Stay With Me~ |Xiaother|

Some big trouble (9)

It was more than two weeks since the accident that Collei had with those two men. Those past days were peaceful and if you didn't count the amount of work that Sora was given nothing really changed from before they arrived to this nation. Aether was even able to get little further away from the village if he had somebody to accompany him. But it wasn't going to last much longer.
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Traveler had some job to do outside the village while his sister was training aiming under the guidance of the master. Everything that day was like any other till someone came up to Tighnari and said there are people that want to talk with him. He took Collei and went to see what was going on.

When they got here green-haired girl's eyes widened. Those two from before were here so she started to panic. Of course her dad immediately saw her strangeness at first sight. Even if she leaves now, it won't change much, because they have already seen her, so it doesn't make sense to go back to the training ground.

"Hello I'm Tighnari. May I know what brings you here?" Said master as he was standing in front of outlanders.

"Hello. Name's Childe and next to me is Xiao." Ginger replied with bright smile. "We are wondering if you have see a friend of our's." He added. At that time his face wasn't looking friendly. His eyes and that smirk of his were showing that he know they have some information that may help Tartaglia and Alatus find Aether.

"A friend of your's?" Repeated Avidya Forest Watcher as one of his brow got up.

"Yes, perhaps you have heard of boy named Aether?" Fatui Harbinger replied.

"I'm afraid that I haven't heard about anyone with this name." Spoke master looking orange-haired man straight in his eyes.

He wasn't lying. After all, the name he knew Traveler by was 'Sora' not 'Aether'. The fact that he knew exactly that they were looking for his son is a another story.

Yaksha was about to say something when he saw the green-haired girl looking at something with serious concentration. Then, her fingers moved and her facial expression changed. As he saw that he looked behind him and...there he was standing. The person he desired the most.

That long blond hair, which was always tied in a ponytail, now flew freely in the light breeze. They sparkled so much when the sun's rays hit them. His loose hair could move freely, quivering with every little twitch made Sora look even more beautiful. He smiled, those lips that used to show that soft and sweet smile only to him, smiled to someone else. The eyes that were always focused on him didn't seem to notice him now, even though they were looking straight at him. Xiao was not the one Aether was watching, but the girl who recently showed some strange behavior.

Conqueror of Demons had that strange felling. It was as if his heart had been pierced with several needles. The person he missed so much, who could make him feel like he was melting, now acted like a stranger to him. As if he wasn't here, as if they had never met before.

Traveler looked at them with confusion written all over his face. Everyone were staring at him. The look on his family's faces show how terrified they were. Meanwhile the other two men...they were standing with shocked look. Just as if they saw a ghost.

All of them were blankly starting at Sora for a while. Tighnari was the first one to react.

"Sora go to your father!" He shouted.

It was rare for him to raise his voice. So when Aether heard him yelling to get his ass over to Cyno he almost immediately turned around and started running towards academia.
He was confused but he listened as he knew master wouldn't do anything to hurt him.

The moment Xiao saw him about leave, he teleported close to Aether and grabbed his hand. Having no idea what was going on, Sora stiffened. He was startled when he felt someone's touch on his arm. While pulling Traveler closer, adeptus used so much force that the blond boy almost fell to the ground. Sora wasn't even able to react, in no time he was held by the same stranger that stopped him.

"Let him go." Tighnari said by his teeth.

Conqueror of Demons didn't move an inch. At that time all his attention was taken by the blond boy. He stared at him as if he was looking at a painting and not the living person that the boy actually was.

This made master more angry. As he aimed with his bow at outlander's head. In the meantime Collei was aiming her bow at Tartaglia making sure he won't try playing any tricks on her or Avidya Forest Watcher.

"If you don't let go of my son, I'll shot you" Shouted Tighnari.

Stranger glanced at him but didn't bother to care about what he just said. Now the only important thing was Aether that he had in his embrace, nothing else mattered. His heart was beating so fast from happiness that returned to him as he found his beloved one. But as he laid his eyes on Sora again he saw his scared face. It was as if his eyes were saying 'monster'. At that moment Xiao felt like a bucket of cold water was poured all over his head.

But why did Aether react like that? He misunderstood Xiao's and Zhongli's conversation, but was it that disturbing for Traveler to have that eyes full of fear while looking at adeptus? He trembled and his eyes showed that they were about to be filled with tears.

At that time both Sora's dad and Alatus felt as if something hit them so hard in heir chest that they almost weren't able to breath. Neither of them have seen this kind of expression on the boy's face till now.

Xiao saw Aether closing his eyes. As the blond boy was about to tear up he felt something felt somebody embraced him. Normally he would almost automatically push any person that would do that to him, but the feeling was different...it was gentle and warm. Traveler and the outlander stayed in hug for a while. Everyone stayed quiet not knowing what just happened.

Suddenly somebody separated them from each other. Both of them looked shocked no more than the General Mahamantra that now was holding Sora by his arm. Then he pulled blondie closer to him and took few steps away from the outsider.

"What do you think you're doing?" He said with furious look.

"I should be the one asking you that." Xiao replied as his fists clenched.

"Sora do you know this person?" Cyno looked at him hoping he would understand what was going on there.

"I-I...no, I don't...I think...I'm not sure-" That reply didn't help his father much.

The dark-haired man that not long ago was hugging him now looked like he was about to kill him. He slighted and looked Aether straight in his eyes. He looked at him sadly, just as if he looked at person he lost and then suddenly found somewhere in the wild. That gave Aether uneasy felling.

"I know that you probably don't want to talk with me right now but please give me a chance to explain everything to you."

Hearing those words and seeing this look of his that showed how lonely and hurt the man that stranded in front of him was, made Sora's heart hurt. He hated people but this person was different. He couldn't explain it but he felt as if he needed to give him a chance. Besides maybe he could find out what happened before he got to Sumeru.

- 1292 words