Willow here;

Two chapters in one month! Surprise! My new year's resolution was to write more consistently, you guys and hold me to it. I'm positive we will have varying success through out the year but over all I hope to work harder. Well hear is chapter ten folks. I hope you like it! -^_^-

Hikari's PoV

"Ok so I got a little turned around," I said defensively, "You don't need to read too much into it."

I stared up at the dark silhouette of the tall steeple looming over the entire plaza. During the day the church always seemed like such a peaceful and welcoming place, like a shelter from heart ache, a place offering a brief reprieve from the toils of the everyday. Now that it was dark I was left with a completely different, more ominous impression.

"Hikari are you even listening to me?!" Finn practically screeched in a high pitched voice. Apparently he had been going on about something while I was spacing out.

"Hey Finn do you hear something?" I asked curiously tilting my head in the direction of the church, it was a soft muffled sound but it sounded like…..crying?

"Oh no it's worse than I thought!" Finn cried out thrashing his little arms about in panic, "You're hallucinating! Hikari we need to get you home NOW!"

"No!" I insisted, "Finn stop screaming a minute and listen! Someone is crying in the church."

"Hikari the church is empty this time of night," Finn insisted as he started tugging on my shirt in a vain attempt to drag me in the direction of home, "There is nobody in there for you to hear crying!"

Suddenly I felt a chill run up my spine, "So you mean…..it's a ghost?" I whispered in a timid voice, "Like a spectral beginning bound to earth by some unknown lamination that causes uncontrollable weeping in the middle of the night?"

Finn looked at me suddenly confused, "Hikari…." He said looking at me pitiably, "You're head isn't on straight…."

"Forget that!" I shouted suddenly breaking into a run, "Let's get the heck out of here!" I wasn't going to stick around in the vicinity of a ghost, who knows what could happen. I began bounding down the hill and making my way back through town.

"Wait Hikari!" I could vaguely here Finn shouting out after me, "Be careful or you'll get hurt!"

Too late, I wasn't paying any attention and I slammed right into something and toppled to the ground.

"Ouch… That was graceful." I reprimanded myself dryly, "But what'd I hit?"

"Me…." I heard a familiar expressionless voice answer in the dark from under me. I could feel the blood drain from my face.

"Hikari I told you to be careful!" I heard Finn crying as he finally caught up to me, "It's dark and you're really not in any condition to be doing anything reckless!" Seeing the state I was in Finn stopped short and switched channels immediately, "Hello Wizard!" he said cheerfully.

Wizard's PoV

I had finally managed to clean up all traces of the horrifying mess from my house. After several very strong spells I'd even managed to get rid of the smell, but no matter what I did I couldn't remove the image of all those slimy things crawling all over every inch of everything from my mind. I would reach for a book only to picture in my mind's eye the hapless octopus that had been residing there only hours before. I would go to pour myself some coffee only to wonder if this had been the mug that had housed the squirming squid. My house had become a mine field of fresh reminders of things best forgotten; I had to get out and get some fresh air.

I waited until it was very late when everyone in town would be asleep. Quietly I stepped through my front door and out into the crisp night of early autumn. I breathed a sigh of relief, it was beginning to get stifling inside the house. Carefully navigating through the shadows I made my way out onto the main street…. And was instantly mowed down by an unseen force….. Both I and my tackler tumbled down onto the ground in an unceremonious heap. Much to my dismay, I ended up taking the brunt of the fall.

"Ouch…. That was graceful," I heard a familiar voice say in a self-mocking tone, "But what'd I hit?"

"Me….." I answered her rhetorical question.

How….unfortunate, to run into to her of all people. She wreaked of alcohol and she seemed bleary eyed and unfocused. Evidently she was drunk, but what was she doing out at such an hour? She was staring at me, pale faced and unmoving, making no effort to remove herself from on top of me. This promised to be troublesome.

Just then the little harvest sprite flew after her calling out for her to be careful when he noticed me, "Hello Wizard!" He called to me cheerfully.

I nodded silently in response, then I turned my attention back the farm girl, "Could you…" I began to ask.

She suddenly jolted in surprise as if realizing just now the position she was in "Oh." She said and began move to get up, but then she seemed to change her mind for some unthinkable reason, "No!" she shouted and then remained put fixing a stubborn child-like glare on me.

"Hiakri," the harvest sprite called out helplessly, "What are you doing?"

"If I get up he's going to run away and lock himself up in that stupid house of his again!" She insisted angrily.

The sprite and I both looked at her in surprise. So that explained all the knocks at my door lately. Had she been coming around to check if it was unlocked?

"I'm sorry Wizard…" The sprite said helplessly, Hikari is," he paused a moment to find a delicate way to describe her clearly inebriated state, "not herself right now."

She just stared me down unapologetically as if daring me to try and leave. I let out a heavy sigh; as I predicted, troublesome. Still, I couldn't leave her alone like this, she was likely to tumble into a river or over a cliff in her current state and one little harvest sprite would not be able to curb the actions of this currently willful farm girl.

"I'd better help you….get her home…." I said looking at the harvest sprite, pushing the girl off of me and moving to stand up. "Come on….Hikari…."

As if she had forgotten completely about her earlier stance on not moving she quickly got up and began following behind me, a foolish grin on her face.

"What are you…doing out…..so late?" I asked the two of them as we resumed our way through town.

"Well…" The harvest sprite began but she quickly cut him off running up ahead and turning around to face me.

"It's planting day!" She announced happily, "So I went to the bar, but…." She trailed off and stared down at her feet for a moment before continuing, "I think we got a little carried away this season." She grinned foolishly, "Then I got turned around and then I ran into you!" she giggled then, "Literally!"

I merely nodded in response, but she seemed to need no assistance keeping up the conversation on her own.

"I don't go to the brass bar much," she continued, "Too much work to be done and gold to be saved to be able to spend the time and money, but every once in a while a person has to let loose or they'll explode!" She clapped her hands together then waved her arms about as if too mimic said explosion.

She seemed to be enjoying herself as she clumsily skipped about; the sound of her feet hitting the cobble road echoing off the empty streets. She danced carelessly through the shadowy illumination of the dim street lights, evidently oblivious to that fact that people were sleeping and might be awoken by her antics. I watched in dismay as she pranced around without a care in the world. Then suddenly as if she had remembered something, she stopped short, the foolish grin fell from her face and her shoulders sagged in a note of defeat.

"But," she said in a hoarse whisper, "I wonder if I can really afford such things." She looked up at the sky as if asking a question, "I don't know that I've done enough to rest yet, but it's like I'm so busy running rampant I've missed something important along the way."

She looked uncharacteristically melancholy then, like the shadow that always seemed to exist behind her smiles had finally taken over her countenance. I was again met with that strange nagging feeling that turned my insides. She really did worry too much for her own good.

She turned her gaze from the stars to look back at me and smiled weakly, "Forget what I said just now; I spoke too much." She gave a self-deprecating laugh, "When the other party is silent I have a bad habit of saying too much just to fill the silence. So just forget everything and pretend this never happened ok?"

She smiled flawlessly then, as if to wash away any memory of the earlier gloominess she had unwittingly betrayed. Had I only just met her, and not had the benefits of all the countless observations I had made in all of our brief encounters, I might have been fooled by such things. I was not fooled however, and she could not so easily take back what she had revealed. I stared after her in silence as she resumed her skipping as we crossed over the stone bridge and left town for the dirt roads of the more rural side of Castanet.

"Worrying isn't it?" I heard a small voice whisper from beside me. I turned to see the orange sprite with a knowing expression on his face, "She smiles like that all the time, but sometimes she'll get really quiet and start looking depressed. She won't say a word to me though," A sad and hurt expression fixed on his face, "no matter how often I ask. She doesn't want to burden anybody with her troubles but," he sniffled softly, "she's gone and taken everyone else's on to herself."

I wasn't sure what to say or why the sprite was even telling me all of this, I followed his surprisingly serious and mature gaze over to the still foolishly skipping farm girl ahead of us, "She just opened up to you though." he said, "Even if it was only little; it's still more than she's ever done with anyone. I don't know if it was just because she's been drinking but I think, with time, she might talk to you about those things she's thinking about when she goes quiet around everyone else."

I went to shake my head, to explain that such a task was not one I was suited to. That was certainly more involved than I wanted to get, hadn't I just made the decision to shut myself away again? No after this I fully intended to continue on the path I had decided on, spending my days behind that firmly locked door. This whole meeting was an unfortunate accident and I would be more careful to avoid such encounters in the future. I was going to refuse but Finn suddenly fixed a very stern gaze on me.

"For Hikari's sake, I won't let you say no!" He said taking on a very protective tone, "For whatever reason, she decided to open up to you, and she really needs someone to talk to. She's taken on a great deal for all of us."

He trailed of looking again towards the girl still oblivious to the conversation taking place behind her. She was singing now; some sort of silly nonsense children's song about watermelons growing and a forbidden bay. The sprite's gaze showed his deep care and affection for his companion.

"We all owe her too much for you to say no;" his hurt expression returned again to his tiny features he began to cry, "I would do it if I could, but she won't talk to me." He sniffled, "So I'm leaving it to you."

Then he flew on ahead still crying and sobbing loudly. He didn't even allow me the luxury of a reply. Evidently, I was to have no say in the matter. It was odd feeling to have just been ordered around by a harvest sprite. My previous experience with the creatures had never revealed anywhere near the depth and maturity the orange clad sprite had just demonstrated. Sprites where the essence of childlike innocence captured and preserved forever, loving, kind, easily swept up by emotions, but always simplistic and innocent but, I had thought before that this sprite was not like his fellows. Perhaps there was more to that tiny creature than met the eye but one thing was now for certain, if it was for her sake, he'd do anything.

I watched silently while the sobbing sprite flew over to his farm girl and buried if face into her soft hair still sniffling. She stopped her foolish gallivanting and placed a comforting hand around him. "What's wrong Finn?" She asked worriedly.

"Nothing," he sniffled, "I just have something in my eye."

She smiled sweetly at him and gently patted his tiny head with her finger tip, "Ok Finn," she said softly, "we're almost home." She looked up at me questioningly and I just shrugged my shoulders in response. Just then we'd finally arrived in front of her rundown little farm. She turned to face me her tiny companion resting on her shoulder.

"Now don't get the wrong idea or anything," she said firmly, "I'm not completely helpless and unable to take care of myself." She insisted as she opened the door, "I appreciate you walking me home but I would have been fine even if you hadn't. I'm NOT helpless." She stated again as if she were desperately trying to convince me. "Well good night." She said quickly before abruptly closing the door behind her.

I stared at her front door a moment letting everything that had just happened sink in. Then I felt a small smile creep onto my face. No matter how stubbornly she may have insisted, the truth was she couldn't take care of herself, wasn't I always finding her in one predicament or another? Even if I tried I probably couldn't bring myself to leave her alone. I didn't know about making her open up to me or anything like that but it was true that what she was doing was important to the lives of everyone here in Castanet and if left alone I worried just what sort of trouble she might get herself into. I shook my head slowly, a strange sensation of weary amusement came over me; she certainly was a strange and troublesome girl…

Hikari's PoV

I woke the next morning with a pounding headache and a terrible feeling in my stomach. The bright and intense light of day pouring from my windows onto my face had woken me up and as soon as my head cleared enough to realize what it meant I felt an over whelming sense of panic. I had slept in!

"Finn why didn't you wake me?!" I exclaimed jumping out of bed in a hurry. The moment I did so I instantly regretted it, an intense unbearable pain shot through my head causing me to tear at my hair in panic. After a moment the worst of it went away and I was able to manage to squeak out a few words, "Oh that's why…"

"You drank too much Hikari." Finn chided me zipping around my head as he did so, "I figured I'd let you sleep."

I winced slightly from the pain that incessant buzz coming from Finn's wings brought me. "What time is it? I was almost afraid to ask.

Finn grabbed his chin in thought, "About 10 o'clock or so I think."

I felt myself pale, "That late?" I groaned, "Oh man I'm so behind it's not even funny!" I got up, slowly this time, grabbed my tools and made my way out the door. There would be no time for coffee this morning.

Stepping out in the morning light I squinted as a fresh jolt of pain hit my head causing my stomach to turn dangerously. This was going to be a very miserable morning. I decided to start with the livestock as they had already been made to wait too long this morning. As soon as I walked into the barn both Rosie and Fluffy began making all sorts of unholy noise doubling my misery.

"I know, I know." I said impatiently, "I'm getting right on it but Hikari has a headache so could you guys be nice animals and maybe be quiet for me?"

Rosie just stared at me uncomprehendingly and mooed yet again louder and more insistently this time.

"Okay, okay I get it." I snapped grabbing at my poor head, "I'm hurrying already. You pushy cow." I stuck my tongue out indignantly at Rosie as I made my way to the back of the barn for some fodder to feed the ungrateful beasts. "You know I'm beginning to think I've been spoiling you guys too much," I told Fluffy and Rosie crankily as I laid out the fresh fodder for them, "You get breakfast late one time in all your time with me and you're all in a huff."

Both animals ignored my complaints and greedily dug into their food. I sighed in defeat, deep down I did feel guilty after all it was my fault for being so reckless last night. I set about giving them both a good brushing before milking Rosie and heading over to the chicken coop. If I was running behind this morning the chickens certainly didn't notice it. They were much the same as they always are, it's too bad they are always noisy things. By time I had finished taking care of them all I wanted to do was to find some hole to crawl into and die.

"I still have to water the crops yet," I lamented pulling out my watering can, "Finn why didn't you try and stop me from drinking so much last night?" I whined shamelessly.

Finn shook his small head at me, "I can't be blamed for your actions Hikari." He said in a stern little voice, "But I did warn not to drink so much last night, you simply wouldn't listen."

"I get the feeling I did lots of things I should feel embarrassed about." I said holding my head pitiably as flashes of everything that happened went through my head all at once, it didn't feel like I couldn't remember last night just that things were all sort of jumbled up together inside my head. "I was pretty drunk last night huh?"

Finn nodded his head but offered no other illuminations, apparently, I was on my own in that regard. Heaving a heavy sigh, I lifted the watering can and set to work on the fields, luckily there weren't really any weeds yet to I was spared that difficult task but since I had planted more crops than ever before just watering everything was no easy task. By time I finished it was well past noon and I was exhausted.

I went back inside and poured myself some water and sat down at my little table contemplating just what I should do with the rest of my day. It being so late in the day and me feeling so ill I was half tempted to call the day a complete wash and just crawl back into bed and try again tomorrow, but the coin counter in me refused to accept such an answer, besides I would probably feel better soon, the worst of it was already past. Still I doubted I could manage anything too strenuous today. Fishing, collecting lumber, and mining were all off the agenda today.

Suddenly my thoughts turned to the cabinet full of unrefined ores and wonderfuls I kept forgetting to take up to Mira at accessory store. That would certainly be a productive way to spend the day. Last I checked I had plenty of gold to pay the fee and with any luck there were a few gems in amongst them that could yield high profits. Then if worst came to worst if I still felt bad I could always come right back home and rest.

"Ok!" I said triumphantly as I finished the last of my water, "We have a plan!"

"What plan Hikari?" Finn asked curiously.

"I'm going to go get the ores and wonderfuls refined." I explained to Finn as I moved over to the cabinet and put all the ores and wonderfuls into my rucksack, "We haven't done it in a while and it's overdue. I was starting to run out of room in here."

"Are you going to be able to carry all that Hikari?" Finn worried, "Maybe we should make two trips."

"It should be fine," I reassured him, "Plus two trips takes too much time."

After loading up my rucksack I headed back out the door and made my way into the Garmon Mine District. I rarely seemed to have business in that part of Castanet outside of going into the actual mines or visiting the Goddess Spring so it felt like I rarely saw the people who lived there outside of Owen and Luke who I would see occasionally at the bar.

As I passed the carpenter shop I noticed Dale was outside playing with Boss. The dog look very happy to be getting some much needed attention and exercise. I waved to the happy looking pair and Dale gave a friendly wave back. How nice to have a pet, one of these days I should look into having one. As I came into the more populated part of the mining district I ran into Chloe who was running about playing.

"Hi Hikari!" She called out energetically causing a pulse of pain in my head, "I haven't seen you in a while, we must keep missing each other, are you off to the mines again today?"

I shook my head and opened my rucksack to reveal all the ores and wonderfuls, "Nope I'm taking the spoils into the accessory shop to get them refined today." I told her excitedly feeling a little like a pirate with a sack full of treasure.

"Whoa! That's a lot!" Chloe exclaimed, "Did you get all those yourself? I bet even Owen hasn't dragged that many in before!"

"Well," I said bashfully, "It's not like I got all of these in one trip." I explained, "I just sort of keep forgetting to take them in."

Chloe suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, "You're surprisingly ditsy Hikari." She said happily already running off to continue her playing, "Well good luck with your ores I hope there's a few gems in there!"

"Me too!" I called out to her as I walked up to the door of the accessory shop. I swung up the door and walk into the tiny little shop to find Julius sitting like always looking bored behind the counter with premade accessories in it and Mira behind a counter more to the right. I walked up to Mira with a smile. "I've got another load for you today." I said as I began pulling out the ores.

"You've been busy." Mira said with a note of approval, "You remember my rate don't you?" She asked.

I nodded my head, "35 per item right?"

Mira nodded and set right to work on what I brought her. As I had expected most the wonderfuls turned out to be glass but there were a few gems amongst them and I also walked away with a decent amount of iron and copper, no luck on the silver but I did manage to get a couple gold. All and all it was a satisfying hull. I pulled out my coin purse and paid Mira before loading up my prizes and heading out towards the shipping bin at the mine entrance.

As I left I noticed Julius walking out behind me, I glanced behind me curious. Julius flashed me one of his coy grins and began to explain, "It's about break time." He said simply, "I'm going out to enjoy the autumn day and some fresh air."

I nodded silently in response and continued on my way, Julius was what you might call artistically eccentric. When we first met not too long ago his appearance and mannerisms had been a little shocking. After a while though the shock wore off and I was able to begin to see the person underneath all that loud jewelry and clothing. In truth I was pretty sure the only thing the two of us had in common though was our shared fondness for Candace. Too bad for Julius in his case the fondness was not returned. Still he wasn't a bad guy, a little odd, but then again we are were a little odd in our own right.

Once outside I quickly made my way over to the shipping bin running into Owen at the entrance to the Garamond Mines. He looked a little worse for wear, not quite his usual sunny self but I still imagined he looked worlds better than me. I offered him a little wave as I began to open the lid to the shipping bin.

"Jeeze Hikari you look horrible!" Owen called out grinning and giving me a hardy slap on the back.

I gave Owen a mild glare, "Thanks Owen, that's just what every girl wants to hear." I said sarcastically, "Not all of us can bounce back from a night like last night so easily."

Owen scratched the back of his head bashfully, "Actually even I'm still feeling the effects of last night a little," He said, "I think we may have gotten a little carried away. Cheer up though you're still doing better than Luke."

I deposited the last of the ores into the shipping bin and turned to Owen raising an eyebrow, "Oh?" I asked intrigued.

"Yeah he's been keeping himself locked in a dark room all day." Owen laughed.

I giggled a little, "If I remember correctly he was in pretty bad shape when you two left."

Just then Julius came up to us and joined in on the conversation, "What's this now?" He asked gleefully evidently hoping to pick up a little gossip.

"We were just talking about how we probably had too much fun last night." I said to Julius.

"Luke even more so than the rest of us." Owen laughed.

"Is that why you all look so awful today?" Julius smirked, "Just how much drinking did you guys do?"

I smiled awkwardly, "Well more than a few." I said vaguely, "Quite frankly I couldn't tell you how much I had."

"Neither can I," Owen said lightly, "But I had enough that I started to think I could hear that Church ghost everyone has been talking about."

Julius laughed, "Don't be ridiculous," he said, "That rumor is pure nonsense, people have probably been hearing the wind or something right Hikari? Hikari?"

I felt myself go pale as I suddenly remembered many of the events of the night before more clearly. "It's not just a rumor." I said gravely, "I've heard it too; somebody was crying in the church."

"Yeah," Owen said suddenly agreeing with me, "Like a weeping sob. I thought I was hearing things but you heard it too Hikari?"

I nodded quickly, "I didn't know there were any rumors about the church being haunted." I said quickly, "But I definitely heard someone crying. What are people saying about the church?" I asked curiously.

Julius shrugged his shoulders, "Just that there is ghost in the church or some such nonsense." He answered with a bored expression, "I don't know much; ghost stories never really interested me much." He said lightly, "You might want to try and ask some of the ladies around town, don't girls love this sort of thing?"

"I'm not sure about that," I answered, "But you're right that if anything is going on it's the people in town who are most likely to be talking about it. I think I'll ask around town, maybe I should get to the bottom off this ghost story."

"Good luck Hikari," Owen said lightly and we all quickly went our separate ways.

After Julius and Owen were gone I turned to Finn and gave him a questioning look, "You didn't hear anything last night did you?"

The little sprite shook his head quickly, "No I was pretty focused on you at the time though Hikari." Finn said, "You weren't acting like yourself and I was really worried."

"So you are saying that just because you didn't hear it, doesn't mean it didn't happen?" I pressed.

Finn grabbed his chin and thought a bit, "No I don't think it's impossible that you actually heard something." Finn answered, "What are you thinking Hikari?"

"I don't know." I said simply, "Something about all this seems odd to me and anything odd around here is usually worth looking into. Who knows we could pick up something useful. What do you say we look into it?"

"Lead the way Hikari!" Finn said happily, "I'm right behind you!"

Smiled warmly then. Good old Finn; always behind me one hundred percent.