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Chapter Text

Chapter 1 Not Leaving Without You
Cyan’s POV

I wiped away my tears as water poured down on top of me. Then…a certain someone held his hand out for me…with a smile on his face that I had missed so much.

I smiled at him as well. Then, I grabbed onto his hand, and he pulled me onto my feet.

“It’s been years since I’ve seen you, so why haven’t you gotten taller?”, he asked me, and I immediately started playfully hitting him. 

“Missed you too”, I said as he laughed. I then stopped hitting him, and we both looked at each other for a moment, before looking down.

“Luo, I…”, I said.

“Cyan, I…”, Luo said.

“I’m sorry!”, we both blurted out at the same time as we looked back up at each other.

“Huh”, Luo said in confusion. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because I…”, I started, with tears starting to form in my eyes again. “…I left you behind. I’m so sorry, Luo!”

“Don’t be sorry, Cyan”, Luo said. “If you had stayed, who knows what the Dean would’ve done?”

“I meant what I said, you know?”, I said. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you all this time. I’ve been trying to come back for you ever since we were separated.”

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you either, Cyan”, Luo revealed. “I also heard your song on the radio. It made me really happy to hear that you had made it as a hero.”

“Really?”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Luo replied, before changing the subject. “You know, If you need a backup guitarist or something, I can totally fill in that role! What do you say?”

When I heard this, it made me smile. 

“Sure!”, I replied happily. Then, I grabbed onto Luo’s hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Luo and I walked into the orphanage’s courtyard. When we got there, we saw that police had shown up, as well as medics.

I looked around, and was relieved to see that everybody seemed to have turned back to normal.

“Looks like everyone is back to normal”, I pointed out. I then looked up, and saw the dean being treated by some medics.

He looked when when he realized he was being watched. We stared at each other for a moment. Then, he turned away from me with a disappointed look on his face.

I let out a sigh and looked down. But I then looked back up when I heard a familiar voice say my name.

“Cyan”, she said as she walked up to me.

“Queen”, I said happily, before rushing up to her.

“I’m glad to see that you’re alright, Cyan”, Queen said, before taking a look around. “And judging by the look of things, it seems like you were able to resolve the crisis?”

“Queen, thank you so much for telling me about that recording”, I said. “If you hadn’t, I’m not sure what would’ve happened.”

“I’m glad that I was able to help”, Queen said. Then, she looked at Luo. “You must be Luo? Cyan’s told me about you.”

“Really?”, Luo asked as he looked at me, and I felt my cheeks burn up from embarrassment. 

“Queen, you didn’t have to tell him that!”, I said, before realizing that Luo didn’t know who Queen was. “Oh, by the way. Luo, this is Queen. She’s the second highest ranked hero, and we’re signed to the same hero agency.”

“Really? That’s so cool!”, Luo said, before looking at queen and holding out his hand to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Queen!”

“Nice to meet you too, Luo”, Queen greeted as she took his hand and shook it. Then, I realized something, and took out the drive with the recording on it.

“Queen, this is the recording of the plane crash”, I revealed. “And it reveals the truth behind how I got my powers.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”, Queen asked, before taking the drive from me. “Let’s get this back to Mickey. The sooner the world knows the truth about the origins of your powers, the better.”

“One more thing, Queen”, I started. “Can Luo come with us? I…don’t want him to stay here.”

“You don’t have to do that for me, Cyan”, Luo said. 

“I’m not leaving here without you again, Luo!”, I stated. Then, I grabbed onto Luo’s hand again. “This time, we’re leaving this place together!”

“Cyan”, Luo said. 

“Very well”, Queen said, before looking at Luo. “Don’t worry, Luo. I’ll arrange for a place for you to stay while we figure something out.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 No. 7
Cyan’s POV

Not long after everything that happened at the orphanage, a news story revealing the truth about how I got my powers was released, and it did way more than just get my old trust value back.

“This is amazing”, Ken stated. “In just a few days, Cyan has managed to reach rank seven!”

“Congratulations, Cyan”, Queen said to me.

“Thank you, Queen”, I said. 

But if I was being completely honest, I wasn’t actually sure how to feel about being ranked no. 7.

“We need to take advantage of this milestone Cyan’ has reached while its fresh in the public’s mind”, Mickey stated. 

“I suggest we immediately get to organizing Cyan’s next concert”, Ken said. “With how much popularity she has gained, we can probably book a much bigger concert venue.”

“Cyan”, Mickey said as he looked at me. “You should take the rest of the day off.”

“Really?”, I asked.

“You’ve earned it”, Mickey stated. “Plus, with your newfound popularity, you’re going to be much busier than before. You should enjoy your free time while you still have it.”

“Oh, okay”, I said. “Then I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“I’ll walk you out”, Queen said. We then both got up and left the office together.

“You don’t seem too thrilled about reaching rank 7, Cyan?”, Queen asked me. 

“I…”, I started, but wasn’t sure how to answer, so I quickly changed the subject. “Hey Queen, what’s going to happen to Luo?”

“After discussing it with him and my father, I have decided to take custody of him for the time being”, Queen revealed.

“Really?”, I asked in shock. “You’d do that?”

“I assumed you’d want him close to you”, Queen pointed out. “I figured the best way for that to happen was if he was under my custody.”

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much, Queen!”, I said. I then nervously held my hands together and looked down. “You know, you really didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

A moment after I said this, Queen suddenly took my hands in her own, which made me look up at her in shock.

“I told you, Cyan your song helped me when I needed it the most”, she reminded me. “I want to repay you for that, and Luo seems to be very important to you.”

“Queen”, I said in shock. Then, I smiled at her. “I know I’ve already said this a lot, but thank you so much for everything you’ve done!”

“You’re welcome”, Queen replied. “Now then, let’s head outside. Luo should be waiting for us there?”

Queen and I walked outside of DOS’s building. When we we got there, Luo was waiting for us in front of a car.

“There you are, Cyan!”, he said as he came up to me.

For as long as I had known Luo, I’d only ever seen him wearing the orphanage’s uniform. However, he was now wearing something different. It was just a hoodie, jeans and sneakers with a pair of headphones around his neck. But despite that…I still found my heart fluttering when I saw him in it.

“You good, Cyan?”, Luo asked me. 

“Oh”, I said, snapping out of my thoughts. “I’m good. It’s just… this is the first time I’ve ever seen you wearing something else besides the orphanage’s uniform.”

“It looks good on me, doesn’t it?”, Luo asked as held up his arms to show off his outfit.

“Yeah”, I replied, before Queen changed the subject.

“Now then”, she started. “Let’s head over to Hero’s Tower.”

With this, we all got in the car and began making our way to Hero’s Tower.

None of us said anything a bit. Then, Luo spoke up. “Um…Ms Queen?”

“Just Queen is fine”, she replied.

“Um…Queen”, Luo started. “I just wanted to say…thank you for agreeing to take custody of me.”

“You’re very welcome, Luo”, Queen replied. “Just make sure to behave while you’re under my care, alright?”

“Yes, Ma’am!”, Luo replied as he sat up straight, and I couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “What are you laughing about, Cyan?”

“It’s just…this may be the first time I’ve seen you actually trying to act respectful in front of an adult”, I pointed out. “Back at the orphanage, you’d always act laid back, even in front of the adults.”

“That’s because I never really cared before if the adults thought I was being respectful or not”, Luo replied. “But…Queen’s the reason you were able to show me the truth about what happened to our parents, right? I feel like it’s only fair that I show her respect.”

“I appreciate that, Luo”, Queen said. “Thank you.”

As soon as we arrived at Hero’s Tower, Queen took us up to the seventh flour.

The elevator doors opened on the floor, and we walked into a huge living room!

“Welcome to the seventh floor”, Queen said. 

“Wow”, Luo said in awe. “This place is huge!”

As I inspected the apartment, I suddenly stopped when I noticed something in the center of the living room. I looked up, and saw a huge statue.

“Who’s this”, I asked.

“That’s the hero that previously held the 7th ranked spot”, Queen revealed. “But now that you hold that rank, this will be replaced with a statue of you.”

“It will”, I asked in shock.

“That’s so cool, Cyan!”, Luo exclaimed as he rushed up to me. “I can’t wait to see your statue! I bet that it’s going to look awesome!”

I still wasn’t sure how to feel about being such a highly ranked hero, but seeing Luo being excited about it made me happy.

“Remember, Cyan, I’m just five floors above of you now”, Queen reminded me. “Please feel free to come and see me whenever you’d like.”

“Really?”, I asked. “Thank you so much, Queen.”

“Of course”, Queen started. “You’ll probably be coming to my apartment a lot anyway to see Luo.”

“Wait. I’m staying with you in your place, Queen?”, Luo asked her.

“As your guardian, that seemed like the most appropriate thing to do”, Queen replied. “Plus, it means that you’ll be close to Cyan.”

Both Luo and I smiled at each other when we heard this.

“Thank you so much, Queen!”, Luo said to her.

“You’re welcome”, Queen said. “Speaking of the second floor, let’s head there now. My father is waiting for us there.”

“Your father?”, I asked, before remembering something. “You mean, the one who gave the dean the recording of the plan crash?”

“Yes”, Queen replied. “Earlier, he went to visit the dean to discuss giving me guardianship of Luo.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 Liu Zhen
Cyan’s POV

Queen took Luo and I up to her apartment on the second floor. When we got there, a man was waiting for us.

“There you all are”, he said as he came up to us.

“Cyan, Luo, this is my father, Liu Zhen”, Queen revealed.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir!”, I exclaimed before bowing respectfully. 

“Actually, you and I have met before, Cyan”, Zhen revealed.

“Wait, we have?”, I asked in shock.

“My father was the one who found you at the wreckage the plane crash”, Queen revealed. “And he’s the one who took you to the orphanage.”

“Wait, what!”, I exclaimed in shock. “I didn’t know that?!”

“I’m glad to see that you’re doing well, Cyan”, Zhen said. Then, the smile he had on dropped from his face. “Also, I want to apologize.”

“Apologize?”, I asked in confusion. “For what?”

“I brought you to my friend so you could live a peaceful and quiet life away from the public eye”, Zhen revealed. “But instead, he exploited your power for his own gain. You see, he once tried to become a hero himself, but he was never able to get his trust value high enough to really make it as one. Afterwards, he decided to open the orphanage to raise future heroes, and after you came along, he realized he could live out his dream of becoming a hero through you.”

“So that’s why he was so angry at me after I ran away from the orphanage”, I said in realization.

“Cyan, I am truly sorry that my friend took advantage of you like that”, Zhen apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize, Mr Liu”, I reassured him. “It’s true that my early years at the orphanage weren’t all that happy. But then…”

Before I continued, I looked at Luo. “But then I met Luo! Because of him, I discovered my love for music. And it was his determination to be a hero that brought me to where I am now!”

“Cyan”, Luo said.

“And that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t brought me to the orphanage”, I stated as I looked back at Zhen. “So, thank you so much, Mr Liu!”

Zhen looked at me in shock when I said this, but then…he smiled at me. “If that’s the case, then I’m glad everything worked out for you, Cyan.”

After Zhen said this, he looked at Luo. “Speaking of my friend, I talked to him about my daughter taking custody of you, Luo.”

“What did he say?”, Queen asked her dad.

“He’s okay with it”, Zhen replied. “In fact, he even gave me all the legal papers. All you need to do is sign them, and you will officially be Luo’s guardian.”

“The dean’s really okay with Queen being Luo’s guardian?”, I asked.

“He probably wants to get rid of me”, Luo stated.

“Actually, he’s trying to find other homes for all of the children at the orphanage”, Zhen revealed. “While I was there, he told me that he’s shutting it down.”

“What?!”, I exclaimed in shock. “The dean’s closing down the orphanage?! Why?!”

“You were his best chance of living out his dream, Cyan”, Zhen pointed out. “But because that has failed, he’s giving up.”

“He can’t just abandon all those kids at the orphanage!”, Luo stated angrily. 

“What’s going to happen to them?”, I asked.

“My friend says that he’s going to try and find other homes for them”, Zhen replied. “However, after the incident at the orphanage, many people may be unwilling to take in any children from there.”

When I heard this, I was overcome with guilt.

“Cyan, are you okay?”, Luo asked me in concern. 

“This is all my fault”, I stated. “I’m the one who caused everyone to loose faith in the orphanage.”

“Hey!”, Luo exclaimed, before gently grabbing onto my wrists. “This isn’t your fault, Cyan! If anything, it’s mi…”

“This isn’t your fault either, Luo!”, I exclaimed, before pulling my arms away from him.

“Nothing will come from blaming yourselves for what happened”, Queen stated. “Instead, let us think about what we can do for the orphanage.”

“What we can do for the orphanage?”, I asked myself. Then, I remembered something I said to the dean one of the last times we spoke to each other. “I have an idea!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 Concert at the Orphanage Part 1
Cyan’s POV

The next day, I went to Mickey to discuss the idea I had to help the orphanage.

“You want to hold a concert at the orphanage?”, he asked me after I told him what my idea was.

“Yes”, I replied. “If I hold a concert there, maybe it can generate good publicity for the orphanage? And maybe that can help keep it open or something?”

“Hmm…”, Mickey said, thinking about my suggestion.

“I think it’s a good idea, Sir”, Ken said. “The story of Cyan’s past at the orphanage is still fresh in the public’s minds. So holding a concert there might be good publicity? Plus, Cyan trying to help her former home will show her fans that, even though she’s made it big as a hero, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from.”

“I see”, Mickey said, before looking at me. “Very well, Cyan. We’ll throw a concert at the orphanage.

Hearing this made me smile. “Thank you so much, Mickey!”, I said. Then, I thought about something else. “Also, there’s something else I’d like to ask you.”

“Which is?”, Mickey asked.

“I learned how to play guitar from my friend Luo”, I revealed. “He’s the one I was talking about at my last concert before I sang My Color. I was wondering…could he perform with me at the concert at the orphanage?”

“You want him to perform with you at the orphanage?”, Mickey asked.

“Yes”, I replied. “He’s very important to me, and the orphanage is where it all began for us. That’s why I want to perform with him there. So, can I?”

“It would make for quite a heartwarming story”, Ken pointed out. “Cyan was separated from her childhood friend. But eventually, she was able to rescue him, and the two were reunited.”

“That would make for a very good story”, Mickey stated, before looking at me. “Very well, Cyan. Why don’t you go talk to your friend?”

I arrived at the second floor of Hero Tower, and walked into Queen’s apartment. “Hey there, Queen.”

“Hello, Cyan”, Queen greeted me, before getting up from her coach and walking up to me. “So, how did everything go with Mickey? Did he agree to let you hold a concert at the orphanage?”

“He did!”, I replied excitedly.

“I’m glad”, Queen said. 

“Also, I have something to tell Luo”, I added, before looking around the apartment. “Where is he?”

“He’s setting up things in his new room”, Queen replied. “Its just over there.”

“Thanks Queen!”, I said. I then rushed to the room she directed me to before knocking on its door. “Luo, it’s Cyan!”

“Come in!”, I heard Luo call out to me. I then opened the door, and walked into the room, where I found Luo sitting on the bed with a guitar in his hands. “Hey there, Cyan!”

“Hey, Luo”, I greeted him. I then walked up to him before taking a look around his new room. “Your new room looks nice.”

“It’s way bigger than my room at the orphanage was”, Luo pointed out, before holding up the guitar he had in this hands. “Plus, Queen got me a new guitar.”

“That’s really cool”, I said, before changing the subject. “Anyway, I came here because I wanted to tell you that Mickey agreed to holding a concert at the orphanage!”

“That’s awesome!”, Luo said. “Let’s hope that the concert will keep the orphanage from shutting down.”

“Yeah. I hope so too”, I said, before changing the subject. “Oh! I have another thing to tell you. I asked Mickey about it, and…he said you could perform with me at the concert at the orphanage!”

“Huh?”, Luo said in shock, before pointing to himself. “Me? Perform at the concert with you?”

“Yeah!”, I replied. “It’ll be just like when we first performed Take Off together!”

“Hopefully it’ll end better than that performance did?”, Luo said. “But…are you sure you want me performing up there with you? I mean…what if people find out that I’m kind of the reason the whole mess at the orphanage ended up happening? What if that messes up with keeping it from shutting down?”

After Luo asked me this, I took his hands in my own. “Luo, the whole reason why I‘m here today is because of you.”

“I…am?”, Luo asked me in shock.

“You are”, I replied. “The whole reason why I joined DOS was because they agreed to help me find you. And now, we’re together again! I want to perform with you, Luo! So, what do you say?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 Singing With You by My Side
Cyan’s POV

A couple of weeks had passed…and the day of the concert at the orphanage had arrived!

A stage had been setup in the courtyard with seats in front of it, and I was getting ready for the concert backstage.

“So this is what it’s like to be backstage at a concert?”, Luo asked as he walked up to me, wearing a cyan colored jacket. 

“Hey, Luo”, I greeted him. “I like the jacket. Cyan looks good on you.”

“Thanks”, Luo said. Then, he walked past me and peaked his head out to get a look at the audience. “A good amount of people showed up for the concert.”

“Believe it or not, there were actually way more people at my first concert”, I revealed.

“Really? Wow”, Luo said. “How was it like performing in front of a huge crowd of people? Were you nervous?”

“I was”, I admitted. “But, once I started singing, all of those nerves went away.”

“That’s good”, Luo said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Wait a minute”, I said, before teasingly saying “Are you nervous, Luo?”

“Me? Nervous. Never”, Luo said.

I could tell he was lying, but before I could tease him about it more, someone else walked up to us. “There you two are. I just wanted to wish you both good luck before the concert started. Though, I suppose you don’t need that, Cyan?”

“Mr Liu”, I said happily when I saw him. “Thank you so much for coming to watch the concert!”

“It’s not a problem”, Zhen said. “My daughter came, so I figured I could come too and show my support.”

“Mr Liu, I didn’t see the dean in the audience. Is he here?”, Luo asked, and Zhen let out a sigh.

“I get that he’s wounded, but he could’ve at least come to support the concert that’s trying to save the orphanage he opened”, he said. “I guess he really wants nothing more to do with this place?”

I felt a bit sad when I heard this, but I was snapped out of my thoughts when Zhen spoke up again. “Anyway, the concert is about to start, so I’d better head to my seat. Good luck, you two.”

With this, Zhen left. Then, a stage hand walked up to us.

“Lucky Cyan, you’re on in 60 seconds”, he said, before looking at Luo. “Luo, once those 60 seconds are up, I’ll give you your cue to start playing. Got it?”

“Got it”, Luo replied, before looking at me. “Guess this is it, huh?”

“It is”, I replied. Then, I put my hand on Luo’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Luo! You’re going to crush it!”

“Thanks”, Luo said. 

“We’re on in ten, nine…”, the stage hand said. As he was counting down, Luo and I looked at each other, and nodded. “Five, four, three, two, one…”

With this, the stage hand pointed to Luo, which was his cue. He then looked down at his guitar, and started playing the opening to Take Off.

Seeing him playing the guitar again after all of these years made me happy, and I smiled at him. Then…I turned around and rushed onto the stage.

Everyone cheered when they saw me. I then looked at the crowd, and spotted Queen sitting with her dad. I quickly waved at her, and once the intro of the song came to an end, I began singing.

Once the song was done, everyone in the audience cheered as I began my opening speech. “Everyone, welcome! Thank you so much for coming to this special concert!”, I said. Then, I took a deep breath before continuing. 

“For those who don’t know, this orphanage is at risk of being shut down. A lot of my memories from this place aren’t the happiest. To be honest, for the longest time…I felt really lonely here. 

But then, one night…I met someone; someone who ended up becoming really important to me. We were separated when I ran away from the orphanage. But now…now we’re together again! In fact…you just heard him playing the guitar for my opening number. And…he’s actually the one who wrote the next song I’m about to sing, which is why I want to perform it with him by my side. So, everyone, please put your hands together for my friend, Luo!”

With this, the opening to My Color began playing, and I began singing. While I was singing, Luo walked onto the stage, and slowly started making his way towards me.

By the time it got to the chorus, Luo was right by my side. Getting to sing together with him like this made me happier than I had been I a really long time.

I didn’t know what the future held for the two of us. But I was ready to face anything as long as Luo was by my side.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 The Cow Heard and the Weaver Girl
Cyan’s POV

The concert was a success! A couple of days after it was held, someone contacted the dean about buying it!

“The orphanage will continue its operations as it did before”, Mickey told me in his office. “Just under new management.”

“Mickey, thank you so much for letting me hold a concert at the orphanage”, I said.

“You can repay me continuing to grow your popularity and making DOS’s name look good”, Mickey said.

“And speaking of which”, Ken added. “We have already booked your next performance, Cyan.”

“You have?”, I asked in shock. 

“Yes”, Ken replied. “The Qixi Festival is coming up in a couple of weeks. So we have booked you to perform at the festival.”

“The Qixi Festival”, I said, being reminded of a story I knew.

“Take the rest of the day off, Cyan”, Mickey said. “You’ll start preparing for your next performance tomorrow.”

I arrived on the second floor of Hero Tower and walked into Queen’s apartment.

“Hello, Cyan”, she greeted me when I walked in. “I heard that the orphanage is under new ownership, which means that the concert was a success.”

“I’m so glad that everything worked out in the end”, I said. “Not all of my memories at the orphanage may be happy ones, but it’s the place where I met Luo! So it’s still really important to me despite everything that happened there.”

“I’m glad”, Queen said. “Speaking of Luo, he’s in his room. I have a meeting to get to, so I’ll see you later, Cyan.”

“Later, Queen!”, I greeted her as she left. I then walked to Luo’s room before knocking on his door. “Luo, it’s Cyan!”

“Come in!”, I heard Luo call out to me. I then opened his bedroom door, and found him sitting on his bed with his guitar in his hand. “Hey there, Cyan. What’s up?”

“I wanted to tell you the good news”, I replied, before sitting next to Luo on his bed. “The concert worked! Someone brought the orphanage from the dean and is going to keep it open!”

“I’m glad”, Luo said. Then…he let a bit of a sad sigh.

“You okay, Luo?”, I asked him in concern.

“I’m okay”, he reassured me. “It’s just…kinda weird to think that we’re probably never going back to the orphanage again, huh?”

“I guess”, I said. “End of an era, huh?”

“Yeah”, Luo replied, before smiling at me. “But you know what they say, right? When one chapter ends, another one begins! Now that you and I aren’t at the orphanage anymore, it’s a new chapter for us, right?”

Hearing this made me smile. “Yeah, it is.”

“Speaking of which…”, Luo started, changing the subject. “Now that the concert at the orphanage is done with, what’s next for the ranked 7th hero, Lucky Cyan?”

“Actually, I just found today that my next performance has been booked”, I replied. “I’m going to be performing at a festival for the Qixi Festival.”

“The Qixi Festival?”, Luo repeated, before remembering what it was. “Oh, I remember that! Mrs Zhou would always tell us the story about it. The one about the cow heard and the weaver girl. Do you remember it, Cyan?”

“I do”, I replied. Then, I let out a sad sigh. “I always found that story so sad. I mean, imagine only being able to see the person you love the most once a year?”

“Yeah”, Luo agreed. “But, getting to see them once a year is better than never seeing them at all, isn’t it?”

Hearing this made me smile a bit. “Yeah, it is”, I replied. I then stretched my arms above my head before standing up from the bed. “Anyway, I should probably get some rest. Rehearsals for the Qixi Festival are probably going to start tomorrow?”

“Good call”, Luo said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely”, I replied. “Good night, Luo.”

“Good night, Cyan.”

When I heard Luo greet me, I got a warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest. As I left Queen’s apartment and got in the elevator to get back to my own, I thought back to the story of the cow heard and the weaver girl.

She must’ve felt great pain being separated from the person she loved the most. I knew exactly how she felt, because that’s how I felt when I was separated from Luo.

Luo’s POV

After Cyan left, I thought back to the story of the cow heard and the weaver girl.

I knew exactly how the cow heard felt, because I felt the exact same way when I was separated from Cyan. When I thought about these feelings…it gave me some ideas. I opened up the notebook that was sitting on my bed…and I began writing down some lyrics.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 Luo’s New Song
Luo’s POV

A week later, I was standing in the elevator of Hero’s Tower with a notebook in my hand and my guitar strapped to my back. Once I reached the seventh floor, I walked into Cyan’s apartment and began looking around for her.

“Cyan? Where are you, Cyan?”, I called out to her, but I didn’t get a reply. Then, I heard music coming a dance studio Cyan had in her apartment. I walked to it, opened the door, and found her dancing to Take Off.

She was so concentrated on the dance that she didn’t notice me, and seeing her like that made me smile.

A moment later, Cyan did a turn in her dance; which was when she finally noticed that I was there.

“L…Luo?!”, she said, her cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. “H…how long have you been standing there?”

“A few minutes”, I replied. “I didn’t you know you could dance?”

“I…I started taking lessons”, Cyan replied, her cheeks still pink. “Mickey said that I should learn how to dance so I can add variety to my performances. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Oh. I wanted to show you something”, I replied. “Come with me.”

With this, I led Cyan to the couch. I then sat down on it, before holding my notebook out to her.

“What’s this?”, she asked as she also sat down on the couch and took the notebook from me. 

“Lyrics for a new song I wrote”, I replied.

“You wrote a new song?”, Cyan asked.

“I’ve been wanting to write another song ever since I got out of the orphanage”, I revealed. “And last week, when we were talking about the story of the cow heard and the weaver girl, I got some ideas.”

With this, I picked up my guitar, cleared my throat, and began singing.

Biting my tongue saying, "Don't worry 'bout it",
Truth is, I wanted you to stop for a moment
The distance between you and me is getting bigger now as you pick up pace
And I'm simply watching as you fade away

I wave goodbye as you depart, leaving me far behind
Watching as you get farther away, I can't seem to feel the ground
Fighting back the tears, fighting back the tears and I wish I could finally say,
"Don't go, I need you"

“That’s all I’ve got so far”, I revealed. Before putting my guitar down. “So, what do you th…”, 

Before I finished talking, I looked up at Cyan… and saw that she was crying!

“Cyan?! are you ok…”

Before I could finish talking…I was cut off by Cyan wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a hug.

For a moment…I just sat frozen as Cyan hugged me. “C…Cyan. Are you okay?”

After I asked this, Cyan pulled away from me. She then wiped away her tears, and gave me a smile. “That’s a very beautiful song, Luo.”

“You really think so?”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Cyan replied. Then…she seemed to think of something. “I have an idea!”

With this, Cyan shot up from the couch. She then grabbed my hand and pulled me off of it as well. 

“Cyan, where are we going?”, I asked as she pulled me towards the elevator.

“We’re going to DOS Headquarters!”

Cyan’s POV

We were at DOS Headquarters, and I knocked on Mickey’s door. “Mickey, it’s Cyan!”

“Come in”, Mickey called out. I then opened the door, and walked into his office with Luo.

“Hello, Cyan”, Mickey greeted me, before noticing who was with me. “You brought Luo with you?”

“I did”, I replied, before looking at Luo. “Luo, play Mickey the song you wrote!”

“Huh?!”, Luo said in shock. 

“Luo wrote a song?”, Mickey asked.

“He did”, I replied, before looking at Luo. “Come on, Luo! Play it!”

“Ah…okay”, Luo said. He then unstrapped his guitar from his back, cleared his throat, and played his song.

“What do you think, Mickey?”, I asked him.

“Hmm”, Mickey started as he thought about the song for a moment. “I like it.”

“I knew you would”, I said. “Then, can I perform the song at the Qixi Festival?”

“Huh?!”, Luo said in shock. “That’s why you brought me here?!”

“That depends”, Mickey started. “Luo, would you be able to finish the song in time for the Qixi Festival?”

“Oh…ah…”, Luo started as he thought for a moment. “Yeah, I think so.”

“In that case”, Mickey started “If Luo can finish the song in time for the Qixi Festival, then you can perform it, Cyan.”

“Thank you so much, Mickey!”, I said happily. Then, I grabbed Luo’s hand and pulled him out of the office.

“Cyan, are you sure that this is a good idea?”, Luo asked. 

“Of course!”, I replied. “I mean. You wrote My Color, as well as helped me write Take Off. And both of those are really big hits.”

“That’s true”, Luo said. “But, do you think I’ll be able to finish the song in time for the Qixi Festival?”

“You can do it, Luo! I know you can!”, I encouraged him. “And I’ll help you!”

After I said this, Luo smiled at me. Then, that smile turned into a confident grin. “In that case, what are waiting for! We’ve got a song to finish!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 Don’t Go
Cyan’s POV

The day of the Qixi Festival had arrived, and I was getting ready backstage for my performance. 

“All done!”, my stylist said when she was done with me. “This festival style outfit is a new type of look for you, Cyan. And I think it looks so cute on you!”

“Thank you so much, Mei”, I said. 

“There you are, Cyan!”, Luo said. He then started rushing up to me, but for some reason…he suddenly stopped when he saw me.

“Luo, are you okay?”, I asked him in concern. 

“Ooo! you’re blushing, Luo”, Mei stated teasingly. “I don’t blame you. My expert styling has made Cyan look even more beautiful than she usually does!”

“It’s not that!”, Luo stated, his cheeks turning red. “She just…looks different. That’s all.”

“Whatever you say. Anyway, you guys better get ready. You’re going on soon!”, Mei pointed out. Then, she walked away while waving at us. “Break a leg out there!”

With this, Mei left…leaving Luo and I alone. 

I could feel my cheeks warming up because of what Mei had said earlier. Then, I cleared my throat and spoke up. “So, Luo, are you ready for our performance?”

“I’m ready”, Luo replied confidently. “I just hope that everyone likes our new song.”

“They’re gonna love it!”, I reassured Luo. “I’m sure of it!”

Luo opened his mouth to say something else to me, but he was cut off when someone starting talking from the stage.

“Hey there, everyone! I hope that you are all enjoying the Qixi Festival so far?”, they asked, and the audience cheered. “Well, the night is about to get even better! Because up next, we have a very special guest performing for us! You all know her name, so say it with me now!”

“Lucky Cyan! Lucky Cyan! Lucky Cyan!”, everyone in the audience chanted.

“That’s right”, the announcer said. “Everyone, give it up for the ranked 7th hero, Lucky Cyan!”

With this, Luo and I looked at each other.

“Ready?”, I asked him.

“Ready”, he replied.

With this, I ran onto the stage with Luo following behind me. I waved to the audience as they cheered for me. Then, I held my mic to my mouth and began talking. 

“Hey there, everyone! Thank you all so much for coming to see me tonight!”, I said. Everyone then cheered again, and I took deep breath before continuing to speak. “The Qixi Festival is all about celebrating the love between the cowherd and the weaver girl. To be honest, the story of their love resonates deeply with me…”

After I said this, I turned to face Luo. “Because I know what it’s like to be separated from someone who’s really important to you.”

Luo looked at me in shock when I said this, before smiling at me. I then turned to look back at the audience and continued talking. “Luo and I actually worked on a new song together for tonight. We hope that you all like it. It’s called, Don’t Go.”

With this, everyone cheered as music began playing. Luo began playing his guitar, and after a moment…I began singing.

Biting my tongue saying, "Don't worry 'bout it",
Truth is, I wanted you to stop for a moment
The distance between you and me is getting bigger now as you pick up pace
And I'm simply watching as you fade away

I wave goodbye as the last train departs, leaving me far behind
Watching as it takes you farther away I can't seem to feel the ground
Fighting back the tears, fighting back the tears and I wish I could finally say,
"Don't go, I need you"

(You) fade out of sight in a blink of an eye, leaving me far behind
Wish I could see and follow you there, but the night is falling apart
Fighting back the tears, fighting back the tears and I wish I could finally say,
"Don't go, I need you"

When the fun is over things will go back to the way they were
And I came to know the night'd arrive and always make us hurt
I remember you that day and that I'd never seen those eyes shine like that before
How I wished I could look at you forever

Time passes by in a blink of an eye, carrying me along
The way home is dark and is hard to find, but I guess I'm fine on my own 'cause these
Street lights, they are shining on me and a shadow is all I've got
I'm all alone now

You fade out of sight in a blink of an eye, leaving me far behind
Wish I could see and follow you there, but this crumbling night's all I've got
Fighting back the tears, fighting back the tears and I wish I could finally say,
"Don't go, I need you"

(You) fade out of sight in a blink of an eye, leaving me far behind
Wish I could see and follow you there, but this crumbling night's all I've got
Fighting back the tears, fighting back the tears and I wish I could finally scream,
"Don't go, I need you"

With this, the song came to an end, and everyone in the audience cheered. 

“Thank you all so much, everyone!”, I said. “Tonight, I hope that you’ll be able to look up at the stars with your loved ones! Happy Qixi Festival, everyone!”

With this, the audience cheered as Luo and I went backstage.

“You did great, Cyan”, Luo said. “Like you always do.”

“You did great too, Luo!”, I praised him. “And everyone seemed to really like the song?”

“You think so?”, Luo asked me.

“I do!”, I replied.

“Well, I’m glad then”, Luo replied, before changing the subject. “So…what do you wanna do now that our performance is over? Wanna check out the festival stalls or something?”

“I’d like to”, I started. “But…Ken said that I’ll probably get hounded by fans if I went out into the crowd. So it’s probably best not to?”

Luo didn’t say anything for a moment after I said this. Then…he suddenly smiled, before grabbing onto my hand. 

“Come with me”, he said. Then he started pulling me away.

“Where are we going?”, I asked.

“The whole point of the Qixi Festival is to see the cow heard and the weaver girl reunited, right?”, Luo reminded me. “So, let’s go somewhere where we can see them!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 Looking at the Milky Way Together
Cyan’s POV

Luo had led me to a hill that overlooked the festival. There weren't any other people there, and because we were away from all of the festival lights, we were able to get a pretty clear view of the milky way in the sky above us. 

“Wow”, I said in awe. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Do you remember the first time we looked up at the Milky Way together?”, Luo asked me. 

“I do”, I replied, before thinking back to that moment.

“Where are you taking me, Luo?”, I asked him as he held onto my hand and pulled me through the orphanage. 

“I want to show you something”, Luo replied. Then, he led me to the courtyard and pointed to the sky. “See those two stars up there in the Milky Way? Those stars are called Vega and Altair.”

“Stars have names?”, I asked in shock.

“They do”, Luo replied. “And today, Miss Zhao was telling us a story about those two stars.”

With this, Luo told me the story of the cow herd and the weaver girl. For some reason, the story made me feel really sad.

“And that’s why we now celebrate the Qixi Festival!”, Luo said as he finished his story. He then looked at me, and noticed my sadness. “Hey Cyan, are you okay?”

“I’m okay”, I replied. “It’s just…that story is really sad. I mean, the cow heard and the waver girl only get to see each other once a year.”

For a moment, Luo didn’t say anything. Then, he smiled before speaking up again. “Don’t be sad, Cyan. I mean…getting to see someone once a year is better than never seeing them at all, right?”

Hearing this made me feel better, and I smiled. “Yeah.”

“Good!”, Luo said. Then, he pulled out something from his pocket and held it out to me. “Here!”

With this, I took a closer look at what Luo was holding, and it was a napkin with some type of food on top of it.

“What’s this?”, I asked.

“It’s called Qiao Guo. It’s a type of food that you’re supposed to it during the Qixi Festival”, Luo replied. “Miss Zhao was handing them out earlier, and I managed to nab some extra for you!”

“Won’t you get in trouble for taking extra food without permission?”, I asked Luo in concern.

“Don’t worry about me. I get in trouble all the time!”, Luo reassured me, before quickly changing the subject. “Come on! Try one!”

With this, I took one of the Qiao Guo from Luo. I took a bite out of it, and my eyes lit up.

“Do you like it?”, Luo asked.

“I love it!”, I replied happily.

“I’m glad”, Luo replied with a smile. “Wanna eat the rest with me while we look up at the Milky Way together?”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Luo and I were now sitting on the grass and looking up at the Milky Way as we continued to talk about our past.

“We used to do this every year when the Qixi Festival rolled around”, he pointed out.

“Yeah”, I said. But then…I frowned when I suddenly thought about something else. “Until…we were separated.”

Saying this made me think about something from my past which made me upset, and Luo noticed it.

“You okay, Cyan?”, he asked in concern. “You seem kinda down all of a sudden?”

“Its just…I was thinking about my first Qixi Festival after I ran away from the orphanage”, I revealed. Then, I looked up at the Milky Way, and began telling the story of that night. 

“The streets were busier than usual that day because of the festival, so I got a ton more money than usual from my street performances. Because I had a ton of extra money, I decided to treat myself to some Qiao Guo. But, when I got my portion…it made me think of you.”

Luo didn’t say anything for a moment after I said this. Then, he let out a sigh. “Man, I could really go for some Qiao Guo right now. I haven’t been able to have any for the past couple of Qixi Festivals.”

“You haven’t? Why?”, I asked.

“The dean wouldn’t let me after you ran away from the orphanage”, Luo replied. “He wouldn’t even let me out of my room to look at the Milky Way.”

“He didn’t?”, I asked, feeling guilty that Luo went through that because of me.

“Yeah”, Luo replied. “But luckily, I was still able to see the Milky Way from my room. When I looked up at it, I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if Cyan is looking at the Milky Way too right now?”

“I…thought the exact same thing about you”, I revealed, before looking at the ground. “The Qixi Festival is all about spending time with those who are important to you. But…I wasn’t able to spend it with you for a couple of years.”

After I said this, I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. But then…I felt Luo grab onto my hand, so I looked up to face him.

“It’s okay, Cyan”, he reassured me. “We’re together again, just like the cow heard and the weaver girl. But luckily, we don’t just get to spend one day once a year together.”

Hearing this made me happy, and I smiled. “You’re right!”, I said. Then, I grabbed onto Luo’s other hand. “Luo, from now on, let’s spend as much time as we can together!”

“You sure about that?”, Luo asked me teasingly. “You’re not going to get sick of me at some point, are you?”

“I’d never get sick of you, Luo”, I reassured him. Then, I wrapped my arms around him.

He froze up for a moment, before hugging me back. After staying like this for a moment, we pulled away from each other, and smiled.

“Okay”, he said, before standing up. “All that talk about Qiao Guo really made me in the mood for some. Wanna go get…”

Before Luo could finish speaking…we suddenly heard screaming coming from the festival!

“What’s going on?”, I asked. I then quickly stood up and looked at the festival. When I did…I saw stalls being flung around as people ran away screaming!

“What the hell is going on?”, Luo asked.

“I don’t know, but I’d better take a look”, I said. Then, I grabbed onto Luo’s hand. “Come on, Luo. Let’s go!”