Four Days, Three Nights (Ghost Hunt Fanfiction)

Lose You (Just To Find My Way Back)

Ayako groaned rolling over, covering her face. There was something bright shining on her. Distantly, the lap of waves on the shore could be heard.

Ah, that's right.

Ayako slowly uncovered her face, blinking into the sunlight that was filtering through the blinds. Shaking off her sleep, memories from the night before— the shock of her parents showing up, Bou-san leaving her in the middle of dinner, their argument and his refusal to return—streamed through her head.

This isn't a marriage.

Ayako turned sharply to her left, pulling in her arms and legs— least she find them tangled with the monk's, but the bed was empty.

Good, she told herself, but she was lacking conviction.

Ayako had cooled off somewhat in the last eight hours, and now— despite her best efforts—she felt a conflicted twist in her gut. She hated leaving things unresolved.

Where is that monk?

She stared across the villa,

Meditating again?

But unlike the morning before, the front door was closed.

Ayako let out a huff and sat up,

Just wait until I find you.

Dragging herself out of bed, grumbling about childish men, Ayako paused. Right under her nose was a tray, and on that tray was breakfast. Instantly, Ayako snatched at the cup of hot coffee. By the time the cup was half gone and Ayako had found something to pull on over her night gown (Bou-san's sleep pants which were on the floor— too long, but they did the trick, his dumb beach bum tank, and a light jacket she had in her bag), the fire in her belly was nearly extinguished.

Ayako exited the villa, in the middle of securing a messy bun on the top of her head. She halted in the path outside, surprised to see the beach alive with activity and the sun high in the sky. Frowning, Ayako glanced at her wrist, checking the time— and had to do a double take. It was nearly eleven 'o clock in the morning.

Aborting her plans, which included finding the monk alone on the beach— not on the busy shore to be seen by everyone, marching around in his scrubby clothes, her hair a wreck— she turned back for the villa, but was stopped almost immediately.

"Ayako! What good timing."

Ayako turned her head,

"Mom?"

"I was just coming back after checking the lunch menu for your father...did you just roll out of bed?"

Stubbornly, Ayako gave a dismissive glance at her watch, and crossed her arms.

"It's another hour before noon, what does dad want lunch so early for?"

Ayako's mother, keen at reading her daughter's moods, pressed on with a smile.

"He let you sleep in, hm? Tsk, Houshou spoils you. Anyway, your father doesn't want lunch now, it's for when we get back from our hike."

"You're still going?"

"Of course, aren't you?"

Ayako broke eye contact,

"I didn't get a chance to ask Houshou yet."

"Even better. I'll invite him."

"Mom, it's fine. I can do it when he gets back."

"Why wait? Isn't that him over there?"

Ayako followed her mother's gaze across the beach. Sure enough, outlined in sunlight, was the monk. He was seated on a piece of driftwood, with a small audience surrounding him. Ayako recognized the family unit's children, Haru and Masami.