Title: The Last Straw

Summary: "So you actually took my advice. What changed?" Chihiro could feel her pain fade away as the urge to grab her own lovely and rather deadly daughters and spear someone right in the chest. God she was such a sadist. "It wasn't really my choice."

AN: First Spirited Away fan fic. Hope it's entertaining! ^^.

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"So you actually took my advice. What changed?"

"It wasn't really my choice."

"Pity. I liked your hair when it was longer."

"Too bad, then."

The two exchanged looks, both actually taking the time to look at the other's backs. Eyes, calculating and observing, shifted through the silent troops. There were so many spirits present, of all different elements and of many types. Behind her stood the powerful half, while behind him stood another force ought to be reckoned with, hundreds of jade green and sapphire eyes stared at the other half with half-hidden glee. It'd been years since the last battle. Their swords had been sleeping for so long, along with their will and hunger for battle.

With their challenge, everything had been awakened. From their weapons, to their allies, to their enemies, to their elements, to the battlefield, and their courage. Everything alive and everything worth mentioning was now fully regenerated and awake... just, waiting.

"Kohaku." His jade green eyes snapped to her serious face. The wind was calm unlike yesterday, just gently blowing their fringes in a dramatic way. "You don't have to do this."

The dragon bared his fangs. In humanoid form it was hard to think that the man had any relation to a reptilian creature, but his quiet growling was enough proof. The low sound echoed in the silent field. One who didn't need to breathe, just stayed frozen in place. In true honesty, dragons were stubborn and thick skinned creatures, but Haku never really did snap unless extremely ticked off.

Which he was right now.

"Yes I do." He snapped back. "Don't think that you can just come back here and take over everything as if it was your own. We are spirits- beings far older and greater than you. What right do you have in terrorising our lands? Tell me Chihiro? Enlighten us with what you have been meaning to say. "

"You've asked me this before and I've given you my answer." Her blue eyes narrowed. "And to this day it stands. I have no right, no authority to condemn spirits into purgatory for all the sins you've done. We tried being peaceful. Offering you jobs as a way of attaining forgiveness and cleansing. But you refused-."

"We have every right to refuse!" A spirit behind him shrieked. Many hands (mostly from the younger spirits) moved to cover their ears. The shriek had turned both him and her livid, but the spirit was far from finished. "You are a pathetic human! What you're doing here in the spirit world alive I don't know- but I will make sure your death is beautiful. If it is by my own hands, that is."

"Beautiful?" The human barked, a laugh edging her voice. She raised a hand to toss back the very little amount of hair she had left from their earlier meeting. Her fingers could hardly grab onto the chopped locks for how short they were."Do you mean to say that what you did to my hair is comparable to beauty?"

"Why yes, yes I do." The smug spirit tugged on her own sea green locks, twirling one particular long strand before tossing a handful of tresses over her shoulder. The battle area suited their elements, as underneath them, all on their side could hear rushing water. Perfect area for a multitude of water spirits. "Beauty suited for disgusting creatures like you!"

"Enough." Haku stepped in front of the Kaoru in a protective manner, his jade green eyes narrowing at her, stunning her into silence. The gesture, from afar, looked as if Haku had been giving the girl an endearing look, which brought a heavy pang to Chihiro's heart. She still wasn't over what had happened. Was Kaoru really important to him, important enough for her to appear as nothing?

"We don't want to see your mushy loving! Seriously! It's making me sick." A human from beside Chihiro snapped as well. Despite her throbbing head, she could see the anger in Yuki's sapphire blue eyes, the wind blowing her frayed pig tails. Both hands were on either side of her hips, each gripping the hilts of her twin swords. Chihiro could feel her pain fade away as the urge to grab her own lovely and rather deadly daughters and spear someone right in the chest burned madly. God she was such a sadist. "Give us back the river stones and our names. It's the only thing that will stop this- I assure you."

"Come now." The girl behind Haku snarled in a fakely sweetened voice, momentarily forgetting that warning look he had just given her. "Does acquiring your contracts require the bloodshed up ahead? You're out of your head if you think you can stand up against an entire generation of dragons. The river clan has been ongoing for years, and ever since we found Kohaku... Let's just say you'll be easy picking."

"I'm afraid it does." Chihiro looked at her with the most hateful expression she could muster. "And blood will fall from your side as well."

"Don't be so sure." Haku watched before his very eyes as time stood still. Kaoru, as a river spirit, was quick on her feet. She was across the plain and in front of Chihiro in no time. It took at the very least fifteen seconds for her hand to press to Chihiro's side, and only one moment for her element to enter her lungs.

A cut off scream started the rest of the noise to sprout. Water rushed out from holes in the ground, one side smiling cruelly as their mastered element followed their every move. The other side, though at an elemental disadvantage, gripped onto their swords and fire encrusted stones in the palms of their hands.

Both leaders where in the middle of the field. Haku gripping Kaoru's shoulders in an effort to pull her away, from the coughing Chihiro being hold onto by Yuki. The brunette coughed out as much water as she could and realized that she had just experienced her fourth dunking in the past month.

"That's iniquitous!" A spirit, who we all know as Lin, snapped at the dragon moving back to his group. She had also run into the middle of the field, holding onto the girl she'd known as Sen. Her eyes were narrowed at the thick headed dragon, she felt so stupid for thinking that Haku had the smallest inkling of goodness in him. Turns out she was epically mistaken.

"Says who?" Lin met eyes with the man from the other side and the expression of anger on his face brought deep pangs to her heart. Everyone, both on either side, had been through enough. It was time to end this.

The unanimous silence between all was the signal.

So it begins.

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FN: There we go. I know that it's slightly confusing, but everything will come clear. This is a very short prologue, and since I'm usually very awful with starting chapters, I will not defend myself for presenting you such half-baked craptions.

Constructive criticism is much appreciated. Seriously, I need it. And while on that note, any body know a good BETA?