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Liyue has a tradition called the Qingming Festival. Once a year, families gather to mourn the loss of their loved ones. As per tradition, they will visit the headstone of their loved ones, wipe off the dust that has accumulated in the past year, lay flowers, and place food offerings for the deceased.
While most headstones are located in temples in the streets of Liyue, there is a special temple dedicated to the ashes and headstones of people who have contributed greatly to Liyue, namely the members of the Liyue Qixing. Although a few people do go in to pay respects for those who governed their city, they mostly prioritise their own family and friends, and so it is mostly empty every Qingming.
That is, except for one blue haired woman who comes in every year without fail, clutching a bouquet of expensive glaze lilies. Every year, she kneels before one of the headstones, laying the flowers before it. Every year, she carefully extracts a handkerchief from her bag and wipes off the headstone meticulously, often cleaning it multiple times.
After that, she stays there for at least another two hours, either whispering to the headstone or sitting in silence, gently brushing her fingers over it. Sometimes she will cry, other times she won't, but what never changes is her presence there, a haunting yet heartwarming display of love.
-
When Ganyu first realised she had feelings for Keqing, her first reaction was to avoid her. Avoid her enough and maybe she could eventually stop the annoying flutter in her chest every time she saw the Yuheng, and save herself from the emptiness in it when Keqing was gone.
It wouldn’t have been a problem if it was only one sided, but Ganyu wasn't stupid. She had been alive long enough to tell that when Keqing brought her tea every night, when she offered to go on walks along the Liyue docks on weekends, when she treated her to meals at Wanmin Restaurant, they were not regular acts of friendship. Certainly no friends would intertwine their hands together as they wandered the streets of Liyue, looking like a couple in every way but the name.
All these acts were evident of Keqing's affections, and it was exactly that that terrified Ganyu. Her past had been occupied with servitude to Morax, leaving her no time to be distracted by romance, but now she had all the time in the world to do so. However, the same lifespan that had enabled her to gain all her life experience would also be the cause of her pain.
And so she endeavoured to avoid Keqing until her feelings vanished.
Her only problem was Keqing herself. For a mortal trying to court a half adeptus, she was extremely confident, not to mention persistent. Ganyu’s plan had been set up to fail from the beginning, given that her job as secretary meant being unable to be more than one Yuehai Pavilion’s length away from Keqing every day, but Keqing definitely wasn’t making it easier on her.
“Ganyu!”
Ganyu lifted her head from her work, although she already knew who it was. With a bright smile, Keqing tapped the chair next to her. “Mind if I sit here? There’s a new proposal I need you to review. This involves increased manpower to handle the extra shipments we’ll be receiving. Our workers won’t be able to handle it and we need new ones, as well as a new schedule.”
Nodding, Ganyu moved to take the papers from Keqing, but Keqing moved her hand back, instead pulling out the chair and taking a seat next to her.
“Here, I’ll explain it to you and you can help me edit it later,” Keqing said, neatly stacking a few pieces of paper that Ganyu had left strewn on the table and placing them at the side. Ganyu felt her chest tighten in a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
“It’s okay, I can review it myself, I wouldn’t want to bother you,” she replied.
Keqing turned to her with a slight frown. “You’re not bothering me, Ganyu, I just wanted to make sure that you don’t get confused. Besides, am I not allowed to spend a bit of time around my friend?”
“No, I - I’m sorry, I just thought…” Ganyu stuttered, “...just thought that you would be busy with other projects. And also, you already came to see me just now when you gave me my tea,” she added, tilting her head to indicate the empty cup of tea on her desk.
She trailed off as she watched the frown deepen on Keqing’s face. She put down the papers and turned her body to face Ganyu better.
“Ganyu… am I making you uncomfortable? If you don’t like my presence, I’ll stop bringing you tea and leave you alone.”
Ganyu’s eyes widened. “What? Of course not! I just -” She scoured her mind for excuses that weren’t “I want you to stay away from me so I don’t fall in love with you”. “I thought we would be more productive this way.”
To her relief, Keqing’s face immediately cleared. She rolled her eyes and burst into a grin. “Oh, Ganyu, you think too much about work. You work overtime every night. You put me to shame, and I used to think I was the most efficient person I knew! It’s been eight months since the Osial incident, and the paperwork has slowed down somewhat. Really, you’re finishing everything I place before you faster than they can come in. So what do you say we review this proposal since it’s urgent, and you can call it a night for today? It’s almost midnight, but that’s fairly early compared to what you usually stay up until.”
Ganyu blinked, staring at Keqing’s sincere eyes. She briefly considered just encasing Keqing in ice and leaving, but that wouldn’t do.
“Alright.”
Keqing beamed.
True to her nature, Keqing breezed through the proposal in five minutes flat, concisely explaining everything that Ganyu needed to know. After she was done, Ganyu took it and started reading in more detail, frowning and leaning over to see Keqing’s neat but small handwriting. She didn’t find many problems with the proposal - something to be expected from Keqing and her attention to detail.
However, halfway through she found a missing detail and, intending to ask Keqing about it, straightened up and turned to her right, only to find her passed out on the table, her arms folded nearly under her head as a pillow.
Ganyu blinked, pondering her choices before deciding to write down her query on the paper, stacking it with the other pending proposals and settling into her chair, preparing to watch over Keqing for the rest of the night. After all, she couldn’t just leave her in the room; while the security was excellent, Ganyu wasn’t going to risk anything if she could do otherwise.
If Keqing knew what she was doing, she would definitely insist on Ganyu getting her own rest, but Ganyu was used to not sleeping. Besides, she had her afternoon naps that often recharged her more than sleeping at night.
So she poured more oil into the lantern, resolving to ensure no harm came to Keqing until she woke up.
(And maybe she spent majority of the night staring at Keqing’s sleeping features. The way moonlight turned her lilac hair almost white, the way her lips rested in a gentle curve, and the way her eyelids fluttered.
She was so pretty. Ganyu was so fucked.)
-
Ganyu honestly didn't mean to fall in love with Keqing. She didn't. But after countless months of shameless flirting, dates disguised as outings between friends, and much soul searching, Ganyu was finally ready to admit to herself that yes, she wanted a relationship with Keqing, immortality be damned.
After all, what use was a nigh-immortal life if she lived it so terrified of when people would leave her that she never found time to love? Unlike her, humans like Keqing were mortal, and they were aware of it. They knew that their lives had expiration dates, and so they dared - dared to love, to dream, to change the world, all within their short lifespans, while adepti were content with watching the years go by, rarely taking action.
And Ganyu, having the blood of both in her veins, decided to go with the human side this one time, for the best human she ever knew and possibly ever would. She returned the flirting from Keqing, initiated spending time together, and Keqing’s returning smiles and sparkling eyes when she did so made it all worth it.
It all came to a head on New Years'.
Liyue was always beautiful, but on New Years' it was dazzling. The docks were lined with street food and games, the air filled with shouts of the store owners loudly advertising their products and families celebrating together. The whole city was bedecked with red thanks to the locals, who enthusiastically strung up paper lanterns and dragons, as well as firecrackers. And as per tradition, the entrance to Liuli Pavilion featured the traditional large chunlian that wished prosperity and happiness upon Liyue for the next year.
Ganyu loved to stand at the balcony of the two arches that led into Liyue's harbour and look down upon the bustling city in all its beauty, with its glowing lanterns, moving seas of people, and homeliness so strong Ganyu imagined that she could feel it in the form of a warm blanket wrapping around her. This was the city she loved - the city that she had been, was, and would be dedicated to all her life.
Despite her affection towards the city, Ganyu rarely ventured down into the crowds. Her ears were especially sensitive to loud noises; she’d learnt the hard way that she couldn’t stand the sound of firecrackers being started up close many years ago. Another thing she’d learnt was that while in a crowd, her horns were prone to being jostled, causing extreme discomfort and her body to seize up. And while she’d dealt with worse pain in the past, it didn’t help her conceal her identity as half qilin.
So there she was, gazing into the crowds. If she concentrated, she could see specific people doing different activities - a mother guiding her daughter to throw a hoop over a pole, people boat racing and others betting on them, a thief choosing a stall vendor’s moment of distraction to steal his profits. She didn’t know where Keqing was at this point, but she could imagine her mingling among the Liyue residents, laughing and talking with them as she did every year during New Years’ celebrations.
Ganyu’s mouth lifted at the corners as she recalled how, two years ago, Keqing had come back completely stuffed full from eating too much, due to a mixture of the residents treating her and her own love of food, as well as slightly giggly from the wine she’d drank. It was one of the rare days where she wasn’t her usual composed self, and Ganyu had stared curiously at the Yuheng from a distance, not daring to approach as Keqing stumbled to her own chambers. The next day, Keqing had seemed embarrassed around Ganyu, who then had to reassure her that no one had been around aside from herself.
Their relationship had been painfully formal back then, compared to what they were like right now.
Somewhere along the way, Ganyu had realised that Keqing wasn't simply a doubter of the archons. Morax had told this to her during his musings over the years, but her devotion to him had made her antagonise Keqing nevertheless. But she had grown to understand Keqing better through her small actions. When Keqing asked for her opinion on a project although it wasn't Ganyu's area of expertise, Ganyu knew that she wanted to know what Morax would've done. She saw Keqing's trips to the temples, her studies of ancient texts, her lack of suspicion or hostility when talking about him. It was why Ganyu finally began to warm up to her, after years of cold indifference.
And after she got over her initial bad impression of Keqing, well. Keqing was pretty, not to mention selfless and hardworking. It didn't take much to develop feelings for her.
Suddenly, Ganyu's ears picked up on a creak in the stairs leading up to the platform she was on. She wasn’t surprised that someone would come up here, as it was fairly common for visitors to Liyue to admire the city scenery from this very spot. What she was curious about was why anyone would leave the celebrations down below.
She tilted her head to glance at the entrance and had to do a double take at the flash of purple.
“Keqing? What are you doing up here?”
The woman in question stepped fully onto the platform, and Ganyu couldn't help but notice how gorgeous she looked in her qipao. It had been tailored by Keqing herself - she didn't trust anyone but herself with her outfit - and it sparkled as it moved, embroidered with woven gold threads. She wore this exact outfit to every special occasion, making adjustments if needed in between, and the care she put into it really showed in how unique it was.
“I thought you would want some company,” she said, walking up to stand next to Ganyu.
“But… you love talking to the people,” Ganyu replied, furrowing her eyebrows slightly.
Keqing didn’t reply for a moment, instead gazing down into the city. Ganyu stayed silent, letting her think.
Those violet eyes flicked upwards, making eye contact with Ganyu, and Keqing reached out to take both of her hands in her own. Ganyu's breath stuttered, feeling Keqing's warm hands envelop her own.
"I have something to tell you."
Her voice was gentle and tender, so unlike the usual confident, assertive Keqing, and Ganyu swallowed as she felt her heart skip a beat. She was suddenly very aware of how bright Keqing's eyes were, unable to tear her own away.
Was it finally going to happen? Were they about to confront their feelings and relationship head on?
"Ganyu, you've probably figured it out by now, but I thought I should tell you straight to your face… I really really like you, and have for a while now. And I was really hoping that we could start the new year in a relationship…" Keqing trailed off, her grip on Ganyu’s hands tightening as she took a deep breath. “I’ve seen you flirt back with me, so would you be my girlfriend?”
Blood roared in Ganyu’s ears. Before she knew what she was doing, she took a step forward and leaned closer until her face was just in front of Keqing's, close enough that they could breathe in each other's breaths.
"Keqing…" Ganyu whispered, watching Keqing's eyelids flutter closed at their intimate proximity, "I like you, too."
Then she closed the small gap between their lips. Keqing gasped sharply, and suddenly Ganyu's hands were free as Keqing let go of them in favour of holding Ganyu closer to her, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
After a few moments, Keqing pulled away to breathe. She was smiling at her so brightly, Ganyu felt as if her body was vibrating from the sheer happy pounding of her heart.
"And yes, I will be your girlfriend. It's been a long time coming," Ganyu said breathlessly, feeling the same giddy grin spread across her face as she watched Keqing's eyes light up even brighter.
Gently, she traced a thumb across Ganyu's face. "I love you," Keqing said simply.
Ganyu didn't reply, and instead ducked her head into the area between Keqing's neck and shoulders, enjoying every moment of the physical contact. She couldn't believe she would be able to do this over and over again - have Keqing hold and cuddle her.
"You smell like smoke," Ganyu said, her voice muffled, and she felt more than heard Keqing's laugh.
"Firecrackers. You know, I never thought you were the cuddly type."
Keqing moved to stand at the railing, and Ganyu shifted so that one arm was wrapped around her girlfriend while her head rested against Keqing's shoulder. Together, they admired Liyue Harbour, the city they both had had a hand in building, revel in celebrations.
In the distance, she heard firecrackers go off.
“Happy new year, Keqing.”
As Ganyu held Keqing tighter, the only thought that went through her mind was that in that moment, the woman in her arms was far more beautiful, far more radiant than Liyue ever could be.
-
Loving Keqing was, if Ganyu were to be honest, a whirlwind. A whirlwind of moonlit dates at the docks, stolen glances during work hours, sparkling eyes and jasmine scented perfume - Keqing's favourite.
Ganyu was constantly surprised by how much affection she could feel for one person. Whenever Keqing smiled at her, she would feel her heart flutter, as if it was a butterfly trying to break free from her ribcage. The more Ganyu got to know about Keqing, the more she fell in love with her every little detail.
Having lived for three thousand years, Ganyu could rarely distinctly remember specific events that lasted less than a week, but with Keqing, she could remember every significant moment that they spent together with overwhelming clarity. The first time they kissed, the first official date they went on, the first trip into the wilderness of Liyue they had, the first night they spent in the same house in the same bed, and it went on and on.
Sometimes, when Keqing was dozing off wrapped in her arms with her lips grazing Keqing’s forehead, Ganyu would wonder what she had done to deserve this amount of love. She’d spent her whole life shunned by both adepti and humans - openly by humans, more discreetly by adepti, but alone nonetheless.
Ganyu had been floating through life by herself, and somewhere along the way she had come to the conclusion that being alone was what she was forever meant to be. So she did - never daring to become too close to anyone, hiding herself away behind a mask of timidity and shyness and burying herself in work. She had thought that maybe work and settling taxes could fill the void in her life, and for a while it had.
But then she’d met Keqing, selfless and brave and fiercely independent, and suddenly her life was so full she couldn't imagine how she had put up with it before. Suddenly she had someone to talk to as a friend, more physical affection than she'd ever received, and someone genuinely interested in her being a half adeptus, instead of being wary or straight up scared.
And Ganyu decided that, if being alone for 3000 years meant she could meet Keqing after those years, she would do it over and over again.
Was that what love truly was? Ganyu didn't know. All she knew was the way their hands fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, the way Keqing's eyes contained the stars in the sky, and the way Ganyu felt at home for the first time in many years, and that she never wanted it to stop.
-
Keqing died at the age of 72.
It wasn’t due to any reasons other than regular old age, but it was exactly that that brought Ganyu's worst fears to life. Watching Keqing go from lively and energetic to weary and frustrated that her body couldn't do what she wanted it to - it weighed Ganyu down too, as if she were aging along with Keqing. And while Keqing tried to keep her body active and mind simulated with frequent stretches, light exercise and reading texts, she couldn't stop the deterioration that came with old age.
The first time Ganyu walked into a room and saw Keqing perched precariously on a chair, trying to reach a book on one of their higher shelves, she panicked and ran over, yelling at Keqing to come down. Stubbornly, she reached up and took the book before stepping down from the chair, where Ganyu immediately started fussing over her.
“Archons, Keqing, you can’t just put yourself in danger like that!” Ganyu exclaimed. “Are you okay?”
Keqing sighed and put the book down. “Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I’m wholly incapable of doing things myself, you know?” she snapped, a tint of anger in her voice.
Taken aback by Keqing’s tone, Ganyu blinked. “I wasn’t saying that, I just…”
“Then what did you mean, Ganyu? I know you’re still young and able bodied, but at least try to understand me! I was doing perfectly fine just now, you know? I know I’m getting old and you think I’m fragile and stupid and ugly, but…” Keqing cut herself off with an abrupt sob, covering her face with her hands.
Suddenly, it all made sense to Ganyu. Why Keqing was so reluctant to ask for help, and why she’d been so angry - she was worried that she was being a burden to Ganyu, and no longer attractive to her. After all, Ganyu still looked young and was more physically capable, why would she still be interested in Keqing anymore?
Ganyu felt her heart shatter.
Blinking away the tears gathering in her own eyes, she reached out and tentatively wrapped Keqing in her arms, and her wife instinctively melted into the embrace, sobbing into Ganyu’s neck.
“I just… I feel so useless now, I can’t go on those trips with you, I can’t properly write proposals for new projects because my eyesight is too blurry, and I don’t want to keep you at home making sure I don’t get injured… and I know I’ll leave soon and I don’t want to leave you… please don’t make me leave you…”
Keqing’s arms around Ganyu tightened to the point of pain, but Ganyu could barely feel them over the sobs that now, too, wracked her body. She wanted to collapse into Keqing's warmth to seek the comfort she so often gave, but she knew that in this moment, Keqing was the one who needed her. It took every ounce of will in her body to not give in and instead support Keqing.
Through her tears, she managed to stammer out, “Don’t - don’t say that, I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I’ll always love you, I don’t care how old you are. Liyue will always love you, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s okay…”
They stood there, tightly wrapped together, for what might have been hours, until Keqing had sobbed herself hoarse and Ganyu had calmed down enough to gently press kisses to Keqing’s forehead.
“It’ll be okay, let’s just enjoy the rest of our time together,” she whispered. Keqing said nothing but gave a small nod.
After that day, Ganyu silently moved all the items on higher shelves down, and Keqing made a habit to ask Ganyu for help. They had a mutual, wordless agreement to never mention that day again, but Ganyu could feel the way Keqing held her just a bit tighter, kissed her a bit longer.
But no matter how much time they spent together, it was never enough.
The day their time together ended, Ganyu could feel it. She had watched countless humans die of old age, and was painfully familiar with how their actions became slower, their breaths became further apart, and their words became more and more slurred. But no amount of past experience could have prepared her for this.
Keqing lay in bed, her face wrinkled from age, every breath slowly inhaled. Ganyu sat beside her, gripping a glass of water so tightly she feared it would break. Keqing had taken a bad fall and sprained her foot a few days ago, and she was now bed ridden. She’d asked for some water, and when Ganyu arrived, her heart dropped when she recognised the symptoms.
“Do you want more water?” she asked, barely able to prevent her voice from trembling. Keqing nodded, and Ganyu passed her the glass for her to shakily raise to her lips. She watched as the excess water trickled from the corner of her lips and soaked into the collar of her shirt.
“How’s the weather been? Have your joints been hurting?” Ganyu asked with the best smile she could muster, taking the glass of water and placing it on the bedside table.
Keqing smiled and tilted her head towards Ganyu. Although her violet eyes were rheumy, they had never lost the spark of life and excitement unique to only her.
“I can feel it, you know.”
Ganyu’s heart leaped into her throat. “Feel what?”
“Feel myself dying. You know it too. I know you’ve been pretending that you don’t.” She took a shaky breath. “I know I’ll be gone soon, and I don’t want to spend my last hours just crying and crying. I don’t want you to cry either. Just… just talk with me.”
Ganyu blinked back her tears and laughed. “Always straightforward I see, Qing-ah.”
Keqing laughed in response, but it faded away quickly as she let out a harsh cough. When Ganyu frowned, she hushed her with a finger over her lips, saying, “Alright, want to tell me about your childhood again?”
They spoke for hours, the conversation ranging from Ganyu’s life, the archon war, and her opinions on Morax, to Liyue, its past, its future, and what they both loved about it, to Keqing’s various opinions on the other regions of Teyvat and what she thought of their future. Then they moved to memories of their relationship, how Keqing had carefully analysed every interaction they’d had all those years ago when they were merely the Yuheng and a secretary to each other, all their inside jokes, and anecdotes from their multiple trips into the Liyue wilderness.
Somewhere along the way, Ganyu began to cry, then Keqing did, too, until they were talking and laughing through their tears, happy and sad and everything in between. Somewhere along the way, Ganyu's hand had found Keqing's, and they were now tightly gripping each other's hands as if doing so would bind Keqing tighter to the world of the living. And while Keqing's hoarse voice got weaker and weaker, her hand tightened more and more.
Just as Ganyu finished up a story about how she accidentally discovered how delicious qingxin flowers were, Keqing sighed softly and said, "Yuyu… you know how much I love you, right?"
Ganyu gazed at Keqing, noted how her breaths were coming slower than ever, and nodded.
"I don't know how I'll live without you," she suddenly blurted. All day, she had been holding back on Keqing's behalf, but now her mortality was right in front of her.
Ganyu had never been so scared to watch a human die.
Keqing smiled and cupped her face with her spare hand. "I know you will. You're strong, and I will always be with you. Not just with my Vision, but in your memory.
"I think my organs are going to fail me soon, so - I love you so much, Ganyu. Thank you for being by my side all these years. I'll… I'll miss waking up beside you and stroking your horns. I'll miss listening to your stories about the adepti." She took a breath, a slow inhale and an even slower exhale. "I hope you don't forget me. Take care of Liyue for me."
Keqing lapsed into silence and closed her eyes, tears overflowing and streaking down her face. Ganyu tried her best to stop her voice from shaking, even as her chest shook with the force of holding back her sobs.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Keqing. Liyue won't forget you and neither - neither will I. I'll make sure of it." She squeezed Keqing's hand and her wife squeezed back weakly. Their hands were trembling, but Ganyu couldn't tell if it was from her or Keqing.
Keqing opened her eyes again, the last glimmer of life in there. Her lips moved but no sound came, and Ganyu had to lean closer to hear her.
"I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes. I love you."
Ganyu finally allowed herself to break down, her whole body shaking as she watched Keqing's chest rise and fall.
One breath. A long pause.
Another.
And another.
A very, very shallow one.
An even longer pause. It stretched on, seeming to encompass the years upon years that they had spent laughing and loving together, and Ganyu couldn't tear her eyes away from Keqing, hoping and praying that it would move one more time, but it didn't.
Just like that, she was gone.
And Ganyu felt as if a piece of her heart left with her.
-
Ganyu didn't attend the funeral.
Keqing had always expressed her dislike of funerals, especially the large one that was bound to be hosted after her death, but the Qixing had insisted, wanting to honour one of their Yuhengs. Ganyu had let them, too tired to argue over her wife's death, and on the day of the funeral she left Liyue Harbour to take a walk through Guili Plains.
The sun hadn't risen yet, so the air was cool on Ganyu's skin, and her lungs were grateful for the fresh air. She could hear crickets chirping in the grass, the soft pattering of feet of nocturnal animals going about, and the distant bustle of the city behind her. Her legs groaned in protest, unused to the sudden exertion when she'd spent the past four days as a husk of a person, going around in their house, performing human-like moves but not actually present.
She'd only been snapped out of it when the current Yuheng, Jiayu, arrived to inform her about the funeral and invited her to attend.
The anger sparked by the announcement, coupled with the pity in his eyes, had brought her to action. What did he know, what did anyone know, about what she’d been through? What did they know about losing their wife and best friend and other half? How could they ever imagine going through life, knowing that everyone around them would die and all they could do was watch?
She'd curtly declined and shut the door in his face. And when she had seen the preparations for Keqing's funeral being done through her windows, she had finally decided to get out of the house, if only to avoid the funeral.
Without realising, Ganyu's feet had carried her to a familiar spot - a tree where she and Keqing had watched the sun rise behind the mountains of Dragonspine countless times. Already, she could see the clouds lightening in the distance.
With a heavy sigh, she leaned against the tree’s sturdy bark and tried not to think about how Keqing would wrap her arms around her from behind, hooking her chin over Ganyu’s shoulder as they watched the sky turn from indigo to pink.
Her heart ached, and she wondered how she would ever recover from this. She couldn’t imagine having to go through life for the next few thousand years, always knowing that something was missing. She felt lost, like a boat stranded in the middle of an ocean, wanting to move but not knowing where its destination was.
Ganyu hadn’t felt this way in a long time. Most of her life before had had a sense of security, only having to focus on carrying out Morax's orders, serving him and Liyue. Never before had she had the freedom to fall in love. And now, after discovering the joys of it, she had to endure the pains.
Leaning her head against the tree, Ganyu looked out across the flat, grassy landscape.
Guili Plains - derived from the combination of Guizhong and Morax's names. Was this hole in her chest how Morax felt after he lost his best friend? Ganyu thought back to when he'd lost Guizhong. He'd allowed himself to grieve, but eventually had collected himself and built Liyue Harbour, because it was his duty to protect his people. He hadn’t allowed himself to be lost in his grief.
And while Ganyu had never dared to directly mention Guizhong to him, she had seen how he walked with an additional weight on his shoulders. At first he had struggled under it, but eventually he grew to cope with it, and instead of dragging him down, it strengthened him.
All her life, Ganyu had looked up to him. When rebuilding Liyue, she would often think of him and his advice in terms of trade, governance and infrastructure. Perhaps it was time to learn from him in other ways.
What would he say to Ganyu now? Ganyu thought she knew the answer.
Beyond the mountains, the sun's rays broke over the horizon, filling the world with light. Ganyu tilted her head, let the sun's warmth wash over her, and breathed in the hope of a new day.
-
Sometimes, Ganyu still wakes up instinctively feeling for Keqing on the bed beside her, or turning her head to search for her whenever she needs advice on work. The hairpin she slides into her braid and the dimmed Vision she hangs around her neck every morning remind her of Keqing, as does the smell of fried radish balls. The first day she went back to work, she heard someone call for the Yuheng and turned around expectantly, only to remember that the Yuheng she knew was gone.
With every reminder, the accompanying pain is always the same, but Ganyu's learnt to allow them to wash over her instead of rip deeper into her chest. Whenever she is reminded of Keqing, she chooses to think of what Keqing's presence accomplished instead of what her absence took away, and she smiles instead of frowns.
Ganyu looks to the future, and sees a day where she will die and finally join Keqing.
And so, every Qingming, she returns to the temple, seeking Keqing's company for as long as she can, counting down the years until they are reunited again.