✔️Spirited Away by The Light

Chapter 18- So Tired

It was becoming worse.

More and more spirits began to vanish. More and more uneasy days of sleep.

But now, I felt like I was seeing things. I saw eyes. Eyes watching me from the dark spots in the Aburaya. Eyes trailing after my every step and eyes, never closing.

But every time I focused on these eyes, they vanished just like the spirits did.

After what happened three days ago with the vision of Akujo. Haku and I were on high alert. The Aburaya, was patrolled day and night by the both of us, we hadn't slept in days and little Kiseki was never out of our sight. It was too risky. This was all to risky. But what could we do? Nothing. Nothing but sit and wait like ducks in a pond.

My patience was wearing thin.

The dawn was approaching, black circles had begun to form beneath my eyes due to the tiredness me and Haku both suffered from. I looked at the the pendant that stayed clasped around my neck, my eyebrows furrowed at it. There was detail in the charm I had not noticed before.

The dragon was holding a tiny golden scroll.

I sighed and hid it behind my kimono, in search of Haku in this bathhouse, I had better things to worry about.

I found him mopping the floors as customers filed out through the doors. He helped the spirits clean the house after a long nights work, then he would patrol with me. I would stay near Kiseki and the Haku would circle the house. It was routine by now.

He saw me approaching and leaned his mop against a door frame. He strode towards my tired form and grasped my body against his own. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face against his chest. "I'm so tired Haku" I mumbled against his skin, to which he only began to stroke my back. "I know love, I know." He guided us towards a soft chair and sat down. Holding me in his embrace, he let out a long shaky breath.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this Y/N"

My head snapped towards him, confusion written across it like a story. "Darling, what do you mean?"

"If you had never met me... maybe you could of met some nice guy in Tokyo. Maybe a rich business man and had kids to heir his company. But... I can't help but feel like I'm tying you down" Haku looked down at my legs and sighed, now leaning his head back against the wall. "I can't thank you enough for giving me a family. For saving me. Even when Yubaba was beating the living day lights out of me, you cleaned and bandaged my wounds. And you gave me a daughter. You gave me you. I... I don't know what I did to deserve this"
Hakus eyes began to well, without shame I allowed my own tears to fall freely.

"Haku. It was no mistake that I met you" I stared right back at him fiercely, "You must understand that, I was not happy in the human world. I was miserable. I hated the routine of sleep, shower, breakfast, work, sleep and repeat." I placed my hands on his shoulders and put my legs either side of his hips, straddling him. "At least here, my home, it has an adventure. Nothing is ever the same. And I have you. I have Kiseki. And that's enough" Haku smiles, still not allowing his tears to fall but his eyes remain glassy. He chuckled and ran a hand down my arm. "I bet... I could fit the whole world into my hands" I chuckle,"Haku darling that's impossi-" he cupped my face in his hands and brought his lips to my own, pressing a kiss to them. After a while, I leaned against him fully as the sun began to shine through the windows and the lights switched off. The abandoned fair grounds, once again looked haunted. I stared at his eyes, such an intense blue. I thanked whatever God was listening for him, for Kiseki. For my home.

"Come on Y/N, we better get going" he gave a sympathetic smile and walked towards the door, I followed suit. We stood in the morning sun, staring out at the green grass and blue skies. "I'm going to keep an eye on things inside, can you fly around and make sure no one gets in?" I looked to him and he nodded, already shifting to his dragon. He nuzzled me once before leaping into the sky to keep watch.

I walked back inside and shifted, my small paws silent and long neck brought down to duck beneath door frames.

Already, four hours had passed. I could barely see I was so exhausted but as I rounded a corner a pulsing white light erupted before me, shining through Lin's door. I bound towards it, crashing through the doors only to find an empty bed. I looked back and forth in panic, "Lin!?" I roared. My eyes wide in fear, I sprint back to Kiseki. Within moments I skid to a halt outside her door and stick my horned head in.

She's asleep and safe.

A crash comes from down the hall and I hear footsteps running towards me. Haku too, comes to a halt beside our daughters door. "I heard a crash and saw a light. What happened?" He looked up into my gaze with my now towering height. "Lin is gone. She has vanished" Hakus eyes widened and he looked towards Kiseki.

"That means they vanish during the day, did you see anybody run?" I shook my head. "When I got there the room was empty only for her bed and messed up sheets" Haku ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "We need to talk to Zeniba. She will know what to do" "Can we risk leaving the Aburaya?" "Its a risk we have to take. We can bring Kiseki to the marsh, she will be safe with them". I nodded looking back to my daughter.

"Then lets go"

A/N

Woop! Another chapter out and ready. This story is almost at an end!! I'll be so sad to say goodbye to it 😭

-AA