This chapter is soooo long, and I love it!
Thanks to JuliaAbadeerSkellington who was the only one to review chapter 2! :) Hopefully I'll get some more reviewers soon, but I really love the reviewer I have!
I was going to post this last night, but I finished it at 11:30 and to get up early for a leadership conference this morning, so I'm sorry.
Chapter 3: Official Reunion
Third Person POV
Haku was running as fast as he could, back to the Spirit World, but being in the Human World restricted his powers, so he could not go as fast as he would have liked. He was worried about Chihiro, who wouldn't wake up, just lying limp in Haku's arms. She was too light, and that only worried him more.
After about five minutes of running, he finally made it back to the tunnel and gained all of his powers back. He knew he should've taken Chihiro back to Zeniba's cottage but he didn't know if Chihiro would make it that far, so he opted for the bathhouse. He would get one of the workers there to summon Zeniba.
He ran to the bathhouse in record time. The sun had just set and the bathhouse had opened only a few minutes ago, so, at the end of the bridge, he was bombarded by Lin, who had been looking for him, "Dragon boy! Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for-" That was when she noticed the frail, bloodied girl in Haku's arms. "Is that Sen?! What happened to her?"
"Lin, there's no time for explanations, we need to get Chihiro to a bed quickly, and someone needs to send for Zeniba immediately." With that, Haku ran to the elevators and made his way to the top floor and to his quarters. He laid Chihiro gently on his bed and gathered all the supplies he would need to clean, and heal Chihiro's injuries.
Haku made his way back over to his bed and gently started to wash off all the blood so he could see where all of her injuries were and the severity of them. That's when Zeniba and Lin burst into the room.
"Zeniba, these cuts are severe. Not even my magic will be able to heal them completely. I don't know what to do." Haku was trying his best to be strong but his eyes began to water and he felt helpless for the first time in years.
Lin was shocked into silence. She had missed Sen or Chihiro so much in the last six years, and now she's finally back, but severely injured and barely holding on. Lin had been Haku's second in command since the old hag left, and not once had she seen Haku like this. He had always been strong and in control but Lin could see that he was losing it. He was losing hope.
Zeniba was trying to comfort Haku and help Chihiro at the same time. Her mind was racing, trying to remember a spell or herbs that could help her granddaughter survive when she got an idea, "Haku, we are both powerful beings. Your magic alone might not be strong enough to heal her as much as she needs, but if we combine our powers, then we would most certainly be able to heal her enough to where she can easily survive."
"Zeniba, you're a genius! But how do we do that? I thought that was one of the most complex spells ever created?" Haku was still trying to stop the bleeding of one of the deeper gashes in Chihiro's leg.
"That is only but a rumor. The books say that because people do not want to be overcome by such power created by the merging. All we have to do is put our palms together and focus on retaining the other's power. Then our powers will become one and we can heal her."
Zeniba and Haku, both on either side of Chihiro's body, put their hands together, hovering over the unconscious human and merged their power. They focused first on stopping all the blood that was oozing its way out of the lifeless girl and then healed all of the smaller injuries before moving onto the more serious ones. With all of their power they were able to close the deep cuts to where they weren't as severe but were not able to heal them entirely. After that, Haku and Zeniba were strained and could not do anymore, but they were replete. They had healed her enough to where Chihiro would be able to heal the injuries on her own.
Lin, having watched everything that had just transpired, finally found her voice and her ability to move. She asked Haku if Chihiro would be okay, to which he responded, "Physically, yes, she will heal. Emotionally, I don't know. It seems that for the last six years, Chihiro's parents have been taking all of their anger out on her. Tonight, they were drinking alcohol and got quite intoxicated. They attacked her with knives until she was unconscious and that's when I got to her. I don't know if she'll ever be able to get past this." In his voice, Zeniba and Lin heard guilt, rage, and hopelessness. Neither of them had ever heard Haku sound so desperate and they felt for him. They knew how much he loved Chihiro.
Lin didn't know how to respond to that, so she just went to find more washcloths to help Zeniba and Haku finish wiping all the blood off of Chihiro's body.
Eventually, Chihiro was blood free, except for her clothes, so Zeniba conjured some comfortable pajamas and robes for her granddaughter and made Haku leave so that she and Lin could free Chihiro of the stained clothing. When they had gotten her out of the bloodied items, they were both appalled by how skinny their favorite little human was. Her ribs and hip bones were poking out dangerously and it seemed as if she had no fat on her body at all. They wondered when Chihiro had last eaten.
Haku wasn't too happy about leaving Chihiro's side but knew she was in good hands, so he went to check on his bathhouse and get food for Chihiro.
He returned about twenty minutes later, with a tray of food and a cup of cold water. They all knew she had to eat but none of them had the heart to wake her up after everything she had been through, so they let her be and hoped she'd wake up soon.
Lin was sent back to work rather begrudgingly. They only way Haku could get her to leave was by telling her he'd let her know when Chihiro had woken up.
"Fine, see to it that you do, dragon, or you will regret it," Lin threatened before stalking off to manage the baths.
Zeniba left shortly after, saying, "I will let you have time with her. I know she will come see me soon, and I can't leave No-Face and Boh for too long. I don't know what I'd be going home to," she chuckled, "don't worry yourself too much, Haku. She will be fine, she is one strong girl. She will be grateful for what you have done for her. I know my granddaughter. Everything will work itself out. "
"Thank you, Zeniba. That means a lot to me. When she wakes up I will give her your best wishes." Haku smiled genuinely for the first time since when Chihiro gave his name back to him six years ago.
"It's nice to see that smile again. I'll take my leave now. You better be good to her." With that, Zeniba vanished into thin air, with a smile upon her lips.
Haku wasn't keeping track of time. He just sat beside his bed, willing Chihiro to wake up soon. Sometimes he would murmur how much he had missed her or how glad he was that she was safe and back in the Spirit World with him. He was going to stay by her side until she woke up; he knew Lin could manage the workers without too much hassle. He just wanted Chihiro to wake up, for her to open her beautiful chocolate brown eyes that he missed so much.
He didn't know how long it had been, but a look at the clock on his wall told him he had been sitting there for 3 hours just waiting, when Chihiro finally started to move.
Chihiro's POV
She didn't know what happened, and she didn't know why she felt so comfortable after what her parents had done tonight. Quite frankly, she thought she was dead.
She started to move, to see how bad the pain was this time, but hardly felt any. She was surprised and when she opened her eyes she looked up into piercing emerald eyes that were filled with relief.
"Chihiro? How are you feeling?" His voice rang clearly through her ears. It was so gentle and kind and she had missed it dearly. Haku had matured over the years and she could see that he was now quite muscular and with a quick look, she noticed how incredibly hot he had become. That didn't helo her keep her mind straight and she was having trouble processing everything.
"Where am I?" She asked in a small voice.
"You're in the bathhouse, in the Spirit World. Do you remember what happened?"
"Most of it," she shivered in fear as she went over the events in her head, "I remember my parents had been drinking and I hadn't gotten my chores done in time. They grabbed knives and then all I remember pain, and then you came in… and then I think I blacked out?"
"You did. I couldn't stand what your parents were doing to you so I brought you back here. I've missed you. I'm sorry I took so long. I should've come for you sooner; I just couldn't get the spell right to open the gate. I've been trying every day since you left. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, I should have been there for you, I should have been protecting you." She could tell he felt immensely guilty about what had happened and didn't think it was right.
"I've missed you, too, Haku. Don't worry about how long it took, I'm here now and I'm just fine, thanks to you. You did protect me. You saved me tonight and I'm extremely thankful. I'm just glad you didn't give up on me." She gave him a small but sincere smile.
"I would never give up on you, Chihiro. You are the most important person to me."
Chihiro felt safe and happy for the first time in six years, but her body was exhausted and as much as she wanted to stay awake and talk to the love of her life, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber with a small smile playing on her lips.
Haku's POV
He watched as she slowly fell back to sleep. He could watch her for hours, that smile was something he'd walk over scalding hot nails for. He had missed it so much.
He was overcome with joy. She wasn't mad at him for taking so long to come for her. She had actually missed him. He grasped her small, fragile hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it. Very quietly, he whispered, "I love you, Chihiro Ogino." For the rest of the night, not once did he let go of her hand. He just watched as she slept peacefully.
Third POV
A few hours later, around six o'clock in the morning, Chihiro began to stir. She felt a warm hand wrapped around her own and was very confused, but then the night's event slowly came back to her and she opened her eyes with a beaming smile across her face along with a small blush.
She looked up to the person she had been wishing for, for six years and couldn't get the ridiculous grin off her face, it's not like she wanted to either. She was happy, and she didn't want to hide it.
Haku looked down at Chihiro with affection and simply said, "Hi, there."
"Hi." Chihiro blushed again, realizing Haku's hand was still holding onto hers.
"How are you feeling?" Haku spoke with a gentle voice, filled with admiration.
"Really well, considering everything that happened. I'm not sure how I don't feel all the injuries I received last night?" She couldn't believe she was back in the Spirit World, with the person she loves and has missed deeply for the last six years.
"Zeniba and I healed most of them. There are still a few gashes, but you will heal completely, with only a few scars that I can fix over time."
"Really? Oh, thank you, Haku!" She launched herself at the spirit and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Haku was not expecting the action so he was frozen for a split second before returning the hug gingerly. The only thing that was running through his mind was how much he loved this fragile and amazing girl.
They stayed like that for a good thirty seconds before both of them blushed and released the other slowly. They stared into each other's eyes before Haku found his voice and asked Chihiro if she was hungry.
"Maybe a little…"
"Well, I had some food for you, but that was late last night and you probably want some breakfast, so I'll send the other back and get you some breakfast." He smiled warmly at Chihiro.
"Oh, please, don't leave just yet. I've waited six years. Please don't leave me alone." Along with her words, Chihiro's eyes were wide and begging him not to leave. She didn't care if she hadn't eaten anything in two days; she just wanted him to be by her side. Plus, if she was left alone she would think about the horrible actions of her parents, and she didn't think she was ready to face that just yet.
"Don't worry, Chihiro. I don't have to leave to get you food," he waved his hand just a little bit and suddenly there was a steaming tray of breakfast sitting at the end of the bed. He laughed at the shocked expression on Chihiro's face and explained, "When you gave me my name back, all of my powers came back as well. You know, we River Gods can be quite powerful," he chuckled lightly as he watched Chihiro take in what he had just said.
"Oh." That was the only thing she could think of to say before hunger took over and she reached down to the end of the bed to grab the tray of food. Since she had been deprived of food for so long, her stomach couldn't handle much of it. She wished she could've eaten everything on the plate, it all smelled so delicious, but settled for two pieces of bacon and a biscuit, before leaning back and setting the tray to the side.
Haku, seeing that Chihiro had stopped eating, was worried. She was so skinny; he didn't see how she could possibly be full after only a small amount of food. It didn't make sense. "Chihiro, maybe you should try to eat a little more. It'll give you your energy back and make you stronger."
"I'm full, Haku. As much as I'd like to eat everything on that plate, my stomach can't hold anything else."
"Okay, but if you get hungry, all you have to do is ask and I will get you food immediately," even after Chihiro told him she was full, he wasn't convinced. He didn't want to see her waste away in front of him.
Chihiro mumbled her thanks shyly, and then got a good look at herself for the first time. She didn't have any of her old bruises or burns. The only cuts she could feel were the two on her abdomen and one behind her knee, the first three stabs her parents got in, and the deepest cuts. Then she realized she wasn't in the same clothes she was wearing and a blush stole across her cheeks.
"Haku, how did I get into these clothes?" she whispered as the blush got deeper.
Haku, noticing the bright red on her cheeks, just smiled softly and said "Zeniba and Lin changed your clothes. The others were covered in blood and ripped in many places. Don't worry, I wasn't in here when they did it."
Chihiro visibly relaxed, resting her shoulders and losing some of the embarrassment. Then she thought about what he had said and perked up with excitement and curiosity, "Oh, Granny! And Lin! How are they? They were here? Where did they go?"
Haku just chuckled, "They were here and they were very worried about you. They stayed until they knew you were going to be okay and then Lin went back to work and Zeniba went back to her cottage to check up on No-Face and Boh. They are both doing just fine. Lin is second in command, under me, and Zeniba is happy making tea and playing with Boh and No-Face every day."
"Wait. You're in charge of the bathhouse now? What happened to Yubaba?"
"Well, after you left, I went and had a little talk with her. Let's just say I got her to agree to let me run the bathhouse and she left."
"Why isn't Boh with her then? Why is he with Granny?"
"Yubaba wanted Boh to go with her, but he said he didn't like how mean she was, especially to you, so he wanted to go live with his Aunty Zeniba, who gladly took him in." Haku smiled lovingly just thinking about the giant baby he had grown so close to.
"And you said Lin is now second in command? Like a manager?"
"Yes, and she's doing well. She actually made me promise to inform her the second you woke up, so if I want to keep all of my body parts, I better do just that. I'll be back shortly, maybe along with Lin." Haku started to get up and walk towards the door when he heard Chihiro getting out of the bed, behind him.
"Chihiro, what are you doing? You should be lying down, and getting some rest. You've been through a lot, you need to gain your energy back." Chihiro acted as if she didn't hear him and lifted herself gingerly off of the bed.
"All my muscles are stiff from lying here so long. I want to walk around, and if you're going to see Lin, then I want to go too." She stated, just as stubborn as ever.
Haku knew he had no chance of winning this, but had to try anyways, "You need your rest if you're going to heal completely, Chihiro. Please, lie down, go back to sleep."
"Nope. Do you have any clothes I can wear? These aren't really what I would call presentable."
Haku sighed deeply and then walked over to his closet. He grabbed some of his work clothes, blue pants and a white shirt and handed them to Chihiro, "This is all I have. I know they'll be big, but once you put them on, I can shrink them to fit you properly."
"Thank you." Chihiro said brightly, knowing she had won, "I'll be right back," and then walked around until she found the bathroom and changed clothes. When she walked back out holding the blue pants up with one hand and the clothes she had changed out of in the other, she more closely examined the quarters. The walls and decorations all seemed so elegant and grandiose and she loved it. There was a lot of gold accenting, but the majority was decorated in a wonderful emerald that reminded her of Haku.
Haku waited patiently for Chihiro to return, while wondering what she was thinking, if she was going to stay… but mostly he was thinking about how she felt about him, did she love him as much as he loved her? He shook his head and thought "How could a woman as wonderful as Chihiro ever love me?"
After about five minutes, she returned, and he couldn't help but laugh as she struggled to hold up the much too big pants. She gave him a don't-mess-with-me look and he just laughed harder.
"Haku! Stop laughing at me and just make these fit, please!"
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, " He was still laughing as he performed the spell that shrunk the clothes to fit her slight figure. "Are you ready to go see everyone? They've all missed you."
"Really? They're not mad about the whole No-Face incident?"
"If I recall correctly, I believe you saved them from No-Face. They are all indebted to you."
"Oh. Well, then yeah, I'm ready! Let's go see them all!" With that, they walked out of the room with smiles on both of their faces, just happy to be together again.
Once they got to the elevator, it dawned on Chihiro that they were on the top floor. Yubaba's old floor. But it looked completely different. Everything was brighter and more inviting, no more darkness or fear hovering in the hallways. She could tell how much had changed since she had last been here and could tell it was for the better.
Haku looked down at Chihiro as he pulled the lever to go down to the 9th floor, where he heard Lin giving orders to one of the frogs she hated so much. Haku saw the smile playing around on Chihiro's face and his lips responded with a smile of their own. If she was happy, he would be too…
I promise everything will be more eventful from here on out!
And to JuliaAbadeerSkellington, I promise there will be more Lin and Chihiro bonding in the next chapter!
Keep on with the reviews. I really love reading what you have to say!
