Cold Blooded

Innocence

 They left the next morning. Saya had a backpack strung over each shoulder and Chongyun sat atop Ajax's shoulders. The little boy was bundled in the red scarf and his too big clothes. The shoes that had been far too small for him weeks ago now sagged and slipped off his tiny feet.

They had reached the pass between the mountains with little talk between the three of them. Chongyun kept up a continuous commentary on their surroundings and how much he liked the way the sun sparkled in the snow. He jumped on Ajax's shoulders and clapped his hands when he spotted any animals and laughed as he played with his scarf.

It was odd, Chongyun was practically bursting with joy and laughter despite his previous hesitation the day before. The Chongyun that Saya had known was always kind and considerate, but leaned more to the serious side. He always kept his eyes locked on his goals and the things he cared about. He cared about things, that was clear enough, but all of Chongyun's hesitation and reservations seemed to have been completely cast off by this child. This boy just wanted to run in the snow and play for as long as he could.

It was definitely odd.

"Miss Saya?" Chongyun called out to Saya. The addition of the 'miss' was both adorable and uncomfortable. He was the same age as her somewhere in there. "Miss Saya, where are we going?"

"Um, well..." Saya thought about it for a moment as they trudged through the snow. "We're going to meet an old friend and then we're going to get you home."

"Hm, okay," Chongyun busied himself with playing drums on the top of Ajax's head. The man grimanced, but a smile pulled at his lips.

"Miss Saya?" Chongyun asked again, stopping his drum playing.

"Yes, Chongyun," Saya smiled and looked out at the wintry landscape around them. It was unnervingly beautiful and calm.

"Where is my home?"

This made Saya stop. She didn't look back towards Ajax, but she heard him stumble forward. How had any of this happened? Why?

Saya knew exactly how it had happened, of course, but still how? How had Chongyun been almost wiped clean from himself? All of his memories were gone. He couldn't even remember the place he had grown up. Why did this have to happen to him? Saya felt bad when she had completely destroyed Chongyun in a game of Genius Invocation. How could people have been so willing to hurt and break him?

"Miss Saya?" Chongyun asked again. His voice was so innocent, not a bad intention there. It had been a while since Saya had heard someone speak that way.

"Your home..." Saya started, taking a deep breath. She turned around to look at the little boy. "Your home is in Liyue. It's a town filled with people who care about you and love you. Even though you don't remember it, people there know you. Maybe being there will help you remember. Yeah, I'm sure once we get there, we'll be able to find a way to help you."

"Okay," Chongyun smiled warmly. He was so trusting. He had no real reason to be trusting them, but he trusted them anyway. In that way he wasn't too different from the old Chongyun. Too kind and trusting for his own good.