It Must be Love

Lifting up

"Where's Kaeya?" Noelle asks, with a bowl of soup in her hands.

"In his room," Albedo says.

"Oh, he's been in there since yesterday. Do you think he was transfixed by it?" Noelle asks.

"No, I think he is busy."

"Busy with what?"

"Busy with coming up with a plan."

Albedo was right. Kaeya was coming up with a plan. A plan to take down the Abyss order and to rescue Diluc. He thought that Diluc would be forced and so the red-haired man couldn't back out of it for fear that Kaeya would be harmed.

Kaeya's plan was more or less simple. It utilized something that no one had used before.

Hilichurls.

Kaeya's door opens to show the child Cavalry Captain in his now normal attire. A long, white dress shirt with long sleeves, navy blue shorts, and black boots that go up to his shins, and of course his navy bows tied correctly around his hair and collar.

Albedo takes a step back. Noelle takes a step back for the boy for he looked so confident she couldn't get in his way.

Kaeya turns to her and orders, "Noelle, can you please get the wagon ready..." He pauses for a moment. "Please?"

With a smile on her face Noelle nods her head and makes her exit downstairs to complete her task with the help of the other maids.

Kaeya goes outside to see Celi Boya sleeping on the grass. A smile spread across his face seeing the hilichurl sleep; so peaceful.

Kaeya goes on his knees in the dew of the grass and gently stirs the hilichurl awake.

"Aba mosi dada," Kaeya says as Celi Boya unwounds himself.

Seeing the boy, Celi Boya quickly stands up and Kaeya joins him. The noise of horse shoes on stone is heard as Noelle brings the cart over to Kaeya. Albedo exits through the door and walks beside Kaeya and Celi Boya.

Kaeya motions for the hilichurl to enter the cart and he complies, hosting himself into the back.

Kaeya turns to Albedo. "Can you please drive the cart?"

Albedo raises an eyebrow. "Where to?"

"All the hilichurl camps in Mondstadt," Kaeya calmly states.

Noelles eyes pop wide open. "All of them? Why, that would take days!"

"Then we better start now," Kaeya remarks with a smirk on his face. Kaeya and Albedo enter the front section. Noelle bids them goodbye as the driver, Albedo, hits the horses.

For hilichurl tribe to hilichurl tribe they go. Kaeya each time leaving the cart with Celi Boya. They spread, but a simple message, "Mani Abyss mages, Upa sada y mani con me de mosi aba nunu!" which roughly means 'Fight your captors, fight with me!' Hilichurls follow their cart until they have a whole army of hilichurls, some mita and samachurls as well.

Kaeya looks up at the sky. The sun is setting, leaving a beautiful watercolor painting for everyone to whisness. "It's time," he quietly whispers to himself.

"Albedo," Kaeya says out loud to the man. "It's time to go back."

"With all of the hilichurls?" Albedo questions.

"Yes," is Kaeya's reply.

They start their trek back to Dawn Winery all the time Kaeya stares at the watercolor sky.

When they arrive at Dawn Winery, the maids are nowhere to be seen. Kaeya jumps off of the cart and makes his way into the building.

"Noelle?" He calls out for the woman.

"Oh, Kaeya there you are!" The frantic maid says coming out of her hiding place to hug the boy. "There is an army of hilichurl outside. We fear for our life. There's no way we can take that many."

"That's the plan," Kaeya says. "The army is ours. That's what we are going to use to fight the Abyss Order. We will use their own creations against them."

Noelle blinks in surprise, not saying anything. "Why did you come back here?"

"To get you of course," Kaeya says with a chortle. "I couldn't fight without my best maid also on the front line."

Noelle is awestruck. "I...I'm truly honored to fight next to you Sir Kaeya!" She pulls him into a backbreaking embrace, a tear or two falling down her face.

"Ow... Please let go."

Noelle giggles and stands up after removing her arm from the Cavalry Captain. She pulls out her Claymore.

"Let's do this."

***

Kaeya, Noelle, and Albedo stand in front of the Abyss mages hideout. A million hilichurls with mitachurls and samachurls mixed in stand behind them. Kaeya even spots Mita in the enormous group.

"Ready?" Kaeya asks, looking at the adults who sandwich him in the middle.

"Ready," they repeat.

With a smile Kaeya yells, "Mani!" and they all run in.

Running through the small entrance the three humans go down individual paths as they once did before, but this time they all encounter Abyss mages. But they don't retreat because of the thousands of hilichurls that charge in after them as their backup.

Kaeya breaks an abyss mage's shield and kills the mage afterwards. He takes a few seconds to observe. He watches hilichurls kill their captors, but it's not without their casualties. Some hilichurls lay on the ground, dead.

Kaeya spots Celi boya lashing out at a hydro Abyss mage. Not a speck of crimson blood in the hilichurl's red, celi boya fur.

Kaeya pushes forward where the three tunnels collide together. Kaeya makes his way to Noelle and helps her fight. Their backs on each other as they swing their swords. All the while he has a smile on his face.

"We might be able to do this," he yells over the noise to Noelle.

"I hope so," Noelle yells back.

They advance more to the middle of a long hallway. It has many barred doors. Kaeya looks down each hallway. Dead end.

"This must be where Diluc is being held!" Kaeya says in glee.

Kaeya's happiness is cut short as doors fly open revealing even more abyss mages. Two to three per door. Kaeya's eye(s) dart around behind him noticing that they are outnumbered.

Noelle and Albedo notice it too.

"What are we going to do?" Noelle asks the Cavalry Captain. There are too many for just the three of them. Even with their backup army.

Just then Kaeya hears a cry of pain.

...

A flash of red falls to the floor.

...

Celi Boya falls to the stone floor.

...

He doesn't move an inch.

...

Sweat precipitates on his forehead. He breathes quickly as his heart pumps blood to keep up.

'This was a horrible idea,' a voice in his head tells him. 'Why did you ever think it was going to work? You're a Khaenri'ahan. You will always cause destruction. You can't beat blood..."

"Kaeya?" Noelle asks as the mages slowly make their way towards them.

"I can't do it," Kaeya whispers barley heard above the background noise.

"Yes you can," Albedo says unexpectedly, taking a galant step forward. Kaeya and Noelle both look over to him. "You're the last hope. They would send you if they didn't know you could do it."

"But how?" Kaeya says in desperation.

Albedo smirks. He says two words.

"Khaenri'ahan magic."