Hello, everyone! This is the new and improved Daring Remembrance! I hope you enjoy ;) And again, I apologize for the re-write.
Haku tapped his foot impatiently, looking out the window as he had been for the past year and a half. Where the hell Yubaba had fled to this time, he didn't know. She had left soon after Chihiro was freed, obviously embarrassed at being bested by a human. It was a humiliation to all spirits. Humans were considered nothing but lower beings to most spirits. Unfit to even be slaves.
There were, obviously a few cases that were different. Zeniba had loved Chihiro like her own child- or grandchild, considering age differences. Kamajii was the same. Rin adored her like a protective older sister, or maybe even like a young mother. And to him, she was...sunshine. Bright, warm, and beautiful. And how unnaturally warm she was...
Haku was lost in his memories for a moment. But all he was remembering was the warmth. The warmth she emitted when he held her. The warmth that made it possible for him to know when she was there. The warmth that he could practically feel through her smile. The thought of her smile made him smile, too.
The smile faded, though, as he remembered her. He felt that horrid longing in the pit of his stomach again. The want to hold her, see her smile, know that she was there beside him. Try as he could, he couldn't find anything in Yubaba's office that would let him even get a glimpse at her. Zeniba didn't know of any, either. That, or she was hoarding them away from him. Not that he was suspicious of her. At all.
A flicker of movement in the sky caught his eye. A smile played on his lips. He'd be going back to Chihiro soon enough. But another movement in the water demanded his full attention. A small ripple spread out from the area where the creature had slipped up in its stealth. He felt his heart sink into his stomach and prayed to whatever deity might be above that it was not that man.
He saw a slimy, black tentacle pop out of the water, mocking him.
Shit shit shit shit shit.
That tentacle belonged to none other than Sumizome Taikai. The Water Demon. And his fourth cousin. Haku growled. The man was nothing but trouble, and his immortal nemesis. When Haku had been very young (and only a mere stream), the man had killed not only his mother and father, but almost the entire village of people who lived on his banks. Since then, he had loathed the man and thirsted for his blood and vengeance for those he had stolen from him.
A dragon burst out from Yubaba's office window, shattering it for the second time that month. He landed not far from the bath crone, watching with her as the demon slithered out of the water.
The man was beryl blue, with eight black octopus tentacles in place of legs. Black eyes glared out from underneath thick navy brows, and a cruel smile was surrounded by a wily beard of the same color. Around his neck, he wore a pouch made of the bell of a Box Jellyfish. It was hung by one of the jellyfish's tentacles. Other than that, his chest was bare, showing the many scars he had from battles with other spirits and creatures of the sea. He was the spirit of the Indian Ocean, but he was well known for bullying (and sometimes killing) other water deities, and causing disasters in their immediate areas.
He was, in short, unnaturally cruel. Hence his nickname as the "Water Demon". Nonetheless, he was powerful and abhorred humans, which gained him a lot of respect from water spirits who believed themselves superior.
"Kohaku, dear, it's been so long. You really need to talk with your cousin more." The man smirked.
The dragon growled savagely, refusing to transform. He wasn't going to let his guard down in front of this man.
"How rude," Taikai sighed, "If you refuse to talk to me, then step aside, boy. I've got business to settle with your master."
Haku snapped at the demon, missing on of his precious tentacles by centimeters. Yubaba was not his master. He was a free spirit, dammit. He had no master.
"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, transform or move right now, or I'll kill that girl you've spent the last year and a half thinking about."
Haku unwillingly transformed back into his human form. He still glared at the man, eyes unmoving from his grotesque blue frame.
"What do you want, Taikai?" He spat.
"Nothing, other than the life of the woman standing behind you."
"Might I ask why?"
"She did me wrong in the past, and caused me great pain."
"I had to make you repent for that disgusting accessory somehow. Someone should never be deprived of their heart." Yubaba sneered.
"You mock the circumstance! It was mine from the beginning!"
"No, it was given to someone else, and you couldn't handle that. So you stole it, murdering the poor thing in the process."
"I'll have your life! And the life of all those you know!" Takai screamed, before he turned to Haku, "Join me, boy. Together we can defeat this crone. You'll have your freedom and be able to see her whenever you please. We can create a whole army of water spirits. Think of the raw, awesome power! We could rule the spirit world!"
"I would rather die."
Taikai blinked angrily. His temper was bubbling out of control, and he made one final decision. Smiling cruelly, he looked at the dragon boy.
"Fine, then, have it your way. But I won't kill you. I'll do something far, far worse. Do you want to know what I'm going to do, boy?"
Haku's face remained emotionless.
"I'm going to take away her memories of you. She'll never remember you, and no spell will ever restore those memories. Chihiro Ogino will forget you and live on her life, while you die in a war you'll never be able to win."
Haku's face betrayed his surprise and horror as Taikai murmured the words to a spell. He stood helplessly as the man laughed a wicked laugh and disappeared into the water. He turned to Yubaba.
"Stay in my service, Haku. Things won't be pretty for you if your free."
xxxxx
"Ms. Ogino! Pay attention!" the teacher snapped at the front of the classroom.
She mumbled an apology, blushing. She'd been lost in her thoughts about Haku and the others in Aburaya. How were things going over there? Was Haku free yet? And how was Rin doing? Kamajii? The balls of soot?
She shook her head and turned back to the lecture. Sometimes, class was just so boring...
'School felt like it took hours to finish today.' Chihiro thought, as she walked along the route to her house.
She paused by a river running through the area. She sat down on a rock, not caring about how damp her bottom got. Sticking a foot in, she giggled. But she turned around suddenly at the sound of a snapping twig.
Her eyes found a boy only a few years older than her, wearing a steel gray kung fu shirt, black capris, and traditional chinese slippers. He had short-cropped ash gray hair and blood red eyes. He smiled at her.
"My name is Hikozaemon, and I'm the spirit of this river."
Chihiro visibly relaxed, and something in the boy's countenance changed.
"Just because I say that I'm a spirit does not mean I'm kind, or like humans. I'm nothing like that disgrace of the Kohaku River." He smirked at the suddenly pungent smell of fear in the air, "I've been sent to destroy your memories."
Chihiro panicked and stood up quickly. She slipped backwards on the rocks and Hikozaemon caught her, placing his palm on her forehead.
Her scream echoed for miles.
When he was finished, he turned to the girl behind him. She was the exact opposite of him, with deep red hair and gray eyes.
"I've done my part, Amaya. Now it's your turn."
She nodded as he handed her the body. Carrying it, she ran into a nearby hospital, prepared to tell the story that would be used as an excuse for the girl's condition.
There we go, the new intro to Daring Remembrance! Stay tuned for the next chapter, which is likely to be posted soon! Btw, fourth cousin would mean that Taikai is Haku's great-grandfather's cousin.