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<𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓮>

"I'm glad you're okay, dear."

You smiled at Ms. Guji as you set your purse in your locker.

Twenty minutes until you went on stage, and Miko decided to spend that time touching up your makeup.
"Yeah," you agreed, closing your eyes so she could apply the eyeshadow. "If it weren't for the Kamisato clan and the others, I wouldn't be here right now."
"Correct," Miko said with a frown, still bitter that she had to ask for their help in the first place, but as long as her prized pupil was safe, she guessed she could live with it.

"Done." You opened your eyes as Miko stood up, brushing your hair from your face before backing away.

You smiled, thanking her before the subject of the Kamisatos reminded you of a question you had been meaning to ask the woman. "Hey, Ms. Guuji," you said. "How do you know the Kamisato clan? Do you work for them?" The woman raised a brow before laughing softly.
"Dear, by now, you should know that I don't work for anyone but myself," she chuckled before her face suddenly hardened with seriousness. "But while we're on the subject, steer clear from those men. They'll only get you into trouble." You huffed.
"I'm not a child," you said as you walked up the stairs. "Now, go sit. I want you to be here for my first show back." Miko smiled as she let out a dramatic sigh.
"Fine, fine, I'm on my way." She watched as you walked up the stairs. You were right, you weren't a child. Besides, you weren't one to get into trouble, so there was no need to worry, right? Just as she was heading to one of the VIP seats, familiar white hair caught her attention, and the sight of a man sitting at the bar, eyes fixated on the stage, made all her worries arise all over again.

"Y/n!" You walked down the steps, eyes widening, seeing your friend, Katherine, rushing towards you. "You did so great tonight!" She squealed, grabbing your shoulder and shaking you back and forth.
"So, does that mean I don't do great any other night?" You joked as you hauled the bag of newly collected dollar bills to your locker.
"No, but this time you did so well that you got requested for a VIP session!" Your eyes widened at her words as the girl took the bag of money from you and pushed you towards the stairs to the upper floor.

"Wait, from who?" You asked, and she shrugged.
"I don't know, but he's a total hottie. Plus, he just blew a bunch of money on drinks alone, so he has to be loaded!" Katherine said. "Now, go on! Don't make him wait!" You sighed as she pushed you up the steps while you sprayed some more perfume and ensured your makeup was still intact.

You stopped at the room that's door was cracked, taking a few deep breaths to quell your nervousness. 
Your first VIP session, no big deal. Just stick to the rules, smile, and get those tips. You repeated these things in your mind as you opened the door, only for that former nervousness to be replaced with shock and confusion when your eyes landed on the male sitting on the couch.

"Hey, there," Itto greeted casually, drink in hand and feet propped up on the table in front of him. You frowned, somewhat annoyed that you had gotten all worked up for nothing.
"What are you doing here?" Itto held up a finger, chugging the rest of his drink before leaning back in his chair.
"I thought I'd check on the damsel from the warehouse to see how you were doing, 's all."
"First Thoma, now you," you sighed as you plopped down on the seat across from him, crossing your arms over your chest.
"I'm sure you saw that I didn't have any injuries, so what makes you think I need checking on?"
"Maybe not, but Scaramouche is still looking for you," Itto said as you refilled his glass with champagne.
"So does this mean every person of status will watch me then? Who am I going to see next? That assassin from Liyue, Xiao? Or maybe Dliuc from-"
"Whoa there, sweetheart," Itto said with a laugh. "As far as I know, this doesn't have anything to do with big shots like them so normally like that." He leaned closer, resting his arms on his knees.
"But not everyone has the guts to mention people like them. I like you, Y/n L/n." You couldn't help but blush, seeing his muscles flex during every move he made. "But, if it makes you feel any better, Kazuha wanted to come. He just can't risk coming to a place like this, but he's been asking about you. He thinks you're cute." Your eyes widened at the bluntness of his statement.
"He said that?"
"Pretty much. I snuck a peek at his little poetry journal while he wasn't looking. Didn't understand most of it, but that was the gist." Itto shrugged, taking another sip of his drink. "I can take you to go see him if you want. But you gotta promise not to tell anyone." You shifted uncomfortably.
"I'd rather not get involved with you guys," you said. "Ms. Guuji said that you guys were trouble and-" You were cut off by an exaggerated groan.
"Geez, you'd think she was your mom." You glared at him, having heard that before and always hated it.
"Listen, if you were really one of those people that believe everything they're told, you wouldn't be talking to me right now because of how much of a monster the news makes me out to be, but you are. If you do everything Yae Miko tells you to do, then you're gonna live a boring ass life."

Itto looked up at you, the mischievous glint in his eye sending a chill down your spine. "But you can spend just a little time with me, and I can show you what dreams are made of."

You watched as he extended his hand towards you, and your apprehension began to become overshadowed by curiosity. You sighed, looking at the clock to see that it was nowhere near time for you to leave.
"I can't go tonight, but I will be able to meet you tomorrow before work." The male's eyes lit up in excitement, similar to a kid in a candy store.
"Really? Great!" You chuckled at his enthusiasm as you stood up, heading towards the door.

"Oh, and despite nothing happening, you know you'll still be charged for this session. You can hand the money to the guard by the stairs." You halted when the male chuckled sheepishly, turning to look back at him and narrowing your eyes.
"Yeah about that..." he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I used all my money getting in and then getting the drinks." You scoffed.
"Then why the hell didn't you just come talk to me?"
"The security guards wouldn't let me through. They thought I was some creep!" Itto said, and you rolled your eyes.
"Looks like those dreams better make up for that money you owe me." With that, you left, leaving the gang leader, to stare at the place you once sat. He licked his lips.
"Yeah, I like her a lot."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"What the hell?" You growled, ready to turn over and go back to sleep but stopping when you heard a vaguely familiar voice.
"Hey, Y/n? You in there?" You huffed, forcing yourself out of bed and to the door. You threw it open, glaring at the male who was just turning to leave.
"Oh, hey!" Itto waved cheerfully as if it wasn't early in the morning.
"When I said before work, I meant early afternoon," you growled, pointing at the clock that read 4:11 A.M. "Not four in the morning!"

"Sorry, princess, this was the time Kazuha insisted on." You rolled your eyes, pushing back your second thoughts as you opened the door further to let him inside.
"Don't call me that," you said, petting Taroumaru, who sat in the middle of the hall, growling at Itto.
"Did the loud man scare you, boy?" You asked. "It's okay. He'll be leaving soon."
"Loud?" Itto repeated, seemingly shocked at your description. You shook your head as you grabbed some clothes from the pile on your couch.
"'M going to get ready. Give me fifteen minutes."

"So, where are we going?" You asked as you walked down the steps to your apartment, the darkness of the night reminding you of the early time, which only served to irritate you further."Beidou's place," Itto replied. "That's where Kazuha is staying." You walked outside, shivering at the early morning chill. You followed Itto down the sidewalk but froze when you saw him stop in front of a shiny red motorcycle parked right in the no-parking zone.
"Hell no," you said immediately. "There's no way I'm getting on that death trap with you." Itto raised a brow, looking between you and the bike with a flabbergasted expression.
"What? You're not impressed?" He exclaimed. "This things brand-new! Plus, I thought chicks were, like, totally into guys with motorcycles." You quickly shook your head as you turned toward the parking lot, fishing your keys out of your pocket.
"No, no, no, no way, we can take my car." Itto grabbed your wrist just as you found your keys.
"Y/n," he whined. "Come on, if you get on, I swear I'll get you the money I owe and then some."
"What am I going to do with the money when I'm dead?" You retorted, making the male throw his head and let out an exasperated groan.

Just as you were about to walk away, strong arms reached out to grab yours and pull you, forcing you to sit behind him on the motorcycle.
"Let me go!" You shouted, struggling as Itto forced you to wrap your arms around him, keeping both your hands together with one hand while using the other to start the engine. "This is kidnapping, you know." You yelped, hearing the engine roaring. Itto smirked as you reflexively tightened your grip around him all on your own.
"You talk too much." With that, he sped off.

"Hey, princess." You heard Itto's voice from in front of you but didn't dare open your eyes nor loosen your grip around him until you heard the words you'd been waiting for since the ride started.
"We're here." At this, you slowly opened one eye to see the gang leader smiling at you from over his shoulder.
"You're kinda cute when you're scared," he chuckled as you quickly let go and jumped off the bike. You looked up to see that you were further outside the city, a lot further than you had been in a while. There was an old wooden house in front of you, the windows boarded up and the wood in certain areas rotten and aged. It looked completely abandoned. You glanced at Itto wearily, wondering if this was the right spot.

Itto put his motorcycle in park and motioned for you to follow him as he walked up the porch that creaked under his weight so much that you were almost sure if he stepped any harder, he'd fall right through. He knocked on the door just as loudly as he had on yours.

Silence.

"Beidou?" He called. "It's me!" You could hear footsteps approaching the door before it opened, revealing the dark-haired woman who had come to pick up Kazuha after he rescued you. She smiled at you, seemingly recognizing you as well.
"You're the girl from the warehouse," she said, and you nodded awkwardly. She was so pretty, her ruby eyes fierce but kind.
"Yeah," you said. "I'm Y/n L/n. Kazuha was one of the people that saved me that day. Itto said he wanted to see me?" 
"Yeah, he's been talking about you for while," the woman said, extending her hand toward you. "I'm Beidou, leader of the Crux and a friend of Kazuha's." Your eyes widened. The crux was a group known throughout Tyvat. They weren't a particularly dangerous group, mostly known for their travels and their leaders' defeat of Haishan. They did a few things that weren't quite legal, but there was a rumor that their leader was in a relationship with Ningguang from Liyue, so they never got in trouble for it.
"It's nice to meet you," you smiled as you grasped her hand, that was rough from what you could only guess was all the battles she'd been through.

"Kazuha!" Beidou called, opening the door to let the two of you in. "Your girlfriend's here!" Your eyes widened at her words while Itto laughed to himself.

"We've only met once."

You looked up to see Kazuha standing atop the stairs. "Therefore, she couldn't possibly be my girlfriend." Before you could comment, Itto spoke up.
"Don't be ashamed, bro, there's nothing wrong with moving a little faster than normal."
"Like that's ever worked for you," Beidou snickered, while the two began to argue, Kazuha smiled at you.
"I'm glad you're okay," he said. "I wanted to come and make sure you were unharmed in person, but due to my...situation, it is difficult to travel in the city."
"Oh no, it's perfectly fine," you assured. "I'm just glad we're able to meet now since I never got to thank you for everything." Kazuha's eyes widened slightly as you bowed your head. "So... Thank you for saving my life."
"Please, there's no need for that," he said. "I was just doing what's-"

"Hold on!" Beidou raised a hand, and everyone went silent. She motioned towards the window closest to Itto, who peeked through the blinds to look outside. The sun was just beginning to rise, but the fog that surrounded the house prevented you from seeing too far into the distance. Itto's eyes narrowed. He could barely see shadows of people moving around, but he couldn't count how many.
"You were followed," Beidou said, taking out her Claymore, and your eyes widened at the size of it. You had heard that some groups used weapons rather than guns, but you couldn't imagine hauling something of that size while dodging and deflecting bullets. Itto took out his Claymore as well, while Kazuha pushed you behind him, taking out his katana.
"Go upstairs," he whispered, only for you to scream at the sound of gunshots, shooting right through the old wood of the house.
"Go!" Beidou shouted as she and Itto deflected the bullets to make way for you.

Kazuha grabbed your hand, leading you upstairs, deflecting a few bullets on the way only to tackle you to the ground right as you reached the top. Your mind didn't even register the sound of the gunshot until the bullet grazed your cheek, creating a long clean cut along the side of your face.

"Kaedehara Kazuha."

You looked up to see a man standing at the end of the hall, dressed in red and black with a white mask. The shotgun in his hand, pointing directly at the two of you, but the gold pin on his vest made your heart sink. Fatui. Had Scaramouche sent them?
"Surrender yourself and Y/n L/n at once, or we will use force." Kazuha didn't seem to hear him, eyes focused on your bloodied hand as you held it to the cut on your cheek.

"You..." he glared at the man, getting into a fighting stance. "...Will regret that." 

So who's pulling for Kazuha in 2.8? I don't really need him but I might pull just cause he's one of my favorites.