A/n: Picture above is of Izanami's attire. All credit goes to the beautiful artist! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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It had been two years since that fateful day. The nine-tailed fox, in her human form, stood on the top balcony of Wangshu Inn. Her ears laid flat against the top of her head as her tail hung limply. She was waiting for Xiao to return after he left to go slay demons.

During the first year after escaping Inazuma, Izanami became friends with Xiao. It was difficult to break down his walls, but she managed to wiggle her way into his heart. He tried to keep her a safe distance away from him because of his karmic debt, but she convinced him her darkness prevented her from being affected by his own. Because of the human souls attached to her being, the karmic debt couldn't touch her. She was the only person Xiao didn't have to worry about corrupting. Of course, it took him a few months to get used to her presence. Now, they were close friends.

Izanami became bored and huffed out a sigh. She decided to leave the balcony and wandered towards the kitchen. Smiley Yanxiao was cutting up some carrots and radishes. Her ears and tail perked up at the familiar scent of her favorite dish. "Is that crispy potato shrimp I smell?"

Yanxiao looked up with a smile. "You know it. I saw you standing on the balcony and thought you'd be hungry. So, I decided to make your favorite."

She wandered over to the oven with stars in her eyes. "It smells great as usual, Yanxiao! I can't believe such an amazing cook works here. You should be working in a five-star restaurant."

The cook chuckled. "You're too kind, Nami."

"I only speak the truth."

Once the crispy potato shrimp was done, Yanxiao served Izanami. She sat down at the table located in the back of the kitchen, her tail swishing back and forth as she ate the delicious food. She scarfed down her meal, mentally thanking Yanxiao over and over again.

Just as she was about to eat the last piece of potato shrimp, it was snatched off the plate. She gasped in horror, eyes darting to the suspect. "Hey!" She grabbed Xiao's wrist before he could eat her last potato shrimp. "That's my food you're about to eat."

Xiao eyed her with no emotion on his face. Instead of eating the potato shrimp, he placed it against her lips. "Here. I don't like this dish anyway."

Izanami ate the potato shrimp with a smile. "So good...!" Her tail flicked back and forth while her ears sprung to life. "I don't know what you don't like about potato shrimp, but they're amazing!"

Xiao was distracted by her ears. He outstretched his hands and gently grabbed her ears. He trailed his thumbs up and down the sides of her ears. Although he had his gloves on, he knew how soft her fur was. What he enjoyed more than touching her fur was watching the various expressions on her face. Even after two years, he was astonished by how expressive she was. She didn't let the darkness within her rule her life unlike him. She wasn't afraid of corrupting others, but he was. He was trying to learn from her how he could do the same.

The shinigami's cheeks turned bright red when Xiao started stroking her ears. Like her tail, they were sensitive. "H-Hey, stop that!"

The yaksha's hands froze. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, but... I-I'm ticklish..."

"My apologies." He removed his hands.

Izanami missed his touch. Her disappointment showed when her ears flattened against the top of her head. She wanted him to keep touching her, but she couldn't say that out loud.

Xiao saw her despodent expression. He was still learning about the various expressions and why she showed them at certain times. "What is wrong, Nami?"

She shook her head. "N-Nothing..." Dismissing her embarrassment, she cleared her throat and her ears shot up. "Anyway, I'm heading to Liyue Harbor. There're a few things I need to pick up."

"May I accompany you?" he questioned.

Izanami blinked in bewilderment. In the two years they've known each other, this was the first time he wanted to accompany her to Liyue Harbor. "Aren't you worried about your karmic debt?"

"It has become less burdensome thanks to you. I believe one visit to Liyue Harbor won't cause trouble."

She smiled from ear-to-ear, overjoyed to know she had helped him with his karmic debt. She was even more happy to know he would be accompanying her into town. "Great! Let's go!"

Before she could walk up the steps to leave the kitchen, Xiao grabbed her hand and stopped her. "It would be arduous to travel on foot. I will take us there."

Izanami glanced down at their conjoined hands the moment Xiao teleported them to Liyue Harbor. They appeared behind a stack of crates near the docks. She looked around to see no one had paid any attention to them. "Must be nice to travel the winds and arrive anywhere in the blink of an eye."

"Hmph," he scoffed. "You act as if you wield no special abilities."

"Well, I mean I really don't. All I can do is wield fire and transform."

"You wield fire that burns the hottest. You embody a mighty shinigami who uses her ability to travel between this world and the next to escort lost human souls to everlasting peace," he remarked. "Traveling upon the winds does not compare to your abilities, Nami."

"For someone who is still somewhat ignorant of human customs and emotions, you do quite an amazing job at flustering people..."

"You have taught me valuable customs and emotions I once deemed unnecessary. I wished to accompany you to the city in order to learn more. My curiosity for humanity has yet to be quelled."

Izanami smiled while remembering the first time Xiao asked her about humans. Although she was immortal, she learned much from her worshippers in Inazuma. Because of them, she became a shinigami who was aware of various human customs and emotions. Watching the humans of Inazuma for nearly three thousand years truly taught her how to value them and evolve her own personality. She used to be a shinigami who was void of any emotion. But now, she was colorful in her expressions.

"In that case, we'll browse the marketplace after we visit Wanwen Bookhouse."

At hearing the bookstore's name, Xiao frowned. "Do you not own enough books as it is?"

"One can never own too many books," she replied. "Besides, I've read all those books in my room. I need more reading material."

"Fine," he sighed.

Izanami saw he was still holding her hand. She tilted her head in curiosity. "Why're you still holding my hand, Xiao?"

"Is this not a human custom?" Using his other hand, he pointed at a man and woman who were holding hands. They exchanged a kiss before walking away.

"Well, um..." She chewed on the inside of her cheek. How would she tell him? Maybe a direct approach would be best. "Humans usually hold each other's hands if they're with someone they cherish deeply. Usually only couples hold hands. There are some exceptions, though."

"You have mentioned these "couples" before. They are the ones who are in "love," correct?"

"Yes, but you also have different forms of love like family love and friendly love. Couples love each other in a romantic way. Does that make sense?"

Xiao sighed. "Humans are confusing. Many of their customs are strange."

She giggled. "I used to think the same thing. After watching them for almost three thousand years, I've learned so much from them. And now, I get to share it with you. I think you've changed quite a bit because you've opened yourself up to some of the human customer. I know I've changed after observing humans for so long. Because of them, my world is now bathed in colors. It's thanks to them my horizons have broadened."

The adeptus' eyes narrowed. "What of your worshippers? Do you not desire their demise for what they did to you?"

"I don't blame them. The one at fault is the Raiden Shogun. She plagued their minds with lies." Izanami's gaze drifted to the ocean. She thought of her homeland and the people who once cherished her as their beloved shinigami. Shaking her head, she ridded her mind of past memories. "At any rate, let's head to the bookhouse."

As they began to walk towards the center of Liyue Harbor, Izanami and Xiao continued to hold hands. The yaksha's grip on the shinigami's hand tightened when seeing many of the citizens they passed were eyeing her. She did stand out from the crowd because of her ears, tail, and red markings.

When they arrived at Wanwen Bookhouse, Izanami released Xiao's hand. She greeted Jifang before browsing the books. The adeptus leaned against the railing, arms crossed with a stoic expression. He patiently waited for his friend to finish perusing the books. His attention drifted to a trio of young men who walked up the spiral staircase. The moment he went to divert his attention, he heard the blonde among the three speak up. "Hey, she's pretty cute."

The man with black spiky hair chuckled. "With those ears and tail, she's definitely a cutie."

"We should ask her if she'd like to hang out with us," the redhead commented.

Xiao followed their gazes to see the men were staring at Izanami. Pushing himself off the railing, he walked towards the shinigami. Her back was turned to the group of guys, making it impossible for her to see them. He placed himself between her and the trio, glaring harshly at the men. If he wielded a cryo vision instead of an anemo one, his glare would've frozen the blood in the men's bodies.

The three men swallowed in fear before making a quick escape. One of them tripped over their own feet going down the stairs and tumbled. The sound caused the shinigami's ears to twitch and she turned around to see what caused such a commotion. "What was that?" She asked, staring at the adeptus' back.

"Pests," Xiao replied. He swiveled his body around to face her. "Are you finished?"

Her tail wagged back and forth, displaying her joy. "Yep!" She sauntered over to Jifang and paid for the book. Waving farewell to the woman, she returned to Xiao and they left Wanwen Bookhouse.

They strolled down the main thoroughfare of Liyue Harbor. Xiao followed behind Izanami, observing her as she walked. He noticed her tail hadn't stopped wagging. "Do books truly bring you such joy?" 

"Of course!" she cheered with a bright smile. "A new book means a new adventure to go on."

"They are simply words printed on pages. How is it a "new adventure"?"

"It's a new adventure for the mind. Imagining the characters, the places they go, the people they meet... Books truly are a place where your mind can venture." She spun around to face him, taking him by surprise. "For someone who's over two thousand years old, you mustn't have read too many books."

Xiao looked away from her. "Unlike you, my life has been filled with fighting and bloodshed. When you are constantly fighting, there is no time for such pleasantries."

Izanami gazed down at the ground, her smile vanishing as her ears flattened against her head. Contrast to Xiao, her life wasn't as bloodstained. At the beginning of the Archon War, she'd been sealed away by Baal to prevent her from intervening. During the war, she was sealed away in her shrine and had plenty of time to read her entire library five times over. Once the flames of war were extinguished, her duty as shinigmi resumed. All she was needed for was a link between the land of the living and the afterlife. Over the centuries, her mind had been plagued by the painful thoughts attached to the souls of the deceased. She could bear the pain, but it was nothing compared to what Xiao has gone through. He had told her every last detail of his life as Alatus before being liberated by Morax. Not even her current predicament could compare to the horrors he's lived through. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me." 

Eyes back on her, Xiao saw the sorrow written all across her face. He gingerly cupped her face in the palms of his hands, tracing the whisker-like markings located along her cheeks with his thumbs. "This expression does not suit you."

Her ears raised slightly. "You mean sadness?"

"Yes. I prefer to see you smiling."

"Well, I can't smile all the time."

"Is being happy too difficult?"

"No, it's just there are so many other emotions one can experience. It can also be difficult to control which emotions you feel at certain times." 

Because of Xiao's past, it was difficult for him to comprehend emotions. Even when he experienced them himself, he wasn't sure how to express them. Instead, he tried to keep them under wraps. Alas, that changed when Izanami came into the picture. He was able to express himself more although it was only ever in front of her. She was the only person he was comfortable around to show such a vast array of emotions.  She brought him out of his shell and granted him the chance to experience things he never would've without her. She changed his world for the better.

However, their fateful encounter wouldn't have occured if he didn't sense the darkness clinging to her being. It was because of the darkness they shared he allowed her into his life. If she hadn't had any darkness, he would've patched her up and let her scamper off to Celestia-knows-where. But he felt relieved to have her around. He enjoyed returning to her after vanquishing demons. It was a feeling he enjoyed yet still questioned. Why did he enjoy her company so much? Is it because of their similarities? Or perhaps he saw himself in her? Regardless of the reason, he was determined to stay by her side for as long as he could. He promised to protect her and he would never break such an important promise.

Suddenly, Xiao stepped closer to Izanami. He nuzzled his nose against her forehead. This emotion he felf caused his heart to race and a fuzzy sensation to blossom within him. He started feeling this peculiar emotion a few months ago and wasn't sure which emotion it was. He only felt it around her and wondered if she too experienced it around him. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the gentle scent of berry and mint that emitted from her snowy, crimson locks. "In your presence amd yours alone, I experience this inexplicable emotion. My heart thunders within my chest and this...warm sensation commences. I lack the knowledge to understand what the meaning behind it indicates. You are the expert on human emotions. What is this, Nami?"

Izanami swallowed nervously. She could feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment. If what Xiao described is truly happening to him in her presence alone, then she knew all-too-well what the emotion was. Her eyes darted around in a desperate attempt to escape the conversation. "Well, um... Th-That is..."

Just then, the shinigami was saved by a familiar face—Zhongli. The God of Contracts himself had arrived just in time to prevent her from explaining Xiao's infatuation with her. The man glanced between the two as he greeted them. "I am quite surprised to see you escorting our dear Izanami around the city, Xiao."

The adeptus released Izanami and backed away from her. He locked gazes with the ex-archon who saved him from enslavement. "I am here to uphold the vow I made with her."

Zhongli crossed his arms. Being a former archon, he could sense the change in Xiao's karmic debt. "I see..." His eyes drifted over to Izanami. "Light often quells darkness. However, it appears darkness of another has dampened the shadows dwelling within. This is quite compelling."

"Huh?" she hummed in bewilderment.

"To simply put it—your own corruption has lessened Xiao's karmic debt by absorbing it as its own. You need not fear for you are a shinigami. A death spirit cannot be harmed by karmic debt. Your soul is already bound to this world and the next. You are the reason for why he is able to venture through the city without fear of corrupting the citizens."

"I really haven't done anything," she mumbled.

"Remaining by his side is what you've done to aid him. I too must thank you for weakening his karmic debt. Perhaps you alone will be enough to purge his being entirely of corruption, but only time will tell."

"Talk about high expectations..."

Zhongli smiled at her response. "You are more capable than you believe, Izanami. Have faith in your abilities for they are unique and powerful. It is because of those abilities Baal sealed you away during the Archon War and why she demands your demise." Uncrossing his arms, he looked between the two younger immortals. "Regardless, I am not here to discuss such matters. Would you both be willing to accompany me to Third-Round Knockout? I shall foot the bill."

Izanami's eyes narrowed. "You actually brought mora with you?"

"It is borrowed from a close friend of mine. It shall suffice for our meal."

"Um..." The shingami glanced at Xiao. She didn't hear or see his disapproval and decided to take up Zhongli's offer. "All right, then. We'll join you for lunch."