Chapter Text
The morning sun slipped through closed curtains to lay its rays on his blank face. Barbatos knows how long he’s gone refusing meals and water, opting instead on eating chunks of ice he’d create.
Kaeya didn’t look like himself, nor did he act like it. His eye— either glazed over as he zoned out or wide and alert— had none of the brilliance the knight they all knew did.
Access to the infirmary’s rooms was limited and heavily monitored, news that one of the few high ranking knights still in mondstadt was incapacitated in such a way would cause a stir—and Kaeya’s entanglement with the underground world would potentially put a target on his now vulnerable back.
“...”
“What are you looking at?”
Kaeya’s head whipped around so fast, Barbara thought his neck might just snap. Yet as soon as he layed eyes on the young deaconess, Kaeya’s eyes slightly softened.
He was still on edge, anxiously staring at any visitors, intently watching their every move, only ever seeming at peace when alone and completely disconnected from the world around him. But nonetheless, Barbara noticed some improvements, he doesn’t shy away anymore when she’d come to bring him his meals, and he’d answer her questions sometimes.
Albeit silently.
He points out the window in the direction of a young tree, on it’s branches are perched a few birds, whistling tunes silenced by the room’s walls.
Despite his apparent distrust of the world, this version of Kaeya was so innocent, so honest. He was unlike what Barbara knew of him as a knight, almost childishly naive in his overcautioness. The Kaeya she knew would’ve made an odd joke about looking into celestia or seeing the anemo archon flying through the skies, the Kaeya infront of her quietly pointed at the mundane truth.
Was that how he acted as a child?
She opened the window, allowing fresh air to enter the room and the songs of birds to fill the silence. She took out a stool to sit next to his bed, watching the birds sing a small tune and flap their wings softly.
“The bird’s songs are quite soothing, don’t you think?”
Kaeya silently shakes his head yes, eyes still glued to the feathered singers, having now fallen silent.
“Do you enjoy music?”
“Would you like me to sing you a tune?”
He turned his head to look at her, her eyes shone with a certain anticipation—he couldn’t stop the smile from forming.
“Sure, I'd love that.”
As soon as he said those words, the light from his eyes immediately dissipates, as his expressions falls into one of confusion, then discomfort. He lays his forehead on his hand, massaging his temple with his thumb.
“Damn it..”
Barbara’s eyes widen at the sudden shift in behavior, she stands upright, almost falling off her stool.
“Kaeya? Kaeya are you alright? Does your head hurt? Are you feeling dizzy?Can you say anything? ”
She was basically bombarding him with questions, but the one she truly wanted an answer to was the last.
Kaeya hadn’t said a word since he first passed out.
If he is regaining his ability to communicate verbally, or at least is finally willing to, it would be a huge relief.
“I’m alright… Just a bit lightheaded.”
What a relief
“But…”
“What are we doing here.”
●
“So he can communicate verbally now?”
“Not just that, he seems to have gone completely back to normal.”
“But…”
“But?”
“He seems to have forgotten the event leading up to his injury, as well as everything after that.”
Jean let’s out a sigh, she doesn’t know whether to be relieved or confused. On one hand, he seems to be back to normal, on the other, she still couldn’t understand the cause of his sudden condition. Perhaps the memory was repressed, hidden somewhere in the depth of his mind, or perhaps he was lying, hiding the truth for… some reason.
Yet the one who looked the most perplexed was Diluc.
He stood still a few steps behind Jean, arms crossed and brows furrowed. He doesn’t get it.
So he enters the room Kaeya is resting in and locks the door behind him.
“Master Diluc?” Barbara sounded surprised, almost a bit panicked. “Master Diluc what is going on?”
“I’d like to talk with him briefly, just the two of us.”
“...”
“Alright,” Jean’s voice resonated from behind the door, “please be brief.”
As he turns around, Diluc is greeted with Kaeya’s default cocky grin.
“Why hello there Master Diluc, glad to see you could make time in your busy schedule to visit little old me.”
Diluc rolls his eyes, amnesia or not, he sure acts the same.
This is the Kaeya he recalls.
“What happened?”
At that, Kaeya’s smile falters ever so slightly.
“I was hoping you’d tell me.”
Diluc’s brows furrow even further.
“What?”
“What?”, he mirrors,“If anyone would know anything about this, it’d be you.”
Kaeya’s demeanor remains cool and composed, yet the apprehension in his eyes wa unmistakeable.
“I wasn’t there, so i’m not sure.”
Diluc purses his lips, this odd inexplicable situation feels far more complex than it seems.
“But it seems you were injured after being attacked by one of your targets.”
“Where?”
“Left shoulder.”
Kaeya starts patting his shoulder, stretching and moving his arm in different directions. The injury seems to have completely healed.
He shrugs, laying back down on the mattress, head first into his pillow.
“I’ll bother with this tomorrow.”
“...Alright”
Diluc turns on his heels and opens the door, softly pushing down an eavesdropping deaconess.
The young girl raises her head to look at the man who caused her little fall. He extends a hand that she gracefully accepts, before exchanging curt apologies and scurrying in opposite directions.
Even if Kaeya seemed to have gotten better, he is still currently her patient, as such she needs to take care of him until she is assured he is back in perfect health.
Including the integrity of his memories.
She steps closer to the bed, Kaeya’s face still buried in his pillow. Lifting his shoulder, Barbara notices that he had fallen asleep. His breathing was even, and he seemed comfortable, so she let him rest.
She doubts their conversation was very a calming one.
●
Once upon a past life
I basked in brilliance.
Not mine, ours
And it gave me resilience.
Once upon a time
The light dimmed and died
I had to become someone new,
Someone bright.
Once upon a morrow and a day,
I went back to my previous ways.
●
“What did the both of you talk about?”
“Nothing much.”
“As his boss ans friend, I think I have a right to know if the both of you discussed something that could help him recover.”
“He’ll be fine stop worrying.”
“How could I?”
In the empty church's halls echoed two voices, one distinctly indifferent, the other loudly demanding.
As Diluc was marching towards the exit, Jean was overwhelming him with questions. Despite the complicated nature of their relationship, Jean was aware that they both put a considerable amount of trust into each other. If Kaeya was truly hiding something, he could've possibly told Diluc.
Diluc's pace increased, practical speed walking to the door. He didn’t have anything he could tell her, he didn't know why he was in such a state, or whether he was truly recovered yet, so there was no need to bother with giving her a useless answer.
“Go ask him yourself, he'll probably give you an answer.”
As he closed the large church doors behind him, Jean could only silently lament.
Would Kaeya tell her? They've been colleagues for years, friends for longer, but was that relationship truly worth his honesty.
Did he trust her as much as she trusted him?
If so, asking him wouldn't yield any results.
Turning on her heels, she steeled her resolve. Even if he was going to lie to her face with a shameless smile, or run around the question with sly quips, she needed to try at least.
On the way to the room, she ran into Barbara. Who then informed her that Kaeya was currently asleep. After giving her a brief thank you, Jean found herself heaving a sigh of relief as soon as she left the church.
She'll ask him to write a report tomorrow.