Travelers Handy Sword - Genshin Impact Childe X Reader

27 - Run

AN: . . . I have nothing to say for myself regarding my disappearance . . , other than the last and final chapter of this story will be released tomorrow as soon as I become conscious to the world once more! 

(also I can recieve messages that people put on my lil conversation board thingy but I can't reply to them? I've tried and they don't post? and as far as I'm aware no one is recieving my attempted replies, so I apologise to people who have been unintentionally ignored when they post there and that its taken me this long to address it!!) 

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There was nothing but darkness and numbness for a long time. Your mind swirling in an empty void as though waiting for the door to pass from this life to the next. And then, the soft sound of a breeze ruffling grass broke through the veil and light started to flood your vision as you blinked awake.

Everything was blurry and all-too-bright at first but soon the blinding white faded to reveal the blue morning sky, light clouds dotted through it as faint silohuettes of birds flew past.

You slowly started to move your limbs, all of them responding stiffly, but without pain. You moved your hand in front of your face, seeing tiny clean cuts littering your forearms, accompained by pale brusing.

You remembered the battle you took part in against the ancient god within the seas, you remembered Liyues victory over it, and then you remembered falling.

Slowly you pulled yourself into a seated position, surprised that you were nowhere near the shore as you would've expected but instead on a grassy hill over-looking the harbour. You were shocked to see another figure sitting nearby.

Childe.

"Whats going on?" you asked, your voice quiet and croaky.

"Liyue was saved" he responded simply "Zhongli gives his thanks to you for your assistance to the city, by the way"

"Childe . . . Ajax, listen, I am sorry- I know you didn't want me to interfer with Fatui things but I couldn't just look the other way while the people got hurt. If the people here did that when I arrived, look the other way, I never would've survived. I could'nt just let it be-"

Childe raised his hand to stop your words, turning to give you a sincere smile "I understand, I knew this would happen eventually . . . truth be told, I only wanted you to stay out of it for me sake"

You frowned "For your sake? is this all about the paperwork I would cause?"

He shook his head as he looked off into the distance "you can't defeat me in a real fight, o/jou-chan, and for the first time, I hate that I can win" he turned to you again, asking "are you feeling alright?"

You considered it for a moment, not feeling even an ache of pain anywhere and other than slight confusion you were fine, and you nodded. Childe smiled, relieved as he moved to pull you into an embrace before he murmered into your ear "I've been given the order to kill you . . . you have five minutes to run"

Your heart pounded in your chest as you forced your lungs to take in a much air as possible as you ran through the landscape, not sure how far you'd need to run to evade your pursuer.

The head start he gave you hardly worth it as the arrows that buzzed past you indicated his rapidly approaching distance to you. The hydro infused arrows hitting the ground around you and splashing up at you as they impacted.

Though your sword swung by your hip, it had been damaged from the fall into the debris filled waters, having nicks and dents rendering the blade almost useless. You had no way to defend yourself, and the fear that gripped you was enough to keep you running from him, knowing that there was only so long his shots could miss you . . or there was only so long that he could pretend to miss you.

Your ankle rolled as your step connected with a rock, causing you to tumble and skid across the grass. Your breathing laboured as you forced your tired muscles to pull yourself from the ground, seeing the cliff edge meer inches from your position.

As you stood you came face to face with Childe, having closed the distance between you to now be close enough to touch you with an arrow held out in his hand. His face emotionless as his loyalty to the Tsarista steeled his resolve to his orders.

In a last ditch attempt you tried to reason with him, the blood pounding in your head as you spoke desperately "Childe, please, you don't have to do this! I'll- I'll defect, I could join the Fatui, I-"

"Don't be stupid, your loyalities will always be to the people, never to us" he offered a small smile, admiring your strong opinion of right and wrong, though it caused him issues for his line of work and employer.

Your shoulders slumped in defeat, you glanced to the cliff edge behind you "do you think a dive into water from this height would be fatal?"

He barely had time to frown at your sudden question before you let yourself fall back, closing your eyes as you accepted what ever would await you at the bottom. Be in shock from the cold, pain, survival, or, death. I mean, you survived it once, what were your odds this time?.

And perhaps, this would be an easier fate rather than being killed by someone you loved. Perhaps it would even spare him the torment of knowing he had killed one he loved.

Your fall was halted suddenly by a hand gripping tightly to your wrist, your shoulder screaming as it was pulled painfully against gravity.

"Hold my wrist" he ordered, as he lay flat on the ground having had to dive to catch you in time.

"But, Childe-"

"Take ahold of my damn wrist!"

You complied, grasping at his wrist as he instructed before he heaved you back on to the cliff, pulling you to his chest as though to stop you from attempting your stunt again. You could hear his heart beat racing in his chest.

"I can't do it" he murmered as you started to struggle in his embrace at the thought he would take your life like this/ His statement almost a confirmation to himself rather then to assure you. You relaxed at those words, and he released you, his hands gently resting on your arms "give me your sword"

You frowned, glancing to your once glorious sword reduced to a battered stretch of steel "my sword?" though you handed it over to him without awaiting an answer. It was useless to you in its current state, anyway.

"I need more than just your sword, too" he chuckled to himself as he considered how you were going to react to his next action. His hand moved to caress your hair, suddenly he grabbed a tuft from behind your ear and sliced your sword through it.

You squeaked in shock as you flinched away from him and the sword, clutching at your ear and feeling the shortened ends of your hair at that spot.

As he held both your sword and a lock of your hair he explained "I'll add some boar blood for effect but these will convince the Fatui that you are dead by my hand" he looked to you "don't stop running until you reach Mondstadt, the sooner you leave the better, I don't exactly have a reputation for 'taking my time', you know"

You nodded at his implication "why didn't you do this in the beginning, instead of making me run from your barrage of arrows?" you huffed slightly.

He chuckled "I am loyal to the Tsarista, but I can't ignore that I also love you" at his declartion you leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, a kiss that returned his love and showed his love for you, a sweet yet bitter farewell "now, go"