Paths That Crossed Once More
The story starts with Kaeya digging his own grave....
"You see..." Kaeya turned to the merchant from Snezhnaya. "Master Diluc cannot marry your daughter."
All eyes turned to him.
"He has promised his heart to another."
..........
"Would you be willing to marry Master Diluc?" Kaeya told her.
“I’m sorry…” she said flatly. “Did you hit your head on the way here?”
Series Masterlist
Prologue
They met when they were children, before Y/n left Mondstadt for the Akademiya….
It was a nice and sunny day. Her parents had dragged her out to Spring Vale to enjoy the weather and engage herself in outdoor activities.
She has been sitting under a tree near a pond reading her book, enjoying herself indeed, much to her parents' disapproval since they were hoping she would go play with the other children more often.
She heard rustling sounds from the bushes nearby and felt a small figure approach. Ignoring it, she went on reading.
"What are you reading?" she heard a voice say.
She looked up to find a red-haired boy not older than her with his boots and clothes muddy, hair dishevelled, and expression bright.
"A book."
"Oh, Kaeya reads those too," he said. But it didn't seem like he was interested in talking about books. “I found something,” he said, sitting down in front of her despite meeting her for the first time in his life.
"Okay," she said, diving back to her book without paying attention to him.
"Do you not want to see what it is?"
"I don't know you—" she plainly stated.
It didn't bother the boy at all. "I'm Diluc!"
His expectant stare felt heavy for her to ignore. "…I'm Y/n."
Diluc grinned, "Now you have to see this—" he reached into both of his pockets and pulled out two wriggling, damp creatures. “—Frogs,” he announced proudly.
There was a long silence….
……..
......
“…Those are toads,” she said.
“No, they’re frogs.”
“They’re not.”
“They are.”
“They’re not.”
“They are.”
The toads who had no say in this blinked helplessly.
Y/n set her book aside entirely. This ignorant kid has escalated things!
“They’re toads,” she repeated, more firmly. “Frogs have smooth, moist skin. Toads have dry, bumpy skin.”
Diluc frowned, examining one. “…It’s just a bumpy frog.”
“It’s not a bumpy frog,” she pointed. “Toads also have shorter legs. They walk more than they jump.”
Diluc gently set one on the ground.
It did, in fact, walk.
He frowned harder. “…It’s a walking frog.”
“Toads also prefer drier environments,” she continued, fully committed in proving the differences to him. “Frogs are usually near water. Toads can survive farther from it.”
“…So,” he said slowly, “you’re telling me… I caught the wrong thing.”
“…You caught a different thing.”
Diluc looked at the toads.
Then at her. He brightened immediately, forgetting the fact that he had caught toads instead of frogs. “Do you want to hold one?”
“…No.”
“Why not?”
She stared at the creature. Then at his muddy clothes. “They’re muddy and dirty. Go put them back.”
Diluc looked down at the toad. Very muddy indeed. “…They’re fine,” he said.
“They are not fine. You'll get scolded at home.”
“They’re just a little dirty because they live outside,” he said, refusing to let them go.
“You’re very unsanitary,” she finally said.
He shifted slightly, reconsidering his life choices. It appeared he had no idea what that word meant. "I'm not!" he yelled out to maintain his dignity.
"I'll find a frog next time!" he said and left.
Y/n was relieved. He'd never find her. Unfortunately, he tracked her down in the city of Mondstadt near the Knights of Favonius headquarters three days later….
“I’m not unsanitary,” he said, standing in front of her. Looks like he went home and looked it up.
"Okay…" she said, trying to think of a way to run away.
"And I have a frog this time," he held it up to her face for her to see.
She took a closer look in case he got it wrong."It is a frog."
Diluc brightened up. "Do you want to—"
"No—"
………
It became a routine. A very strange routine.
Where most children traded stories or sweets, Diluc arrived with creatures. Jean and Kayea found them gross. Y/n was the only one who indulged him, and that's why he always sought her out.
“Look what I found. It’s a lizard,” he said this time.
She peered closer, observing. “…A skink, actually. They’re quite fast.” She was impressed that he caught one.
“…Skink,” he repeated, committing it to memory.
Another day—
“It’s a tree frog,” she tilted her head over the amphibian that Diluc was holding. "They stay on trees… did you climb one?"
“…a tree frog,” he’d echo. He did, in fact, have leaves on his hair.
This routine continued till she left for Sumeru.
They lead their respective lives, changed into their own persons and years later, the heavenly principals Kayea brought them together (risking his life so gotta applaud him for that).
