Hu Tao's wild imagination told her. Although, Hu Tao definitely wouldn't mind spending her whole life in Yanfei's presence. What am I thinking? The odds of Yanfei having the same feelings for Hu Tao were surely slim to none.

The storm had subsided, and all remaining was a light fog outlining the horizon. After minutes of searching and finding nothing but abandoned camps, they finally spotted a small group of cryo abyss mages.

Secretly creeping up on them, silent as ghosts, they ambushed the abyss mages, striking them synchronously. Yanfei's catalyst glowed as she shot at the opponents. An abyss mage attacked Hu Tao from behind. Her weapon was knocked out of her reach, and she fell to the ground.

"Hu Tao!" Yanfei called out to her, rushing to her side. Hu Tao was beginning to stand up as the abyss mage charged at her. Yanfei panicked and-

Everything went dark.

Hu Tao sat beside the bed as Yanfei's eyes fluttered, indicating that she had woken.

"Hu Tao! Are you alright?!" Yanfei asked, sitting up.

"I should be asking you the same question, hehe!" Hu Tao replied. "You know, you didn't have to protect me..."

She placed her hand on her friend's forehead. "Eh, good enough! I think you'll be alright... is your arm feeling okay?"

Yanfei glanced at her arm, which Hu Tao had needed to bandage. She nodded. "Now, come on, let's go do something!" Hu Tao laughed, grabbing Yanfei's hand.

"W-wait!" Yanfei paused, "I probably need to rest... wanna just hang out here?" Hu Tao thought for a moment. She coughed again.

"Sure," she replied. "Anything Yan-Yan wants!" Yanfei blushed. She always got a bit flustered when Hu Tao said her nickname.

The two of them decided to sit on a fluffy sofa and chat over tea. The tea tasted like sweet tropical fruit and fresh honey. Yanfei had received it from a client of hers. Yanfei briefed Hu Tao on how incredibly boring her cases had been that day. "But being able to see you made it better," Yanfei ended. You can't like her! She flinched at her own thought.

"Aww," Hu Tao started, "You make my day better too, Yanfei!"

The two edged closer to each other, until their arms brushed against each other. Hu Tao reached out and touched Yanfei's hand, not saying a word. Yanfei felt Hu Tao's cold, metal rings that were carefully etched to look like flowers.

Hu Tao sighed and rested her head gently on Yanfei's shoulder. Yanfei felt her heartbeat speed up in her chest.

"I love you," Hu Tao whispered.

A million thoughts began echoing in Yanfei's mind.

Yes! It's finally happening.
You can't!
Oh my gosh... is this real?!
Is she just messing with me..?

You can never be together.

"I'm sorry," Yanfei responded quietly.

She felt Hu Tao shift away from her. Yanfei could feel her face go red. "You don't have to listen to them," Hu Tao said, her voice breaking. Yanfei couldn't respond.

Hu Tao stood up. "Why can't we just do what we want with our own lives?" she shouted, with tears in her eyes. Yanfei stood up to face her. She placed her hands on her shoulders. "It's alright," she tried. Hu Tao turned around, and left through the front door. The door clicked shut as Yanfei fell to the floor, sobbing.

What have I done...

The next day...

Yanfei was reluctant to travel up the hill that evening. She planned on apologizing to Hu Tao with a bouquet of silk flowers. She clenched the flowers in one hand, trying to contain her emotions. She stood by the sakura tree, waiting, but Hu Tao never showed up.

She waited until the last sliver of sunlight was visible in the sky, but was left in disappointment. Yanfei sighed as she slowly started down the grassy hill. She decided to leave the flowers at Hu Tao's house. She knocked on her friend's door.

"Hello? Hu Tao?"

...

"It's me..."

She knocked on the door even louder. She could see a dim glow from what must me a lamp- Hu Tao was certainly home.

"Hu Tao, I'm sorry..."

...

"Can you open the door, please..?"

...

Her heart began to race, and Yanfei started punching the door.

"Hu Tao!!"

Finally, the door fell over to the ground, a crashing sound ringing around the room. Yanfei dropped the flowers she was going to give to Hu Tao, who was now was unconscious on the hardwood floor, surrounded by a pile of petals.

To be continued...