Chapter Text
One year later...
A young lady with long blue hair, purple eyes, and red horns held a parasol over her head, walked through the streets of her home of Liyue Harbor. She was deep in thought as she navigated the harbor full of people and illuminated beasts.
“The night scenes of Liyue, the lantern light of centuries. Only I know that this rising star has come far in the millennium passed. Only I remember the hours at which dew forms on the Glaze Lilies, and disappears again.”
She glanced at the Glaze Lilies nearby, watching a dewdrop slide off a petal before taking a turn. “106,327 heartbeats. The time that has passed since I last knew the unrest between my two sides.”
She watched as the inhabitants nearby went about their business like usual, smiling at a few of them. “Packing up the stalls... Closing up the pavilions... One can almost hear the street lights going out. It is as it is, night after night.”
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening, and out came a girl with pink hair and green eyes. “Ganyuuuuuuuu!”
The excited girl slammed straight into Ganyu, who barely managed to keep her balance. “Haha, Yanfei! Done with your last case?”
“Yup! So c'mon, let's go!” She pulled on Ganyu's wrist to race down the streets.
They soon came to an empty part of the harbor, which was being set up like a welcoming party. Xiao had finished putting up some lights when he spotted them. “Ganyu!”
She waved. “Hello, Xiao!” He landed perfectly in front of her. “How's Ping doing?”
“She's back on her feet now. We had to call on Baizhu and Qiqi, but it was worth it.” Xiao answered. “I've actually recently become rather fond of Xiangling, and for some reason she turned her extra room into my room, but I don't mind rotating between her and the Inn.”
Yanfei laughed. “Sounds like you had an easier time with that than I do when working on divorce cases! Out of all the cases I've worked on, those are probably the worst.”
Hu Tao approached with Qiqi. “Hiiiiii! Is everyone here?”
“Hello.” Qiqi waved. “Qiqi remembers you!”
“I'm glad you did!” Ganyu told her.
Hu Tao twirled in the air. “The last year has been crazy! Qiqi managed to get rid of all those awful rumors and met her human family for the first time ever! I even met my father again, and it turns out that Mom's spirit had a hard time moving on and he stayed with her all those years. I coaxed them both to where they belonged, and then I started directing the funeral parlor! Running it has been so much fun!”
“If I recall right, you have given Zhongli more than one headache.” Xiao frowned at her, making her giggle in embarrassment.
Ganyu looked around. “Where is everybody else?”
As if to answer her question, the sound of hoofsteps was heard, and two familiar Unicorns and a Wendigo galloped through the town and came to a halt in front of them.
Ganyu just smirked. “Hey Jean, hey Barbara, hey Eula.”
“Heeeeey! That was supposed to be a joke! Ugh...” Eula groaned, detransforming along with the Gunnhildr sisters. “Hmph! Mark my words, vengeance will be mine for that!”
“Sure Eula. Sure.” Yanfei gave her a knowing look.
Out of nowhere, a red-haired hybrid with fiery wings grabbed Jean from behind, taking her by surprise. “Ha! Gotcha!”
“Bah! Diluc!”
Kaeya, Albedo, Sucrose, Diona, Razor, and Mona joined the fray. “That's for leaving us behind at the gates, Jean!” Diona decided.
Ganyu's smile widened. “Everyone, you're here!” After sharing hugs and greetings, Barbara clapped her hands as their Favonius guards arrived, making Ganyu guess they were escorts.
“We have so much to catch up on! Things at the church and with the Knights improved drastically after Jean and I rejoined! We've gotten more knights and everything!” Barbara cheered.
Jean laughed softly. “Plus, Kaeya was able to take the place as Cavalry Captain within the knights, though a few of his tactics are... Ahem. Concerning.”
He just laughed back. “Haha, and yet you haven't kicked me out yet. Especially since Eula has been helping out since she got the title of Captain of the Reconnaissance Company.”
“Eula's a Captain too?” Xiao asked, surprised.
She nodded. “Yep! Though unlike Diluc and the Gunnhildr girls here, I didn't go to see my family. I joined the knights instead.” She started to giggle. “You should've seen my uncle and father's faces when they found out! They turned sheet-white and started begging me to come back! Ahahaha!”
“Yep, Eula got that vengeance of hers! To this day, they are still trying to get her back.” Jean commented. “Also, when Mona joined the Adventurer's Guild as an investigator, she was essential to helping me and Diluc track down Diluc's mother.”
Mona chuckled. “Only thanks to my mother's teachings and my constant practices with Bennett, given I have to save him from things ranging to falling pebbles and acorns to lightning strikes all the time.”
Barbara laughed. “Even then, he still ends up visiting me at the church all the time for healing!”
Mona broke a cold sweat. “Yeah, when you start dating Bennett, you have to put up with his bad luck too.” She then turned to Barbara. “That aside, Barbara's relationship with Chongyun has been building too, as is Jean and Diluc's.”
Diluc glared at her. “Really?”
Ganyu giggled. “It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Diluc!”
Sucrose blushed. “Uhmm... Albedo and I recently started going out too. After Klee's mom gave us positions as Chief Alchemist and Assistant Alchemist in the Knights and I helped sort things out at Springvale.”
Albedo smiled at her fondly. “And she's fine alchemist material indeed.”
Diona's tail was going crazy. “You guys won't believe it, but my Mommy was found! Turns out she was abducted and chased by Treasure Hoarders! The only reason she never came home is to protect me and Daddy and everyone else!”
“When she came home, Daddy stopped drinking, but Margaret didn't want me to quit my job! Sooooo, Diluc and I started promoting lots of non-alcoholic drinks to lower the amount people drink!”
Kaeya rolled his eyes. “Hmph. So unromantic. Master Diluc here doesn't even like wine, which is ironic given he owns the Dawn Winery.”
Qiqi looked confused. “Uhhhhh... He doesn't?”
He shook his head. “I don't like alcohol. It's just... Ugh, I don't like the way it feels in my mouth. So, when I found out about Diona's dislike for it, we figured we'd put aside our differences and try to solve our little problem.”
Razor grinned. “Yes, and enemy wolf pack... Dealt with!”
“Yep! After the wolf panic settled, the Katzlein, Lynx, and Werewolves were granted sanctuary at Springvale! It's basically an illuminated beast sanctuary for them! Wolvendom was even made into a Nature Reserve!” Diona decided.
“We did find Razor's father too, and we talked him back into his senses. Now he's living with Razor's pack!” Sucrose explained. “Even though Razor lives in the wild, Fischl started dating him recently.”
“How cool!” Yanfei cheered before measuring a Glaze Lily on her Steelyard Balance. Seeing as it was labeled as cheap, she frowned. “I need to get this thing updated.”
“Is Beidou here yet?” Jean questioned.
Ganyu shrugged. “She should be here soon.”
Albedo suddenly pointed. “Look! Here they come!”
On cue, the Alcor rolled up and docked nearby. “Hey, gang!” Beidou announced. “We're here!”
As soon as she let off the bridge, Gorou and Yae Miko immediately raced off to meet them. After sharing hugs together, Gorou's tail was wagging in excitement.
“I have so many things to tell you! So much has happened since we last met!”
“Gorou, are Kokomi and Sayu with you?” Yanfei asked, not seeing the pint-sized ninja or Siren girl anywhere.
Suddenly, a shape leapt gracefully out of the water and landed next to Gorou, turning to human form directly after. “Hello!”
Not long after, a cute round ball rolled off the boat at top speeds with the power of Anemo and stopped right in front of them. “Hi everyone!”
“Sayu!” Diona shouted as she and Qiqi both hugged her happily.
Yae applauded her. “Say, those ninja classes have paid off!”
“You think so?”
Itto soon ran off after them. “SAYU! Don't roll out of my lap like that, I almost fell overboard!”
The last person to get off was Sara, who had two Shogunate soldiers with her. “I hope you didn't forget about me. Yoimiya almost set off fireworks on our way over here.”
The Cockatrice girl flew up to join them. “Ugh, why did you have to tell them that?!”
“Uhh, because I keep having to bail you out whenever you cause fire safety hazards?”
“I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!”
The group burst out laughing as Jean mustered, “What's with the bodyguards, Sara?”
“You might as well start calling her 'Kujou Sara' now. She's an adoptive member of the clan!” Gorou revealed.
Kokomi was smiling wide. “After the Sustainer's defeat, the Vision Hunt Decree was repealed with Sara's help, and Gorou and I assisted in returning Visions to the victims of the Decree during our journey of self-discovery.”
“Yeah, we even encountered my old pack, who pretty much did a whole one-eighty when they found out that I was one of the people that helped battle the Sustainer.” Gorou laughed, remembering their shifts in attitude. “I forgave them eventually, in return for their help in looking for my mother.”
Sayu's tail wagged. “After I completed my ninjutsu training and helped Yoimiya with her book on how to tell the difference between Cockatrice and other creature sightings, I assisted them. We eventually found his mom, who had been a hostage by Kairagi hoping to hunt down Gorou this whole time, and she was really nice!”
“Yeah, and we helped her catch up during the festival! I even made her a firework!” Yoimiya grinned. “I made one for the Cockatrice too, so I'm super happy it all worked out!”
“Yeah, they don't call Yoimiya the Queen of the Summer Festival for nothing!” Itto smirked. “With her and Sara's help, I was even able to move into the city myself.”
Sayu nodded. “Yeah, he even has his own gang now of a bunch of other misfits, like that masked ninja girl.”
Yoimiya seemed to be surprised at this news, so she obviously didn't know. “Arataki's Gang?! What, so he's not just someone with too much free time on his hands?!”
Yae laughed. “Anyway, there's not much going on with me aside from spending a lot of time with Ei and my family. Though Kokomi has also recently gained a title when she found out her mother was really the recent Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island.”
Kokomi blushed. “Yes. I met my mother again, and it turns out she was only worried that a Siren daughter as the next Sanganomiya Divine Priestess would damage her reputation. But as soon as word spread about it across the island, my mother was forced to choose me as her heir.”
Barbara grinned. “Oh! In that case, should we call you 'Sanganomiya Kokomi' then?”
“Uhhh! No! But thank you...” Kokomi declined. “You have no idea how much trouble I went through to come here without being followed by bodyguards.”
Trying to shake off Kokomi's discomfort, Gorou spoke up. “In the meantime, Kokomi and I have recently started dating. Kaeya, how's your relationship with Amber going?”
He rolled his eyes at Gorou changing the subject. “Hahaha, oh alright. Things between us are doing well, and it's gone even better when I was able to leave the affairs of Khaenri'ah in Dainsleif's hands. Speaking of which, are the twins here yet, or are they out dating Lisa and Venti and forgot about us?”
“CHEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOO!” A female voice cried out in excitement. Everyone looked up to see a pair of incoming lights.
“Incoming!” Diluc warned and everyone jumped out of the way just in time for a pair of golden lights to land nearby.
“Haha! Gotcha!” Aether burst out laughing.
Lumine twirled. “That was great!”
Everyone managed to catch their breath as Paimon appeared. “Wheeee! That was so much fun! Those Elemental powers of yours are super duper handy!”
Sara giggled. “Hahaha, getting better at those powers of yours, guys?”
“Yep! When Dain isn't helping Albedo with his Dragon side, he's busy helping us tame our Elemental powers!” Lumine revealed. “Being able to use magic without a Vision is super rare indeed.”
“It all stems from our traveling. Lumine, Paimon and I have traveled all over Teyvat!” Aether revealed.
Kokomi looked around. “Hey, aren't we forgetting someone?”
Ganyu realized who it was. “Oh! Yeah, where is he?”
Yae let out a chuckle. “Ganyu, I think you'll find him in his usual place.” She pointed high up above the boat.
Ganyu looked straight up, and her eyes widened at the sight.
Standing above the crow's nest, perfectly balanced at the top of the mast, was a young samurai in autumn colored clothes, white hair with a ruby red streak perfectly contrasting with the setting sun, matching ruby eyes, and ruby colored wings partially folded behind him.
He looked down fondly at Ganyu. When he became aware that she was returning his gaze, he spread his wings and flew down to join them.
Ganyu's eyes were wide and filled with happiness. “Kazuha... I missed you so much.”
He gazed at her fondly. “I know. I also know it hasn't been that long since our last meeting but...”
Everyone knew exactly what he was going to say, so they said it together. “It felt like forever!”
Everyone sat down and spent the next hour catching up and laughing at one another's stories. When the sun was beginning to vanish, leaving a beautiful display of gold, blue, purple, red, and orange, everyone stood to watch it.
“Liyue Harbor is already beautiful at night. When the Lantern Rite is around, it gains an even more festive atmosphere.” Ganyu commented, holding Kazuha's hand tight.
Kokomi suddenly remembered something and turned to the crimson swordsman. “Kazuha, weren't you going to ask her something?”
He got the hint and pulled out a small box. “Yes, actually.”
Ganyu turned to him. “Did you now? What was it?”
He gently took hold of her free hand and placed the box in her palm. “I want you to hear me out on this, okay?”
She took a breath and nodded. “Okay.”
Ganyu wasn't expecting what happened next. “Ah!” As soon as she saw what was inside the box, her eyes widened, and it felt like her heart had skipped a beat.
Sitting inside was a small ring with a red and blue gemstone shaped like a small maple leaf. Still, he was smiling gently at her. “Ganyu, I was hoping to ask this of you. Would you marry me?”
Ganyu realized everyone was staring at her expectantly for an answer. She slowly swallowed the lump in her throat, which she was fairly certain was her heart climbing upwards.
Finally, she answered him. “I happily accept your proposal!”
At this cue, Barbara immediately used her magic to place the ring on Ganyu's finger. Kazuha was overjoyed at this, and immediately embraced her. Seeing her chance, Ganyu pulled him in for their first kiss.
Kokomi grinned. “There was less than a 1.5 percent chance of Ganyu refusing!”
Gorou smirked. “Wonder when you had the time to do those calculations!”
Even when they finished kissing, Ganyu's eyes filled with years of joy. “I think you just made me that happiest person on Teyvat. If my parents were still here, they'd be sobbing tears of joy!”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Kazuha told her as the entire group turned back towards the sunset.
----------------------THE END--------------------------