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The cycle of reincarnation is a beautiful one for mortals. To live a full life and peacefully pass into the afterlife was important to Liyuean culture, as was the recycling of the soul that naturally followed after one had the chance to reflect on their life and death. When the time comes for one to reincarnate, the soul is divided in a copy - a direct reflection of the core of their being. The soul serves as a basis for a child’s nature, and is nurtured as a child matures. After just a few iterations of the never-ending cycle, the soul could be rendered unrecognizable as circumstance and life shapes it.
For those free from humanity’s fickle mortality, reincarnation is rarely even a thought, just as death is. When one is not chained by mortality but chooses to meddle with human emotions and attachment however, death and reincarnation become a prison. To watch those you love pass through their lifetime in a negligible fraction of your own is torturous enough, but to watch their soul return time after time with no memory of your past as they slowly drift from the person you loved devastates an immortal soul. Despite the knowledge of this inevitable plight, the occasional immortal does choose to meddle in human affairs.
It had been centuries since Keqing had passed, but it would be a lie to say that Ganyu had lost count of the years. It had been 387 years since her wife passed in her arms, since she had watched the life fade from her elderly eyes. Nine times had the position of Yuheng changed hands since, but not once had the Qixing recovered from losing Keqing. Despite her best efforts, even Ganyu couldn’t manage to keep Liyue’s government to be the powerhouse it once was, and every mention of their inefficiency felt like a stab in the back to her. But, she had endured far worse than emotional daggers to help the nation get where it is, so endure she would.
On occasion she would catch a glimpse of distinct purple hair in a crowd, but her hopes were immediately crushed, it wasn’t her. She was unsure if she would even be better off if she reunited with her late lover, but that didn’t stop her heart from rising into her throat and subsequently dropping when she realized her hope was unfounded.
As her routine thoughts about missing Keqing began to fade slightly, Ganyu realized there was a knocking at her door. Snapping back to reality, she gently shouted “Come in.”
Through the door came her newest assistant. They came and went as the workload became too much for them, she hadn’t had time to learn this one’s name. “What is it?” She asked, without looking up from the papers she was flipping through and signing.
“Lady Ganyu, sorry to interrupt, but the Guuji and her party have arrived for the trade deal negotiations. The Tianquan has asked that you greet them at the docks immediately.”
“Of course.” She got up from her chair, taking her papers with her. As she reached for her cardigan on the coat rack by the door, she requested “Please finish looking over these for me. The Yuheng needs them reviewed by the end of the day.”
As she made her way down the steps to the harbor, she caught a glimpse of the Inazuman ship docking and unloading its cargo. The distinct uniform of the Grand Narukami Shrine Maidens were unmissable, as was the flowing pink hair of Guuji Yae. As her eyeline dipped below the buildings, she barely caught a flash of purple, and as usual her heart started racing for just a moment. With a new haste in her step, she hurried to greet the foreign party before they finished unloading.
As she rounded the corner, she caught the striking purple eyes of Yae Miko. They softened up in a moment as she reached out an arm to wave and turned to walk towards Ganyu. “Jie jie! Long time no see, I hope you’ve been well.”
As Miko pulled her in for an unavoidable hug, Ganyu giggled “I missed you too, I’ve been holding on as best as I can. We still haven’t recovered since-” Ganyu stuttered as she noticed who was standing behind her old friend like a shadow. Towering over the adeptus was the woman whose purple hair had caught her eye minutes before. She was just taller than Miko, but with a build like a brick wall that would even put Captain Beidou to shame. Looking up to her catlike eyes, they devoured her gaze like an amethyst magnet. Atop her head were ears that belonged on a tiger, hiding a pair of twin ponytails behind them.
“...alright? Ganyu?” She snapped back into focus as Miko snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Teyvat to Ganyu, anyone in there?”
“Yes yes, I’m here, sorry, I must have zoned out.” She didn’t feel the typical sense of dread around the average person who reminded her of Keqing, and Miko seemed to notice.
“This is my assistant Byakko. She’s a lovely youkai, she reminds me a lot of-”
“Anyways,” Ganyu interrupted, her heart beating like a drum. “We should get back up to the terrace, the Tianquan should be waiting for us.”
“I know the way, I’ll lead. Why don’t you two get to know each other?”
Ganyu hated the way that Miko always set her up in embarrassing situations, but she also knew that she was usually right. Clearly she wasn’t the only one that had a feeling this tigress felt an awful lot like Keqing. Ganyu felt it in her soul, but clearly her old friend had gotten to know her and came to the same idea.
Before she could even finish her thought, Byakko interrupted her, “Do I know you from somewhere? Obviously you’re the famous General Secretary of the Liyue Qixing but your presence feels like... home.”
Ganyu froze in her stride, taken aback that this youkai even had the same voice as her late wife. “Ke- Byakko, how much has Lady Yae told you about me?”
“Not much besides that you’re friends, but that name you almost called me, she stumbles around it too. Who is Keqing?”
Ganyu could notice a quiver in her voice and a light redness spreading across her face, mirroring her own blushing. Looking up into the much taller woman’s eyes, she asked, “Would you like to get dinner tonight? I’d like to... get to know you, after the negotiations, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Miko’s ears perked up, and Ganyu could almost hear her smile through the back of her head.
As the night went on, Ganyu began to feel whole in a way she hadn’t in centuries. Byakko was just like Keqing, and seemed to feel the same way for Ganyu that she had.
“About that name you were stumbling over earlier, what was it?”
The smile on Ganyu’s face quickly faded, but she deserved to know why she was acting strange. “I almost called you Keqing, and from the sounds of it Miko has done the same many times. She is- was my wife. She passed almost 400 years ago. The whole time I’ve been hopeful but scared-”
“That she would reincarnate. Adepti are immortal, after all. I can’t imagine the pain of watching your lover pass and to continue with your life for millenia.”
“It’s certainly been... difficult. I’m not the only one who misses her, the entire Qixing has never been as efficient as it was while she was there. I’m sorry for acting weird around you, I know-”
“I’m not her.” She finished her sentences just like Keqing had after decades of spending nearly every waking moment together. She placed her hand over Keqing’s on the table, and continued, “But I feel for you in a way that feels like it surpasses lifetimes. I would never ask you to move on or forget her, but... maybe we could try from the beginning.”
“I was hoping you’d feel the same. I’ve dreamed for centuries about my love returning to me in whatever form she may, and I feel a pull to you that I haven’t felt since I had to step away from her grave the first time.”
The woman looked at Ganyu with the same eyes that she had fallen asleep many times and stared into for hours. “It’s good to meet you, I hope we can get to know each other better. Her soul was forged into you, I plan to love you as well as I can for as long as possible.”
“It must be fate that I was reincarnated as a youkai.” She wrapped her hands around Ganyu’s. “Nobody is outliving anyone here. I won’t allow it.”