Life interrupted.
Lots of thanks to Buffalo Nickel Girl for her willingness to pre-read my stuff ;) (also known as betaing)
This is for:
Micah (even though I don't know you yet), Trenton (dude, are you really my age?),
McKenzie (is it a sign we don't get along?), Tristan (you rock my socks off… ily seriously!!),
Chase (no worries, there's no Steve), and Colton (you are so adorable! Will you be my little brother?)
And of course:
Puppy (because I still can smell you… You really need a breath mint!)
Ooh, and check out the new poll!! It's totally cool! Please please vote, because I really wanna know.
And guess what!? (I keep adding more and more A/Ns…) I gots a Myspace!! It's my homepage, for those who wanna add me!!
(PLEASE DO!)
"Didja hear? She came back!"
"Is that possible?"
"Well, can't you smell her?"
"Yeah, but I thought that Master Haku made the barrier unbreakable!"
"Me too. But the stench says differently."
"I agree. It's so strong!"
"There are three of them, or so says Tilda."
"Well, we can't really trust her, but that would explain the odor."
"I still can't believe she had the audacity to return! After what she did to-"
"Now, it's not very wise to be gossiping when you're supposed to be working, is it?" Lin interjected, startling the two women. They were supposed to be scrubbing the tubs, and by the look things they hadn't even looked at the tubs.
"Oh! Lin, it's just you. You really scared us there!" the tallest of the women exclaimed.
"You're supposed to be working," Lin coolly reminded them. "But who are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember? You were her friend; I'd expect you to identify the scent. It's that human, Sen!" the shorter one explained.
Recognition flashed on Lin's face. "I thought… She wasn't supposed to come back!" Quickly, Lin sprinted out of the bathing rooms.
"Well, that went fairly well. Did you hear about Kagi?"
"Haku, please, tell me what is the matter," Ayako said as she took in her future mate's appearance. His hair was disheveled, the papers on his desk were messed around, his shirt was –for once- open, and his head was resting on his desk.
"Just work stuff. Nothing of interest to you," Haku replied, wishing she would go away. As long as Ayako wasn't here, he could imagine his own happily-ever-after.
"No, this is more than work stuff. This is about her, isn't it?" Haku was startled at how soft and caring her voice was. He really expected her to freak out when Chihiro even arrived. She seemed almost too calm for his tastes. If she had a problem with it everything would be much easier. Ayako sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Ayako…"
"I've always wanted to know about her. Since I first came here I heard the workers talking about her. How courageous she was… How pretty she was once you got over her smell… Haku, I know this is hard for you. I just want to help you. Please, Haku, let me in. Allow me to help you!" Ayako exclaimed. "We're going to be mates. You know how serious that is. I think I have a right to know some of these things. It's no secret that I'll be able to hear your thoughts. I would just like to be able to have an idea of where they come from."
"You don't have to worry. They'll leave soon. Everything will be back to normal," Haku said, trying to change the subject.
"Haku, you know that's not true. Nothing will be back to normal. The Order can't be upset again and go back to normal," Ayako stood up. "You don't want to talk about it. Fine. I'm going to go and be a proper hostess." Ayako took one last look at him before walking out of the room. It annoyed Haku even further that she didn't slam the door.
Ayako and Haku had known each other for about 100 years. They had met when Haku first arrived in the Spirit World. Her father, and ocean spirit, had taken his family to the bathhouse for a vacation. Ayako had done something very similar for him to what he did for Chihiro the first time she came here.
-
He never expected this to happen. His river had always flourished, helping out those who chose to live next to it. He had never been a rash river and harmed the ones who trusted him. For hundreds of years he had taken care of his little village, until modernization. His river was quickly polluted and destroyed for new skyscrapers. Everything from that time was a blur, but he did remember appearing in the Spirit World, as lost as Chihiro had been. Ayako took him in – her father was staying in the bathhouse. With her careful guidance, he had been able to swiftly blend in with the other spirits.
"Who are you?" the little girl asked.
"My name is Kohaku River," the boy replied, looking around the unfamiliar setting.
"Mind if I call you Haku? Kohaku River is a little too long. I'm Ayako," she said, sticking her hand out to help him up. "I'll be your best friend."
The boy just looked at her hand. "What's a best friend?"
"A best friend is someone who you love no matter what but don't have to kiss," she giggled.
"Oh. That sounds okay," he smiled and took her hand. "Do we have to hold hands?"
"Yep. But don't worry about it, okay? Come on, let's go meet my papa!"
She had always been friendly, and that had been the extent of it. They were childhood playmates, and that was all to him. Until recently, they had stayed in a comfortable friendship, sending letters and never forgetting "birth"days. They frequently saw each other, but everything changed when Yubaba died. Haku, being the most experienced person when it came to running the bathhouse, was quickly promoted. It wasn't a job he wanted.
"She's looking at you…" Ayako giggled.
"Would you shut up? I know she's looking at me," Haku replied, ignoring the looks of one of their female classmates.
"Humor her a little. You haven't been out on a single date ever, and it's almost a contest to see who can get you to go out with them."
"Are you in on this contest?"
"Maybe. So would you go out with me, bestest friend in the entire world?" she begged, giving him her best puppy dog look.
"No."
"You're such a party pooper." Ayako punched his arm.
Haku laughed in return. "Am I now? How much of a bestest friend in the entire world would I be if I stole you away when he's looking at you like that?" he asked, directing her attention to one of their male classmates.
"Shut up!"
After being promoted, a lot of stress was put on him to marry. There were many influential fathers with many beautiful daughters who would be valuable allies of the bathhouse. Yubaba had never had this pressure on her – who wanted to marry an ugly old woman?
"Master Haku," another woman said, bowing. Haku was amazed that she could bow; her kimono was so thick and her hair was done up so elaborately on the top of her head he figured she wouldn't be able to do anything but stand up straight. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her.
"But, please! Take a moment to get to know me! I promise I will-"
He interrupted her with another wave of his hand. He wouldn't do the honor of talking to these pathetic women.
None of the beautiful daughters of influential fathers were truly beautiful. None of them were like Ayako or… her… in the least. They either were a little appealing but had no personality, or they were simply ugly and boring. He wished Ayako was here to lighten the mood a little bit.
"Master Haku," yet another woman said, bowing.
He was really getting tired of this.
Being as he had known Ayako all his life, he figured she would be the best choice. She had been his friend, and he thought he might be able to love her eventually. He really was starting to have some kind of a romantic inclination towards her…
"Will you marry me?" Haku asked, not out of affection but of simple frustration.
"What?!" Ayako exclaimed. It wasn't that she didn't want this, she just never had expected it. Not to mention this wasn't exactly the way she wanted it to happen.
"Will you marry me? I'm serious… This is getting frustrating and I know you're dad's pressuring you, too. It makes sense, I mean, we at least know we can tolerate each other."
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"Well, being as I'm your bestest friend in the entire world, I think I almost have to say yes," she replied, humor evident in her voice.
"Good."
"That's all you can say, good? Jeeze!" Haku soon felt a fairly hard punch on his arm.
"Well, what do you want me to say?"
"I don't know, anything besides good."
"Okay."
"And not okay!"
And then Chihiro returned. His savior – his life. She came back, and he had no idea what to do about it.
She was there. Very very much there. In his world, their world, his heart said. She was older… Mature, and it made her look even more stunning. Long chestnut hair flowed down to the middle of her back, thick bangs covering up half of her face. She seemed flustered, being here. Why would she be flustered? She belongs here, his heart stated, because his heart had long ago found a voice. He observed the way the boy looked at her, found excuses to touch her. The way the other girl seemed to laugh at that, the way they seemed to close.
She had seen him. He thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her face, but then it was replaced by fear.
"Come," he said, and he had no idea why he was suddenly so cold to her, the woman he loved.
She only hung her head before the male companion came to her aid.
"Uh, Chihiro…? Are you okay?" Cartel asked, looking frantically between the two old friends.
"You'll be fine," he said, his words having a double meaning. She nodded, understanding only one.
He looked back to her friends, "Come."
Would you stop saying 'come'? It's not leaving a good impression, nor is it making Chihiro like you at all, his heart said.
"Whoa, wait a minute. I'm not going anywhere without Chihiro," the female said.
"No, guys, trust him. He knows what he's doing," his love said, and he could feel her pain.
"Baby, are you okay?" the boy asked, and Haku almost took the bait.
"I'm fine. Just go with him, alright?" she was so strong, caring only about her friends when she was in such clear pain.
"But Chihiro…!" the boy prostested, and Haku wondered what she ever saw in the mere child. He could give her so much more, the entire world and more, but she had settled on a child!
Calm down. It's been seven years since you two last met. She had to move on sometime, his head rationalized.
But she belongs with us! Not with anyone else, his heart replied.
"I said, go with him. Do I need to repeat myself again?" her head snapped up, and she glared at the boy. Inwardly, Haku grinned.
"No. Fine. We'll go." The boy glared back.
"Minerva… You too. I'll be fine, okay? Trust me, please," she begged, and her female friend nodded.
"Stay safe," the girl said, and for a moment, he was reminded of a younger Ayako.
He walked into the bathhouse, her friends following. Before he even got three steps in, he could smell her tears.
Oh, smooth move. Now you've made her cry, his head said.
Shut up, his heart replied, too frustrated to really listen at the moment.
"Whoa… What the hell happened to us?" Minerva asked, looking around. She had many reasons to be dreaming; she was in a very ornately decorated, wonderful room in a huge bed and she was pretty sure Cartel was snoring. They were all things she had only ever dreamed about. It was the killer headache, however, that made her realize that she was in fact not dreaming.
"Go back to sleep," she heard Cartel mumble from across both rooms.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon. We have to find Chihiro. There's no way I'm letting her get into trouble. That guy is mine," Minerva giggled as she stood up, pausing as she waited for the world to stop spinning. It was at least a good minute before she got her wish.
"Idunwanna," Cartel complained as he buried his head into his pillow.
"You're so pathetic. You should be all knight in shining armor. But noo, you're too tired to move. I'm sure Chihiro will appreciate that when she's dead." Minerva said as she looked around her room.
"Takcarhersef," he replied.
"Gods, Cartel! You really are useless! Do you want her to be seduced by that Haku dude? They have a history, I tell you, and I want to get to the bottom of it! Whether you're going to be a man, as you claim to be, or not, well that's your problem," Minerva said, moving to look out the window. Cartel was still motionless.
There was a muffled response that Minerva couldn't decipher.
"Don't you love her?" she asked, completely serious. Chihiro and Cartel had always taken things slowly… Almost too slowly. They dated for a "whopping" (in Minerva's words) two weeks before he held her hand. They'd only danced together twice, and never had Minerva been informed of either saying those three overly used words that were usually said on the first date, at least in their school.
Now Cartel rolled over, blinking slowly at her.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything, idiot! If you love her, you should want to protect her and all that jazz. I mean, if I was still with Hiro, I know he would take care of me. He'd at least be jealous."
"Yeah, well, let's just say I feel very secure in our relationship. It wouldn't be like her to go off with that guy who's named after a type of poetry."
"Ugh! At least come exploring with me. Chihiro acted like she knew this place - like she'd been here before. I want to know what's so bad about it that she would never tell anyone."
"We'd think she was crazy."
"Be brutally honest, why don'tcha?" Minerva said, glaring at him.
"I'm right though. She'd be even more of an outcast. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but I'd hate to be an outcast and have to deal with the girls in our school."
Minerva had to agree with him. "But, still. We should find her. Who knows how long it's been since we first got here. We were only supposed to be gone a day…"
"Yeah, you're right," Cartel said as he stood up. "I hope it's only been a few hours… I'd hate to face the wrath of my parents if I miss dinner with my grandma."
"SEN!!"
The deafening cry alerted Chihiro. She was walking back to see Kamajii, after a fruitless attempt to find Lin. No one at the bathhouse was exactly helpful – she was a "reeking" human. She did see a few familiar faces, like the annoying little frog that Haku had put into a bubble the first time she was there and the Radish Spirit. She had walked past the bath she had to clean, and the bath she used to bathe No-Face. Ever familiar thing was a bittersweet memory – bitter because she hated the place, but sweet because the events she had endured made her that much stronger.
Before she could react to the scream, though, she was attacked with a hug.
Chihiro was quickly
spun around, now facing her attacker. "You're back! Did you come for the ceremony? We were concerned about you… Everyone thought you forgot about us but I always believed. Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Lin said, smiling at her. She was hugged once again.
"Lin, can't… really… breathe…"
"Oh! Right, I'm sorry!" Lin grinned. "Boy, do I have a lot to tell you!"
-
In the last hour, Chihiro knew everything that had been going on. Every single last detail. Stuff she would have rather not known. There was a week until Haku's mating ceremony. One solitary week.
"So, do you think you can stay? I know it would be nice to have you around for a while…" Lin was practically begging.
"Um, well, that's the thing. I don't really know if I can… I'm here with some of my friends, and we came by accident so I'm pretty sure our families are looking for us," Chihiro said, not wanting to tell Lin the real reason she would do anything to not stay.
"Please? It would mean a lot to me, especially. It's been so lonely here."
"I'd have to talk to my friends first."
"But I'm asking you, not your friends, though they are welcome to stay, too!" Lin exclaimed, really wanting her friend to stay.
Chihiro couldn't help but smile. She really had missed Lin over the years. "I can't make any promises, but I'll think about it."
And there it ends! For now, at least! So, again: check out my MySpace, it's on my profile under the homepage link by my pic; and check out the poll, which is at the top of the page!
R&R please, it keeps me alive!!
