Howdy, Howdy oh you thought I was only going to drop one chapter? Nah I always try to drop two chapter whenever I start out a new fic.

Enjoy.

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Ayaka: "Mhmmm..." Ayaka was slowly coming to; her vision was slightly blurry as it was coming, too.

Her eyes were adjusting to the light in the room; as she blinked a few times to acclimate to the room, she soon noticed she wasn't looking at the top of a cage, the lovely blue sky, or even the cold dark sky at night time. No, she was looking up at the ceiling?

Ayaka: 'Where...am I?' Ayaka questioned as she turned her head to the side and soon a dresser with a bucket of water, some chopped food, and some juice.

Turning to the other side, she could see a door that must lead to wherever she was? But how did she get here? The last thing she remembers is that she was out in the desert. Leaning up, a rag finally fell off her forward, which surprised Ayaka because she wasn't expecting her capture to take...care of...her.....

WAIT!?!

Ayaka jumped up and went to her feet, feeling a little dazed but seemed to get a good firm base of her feet. She looked around to see if any of the people who captured her were in the room? It didn't seem like it, and the gods must be smiling down at her because not only were none of the people capturing her in the room, but she spotted her sword, Mistsplitter Reforged.

Staying calm and evaluating her situation, it seemed things were going smoothly for her; if she had to guess, her capture possibly hadn't done the transfer yet, or if they did, her buyer must have wanted her in peak condition for whatever they had planned....but why does it feel like Ayaka feel like she missing a step of overlooking something.

Ayaka herself didn't give it too much thought when she heard sounds coming from the other side of the door. It was more than one.

A certain person's voice: "You think she is awake now, Paimon has been wanting to finally meet her after everything that has gone down."

A male voice: "Who knows someone of her stature getting taken all the way out here I wouldn't be surprised if she was on high alert against us."

Another male voice: "Come on, Alhaitham, I don't think she will be like that with us. After all, our golden boy saved her. I think she would be very thankful."

A male voice: "And I think you're being too relaxed for something like this. I only make an educated guess that someone from the region would feel like being away from their own homeland for weeks now."

The second male voice: "Tch, and I think you need to lighten up; what do you say, Aether? What's your thought on all of this."

A specific male voice: "Hard to say; anything can happen with her. Who knows how she will feel with all of this, the better question is she up? And if she recovers, my main worry."

The second male voice: "Awww, is someone catching feelings for a white princess? I heard you came in like a knight in shining armor. I wouldn't be surprised at this point. You are quite the charmer."

A particular male voice: "H-Hey, cut it out; don't make me out to be something I'm not. Let's see if she is ok first and start off slow-" Opening the door, the three males, Male and a flying emergency food, all saw....Ayaka wasn't there?

Blond hair with dirty blond ends Male: "Where did she go?"

Before anyone could get another word out, the two of them noticed something moving quickly on their right; the tall buff Male was about to react before the golden blonde hair person reacted quicker and right as the blade was about to be brought down on the tall, dirty blond Male. The golden-haired individual blocks the sword strike.

Ayaka would try to overpower the individual, but they weren't budging. She quickly turned her sword downward and swung it upward to try to deliver another strike. As it seemed it was about to get close, the golden-haired Male lifted his hand and down the blade with his hand/glove. This surprises Ayaka as she tries to pull her sword away from the person with a firm grasp on her blade.

The tall Male and the little flying person would get behind the other tall, buff male, who sighed.

Blond hair with dirty blond ends. Male: "Hey, can we all call down? That would be much appreciated."

Ayaka: "Who are you people? I don't remember what happened near the end in the desert. One minute, I was being escorted as a prisoner, and the next thing all I can remember was....someone fighting...." Ayaka would look at the person gripping her sword before it all came back to her she saw, and she did remember getting a quick flash of the golden blonde-haired traveler. Her grip on her sword loosened up. "Oh my, I'm so sorry!" Backing up and bowing to apologize.

The Traveler would let go of her blade as he eased up and sighed while squeezing his hand, ensuring it was ok.

Mysterious Traveler: "It's ok. I don't blame you. Can we talk normally now?"

Ayaka: "Yes, that would be nice." She picked up her sword and headed back over to the bed. While the two tall males and the little flying person watch her.

Tall buff man: "Told you she was going to be on high alert." The other tall Male looked annoyed at him.

Once Ayaka got back in bed, she saw the blonde-haired traveler and a flying little person fly next to him; while the traveler didn't react, the white-haired person smiled at her. That was nice.

One of the two males stands with the more lackey-tall figure leaning against the wall next to the door. The tall, more muscle-looking male would sit on another one of the chairs in the room, crossing his arms. It was silent for a while; no one knew what to say.

Ayaka: "Um.....I guess it would be proper for me to introduce myself. I'm-"

Paimon: "Kamisato Ayaka, the eldest daughter or, well, only daughter to the Kamisato clan hailing from the land of lightning Inazuma."

Ayaka: "Oh you already knew that...my apology."

Blonde-Hair traveler: "No it's okay. Don't worry about Paimon. We had some information on you given we had come to save you."

Paimon: "Heheh, sorry. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Paimon, the tall male in the back that is Kaveh, and the one sitting down over there who thinks he is soooo smart; is Alhaitham. And the person next to me is Aether. Nice to meet you."

Ayaka: "Kaveh, Alhaitham, Paimon, Aether I see. Allow me to express my gratitude for saving me; thank you."

Paimon: "Heheh, it's not a problem." She then heard a cough. "Well, really, the person who saved you was Aether. He did it all by himself."

Ayaka: *looking at Aether* "You save me by yourself, that's very kind of you."

Aether: "Don't think anything of it. It's the least I can do...after everything." Aether looks down.

Ayaka: "After everything, what does he mean? By the way Paimon you mentioned earlier how you all already had some information on me? How?"

Paimon: "Oh right, I guess Paimon might have skipped over that detail; that's because there is a commission out for you to bring you back to Inazuma/your home."

Ayaka: "A...commission!?! How?! I thought the Inazuma border was closed off? How was someone able to get a commission out for me-"

Alhaitham: "Your brother." Ayaka looked over at Alhaitham. "Your brother was able to find a way to get a commission out requesting someone to bring you home. He will pay as much mora for you to come home safely. Guess you can say a brotherly love triumphs all."

Ayaka was surprised by this information that her brother did it? He was able to get a commission for her? How? Really, that doesn't matter right now, the mere fact he would put a thing out for her asking for anyone's help, knowing how hard it was for people to get in and out of the country already. It means her brother went to great lengths. It made her happy deep down.

Paimon: "It took us quite a while, but we soon got word about a group of eremites taking someone who didn't look native to this region, and with some help from some friends, we were able to find you and well as can tell Aether was able to save you from those bad guys."

Ayaka: *looking at Aether and smiling softly* "Thank you, once again, it means a lot."

Aether: "......It really wasn't a big deal. I'm glad to hear you are okay, you had a bad fever for the last two days. It's good to see you're recovering from it." Aether stood up, "I'm sure you have some more questions for us. But for now get some more rest when you get a chance to come out and you can meet the others to help save you. It was an all team effort."

Aether would turn and take his leave; Paimon was a little confused?

Paimon: "Huh, that's strange he usually would have stayed longer. Don't worry about him; he was super worried about you. More than anyone he was the main one who came and checked up on you the most these past few days. When you're ready, come talk to everyone. Paimon can't wait for you to meet everyone." She does a little kick before waving bye and flying off.

Kaveh: "Get some rest you've been through a lot; I'll ask someone to help cook you up something nice. I'm sure Nilou and them wouldn't mind." Kaveh took his leave.

Alhaitham: "No rush, take all the time in the world. We have a long trip ahead of us." He also left. She left Ayaka in the room to herself and her thoughts once again.

Laying back down, just staring up at the ceiling, not really saying anything, taking a minute to collect herself.

Ayaka: 'It's nice to lay in a bed once again...' She closed her eyes.

In the hallway, we see Aether, who comes to a stop as he takes a sigh of relief, bringing his hand to cover the lower part of his face; we see that his cheek is a little red. He got a quick image of Ayaka giving him a soft smile. His heart skipped a beat, something he wasn't expecting.

Aether: 'Control yourself Aether...you are escorting back home nothing more, and try to meet the Raiden Shogun once again...'

Paimon: "Hello, earth to Aether." Aether jumped slightly.

Aether: "Jeez, Paimon I didn't hear you coming."

Paimon: "What the heck got into you? That's not like you to just up and leave like that? You were so worried about her? And all of you could only say a few sentences to her? What the heck!?!"

Aether: "You seem to have done most of the talking. I had no issue not saying much." He crosses his arms and smiles.

Paimon: "W-What!?! Don't be like that Paimon didn't even say over 100 words, Paimon sure of it?! You can't fool Paimon, I know you probably got all flustered around Ayaka. After all, I remember Dehya saying; you had a blush on your face when she complimented your name when you saved her." Paimon gave a sly smirk, which in turn made Aether blush.

Aether: "H-Hey we promise not to talk about that!" Paimon giggled. "*sigh* Besides, let's not forget I don't think she will forgive me when she hears how we left her nation to suffer even longer." Aether folded his arm and looked down.

Paimon: "Aether...."

A few hours later, we see Ayaka getting up, making her way to what looks like a larger common area around her, where different people dress a lot differently than she was used to seeing. Gone were the people wearing armor to defend themselves, traditional Inazuma kimono, or anything of the site. Many of them are more desert-like clothes, and some had more skin exposure than Ayaka was prepared for.

Deciding it would be wise to some people she knew at least, heading over to Kaveh, sitting next to what seemed to be another guy with tan shaded appeared to be wearing what she assumed from reading books about some Ancient Egyptian base outfit. Kaveh turns to see her walking up.

Kaveh: "Ah it seems you're awake, the lady who tried to nearly kill us earlier."

Ayaka: "I'm deeply sorry about that; if there is any way that is in my power to help you let me know."

Kaveh: "No, no, no I'm good. I was only trying to make a joke, that's all."

???: "Did you get enough rest?" The other guy there asked.

Ayaka: "Yes, I did. Thank you Mister..."

Cyno: "Cyno. My name is Cyno. I am the General Mahamatra of Sumeru, one of the best TCG players that ever walk around, I help deem and judge all wrong doers in this region. Along with-"

Kaveh: "Alright, pal, I think she gets it. Anyway as you already know I'm Kaveh. Sorry this place isn't what you use too. We kind of were in a rush given you had a fever. Didn't want you to feel any worse."

Ayaka: "Oh no it's quite alright; I'm just happy to get to sleep in a bed for once. I really do appreciate everyone's effort to take care of me while I'm in your care."

Cyno: "That's good to hear; to be frank, when we hear someone like you was in Sumeru, it threw us through a loop. Hearing someone from Inazuma got all the way to Sumeru and was kidnapped; it made my blood boil. It was a good thing Aether was there. I would like to also teach those eremites a thing or two."

Kaveh: "Heh, our boy sure does move fast. That's for sure the mere fact he barely rested for a while when he got the commission. I swear it's been a while since I saw Aether be like that."

Ayaka: "The blonde hair traveler was losing sleep because of my kidnapping? Strange?" Ayaka brought her hand to her chin, pondering what she just heard.

Kaveh: "Y-You don't have to worry about that now. Just know you're safe and promise you we will get you back safely to your homeland and back to your brother. That we can guarantee."

Ayaka: "Thank you, I think I will continue to look around and talk to a few other people." Taking a bow and taking her leave allows them to get back to their conversation.

The following person Ayaka walked up to was a lady she remembered seeing back in the desert. She has lightly tanned skin, sky-blue eyes with yellow 'cat-eye' pupils, and dusky blonde-accented dark brown hair.

???: "Ah, it seems you're awake, that's good to hear. Hopefully you recover well."

Ayaka: "I am, thank you. Thank you again for coming to my aid and saving me from those people."

Dehya: "Heh, it's no big deal; those types of crooks are all over the desert. It's not my first run-in with them. Oh, where is my manner? My name is Dehya. Nice to meet you."

Ayaka: "Kamisato Ayaka, pleasure to meet you."

Dehya: "I must tell you, it's quite a weapon on you; whoever crafted your blade for you was a real work of art."

Ayaka: "Oh, thank you; I didn't know the group had taken my sword. Glad to get it back. But I don't mind any sword in my hand; it's not about the blade, it is the user of it."

Dehya: "Well said; something tells me you are well-versed in the art of the sword. I don't know much about Inazuma culture except for a few rumors here and there, but if a group of eremites got enough money for you to go and capture you. You must be a pretty important figure in Inazuma."

Ayaka: "Oh... I'm um...I wouldn't say that. I'm quite normal to be honest."

Dehya: "Really? Hmph? Find that hard to believe given your attire, your sword, and how much the amount of mora your brother wants to pay to get you back."

Ayaka: "Oh...um....you see..." Ayaka looked down and off to the side.

Dehya: "It's ok. If you don't want to explain your story now I understand. Will have plenty of time to talk on this trip. It's going be a long journey."

Ayaka: "Thank you. I hope to learn more about you Miss Dehya."

Dehya: "Dehya is just fine. See you around, Miss snowflake."

Ayaka: 'Snowflake?' Ayaka shook it off and made her go to another part of the room to see who else to talk to. As she walked up to the next person, she began to think back to how she had acted with Dehya.

Trying to hide the fact who she is? Is that really worth it? Is there a point? From the sound of it, many people might know who she is and how important the Kamisato clan is. Her brother must have put a considerable amount of mora from the sound of it. But what if? What if this was a chance to experience life outside Kamisato Ayaka? Everyone knows. What if this was her chance to see the world? To finally learn many different cultures, spread her wings, and-

Shaking her head, Ayaka can't think like that. Her region is in danger, and she needs to get back to her brother to let him know she's ok. She wants to see the outside world and travel....

Ayaka: 'That's all a pipe dream Ayaka. You have a task at hand and that is to get back home to your brother. You have to put away that wishful thinking and think for the betterment of the Kamisato clan.'

As Ayaka walked over to the next female she saw, what she didn't know was Aether, sitting on a crate with Paimon beside him eating; seeing how Ayaka had just reacted made him raise an eyebrow.

The following person Ayaka walked up to was a female with fair skin, bright red hair that is shoulder-length in front and goes past her hips at the back, and light aqua eyes. Before Ayaka walked up, did she see her practicing dancing?

???: "Hello there, you must be Miss Ayaka, the one Aether and Dehya save."

Ayaka: "Ah yes that's me."

Nilou: "It's nice to meet you; my name is Nilou."

Ayaka: "Nilou, that's a nice name. It's nice to meet you as well."

Nilou: "Likewise, I hope everything in the room was nice. We let you use one of the spare rooms we have here. It's not much but the Zubayr Theater does it best."

Ayaka: "Zubayr theater? Is that who are we with now?"

Nilou: "Yes and no. The Zubayr theater is where I work and this is one of the little homes we have rented out for a few days. Honestly we almost didn't have enough money to stay longer if it wasn't Aether. He really put a lot of effort into allowing us to stay here."

Ayaka: "He did all that...."

Nilou: "Mhm, he's a great guy. He wanted to make sure everything went smoothly when we got you. Beating himself up for allowing you to get kidnapped in the first place."

Ayaka: "W-Why? It wasn't his fault that I was taken from my home. This is the first time I'm meeting him."

Nilou: "I don't fully detail myself, but it seems he has been to Inazuma before the first time I heard about it a few days ago when we first saw the commission."

Ayaka: 'Strange? He was Inazuma? How did he get out in the first place? I know he has control over the elements but why does he blame himself for something like this?' Ayaka put a pin to that thought and saved it for later. "By the way, are you a dancer by chance?"

Nilou: "That I am. I'm glad you noticed. Why? Are you interested as well?"

Ayaka: "Oh?! A little, because I also dance, I am curious about other cultural styles of dancing. I've never had the chance to see dances outside Inazuma before."

Nilou: *grabbing Ayaka's hand, surprising her* "That's wonderful. I'll be glad to show you in the future. I think you and I will get along wonderfully! I can't wait for Ayaka." Ayaka smiled at Nilou and nodded her head.

As Ayaka waves to Nilou to continue looking around, she smiles, thinking there will be some good that will come out of this.

The person Ayaka went to talk to next was Alhaitham, who was sitting in a chair reading a book. He saw her come up and put his book down.

Alhaitham: "It seems you're awake again finally. I can assume you're probably well rested."

Ayaka: "Yes, thank you."

Alhaitham: "I harbor to such need, I made very little contribution for your rescue. I was only here just in case the plan went south. To be honest it had a 99.5% chance of working."

Ayaka: "Why do you say that?"

Alhaitham: "It's simple, a very easy answer; one important valuable was in the picture, and that was Aether. While yes, he super dialed in for once, we came back with the commission and were determined to save you. As many others want him to rest he clearly took the right steps to make sure this went smoothly. So smoothly he took all your kidnappers on himself and dealt with them soundly. I guess his added training with the Dendro archon has been working in spades."

Ayaka: "Wait Aether was getting training from the dendro archon themselves? I still don't get why he would have gone so far and worried about me. I'm happy he saved me but I would never want people to worry too much about me."

Alhaitham: ".....It seems you don't know the full story as we thought."

Ayaka: "Full story?'

Alhaitham: "It is not my place to tell; that is something Aether will have to tell you, or you learn the truth as we travel to get you back to your home region." He said as he pulled out his book and got back to reading.

Now Ayaka has some more questions?! What does he mean by she doesn't know the whole story? Learn the truth? Did the traveler do something before all of this? It makes no sense?

And all that Ayaka can do is talk to the traveler and his flying companion. She makes her way over, and they see her coming towards her. Paimon waves at her.

Ayaka: "Mine if I take a seat?"

Aether: "Go right away." Ayaka takes a seat next to him. "Hopefully everyone has been treating you nicely and having no issue with anything."

Ayaka: "Not at all, everyone so far has been kind and welcoming. It was a little surprising how friendly you all were to me."

Aether: "We have no reason to be on edge with you. After-all, we decided to come help/save you. Well the other pitch is when I ask. I didn't think they would."

Ayaka: *smile* "That's very kind of them." Aether would look at Ayaka with a shade of red on his cheek before returning to the cooking pot.

Aether: "It was of them; they have been a big help for me being in this region."

Ayaka: "I've heard stories about you traveling through different regions and helping the region with many problems. You've been seen as a hero.

Aether: "Heh, some hero I am..." His shoulder slush a little.

Ayaka: "What do you mean by that? Do you not see yourself as one?"

Aether: "I...." He looks off to the side down to the ground to avoid eye contact with her and Paimon, who he can tell is sad that he's beating himself over something in the past.

Paimon: "Well, you see...what Aether is trying to say is...he has been doing his best, but he is not a hero for Inazuma."

Ayaka: "I mean you haven't gotten a chance to really explore Inazuma I'm sure-"

Aether: "No....I was in Inazuma quite some time....I failed...and ran..."

Ayaka: "Ran? What do you mean by ran?"

Aether: "......I don't want to talk about it. Not right now." Aether got up and started to walk away.

Ayaka: "W-Wait!?!?" Aether stopped for some reason and turned to look at her. "I...I don't know if you feel like you did something wrong to or to Inazuma. But I can tell you are not a bad person and a true heroic soul deep down."

Aether: "......" Looking down once again. "You can only say that now. You soon learn to hate me." Aether says nothing else, and he walks away. Paimon looked back between the two before she flew after Aether. Leaving Ayaka there in her own thoughts.

Ayaka: 'Aether....the golden hair traveler what is going through your mind and why do you believe I will hate you? What happened before you met me?'

End of Chapter.

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And that's the second chapter down! With this Ayaka got to meet some of the Sumeru crew. As well we get to see her nearly putting Kaveh in a coffin by accident of course. 

It seems this going a interesting development with Aether and Ayaka for sure. For one it clear Aether is taking more a personal matter with this commission. But it also seem he has some underline feeling about all of this? Hmmmmm!?! I wonder why? *sips tea*

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Other then that, tell me what you like about this chapter? What you dislike? What you excited to see next? Etc.

And if you want you can follow me on twitter; @ DavonCash18

Until next time everyone later and thanks for reading.

Genshin Impact own by Mihoyo.