Pools of Torment
I'm back and I'm better than ever! Actually, I really am. See, the idea for the concluding story to Dead Souls hit me while I was taking a shower. That happens to be where most of my brilliant ideas find me. So anyway, I'm standing in the shower, and this lightning bolt hits me out of the blue and I get a flash of inspiration. What follows is the direct result of this undocumented phenomenon.
For HIS glory ALWAYS; Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
Disclaimer- I do not own Spirited Away. I own the general plot, as well as the following characters: Jumari, Knoma, Link, Nami, and the dark tower. The character Aki belongs to my sister, and is her spirit equivalent. These are the only things so far that I do truly own from my story.
~*~
"I HAVE REACHED A DECISION."
The two boys just stood there, unsure as to what kind of reaction would be appropriate for the situation. Thankfully, Jumari saved them from having to comment by continuing.
"I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DELAY HAS MADE YOU ANXIOUS, SO I'LL NOT BOTHER YOU WITH THE DETAILS OF MY DECISION MAKING."
They looked at each other, then back at the throne.
"IT IS THE DECISION OF OUR PERSON THAT THE HUMAN KNOWN AS CHIHIRO SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE SPIRIT WORLD AS LONG AS THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND LINK REMAINS UNBROKEN. THE HUMAN LINK WILL BE TORTURED FOR TWO HOURS OF EVERY DAY UNTIL THE END OF TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME MAY BE SPENT AS HE WISHES, ON THE CONDITION THAT HE NEVER AGAIN LEAVES THE LANDS THAT ARE ENCOMPASSED BY THE GREAT WALL SURROUNDING THE TOWER. IF AT ANY TIME HE SHOULD TRY TO VIOLATE THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT, THE HUMAN CHIHIRO MUST INSTANTLY RETURN TO THE MORTAL WORLD, NEVER AGAIN TO ENTER AND SEE HER TRUE LOVE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE DECLARED?"
Haku sent a quick glance at Link, who seemed to be both elated and desolated at the same time.
"I do agree to the decision that this court has made regarding the terms of my request. I am willing to do as they wish; that their end of the bargain be upheld. I thank the queen for accepting my request, and I acknowledge that I am deeply in her debt."
Jumari seemed to have enjoyed this discourse, as well as Link's clear distress. She turned to strange looking spirits that seemed to be serving as guards.
"TAKE THE HUMAN INTO CUSTODY. AS OF THIS MOMENT, HE IS A PRISONER HERE, AND NO LONGER A GUEST. PROCEDE TO TAKE HIM DOWN TO THE DUNGEONS."
Though Haku and Link had no way of knowing this, she was really very distressed over having to keep up pretences in front of her court. She had grown rather fond of the human, and as a result had pushed the day of her announcement back further and further so as to allow her to observe him, to get to know his likes and dislikes. She resolved to have him released from the dungeons as soon as possible, and see to it that he was made more comfortable.
Knoma turned and guided a shell-shocked Haku back out of the audience chamber, to the elevator, and down to the room that he and Link had shared during the time that they had spent awaiting a decision.
"I'll leave you alone for a while. I must go and attend to Link." Knoma turned and walked out of the door.
Haku sat down heavily in one of the chairs next to the table, in shock.
{He actually went through with it. I really didn't think that he would. We spent so much time together. In this last month, we had only each other to keep company, not including Knoma, of course. I thought that he wouldn't really do it. He didn't seem like the type that would. What on earth am I going to tell Chihiro? Can I really leave him behind? Will Chihiro ever accept the truth about why she can live here in the spirit world?}
He was lost in thought, and after a moment, he got up and went out to the balcony. Off in the distance, he could see the opening of the pass between two of the three mountains, the same two that he and Link had come through while following the stag only a month before. How long ago and far away that all seemed. He wondered, for the first time, if he would ever really be comfortable with Chihiro after all of this. It could be said that this was his darkest moment, darker even when he had first realized that he and Chihiro could never really be together.
*~*
Chihiro and Nami were still on the train, heading north. They had been on it for almost three days now, and had had several meals and plenty of sleep. Nami spent most of the time in her lap, keeping out of the way of the numerous spirits that were constantly getting on and off. There seemed to be a much steadier stream of passengers, when compared with the number that had been on during her first train ride.
"Do you think that we're almost there?" Chihiro looked down at Nami, who lifted his head so that he could look at her.
"Depends. What stop are we at?"
"The sign says stop 305N"
"Well, then I'd say we've got five more stops left. The train only goes up to 310 (a/n- it's that number for a reason (), and that's without the north or south indicator on it. See, the stops going north are marked with an 'n', and the stops going south are marked with an 's'. At the peak, there's no letter indicator, since your really going both ways."
"I see," said Chihiro, not really seeing at all.
Nami began to go back to sleep, but Chihiro moved her leg, jostling him.
"Stop that!"
"Come on, get off. My leg is falling asleep."
"I don't want to. Your lap is so comfortable, I feel as though I could sleep in it for days."
"You already have. Once we get to the last stop, how do we go about finding Jumari's tower?"
"I have a friend, this eagle spirit, who will gladly take us there. He should be waiting for us right at the stop, and if he's not, then we just have to wait for a little while until he gets there. Now, leave me alone. I want to get what little rest I still can."
"An eagle could never carry me!"
"You forget that you're in the spirit world. The eagles here are much bigger than the birds that you've got back in your world."
"How do you know that?" Chihiro wasn't sure that she wanted to be trusting him THAT completely yet.
"Trust me. He's carried me in my human form before. He should have absolutely no trouble carrying you, and I'm going to stay in my fox from for the duration of the flight. My guess is that he's going to carry me in his claws."
"Won't you be scared? I mean, you've no way of knowing if he'll drop you."
"He saved my life once. I've no doubt that he'll keep me safe.
"Your something, you know that?"
"Why, thank you." (twinkle) He proceeded to lower his head again and fell back asleep.
*~*
"Psst, Nami! Wake up, we're here!" Chihiro shook his shoulder (a/n- is there some kind of scientific term for a fox's shoulder that I'm missing here?) as she whispered urgently in his ear.
"We're here?" He looked up at her sleepily, then proceeded to bound off of her lap and stretch out on the floor of the train. After accomplishing this, he raced out of the train and onto the platform that made up the tiny station. Waiting for them at the end was an enormous eagle, standing nearly ten feet tall.
"Good. You made it." Chihiro found that she wasn't the least bit surprised upon finding that he could talk. She was, after all, in the spirit world, and she had seen many things that were far stranger than a talking eagle.
"Chihiro, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. His name is Aki, and, as I've already told you, he saved my life once."
"Really, you've got to stop beating yourself up about that. It really wasn't your fault. There was no way for you to know that the kid was really a very powerful sorcerer." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, his beak making clacking noises. "All right, Chihiro, if you would be so kind as to get yourself up on my back. There you go, now, Nami, come here. I'm going to hold you in my claws. Hold on tight, Chihiro. We've got a long ways to go, and much of it is through unfriendly territory. I don't doubt that Jumari will send some of her crows out to meet us before we get to the tower. We'll just have to be careful and fly under the radar."
He stretched out his huge, powerful wings, and, flapping them mightily, got himself off the ground and into the air.
*~*
Knoma continued to head downward, deeper and deeper into the very bowels of the tower. It was down here that Jumari kept all the prisoners she took, which wasn't often, as well as the permanent garrison for the invisible spirits that served as the guards. Haku and Link never realized it, but they had been watched by these invisible agents from the moment they had entered the gate a month ago.
The quarters that Link was being in were poor, to say the least, but Jumari had insisted that they be kept this way until all of her guests had taken their leave, which wouldn't be until after the first session of torture.
That was where he was heading now. Knoma was on his way to direct the first session, which, in accordance with the agreement made by Jumari would last two hours. Knoma felt sorry for Link, knowing that to him it would seem more like two weeks. The torture would be of the most painful kind possible, but still easy enough that it would not drive him insane.
Those had been Jumari's orders: hurt him, but don't drive him mad.
He had the feeling that the lust that she felt for him was being replaced by something akin to love for this newcomer. It could be seen in her eyes every time that she looked at his face. In recent days, he had even seen something there that he had never seen before.
Pity.
It was clear to him that she pitied Link, even though she would never go so far as to admit in front of anyone.
The idea actually scared him. It proved that Jumari DID have a heart beneath those seemingly impenetrable emotional walls. A heart was a dangerous thing to have when you're in a position of power. Those who would steal your power away from you would use your emotions in any way possible to get you to buckle. If you had emotion, then you could be manipulated, and eventually stabbed in the back by someone you assumed was your friend. That was something that Knoma absolutely could NOT let come about, for his entire well being revolved around her remaining in power.
This would require some thought, and much careful attention.
a/n- how did you like that chapter? Please, tell me what you think, so that I can know how to make it better.
I will keep writing, however, whether you review or not. If this chapter didn't make much sense, then I would have to suggest that you go ahead and read the prequel.
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
I'm back and I'm better than ever! Actually, I really am. See, the idea for the concluding story to Dead Souls hit me while I was taking a shower. That happens to be where most of my brilliant ideas find me. So anyway, I'm standing in the shower, and this lightning bolt hits me out of the blue and I get a flash of inspiration. What follows is the direct result of this undocumented phenomenon.
For HIS glory ALWAYS; Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
Disclaimer- I do not own Spirited Away. I own the general plot, as well as the following characters: Jumari, Knoma, Link, Nami, and the dark tower. The character Aki belongs to my sister, and is her spirit equivalent. These are the only things so far that I do truly own from my story.
~*~
"I HAVE REACHED A DECISION."
The two boys just stood there, unsure as to what kind of reaction would be appropriate for the situation. Thankfully, Jumari saved them from having to comment by continuing.
"I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DELAY HAS MADE YOU ANXIOUS, SO I'LL NOT BOTHER YOU WITH THE DETAILS OF MY DECISION MAKING."
They looked at each other, then back at the throne.
"IT IS THE DECISION OF OUR PERSON THAT THE HUMAN KNOWN AS CHIHIRO SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE SPIRIT WORLD AS LONG AS THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND LINK REMAINS UNBROKEN. THE HUMAN LINK WILL BE TORTURED FOR TWO HOURS OF EVERY DAY UNTIL THE END OF TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME MAY BE SPENT AS HE WISHES, ON THE CONDITION THAT HE NEVER AGAIN LEAVES THE LANDS THAT ARE ENCOMPASSED BY THE GREAT WALL SURROUNDING THE TOWER. IF AT ANY TIME HE SHOULD TRY TO VIOLATE THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT, THE HUMAN CHIHIRO MUST INSTANTLY RETURN TO THE MORTAL WORLD, NEVER AGAIN TO ENTER AND SEE HER TRUE LOVE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE DECLARED?"
Haku sent a quick glance at Link, who seemed to be both elated and desolated at the same time.
"I do agree to the decision that this court has made regarding the terms of my request. I am willing to do as they wish; that their end of the bargain be upheld. I thank the queen for accepting my request, and I acknowledge that I am deeply in her debt."
Jumari seemed to have enjoyed this discourse, as well as Link's clear distress. She turned to strange looking spirits that seemed to be serving as guards.
"TAKE THE HUMAN INTO CUSTODY. AS OF THIS MOMENT, HE IS A PRISONER HERE, AND NO LONGER A GUEST. PROCEDE TO TAKE HIM DOWN TO THE DUNGEONS."
Though Haku and Link had no way of knowing this, she was really very distressed over having to keep up pretences in front of her court. She had grown rather fond of the human, and as a result had pushed the day of her announcement back further and further so as to allow her to observe him, to get to know his likes and dislikes. She resolved to have him released from the dungeons as soon as possible, and see to it that he was made more comfortable.
Knoma turned and guided a shell-shocked Haku back out of the audience chamber, to the elevator, and down to the room that he and Link had shared during the time that they had spent awaiting a decision.
"I'll leave you alone for a while. I must go and attend to Link." Knoma turned and walked out of the door.
Haku sat down heavily in one of the chairs next to the table, in shock.
{He actually went through with it. I really didn't think that he would. We spent so much time together. In this last month, we had only each other to keep company, not including Knoma, of course. I thought that he wouldn't really do it. He didn't seem like the type that would. What on earth am I going to tell Chihiro? Can I really leave him behind? Will Chihiro ever accept the truth about why she can live here in the spirit world?}
He was lost in thought, and after a moment, he got up and went out to the balcony. Off in the distance, he could see the opening of the pass between two of the three mountains, the same two that he and Link had come through while following the stag only a month before. How long ago and far away that all seemed. He wondered, for the first time, if he would ever really be comfortable with Chihiro after all of this. It could be said that this was his darkest moment, darker even when he had first realized that he and Chihiro could never really be together.
*~*
Chihiro and Nami were still on the train, heading north. They had been on it for almost three days now, and had had several meals and plenty of sleep. Nami spent most of the time in her lap, keeping out of the way of the numerous spirits that were constantly getting on and off. There seemed to be a much steadier stream of passengers, when compared with the number that had been on during her first train ride.
"Do you think that we're almost there?" Chihiro looked down at Nami, who lifted his head so that he could look at her.
"Depends. What stop are we at?"
"The sign says stop 305N"
"Well, then I'd say we've got five more stops left. The train only goes up to 310 (a/n- it's that number for a reason (), and that's without the north or south indicator on it. See, the stops going north are marked with an 'n', and the stops going south are marked with an 's'. At the peak, there's no letter indicator, since your really going both ways."
"I see," said Chihiro, not really seeing at all.
Nami began to go back to sleep, but Chihiro moved her leg, jostling him.
"Stop that!"
"Come on, get off. My leg is falling asleep."
"I don't want to. Your lap is so comfortable, I feel as though I could sleep in it for days."
"You already have. Once we get to the last stop, how do we go about finding Jumari's tower?"
"I have a friend, this eagle spirit, who will gladly take us there. He should be waiting for us right at the stop, and if he's not, then we just have to wait for a little while until he gets there. Now, leave me alone. I want to get what little rest I still can."
"An eagle could never carry me!"
"You forget that you're in the spirit world. The eagles here are much bigger than the birds that you've got back in your world."
"How do you know that?" Chihiro wasn't sure that she wanted to be trusting him THAT completely yet.
"Trust me. He's carried me in my human form before. He should have absolutely no trouble carrying you, and I'm going to stay in my fox from for the duration of the flight. My guess is that he's going to carry me in his claws."
"Won't you be scared? I mean, you've no way of knowing if he'll drop you."
"He saved my life once. I've no doubt that he'll keep me safe.
"Your something, you know that?"
"Why, thank you." (twinkle) He proceeded to lower his head again and fell back asleep.
*~*
"Psst, Nami! Wake up, we're here!" Chihiro shook his shoulder (a/n- is there some kind of scientific term for a fox's shoulder that I'm missing here?) as she whispered urgently in his ear.
"We're here?" He looked up at her sleepily, then proceeded to bound off of her lap and stretch out on the floor of the train. After accomplishing this, he raced out of the train and onto the platform that made up the tiny station. Waiting for them at the end was an enormous eagle, standing nearly ten feet tall.
"Good. You made it." Chihiro found that she wasn't the least bit surprised upon finding that he could talk. She was, after all, in the spirit world, and she had seen many things that were far stranger than a talking eagle.
"Chihiro, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. His name is Aki, and, as I've already told you, he saved my life once."
"Really, you've got to stop beating yourself up about that. It really wasn't your fault. There was no way for you to know that the kid was really a very powerful sorcerer." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, his beak making clacking noises. "All right, Chihiro, if you would be so kind as to get yourself up on my back. There you go, now, Nami, come here. I'm going to hold you in my claws. Hold on tight, Chihiro. We've got a long ways to go, and much of it is through unfriendly territory. I don't doubt that Jumari will send some of her crows out to meet us before we get to the tower. We'll just have to be careful and fly under the radar."
He stretched out his huge, powerful wings, and, flapping them mightily, got himself off the ground and into the air.
*~*
Knoma continued to head downward, deeper and deeper into the very bowels of the tower. It was down here that Jumari kept all the prisoners she took, which wasn't often, as well as the permanent garrison for the invisible spirits that served as the guards. Haku and Link never realized it, but they had been watched by these invisible agents from the moment they had entered the gate a month ago.
The quarters that Link was being in were poor, to say the least, but Jumari had insisted that they be kept this way until all of her guests had taken their leave, which wouldn't be until after the first session of torture.
That was where he was heading now. Knoma was on his way to direct the first session, which, in accordance with the agreement made by Jumari would last two hours. Knoma felt sorry for Link, knowing that to him it would seem more like two weeks. The torture would be of the most painful kind possible, but still easy enough that it would not drive him insane.
Those had been Jumari's orders: hurt him, but don't drive him mad.
He had the feeling that the lust that she felt for him was being replaced by something akin to love for this newcomer. It could be seen in her eyes every time that she looked at his face. In recent days, he had even seen something there that he had never seen before.
Pity.
It was clear to him that she pitied Link, even though she would never go so far as to admit in front of anyone.
The idea actually scared him. It proved that Jumari DID have a heart beneath those seemingly impenetrable emotional walls. A heart was a dangerous thing to have when you're in a position of power. Those who would steal your power away from you would use your emotions in any way possible to get you to buckle. If you had emotion, then you could be manipulated, and eventually stabbed in the back by someone you assumed was your friend. That was something that Knoma absolutely could NOT let come about, for his entire well being revolved around her remaining in power.
This would require some thought, and much careful attention.
a/n- how did you like that chapter? Please, tell me what you think, so that I can know how to make it better.
I will keep writing, however, whether you review or not. If this chapter didn't make much sense, then I would have to suggest that you go ahead and read the prequel.
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri