Would You Two Just Kiss Already? You're Killing Me

"That's really... unique to you."

"It's just a lonely grave from the past. Is there nothing else you want to ask? Like, how did I come back to life?"

Everyone has their own secrets, right?

"Hmm, but there are some secrets I'm still very willing to share with the important people in my life."

"Stop being so cheeky."

"Hey."

"As expected, your background is not simple. The ability to remember... what an amazing power. But more than that, I'm curious about something else."

A scrutinizing look settled over Arlecchino's brows. She raised her hand, grasped the ice-attribute Vision that dangled from Xingsu's neck, and with a slight pull, dragged the ornament in front of them. She then stared directly at him and asked:

"If you truly are Descender from beyond this world, then why do you possess the Vision? And... it seems rather unusual?"

The warm yellow firelight flickered gently beside them. Xingsu lowered his gaze to the Vision, which Arlecchino was clutching, and spoke in a calm tone, "After I regained my memories, this was in my hands. You mean, it... has a problem?"

Arlecchino loosened her grip, paused for a moment, then gently shook her head, her expression cautious. "I don't know. We Fatui know very little about the forces beyond this world. However, I do know a researcher about the Vision, and I believe she would be interested in you."

"The Doctor?" Xingsu's hands, hanging at his sides, tightened slightly, the gentle starlight in his eyes vanished abruptly, and his gaze instantly turned cold.

Arlecchino released her grip on the Vision and replied calmly, "Don't worry, I share your attitude towards that madman who cuts himself into pieces and runs around. It's been like this before, and it will be like this in the future. I'm talking about another Harbinger. Although she usually deals with machines, her background is not ordinary. Perhaps she can help you find some answers."

Xingsu just nodded slightly, her lips parted slightly as she was about to express her gratitude, when Arlecchino gently interrupted her. She straightened her posture and looked at her honestly. "Alright, in exchange, you can ask me questions too, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability."

Xingsu paused for a moment, then looked up at Arlecchino, his tone softening and gentle:

"Rather than trying to gather information from you, I just want you to relax and not resist what I'm about to do... Hey, hey, don't look at me like that, it's not what you think!"

Seeing Arlecchino raise her eyes, her gaze filled with a mocking indifference, looking at him as if he were trash, Xingsu quickly waved his hand.

"I just wanted to test my memory, and the memories I recalled were incomplete; they only went back to the night I gave Clervie the necklace at the Icemelt Festival that year."

I want to see your past memories for myself.

Arlecchino withdrew her gaze from the trash, the coldness in her eyes completely dissipating, her expression calming down. She softly hummed in agreement with Xingsu's request.

Xingsu's fingertips gently reached forward, softly touching Arlecchino's cheek, his palm resting steadily on her delicate skin. He looked up and gazed deeply into her eyes, their breaths mingling as they moved closer, their faces slowly drawing nearer, the distance shrinking inch by inch.

Arlecchino stiffened, her long-held defenses suddenly loosening. Her scrutinizing gaze softened, and she didn't turn away, letting him get closer. Her eyes were churning with a myriad of emotions that had been building up since their reunion.

The only sound around her was the soft crackling of firewood from the Hearth. Xingsu's eyelashes drooped gently, and she closed her eyes, slowly sensing Arlecchino's memories.

They were so close that their breaths mingled. Arlecchino stiffened slightly, her relaxed shoulders tensing unconsciously, and her lips pursed, leaving only a moment of silent stagnation.

Arlecchino felt a warm current flowing through her body, her mind, which had been tense for many years, being slowly relaxed by a gentle force.

The mental stress accumulated over the years quietly dissipated with the touch of the two of them, and the courage and exhaustion that they had never dared to reveal to others were gently laid out.

In Arlecchino's memory, Xingsu clearly saw the night she resolved to eliminate Crucabena. In her determination, Arlecchino awakened the Vision; she saw her unleash her own chilling curse to personally end the tyrannical ruler; she saw her being taken to Snezhnaya for trial after the deed was done, enduring the torment of isolation and helplessness; and she returned alone to the ravaged House of the Hearth, shouldering the burden of the entire family by herself.

Of course, there was also the farewell letter I wrote back then.

Ah, no wonder.

Xingsu slowly opened her eyes, her face slightly flushed. Her fingertips remained lightly on her cheek as she softly uttered three words: "You've worked hard."

Arlecchino froze, as if her long-held, hard shell had been pierced by his soft words. She lowered her eyes to avoid his burning gaze, her throat slightly choked, all her usual sharpness gone, leaving only a relaxed and moved expression unique to this moment. She didn't reply, but simply let the warmth of his touch linger in her palm.

Xingsu lowered her hand, her eyes filled with worry, and softly asked, "Then what about your curse?"

After a brief silence, Arlecchino slowly rolled up her sleeve. The dark, inky curse lines were particularly striking, starting from her slender fingertips and extending along her skin to her forearm, the lines of varying depths concealing the marks of years of continuous erosion.

The flickering firelight from the Hearth swept across the black spot, clearly revealing the trajectory of the lines that had spread over the years. Xingsu gazed at the spreading black lines, his heartache deepening in his Kamisato.

Is there really no solution?

Arlecchino lowered her gaze to the dark patterns, her fingertips lightly tracing the mottled marks. Her tone was calm yet tinged with a fatalistic helplessness. "This is a curse in my blood, bound to me since birth. Killing Crucabena only accelerated its spread. No external force can completely sever the shackles at the root of my bloodline. I've long since accepted this over the years."

Xingsu gazed at the black lines creeping across his forearm, his tone calm and resolute. "There will be a way."

Arlecchino looked up and met his earnest gaze. Her heart, long bound by fate, stirred slightly, and a faint warmth spread across her eyes. She softly replied, "Yes, I believe you."

The two remained silent for a long time. Xingsu, recalling the night she received the necklace at the Icemelt Festival, suddenly asked, "Clervie, she really..."

Upon hearing Xingsu mention Clervie's name, Arlecchino pursed her lips, offering no response.

The crackling of the firewood in the Hearth was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. She kept her eyes down and didn't speak.

But the silence itself spoke the heaviest answer for her.