The Phoenix's Clipped Wings | Kaedehara Kazuha

Chapter 21

Everything happened so fast, before Phoenix could unlease her attack, she sways backwards and falls off her claymore. A bright light from above had struck her and it was powerful enough to stop her.

Her left eye had flickered to it's original [E/C] color but there was no light in her eyes as she continues to fall. Her finger twitches as she see shadows casted upon her from all sides.

Her body paralyzes.

Her fingers go numb just as a spear impales her body.

Realizing what was happening, her dull orbs make eye contact with a pair of ruby, red ones before she falls unconscious.

Her body makes contact with the ground and her body now lays in the pool of her own blood, the spear sticking out of her body.

While everyone is trying to recover from the fight, Kazuha stands a few feet from where Phoenix laid. He's ready to go back where everyone else was at but stops at the sight of a small, white cat running past his feet.

As if time froze, he spots the same ribbon from earlier in its mouth as it runs out to the female on the ground.

Watching as the small cat approaches the deity, his heart breaks as it tries to wake her up. And when she doesn't, it grabs a hold of her sleeve and pulls on it.

It meows loudly as it desperately tries to wake her up and it continues to cry.

After a few attempts, he tries to call the cat's attention but it ignores him and soon curls up against the female, sobbing quietly.

Approaching the cat, he kneeling down and it glances at him before laying back it's head, its tail flat down.

He notices her finger twitch and watches as she slowly caresses the cat, a weak smile on her lips.

"...so....ra..."

She softly calls the cat and Kazuha's eyes widen. ".. you're...alright..."

He picks up the cat despite its attempting to escape. He almost drops the cat in shock as his mind finally clicks. He slowly glances down to see Phoenix looking at him with a soft smile on her lips.

Opening her mouth, her head sways to the side and her hand falls limp as Kazuha immediately rushes over to her.

"[Y/n]!" He calls out as he pulls her in his arms but realizes that the spear was still pining her down.

Not caring that her blood was staining his clothing and hands, he puts her back down and tries to pull out the spear.

Struggling a bit, he rips it off and throws it on the ground and picks up [Y/n], and he runs towards Aether.

They notice him and rush over, "what's wrong Kazuha?" They ask but notice the unconscious female in his arms, and Xiao immediately tells him to hand her over to him.

"I'll take her the pharmacy. She needs a healer quickly." He says but Kazuha don't move, he's too busy looking down at [Y/n], he never thought that—

"We don't have time!" Xiao says angrily as he puts an arm underneath her head and one under her legs. Before Kazuha could protest, Xiao was already gone. He had teleported himself with [Y/n] away, in the path of getting to the harbor.

Aether stands a few feet away, healing himself as he approaches Kazuha, "you finally figured it out?" He says and Kazuha looks at him.

"You knew?"

Aether nods, "Albedo was the one who told me back in Dragonspine-"

"Why did you tell me sooner?" Kazuha say, his voice wavering as his eyes started to water.

Aether doesn't say anything, his face is filled with pity, "you deserved to find out yourself."

"By walking up to her impaled body when she's on the verge of death?" Kazuha fires back.

"Stop shouting already, what's been done is done." Albedo says after he untied Paimon from the ropes. He crosses his arm over his chest as Kazuha looks at him.

"I assume you're..... Kazuha?" Albedo asks, "you were often mentioned by Phoenix everytime we were together."

—

Liyue Harbor's Pharmacy

"Qiqi will heal. Please leave the room." A purple haired child says as she stares up at Xiao who glances at Phoenix who was laid on the bed.

Qiqi watches as he leaves the room and she shuts the door behind him and walks back at the woman on the bed. She looks at the woman and brings a hand up to her forehead.

Her eyes slightly widen as she remembers who Phoenix was. "You're....the pretty woman who saved Qiqi from falling...off the mountain."

She says in her usual monotone voice as she begins the healing process.

Phoenix groans during the process before she goes quiet.

Qiqi finishes healing, which took a few hours and hears the commotion from outside come to a stop a while back. Peeking out the door, she spots a man with white hair with a red strand of hair, sleeping beside the door and she blinks at this.

Walking in front of the man, she plops down I'm front of him, watching him as he slept and waits for him to wake up.

"Hey...mister, wake up." She calls out as she pokes his leg. "Wake up." This goes on for a few minutes until she notices him waking up.

He open his eyes and looks at her, still half asleep, he bolts up. "[Y/n]!? Is she alright?" He asks but she simply stares at him before nodding.

"Pretty lady....is fine. She is resting." The man stands up and before he could rush inside the room, Qiqi stops him.

She tugs on his sleeve and he looks down at her, "Qiqi doesn't know when she will wake up but....." She stares at him.

"she will soon, don't worry." The man's eyes widen before he forces a smile. His puffy red eyes were enough for Qiqi to see how he was feeling and let's him go. She closes the door after he goes in and walks away from the room.