Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away
Hi! I'm sorry I am so late. I have been doing my exams and are currently slap bang in the middle of them. I wrote this chapter a while ago and have never really got around to uploading it. I love how my writing style has changed and I hope that you like it too. As you will see from this chapter, I am taking a slower approach.
Have Fun!
I didn't know Chihiro was so broken. When was the last time she cried? Even though people say that men shouldn't cry, I cry at times - it's healthy. But Chihiro, she's held it all in. I could only watch her. I wanted to comfort her, but she needed this. We didn't move.
When Chihiro stopped crying, everything was silent.
"Thank you," she said, before opening the door and leaving the office. I frowned and followed her.
"Where are you going?" I asked. Chihiro didn't stop.
Her long, brown hair swayed from side to side as she picked up speed. Chihiro had changed a lot over the years. Her hair was longer, down to her waist, much like mine, but she had hers tied up in a shiny purple hair tie. She had grown tall, but not as tall as me. Her clothes seemed so strange, much like the clothes when she first came here. This time she was wearing a maroon three quarter length sleeves shirt and strange blue trousers that made a scratching noise every time she moved.
"Human World," she replied. My eyes widened and I quickly grabbed her left shoulder and spinning her around.
"What? Why? Why would you go back to such a place?" I asked, astonished. Chihiro's eyes were wet and red. It made something inside me stir.
"I will not be made a fool of, Haku, especially not by you," she said glaring. I hissed.
"I said I was sorry. I'm not trying to make a fool out of you. Do you think I'm going to go downstairs and shout out about you? No, because I'm your friend and I would never do that," I said. Chihiro growled and tried to get out of my grip, but failed as I pushed her against the wall. "Trust me!" I shouted, trying to get through to her. Her eyes widened, before she stopped resisting.
"I'm going to go look for Lin..." she muttered. I sighed.
"Why?" I asked.
"None of your business, Dragon," Chihiro said before getting out of my grip and walking off.
"Dragon?" I said to myself. I huffed and leant against the wall. Chihiro wouldn't leave. She wouldn't be able to until the morning, so Lin could keep her company.
I clenched my chest as I felt a pressure. I had to be more careful in the future.
. . .
I didn't know what to do. I had never seen Haku like that. I wasn't going back to the Human World, but I did have a bone to pick with Lin. I used the lift downstairs and found Lin talking to the foreman. She saw me and waved. I glared and gestured her to come her. She looked a little scared for herself obeyed.
"What's up?" she asked, hoping to get off easy.
"You told him," I said. Lin sighed.
"I never said that I wouldn't. Trust him, Sen. He wants to help," she replied. I bit my lip.
"Why should I allow him to help me?" I asked. Lin smiled.
"Because you two seem to help each other. He saved your life. You got his name back and his freedom. I think Haku wanted to repay a debt when you paid too much," she said. I shook my head.
"He doesn't need to. He got my parents back, so he already paid for it. Besides, I'm not doing this to get even," I spoke. Lin lightly shoved me.
"Just allow him to help. He feels terrible. When I told him, he was threatening to deal with the people who hurt you. You heard the shouting, right?" I nodded. "Please, Sen?"
I sighed and nodded again.
"Fine," I replied. Lin smiled and grabbed my hand.
"Great, now come with me," Lin said.
"Why?" I asked, being pulled along.
"I want to heal you any way I can. Depending on how bad they are, I'll keep it a secret from Haku," she said. I looked at my sister.
"Promise?" I questioned. Lin smiled.
"Depending on how bad they are. I promise," she agreed. That was the best I was going to get. Most of them were healed. They were just scars. I nodded and allowed her to bring me back upstairs. Around Haku's office were rooms, some having beds, while the others are just empty.
Lin lead me into a room that had a bed. She told me to stay while she went to get the stuff that she needed. I sat patiently on the bed, not really prepared for what was going to happen. After five minutes, Lin walked back into the room with two buckets of water, a bottle with some clear liquid in it, and two flannels. She closed the door and walked to my side.
"Right, arms up," she ordered. I frowned.
"What?" I questioned. Lin tilted her head.
"Your injuries are on your chest and back, right?" she asked. I nodded. "You're not lying to me, right? There aren't any on your legs?" There truthfully wasn't as I was usually able to stop them. I nodded. "Okay, now let's start again. Arms up," Lin said.
I did as she said and allowed her to take my shirt off. I took it off slowly, closing my eyes as I heard her gasp. I huffed and put my shirt aside. Lin looked so hurt. I looked down at my chest and saw scars, cut and burn marks. Yeah, they hated me.
"Oh, Sen. I'm so sorry," Lin said. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Why are you apologising? You didn't do this to me," I said. Lin shook her head.
"Sen, all these cuts and scars, plus burnt marks from a cigarette. You really were in pain, weren't you?" I sighed and petted Lin's head.
"You didn't do this to me," I repeated. Lin sighed.
"Take off that other cloth around your breasts," she said. My arms unconsciously moved to cover my chest. It wasn't like I hadn't been in front a woman naked before; I lived in Japan after all, but I didn't like the feeling.
"It's called a bra," I told Lin as I undid it from the back, taking it off. My breasts weren't huge, but weren't small either. Lin smiled as she grabbed a flannel and dipped it into the water, drained it, before rubbing it on my chest. I winced at the feeling.
"You've really grown, Sen. I remember when you were 10 years old and only a child. Now you are a woman. In the Spirit World, usually people get married as soon as their bodies develop. You are ready for marriage," she told. I felt a little uneasy at her statement. Lin noticed this and smiled. "Don't worry. No one will touch you while your big sister is here," she reassured. This sort of triggered a thought.
"What about you, Lin? Don't you have a husband?" I asked her. Lin breathed out a laugh.
"No. My parents sold me to the Bathhouse the same age as you when we met. You can't marry while you work in the Bathhouse, or at least that was a law Yubaba set up. I lived in this place most my life and soon realised that it was no place for a husband or children," she said. She rubbed harder, causing me to groan in pain. "Sorry. Turn around."
"Why?" I asked. Lin rubbed at my back, scrapping at the burnt marks. I breathed in deeply to concentrate away from the pain.
"You know what Yubaba was like, besides when would we be able to spare time for a spouse or child? We're always working until the sun rises and then we are exhausted. No child should be brought up in a place like this, where their parents have no time for them," she said. I nodded. "What about you? Have you ever thought about having kids?" Lin asked me. I smiled and looked down into my hands.
"I've thought about it but gave up because I had no one. I was nearly raped a few years back because one of the older boys got drunk and took his prank a bit too far. I kicked him in the dick. He will never have kids," I told. Lin clicked her tongue.
"Ouch, but good for you. Well, now you are here, you don't have to think about that world ever again. Do you understand me?" she questioned, turning my head to face her. I nodded and Lin smiled. "Good."
I felt the flannel leave my skin and heard a splash.
"Right, I've cleaned you up best as I could," Lin said. I smiled as reached for my shirt.
"Thanks, Lin," I said, but Lin's hand stopped me.
"Woah, we aren't done yet," she replied. I looked puzzled.
"We're not? What? You going to bandage me up or something?" I asked. Lin shook her head. I turned around to face her and saw the water in the bucket was now red. Was that really my blood? Lin reached for the bottle of liquid and showed it to me.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Baby oil?" I answered half-assed. The liquid really did look like baby oil. I was transparent, but had a strange shimmer in it like it had its own light. Lin shook her head and opened the lid.
"This is called 'Moon Oil'. Legend has it that every 100 years 3 drops fall from the moon. I don't believe in it because I have no clue how they managed to catch droplets from the moon. We use it only for emergencies, and this is one of those times. It'll heal anything from a small paper cut to a large stab wound," Lin said pouring in one drop into the bucket of fresh water. "It only needs one drop and a lot of water," she told me. I nodded. "Be brave, Sen. Here, chew on this." Lin threw me an apple from her pocket. I frowned at the apple and was about to ask her what it was for, before she put the now wet flannel on my chest.
I had never felt so much pain in my life. I cried loudly and tried to move away from Lin, but she stopped me.
"I know it hurts, Sen, but be brave. Talk to me or eat the apple. I bet Haku heard that scream..." she muttered the last bit. At that point in life, I really could care less about Haku. I was in serious pain.
Lin rubbed my chest and back all over. My hands gripped onto the sheet as I tried to contain myself, but once she went over a burn, I couldn't hold it in. I cried loudly.
"Lin, please stop!" I shouted. Lin looked like she was in pain too. Not physically, but mentally. She was putting her sister through so much pain and had to be the one inflicting it.
"I'm almost done. Hang in there," she replied. I whimpered and held in the tears that were going to leak out of my eyes. I was not crying twice in one day.
It was then that there was a knock at the door.
"What's going on in there!?" shouted Haku's voice.
"Go away..." I said quietly in pain. Lin sighed and turned to the door.
"One minute, Haku. Don't come in," she replied. I couldn't stop whimpering and felt like cutting off my arm. "Nearly...nearly...There! Done. It's over, Sen." It's over. It's over. Lin removed the flannel from my skin and I fell back. My whole body felt numb and I couldn't move it. "Sen, stay awake for a few more seconds," Lin said, tossing me my shirt.
I groaned and put my shirt on. I lay back and felt like closing my eyes, so I did.
"Come in," Lin called. I heard the door open.
"What happened?" Haku asked.
"I had to use Moon...bad...pain-"
. . .
I was sitting at my desk when I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called. The door opened and Lin walked in. "Aren't you supposed to be with Chihiro?" I questioned, slightly worried that she actually did a runner. Lin rolled her eyes.
"She's in the other room," Lin said. I sighed in relief. "I'll be healing her wounds so don't mind any screams," she continued. I frowned and stood up.
"Wait! What?" I asked. Lin shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know what Sen's wounds will be like. I fear I might have to use Moon Oil on her," she said. My eyes widened.
"Moon Oil? You are not using that on her," I ordered, but Lin hissed.
"I don't want to either, but I want her memories of the human world to disappear. I don't want her to be reminded of those days by the scars on her body, and I'm sure that you wouldn't want that either," she replied. I sat back down and bit the inside of my mouth.
"Do what you believe must be done," I grumbled. Lin sighed and walked out of the office. I looked down at the papers in front of me. I could no longer think straight. I had experience Moon Oil once before and I wouldn't wish it on anymore, not even my enemies. But my most dearest friend was in the other room about the experience it. Life wasn't fair.
I just sat there, waiting to hear the screams. It wasn't until 10 minutes had gone past when I heard the first scream. It was a scream of pure agony and I jumped out of my seat and out of the office.
Were her wounds that bad? I reached the room where the noise was coming from and just stood there, listening to Chihiro's whimpers, begging Lin to stop. It made me even angrier than I originally was about the matter. Somebody touched what was mine- I mean somebody touched Chihiro.
I can't start getting thoughts about Chihiro. She is finally safe from a world of pain and I will not put her through anymore. It's too dangerous. I sighed and wondered if she was crying. She used to cry so much when she was younger, but now she is so different. She was a child then, but is a woman now. And Chihiro has come at a very bad time. I breathe deeply, regaining my sanity, before knocking.
"What's going on in there?" I call. I could have sworn I heard Chihiro say something but could only hear the harshness of her breathing.
"One minute, Haku. Don't come in," Lin replied. My heart raced and I felt like breaking the door down when I heard another whimper. It was only until Lin said, "Come in," that I opened the door and stared inside.
Chihiro was on the bed. I thought she was dead, but could see she was clearly breathing. I turned to Lin, who was standing up.
"What happened?" I asked. Lin sighed.
"I had to use Moon Oil. Her wounds were bad and were causing her a lot of pain. They were killing her there..." Lin muttered. I looked down and clicked my tongue, before going over to Chihiro and seeing that she was already asleep. It was completely normal to sleep after Moon Oil. It forces the user to sleep for 12 hours, allowing the recovery process to occur. I moved my hand to stroke her hair, before Lin grabbed my hand. "Haku," she said. I growled and got out of her grip, walking away.
I could tell Lin was following me. "I told you to be careful," she said. I huffed.
"I am being careful. Is there anything wrong with stroke someone's head?" I asked. Lin glared.
"You know full well that it's not about touching someone's head. This is Sen we are talking about," she spoke. I rolled my eyes.
"Really? And I thought this was about me," I replied.
"Haku!" Lin exclaimed. I didn't flinch and just glared at the annoying weasel spirit. Her eyes looked serious. "Do you remember what time it is?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"3:30," I replied. Lin walked to me and immediately tried to smack me over the face, before I grabbed her wrist.
"Don't pretend you don't know. You are coming up to your mating season. Don't you dare look to Sen as a mate. She is human and has gone through too much pain," Lin said. I glared and threw her hand away.
"I know that!...I know that...Chihiro and I are just friends," I muttered.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," the weasel spirit said. I growled.
"What do you want me to say? You don't want me growing too attached to Chihiro, yet you think that we are more than friends? You're so confusing, Weasel," I said. Lin rolled her eyes.
"No, Dragon, you need to understand something. I understand that there is a bond better you and Sen, but do take it too far. I'm rooting for you, but I don't want her to get hurt. Can you do that for me?" she asked. I was growing a headache.
"So you want me and Chihiro to be together, but you don't want me to get her involved in this season, correct?" I confirmed. Lin nodded.
"Yep. Pretty much." I sighed and walked over to my desk.
"Lin, I haven't seen Chihiro in 9 years and you think that after a few hours of her being here that I'm going to hit on her and think that she is a suitable mate? No. I like Chihiro, a lot. But I won't immediately assume that after all these years she held a flame for me," I replied. Lin walked forward.
"And if she did? What then? Just say that both of you feel the same way. What would happen? Haku, you're bound by something that I don't understand. Sen's eyes are filled with a dull flame, but there's something more to it. I only wish you to be careful with your feelings. Maybe Sen is your fated mate. That would explain why you keep meeting. Give her time and settle," she said. I could only nod. I didn't want to say anything else causing a continuation to this conversation.
Lin left the office after that and I put my head into my hands. Lin was right, I had to be more careful. The problem was that dragons are very possessive of their mates. If it turns out that Chihiro is my mate, then my dragon will stop at nothing to obtain her. Mates weren't something you found and decided yourself. Mates were destined in the stars. The smell was something that told you and I fear that Chihiro could be in trouble. She really did chose her time perfectly...
At least she wasn't a dragon, because when female dragons go into heat, then there is nothing that could stop me. Mating season comes around every 100 years, so it's important to mate during that time. I had never mated before. I had gone through several mating seasons; yes, I was older than 500 years, but I stayed away from people during these times. I would have to leave for a couple of months when the season starts. It was soon, but still not for three months. I could feel the pressure in my chest though.
I turned my chair to the window and looked into the night, it would be dawn soon. Chihiro won't wake up for 12 hours. She'll be hungry when she wakes, so she can join me for breakfast. I sighed and decided it would be best to go downstairs to see how the clearing up is going. But first I went to the room Chihiro was sleeping in. Lin wasn't there, so it was safe. I kept my distance and watched her breathe slowly.
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Chihiro. In a way, I wish I never sent you home, but you wouldn't have liked that, would you?" I said. Chihiro didn't even stir, she was as still as the dead. I gulped as I walked over to her. I pushed back her fringe and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry," I whispered before leaving the room quickly and going down stairs.
. . .
Drip...Drip...Drip. Silent droplets echo through the darkness. Why is everything so dark? I opened my eyes and looked around. Where was I? Who was I? I felt so lost.
It was then that I heard the jingles of a bell. I looked up and saw a small light floating in front of me. I smiled and reached out to touch it. It jingled to my touch. It reminded me of a fairy. The little fairy continued to jingle until it began to move away, leaving me in complete darkness.
"Wait! Don't leave me!" I called, getting up onto my feet. My legs felt strong. I followed the fairy as it moved further in the direction it was going. It didn't seem to be leaving me behind, meaning it wanted me to follow it. Everything looked the same to me, it was all darkness. It was until I heard the jingle again and looked to the fairy. My eyes widened at the sight.
In front of me was huge, double doors. It had strange marking on it. I walked hesitantly to the door and put my hands on it and began to push, it wouldn't open.
"What is this?" I asked, stepping back to get a better look. The marking seemed to show a story that involved the Sun, the Sea, the Moon and the Wind. I frowned and tried to push it once more.
"You'll never open that," said a voice behind me. I jumped out of my skin and turned around, no one was there. "Not with the way you are, anyway," I heard the voice again breathing into my ear. I turned around again, but still nothing.
"Where are you?" I called. A laugh echoed through the darkness.
"I am everywhere. I am you," it said. I frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked. It was then that a bright like shone through the darkness, but only a spotlight onto me.
"You will understand in time, but for now, you are Chihiro Ogino," it spoke in a light voice. I gulped and put my hand to my chest.
"Chihiro...Ogino?" I questioned, beginning to remember who I was. "But who are you?" I asked, but got no answer. They were already gone, and so was the fairy, but the door wasn't. I went back to it and moved my hand across the markings. It looked like the story of the Gods. I remembered when I was in school, the teachers taught us about the Japanese Gods and the battle between the Sun and Moon, bringing day and night. Why was it on this door in my mind?
"I'm sorry, Chihiro," called another voice through the darkness, before my forehead felt warm. I knew this one.
"Haku!" I called, but I don't think he could hear me. I hissed and began to bang against the door. "Open!" I shouted, but it didn't budge. How was I supposed to get out then? Was this the door to the exit, or something else? To be honest, it looked like it was something more and it annoyed me more than anything. "What are you?" I asked, gently placing my hand on the marking of the Sea. I wanted to leave this place. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I came to the Spirit World to stop being alone, right?
"Let me out!" I banged on the door again, before realising that it was hopeless and slide down. "Let me out..."
I was then I felt like I have been punched in the stomach and I was thrown back. Everything was dark again and the door was gone, but this time it didn't feel like I was in my head. I could feel that my body was numb and asleep. Did I get out?
Senses made their way back into my arms and legs. I stretched out every toe and finger, before opening my eyes slowly; they felt so heavy.
I scanned around the room with half open eyes and remember that I was in a room not too far from Haku's office. Did that Moon Oil stuff really do this to me? I looked out the window in the far corner and saw that the sun was up. Everyone must be asleep, but I didn't want to go back to sleep. I didn't want to go back to that place.
My body felt like stone and I couldn't move it very well. It felt like I was being forced down. I took in a deep breath before rolling out of bed and making a loud thud on the floor. I hissed at the contact.
"Well, now what?" I whispered to myself. I was on the floor and couldn't move. Well done, Chihiro.
It was then that the door opened and Lin came into the door.
"Sen? What are to doing out of bed?" she asked me, looking completely astonished. I grumbled to myself as she helped me up and put me back in bed. "You are lucky that I woke up early. I wanted to make sure you were all right before you woke up. How in spirit's name did you wake up 2 hours early?" she asked. I felt too groggy to answer and just hummed. Lin sighed and rubbed her face. "Never mind. We can talk about this when you wake up. Go back to sleep," she said, beginning to walk away.
"I don't want to..." I murmured. Lin turned back.
"Why is that?" she asked.
"I don't want to be alone again. I saw something that made my head spin. I don't want to see that again," I replied. Lin tilted her head and went back to sitting next to me.
"Then how about I sit here until you wake up? That way you won't be alone," Lin said. I looked at her, before nodded and closed my eyes, feeling a hand on my forehead. I went back to sleep knowing that Lin was right there.
. . .
I woke up early because I just couldn't sleep. Work needed to be done, and to be honest, I wondered how Chihiro was doing. I got out of bed and got changed before walking to my office. The sun was nice and it lit up my office, but it soon didn't matter when I saw Lin.
"Lin? What's wrong? You're up early," I said. She softly smiled.
"I could say the same for you,' she replied. I waited for her to tell me why she was here. Lin sighed. "Sen woke up."
My eyes widened. "What?" I questioned. That was impossible. The oil forces you to sleep for 12 hours, no questions asked. "What did she say?"
"She didn't want to be alone anymore. She saw something that she didn't like and I think she made herself wake up," Lin replied. I ran my hands through my long hair, I needed to brush it.
"I've never heard of someone waking up during the process before. I'm guessing that she couldn't move?" I said. Lin nodded.
"She was on the floor when I found her. I was originally going to check up on her, but she was already awake and in a dream like state. I told her that I would sit beside her. I should get back. I just wanted to tell you," she said. I nodded and watched her leave the door.
I walked slowly to my desk. What the hell was going on? What did Chihiro see that made her want to wake up so much?
Usually, when you are in the process of healing, your mind shuts down. I was lucky because I had my dragon to keep me company, so I wasn't alone. Chihiro had no dragon or any spirit animal for a matter of fact; she was human. Maybe using Moon Oil on her wasn't such a good idea. We would just have to find out the results in the end. The damage has been done and I could only pray to the Gods that they would spare her.
I slammed my fist down on my desk. "What the fuck!" I said. I was confused and this wasn't the best time for me. All I could imagine was Chihiro's pale face, still as a rock, enduring the harshness of the mind.
Tada! Thank you so much for all of the reviews. They have been very interesting. A couple saying they like the original, but I don't see it. Oh well, I'll give it some time and then you guys can decide whether I take it down or not. It is actually a very popular story, so I might not. I just don't like the fact that it spoils this story for new readers.
I don't know when I will upload again. I literally just felt like putting this up. I have three more exams left, but for anyone who is following me (as in all of my stories), I will be writing another story because I did promise that I would upload the next chapter on a certain date. It is my most popular story, with 100,000+ views, so I can't deny them. Hopefully, I will get round to doing this story again, but for now. Here is this.
Well, until next time!