2 The broken path she walks on 2

The only sound she could hear was her heartbeat thumping rapidly. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she shut her eyes tightly, ready for the pain to hit. When she realized she hadn't felt anything, she opened her eyes slightly and then they widened. Standing at the end of her feet slightly above her was the handsome man from before, with the orange hakama. Her heart stopped for a moment, and he was even more dazzling up close.

His focus was on restraining the spider yokai, so Chiharu drank in his features greedily. A strong, sharp jawline tense from anger, dark ink colored eyes full of playful determination. He was naturally tall, with a slightly darker complexion than most people she knew in the area. It caused her to become even more curious about him. He looked back at her for a moment before looking at the yokai.

"You thought I wouldn't notice you leave the portal?" The man looked at the yokai with an annoyed yet playful look on his face as if he was enjoying this. Her face contorted into one of fear. "Let go of me!" She shouted while tugging her arms away from him. As soon as her arms were free, she ran towards the forest past the water basin. He was much quicker than the frantic woman who was running. It almost seemed as though he appeared right in front of her out of thin air. The spider woman couldn't stop the momentum she had going and was headed directly to him.

When she was about a foot away from crashing into him, he grabbed her shoulders. Using her momentum to his advantage, he swung her into the water basin. A large splash covered Chiharu in water, adding to the dirt she was already covered in. The woman scrambled out of the water basin, drenched. The man used this moment to tie her hands together with a rope covered in talismans.

She struggled to break free, but the rope seemed to sap away all of her energy. While the yokai had been struggling to break free, Chiharu finally caught her breath. Her deep brown orbs peered at the man's face again, and she watched him tie her up. Once the yokai woman was calm, Chiharu stood up and moved closer. A breath of relief finally came out as a small sigh. The handsome man looked towards her and then walked in her direction. Chiharu had to slap herself mentally. There's no way someone that is that good looking would be interested in a woman like herself. Tugging the yokai woman behind him, he stopped in front of Chiharu and looked down at her. "Sorry about the mess. I have an inn not too far from here. Since this is my fault, let me help you clean up."

Chiharu paused for a moment; looking up at him made it hard to think, so she looked at the shrine behind him. Something about him just didn't come off human. He was a little too handsome. However, when he mentioned the Inn nearby, she decided it would be better to clean up and stay for a night. She could use a night at an Inn to clear her thoughts before returning to the apartment to pack her stuff. "Sure, thank you. I appreciate it." She smiled at him gently, trying to ignore the squelching sound of her wet sneakers. "No problem, I'm Takeshi. I own the Dragon's Inn down the road. It's only about a 5-minute walk from here."

He looked at her, scanning her up and down when she looked in the direction of her car. Her hair was stuck to her neck and face. Her wet clothes made it easy to see her figure. Takeshi chuckled to himself, thinking that she was pretty cute and shapely. "Ah, I left my car at the entrance..." He looked at her and thought about it for a moment. It was clearly too dangerous for a human to walk back on her own to her car so close to the portal at this time of night. They had already started walking in the direction of the entrance. "I'll walk you to your car then since it's on the way, and you can meet me at the Inn. What's your name?"

Her footsteps faltered for a moment. Why would he want her name? Is he interested? No, it's too soon for her to think about anything like that. She just ended a five-year relationship, and it was clear that the break up wasn't final yet. "Oh uh, Chiharu." He hummed in response and didn't say another word throughout the short trip to the car. Their footsteps echoed on the stone stairs. Chiharu took a look back at the shrine disappearing behind the stairs. A wave of courage flowed through her. She was going to get through this somehow.