Very short story, probably two chapters. Any true romance will be in another fic.
Fyxestroll Garden was always going to freak Sushang out, she was absolutely convinced of that. It didn't matter how often she visited - or was forced to come back, it just felt like a universal truth. Like how she aimed to do one good deed a day, or how sure she was that she had the best friend in the whole world, those kind of cold hard facts. Granted, being scared of Loafu's resident ghost town was a lot less cheery to have to accept…
But that wasn't her fault! This area was just too creepy for words! The complete lack of brightness, the sky always showing a cloudy evening, the windy roads only illuminated by a stray lantern here and there, and of course, the gosh-darn heliobi floating around the place! It didn't matter if she was given every assurance from the higher-ups that the few ghosts she saw weren't going to do anything, or how often she saw them on her visits here, just the way that unnatural green flame would sometimes zoom in front of her while she was on patrol was enough to freak her out…
Sushang sighed, maybe they were attracted to the bright yellow of her outfit? No, that didn't seem likely. They were just having fun, floating about their home, 'taking' to others in the echoing creepy tone she just hated. Ugh. Whoever it was that said something like, "What you can't see is always scarier than what you can." was definitely onto something.
So then, just why was she here, the most terrifying place imaginable, if there was nothing about this place she could stand anyway? Not only that, why was she always volunteering to patrol this area in particular? It made less than zero sense.
Two answers actually: the simple one was that she wanted to at least try and overcome her fear of ghosts… but the much more truthful answer is that for all its' faults, Fyxestrooll Garden was an extremely quiet place.
And right now Sushang needed all the silence in the world. Sorting out some…complicated thoughts always did.
So she finished her usual routine at her usual brisk pace before making a beeline for the usual spot in the garden. Next to one of the floating walkways quite a ways in was a small wooden area, guardrails on all sides to prevent the unthinkable, totally desolate aside from a table, some chairs, and a few folding screens.
Its' significance to Sushang? Well, three others would know- this was the 'headquarters' of their ghost-hunting activities.
It felt like so long ago now. Her, her best friend Guinaifen, the (somehow even worse with ghosts than she was) judge from the Ten-Lords Commission Huohuo, and the incredibly-reliable-and-strong Caelus. Thanks to everything just falling into place correctly, the four of them worked together to capture any rogue mischievous heliobi and restore peace to both the garden and surrounding areas. It was a near month-long journey that was horrifying, terrifying, and incredibly unnerving… yet Sushang couldn't bring herself to look back on it with anything other than nice nostalgia.
"I mean, plenty of good came out of it! I'm now friends with Huohuo for one! And I'm sure she feels the same! As for Little Gui and Caelus…"
Her thoughts trailed off as she grabbed her phone, swiping over to the contact list. Sure enough, both individuals were labeled as 'offline', a fact that nobody else would've cared about. But considering how terminally online her best friend was, the Cloud Knight felt very confident in knowing what was happening- they were going out on a date.
A date… Foreign words to her mouth. Of course they were out on a date. They're dating. That's what people who are dating do. They…date.
Sure as Sushang was in what they were doing, she felt an equal lack of certainty as to what that exactly entailed. It had been like this ever since Guinaifen had excitedly told her about the night she confessed to Caelus, almost exploding in the process. Um, figuratively, she meant. For once. But like, were the two of them out roaming the streets, watching performances? Eating delicious food together? Or… were they at a secret location somewhere, engaging in activities of a more..passionate nature? The kind of performance, the kind of eating, you would never do in public….
She could imagine it crystal-clear. Gui's slim, beautiful figure just melting against Caelus' strong arms, holding her in a gentle but firm grip right across her stomach. The more the two of them lean into each other's touch, warmth spreading, the more it actually feels like a dance. A slow, intimate dance performed in a language Sushang could never hope to understand, the two participants moving in absolute harmony, minds and bodies perfectly crafted to complement the other. And then, true to his spontaneous nature, Caelus is the one to change tactics. His head tilts downwards, a breath away from her bestie's pale unblemished neck… he leans down even more…
"W-wait…!? What am I thinking?!" Sushang yanked her imagination back with a reddened face, cheeks practically swapped with tomatoes. That was brief, but the mental image she had just conjured was more than enough- Her breath was turning ragged and hot, unbefitting for such a clammy atmosphere as the garden possessed. It was like this every freaking time… sometimes she was able to stop herself, sometimes not- the latter would be what confused her the most.
Being happy for Guinaifen, for the two of them, Sushang felt in spades; honest! Said happiness though was also masking over the uglier feelings. …Why not her? In every romance novel she had ever shamelessly read, it was always the first girl who won! It was such a cliche too~! And she knew Caelus long before Guinaifen, when Aurum Alley was in trouble with the IPC! So was there something she just wasn't seeing, or was this trope just another insanely unrealistic literary device? It was maddening-
"OI GIRLIE!"
"…WAAAAH!"
Sushang shrieked something fierce at the sudden break in silence. By instinct, she grabbed the hilt of her sword and whirled around, ready to mercilessly cut down the perpetrator-
"Don't know what you're plannin' to do with dat, unless it can cut fire."
-Only to be faced with nobody.
"Look up, ya dumb broad!"
Oh. Above her head, was a striking, but small bright red flame- floating in the sky with no concept of gravity. A simple heliobi- just wonderful.
"What do you want?" Sushang asked, unamused. This was the first time one of them had spoken to her, and she was determined not to let them think they could bully her! …Despite screaming earlier.
"What do I want? Nah, what do you want, Yellow? You've been standin still for so long, I thought I was 'bout to have another sister~" The heliobi chortled in a way not unlike Huohuo's own Mr. Tail.
"None of your business."
"NoNe Of YoUr BuSiNeSs." This heliobi was mocking her! How dare…um, he? "Everythin' that happens here is our business! I see you come here all the time, but you seem es-pec-ially lost tonight- so I thought I'd lend a helpin' hand! You can tell us heliobi anythin' you know, have a real woman-to-ghost talk!"
"Yeah right." Sushang sneered. "How could you even begin to understand anything?"
"I'm thrilled you asked~! We do it- like this!" Suddenly, the heliobi's flame slammed into Sushang, knocking both the wind out of her- and sending her sword to the ground, clanking against wood. The brunette stumbled around for a moment, not in control of her limbs, before the same otherworldly entity erupted from her backside, as if her dress expelled it. Sadly though, the reality was a lot less mystical.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho~! Guy trouble?!" The heliobi roared with laughter. "It all makes sense now!"
Sushang though was not nearly as amused. "Did you just freaking possess me?!"
"Blame yourself, Yellow! I was in there for five seconds, your thoughts are just that easy to read!"
"Grrrr…."
"Anyhoo~! You're in luck- I feel like helpin' you out! This is the most entertainin' thing in decades after all~ Now all we need to do is get you and this grey-haired guy alone and we can-"
But Sushang held her hand up at this. "Pass."
"Pardon, Yellow?"
"I said pass! Who cares about how I feel? Caelus is happy with Guinaifen, and she's happy with him! I acted too late- and now… I have to move on."
"Your eyes say otherwise."
"Sh-shut up!" Her hands go back down from wiping. "Thanks for the random possession, but I have to go now."
But as Sushang reaches for her sword-
"I don't think so. I have my own job to do."
Before the swordswoman can even think about looking, the same otherworldly feeling hits her again; twice as hard this time. The rush of air turns on its' head quickly, and it isn't long before her own will starts getting smothered. Sushang's body drunkenly smacks into the nearby table and surrounding wooden beams…before falling to her knees and then the floor. Hand still on her head, fist tensing on her scalp with every grip of brown hair, she is reduced to a rolling, writhing mess of limbs. Anyone watching would think she's insane, especially as the occasional "STOP IT!" And "GET OUT OF MY HEAD" are screamed out onto the uncaring garden.
Until, at last, the struggles stop. There are no more grunts, no more yells of conflict, no more tossing and turning like a nightmare is going on. Instead, the Cloud Knight picks herself up and takes a long breath, exhale sounding a bit deeper in tone than normal. Legs and arms stretch themselves out, fingers curl and uncurl, and hands are placed on all body parts to get a real feel for their girth. After a few minutes more of stumbling around like a toddler, the first test begins… Sushang's sword is slowly picked up and returned to its holder- but not before the blade's sheen reflects its' owner's new cold smile- red eyes glowing all the while.
'Now, I believe his name was Caelus…?'