Genshin: Aether Oneshots

Intertwined Fate Pt.2

        It was a really odd dream, and (y/n) didn't understand the meaning of it. There had been a golden comet falling down out of the sky towards her. The light it gave off blinded her for a moment. By the time she was able to see again, the silhouette of a person was beginning to show through the fading light, but the dream ended just before she could determine who was there.

        "It was probably nothing important. I just hope it was someone I would have wanted to see."

        It was back to work today. First it was off to Ritou to deliver a message and then she'd head to the Kamisato estate to figure out what her next objectives for the week were to be. If time permitted, she would take a break again today.

        As she went about her day, she wondered how the boy and his family were doing. Aether and Paimon even crossed her mind as well by the time she had finished all her tasks for the day. She had begun to make her way to Amakane Island for a snack and a moment of respite from her daily tasks.

        "There you are!!" (Y/n) flinched at the familiar high pitched voice. She had just stepped onto the shore of the small island when she heard someone calling to her. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

        Sure enough, it was Paimon that had spoken, and Aether was not far behind with a small delicately wrapped box in his hands. When (y/n) turned around to face them, she saw the way Aether seemed to be hiding the fatigue of his day behind his kind smile. Paimon floated around him full of energy. The contrast was a give away of the pair's ordeals.

        "Aether, Paimon! Good to see you two again!" She met them halfway in their approach.

        "I'm glad we finally caught up to you. Here, we were sent to deliver this." Aether handed the small box to her. "It's from that boy you took home yesterday."

        (Y/n) felt her blood run cold. "How did you know I did that?" she asked.

        "We got commissioned to look for him, but we couldn't find him anywhere. We were going to ask his parents for clues, but he had already been found by the time we got back," Aether started to explain. "The boy and his parents wanted to thank you, so they commission me to give this to you. All I had to go by was a description. It took us a while just to find the right person to look for."

        "Oh," (y/n) accepted the sall gift with a slight nod. "Well thank you. It looks like I've caused the two of you a fair share of trouble."

        "No, not at all! You did us a favor by finishing the commission for us," Aether reasoned.

        Paimon took a proud pose and nodded. "If anything, we ended up with even more commissions which is more rewards for us, hehe." Aether deadpanned at his companion.

        "If you'd like, I could treat the two of you to a meal to apologize for any inconveniences," (y/n) offered.

        "A meal? Really!?" Paimon exclaimed. Aether looked like he wanted to decline, but Paimon silently gave him an expectant stare, already practically drooling.

        "How about we go to one of the stands out here and get a snack then? It's closer than the city, and the vendors have good food." (Y/n) was relieved to see that Aether seemed to favor the compromise.

        "Alright, I don't see why not," he agreed.

        The trio made their way over to Murakami, one of the street food vendors with a stand on the island. (Y/n) left it up to Aether and Paimon to make their own orders before she got her own treat and paid the total. Just as they were leaving the stand with their newly acquired snacks, a loud noise startled all of them. They looked to the skies seeing the source of the sound crackling and brushing with color.

        "I didn't realize Yoimiya was doing a fireworks show today," Aether commented.

        "Oh, you know Yoimiya too?" (Y/n) fondly thought back to the first time she had met the cheerful girl. "I like coming to this place to see if I can catch her displays after a long day of work. They're always so satisfying to watch."

        "All the pretty colors look like magic!" Paimon exclaimed.

        The fireworks had meaning to different people across Inazuma. (Y/n) had learned that from Yoimiya. She didn't get the chance to have her own made just yet, but she was waiting for the day she could pick one out.

        The show of fireworks kept their attention for a moment longer as they watched the mini explosions decorate the sky. In the silence that settled in aside from the fireworks, (y/n) caught sight of Aether softly smiling to himself. The flash of a golden colored firework reflected off his features bringing her dream back to mind.

        "Huh?" He looked so...so at peace with himself. It lit a flame of curiousity within her. "Aether is kind of interesting." She knew little to nothing about him aside from the stories of his accomplishments, but those told him nothing about the sort of person he was. She looked back to the sky in wonder. As the fireworks display ended, the trio began to prepare their farewells.

        "Would you like for me to walk me home again? Um-! I mean...walk you home again...?" Aether said. The color rising to his cheeks as he tried hard not to hide had (y/n) smiling at his little blunder. Paimon, however, was merciless and giggled at the mistake.

        "Sure, I don't see why not. It's dark now afterall. Wouldn't want to run into any trouble again." She let him lead the way and began to ask him simple questions to get to know him a little better as they made their way back to Inazuma City. She had made sure not to leave Paimon out of the loop as well.

        Perhaps it had all just been a coincidence that things turned out this way, but the result of their encounter started a friendship of intertwined fates. Maybe even something more than that.
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I actually made that mistake when I was writing and decided to keep it. Until next time you outstanding readers!