Diaphanous | Hua Cheng X Reader X Xie Lian

Chapter 9: Reunions

Hand in hand with the little girl, (Y/N) had begun trekking through the forest, towards the trees which had begun to thin out. The sunlight, which was once dim, had begun to light, allowing for the leaves to leave behind their shadows, which had started to mix with the shadows of trees that were disappearing.

“You know, this is my favorite time of day” (Y/N) pipes up over the silence “Well this or sunrise”

“How come?” Curious round eyes stare up at her. (Y/N) looks down at the girl, her smile growing large.

“Well a sunrise is a new beginning and new ending, while sunset means the end of a day, and a new and possibly better day is to come” She replies, her smile never leaving as she bounces in her steps. She makes eye  contact with the little girl.

“You know why I’m sharing this?” She asks. The girl shakes her head, holding eye contact, but also never releasing her hand.

"This sunrise is the start of a new beginning!" She cheers by throwing an arm in the air "We will do what we can to help you find your answer!"

The girl's bottom lip quivers, as she looks away from the older girl, staring at the grass below their feet. (Y/N) feels the girl's grip tight slightly and turns her attention to her.

Stopping in her steps, she crouches down to her level, holding her arms gently.

"How do we know your friend will help?" The girl questions, a seed of doubt now planted in her brain.

"If he says no, then I'll figure it out on my own!" (Y/N) reassures.

Her smile had disappeared. She stared at the small girl in front of her. Her lips turned downward at the younger girl's demeanor, her small frail figure shaking slightly.

Without hesitation, she pulls the child into a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder. Rubbing reassuring circles on her back, (Y/N) could only hold her eyes shut tight, her heart aching at the cries escaping the ghost's lips. The cries felt all too familiar to her, but it was her heart which closed out those feelings. She could never wish it upon a child and could only comfort her instead.

Once the girl had calmed down, (Y/N) leaned back "Ready to keep going?"

Wiping away her tears the girl gave her a determined nod. No more words had to be uttered as the two continued their journey through the forest.

Upon reaching a clearing, (Y/N) could feel her pace slow. In front of them stood someone clad in all white. A straw hat rests on his back, with bandages covering his arm and neck.

"Xie Lian?"

With his name uttered, he turned to the source. Coming face to face with familiar E/C eyes, his shoulders lowered slightly as his brows relaxed, a content sigh escaping his lips. Putting his arms in his sleeve, he approaches the two.

"You know, if you don't want to be found, you know how to hide yourself well." He sighs finally coming to a stand in front of her.

A small breeze flutters through the air as she offers a shy smile, raising a hand to gently scratch the side of her cheek. She glances away, breaking the eye contact "Well, that was sort of the point…"

"I'm just glad to have finally found you" He smiles, his eyes crinkling slightly. He dropped his arms down, giving her a once over "You're not hurt, right?"

"No, why would I be?" She quirks an eyebrow, curious at the sudden question.

Xie Lian releases an awkward laugh waving her off. "It was nothing, I wanted to check and make sure since it has been quite some time…"

"Well yes…" (Y/N) pauses as she feels a tug at her sleeve. She spots the small girl hiding behind her, staring at Xie Lian with her lips pressed into a thin line. Her tiny button nose was crinkled, with slightly narrow eyes.

"Oh right, the reason I wished to be found" She starts stepping aside to reveal the girl. Xie Lian's eyes widen slightly as he glances between the child and (Y/N).

"She's not…" He cuts himself off, not wanting to finish his train of thought aloud.

"Good heavens no!" (Y/N) caught on quickly, a blush coating her cheeks. "A friend of mine had found her and brought her to me. I wanted to see if you could help"

"It depends…" Xie Lian hesitates. He's learned from far too many experiences, it's better to hear out the job before taking it. Some reason the small tasks he would get would end up being more than he could handle. Hopefully this wasn't one of them.

"The girl wishes to find her parents," (Y/N) briefly recalls.

Okay, so not too difficult was all Xie Lian could think. Before he could speak, another question popped up in his head.

"What's her name?"

"Oh…good question"

"..."

Had she really been traveling with this child and not once thought of asking for a name? He knew she would never force it out of someone, as it was similar when they first met, but it seemed as though this time she simply didn't ask.

"My name is Dai Lu" The little girl pipes up, breaking the silent stare between the older ones.

"It seems simple enough…" Xie Lian starts nodding towards Dai Lu in acknowledgement "I'll help"

(Y/N) jumps up in joy, throwing her arms in the air with cheer "Thank goodness, I don't think I could've managed alone"

"But you said-" Dai Lu starts but is cut off by (Y/N) who hushed her

"I know I said I would help no matter what, I meant it would've been more difficult alone" She corrects her before any negative doubt could flourish in the child's mind.

"You said she was looking for her parents, right?" Xie Lian asks "Do we have anyone in particular in mind? Has anyone been looking for her?"

"I'm dead" Dai Lu deadpans at the adult, "No one is looking for me"

Xie Lian feels a bead of sweat roll down his temple. Perhaps he should've asked for more information before fully agreeing. He knew it was too late to back out now, he could only hope it would be a quick case.

"If anything, we just want to find someone who could be her parents, figure out how she passed and why, and if she will be missed," (Y/N) adds up, pointing at her fingers for each goal she mentioned.

"I don't think this will be totally easy" She trails off. Xie Lian perks up, a spark of interest in his eyes, as a smile graces his lips.

"I think I have an idea of someone who could help us even more" Xie Lian motions for Dai Lu and (Y/N) to follow.

"Who?" (Y/N) perks up in interest, staring at the man before her. Her shoulders slump slightly at his next words, an unknown ache in her chest, which she shrugged off as nervousness at meeting someone new.

"My lover, Hua Cheng." He smiles. Dai Lu seemed to tense up in fear with mention of the name, but (Y/N) could only tilt her head in curiosity at where the situation would lead them.

"I think it's time we visit the ghost realm"