it has been said that past directors of wangsheng funeral parlor pass on leaving behind no regrets in the mortal realm; that all of them have led happy and satisfying lives and you would see none of them lingering at the border.
why then, does the vigilant yaksha see the ghost of the seventy-seventh director every night at wuwang hill? the question lingers at the back of his mind every time he goes to visit the peculiar mortal that did nothing but annoy him throughout her short mortal life.
he sees her now as he makes his way to the hill, sitting on top of the usual boulder, that cheeky smile plastered on her face as usual. and, as usual, a flicker of pain passes through him as he looks at the youthful face of the former funeral director. even now the memory of being too late to save her haunts him. he can still remember the tired look in zhongli's eyes as yet another close friend leaves him.
"nobody would care if i die," she had told him once. "everybody hates me."
(but there was pain in the eyes of those who once considered her an annoyance. he still remembers the way the wanmin chef sobbed during her funeral rites.)
he reaches the peak of the hill, taking the space beside the girl (he refuses to call her a ghost.)
this time for sure, he thinks. i will ask what's keeping her from crossing over.
"tonight's a beautiful night, doncha think?" his companion asks as she hugs her legs, eyes of crimson focused on the night sky above. the yaksha only gives her a grunt in response but it seems enough for his usually talkative companion.
"it's a nice evening for ghostly pranks!" she giggles, eyes alight with humor. "i wonder if i should go visit xiangling and xinyan… hmmm but they might call chongyun on me. aiya~ bad idea. and xingqiu isn't afraid of ghosts. hmmm..."
xiao only half-listened to hu tao's sinister planning, golden eyes never leaving the corporeal figure. once again scenes from that night flash through his eyes; the scent of burning trees all around them, the sound of more than a dozen primo geovishaps trampling the earth, and the sight of golden butterflies, of fire stronger than ever burning in front of him. he tried to reach out to her, scream at her to come back but she only looked back with her mischievous grin. her mouth opened to say something but the roar of the vishaps kept him from hearing her…
hu tao notices the silence her companion provides (much more than usual) and decides to beat around the bush no longer.
"what's on your pretty little mind, o vigilant yaksha?" she asks, lip curling slightly at the corners.
the yaksha in question frowns at the slight jest but his face smoothens just as quickly. attention turns from the translucent figure to the effervescent moon. it took him awhile to respond.
"why are you here, hu tao?"
"isn't it part of our nightly routine to talk like this?"
"but why are you still here? why haven't you crossed over like the rest of your ancestors? what is keeping you here?"
"from your tone of voice it sounds like you want to push me away."
the unexpected hint of sadness surprised xiao. his attention shifts from the moon back to (his) butterfly as she hugs her legs closer to her. if there is sadness in her eyes he could not see them.
he unclenches his jaw, ready to unleash a string of apologies, but the woman beside him beats him to it.
hu tao raises her eyes once again, moonlight passing through her translucent figure.
"it's true that no director from wangsheng funeral parlor has lingered this long before. or lingered at all. i guess i'm just built different!" she lets out a snicker before continuing. "i just have one unfinished business is all."
the adeptus waited for any further explanation but it seems hu tao isn't in favor of giving him more information. instead, the butterfly only gives him another mischievous smile (so reminiscent of the one she gave him before she left that it shot pain to his very core) as she opens her mouth to voice out her own question.
"are you this eager to help me because you feel bad about what happened?"
her only reply comes in the form of clenched fists. hu tao chuckles, the movement not escaping her. she stands up, dusts her clothes, and then moves to stand in front of the adeptus. all the while xiao has his eyes trained on her.
"silly xiao," she tells him as she leans down. translucent hands move to cup his face but xiao can only feel cold where he should feel her warmth. "there's no need to feel guilty for what happened. it's not your fault i never listened to you, is it?"
his eyes of gold stare into her crimson, so beautiful even underneath the moonlight. the air around him smells of peach blossoms and xiao wishes he could hold onto this woman.
"smile for me."
the request catches him off-guard. for a couple of moments he could only stare at hu tao.
"please?" she adds.
slowly, the muscles of his face work together to fulfill the girl's request. xiao gives hu tao a smile he hasn't graced anybody in a thousand years. hu tao nods, seemingly satisfied.
"and with that, my unfinished business is complete." she leans in closer, until the two of them are only a couple of inches apart. "i'll wait for you no matter how long it takes. so don't hurry up, okay?"
hu tao closes the distance between their lips and xiao closes his eyes, tries to ingrain in his mind the feeling of her cold pair pressed against his.
he opens his eyes just in time to see golden butterflies fluttering away where she once stood.
the adeptus stands up. it was time to take the long journey back to wangshu inn.