Even Ghosts Wither || Hu Tao x Reader 🥀

Goodbye, For Now

Hiii! Sorry it took so long to get this part out, I've been binge watching anime ahhh. But here it is for you all!! Also, thank you for the support so far! I didn't expect a lot of people to see this so thank you!

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You were trapped in a dark, foggy forest. All alone. Or..maybe alone? You couldn't sense a presence of anyone else, but it was a little too hard to tell since the forest was blocking some of your senses. It smelled like fresh pine, which smelled nice, but the place still had an eerie feeling. Something was off. Even though..this place felt, nostalgic of some sort? You've never seen this forest before, yet you feel like you've spent eternities here. Your body felt light, lighter than usual. You start to wander around the forest, hearing only the howling of wind and crunching of twigs beneath your feet as you take each step. You could hear your breathing get heavier as you waited for something to happen in anticipation.

Suddenly, you heard a blood-curdling scream that sent shivers up your spine. The voice sounded desperate as it called for help, it seemed like a voice you recognized. Quickly, you started bolting to where the sound was coming from, not caring how loud you were. You were running so fast, forgetting to check your surroundings, you tripped on a tree root. You grunted as you hit the ground face first, but quickly scrambled to get back up and keep running. You soon arrived to the source of the scream. You could see the figure of a person, to which you slowly walked towards them. But before you could reach out to them, your vision went black as you collapsed to the floor. Suddenly, you opened your eyes and jolted up, looking around. Oh, that's right. You were in Wangshu Inn. It was only a nightmare. You let out a sigh of relief before hearing a giggle beside you, quickly looking over.

Hu Tao | "Something give you the chills?"

(Y/N) | "Oh uhm- it was just a nightmare." You said, yawning a little as you stretched your arms.

Hu Tao | "Well I wouldn't stay in bed for too long. The Viligant Yaksha is just about to take his leave. Might wanna catch him before he goes~!"

(Y/N) | "The Viligant Yaksha is here?!" You ask, quickly bolting out of bed and to the door, sticking your head out and looking frantically around.

Hu Tao | "Hehe, just kidding! I'm surprised you know him, though. Despite not being in Liyue yet."

(Y/N) | Not here?! Darn you, Hu Tao! You let out a small sigh as you slowly turn back to her, walking back over to the bed. "Oh, his tales of defending Liyue are quite popular in Mondstadt, too. I have a friend who is a bard back in Mond, and occasionally tells tales of the Yaksha in the tavern. Only when he's pretty drunk, though." Your voice trailed off at the end before letting out a yawn.

Hu Tao | "Well, it's best we get off to the harbor now! We still have a little ways to go if you wanna get there before sundown. The Lantern Rite is tomorrow, I'm sure you can get a little place to stay in the harbor if you have enough Mora. Besides, might wanna familiarize yourself with the place before the big event!"

(Y/N) | You looked at her for a moment or two before nodding and walking over to the desk to grab the keys for the room. You then remembered what happened last night, to which you looked over at Hu Tao. "Also, how are your hands? Are they doing any better?" You ask, a little worried.

Hu Tao | She nodded eagerly. "Mhm mhm! Doing just fine, thanks to you! They heal a little quicker than other people's hands would, probably because I'm so used to the burns by now. They should be fully recovered tomorrow. And besides, I have a little trick of my own to healing them, too~" She said in a bit of a joking tone, like usual.

(Y/N) | You were relieved to hear she was doing fine, but knowing that she was so used to burns made you feel a little bad for her. Even though she seemed completely fine with it, that shouldn't be something you're used to. It's okay though. It's her ability, after all. "That's good, then! You go ahead and wait for me down at the entrance of the Inn, I'll return the key to the innkeeper and be right there." 

Hu Tao | She slightly tipped her had with a smile before leaving the room and heading down to the outside of the Inn. 

(Y/N) | You walk out of the room and slide the door shut behind you before walking down the stairs and over to Verr Goldet. "Thank you for letting us stay, and for the bandages and ice packs. Here's the key back..and oh! The pay as well." You set the key down on the table for Verr Goldet to grab then reach in your pocket and hand her some Mora as well.

Verr Goldet | She took the key with a smile before slightly bowing to you. "Of course. And also, Hu Tao has already paid for it. Make sure to keep that girl out of trouble. I've heard tales about her and the Funeral Parlor, she's certainly a playful one despite her job." She told you, giggling a bit as she slid the Mora back to you.

(Y/N) | You were a little surprised that she already paid, before smiling and nodding to her. "Yeah, I've figured out that much already just by the hours we've spent together. Well, she's waiting for me outside. Thank you again!" You say, taking back the Mora and waving to Verr Goldet as you take the stairs down to where Hu Tao was standing. 

Hu Tao | "Hehe, took you long enough. To Liyue Harbor we go!" 


You and Hu Tao start walking off to the harbor, having idle chit-chat as you go along. It was a beautiful morning, and you had little trouble along your way. Hu Tao even took some detours to show you around Liyue a little more, even if it slowed down the trip. Liyue sure was a breath-taking place, with tons of pretty scenery. The warm breeze blowing was almost comforting in a way as you listened to Hu Tao blab on about ghost stories, her time at Funeral Parlor, some zombie girl named Qiqi and how she needed to 'seal her away,' or something along those lines. Some of it you weren't even listening to, since just hearing Hu Tao's voice comforted you as well. You seemed to warm up to her quite quickly, possibly because of all she's done for you so far. Introducing you to Liyue, telling you about herself, giving you a guide to the harbor and Wangshu Inn, the small detours to help you know the place better, and even her paying for the night at the inn. Most importantly, becoming your friend. You smile just thinking about it, and you could even feel the tips of your ears get red out of blushing. 


(Hu Tao's POV)

Hu Tao | "When I get to the harbor, the first place I'm going is straight to Bubu Pharmacy to find that little Qiqi and seal her away~. I just hope Baizhu isn't there to stop me, he always talks about how she's an important employee and yada yada yada. You can always find more fish in the sea, anyway!"


Hu Tao went on and on before looking back at you and noticing you weren't listening, since you seemed like you were staring off into space. She then noticed you had a small blush on your face, to which she looked up at the sun. Is it really that hot out here? She then looked back over at you before back in front of her. She began to think about what happened this morning, and how you said you had a nightmare. Hu had waken up before you this morning, and noticed you breathing heavier before you jolted up. Her curiosity got the better of her, as she couldn't stop thinking about it. She looked over at you and decided to ask about it.


Hu Tao | "(Y/N), what was that nightmare you had this morning about? It seemed to give you quite the fright. And who knows? Maybe I can use it for one of my ghost stories~"


(Y/N's POV) 

(Y/N) | You quickly broke out of your train of thought when Hu asked about the nightmare, to which you looked down at her and responded. "Oh, I was in this sort of eerie, dark forest. It almost felt nostalgic of sorts. It was a little hard to see due to the fog, so it put me a bit on edge. I heard this scream as I was walking through it, to which I immediately ran over. I..forgot what I saw after that, but I know I soon woke up after." 

Hu Tao | "Oooh! A dark and eerie forest? That reminds me a lot of Wuwang Hill! You know-"


Hu Tao started blabbing on about another ghost story, to which you weren't paying much attention to either. After she mentioned Wuwang Hill, you started to think to yourself. Maybe it was Wuwang Hill, but what about the scream? And plus, it could've been any eerie forest. Like maybe Whispering Woods or Wolvendom. But still..You were deep in thought about the topic. So much so, you didn't even realize how close you were to Liyue Harbor. But once again, Hu Tao's words pulled you back into reality. 


Hu Tao | "And here we are, Liyue Harbor!" She said, starting to run down the stone steps and towards the big green-and-brown gates that signaled the entrance of the harbor. 

(Y/N) | "H-Hu Tao! Wait up!" You responded, starting to run after her. Once you got to the gates you were winded, catching your breathe as you walked across the bridge with Hu Tao. You noticed someone walking towards you. He was very tall, and had long brown hair that faded into a yellowy-orange at the tips. You looked over at Hu Tao to see if she noticed him too, but before you knew it she was already talking to him. 

??? | "Ah, Master Hu. What brings you to Liyue Harbor? Coming for the Lantern Rite festival?"

Hu Tao | "Actually, I was bringing this one here to the harbor for that exact reason." She responded, pointing her thumb back at you as you walked over to the two.

(Y/N) | "Oh, hello. My name is (Y/N), pleasure to meet you." You say, giving a slight bow to the man. Hu Tao must've already known him if he already knew her name beforehand. 

Zhongli | "I am Zhongli, the pleasure is mine." Zhongli responded, returning the bow. "I work at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor along with Master Hu."

(Y/N) | "I see. I'm just a traveler from another world. I come from Mondstadt, and was here to see the Lantern Rite festival. Hu Tao was kind enough to bring me here." 

Hu Tao | Hu smiled and nodded. "Yup! And if that's all, I should be back on my way to Wuwang Hill. I have to make sure no one else is causing trouble around there, hehe!"

(Y/N) | Hearing that Hu Tao had to leave made you a little sad. You wanted her to stay and participate in the Lantern Rite with you, but she had work to attend to. You put on a smile to hide your disappointment, and waved goodbye to her. After all, you could always visit her at Wuwang Hill if you wanted to. "Alright! see you soon, then!"


You, Zhongli, and Hu Tao all wave goodbye as you watch her turn around and set back off for Wuwang Hill.

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