Archive of Our Own ^beta

“That’s such a pretty balloon!”

Sana had expected the girl to smile in appreciation or, at the very least, seem bashful at the compliment. However, what she hadn’t been expecting was a look of confusion, as if she had somehow made up the floating sphere held by a string in the pretty girl’s hand.

The girl confirmed Sana’s shock. “Balloon?”

It had been a day like any other, although Sana was significantly later in arriving home from school than usual. It had been her turn to help clean the classroom and her friends wanted to play at the park afterward, so it wasn’t until the softness of twilight that she found herself walking back home along the river. And that was when she had spotted her, a girl seated along the edge of the water with a beautiful balloon in her hand. It was a soft pink, like cotton candy, and something about the material made it appear as though it were swirling, like a cloudy film along the surface as it rotated in the subtle breeze.

Above all else, Sana kind of wanted to eat it. It looked like a lollipop, after all. And she wasn’t the type to not burst into excitement at the sight of something pretty like that – let alone the cuteness of the girl – and so yelping out a compliment seemed only natural. So why was the girl pretending like she had no idea what a balloon was, when she was holding one in her gasp?

“Yes, the balloon! The one in your hand?” Sana specified, biting down a smile as she pointed at the pastel pink orb.

“Ah,” the girl let out with a nod, “I see. That’s just the easiest way to keep it close.”

Sana snorted. “What?”

The girl could not have been older than fourteen at most, but she was serious in such a way that Sana wasn’t used to, especially for someone who appeared younger than herself.

“This is Peony, from the Sunflower Galaxy. People also call it Messier 63, but I think Sunflower should be more common since it’s a prettier name.”

Sana could only stare, a blank expression occupying her face while the girl seemed unbothered by the shock of the schoolgirl beside her.

“It’s a planet,” the girl clarified, as though it would help.

“Is this,” Sana hesitated briefly at the thought of offending the girl, “a cosplay?”

The girl’s brow furrowed. “No? It’s a planet.”

“Just checking,” Sana mumbled. Some part of her told her that she should walk away, and preferably very quickly. But something about how solemn the girl seemed, quietly kicking her feet against the edge of the ground, made Sana stay.

Not only did she stay, but she took a seat right beside the girl, shuffling her backpack beside her and feeling a small sense of relief at the loss of weight. Her favorite fiction novels were worth the extra pounds, but it caused her shoulders to ache. It was a good of a time to take a break as any on the way home, and she figured she would humor the riverside girl.

“Hello,” the girl greeted bluntly as Sana plopped herself at her side. The fact that she said hello at the action was very cute, at least in Sana’s opinion.

“What’s your name?”

“Tzuyu. Why?”

Sana giggled. “It’s how people like us can meet, by exchanging names. I’m Sana!”

“Nice to meet you,” Tzuyu said, her eyes returning to the ripples in the water as small fish made their way down the current. There was a short silence that followed, but Sana was quick to hum and speak up again.

“Peony, you said? Like the flower? Is it new? I haven’t heard of that planet yet.”

Tzuyu shook her head. “Couldn’t have. It’s too far to name, so I gave it one in the meantime.”

“Oh. So, you’re saying you discovered it?” Sana tilted her head.

“Nope. It was already there before; can’t discover something that already existed.”

Sana chuckled. “If only colonizers had that same mindset, right?”

“Pardon?”

“Er, nothing,” Sana shuffled awkwardly. “It’s a bad history joke. You’re, like, thirteen or fourteen, right?”

Tzuyu turned her head toward Sana again, an eyebrow raised. “Why?”

“You look a little more,” Sana wanted to phrase it as well as she could, “youthful than I do, and I’m only seventeen.”

“I’ll try and take that as a compliment,” Tzuyu said, although there was a small hint of a smile on her face. It was a nice one, too. But she still didn’t answer the question, and Sana could tell it wasn’t something to press about.

“So,” Sana began, with a small whistle to guide it, “I’ve only been living here for about a month and a half. Do you go to the high school?”

“I don’t go to school.”

Sana’s brow furrowed. “Huh? Oh, are you homeschooled?”

To Sana’s surprise, Tzuyu giggled. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I’m just curious! You’re new! New things are worth learning about, right?” Sana whined, a pout forming on her lips.

“You don’t act seventeen,” Tzuyu commented. The delivery was blunt yet lined with a vague sense of what Sana could only deem to be smugness. “Aren’t children the ones always asking about the world?”

Sana shrugged. “Maybe we should never stop wondering. Isn’t that the fun of it?”

“I like that answer, actually.”

“Really?”

Tzuyu hesitated, though not without another subtle curve of her mouth, but she chose to move on. “There are a lot of beautiful things out there, you know.”

“In the world?” Sana giggled. “Of course! I’d love to go traveling.”

Tzuyu shook her head, pointing toward the sky. “No, out there.”

“Space?”

“Yeah, that. Peony is a good example of a beautiful thing out there that deserves to be seen.”

Sana had initially been willing to humor the girl, because it had seemed so silly, obviously. But there was a seriousness to her words that Sana couldn’t quite understand, as though she believed every word that she was saying. And maybe, for a moment, Sana wanted to believe it, too; wanted to believe in planets on strings.

“Where did you get it?” Sana asked.

“I told you, the Sunflower Galaxy.”

“But… planets aren’t this small?”

“Eventually they are,” Tzuyu said softly, pulling the string down a bit to bring Peony’s sphere between them for better observation.

“What do you mean?” Sana asked, though a part of her felt mesmerized by the surface of the planet between them. She could have sworn that she could see depth within it beyond the cloudy veil along it, like miniature valleys and mountains sprinkled along the way. There was a strong urge to touch it, to feel if her fingers could feel the cracks of what could have very well been pastel dirt, but there was a scary notion deep within her that she would be crushing its beauty, like a giant from above. She shivered.

“Peony is dying,” Tzuyu spoke softly. “When planets are on the verge of natural death, they become pale like this and shrivel into smaller forms until they’re no longer sustainable in their habitat.”

“Natural death? Like old age?”

“Planets can’t live forever. They’re real, living things, just like everything else,” Tzuyu said as she loosened her grip a bit and let Peony float above them. “They can die quickly when mistreated, too.”

“Are you a witch?” Sana asked, abruptly, now feeling too invested in what she once thought was a silly moment of playing around.

Tzuyu deadpanned. “A witch?”

“Guess not,” Sana mumbled. “So then where are you from? Why is this planet on a string?”

“I don’t like the idea of planets being alone when they die, so I take them with me to see lots of places. The potential for what you can see out there is infinite.”

“But where are you from?”

Tzuyu looked down at the water beneath her feet. “Not here.”

Sana hummed, figuring that it was another thing she couldn’t press. “How long are you staying?”

“I was going to leave before you came. So, whenever you leave.”

Sana chuckled. If it weren’t for the fact that she was already used to the serious nature of the girl, she would have taken that a little more personally as a hint to get going. But something about the way Tzuyu kicked her feet calmly along the edge told her that there was no rush.

“You know, you’re very pretty,” she decided to comment.

Something akin to a chuckle bubbled out of Tzuyu. “Did I do something?”

“You were just being you, I guess,” Sana giggled with a shrug.

“Isn’t it late? Don’t you sleep?”

“Don’t you?”

“Should I?”

Sana laughed. “Yes!”

“Time is relative, it’s okay,” Tzuyu nodded, as though affirming her own statement. “It’d be a shame to close my eyes for even a moment.”

“Really?” Sana blinked, raising an eyebrow. “I think it’s good to stop once in a while, close your eyes. Everything is always moving, so I think we can afford to settle down for a minute or two.”

Tzuyu hummed. “You’re interesting.”

“So are you,” Sana replied, beaming. “Am I the only person you’ve spoken to?”

“No, you spoke to me. But you are the only one, yes.”

“That’s the real shame. I don’t fully get the stuff you say, but I like it. You should talk to more people.”

“Again, I’ll choose to take that as a compliment,” Tzuyu responded with a minor smirk.

Sana grinned at that, allowing the two of them to then quietly enjoy the river as the sky grew darker. Peony seemed to glow faintly as the night edged on, its pastel pink a much more beautiful hue that reflected like a shimmer along the water beneath their feet. Cicadas sang, and a car or bicycle would pass occasionally. It couldn’t have been a more normal day, were it not for the girl beside Sana. But it was because of the day’s normalcy that she eventually had to go.

Sana sighed. “It’s getting late. My parents will be worried. Will you be here tomorrow?”

“It’s my first time here. I don’t really visit more than once, seeing as there are limitless options.” Tzuyu’s calmness, yet again, made her words more believable than they would have been, had it been anyone else. Something in her gaze, steady and unwavering as they met Sana’s, told her that she meant what she said.

Sana frowned. “That seems unfair. You should come back.”

“It’s unlikely, but at least there’s a reason to consider it.”

“Really? Did you enjoy your visit?”

Tzuyu shook her head, standing up and watching as Sana did the same. “It’s like anywhere else, really. But I’ve never had someone ask me to stay or come back, so I’ll keep it in mind, at least.”

Sana bit down a smile. “That sounds hopeful to me.”

“Maybe the stars will align.” The words were cheesy, in such a way that Sana felt a momentary skip in her chest, but nothing about Tzuyu’s delivery expressed flattery or flirtation. Again, she acted as though every word were true. Maybe they were.

“I look forward to it!” Sana said, rocking on her heels. “Have a safe trip, Tzuyu!”

“Goodbye, Sana.”

Sana did her best not to feel too delighted at the small smile that Tzuyu gave her when she had waved her hand in farewell. Not wanting to feel awkward, Sana was quick to turn and she started walking back in the direction of home. Her mother would surely be worried, and she could only imagine her father already considering the idea of calling the police regarding a missing girl. She loved them.

A moment of curiosity nipped at the back of her mind, and so she briefly took a moment to glance behind her shoulder toward the river again, where they had sat. She blinked when she not only saw that Tzuyu had already disappeared from the edge, but also when her eyes slowly trailed up and caught the sight of a soft pink glow rising higher into the sky, followed by a familiar figure that was masked by the night. Sana’s body fully turned then, unable to move any longer as she stared up at the fading light, watching without breath as it twinkled afar into a star.

She gulped when she noticed that the cotton candy pink star disappeared after a single blink, and the moment was gone. Her backpack suddenly felt more weighted than ever, the implication of magic stronger than she had imagined from beloved stories like Harry Potter. Sana hugged herself for a moment, overwhelmed and swollen by what she surely will convince herself to be a dream by the time that the sun wakes over the horizon.

But it would become a dream that she’d never forget.

“And you’re sure you know how to close the shop?”

“I think so.”

“I’m proud of you, Momo! This is a big deal. I wasn’t allowed to close for, like, two years.”

“Thanks, Sana.”

The two girls shared a hug, and Sana made sure to leave very reassuring pats upon her best friend’s back. She was no longer a new girl in town, and she was one of the best employees at a popular bakery situated in the more populated center of their town. It was close to where she had gone to school, which had made it an alluring job venture to begin with, and it wasn’t long until she had become a manager. It was a quaint shop that had caught her eye quickly, a specialty bakery that was known for adventurous cupcakes and muffins of all kinds, colorful and over-the-top. Being a niche type of small business in a rural area of Japan, it was easy for the place to become packed with customers and tourists.

Sana loved the hustle and bustle of it, especially when she got to see the awe in children’s eyes when they looked at the racks, and she never minded being around sweet treats. She didn’t know how to make them, but she sure knew how to sell them, and so her boss gave little to no resistance when Sana insisted that her best friend join their team when the latter needed some money. Pouty lips and mumblings of “but I’m your best employee” often did the trick.

Momo had been doing exceptionally well, though. “Go on, go home.”

“You sure? I can stay and stick by a table or something,” Sana asked, taking off her apron and folding it in the back.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Momo reassured her, not without a charming smile to accompany it. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? I’ll do my best. If anything, I’ll call you.”

“Okay, I believe you,” Sana giggled, accepting defeat. She gave Momo one last hug before heading out, giving the walls one last glance, taking in the swirls of blues, pinks, and purples before heading out the glass doorway.

The walk home was familiar as it had always been since moving there, concrete quickly fading out into dirt paths and roads as the river greeted her. Despite taking the path daily, there was always a lingering feeling of anxiety that crept up on her as she strolled. A part of her knew better than to expect anything, yet she still hoped, regardless of how long it had been.

But at the sudden sight of pastel blue against the backdrop of an orangey sunset sky, she could only freeze. Even if it was, finally, the exact thing she had longed to see again every day.

There was that girl, familiar but different. Not unlike her vivid dreams and prayers, Sana could only manage a single breath as her eyes soaked in the sight of Tzuyu sitting along the edge, like she had done once upon a time. But she was taller, it seemed, and somehow more stunning than before.

Sana’s body began to catch up with her, goosebumps quickly traveling across her skin as she did very little to fight the urge to bounce and fidget in place in what was both excitement and intense nervousness. It had been so long, but something in her knew that she would be able to see her again, that girl with a planet on a string.

She couldn’t stop herself as she did a small jump before breaking into a sprint. “Tzuyu!”

Tzuyu turned her head, the same serious expression that Sana remembered greeting her as she ran. But, to her own surprise, Tzuyu gave a soft smile as she stood up and allowed Sana to crash into her.

“Oh my god, you are so tall!” Sana yelped, wrapping her arms around Tzuyu without hesitation. They hadn’t crossed this threshold at all during their first meeting but, even though Sana felt a bit guilty for forcing her excitement upon the girl, she figured that Tzuyu being there in the same spot was a sign that this was meant to be special.

“If I remember right, you said I looked very youthful before. I hope this is a good change for you,” Tzuyu commented softly, her voice a surreal affirmation that this was a real thing that was definitely happening. It was hard to contain a giggle when Tzuyu managed to awkwardly pat Sana’s shoulder in return for the hug with her free hand. It was cute.

Sana raised an eyebrow. “You say that like it was a purposeful change.”

“It was.”

“Tzuyu,” Sana sighed fondly, “you can’t expect me to understand everything you say. You’re clearly not human.”

Tzuyu smirked. “Did you just figure that out?”

“Nah, I knew you were out of this world a long time ago.” Sana dared to wink, and she was satisfied with the blinking response until it was clear that Tzuyu just didn’t fully understand that it was a cheesy pickup line. “Anyway, do you know how long it’s been?”

“Time is relative.”

“Was it long for you?” Sana asked, feeling a pang of melancholy hit her. Had Tzuyu been gone for months, years, or maybe even centuries by Earth standards? It wasn’t that she expected Tzuyu to miss her, but there was something that ached at the idea of waiting for a painstakingly long time only for it to be a short time for the other.

“There you are,” Tzuyu said quietly with a soft smile. “You’re the same Sana that likes to ask questions.”

“And you’re the same Tzuyu who avoids them,” Sana grumbled.

“It’s been long enough that I came back, when I don’t do that normally. Time is different no matter where you go, so I genuinely don’t know. But you look like you’re older. How long has it been for you?”

Sana bit her lip, backing off from Tzuyu’s body. “Seven years.”

“That’s a long time for you, right?”

“Too long.”

Tzuyu’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry.”

Sana waved her hand dismissively, eager to change the subject. “Don’t be! You even said you may never come back.” She turned her attention to the pastel blue sphere, already charmed by its glittering surface. “What planet is this?”

“Brunnera, of the Andromeda Galaxy,” Tzuyu answered, gently pulling the string down so that she could gesture along the surface of the planet. “It’s rich in minerals, though none of it is like what you would see here on Earth. But that is why it is shimmering and glittery like this; it’s very pretty. I thought you would like this one.”

Sana chuckled. “Did you only come back because you thought I would like this one?”

“No, but it was definitely a bonus reason.”

Sana’s eyes searched Tzuyu’s, unwilling to look away but feeling shy as Tzuyu reciprocated her gaze without wavering. She had never planned out the things she wanted to say or do if she were to see Tzuyu again, because it would have hurt to plan in case it had been for nothing, after all. But here she was, and Sana could feel the urge to express so many things swimming at the back of her throat, and she was drowning in it.

But then she began blurting out whatever came to mind.

“When we met, I had been interested in everything you were saying, but it wasn’t until I saw you float away that I believed in you. I thought I was just giving a cute girl some attention with the things she made up. But you helped me to believe in a lot of things, I think. It’s hard to think anything is truly impossible or out of reach anymore when you see a girl float off into space, let alone when you realize it confirms that everything she had said wasn’t false. Like, I was supposed to believe you’re just carrying a planet on a thin piece of fabric? Come on!”

Tzuyu seemed amused but nonetheless attentive, and Sana continued on. “Who’s to say spells can’t be real, or phoenixes?! Maybe there is latent fairy dust that I can find deep in some mountainous rock somewhere, I don’t know! It just— I don’t even know what I’m saying. I’m just grateful that I can believe in things, and it has made me a happier person, I think? And it’s because of that inspiration of belief that you started in me that I could believe that you would come back, even though you said it was unlikely.”

“These are a lot of thoughts,” Tzuyu said softly, nodding along with Sana’s words. “I like the way you think.”

“Really?” Sana wasn’t sure why she felt bashful enough at the compliment to blush.

“It isn’t like I talk to anyone, let alone humans, when I visit. I do it for the planets; I care about them a lot, because they need someone to be with them when they die. So, you’re the first thing that has initiated interacting with me, and I never thought that it would be interesting to hear the mind of someone else.” Tzuyu hummed for a moment, thinking over her words. “In a universe that is so beautiful and never-ending… it’s an impossibly high standard to meet something that could capture my attention beyond the natural wonders of space. But just hearing someone, just hearing you, is beautiful in its own way. Does that make sense?”

Sana’s eyes were wide, gleaming with awe. “Are you flirting with me?”

Tzuyu raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re impossible.”

“I thought you said that it was hard to believe that anything is truly impossible anymore,” Tzuyu retorted, with a vague smirk.

Sana failed to hold back a smile. “It’s just hard not to like you! You’re gorgeous and you never left me.”

“But I did?”

“You never left my mind, I mean.” Sana dared to hold Tzuyu’s free hand lightly, which did not resist at all. “You stayed, in my memories and in my dreams. I didn’t go a day without you, but I still missed you.”

She could tell that Tzuyu had been a little confused up until the last part, which elicited a smile from the taller girl. “I missed you, too.”

Sana couldn’t restrain herself from giving a quick peck to Tzuyu’s cheek. The latter did not flinch, but she blinked when Sana pulled back. It was hard to hold back, especially after so long, even if they had only had the one encounter. It hadn’t been just some random girl along the side of the road but, rather, an entity beyond her understanding that captured her nonetheless. Sana couldn’t help that she was twenty-four now, and she had been very much haunted with a longing for the girl who floated away.

There was a long but comfortable pause before Tzuyu spoke up. “Did you know that, among all the planets that I’ve visited and escorted, Earth is my favorite one?”

“Wow! Really? I’m shocked, although I guess that’s just because I assume there are unimaginably incredible things in faraway galaxies.”

“You’re right, there are.”

Sana’s brow furrowed. “Then why Earth? Maybe it’s just because I live here, but I feel like anywhere but home would be more special in my eyes.”

“It’s exactly because you live here.”

“What?” Sana blushed.

“Earth is my favorite because you are in it,” Tzuyu said, threading their fingers in her free hand where Sana had only been lightly holding their palms together. She didn’t know where she got the association of aliens and cold skin from, but Sana was pleasantly surprised to feel the warmth of Tzuyu’s skin.

Sana gawked, her cheeks hot. “Now you’re definitely flirting.”

Tzuyu shrugged. “If it means that we get to talk more before I have to go, then I’m gladly flirting.”

No, it wasn’t what flirting meant – well, at least not literally because Sana could still tell that Tzuyu didn’t get it fully – but Sana had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from squealing and beaming like an idiot. She could barely keep her energy within her, holding herself back enough that she was only gently swaying her and Tzuyu’s intertwined hands rather than hopping all over the place like she wanted to.

But then Tzuyu wanted to sit back down along the river’s edge, and Sana was quick to oblige. They sat there like that, their hands held between them as Tzuyu began talking about some of her more recent visits. She spoke of planets shaped by the crushing of meteorites, of stars that shone in colors beyond what Sana could imagine, of landscapes and terrain that sounded incredibly foreign, and there was a passion in Tzuyu’s voice that Sana could appreciate now as an adult that she couldn’t fully enjoy when she had been younger and naïve.

Sana decided that it was as good of a time as any to explain a lot of Earth’s customs to Tzuyu, although she made sure to clarify that it was different all around the globe. Tzuyu seemed intrigued by the idea of cultural differences and she was amused by the idea of manmade laws. Tzuyu was also able to finally understand Sana’s old colonizer joke from their first meeting, which was something that Tzuyu remembered in particular for whatever reason – something along the lines of “I was bothered that I didn’t understand,” or whatever.

But Sana was happy to share her limited knowledge of her world, and she indulged in sharing her own life with Tzuyu as well – how she had gotten the courage after their meeting to pursue dancing, something she had always loved but had been too afraid of chasing. It was why she went to university and it was where she had met Momo. Even the job she had gotten at the bakery attracted her because the colors of its walls couldn’t help but remind her of the mystical planet that Sana had seen in the grasp of a stranger. She admitted that she had never believed that a person could change her life so effortlessly until Tzuyu, who could be found in traces around Sana throughout the last seven years.

And they talked for a long time, until the moon reached its peak in the sky, surrounded by a clear starlit night. Then it was time to go.

Tzuyu stood up, pulling Sana with her by the hand. “I’m sorry that I have to leave again. Brunnera can’t die here.”

“That’s okay,” Sana said quietly. “You made me happy just for being able to see you again. I’m content with knowing I could talk to you with an open mind this time.”

“I liked learning about you, as well as the rest of Earth. There are a lot of things to enjoy, I wish I could explore more.”

Sana frowned. “I’m sorry that you wasted it by trying to catch me at the same place again.”

“It wasn’t a waste,” Tzuyu assured, shaking her head. “I only came for you.”

Sana bit her lip, hesitating before responding. “Can I kiss you? Just once.”

“Didn’t you already do that?”

“That was a kiss on the cheek. I’m asking for a real one.”

Tzuyu’s brow furrowed. “What makes it real?”

Sana blushed ferociously. “My heart? I don’t know. It’s different, it means more.”

“What would it mean?” Tzuyu asked, and something made Sana suspicious that she was being purposely baited somehow.

A moment of hesitance and careful thinking passed. “It would mean that I keep you in my heart.”

“Then yes, you can.” Tzuyu nodded, staying still.

“Close your eyes.” Sana had no desire for it to be passionate. No matter how much she believed, there was only one reality around the situation. Instead, she let go of Tzuyu’s hand and gently cupped her face when the girl had closed her eyelids, leaning forward until she pressed her lips softly against the taller girl’s. As she felt the warmth of Tzuyu’s mouth greet her, she tilted her head and slid her lips across into a firmer kiss, but it was still relaxed and lacked hunger. It tasted bittersweet, Sana realized.

When she pulled away, she smiled warmly at the sight of Tzuyu’s curved lips once she stepped back.

Tzuyu opened her eyes, the small grin still present. “You have me, then. And I have you in mine. And you were right, by the way. Closing your eyes once in a while can be good sometimes, too.”

Although having to say farewell was by far the worst feeling she had experienced in a while, Sana couldn’t bring herself to cry. This was how it was meant to be, and she couldn’t stop the way that the universe worked, but at least she could experience its magic in these fleeting moments, and that’s genuinely all she could ever hope for. The first time was seven years, so there was no way of knowing how much longer the second time could be.

Sana knew that she loved Tzuyu, as ridiculous as it may have seemed to fall for someone so quickly. But she also knew that her life could not always wait. She would find someone that would bring a different kind of magic to her life, the kind that was happy and fulfilling and unrelenting in its consistency and assurances. It broke her heart to acknowledge and accept, but there was no future with Tzuyu. Rather, she could only hope that they would reunite and talk by the riverside, however long it may take.

As she watched Tzuyu float away again, she smiled and hugged herself as the girl’s form faded further and further into obscurity, until there was nothing but a cotton candy blue star twinkling in her wake.

And then she was gone – the girl who floated away with Sana’s heart on a string.