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"So, this is the end."
Two figures walked down a long hallway that was dimly illuminated by the dim violet lights coming from a corrosive and extremely dangerous mass they had recently had to deal with. If that mass was there, it meant that it was starting to seep through the castle, they had to act fast.
With firm steps and a searing determination, the now known as Teyvat's Supreme Hero advanced without wasting time, accompanied by his faithful companion: a dull blade, a weapon with which he destroyed every wall that dared to stand in his way, with every enemy who dared to interfere with his quest and with which he brought peace and glory to every nation he visited.
He brought his hand up to his face, wiping the blood from his forehead and onto his eye. The stabbing pain in one of his legs did little to slow him down. He could hear the grinding of each of his bones. But he had already reached this point, it was only a matter of walking a little more. To push the limits of his body one last time.
A small creature hovered beside him, glancing from side to side, searching for any threat lurking in the shadows. Long ago, she would have locked herself in her dimension or used the hero's back as a hiding place, but that was no longer the case. As the journey progressed, she knew she could do more, more than just guide him, more than just give him information, more than encourage him during battles, and more than let him do all the work.
Help each other, that's what friends do.
They reached the end of the hallway, a huge doorway looming in front of them. The blonde searched through his inventory until he found a crystal in the shape of a 4-pointed star. He placed it on the mechanism next to the doors and watched as they unlocked.
He put his hands on the hard, rough surface.
"Are you ready?" Aether asked.
Paimon sucked in as much air as her lungs would allow before responding enthusiastically.
“Paimon is always ready!”
With a final nod, he pushed open the doors. A blinding glare hit them square in the face as they were about to face the last rung of the long ladder they had climbed.
It was time for one last dance.
It was hard to ignore the hole in her heart.
Fortunately, the job provided by the Shogunate was strenuous enough to keep her busy and distracted, but sometimes thinking was unavoidable.
Thinking about what happened.
Thinking about what happened to him.
The first few weeks after his departure, Ayaka always received a letter from Aether. He informed her about everything that happened on his trip and kept her up to date on every detail that might interest her. The more details, the better.
There was a point at which those letters stopped being weekly. There was one every two weeks. Then, hopefully, one every one or two months.
The lapse of time was extended until, simply, no letters arrived anymore.
However, she was still hearing all kinds of news and comments about him. His name was on the lips of natives and foreigners alike, and she was relieved to know that at least he was alive.
With each passing day, she focused all her efforts on progressing, improving herself, on helping Inazuma's development. When night fell, bittersweet memories filled the front of her brain. Sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she could see him again when she woke up. Those kinds of fantasies hit even harder when she opened her eyes and there was no one by her side.
Every morning, she strengthened her courage and focused on her goal.
And so, time… passed.
Three springs have passed since the last time she saw him. A mixture of pride and sadness washed over her as she realized that her feelings hadn't subsided even a bit. What's more, they seemed to grow stronger and more intense with each passing season.
The signs that his return near began to arrive little by little. The news that the Abyss had fallen had a continental impact. In a matter of hours, there wasn't a single person in the nations who hadn't heard about it and, of course, didn't know who had taken care of everything. She also learned about something related to a place called Celestia, but it was such a confusing topic that she decided not to pay much attention to it.
One day, while she supervising one of the many festivals taking place across the nation, she heard something that caused an incessant hammering to pound inside her chest.
"I heard that the famous traveler is coming to Inazuma in a few days, I wonder if he will arrive before the celebration is over."
"Is that so? I would like to take a picture with him!”
"Don't get your hopes up. It must just be a rumor.”
She gave directions to a few guards and she didn't even think twice before hurrying back toward the estate.
As soon as she arrived, she went to the door of Ayato's office and, against all rules of etiquette, opened it without knocking first.
“Brother, have you heard what—”
Her words caught in her throat. Her brother wasn't the only one there, her eyes immediately recognized Thoma, Yoimiya, and even Itto.
"Oh, Ayaka." Said the light blue hair man. "Come in, please. I have news that will surely brighten your day.”
Her heart rate rose even higher. "Does that mean those rumors are true?"
Even if she tried to keep her tone cool and graceful, everyone could tell the emotion in her voice.
Ayato smiled. “They were rumors at first, but everything points to the fact that Aether returns to Inazuma. According to the information I was able to gather, he will arrive on Monday. In the early hours of the morning.”
It was Friday.
Only the weekend separated them.
The hubbub invaded the small group, and although they wanted to celebrate it right there, they had to reserve their energies to use them at the right time.
Saturday seemed to go by slower than usual, and not just for Ayaka, but all of Aether's friends. Preparations to receive him kept them busy and bouncing from one side of the city to the other.
On Sunday night they had already addressed Ritou. The emotion caused none of them to feel sleepy or tired. Expectant gazes were directed towards the horizon. The moon still graced the sky.
Not all of them were able to be present for various reasons, but they promised to come and say hello as soon as they had the opportunity.
Yoimiya had gone through the boxes she brought for the sixth time, making sure all the fireworks were in place. Ayato, Thoma, and Itto chatted happily as they waited. From time to time, Ayato glanced at his sister who was motionless on the platforms of the port.
She wasn't sure how long it had been since she last felt such overwhelming nervousness, only he was capable of causing something like that to her. She would let Aether know that he would have to reward her for that.
At some point in the night, Thoma distributed coffee to everyone. It was a good option, a hot drink that would keep them energized until…
"He's here!!" Itto yelled, alerting everyone. “Aether is already here!!”
They trotted lightly towards the port and were able to corroborate what they heard. A large boat was heading towards them. Its silhouette grew larger and larger and it was a matter of minutes before it reached the port and stopped.
Itto was about to jump on the ship if it wasn't for Thoma stopping him. He had to drag him back, they all did, to make space for the white-haired woman who, all night, hadn't moved from there.
The waves caused by the movement stopped when the anchors fell. From below, they could see a woman dressed in red and black giving directions to her crew. Ayaka recognized her immediately, she was the captain of the ship Aether set out on, she didn't know how to explain it, but she seemed more animated.
That woman looked at them for a few seconds before smiling and raising her voice a little more.
“Put the bridge quickly! We have people waiting for our dear guest!”
“Right away, Captain Beidou!”
Ayaka was doing her best to return a normal rhythm to her breathing. However, the plans changed when her eyes fell on gold-colored orbs that were staring at her.
Aether jumped down.
Ayaka pushed forward.
They met midway in what seemed like an instant, crashing hard into each other, twisting their arms together in the process. Both of their knees gave way, causing them both to fall onto the cold wooden planks. After so much, they were finally able to experience again that intoxicating warmth that they had missed.
The first rays of the sun began to appear, illuminating their faces and everything around them. Their lips had already connected, eager to make up for a lost time.
The others couldn't help but think about the similarity between the situation and his earlier departure, but it was different. Back then the hug had been a goodbye, now it was a hello. The atmosphere was also not the same. A mixture of joy, nostalgia, and repressed feelings enveloped the entire place.
"I didn't see him so excited when we met again." Someone sighed from behind. "That offends me a little, brother."
Ayaka searched for the source of that voice. To one side, stood a woman dressed mostly in white. Her facial and body features screamed Hey, look. Yes, I am his sister.
They stood up, still holding each other. She spoke again. “It's nice to meet you, huh… Ayaka right? It’s a pleasure to finally meet my future sister-in-law. My name is Lumine. Aether kept telling me about you all the way here.”
Ayaka smiled as she let Aether wipe away her tears. She momentarily moved away from him before bowing. “Nice to meet you Lumine. My name is Kamisato Ayaka. Your brother has also told me a lot about you. I hope we get along well."
"Don’t forget me. Paimon is here too!” The fairy screeched.
Lumine chuckled. “Of course, we will. Now, Ae—AETHER?!”
When she looked over to where her brother was, she was surprised to see that there was a pile of bodies on top of him. Yoimiya, Thoma, and Itto had tackled and knocked him down almost an instant after parting ways with Ayaka.
"Hey, you three!" Lumine exclaimed. “I don't know who you are, but he's still recovering from his injuries! Get off of him!”
The celebrations and presentations didn’t wait. He began to greet all his friends. Ayato gave the warmest of welcomes as he hit Aether with one of his gloves for neglecting Ayaka.
While they were at it, flashes of color in the morning sky marked the start of the show.
Ayaka and Aether looked at each other as they joined hands, entwining their fingers and sharing a chaste kiss again, which didn't last long.
"I missed you," Ayaka said.
"I missed you too," Aether added.
Amidst all the clattering and cheering their friends were giving, they couldn't help but feel like they had regained a missing part. Like that missing piece of a puzzle that is needed to make it all fit together.
His journey has come to an end.
Her wait is over.
But at the same time…
A new chapter of their lives began.