his partner | arataki itto

vii. winner

"HEY," You yelped when strong arms wrapped around you, lifting you off of the floor briefly. You turned back to look at your husband, a cheeky grin placed on his lips. From the way his mouth puckered you could tell he was waiting for a kiss and as soon as he set you down, you tip-toed up to him and kissed him.

He grinned into the kiss, pulling you closer before finally letting you go. "You've been packing for a while," Itto remarked, looking you up and down before peering over your shoulder. You had stuffed some of your shirts, additional armor, and a few pouches of Mora. You weren't sure if that would cover everything, but that's all you could pack for now.

You hummed in response, content with what you had packed as you clasped the bag shut. He wordlessly took it from you, glancing at Ushi who snorted impatiently at the both of you. "I have to; we aren't heading straight to Mondstadt. Beidou and Kazuha can only get us to Liyue and from there we'll have to travel to Mondstadt unless we can hitch a ride or something."

You muttered with a slight shrug. You had hoped to visit your mother as soon as you got there, but you had to settle for what you could do at the moment. More specifically, Beidou and Kazuha couldn't risk going that far, as much as they wanted to help you and you were understanding of that.

Itto's brows knitted in confusion, having never been to either lands. He didn't fully understand what you were talking about, but nodded along anyway as if he did. "So, how long will that take?" He bounced on his heels, seeming equally as impatient as his little summoned bull. He had been especially looking forward to the traveling part.

You didn't have the heart to tell him that it included getting accustomed to new mannerisms, being excessively polite (especially in Liyue), and being more smart with your shared money. "I don't know, a few weeks? If we just go straight ahead for a while, it'll take a shorter amount of time, but it'd be nice to explore a bit every now and then."

You paused for a moment, "As long as it's not Dragonspine," You spun around to face your husband and he gulped at the stern glare in your eyes, taking a step back and hitting the back of your couch. "I will travel with you anywhere and help you explore any place, but if you even think of going to Dragonspine, you will be going alone. I hate that damn mountain."

When you were younger, your mother had often gone there since her brother was one of the explorers around there. For a while, going there was a casual experience, but since you hated the cold, you weren't exactly fond of it. The mountain only scared you more when your uncle had to be dragged back, something about a large boar crushing his legs.

Hence, he was officially paralyzed from the waist down but the last you heard from your mother, he was still living life quite joyously. "Does your mom know you're going?" Itto asked, nearly stumbling over his words as he swallowed harshly. He had never met your mother, now that he thought about it, and he was quite. . . nervous.

He knew he'd attempt to be friends with her in a heartbeat and you had always described your mom as a fairly jolly woman, but the thought still scared him. After all, you two were married and if she disapproved of him now, that would mean divorce. He had no idea what that was, but humans seemed to be pretty familiar with the concept.

"No, if I tried letting her know now then it'd take forever for her to get the letter. I think when we get to Liyue, I might try and let her know. I don't remember if there's a messenger department there or not though, but there should be." You looked at him with a tight-lipped smile and his worries washed away. 

Right, this is for them. He reminded himself that this was for you and he had the luxury to stay in his homeplace this entire time, but you had been stripped from it for the past few years. Nonetheless, you were never able to fully meet with your family; he was sure that you were anxious to introduce him to your family too.