On the way there, you kept adjusting Kazuha since he was practically slipping off your back. You hoped you hadn't struck him so hard in the head just now so he would wake up right away. Beidou took you to some sort of structure that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by plants, grass, and a few trees.

You

"Oh great... You said this is an inn, right?"

Beidou

"That's right..."

They turned around as they started to move in the direction of the inn. All they could make out was you, worn out, sitting on a rock, Kazuha's body lying on the grass.

Gorou

"N/N, you're not coming?"

He teased, knowing how exhausted you were.

You

"Gorou, don't do this to me... I'll catch up in a bit, just let me catch my breath. I'm gonna have to carry him up the stairs too."

You complained as you tumbled off the little rock and collapsed next to Kazuha on the grass.

That someone could look that charming when they were sleeping is something you never imagined.

He was lying on his back, staring at you with his right head turned to the right. You were lying on your side and were absolutely fixated on his face. 

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times quickly.

You

"Finally, you're awake."

Kazuha

"..."

He sat up and looked around without saying anything.

Kazuha

"Are we in Liyue?"

He spoke, with a scratchy voice.

You

"I had to-"

Kazuha groaned loudly.

...

😏

IM SORRY I HAD TO

Kazuha gasped loudly and leaned slightly backward while placing one hand on his head.

You

"Oh shit... I forgot about that."

One look at his face gave you the impression that he was going to break down in tears. Thankfully, he didn't. After witnessing the way he reacted, you felt so awful for bashing his head so hard on the cell bars.

You

"Come here..."

Your legs were shaking when you stood up from the grass where you had been lying, and you picked him back up. You sighed and kept moving forward.

Kazuha

"What happened..."

You

"Shh... You shouldn't speak. That might have an effect on your terrible headache."

Kazuha

"..."

You

"Well, I'm partially responsible for your headache. My bad."

Kazuha

"Partially?..."

You and Kazuha interacted as you mounted the stairs. His head rested on the back of your shoulder while his arms were around you. His lips were so near to your ear that every time he spoke with his scratchy voice, the sound echoed into it.

You

"Oh no... I didn't give you memory loss, did I?"

Kazuha

"Huh?"

You

"Okay um... Tell me my name."

Kazuha

"Y/N. Other people call you N/N."

You

"Good. Now, tell me your name."

Kazuha

"Kaedehara Kazuha."

You

"There. You don't have memory loss."

Kazuha

"I apologize."

You

"You're apologizing? I'm the one who slammed your head against the cell bars."

Kazuha

"I was stubborn. And mean. I'm sorry for that."

You

"No, no, don't worry about that. I've already gotten over it."

Kazuha

"You forgave me so easily..."

You

"Actually, that's a little bit of a lie. I was mad at you for the first few minutes, then I started to feel bad."

He chuckled a little, wrapped his arms around you even tighter, and then quietly whined.

You

"Yeah, yeah, we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer then you can actually sleep on a real bed."

The receptionist gave a concerned look as you walked over to Gorou with Kazuha still on your back.

You

"..."

You hastily glanced at Gorou before returning to the front desk receptionist.

You

"... He's drunk."

Gorou

"Yup. Very drunk."

Verr Goldet

"... Alright then."

As you dragged Kazuha up yet another flight of steps, you nodded your head and sighed.

Even though your room was larger than imagined, there were still five of you in it. Although it was far more comfortable than a tent, it couldn't truly be compared to the room Raiden provided you.

Kazuha

"What are we doing in Liyue?... What are you doing in Liyue?"

You

"Shut up. Speaking's just gonna make your headache worse."

You placed a thick ice pack on his head while sitting at the edge of his bed. You were all worn out, and it was still very early—possibly about three or four in the morning. Sleeping at this hour was obviously unhealthy, yet you all needed it.

Kazuha

"Will you at least tell me what's going on? I'm confused."

You

"I'll tell you in the morning. Right now, you probably won't be able to take in everything that I'm about to tell you. Aren't you tired?"

Kazuha

"Only a little bit."

You

"Ah, that's right. You were basically knocked out during our journey here."

Kazuha

"I was... I was?"

You

"Mhm. I had to carry you around since all the others made me."

Kazuha

"Hehe..."

You

"So, I carried you from Inazuma all the way to Wangshuu Inn. Man, it was a little difficult, to be honest."

Beidou

"Oh really? A little difficult? I thought N/N was just tough like that."

You

"Beidou, why don't you carry him while walking a long distance?"

Beidou

"Already have! Kazuha gets drunk way too easily, I carry him everywhere after he gets drunk."

You

"Eugh, you drink?"

Kazuha

"Only when I want to."

Gorou

"Pfft, lies! You drink all the time, Kazuha!"

You

"Eh... I hate the smell of beer."

Kokomi

"Then you better stay far away from him whenever he's drinking! I swear, he always reeks of beer."

Beidou

"Well N/N, have you ever tried beer?"

You

"No, and I never will. Sometimes I smell it around Inazuma City, and I never liked it."

Beidou

"Just give it a try sometime. You'll get to see all the dumb things Kazuha says and does when he's drunk, it'll be awesome!"

Everyone in the room laughed.

.

.

.

Kazuha

"Y/N, where will you be sleeping?"

You

"On the floor. There are only two beds, Kokomi and Beidou take that one and Gorou's sleeping beside you. Or, I could sleep in the bathtub."

You joked around as you stood up and picked up a pillow.

Kazuha

"Are you sure you can sleep on the ground?"

You

"Yes. I'm a little used to it, so it'll be okay."

.

.

.

Gorou

"Ooh... I see what's going on..."

You

"Huh?"

Gorou smiled and nodded before looking at you, then at Kazuha.

Gorou

"N/N, let's switch spots."

You

"Why?"

Gorou

"... Because of the obvious."

You

"I don't get it..."

Gorou

"Kazuha wants to sleep with you. Did you not get the hint?"

Gorou whispered to you.

You

"Huh?! No, I didn't get the hint!"

Gorou

"Oh well, now you do. Gimme that."

He took the pillow out of your hands, placed it on the floor, and then laid down.

Beidou and Kokomi were already sleeping, and Gorou was just starting to get relaxed.

You and Kazuha were the only ones awake. You both awkwardly lay beside each other in bed, flat on your backs, staring at the ceiling.

.

.

.

You

"... How's your head?"

You said, quietly. You didn't want to wake the others.

Kazuha

"Better. It doesn't ache as bad as before. But it's still making it hard to sleep for me."

You

"I see."

...

Kazuha

"I remember the last time we were like this."

You

"?"

Kazuha

"You slid yourself into my sleeping bag and wouldn't let go of my waist during a thunderstorm in that tent. I was so confused."

He laughed.

You

"Oh!... You're talking about that."

Kazuha

"That was when times were easy."

You

"Well, not quite. We were still on the run, remember?"

Kazuha

"Mhm. And here we are again, on the run. I'm feeling better now, can you tell me why we're in Liyue?"

You

"... I'm tired. But in short, let's just say I've chosen the side I want to take."

You smiled, then turned the other way, sleeping. Kazuha was still staring at you from behind, then turned the opposite way just as you did.