Title – Among the Spirits
Rated – T – M
Couple – Haku and Chihiro
Genre – Romance/Spiritual
Summary – What was reality? What she thought to be true was denied every time she brought it up. As days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into years and soon...she couldn't decipher between what she thought was the truth and what they told her was the truth. This takes 7 years after she passed through the tunnel to the living world, never looking back.
Key – Key
Flashback Flashback
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Chapter One
The Line between Dream and Reality Blurs
Chihiro glanced up at the clock; the bell rang like clockwork, signaling the end of the school day. She sighed and stood up, stretching her arms before grabbing her bag and tossing her school work and utensils into her messenger bag before running out of the classroom door.
"Chi-Chan!"
Chihiro turned and looked in the direction of another student, female student, from her class. "Yes Mikoto-Sempai?"
"We have clean up duty, did you forget?"
"Oh, I guess I did, Gomen."
The girl shook her black hair with a bright smile, her brown eyes shining. "It's alright Chi-Chan, let's just get it over with so that you can hurry and meet Yo-Chibi."
"H-how did you―"
"You were in a daze the entire class, I figured you were thinking of him. However, it's a little weird; he is five years younger then Chi-Chan, so romantic thoughts..."
"Ah! No, I was thinking of the abandon amusement park that we were going to check out. I don't think of Youichi-Chibi the way you might think. He's more like a kid brother, nothing more, nothing less." Chihiro said, following after her sempai and taking a broom to help the others who had cleaning duty.
"Is there anyone you do like?"
"Hm, no...Well, not in school. There is someone, but...he isn't real, he's just a dream. I wish he was real though."
"Yatta! You have a dream prince?!" Mikoto asked with starry eyes, two other girls turning to Chihiro with smiles and the only two boys chuckled as they moved over to her.
"Hey Miko-Chan, you think this guy is worth our Chichi?"
"Don't call me that Taizu!" She glared at the boy with auburn red hair to his ears, finely cut to frame his bright green eyes.
"Don't call me Taizu!" He retorted with just as much force.
"Your name means crown prince, so back off!"
"That doesn't mean I am one!"
"That's not news to us Taizu. You lack the mannerisms and intellect of a prince."
"Chi―"
"Chi-Chan, Akihiko-Kun, please no fighting." Mikoto said with worried doe brown eyes looking between her fellow classmates and friends.
"Mm..." The two looked at each other from the corner of their eyes, the other boy who stood on the other side of Chihiro laugher. He had black hair that was braded down his back, two parts of his equally long bangs were clamped in two separate silver clamps with engravings she hadn't recalled in her history books or archeology books. His eyes were grey with lining around the pupils and iris's in what looked like silver.
"Let's finish up guys."
"Ri~ght!" They continued with their cleaning until the classroom was finally finished. Chihiro once more grabbed her messenger bag, taking care to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything before leaving the school. She grabbed her back and positioned her bag before riding quickly down to the corner mart. When she got there, her twelve year old friend was already leaning against the wall.
"Hey, Chihiro, what took ya!?"
"Gomen Youichi-Chibi. I had clean up duty."
"Ah, well let's hurry up."
"Kay," She waited for him to mount his bike before following after him. They continued up and down the long road until coming to a sough, grassy and tree covered terrain. She followed his lead, getting off their bikes they leaned them against a nearby tree before walking up the long unwinding trail.
'This place,' she thought. 'This place seems so...familiar.' She made her way up the pathway and stopped before a stone statue. "Y-Youichi-Chibi...I...I don't want to go in there. I'm..."
He stared at her when she looked away, moving to her, he took her hands in his, and she turned back to him. "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you Chihiro, I always will be." Her eyes widened. He pulled her through the long and dark hall.
"Youichi..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. When he pulled her out of the entrance of the so called, 'abandon theme park' she looked around in alarm. 'This place is from my dreams!'
"What do you think, Chihiro?"
"I...I'm not sure." She looked around and a thought sparked, emerald green eyes flashed in her mind. 'If this place was real, then...was it all...just as real as it seemed?'
"Let's go, I smell food." Chihiro's eyes widened.
'No!' She ran after the laughing boy. "Youichi-Chibi, no! Let's go...let's go somewhere else." She looked down at her hands and he blushed slightly.
"Kay, where to?"
"The bridge?"
"Bridge?" She nodded, taking his hand in hers, she pulled him along to where the bridge stood in her dreams. Getting to the beginning of it, she looked at it in surprise equal to Youichi's. "How did you know this was here?"
"I've...had this dream...before."
"Dream?"
She said nothing to his question, "Hold your breath until across the bridge."
He frowned, "Al...right..." They crossed the bridge, both holding their breath until across. "What was the reason for that?" He asked once off the bridge, taking a breath of relief.
"It wasn't a game, you wouldn't understand Youichi, but...dream or reality, I have to know, how much was true."
"How much of what was true?"
"How much of the dream was true."
"...if you say so. Hm, what's with the bathhouse?"
"It's...a bathhouse for the many spirits and deities around the world. They come here to relax."
"What? Spirits? Deities? Chihiro, did you hit your head in gym or something?"
"Trust me, please."
He sighed. "Got it," they made their way to the side of the bathhouse where a long staircase was.
"Now, we wait."
"For what?"
"For the sun to set."
"Chihiro, won't our parents be worried?"
"My mom will understand."
"Yours...maybe...mine..." He shivered, she laughed at the dead look in his eyes.
She closed her eyes and thought back to her dream.
-Flashback-
"Don't move!" A boy with dark forest green hair said, placing an arm over her as he blocked her from sight of an odd bird with the face of an old lady. When it left their line of view, the boy stood. "That's Yubaba's bird, she is no doubt looking for you. Come on, we have to go." Chihiro tried to stand only to find her legs locked.
"My legs, I can't stand up, help, what do I do?"
"Calm down and relax, now take a deep breath." He held his hands above her legs and a glow appeared. "By the power of wind and water, I command thee, unbind her!"
"Chihiro~o~o!"
-End-Flashback-
"Huh...?"
"Your blanking out on me again. What's up?"
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"I'm not sure." She laid back on the flat surface of the staircase before the actual steps.
"Chihiro, really, should we be staying here?" She glanced at him, mentally staring at the boy who had been with her for seven years. She smiled and took his hand.
"Stay, stay with me Youichi, please."
Once more, he blushed and looked away, "R-right."
They remained sitting until finally the sun started setting.
"Stand up Youichi-Chibi, it's time."
"Time?"
-Flashback-
"Water?" She stared over at the once field she had crossed to get to the other side of the train tracks.
"No, No, No...This is a dream! Wake up, wake up! Huh?" She turned as a boat floated up to the land, a docking bridge lowered and what appeared to be floating paper, faded into what appeared to be shadowy figures and such. "Ahhhh―" She ran up a hill and hid.
-End-Flashback-
"Chihiro!"
"I know," She looked at the water rising, he stared in utter shock and took a step back; suddenly spirits began to appear, much like in her dream. "Follow me, Youichi-Chibi." He nodded and carefully they walked down the steps on the side of the bathhouse. She turned a corner and opened a door. Youichi gasped at the sight of an old man type being with four arms and two legs, crouched in an odd position on a weird bike like things, black balls of what looked like soot walked across the floor with coal in their hands and their eyes looking at them as they walked. He glanced at Chihiro at the sound of sniffling.
"Chihiro..."
"...K-Kamaji...GRANDPA KAMAJI!" She ran forward towards the old six limbed man who turned in surprise towards her and caught her with open arms.
"...Sin?"
"Yes, yes it's me!" Tears fell from her eyes as his four arms wrapped tightly around her smaller form, a more unknown feeling filled his heart as he too shed tears for the first time in a long time.
"How did you get back here?"
"Youichi-Chibi, he brought me back."
"Youichi...?"
Youichi sauntered up to him slowly and bowed politely. "Er, h-hello sir."
"Hello to you too. Chihiro, if you want to stay here again, you will need to talk to Yubaba again, your friend too."
"I know, I'll do that now."
"If you want it to be a surprise...you can take the new route we have."
"New?"
"Yeah," his arm moved up past her head and pulled a ladder down from where she remembered distinctly falling with a bloodied up dragon.
"That's...useful."
"Heh, take care, and good luck!" He said, giving her two thumbs up.
"Thanks, Youichi, come on, and stay close." She said, climbing up the ladder with Youichi behind her. He turned bright red when he looked up and instead opted to looking at the medal bars of the ladder as he walked.
'What is going on...!?'
-x-x-x-
Me: I know...^_^; lol, sorry it took me like...FOREVER...to update. I'll update sooner from now on, I just have to catch up with a few others. Review and I'll update nai! ^_^'' Please regard me kindly!
