Through the Phases of Love
Chapter One: First Meetings
A/N: Ah, so I started a new story, this one will be completely AU, or alternate universe for those who don't know. This means that there will be no Spirit World, and no magic in my story, but all of the characters from the movie will be in here, just in different situations. So, I'm sorry if that wasn't the type of story you were looking for, but I'm hoping this will be just as enjoyable!
Disclaimer: All the characters seen in this story are the property of Hayao Miyazaki and his film, Spirited Away.
+ f i r s t . m e e t i n g s +
chapter one
A loud group of children chatted excitedly amongst themselves, attracting the attention of one lonely peer. She approached them slowly, her steps shy and timid. Drawing up all the bravery she could muster in her tiny body, she spoke in a quivery voice, "Can I play with you?"
The other girls ahead of her immediately stopped what they were doing, and turned to face their unwanted intruder. Their faces held expressions of condescension, as they regarded her with utmost contempt. Yet, the small girl was undeterred as her eyes lit up with a hopeful glow.
"No!" the leader of the group shouted, her nose crinkling in disgust. Giving her a look filled with the greatest disdain, she quickly turned her friends around, believing her problem to be solved.
The small girl backed off, her mouth turning into a frown. Why won't they let me play with them? she questioned herself, her optimism fading as they began walking away from her. But she was determined not to quit, and with one last try called out in a trembling voice.
"Why? Why can't I play with you?"
The group of three girls instantly whirled around, annoyance written plainly on their faces. Despite her dwindling courage, she stood her ground, and watched as the tallest of the trio came forward, her dark eyes flashing.
"You can't play with us because you're ugly!" she snapped, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder and placing her hands on her hips, in a show of haughty arrogance.
At once the girl's face fell. Ugly? They won't play with me because I'm ugly?
"Yeah, and you're fat too!" another one chorused from the first girl's side, taking note of her stricken expression, and following the cue of her leader.
"Yeah, and we don't like you either! So, go away!" the last one said, her hazel eyes shining with a malicious intent. Taking a step forward, she reached out with her hands and abruptly shoved the smaller girl hard into the ground, laughing as tears began to form.
Once her tormentors were gone, she quickly picked herself and raced in the opposite direction, sobbing loudly. She needed somewhere to hide, anywhere that would take her far away from them. So, she ran, as fast as her legs could carry her and found herself stopping underneath the branches of a large tree. She drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face into the comforting space of her arms, and cried loudly, repeating the words fat and ugly in her head.
"Nobody likes me!" she said, anguished.
Soon enough the sounds of her crying caught the attention of a passing boy, making him pause in his tracks. He turned his head and stood still, listening intently for its source of origination. Gazing up a slight hill, he was able to spot a small figure huddled next to a wide trunk. Without reason or explanation he found himself walking towards her, his feet moving slow and steady up the grassy incline.
"What's wrong?" he asked, as he came to a stop in front of her.
The girl raised her dampened face, startled at the sudden presence. She gazed at him with a mixture of shock and awe, totally enraptured by the notion that there was someone who had actually wanted to speak to her. She just couldn't fathom it.
"T-They were so m-mean to me," she managed to stutter out, a sob threatening to break out.
"Who was?" he probed gently, his bright green eyes full of concern.
"Rina, Mika, and Nami," she answered softly, glancing around for potential danger, in case they were nearby.
"What did they do?" he asked once more, sitting down next to her.
"Rina says that I'm ugly–" she started to say, voice full of despair before being cut off.
"You're not ugly!" the boy protested, giving her a fierce stare.
"I'm not?"
"No! I think you're very pretty," he said sincerely, nodding his head in a matter of fact way.
"Really?" she said in a hopeful tone, blushing a bright pink as she did so.
He nodded again, his head bobbing up and down in earnest. "So, what else did they say?"
"Oh, Mika also said that I'm fat," she said, glancing at herself with a sad frown, picking at the edges of her folded skirt.
"You're not fat!" he burst out adamantly, anger growing within him. What mean things to say! She's not any of those things! Those girls had no right to say that!
"Oh, and then there was Nami, she was the meanest. She told me that they didn't want to play with me because they didn't like me, and then she pushed me on the ground! It really hurt! She didn't have to do that," the girl finished quickly, her optimistic persona slowly regaining its lost form.
"That's not nice! Why'd they do something like that to you?" he said, shocked at the audacity of the girls, knowing she didn't deserve any of their harsh treatment.
"Nothing! I just wanted to play with them," she answered, tears threatening to flow again, as she remembered their words to her.
"Oh, don't cry!" the boy said, alarmed.
"I-I'm not going to c-cry!" she sniffed out, looking downwards.
"My name's Haku. What's yours?" he said eagerly, trying to cheer her up.
"Oh! My name's Chihiro," she replied, giving him a tentative smile.
"How old are you? I'm six," Haku said with pride at the mention of his age.
"Wow, I'm four. That means you're two years older than me!" Chihiro answered eyes wide with amazement. She had never talked with someone older than her, other then her parents.
"I know. That means I'm much more smarter than you!" he said, puffing out his chest.
"Nah uh!" Chihiro shot back.
"Uh huh!" Haku countered.
"Nah uh!"
"Uh huh!"
They continued on in this fashion for quite a while, their voices climbing higher and higher with each subsequent rebuke. Neither of them were willing to back down, determined to prove who the better half was in their fierce debate. Yet, the answer to that question was never decided, as they were interrupted by the sudden loud chorus of laughter, the noise drifting up from the area below them. Pausing in their actions, they turned towards the offending sound and managed to make out a group of three heads walking away from them.
Chihiro's face fell, the hurtful words flashing through her head, as the memory of her earlier incident was brought back to life. Her dark eyes gazed at the ground, her somber mood returning. The long strands of her light brown hair falling into her face.
A flood of anger coursed through Haku, the emerald color of his eyes darkening, as he gazed upon her lowered head. She didn't deserve to be treated this way! It wasn't fair! Those girls were very mean and naughty; he didn't understand why they didn't get punished. If he had done any of those things to his classmates, he knew for sure that he would have gotten in trouble. So, why didn't they?
At once he came to his decision. If they were going to treat his friend like that and get away with it then he would show them! Taking matters into his own hands, Haku reached out and grasped his fingers around Chihiro's palm, pulling her upright as he did so.
Without a moment's hesitation he quickly stormed off in their direction, his steps fast and heavy as he stomped the ground, dragging Chihiro behind him.
"Huh? Where are we going Haku?" she asked, but received no answer as she followed the urgent tugging on her hand.
After a few minutes of heated pursuit they finally came to their sought after destination, Haku's eyes blazing. The threesome stood off to the center of a building, chatting animatedly about some foreign subject, swishing their long hair as they did so.
"Hey!" he shouted, getting the girls' attention. Chihiro's eyes widened as she watched them turn around, their faces full of irritation, and let out a frightened squeak, taking cover behind Haku's form.
"What?" Rina snapped.
"Why did you say those things about Chihiro? She's not ugly!" Haku yelled.
"Yes she is!" Rina said, glaring at the small head that peeked out from behind him.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"You're ugly!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!" Rina raged, furious she hadn't gotten her way. She was pretty! Of course she was pretty! Her parents told her so everyday! How dare he say she wasn't! Stomping forward, she reached out and grabbed a fistful of Chihiro's hair, and without further ado quickly yanked her down with a heavy pull, sending her crashing to the floor, causing her to break out in tears at her painful fall.
"Hey! That's not nice!" Haku roared, as he cocked back his fist and delivered a crushing blow to Rina's face.
A deafening screech resounded through the air, as Rina stumbled backwards, her eyes brimming with tears, as she held her hands up to her red nose.
"How dare you do that to Rina!" Nami screamed, launching herself at Haku, tackling him to the floor.
Chihiro watching the action with horrified amusement, leapt to the defense of her friend, "Don't you do that to him!"
Mustering all the strength she could, Chihiro attempted to shove the taller girl off of him, but was met with difficulty as she felt a hand yank viciously on her hair. Turning around, she met the glittering eyes of Mika, her face twisted into an angry snarl. Soon enough, all of the children found themselves in an all out brawl, catching the attention of one angry caretaker.
"What in the name is going on here?! Your Highness, just what do you think you are doing?!"
The children stopped what they were doing at once, releasing their captured individuals with alarming speed. Their eyes grew fearful as they took in the blustering figure standing before them, her blue eyes colder than ice. Haku stood proudly, not backing down.
"She started it!" Rina said immediately, her finger quickly pointing at the quiet figure on the end. Chihiro looked downward, biting her lip.
Haku glancing at her sullen form burst out with a, "No she didn't! She started it!"
"No I didn't!"
"Yes you did!"
"No I didn't!"
"Yes you did!"
The children all broke out in a chorus of angry, "Yes you did!" and "No she didn't!" Much to the vexation of the standing female.
"Enough! All of you go inside!" she directed, pointing at the gray building behind her. They followed obediently, fleeing at the first chance they got.
"Oh no you don't, young prince!" the lady snapped, grabbing the green-eyed boy by the back of his collar.
-
"Are you in trouble?" Chihiro asked softly, her eyes bright with concern.
"No, but I think the others are," he whispered, drawing his head closer to hers.
They fell into silence, bodies bent over a collection of wooden blocks placed upon their table. Together they built a collection of fortresses and castles, each intricately designed with bright colors. Their fun was brought to an end when a voice suddenly called out from behind them.
They turned their heads and stared at a tall man near the front of the room, his stance proud and intimidating. Chihiro raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you know him?"
"Yeah, he's the head guard of our castle. He comes to pick me up when my father is not able to," Haku informed gently, giving him a glance over.
"Your Highness? It's time to go," he said in a deep baritone, his tone gentle.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Haku said, giving her an apologetic smile.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" Chihiro said hopefully, gazing into his eyes.
"I think so," he responded, before rushing off to meet the waiting man.
It was the first meeting of many, and the start of a lasting friendship, which would see itself through many trials and obstacles along the way, as they progressed through the years.
A/N: This was a random plot idea I came up with one night a week or so back. I really should be working on Lost in the Fog, so those of you who were waiting for an update of that, I'm sorry! But I should have the next chapter out by this week. Anyway, this story is going to be very different from that one. It's going to be much shorter, and the plot will be pretty simple and straightforward. Not to mention, it'll probably have enough fluff to have you cushioning yourself on marshmallows for days.
So anyway, the story will take place in their childhood before moving on into their lives as adults. I know many of the things I write about will be inaccurate but I'm trying, so be gentle on me a bit for those. It's not really meant to be a serious piece, more of something I could write in my free time that's easy and stress free. I decided on doing this because I believe almost every plot idea, cliché, and/or concept in the Spirited Away section has been done to death, and I got tired of reading the same things over and over again. (Yes, this applies to my own fic as well. Haha) So, I came up with this, not entirely new and ground-breaking, but something I wanted to try.
Through the Phases of Love probably won't be updated as often as Lost in the Fog, but don't worry it'll have its share of limelight as well. Anywho, I wrote this pretty quick so I'm sure there are lots of errors in the text, but my checker isn't here yet. I'll probably freshen it up when I have time.