Haunted Memories

In the depths of her mind a vision began to form.  The smoke burned in her nostrils, and the screams filled her ears as the memory of her childhood home going up in smoke as her parents lay burning trapped inside became clear inside her mind’s eye.  The only thing out of place was the translucent being reaching towards the much younger version of her.  This caused (y/n) to let out a very real scream, awakening her very real grandmother Azumi, and brining her to her granddaughter’s door.

“(y/n), are you alright?”  The young woman sat up in her bed rubbing her tired eyes.  Azumi was not satisfied with this silence and walked all the way into her granddaughter’s room.  She sat next to the (skin tone) girl and placed a wrinkled hand on her shoulder while casting a wary glance at the clock.  It was 2:35 am.

“I’m sorry for awakening you, grandmother.”  She said at last.  The elderly woman shook her head.

“No need for sorrow, what you need is some help.  These nightmares have been persisting for far too long to be considered healthy.  There has got to be someone you trust enough to talk about this with.”  The teenager stayed eerily silent.  Her grandmother sighed.

“Just green tea then?”  Her granddaughter nodded absent mindedly as the elderly woman glided out of her room into the kitchen to fulfil her wish.

~
“Are you arright (y/n)?”  Kiku asked his very tired looking girlfriend as she cast wary glances behind her the next day.  He had asked her to meet him at a nice park near where the two of them lived, and he had been slightly nervous before he had seen the state she was in this morning.  (y/n) attempted a cheerful nod as she responded.

“Y-yeah just fine.”  The young Japanese man frowned at her.

“You don’t seem just fine (y/n).”  (y/n) shut her eyes as she considered her options for a moment.  Kiku was one of her best friends (she was dating him after all), and she could definitely trust him with anything, but he was also very logical.  If she told him she suspected she had one of her greatest fears stalking her, he just might think her mad.  

“(y/n), you rook rike you are about to farr asreep.”  She smiled sadly.  

“I feel like I might.  I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”  Kiku guided his girlfriend over to a park bench near where they had agreed to meet in an effort to keep her safe from the usual dangers you find in a park, such as vicious toddlers on tricycles.

“You don’t seem arr that stressed…” said Kiku attempting to find a logical cause.  (y/n) yawned.

“It’s definitely not stress, you always make me feel better when I’m under pressure.  But well, for the past few years I would have these repeating nightmares of the night my parents… died.  My grandma says they always occur between two and three in the morning, which is apparently…” her voice trailed off unable to continue due to fatigue.

“Japanese bewitching hour.”  Kiku finished for her.  (y/n) nodded sleepily her eyelids drooping.  

“Grandma seems to think I’m being haunted by a, well a Yūrei.”  She smiled to herself, almost certain that Kiku would tell her she was being ridiculous, but instead he grasped her hand tightly.

“Why didn’t you terr me sooner (y/n)?  I’m arways here for you, you know that.”  (y/n) felt slightly embarrassed.   She hadn’t expected that.

“Acturary, I might have a sorution for your probrem.”  (y/n) brightened.

“You’re, certain?”  Kiku nodded with a smile upon his face.  “Oh thank you,” she said with a sigh of relief.  “You honestly don’t think i-it’s a ghost though?”  Kiku shook his head.

“Of course not, (y/n).”  He said out loud.  “Yūrei aren’t rearry ghosts.” He added in his head.
~
It turned out that Kiku’s solution was to stay the night with (y/n) and her grandmother.  The elderly woman was, suspicious and embarrassing as was her duty, and (y/n) was nervous and embarrassed, as was her’s.  Azumi left the two to their conversing and went to sleep at the extreme lateness of eight thirty, but Kiku and (y/n) stayed awake.  His presence was so calming, she soon found herself lulled into a peaceful sleep.  Kiku smiled as he saw her curled up in a little ball on her grandmother’s couch, so cute and innocent.  He wished he could join her in peaceful slumber, but he had made a promise to be there for her, and right now she needed him to stay awake until two a.m.  And so he waited, playing with the box in his pocket, turning over ideas in his head and sweating as the reality of what the future of the box in his pocket could be if he failed her right now.  This did not keep him from falling asleep, and his eyelids drooped to a close, only to be brought wide open what felt like only a moment later by an eerie cold filling the room. He felt (y/n)’s hand shudder under his own as he opened his eyes.  They were greeted by a spectral figure clad in a white kimono with disheveled black hair.  Kiku recognized the woman as Yoko, (y/n)’s mother.  It seemed the woman’s spirit had returned to watch over her living daughter, and was unintentionally scaring her.  Kiku gave a slight cough to alert the spirit of his presence.

“Konnichiwa, Mrs. (l/n).”  The spirit lifted her head, bringing some fear into Kiku’s heart.  There was a painful pause, then Yoko smiled at him.

“Ah yes, Kiku.  I know your name; my little girl loves you very much.”  Kiku blushed a deep shade of red at this, his right hand still clasped firmly around the little box in his pocket.

“It preases me to hear she does, but may I ask why you are here?”  The spirit seemed confused by this.

“She is my daughter, why would I not watch over her?”  She looked at the hand Kiku had not yet removed from his pocket.  “Or are you questioning why I still look after her when my mother-in-law watches over her, as well as you if I am correct in suspecting what you have in that pocket of yours is an engagement ring.”  Kiku blushed again, and unintentionally tightened his grip on (y/n)’s right hand, causing her to shudder.  Yoko nodded absent mindedly in a fashion much like her daughter.  “It is hard for a mother to let her child grow up, but she must, otherwise she is only hurting herself and her child…”  Yoko cast a longing glance at (y/n).  “But still I worry for her safety…”  Kiku swallowed in an attempt to gather his courage.

“I promise, not a hair on her head wirr be harmed as long as I rive.  I rove your daughter, and I wourd never ret anything bad happen to her.”  Yoko closed her eyes and smiled at him.  The clock was drawing closer to three, and her time was coming to an end.

“You care about her enough to approach a spirit such as myself to ensure her safety and happiness, yet still treat me with respect.  I could not have parted with her to less of a man.”    The woman looked at her daughter lovingly once more as her pale form disappeared into mist for the last time.  Kiku looked down anxiously at (y/n).  She had finally breathed out a sigh of relief and fallen into a deep peaceful sleep.  He smiled and kissed her forehead gently before falling asleep himself once more.  (y/n) was haunted no more.










I suppose you could say, busting made him feel good.