Genshin Impact ship pairings

“…Little…Xiao…”

The handsome merman, like a child, told Sora his name. The humans thought they were approaching the merman, unaware that the prey was the hunter. Sora didn't know who was approaching whom; he simply smiled, a bright and radiant smile.

"Is it called Xiao? That should be the pronunciation, but I don't know which character it is."

Xiao's fingers reached towards Sora's cheek, seemingly wanting to touch his smile. That smile was captivating, and he liked it very much. Sora saw that Xiao's fingers were pale, with a thin, transparent membrane connecting them.

Sora leaned in, unconcerned about being scratched by Xiao's sharp nails. Sure enough, Xiao was faster; he stroked Sora's cheek with his soft fingertips, then slid them towards his lips. Just as Sora was about to open his mouth to say something, Xiao's finger accidentally ended up in Sora's mouth.

Warmth was Xiao's first impression. Then, Sora quickly removed his finger and started spitting out the sand in his mouth. These two—one oblivious, the other thoughtful but still somewhat clueless—made what should have been an ambiguous scene a little comical.

Xiao was bewildered by Sora's reaction, instinctively realizing he might have done something wrong. After Sora finished vomiting, he noticed Xiao's panic and quickly comforted the somewhat agitated merman.

Xiao became docile again after being soothed by Sora. Looking at Xiao's bluish-green hair, Sora felt a little tempted. Sora put his drawing aside and then reached out to touch Xiao's hair. Seeing Xiao's puzzled look, Sora smiled and then touched the long bluish-green hair that had attracted Sora for so long.

Sora gently combed Xiao's long hair with his hand. Sora's gentle touch, like soothing a small animal, made Xiao tilt his head comfortably. His golden eyes remained fixed on Sora, letting him do as he pleased, but he did not lower his guard.

After combing Xiao's hair, Sora braided it. Sora braided quickly, creating a long plait that draped over Xiao's shoulder. Looking at his masterpiece, Sora couldn't help but laugh. The handsome merman before him looked like a country girl with this hairstyle.

Xiao glanced at the long braid on his shoulder, seemingly unconcerned. He simply reached out and touched Sora's cheek again. He loved Sora's smile, especially the way his golden hair trembled when he laughed—a brilliance he had never seen before, deep in the ocean. Xiao wanted to possess him.

Sora held Xiao's hand; it was a little cold. Sora didn't mind and placed Xiao's palm against her warm cheek. Sora's eyes were still very happy, curving like a crescent moon in the night sky.

"Xiao, do you like drawing?"

Kong pointed to the drawing board he had placed to the side with his other finger and asked Xiao.

Xiao's eyes followed Sora's movements and saw the painting. He stammered again as he answered Sora, "I...like it."

Sora placed the paintbrush in Xiao's palm. The palm, which was still strong when fighting sea monsters, was unbelievably docile in Sora's hand. Xiao didn't dare to struggle, for fear of hurting the fragile human in front of him.

Sora shifted his position, pressing closer to Xiao, avoiding his surprised expression. This naive golden human, having found the merman before him to be no danger, snuggled up intimately. Sora, being a painter who appreciated beauty, couldn't resist such a beautiful and perfect creature, especially one so obedient.

Sora's finger guided Xiao's finger, drawing a very simple circle on the paper. Xiao looked on with a bit of curiosity, and then Sora continued to teach him. They drew a seashell on the paper, the shape was perfect, but the drawing looked a bit childish.

Xiao didn't care much; he liked the feeling, as if he had created a miracle, almost like life itself, under his control.

Sora and Xiao sat by the sea drawing for a long time until the tide came in and soaked Sora's shoes. Only then did he realize he should go back to camp. Sora quickly stood up and packed his things.

Can I come to see you here tomorrow?

Sora looked at Xiao with expectant eyes, and Xiao nodded, looking rather obedient. Sora was even happier. After saying goodbye to Xiao, he hurried back to the camp. Having done this several times before, this time his journey was exceptionally smooth.

After dinner, Sora lay on his bed at the campsite, thinking about his time with Xiao that afternoon. He suddenly realized he'd forgotten to ask about the mark on the back of his hand. Looking at the white mark, Sora slapped his forehead in annoyance. He resolved to ask about the mark tomorrow and how to remove it.

With the question of this white mark filling his mind, Sora fell into a dream again. The dream was still somewhat chaotic, but unlike yesterday, he heard a gentle and pleasant voice calling to him.

"Empty...empty..."

The voice kept calling to Sora, and Sora tried to find it, but he couldn't. He couldn't find the source of the voice, nor could he stop it from spreading. He could only accept the call and try his best to maintain his thoughts. But inevitably, Sora longed to find that voice.

After waking up, Sora felt a little lost. Remembering that she had promised to go see Xiao yesterday, Sora composed herself and prepared to leave.

Sora didn't spend much time there again. Since he hadn't seen Xiao, Sora sat on the beach thinking about his dream the night before. A short while later, Sora saw Xiao appear.

Sora banished the dream from last night, raised the back of her hand, and showed the white mark to Xiao. She asked him, "When we first met, you left this mark on my hand, and I can't get it off no matter how hard I try."

Seeing Xiao looking at him, Sora continued, "What's the point of this?"

Xiao paused for a moment before saying, "...protect you...search..."

A few simple words made Kong understand, "Oh my, so it can protect me? How amazing! No wonder those cute little animals don't want to play with me when they see this mark."

"But I'm leaving with the fleet in a few days, should I keep this?"

Xiao pressed down on Sora's hand. "Stay." Not to leave a mark on Sora, but to keep Sora by his side. He wanted Sora to stay.

Sora assumed Xiao wanted him to leave a mark, so he decided to keep this mark as a memento of this amazing experience. Sora nodded, "Okay, I'll leave this mark."

Xiao looked at Kong, a little unhappy, but managed to suppress his emotions. They spent another pleasant afternoon together.

Kong taught Xiao a lot of things, and to Kong's surprise, Xiao seemed to already know some words, but he spoke them haltingly.