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It’s mid-day. Ganyu walks through the city of Liyue, admiring all the work the citizens have done to improve the city to its state now. As she walks, she gets a couple “Hello!”s- returning them with a wave and a smile. By now, most of the citizens of Liyue know Ganyu, being that she’s an Adepti, and that she never changes. She goes on with her day, stopping at a couple stores, looking at the food, but not buying anything.
Ever since Ganyu has gotten with her partner, Keqing, she’s been a little happier. Her days working aren’t that stressful when she knows that Keqing will be home around the same time to greet her. They’ve been out on a couple dates, trying to keep their relationship on the low but most of the time, it doesn’t work. Practically all of Liyue know the two are dating. The two frequently shared most of their time off together, watching the stars on roofs of homes, sitting on the dock holding hands, and walking down the busy roads of Liyue in the middle of the day. Ganyu has never been happier, and wants to stay this happy for eternity.
But eternity wouldn’t last.
Keqing, out with a coworker, ended up catching a contagious disease, and was placed in an area where she’d be closed off from others.
No one knows where she caught it, not even Keqing. But as soon as she got back, her symptoms started off slow, with the occasional fever and cough- but later on worsened. Going from a simple flu to something potentially deadly- coughing up blood, having a hard time breathing, and painful mirages that limit her actions. Ganyu was the first to notice, watching her actions become different then her usual.
Keqing ended up taking herself to a Doctor, who immediately had a worried look in their eyes- placing Keqing in a room where she would have no other contact with anyone. At first, doctors were lenient, letting Ganyu and a couple coworkers visit her, with appropriate attire, talking normally.
Until it all got worse.
Doctors noticed Keqing’s worsened condition, and increased security around her- for the sake of everyone else working. Denying entry to anyone who wanted to visit her.
One day, Ganyu wanted to visit, noticing that the door seemed different. A doctor noticed her walking towards Keqing’s room and quickly stopped her.
“..huh? What’s going on?” Ganyu looked worried.
“Well, her condition has worsened, and it would be bad if the staff got sick,”
“I… I’m sure she’s alright! Can I please see her..?”
The doctor shook their head. “It’s too dangerous,” They looked back through the window of the door, watching Keqing coughing in her hand, obviously in pain.
“...we don’t know anything about this disease. Please, Lady Ganyu, forgive me. I do not want to cause you harm.” They looked down at their feet, seeming defeated.
Ganyu shook her head in disbelief, “But..” She stuttered.
“I’m sorry.”
Ganyu ran off, holding back tears.
---
Xiao was sitting right outside of Liyue, looking over the city. He noticed a desperate Ganyu running towards him.
“Hmm? Ganyu? What was it that you wanted?”
Ganyu responded, “My partner is sick… and I can’t see her because she caught some disease that’s contagious, and I really want to see her-”
“Hey, uh, it’ll be okay, Ganyu.” Xiao looked at her and forced a smile. “Stay strong for their sake, alright?”
Ganyu nodded, trying to keep a good attitude.
---
It’s been a week since Keqing caught that disease. Ganyu, knowing that she can’t see her partner, ended up asking the nurses to deliver a letter to Keqing. A different form of communication, but still communicating. It takes a while for Keqing to respond with her letters, but when she does, they’re lengthy.
One specific night, Keqing commented about how she was alright, and how she loved Ganyu so much. That peaked a worry in Ganyu’s mind, but she brushed it off. It was normal for partners to say I love you… right? Nothing to worry about.
Eventually, Keqing was released- though it took a couple months.
“Keqing!” Ganyu sang when she saw Keqing, who looked a bit odd, at her door. “You got released?
Keqing nodded slowly.
“Hey, you okay? You seem.. off.”
“About that,” Keqing started. “I… uhm…” She paused for a couple of seconds, racking her brain. “Nevermind. It’s not important. I am just glad to be here, with you.” Keqing smiled warmly.
There was definitely something off with Keqing, but Ganyu couldn’t exactly put her finger on it.
“If you say so..” Ganyu looked away, worried.
---
Those days with Keqing, freshly back, mostly felt the same, but also different. Keqing often kept important things to herself, and pushed herself to work to a point where she would pass out from overworking herself. But, this was different. She was keeping something more important than just the piles of work she would get.
One night, Keqing asked Ganyu if she would go look at the stars with her, right behind the city.
Ganyu agreed.
“You doing alright, Keqing? You’ve been off this week,”
Keqing stays silent for a bit, before she starts coughing. Blood appears in her palm. “I’m sorry..”
“Sorry for what..? Keqing, you’re scaring me..”
“For not telling you I had a week to live.. a week ago.”
Ganyu knew it.
“....” Ganyu’s eyes started tearing up.
“No… no. No no no no no. Keqing, you can’t do this to me..!” Ganyu grabbed Keqing’s hands, squeezing them with all her might.
Keqing looks over at Ganyu and smiles. “I love you.” She leans in for a kiss, managing to get one- and pulls back. She leans on Ganyu’s shoulder, her eyes slowly closing shut.
Ganyu still squeezes Keqings hand- she notices her grip loosening.
“Keqing… no… please…” Her eyes start blurring, and she feels Keqing’s grip fall out completely. She draws her last breath, on Ganyu’s shoulders.
Ganyu looks over at her lover, lightly shaking her body.
It’s limp.
Ganyu’s vision blurs even more. “I… no…” She grasps Keqings now cold hands. “Why... why did you leave me..?” She squints and a tear falls.
Ganyu’s cries echo in the dark night, she sobs in pain. Asking, “Why…” over, and over, and over, and over.
She gets the bright idea to try to join her, and desperately looks for some sort of sharp object- being led by pure emotions. She ends up finding a rock, and swings it in her gut. “Gaugh!” Her pained plea is muffled by her stream of tears falling from her eye. Ganyu clutches her gut, and starts coughing small blood droplets.
“I… why, Keqing..” She sobs harder.
---
Ever since Keqing died, Ganyu has been down. Down to the point where she refused to eat. She is a mess. Unkempt hair, dirty clothes, drained eyes. Ganyu decides she’d try to join Keqing again, and finds one of the Millelith spears lying around. Ignoring how it got there, Ganyu takes it, and attempts to drive it in her chest.
Before she does, someone spots her. “Hey! Ma’am, what are you doing?!”
Ganyu peers over, before running off, dropping the spear.
Ganyu sits right outside of the city, and clutches her knees with her arms. She starts to cry once more, “..hey… why can’t I just join her..? Why is it so hard…” Ganyu grabs her hair tightly and tugs it.
She spots a relatively sharp rock, and grabs it. Her hands were shaking.
“....”
Ganyu stares at the rock, and it stares back. A voice in her head screams, “Do it.” While her body refuses. She shakily aims the rock at her heart. After a couple minutes, she swings it.
---
Ganyu wakes up back in her room, cleaner than when she left it.
It didn’t work.
Ganyu rocks to herself as she sits on the floor and places her hands over her face. She punches her gut as she cries out.
“Why..?”
---
On occasions, Ganyu’s coworkers would visit, asking Ganyu if she was alright. She would nod, and slowly close the door, trying not to slam the door in their faces. They would also give their condolences to Ganyu, watching her mental state spiral downwards.
She looked like a mess, not taking care of herself in weeks. She’s had no motivation to do anything- not even eat, while her stomach growls at her. Even doing basic tasks is a chore. Often thinking to herself, “What’s the point? There’s nothing keeping me up.”
She loved Keqing, and without that source of happiness that kept her going, she’s been surviving purely because she’s an Adepti. All Ganyu wants is for Keqing to come back- or for her to kill herself and join her. Would Keqing be happy if Ganyu joined her, though?
Ganyu hears a knock at her door, and walks slowly to open it.
It’s Xiao.
“...you look awful.” Xiao looks at Ganyu up and down. He hands her a bag of her favorite food. “Here. Eat some.”
Ganyu shakes her head, “No, I’m fine-”
Xiao pushes it towards Ganyu’s chest. “I insist.” He pauses. “you want to go somewhere… more private?”
Ganyu shrugs.
Right at the back of the city, Xiao and Ganyu sit. Ganyu clutches her knees.
Xiao places his hand on Ganyu’s back, and starts rubbing it in a soothing way. Ganyu looks over at him, tears flowing like a waterfall down her face.
“I get how you feel,” He smiles genuinely.
“No you don’t. You haven’t had a lover die, you wouldn’t understand the grief I feel. She was my everything, the person that kept me motivated. I need her.” Ganyu snapped back, her voice shaking.
“I can try to understand.” Xiao’s smile fades as Ganyu sobs harder.
Behind them, Keqing’s ghost stands. She squeezes her hands tight, wishing she could’ve done more for her, to get her out of this horrid state.
“I’m sorry, Ganyu.”
A tear falls onto the grass.