A/N: lol, I must be possessed. Upload one chapter, start/finish/upload
another, and now I'm starting yet another on the same day! Oh, that's low.
I really should be doing something productive - like homework. But NOOOOOO,
my muses MUST have me type type type! And, okay, it's not like I mind the
idea very much, either. :D heh
Disclaimer: you know, I'm getting really sick of putting these in. I own my plot and my evil bad guys - so don't gotrying to sue or nothin, kk? KK??? Good.
Chapter Started: 4/23/03
Chapter Finished: 4/23/03
Third Person POV, Chihiro, that night of the first chapter
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"Where do you think he is?" Chihiro asked after searching the pigpens thoroughly with Rin. "he isn't anywhere! There aren't even any pigs here!"
Rin sat down boredly and sighed. "Why are you so obsessed over him, eh, Sen? He's probably on another mission for The Boss."
Chihiro crouched down and rested the side of her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. "Who's 'The Boss'?" she asked.
Rin knocked Chihiro on the head.
"Hello! Anybody in there? Geeze, you must have hit your head. Really hard. Sen, you know, the guy you just made a deal with? Duh!" she sighed. "he's got every woman after him - though I think he may have taken a special liking to you. And Haku has always been his favorite."
"You mean that shadow guy with green eyes and black hair?"
"Sen? Are you sure you're alright?"
Rin reached over and laid a hand to her forehead. "you don't have a fever... either way, just leave Haku. He'll be back, and then you'll realize what a stuck-up jerk he is."
"He is not!" Chihiro jumped to her feet. "Haku is my friend! And I'M going to find him!" that said, she spun around and ran out top speed.
Rin gave no effort to persue her.
Chihiro, meanwhile, headed to the boiler room, where she found a bit more peace in watching the dustball things go back and forth with their loads of coals. She examined the boiler man closely.
"Do you remember anything?" she asked, more to herself. Immediately she clapped a hand to her mouth as he paused in his work to look at her.
"Ah, Sen. You're here because HE brought you back, aren't you." He went back to work, reaching over with two long arms to lift her easily onto his side.
"You remember? Oh, everybody's been acting so weird! Do you know what's gone on? What's happened?"
he took a sip of water. "Aye, Human. After you left, Master Haku and Yubaba got in a little, ah, argument - and while they were busy, It took over. Just like that. Said if we gave Him this place, you, and Master Haku then He would spare our lives. Of course Yubaba refused, and so It banished her to who-knows-where. His minions went about, and everything they touched or looked in the eye were brainwashed, just like that. They believe that He is The Boss here, and that He's been running this bathhouse ever since they each came to be."
"Oh. Wow." Chihiro whispered, taking off her shoes and socks to sit cross- legged. "Where is Haku?"
"He took off, and It followed him. Must have lost him, though, because He came back. I, among a few others, was not touched or looked at by any of his little army-members, so you'd best stay here for a bit. They're all coming down here in a little bit to discuss our little, eh, problem. One is out looking for You, but seeing as you are already here, he won't have to worry about that."
And so Chihiro and Kamajii waited in silence, until the tokens stopped coming and he stopped mixing the waters.
Then three others came in, one at a time; the little frog, Aogaeru was his name? All of the male workers were that name, of course. A Yuna that Chihiro had never seen before, probably. She had the common black hair in a high, delicatley made bun and two dots on her forehead, like all slug spirits and bathhouse ladies - glared heatedly at Chihiro. To Chihiro's delight, the little Yu-bird that Zeniiba had turned into the fly and back again - he rested on Chihiro's shoulder and cawed happily, importantly. And last, but not least, was the black-bearded man, what was his name? Chihiyaku? Close enough.
"All here and accounted for?" asked Kamajii. "good. I am certain you are all aware of Sen, here, and her predicament. Shall we begin our meeting?"
"Caw!" said the little Yu-bird.
"let's give her to Him and be done with it, I say!" the Yuna said hotly. "she caused this mess and got Master Haku caught up in it too. Though he's probably been Yubaba's henchmen all along, so no complaint anywhere."
"Ah, but you forget He wishes to have this place, Aburaya, as well." Put in the little frog, the Aogaeru.
"so? He already has it!"
"do you not think that He already knows Sen is here?" put in Chihiyaku. "what do you say, Human? Have you met Him?"
they all looked at Chihiro. "yes," she whispered.
"Alright, then," Yuna said. "then we give him Master Haku and everything will be fine and go back to normal."
"not that easy!" Kamajii interrupted. "unlike the lot of you, I have actually thought this through; and we need to know Sen's side of the story. She may know more then you think."
Again, they all looked at Chihiro. She ducked her head. "my parents and I were driving away, it started to rain and fog, there were crashes, pain, some blood, glass," she would always remember the glass. "I woke up in the water, on those train tracks with my wrists tied above my head. The frog- dude came and dragged me to a man with black hair and green narrow eyes." She hesitated a second. "he told the frog to leave, then told me that I should keep quiet and would help him find Haku. He told me that Yubaba and Bou (the baby) and my parents and the others were all banished, then he hit me and I woke up in Rin's room." Another pause. "he cut my ropes," Chihiro said helpfully, holding out her still raw wrists as evidence.
"well, there goes your plan down the toilet!" said Chibi-Aogaeru, as Chihiro mentally called him. T. Y. (standing for The Yuna) huffed and hunched up her shoulders.
"No arguing, please," Chihiyaku put in. "let's think this out rationally. What else was it you thought, Kamajii?"
"Hmm, well, it's more of a few questions, really. What is He going to do with Haku and Sen, should he have both? You can bet it isn't good."
"Then we find out why He wants them and go from there!"
"Caw!"
"Whatever."
"How do we do that?" everybody stared at Chihiro.
"That's where you come in, my dear," T. Y. said sweetly. "that's your job."
"It most certainly is not!" Kamajii snapped in.
"Why? T. Y. asked. "He obviously wants her and Master Haku alive, so we've nothing to worry over."
"And should He get information about *us* from Sen, what then? We won't exist! And pretty soon, neither will Aburaya once He gets a better hold on it."
"It's a chance we'll have to take!"
"Well, I agree with Kamajii. It's too dangerous! For all of us!"
and of course a debate started. Or, a fight, really. Chihiro ended it by standing up after a moment of thought. "I am going," she said, then raised her voice to a shout. "I AM GOING," they all quieted and looked at her to finish. "to find out where Haku is. He probably knows where Haku is, and I'll find out whatever else I can while I'm up there."
With that, Chihiro spun on her heel then dropped to her hands and knees, to crawl out the little porthole. She was more than a little scared; the memories of what kind of pain he had inflicted on her were still vivid, and she was still a little sore. Even her neck and shoulder, though they were much better.
"Sen, don't!" Kamajii warned, but she slammed the little door closed and made her way to an elevator. From there she went up to where the two large double doors went to Yubaba's office, or whatever.
And, expected or no, the doors opened as she walked to them, and slammed behind her after she walked through them.
She heard voices.
They last pair of doors did not open, so she stopped and listened.
"Eaves-droppers are not welcome here." Said the familiar cold voice, and both doors were thrown open. Backwards. Chihiro barely jumped out of the way in time from being smacked by one.
"I know why you've come; hurry on inside, I'm not going to stand here all night."
Chihiro scurried inside, and squeaked at the sight she saw.
Blood. Everywhere. It looked as though it were splashed, all over the carpet, splashed carelessly on the walls, and some dripping down from the ceiling. The stench made Chihiro stumble, and she choked back a mouthful of bile.
"Don't you love the smell, the color, the feel of blood?" asked His voice directly in her ear, and she jumped, lost her balance, and fell right into a puddle of the stuff. She squeaked once more, wanting to clap a hand to her mouth t stop the oncoming flow of the last thing she ate, but was unable to as her palms were covered in it. wet, sticky, oozing...
Her scream hurt even her ears, and there was s urprised shout from across the room, and a movement as though to clap a pair of hands to a pair of ears.
It was the frog-dude.
"Shut up, Human!" He shouted, and picked her up by the shirtfront. However, Chihiro continued to scream, brething in its scent with each breath - struggling hard against Him, and the pink ripped, and she fell back, splashing blood about. She reached out and turned slightly, in an attempt to stand up. But her hand connected with something else - a carcass - and she screamed yet louder, falling face-first into it.
She choked, and managed to push herself up half an inch before vomiting.
Once that was over, Chihiro coughed, and pushed herself weakly up a little bit, somehow getting to her knees, tasting the awful taste of vomitus in her mouth. Abruptly, a hand closed around the back of her throat, fingers wrapping neatly and fully to push into her windpipe, and she was lifted off the ground completely from behind.
"You will have to be punished for that," His voice hissed into her ears. She arched her back slightly by reflex, bending her knees, swallowing to assure herself there was still a link between her lungs and head. She didn't answer his statement, and he held her up like that for a while. Soon, she began to feel lightheaded, and little prickles over her face felt like a foot or an arm falling asleep. Right behind the hinges of her jaw was an aching hurt, though she didn't know why, and slowly she brought her fingers up to curl around His, which were tightening by the second. "Let go," she half whispered, half squeaked, half sobbed. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she didn't even notice until they dripped onto her fingers around His.
He chuckled.
"Beg." He instructed.
"Please," Chihiro hissed through her teeth quietly, in her fading voice. Her temples were throbbing. "I'm b - begging you..."
Thump!
Chihiro hit the floor, in the blood again, but could only focus on forcing herself to breathe. She knew that no damage had been done to her windpipe - or so she thought by gingerly touching it. but she still couldn't breathe. Oh god, it hurts, she thought, rolling over onto her back.
She pressed her middle and index fingers in the hollow of her neck and simply stared at the ceiling, tears rolling unhappily down, a speckle of blood dripping onto her face or body from the ceiling. Her breathing was ragged and irregular, and it still hurt. It was a while before she could even choke out a small sob. All the muscles in her face hurt, and oh, every part of her head hurt.
"Little baby of a brat," His voice snarled. "I wasn't even holding that hard."
Chihiro could not stop a tiny, "Gaki haitei..." to him anyway, and both he and the frog-dude laughed, standing over her.
"Naughty, naughty. If I were you I would not talk back like that." He said with a wicked grin. "now, I would like to get this meeting over with." He paused, examining Chihiro from head to toe. Then, faster than lightning, he reached out and yanked her up by her shoulder, bringing forth a small cry of pain, and once she was on her feet, his hand snapped out and her hair fell around her shoulders. Caked with blood. Not her blood. Where had all the blood come from?
Realization sunk in.
"Hey! Give me that back!" Chihiro made a weak grab for her magic hair binder, but He held it out of reach and right before her very eyes it burst into flame in his hand, and burned to nothing. A rank stench filled the air. Chihiro didn't care.
She felt empty; lost.
"Oh, don't feel so down," he cooed mockingly, and snapped a finger. Another hair band appeared in his hand, jet black and twisted. Horrible looking. He reached towards her, His intent obvious, but Chihiro backed away. He grabbed her hair anyway and put it back in its pony tail with the black rubber-band.
Immediately, Chihiro felt a weight sag her entire body down, and she splashed into the carpet.
"Whose blood is this?" she whispered after a moment, all feeling lost.
He didn't answer.
"What do you want with me and Haku?"
again, no reply, though she did get a reaction. He bent down and nicked her chin up roughly. "look at me when I speak to you," he barked. "now; you will use this power I gave you to find Haku."
"Power?" Chihiro repeated dumbly. She felt a sort of trance, dream-like feeling take over her slowly, starting from head and going to toes, causing her to stretch out her fingertips.
"Think of him," His voice sounded so soothing. Commanding. And she felt so happy inside - though sad, angry, and confused at the same time - enough to obey Him. And it was no problem thinking of Haku. That was easy.
"Picture him, as a dragon, riding through the wind and slipping through the water. Remember his touch, his voice. Everything. Really, really hard."
Chihiro did as she was told, rocking from side to side like a drunk. She didn't care.
Suddenly there was a burst of - energy? - that knocked her off of her feet. Once more on the ground, she attempted to lift her head and find out why and how she had gotten there. Her head wouldn't lift. Her eyes blurred, and half closed. Confused, Chihiro tried to ask what He had done to her.
Nonsense, she suddenly thought. He didn't do anything; you just feel to free, and floating, that you don't care. You should. Something is wrong. What's wrong? Chihiro couldn't figure it out.
"Stand up." His voice instructed. She did as she was told. "do you see a light?" he held her chin up and pointed out the deck/balcony/window. Yes, she saw a small blurred bright thing. It was light. Was it? close enough.
She tried to grin (like an idiot) but that also proved impossible, so she settled for a slurred, "yes."
"Focus on it. and it only."
Abruptly, the beam of light came into sharp focus. Everything else faded. Chihiro found herself marveling at its exquisite beauty, and inwardly melting in her wonderful feelings of light bouncy ness. She was flying - flying! Following the beam of light, under His careful instruction. Her body still felt too heavy to lift, but this floating, it was wonderful!
After what seemed like forever in her floating heaven, Chihiro was instructed to clean herself, rinse out her mouth, brush her teeth, etcetera, and like a good girl, she did it. mentally.
She had no idea that it was happening physically, too.
"Go to sleep."
"Yes." Yes. That was pretty much the only thing she'd said all evening - yes. How dumb.
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"Sen. Tell our guest how much we are in love."
What? She must have fallen asleep. Had He been talking to somebody? Some of her floaty feeling subsided. "are in love," she slurred obediently.
"tell him how much."
"very much."
"are you my good girl?"
"yes."
"do you do as I say?"
"yes."
"do you like these feelings?"
"Yes." Hella yeah!
"open your eyes."
Her eyes had been closed? Shoot! Chihiro opened them, and saw that she had been standing - WAS standing - with her head down. Mumbling mindlessly out whatever she was told to. For a moment she inwardly panicked, for not knowing what she was doing or saying. For that one moment, Her wonderful floaty feelings vanished for a moment, and cold, hard truth set in. memory, however, was not that easy to obtain. She had led them somewhere...? Her head snapped up, showing the bruises on her neck, among other things.
She recognized the boy tied in front of her, vaguely. He was chained to a cold, stone wall. It was rather dark. His wrists were bound above his head, and he was shirtless, pale, and bloody.
But floaty feelings of joy encased her once again, just like that, and her head snapped down again with her sagging body. They were talking - where had the frog-dude gone? The boy and He were talking. He sounded cool, calm, and collected, and rested a hand around her shoulders. The boy's voice sounded disbelieving, angry, sad, worried. The words blended and blurred together, and she felt herself rocking.
With a surprised shout, she rocked a bit too far and fell forward - forward, forward, falling through the cold stone floor, racing head-first through black nothingness, splashing into a large puddle of blood, choking, drowning, Haku's hands fastened around her neck, his face twisting into His, His grip tightening, drowning, choking, couldn't breathe, great weight - sagging, happiness thrown aside to be replaced by nothing ness. Nothingness that was filled with pain, longing, blood, choking, drowning in blood...
Chihiro screamed and buried her hands in her hair, closing her eyes, still screaming. There were voices around her - she didn't care. Her wonderful floaty feeling was being replaced by a terrible emptiness, and though it didn't hurt, it really didn't... anything. No feeling whatsoever.
She had to stop it. any feeling, any emotion, any physical, anything, she had to feel something! Pain. It was a feeling! Tangling her fingers, Chihiro yanked. Pulled. Screamed. Anything, everything!
His cold fingers over her face. No. No! NO!
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! !!!"
With a strength unknown, Chihiro found a feeling, stronger than pain. Hate. Anger. She focused on it, grabbed it, embraced it, felt it, and ripped her fingers out of her hair to lash out at Him, taking half her pony tail and rubber hand with her. She opened her eyes - forced them open - and felt another feeling. Satisfaction. Satisfaction at the look on His face as she made successful lines of red across his face; cheeks, nose, brow.
Satisfaction felt better than pain or hatred and anger put together.
However, pain and worry were quick to invade her as He grasped her wrists in one hand and pumelled her with the other.
Chihiro could take it. She had left her marks. Everybody would see them - somehow she knew that they wouldn't heal anytime fast. The heavy weight over her body seemed to be lifted, and though her sluggishness, her floaty happy feeling was gone, she still found herself smiling grimly through it all.
And He was off of her. Her wrists were ripped from his grip, and he was knocked temporarily away. Chihiro focused her eyes on Haku above her, his white dragon form far more menecing than his other form, and she offered him her smile - of Sataifaction of leabing marks across His face.
Then it all went black.
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A/N: sorry, 'nother short chapter! And I understand that this one may have been a bit confusing, so... feel free to ask questions. :D geeze. Three chapters in one night. Go me!
Disclaimer: you know, I'm getting really sick of putting these in. I own my plot and my evil bad guys - so don't gotrying to sue or nothin, kk? KK??? Good.
Chapter Started: 4/23/03
Chapter Finished: 4/23/03
Third Person POV, Chihiro, that night of the first chapter
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"Where do you think he is?" Chihiro asked after searching the pigpens thoroughly with Rin. "he isn't anywhere! There aren't even any pigs here!"
Rin sat down boredly and sighed. "Why are you so obsessed over him, eh, Sen? He's probably on another mission for The Boss."
Chihiro crouched down and rested the side of her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself. "Who's 'The Boss'?" she asked.
Rin knocked Chihiro on the head.
"Hello! Anybody in there? Geeze, you must have hit your head. Really hard. Sen, you know, the guy you just made a deal with? Duh!" she sighed. "he's got every woman after him - though I think he may have taken a special liking to you. And Haku has always been his favorite."
"You mean that shadow guy with green eyes and black hair?"
"Sen? Are you sure you're alright?"
Rin reached over and laid a hand to her forehead. "you don't have a fever... either way, just leave Haku. He'll be back, and then you'll realize what a stuck-up jerk he is."
"He is not!" Chihiro jumped to her feet. "Haku is my friend! And I'M going to find him!" that said, she spun around and ran out top speed.
Rin gave no effort to persue her.
Chihiro, meanwhile, headed to the boiler room, where she found a bit more peace in watching the dustball things go back and forth with their loads of coals. She examined the boiler man closely.
"Do you remember anything?" she asked, more to herself. Immediately she clapped a hand to her mouth as he paused in his work to look at her.
"Ah, Sen. You're here because HE brought you back, aren't you." He went back to work, reaching over with two long arms to lift her easily onto his side.
"You remember? Oh, everybody's been acting so weird! Do you know what's gone on? What's happened?"
he took a sip of water. "Aye, Human. After you left, Master Haku and Yubaba got in a little, ah, argument - and while they were busy, It took over. Just like that. Said if we gave Him this place, you, and Master Haku then He would spare our lives. Of course Yubaba refused, and so It banished her to who-knows-where. His minions went about, and everything they touched or looked in the eye were brainwashed, just like that. They believe that He is The Boss here, and that He's been running this bathhouse ever since they each came to be."
"Oh. Wow." Chihiro whispered, taking off her shoes and socks to sit cross- legged. "Where is Haku?"
"He took off, and It followed him. Must have lost him, though, because He came back. I, among a few others, was not touched or looked at by any of his little army-members, so you'd best stay here for a bit. They're all coming down here in a little bit to discuss our little, eh, problem. One is out looking for You, but seeing as you are already here, he won't have to worry about that."
And so Chihiro and Kamajii waited in silence, until the tokens stopped coming and he stopped mixing the waters.
Then three others came in, one at a time; the little frog, Aogaeru was his name? All of the male workers were that name, of course. A Yuna that Chihiro had never seen before, probably. She had the common black hair in a high, delicatley made bun and two dots on her forehead, like all slug spirits and bathhouse ladies - glared heatedly at Chihiro. To Chihiro's delight, the little Yu-bird that Zeniiba had turned into the fly and back again - he rested on Chihiro's shoulder and cawed happily, importantly. And last, but not least, was the black-bearded man, what was his name? Chihiyaku? Close enough.
"All here and accounted for?" asked Kamajii. "good. I am certain you are all aware of Sen, here, and her predicament. Shall we begin our meeting?"
"Caw!" said the little Yu-bird.
"let's give her to Him and be done with it, I say!" the Yuna said hotly. "she caused this mess and got Master Haku caught up in it too. Though he's probably been Yubaba's henchmen all along, so no complaint anywhere."
"Ah, but you forget He wishes to have this place, Aburaya, as well." Put in the little frog, the Aogaeru.
"so? He already has it!"
"do you not think that He already knows Sen is here?" put in Chihiyaku. "what do you say, Human? Have you met Him?"
they all looked at Chihiro. "yes," she whispered.
"Alright, then," Yuna said. "then we give him Master Haku and everything will be fine and go back to normal."
"not that easy!" Kamajii interrupted. "unlike the lot of you, I have actually thought this through; and we need to know Sen's side of the story. She may know more then you think."
Again, they all looked at Chihiro. She ducked her head. "my parents and I were driving away, it started to rain and fog, there were crashes, pain, some blood, glass," she would always remember the glass. "I woke up in the water, on those train tracks with my wrists tied above my head. The frog- dude came and dragged me to a man with black hair and green narrow eyes." She hesitated a second. "he told the frog to leave, then told me that I should keep quiet and would help him find Haku. He told me that Yubaba and Bou (the baby) and my parents and the others were all banished, then he hit me and I woke up in Rin's room." Another pause. "he cut my ropes," Chihiro said helpfully, holding out her still raw wrists as evidence.
"well, there goes your plan down the toilet!" said Chibi-Aogaeru, as Chihiro mentally called him. T. Y. (standing for The Yuna) huffed and hunched up her shoulders.
"No arguing, please," Chihiyaku put in. "let's think this out rationally. What else was it you thought, Kamajii?"
"Hmm, well, it's more of a few questions, really. What is He going to do with Haku and Sen, should he have both? You can bet it isn't good."
"Then we find out why He wants them and go from there!"
"Caw!"
"Whatever."
"How do we do that?" everybody stared at Chihiro.
"That's where you come in, my dear," T. Y. said sweetly. "that's your job."
"It most certainly is not!" Kamajii snapped in.
"Why? T. Y. asked. "He obviously wants her and Master Haku alive, so we've nothing to worry over."
"And should He get information about *us* from Sen, what then? We won't exist! And pretty soon, neither will Aburaya once He gets a better hold on it."
"It's a chance we'll have to take!"
"Well, I agree with Kamajii. It's too dangerous! For all of us!"
and of course a debate started. Or, a fight, really. Chihiro ended it by standing up after a moment of thought. "I am going," she said, then raised her voice to a shout. "I AM GOING," they all quieted and looked at her to finish. "to find out where Haku is. He probably knows where Haku is, and I'll find out whatever else I can while I'm up there."
With that, Chihiro spun on her heel then dropped to her hands and knees, to crawl out the little porthole. She was more than a little scared; the memories of what kind of pain he had inflicted on her were still vivid, and she was still a little sore. Even her neck and shoulder, though they were much better.
"Sen, don't!" Kamajii warned, but she slammed the little door closed and made her way to an elevator. From there she went up to where the two large double doors went to Yubaba's office, or whatever.
And, expected or no, the doors opened as she walked to them, and slammed behind her after she walked through them.
She heard voices.
They last pair of doors did not open, so she stopped and listened.
"Eaves-droppers are not welcome here." Said the familiar cold voice, and both doors were thrown open. Backwards. Chihiro barely jumped out of the way in time from being smacked by one.
"I know why you've come; hurry on inside, I'm not going to stand here all night."
Chihiro scurried inside, and squeaked at the sight she saw.
Blood. Everywhere. It looked as though it were splashed, all over the carpet, splashed carelessly on the walls, and some dripping down from the ceiling. The stench made Chihiro stumble, and she choked back a mouthful of bile.
"Don't you love the smell, the color, the feel of blood?" asked His voice directly in her ear, and she jumped, lost her balance, and fell right into a puddle of the stuff. She squeaked once more, wanting to clap a hand to her mouth t stop the oncoming flow of the last thing she ate, but was unable to as her palms were covered in it. wet, sticky, oozing...
Her scream hurt even her ears, and there was s urprised shout from across the room, and a movement as though to clap a pair of hands to a pair of ears.
It was the frog-dude.
"Shut up, Human!" He shouted, and picked her up by the shirtfront. However, Chihiro continued to scream, brething in its scent with each breath - struggling hard against Him, and the pink ripped, and she fell back, splashing blood about. She reached out and turned slightly, in an attempt to stand up. But her hand connected with something else - a carcass - and she screamed yet louder, falling face-first into it.
She choked, and managed to push herself up half an inch before vomiting.
Once that was over, Chihiro coughed, and pushed herself weakly up a little bit, somehow getting to her knees, tasting the awful taste of vomitus in her mouth. Abruptly, a hand closed around the back of her throat, fingers wrapping neatly and fully to push into her windpipe, and she was lifted off the ground completely from behind.
"You will have to be punished for that," His voice hissed into her ears. She arched her back slightly by reflex, bending her knees, swallowing to assure herself there was still a link between her lungs and head. She didn't answer his statement, and he held her up like that for a while. Soon, she began to feel lightheaded, and little prickles over her face felt like a foot or an arm falling asleep. Right behind the hinges of her jaw was an aching hurt, though she didn't know why, and slowly she brought her fingers up to curl around His, which were tightening by the second. "Let go," she half whispered, half squeaked, half sobbed. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she didn't even notice until they dripped onto her fingers around His.
He chuckled.
"Beg." He instructed.
"Please," Chihiro hissed through her teeth quietly, in her fading voice. Her temples were throbbing. "I'm b - begging you..."
Thump!
Chihiro hit the floor, in the blood again, but could only focus on forcing herself to breathe. She knew that no damage had been done to her windpipe - or so she thought by gingerly touching it. but she still couldn't breathe. Oh god, it hurts, she thought, rolling over onto her back.
She pressed her middle and index fingers in the hollow of her neck and simply stared at the ceiling, tears rolling unhappily down, a speckle of blood dripping onto her face or body from the ceiling. Her breathing was ragged and irregular, and it still hurt. It was a while before she could even choke out a small sob. All the muscles in her face hurt, and oh, every part of her head hurt.
"Little baby of a brat," His voice snarled. "I wasn't even holding that hard."
Chihiro could not stop a tiny, "Gaki haitei..." to him anyway, and both he and the frog-dude laughed, standing over her.
"Naughty, naughty. If I were you I would not talk back like that." He said with a wicked grin. "now, I would like to get this meeting over with." He paused, examining Chihiro from head to toe. Then, faster than lightning, he reached out and yanked her up by her shoulder, bringing forth a small cry of pain, and once she was on her feet, his hand snapped out and her hair fell around her shoulders. Caked with blood. Not her blood. Where had all the blood come from?
Realization sunk in.
"Hey! Give me that back!" Chihiro made a weak grab for her magic hair binder, but He held it out of reach and right before her very eyes it burst into flame in his hand, and burned to nothing. A rank stench filled the air. Chihiro didn't care.
She felt empty; lost.
"Oh, don't feel so down," he cooed mockingly, and snapped a finger. Another hair band appeared in his hand, jet black and twisted. Horrible looking. He reached towards her, His intent obvious, but Chihiro backed away. He grabbed her hair anyway and put it back in its pony tail with the black rubber-band.
Immediately, Chihiro felt a weight sag her entire body down, and she splashed into the carpet.
"Whose blood is this?" she whispered after a moment, all feeling lost.
He didn't answer.
"What do you want with me and Haku?"
again, no reply, though she did get a reaction. He bent down and nicked her chin up roughly. "look at me when I speak to you," he barked. "now; you will use this power I gave you to find Haku."
"Power?" Chihiro repeated dumbly. She felt a sort of trance, dream-like feeling take over her slowly, starting from head and going to toes, causing her to stretch out her fingertips.
"Think of him," His voice sounded so soothing. Commanding. And she felt so happy inside - though sad, angry, and confused at the same time - enough to obey Him. And it was no problem thinking of Haku. That was easy.
"Picture him, as a dragon, riding through the wind and slipping through the water. Remember his touch, his voice. Everything. Really, really hard."
Chihiro did as she was told, rocking from side to side like a drunk. She didn't care.
Suddenly there was a burst of - energy? - that knocked her off of her feet. Once more on the ground, she attempted to lift her head and find out why and how she had gotten there. Her head wouldn't lift. Her eyes blurred, and half closed. Confused, Chihiro tried to ask what He had done to her.
Nonsense, she suddenly thought. He didn't do anything; you just feel to free, and floating, that you don't care. You should. Something is wrong. What's wrong? Chihiro couldn't figure it out.
"Stand up." His voice instructed. She did as she was told. "do you see a light?" he held her chin up and pointed out the deck/balcony/window. Yes, she saw a small blurred bright thing. It was light. Was it? close enough.
She tried to grin (like an idiot) but that also proved impossible, so she settled for a slurred, "yes."
"Focus on it. and it only."
Abruptly, the beam of light came into sharp focus. Everything else faded. Chihiro found herself marveling at its exquisite beauty, and inwardly melting in her wonderful feelings of light bouncy ness. She was flying - flying! Following the beam of light, under His careful instruction. Her body still felt too heavy to lift, but this floating, it was wonderful!
After what seemed like forever in her floating heaven, Chihiro was instructed to clean herself, rinse out her mouth, brush her teeth, etcetera, and like a good girl, she did it. mentally.
She had no idea that it was happening physically, too.
"Go to sleep."
"Yes." Yes. That was pretty much the only thing she'd said all evening - yes. How dumb.
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"Sen. Tell our guest how much we are in love."
What? She must have fallen asleep. Had He been talking to somebody? Some of her floaty feeling subsided. "are in love," she slurred obediently.
"tell him how much."
"very much."
"are you my good girl?"
"yes."
"do you do as I say?"
"yes."
"do you like these feelings?"
"Yes." Hella yeah!
"open your eyes."
Her eyes had been closed? Shoot! Chihiro opened them, and saw that she had been standing - WAS standing - with her head down. Mumbling mindlessly out whatever she was told to. For a moment she inwardly panicked, for not knowing what she was doing or saying. For that one moment, Her wonderful floaty feelings vanished for a moment, and cold, hard truth set in. memory, however, was not that easy to obtain. She had led them somewhere...? Her head snapped up, showing the bruises on her neck, among other things.
She recognized the boy tied in front of her, vaguely. He was chained to a cold, stone wall. It was rather dark. His wrists were bound above his head, and he was shirtless, pale, and bloody.
But floaty feelings of joy encased her once again, just like that, and her head snapped down again with her sagging body. They were talking - where had the frog-dude gone? The boy and He were talking. He sounded cool, calm, and collected, and rested a hand around her shoulders. The boy's voice sounded disbelieving, angry, sad, worried. The words blended and blurred together, and she felt herself rocking.
With a surprised shout, she rocked a bit too far and fell forward - forward, forward, falling through the cold stone floor, racing head-first through black nothingness, splashing into a large puddle of blood, choking, drowning, Haku's hands fastened around her neck, his face twisting into His, His grip tightening, drowning, choking, couldn't breathe, great weight - sagging, happiness thrown aside to be replaced by nothing ness. Nothingness that was filled with pain, longing, blood, choking, drowning in blood...
Chihiro screamed and buried her hands in her hair, closing her eyes, still screaming. There were voices around her - she didn't care. Her wonderful floaty feeling was being replaced by a terrible emptiness, and though it didn't hurt, it really didn't... anything. No feeling whatsoever.
She had to stop it. any feeling, any emotion, any physical, anything, she had to feel something! Pain. It was a feeling! Tangling her fingers, Chihiro yanked. Pulled. Screamed. Anything, everything!
His cold fingers over her face. No. No! NO!
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! !!!"
With a strength unknown, Chihiro found a feeling, stronger than pain. Hate. Anger. She focused on it, grabbed it, embraced it, felt it, and ripped her fingers out of her hair to lash out at Him, taking half her pony tail and rubber hand with her. She opened her eyes - forced them open - and felt another feeling. Satisfaction. Satisfaction at the look on His face as she made successful lines of red across his face; cheeks, nose, brow.
Satisfaction felt better than pain or hatred and anger put together.
However, pain and worry were quick to invade her as He grasped her wrists in one hand and pumelled her with the other.
Chihiro could take it. She had left her marks. Everybody would see them - somehow she knew that they wouldn't heal anytime fast. The heavy weight over her body seemed to be lifted, and though her sluggishness, her floaty happy feeling was gone, she still found herself smiling grimly through it all.
And He was off of her. Her wrists were ripped from his grip, and he was knocked temporarily away. Chihiro focused her eyes on Haku above her, his white dragon form far more menecing than his other form, and she offered him her smile - of Sataifaction of leabing marks across His face.
Then it all went black.
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A/N: sorry, 'nother short chapter! And I understand that this one may have been a bit confusing, so... feel free to ask questions. :D geeze. Three chapters in one night. Go me!