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Qiqi is a little zombie girl that works at Bubu Pharmacy. That’s who she is, and who she was for as long as Qiqi can remember- though that isn’t very long.
But Qiqi only recalls ever being Qiqi.
There was once a girl who lived with her mother in a small village. Once, a time very, very long ago.
This little girl, at only seven years old, had found herself alone in the mountains. Liyue now is a busy, bustling place, but then, it had been an isolated region. And even without considering the differences between then and now, a lone child anywhere can be very dangerous. There are monsters lurking in even the safest, warmest, most loving of homes.
It is safer to wait, hide, for someone stronger than you to come to your aid.
So she waited, watching as the sun fell and the moon rose, for someone to come for her. And she still waited, as darkness blanketed the sky, filling the cave she was crouched in.
Suddenly someone did arrive, though not for her. A strange man with green hair and bright yellow eyes, and a spear, stained with the blood of- humans? Demons? She couldn’t tell the difference.
He arrived in the midst of battle, unaware of her presence, a small slip of carelessness that would cost a horrible price.
Strong gusts of anemo blew, slicing the foundations of stone. A power that no mortal could withstand, released. No one was nearby, close enough to get hurt, no one, all except for a little seven year old girl trapped in a cave.
A little girl who wanted nothing more than to be strong, brave enough to survive, to keep living, to get back to her home, into the warm arms of her mother. But the nights in Liyue were so cold, and she could only run so fast.
For a brief, fleeting moment, there was hope, in the form of a bright light descending from somewhere in the heavens. Then there was darkness, freezing, horrible darkness.
The green-haired man finds her body the next day. Cold, bloody, hands, numbed by the grasp of death, still tightly gripping a glowing blue gem.
A cryo vision.
A gift for bravery, a blessing that came only seconds too late. A girl chosen by the gods, now reduced to a corpse.
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The next time she opens her eyes, she isn’t quite alive anymore. She isn’t the innocent little girl she used to be, but she isn’t Qiqi either. Not yet.
She’s just a vessel, a cold, dead vessel holding powers that she can’t control. Powers that gave her another chance to live. But there is too much anger, too much hurt boiling in her heart, one that has already stopped beating.
She strikes, a wave of cryo washing over the land. For those brief moments, she is a monster, a god, an unstoppable force.
Then she is trapped once more, her powers sealed away. She doesn’t wake up again for a long time.
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When she does, it has been centuries, passing in the blink of an eye. She blinks in the bright sunlight. Suddenly, the warmth that was once so comforting makes her skin crawl.
Her memory is fuzzy and her head hurts, but she isn’t dead. Nor will she ever be.
She was found by adventurers, curious people who searched for treasure, for the blessings of the adepti. They trespassed on sacred land and shattered the amber with the hope of riches. Instead, they discover the body of a young girl.
She is taken in by Baizhu, a snakelike man, the owner of Bubu Pharmacy. WIth a smile that doesn’t quite match the darkness of his eyes, he gives her a name.
Qiqi.
Qiqi repeats the name, a title that is now hers, over and over. Repetition helps her memory. So does her notebook.
The little booklet tells her everything she needs to do. Her stretches, what ingredients she needs to collect, which patients she needs to visit.
Qiqi is happy- at least, that is what she tells herself. She says it again and again, maybe then she will remember. Maybe then she can push away the hollow feeling in her chest.
But as Qiqi stands behind the counter of the pharmacy, a desk she can hardly see over, she knows that it doesn’t really matter what she says.
Only one thought, one fleeting thought that flits into her foggy mind more often than it should, can comfort her.
She’ll forget anyway.
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The Lantern Rite festivities are in full swing, and yet, Qiqi makes no effort to participate. Baizhu is out for work- he left swiftly, she doesn’t think he will be back soon either. It doesn’t bother her, Qiqi thinks, because she really has no one to spend the festival with.
That is, until a girl walks in, her arrival announced by the soft ringing of bells.
The wind blows ever so gently. Qiqi shudders a little. It feels warm. Familiar.
“Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy.”
Qiqi’s dull voice rings out as she observes the girl in front of her. Brown hair, orange eyes, and a kind smile. She holds out a platter of mooncakes, offering them to Qiqi. Qiqi pokes one with a cold finger. The mooncakes are cool. That is good, Qiqi thinks. She does not wish to be burned.
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Qiqi meets Yaoyao again, after that. She visits Bubu Pharmacy, rather often, Qiqi realizes on days when her memory is clear enough.
They talk more and more- and although it is more of Yaoyao speaking than Qiqi- Qiqi is more than willing to listen.
Soon enough, there is a new name in Qiqi’s notebook, one printed neatly in bright green ink. A sketch of Yuegui sits beside it.
Qiqi isn’t as alone as she used to be, she thinks, as she is feeding finches or collecting ingredients or watching lanterns full of dreams float like stars into the night sky with Yaoyao laughing by her side.
The years pass easier now. Qiqi’s notebook has more writing, more drawings, more precious memories that she wishes she could keep forever.
Qiqi likes Yaoyao. Qiqi doesn’t like being left alone.
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Yaoyao leaves sometimes, even if only for a little while.
Those days are hard for Qiqi. She sits and reads her notebook, tracing over the ink, the well worn yellow paper.
How long has it been? Qiqi doesn’t know. Days and weeks and months blur together until she doesn’t even bother to count.
But on starry nights, when the moon rises high into the sky, Qiqi’s notebook reminds her that Yaoyao promised she would return.
And Yaoyao never breaks her promises.
Qiqi stands behind the counter of Bubu Pharmacy. Qiqi still isn’t tall enough to see over it, and she never will be. Someone enters. The breeze makes her talisman flutter. Qiqi shudders a little. It feels warm. Familiar.
“Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy.”
The girl in front of her has brown hair and amber eyes and a kind smile. Qiqi knows her, from somewhere, sometime that she doesn’t remember anymore.
The girl’s name is Yaoyao, Qiqi learns. Her notebook confirms this. She looks so different, Qiqi thinks. Change happens too quickly for her. Qiqi wishes everything would stay the same. Maybe then she wouldn’t be left alone again.
Qiqi has forever. Yaoyao does not.
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Qiqi ambles down the steps of Bubu Pharmacy. Another day has begun, and she has work to do. Orders given, orders received.
Qiqi flips open her notebook. What did Doctor Baizhu need again?
Distracted, she bumps into an old lady. She steadies Qiqi with shockingly strong arms, a smile ever present on her face. Her amber eyes light up with recognition.
Qiqi steps back a little, quietly observing the woman. She seems familiar, but when Qiqi grasps for a name, she comes up empty-handed.
“Does Qiqi know you?”
“Yes," The woman nods. "A very long time ago." Her eyes are misty, sad. Qiqi feels sad too, though she doesn’t know why.
The old lady shakes her head a little, before gently taking Qiqi’s hand, placing something into her palm. She doesn't say another word.
In Qiqi’s hand is a mooncake. It’s cold enough not to burn. Qiqi looks up to thank the woman, but she is already gone, and Qiqi is already starting to forget.
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Qiqi carefully releases her lantern into the night sky. It floats over the horizon, until it is nothing more than just a speck in the distance.
As the light fades, so does her memory.
She turns away, walking back towards the old pharmacy. The wind blows past her once more, kind and gentle.
It feels warm. Familiar.