Authors notes: Firstly I would like to thank all that took the time to review, SAK00, NarutoSwag99, deity. Love you all lots! :) I'm glad you all like this fic n thank you to all that added me to your Fav and Follow list too. Hugs to you all ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

Chapter 4: Curse

Chihiro was playing with Kenta behind the shrine by the dried lake. She was fourteen then and spent most of her time after school and even her weekends in this shrine. Toshihiro was like an older brother to her. He never minded her coming over unexpectedly and he always welcomed her with his gentle smile. She likes him very much. He had become like a family to her. Then the spirits in the shrine were so kind to her. She liked it here. It was serene and quiet and the air somehow seemed so wonderful reminding her of the one special to her.

Suddenly the blue sky turned dark and Kenta disappeared. Suddenly Chihiro was left alone next to the dried lake. The wind had changed and black smoke was everywhere. The sky had turned red. She was frightened. It had become so cold.

"Toshihiro-sama?" Chihiro called. "Kenta? Karin? Kaede? Kana? Kiri?"

Wait! Who is Kiri?

Chihiro couldn't remember. Then suddenly she heard an eerie voice, cold and chilling.

"Give Toshihiro-sama back to me!"

A lady spirit with long black hair flew towards her…

Chihiro gasped and her eyes snapped opened. She blinked and blinked again. She wasn't by the dried lake but sleeping comfortably on warm futon. Besides the dried lake was no longer dry. Haku was back and she was not fourteen. She placed her cold palm over her warm forehead and took a deep breath.

"Kiri…" She whispered the name softly. Why does it sound so familiar?

She sat up and looked around. She remembered running towards the shrine. She remembered her heart hurts. She remembered Toshihiro's voice somewhat very far away and everything else was a blur. How did she come to be sleeping in his room?

The place was quiet that Chihiro wondered if anyone was around. She pushed the covers down her feet and got up. She didn't bothered about her appearance and stepped out of Toshihiro's room. She looked down the hallway of his home. There were five other rooms in Toshihiro's home. All of them empty because he was the only heir left in his family. All of the rooms had the beautiful back view of the lake and forest below the hill.

Where is everyone? Chihiro stepped down the corridor towards the front door of the house.

The stillness of the house told her that it was empty. They could all be at the Shrine. Why couldn't she remember anything when she came here? She only remembered running up those crooked grey cement stairs. Then everything was dark.

She walked to the front slowly and saw Kaede, Kana and Karin hovering in the air next to the oddly grown trees around the Shrine. They looked like they were putting the trees back to their original state. What happened to the trees? What happened here? She could see Toshihiro and Haku sitting by the front shrine talking in hush voices. Kenta was sweeping the leaves on the front porch.

She walked up to them quietly. When she was closer she could finally hear their voices more clearly.

"You mean Kiri cursed her?" Haku asked after Toshihiro told him what happened.

"Who is Kiri?" Chihiro asked.

Both of them turned to her in surprise. They had not felt her presence. She seemed like she glided over like a ghost. Haku didn't sense her at all when she appeared. Her aura had changed. It could be because of the curse had awaken.

"I had a strange dream earlier and I think there was a Kodama named Kiri." (Kodama: Tree spirit)

"You dreamt about Kiri?" Toshihiro asked. "What can you remember?"

"I don't know." Chihiro shook her head slightly looking confused and her head hurts. "I just know there is Kiri in my dream. Who is she?" She was getting upset again. "What did I forget?"

"Calm down Chihiro." Toshihiro told her slowly.

"No," Chihiro was not calm. "Why do I have a feeling that I know this Kiri? Why do I have a feeling that something bad happened? I want answers!"

Chihiro swung her hand out irately and accidently struck a tree near her. As soon as her palm touched the bark of the tree, it started to grow rapidly with the branches striking out everywhere the roots cracking the ground. The place shook for a second. Chihiro stared up the tree with her eyes wide. She was horrified.

"Please tell me I didn't do that." She stammered.

"A curse was placed on you four years ago." Toshihiro finally explained to her. "I sealed the curse by sealing your memories. But lately the curse had gotten stronger as your spiritual powers grew. I don't have the power to stop it anymore."

Chihiro was speechless and looked down at her hands. She saw marks of roots growing around her palms slithering its way up her wrist. She gasped and rubbed both her hands together trying to get it off but the marks remained.

"Chihiro, we will find a way to break the curse." Haku told her gently and reached out for her.

"No don't touch me!" Chihiro told him fretfully. For the first time she flinched and back away from Haku's touch.

Haku paused in his gesture and was hurt by it though he tried not to show because Chihiro looked so troubled. He didn't want to upset her further.

Then in a softer tone she added. "I don't want to hurt you."

Haku smiled slightly when he knew the reason why Chihiro didn't want him to touch her. She was worried about him. He ignored her plea, stepped closer to her and took hold of both her hands. Chihiro shook her head and was about to pull away from his grasped but he held on tightly not letting her go.

"You won't hurt me." Haku assured her. When nothing happened Chihiro relaxed slightly. "See, it's fine."

Chihiro was still nervous and scared but when she looked into Haku's calm emerald eyes she felt her fears flew away in an instant. It was just like back then when she met him at Yubaba's realm. His presence itself brings her the strength and finally she felt the pressure in her heart begin to lighten.

She finally nodded softly and the courage that Haku always saw in her eyes had returned. He sighed in relieve. He smiled comfortingly at Chihiro and pulled her closer to him. He then placed an arm around her shoulder and the other still holding onto Chihiro's hand, he turned to the priest looking serious then.

"Toshihiro-sama, we need to locate Kiri."

"Kiri left after she put the curse on Chihiro." Kaede flew down towards them. "For Shrine spirits to harm any human being the rule will be exile. She roams the world that is neither here nor there."

"What is that?" Chihiro asked looking slightly confused. She knew about the after world and the human world. But the world of exile spirits would be something new to her.

"It's a the realm between the after life and human world." Haku explained to her softly. "Only lost spirits go there. They are trapped unable to move either way."

Chihiro looked worried. There will be no way to track a spirit in such a place. She trembled slightly when she felt her heart tightened again. She didn't feel so good. When Haku noticed how sickly she had become his hold tightened around her shoulder.

"I'll go." Haku didn't hesitate to volunteer.

"No," Chihiro shook her head. "Isn't that the realm that the spirits go with no return?"

"Chihiro the only way to lift this curse is to get that spirit which curse you to break it." Haku explained to her gently. "There is no other way."

Chihiro still shook her head. She had become paler.

"I think its best we get you inside Chihiro." Toshihiro finally spoke. "You need to lie down."

Chihiro was finally resting again on the futon inside the shrine. Toshihiro and Haku knelt next to her side watching over her silently as they saw marks of roots starting to creep out under the collar of her school uniform up her neck. Haku knew he shouldn't be sitting here any longer.

"I will go," Haku said and stood up immediately.

"Haku you know it may be a one way trip."

"Yes, but I can't just sit here and watch Chihiro die."

Toshihiro remained silent for a moment before he continued.

"There might be a way to bring you back from that realm. My great grandfather kept the records of the knowledge my ancestors passed down. It might help."

Haku nodded.

Chihiro was standing by the front porch of the shrine. There was no one there except suddenly a cheerful little girl ran through her. The little girl was laughing. She blinked and looked around the scenery. The place looked slightly hazy and she realized she was in a dream.

She turned back to the little girl again and saw that the little girl was her. She could see her ten years old self, playing by the trees. A lady spirit wearing a grey kimono was with her. She looked familiar. She was smiling gently at Chihiro's smaller self.

"Look," The lady pulled out her palm and a single white daisy grew on it.

"It's beautiful!" Younger Chihiro told the lady spirit.

"A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl." She tugged the white daisy behind Chihiro's ear.

Then they disappeared.

"Toshihiro-sama!" suddenly she heard her voice calling out from the archway.

Chihiro turned and saw herself again. This time she was older and wearing a junior high school uniform. She could be thirteen then, maybe fourteen. She was running towards the shrine where Toshihiro was sitting. He greeted her with his usual gentle smile.

"Look! I got an award for the Art Competition!" Chihiro told him and showed him her canvas. "It is Haku and the other creatures in the bathhouse!"

"It is a beautiful portrait." Toshihiro told her. "Kiri, don't you agree?"

"Yes, Toshihiro-sama." The lady spirit in grey kimono answered monotone.

So her name was Kiri. She was the Kodama of the shrine. Somehow Chihiro noticed that she looked a little different from the first scene. Her eyes were dead and cold. There was hatred when she looked at Chihiro smiling cheerfully next to Toshihiro. Did something happen?

Suddenly the scene changed and Chihiro found herself standing in Toshihiro's home. They were having dinner together at the traditional dinning room. Both of them sat on the floor with a few dishes on the table. Chihiro remembered that day. Her parents won a free trip during the school week. So she couldn't follow. She had told her parents she would stay over at the shrine. Since her parents knew Toshihiro they were not concern to leave her behind.

"What happened to your neck Chihiro?" Toshiro asked when he noticed that Chihiro had some bruises.

"Last night, I went out late." Chihiro told him in a carefree manner. "Okasan needed some things and asked me to get it. I kind of met a weird ghost."

"Didn't you have the protective charm I gave you last time?"

"It got burnt when I accounted an oni two nights ago."

"You should have told me." Toshihiro sighed. "Here take this at a mean time until I get another prepared for you."

Toshihiro passed Chihiro a beautiful carved small wooden tag. There were symbols on it that Chihiro couldn't understand. She reached out to take it from him.

"This is different from other charms you made."

"This is done by Kiri for me." Toshihiro smiled softly. "It is a powerful protective charm that is very rare for a kodama to possess. But you should keep it for now until I make another charm for you."

"Is it ok?" Chihiro looked down the precious tag. "It is for you after all."

"Kiri will understand."

The scene changed. This time Chihiro was painting at the front porch of the shrine. She was sitting under the tree when Kiri stepped up to her. Chihiro looked up and saw the lady spirit who always looked gentle had changed. Her eyes were red, her hair disarray and also the nails were sharp and long like claws.

"Kiri?"

"You took Toshihiro-sama away from me!" She screamed. "He gave you wants important to me!"

A cold wind engulfed her and everything turned black…

"NO!" Chihiro cried and sat up quickly.

A pain on her chest made her to fall back on the futon again.

"Chihiro?"

Toshihiro was looking concerned next to her. She scanned the other areas and didn't find Haku.

"Where is Haku?" Chihiro asked.

Toshihiro was silent.

"He went didn't he?" Chihiro tried to get back up again but Toshihiro placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her down. "You should have stopped him!"

"Chihiro you know that this is the only way."

"I'm going after him." Chihiro pushed Toshihiro's hand away from her. "I know how to stop the curse."

"What are you talking about? You can't go to that realm."

"If it's going after Haku, I will." Chihiro had already made up her mind. "Besides, I think I know why Kiri hexed me."

"You remembered?"

"Toshihiro-sama, do you still have that protective tag Kiri gave you?"

"Yes, I have it though I don't hang on to it anymore. It is important to me after all."

"I think I understand why Kiri did this to me." Chihiro was already getting up to her feet. Even her whole body was screaming in pain she ignored it. "That might be the key to stopping this."

Haku walked down an empty space filled with thick fog. He can't see anything beyond a foot from him though he can hear them, the lost spirits. Without faltering in his steps and in his usual confident demeanor Haku continued on his journey.

There was a red thread tight to one of his legs. It was the red thread that will lead him back to the where he came from. Occasionally he will check to see if the thread hasn't been broken. In his hand he held a leaf from that came from one of the trees of the shrine. Kaede gave it to him.

"When the leaf glow, Kiri is nearby."

He remembered her saying clearly.

It was like a never-ending walk. He wasn't sure how long he had already left the human world. He was worried he had spent too much time searching for Kiri and it might be too late to save Chihiro. He shook his head slightly trying to push away that unwanted thought. He had to keep that fear away or the negative energy of the realm will overpower him.

Time and space here was unknown. He would feel like he only spent a few hours in this realm but in the human world he might have gone for days. Even though that he wasn't going to give up. Haku continued searching…

At the meantime back at the Shrine, Chihiro was desperately looking through Toshihiro's historical records in his small library in his home. She remembered she read something about sending a human soul to the after world. Even it didn't say that it will work for the realm for lost spirits, she was going to try anyways. She got to help Haku! If Toshihiro wasn't going to help her, she was going to do it herself.

"What are you doing Chihiro?" Kaede's voice made Chihiro jumped. "Toshihiro-sama is worried that you suddenly disappeared from the Shrine."

"Kaede!" Chihiro cried. "Help me please! I need to go to Haku!"

"Toshihiro-sama will be displeased."

"I don't care!" Chihiro exclaimed. "I am going to die anyways! Let me at least do what I think I can do! I might know how to break the curse! Besides, Haku shouldn't be in a place like that!"

Kaede was silent.

"Kaede…" Chihiro's voice was pleading now." Please, please I'm begging you!"

"There is a way but I can't guarantee your safety."

"It's fine."

Kaede hesitated for a moment as she studied Chihiro. She could see Chihiro was determined to go no matter what happened. She was reading the old ritual scroll that could send the human soul to the after world. Finally Kaede nodded and Chihiro sighed in relieved.

"Come with me."

Kaede thought she might as well help her than let her perform that ritual herself. Since she had no experience and her knowledge was limited the ritual may go terribly wrong and cause her soul to be lost forever. They walked over the lake at the back of the Shrine.

"It is a good thing the moon is bright tonight." Kaede told her. "Spirits get the energy from the moon to sustain us in the human world. I can only do this once."

Kaede glided into the lake and turned back to Chihiro.

"Follow me."

Chihiro looked confused for a moment before she realized that Kaede wants her in the lake. She pulled off her school socks and shoes and stepped into the cold water.

"I'm going to send you to that realm not only your soul."

Kaede told her when they were somewhere in the middle of the lake and the water was waist high. Kaede then pull a strand of her hair and tied it onto Chihiro's wrist. The hair shone under the moonlight.

"Whatever it is, never remove it." Kaede said gravely. "It will maintain your human body in that realm. You only have till morning to return. When the moon sets and the sun rises if you still don't come back, you will be lost and never return."

"How do I know? And how do I get back?"

"The light around the hair will diminish when the sun rises. For you to return you have to find Haku. He has the thread Toshihiro-sama weaved that will lead you both home. Do you still want to do this?"

Chihiro nodded once without hesitation. She just needed to find Haku and Kiri right.

"Ok then."

Without any warning Kaede reached out both her hands towards Chihiro and pushed her into the water by her shoulders. In shock Chihiro didn't managed to struggled as the cold water engulfed her. The last thing she saw was Kaede watching down on her above the water. Then everything was dark.

She needed air! She could feel her lung was about to burst!

Chihiro gasped. She was no longer in the water at the lake. She looked around. It was an empty space where there was no sky and the ground she was lying on doesn't seemed like ground. The place was covered with thick fog. She got up slowly and noticed the root marks had slithered all the way down her legs. She took a deep breath dreading to know how her face looks like now. However, that was not the thing she should be worried about right now.

She looked around the area. It seemed like there was nothing around except fog. But she could feel them, the lost soul. The negative energy around was strong and Chihiro was frightened until she caught sight of a line of red spark. She blinked, that red line was shinning. She decided to follow it.

The leaf was glowing, Haku noticed. Kiri was nearby! He started running until he came up to a twisted looking old tree without leaves. The bark and braches were distorted in odd angles. A lady spirit in grey kimono lay on one of the leafless branch. Her black hair was long as it dangles downwards from the branch and her eyes were red. Her nails were long and black.

She smiled when she saw Haku.

"I believe you must be Haku." Kiri said in a rather seductive voice. "The one that Chihiro always talks about and always in her drawings."

Haku was silent as he listened to her.

"She grew from a rather awkward little girl to a very beautiful lady, wouldn't you agree? Kiri glided over him until their faces were only inches apart. "She was always with Toshihiro, telling him tales about you because there was no one else she can speak to about it."

She traced her long sharp black nails under Haku's chin. But Haku didn't back up or loose his compose appearance. She laughed for a moment before her eyes flashed furiously.

"You know you can't do anything to stop me!"

"I came with a deal." Haku finally spoke.

"I see," Kiri smiled again. "You are going to trade yourself for her aren't you? Do you think I will agree to such a deal that has no benefits to me?"

"However, I who possessed the ability of the Youkai will give you the power you need to do whatever you what."

Kiri remained silent as she pondered over his deal.

"Fine…" Kiri was about to flick her fingers when Chihiro came running.

"NO!"

"Chihiro?" Haku was appalled when her saw her, his cool composure gone in an instant. "Why are you doing here?"

"So I see this great dragon have expressions too." Kiri smirked. "I'm honoured to have witness it."

Chihiro grabbed onto Haku's arm as soon as she got to him.

"Kiri, I need you to listen to me." Chihiro told her urgently.

"Why should I?" Kiri yelled. "You took everything away from me. I watched Toshihiro grow up. I watched him become the man he is now! He was always with me! Until you came along. You stole him from me! You know what, on the second thought. I think taking Haku would be a good idea after all."

To Chihiro's horror the distorted tree started to move. The branches came over to them and grabbed Haku out of her hold. She reached out towards him in vain the tree had already swallow him into its trunk. She was running over to the tree but Kiri stopped her by grabbing her neck.

"You beloved Haku can stay and rot in that tree." Kiri whispered to her in a voice filled with hatred. "And you can die under my curse. When the root mark reaches your heart. It will seized it and you will stop breathing."

"Kiri please… its all a misunderstanding!" Chihiro choked out her sentence under her tight grip. "Toshihiro-sama never gave it up!"

"What are you saying?" Kiri narrowed her eyes her grip loosened slightly.

"The charm you gave him…"

Chihiro never got to finish her sentence when there was crack from the tree. They watched as the tree truck started to split and broke. When the tree collapsed a silver dragon stood before them. Haku was infuriated and when he saw Kiri held Chihiro by the neck, he was beyond reasoning. In a swift motion, Haku had flown over and attacked.

Kiri let go of Chihiro when Haku dived at her. She landed on the ground harshly choking slightly. She could hear Haku snarling and looked up. Haku swung his tail and slashed it down at Kiri. Kiri dodge and the fight between two spirits begin. Vines had appeared from Kiri's shoulder assisting her with her attacks. Haku was swift as he engaged in physical attacks.

Chihiro got up to her feet looking horrified. She didn't want them to fight! Suddenly a pain on her heart made her clutched both hands over chest. She shut her eyes tight and fell back on the ground again. Haku who noticed Chihiro's agony got distracted and was caught by one of Kiri's vines.

"Do not underestimate these vines." Kiri told him. "They can break even steel metal."

Haku growl lowly, his menacing appearance didn't waver.

"Please… Kiri stop!" Chihiro managed to wheeze out.

She could see the light on Kaede's hair tight around her wrist was starting to diminish. The marks on her body looked more vivid. She didn't have much time left.

"Kiri, Toshihiro-sama never gave me the charm! He only let me have it for one day because it was a full moon night and he didn't have time to make another charm for me!"

Kiri was silent as she listened. Chihiro could see a spark of emotion in her eyes and she pressed on.

"He had always kept that charm even now! He never gave it away!"

Chihiro coughed covering her mouth with her hands. When she looked down at her hands she could see blood. The curse… she thought dreadfully. It might have already reached her heart.

Haku changed back to his human form as soon as he saw Chihiro coughing up blood. Kiri had already loosened her vines when Chihiro mentioned about a charm. He ran up towards her.

"Chihiro!" Haku knelt next to her quickly and put his arm around her.

Chihiro took hold of Haku other free hand and squeezed it gently to assure him that she will be fine. She then turned back to Kiri.

"Kiri, please, please come back with us to the shrine!"

No answer from Kiri.

"Chihiro come, you have to leave this place now!" Haku voice sounded urgent when he saw that she was loosing breath.

"Kiri?" Chihiro looked pleadingly at her.

Haku didn't wait for answer anymore. He pulled Chihiro onto his back and transform back into a dragon. He had to get Chihiro out now! He noticed the hair around Chihiro's wrist. It was a spirit's hair. He suspected Kaede or the other kodama spirits might have given it to her to come here. The light around that hair was going off. That will mean the portal for Chihiro to get back to the human world was closing soon!

The fog had become thicker. Haku could only see the tiny line of red spark as he followed it. He flew like never before trying to break away from the fog. Chihiro lay on his back unconscious the light on the spirit hair around her wrist flicker weakly. The fog seemed never ending as Haku continued his flight desperately and suddenly he was swimming under water.

Haku in his human form broke to the surface of the water with Chihiro in his arms. They were back! He could see the crack of dawn in the distance. He made in it time.

"Toshihiro-sama! They are here!" He could hear Kenta shouting in the distance.

They had appeared in the lake at the shrine.

Haku swam over to the edge with Chihiro in one arm. He hoisted her up on land before he pushed himself out the water. He knelt down next to Chihiro unmoving body. He touched her cheek gently. The root marks had already crept up to the sides of her cheeks towards her forehead. For the first time in his life, Haku never felt this helpless before. He could see that her breath was becoming shallow and he shut his eyes tight his head bowed low.

"Kiri?" Haku heard Toshihiro's voice then.

His eyes snapped opened and he turned. Kiri was floating in the middle of the lake on the water. All his rational thoughts vanished then, he was just so angry. He felt like ripping her into shreds. When he was about to go over to her, Toshihiro's hand gently held his shoulder and he calm slightly.

"Kiri this has always been with me." Toshihiro held out the charm and showed it to her. "I'm sorry if I might have hurt you and blaming Chihiro over the mistakes I have done is not going to make anything right."

Haku watched Kiri's appearance changed. Her long black hair was tight up in a very neat bun. Her black long claw like nails had become normal. Those red eyes had become yellow. She looked like a normal Kodama spirit again.

"I'm sorry Toshihiro-sama for doubting you. I always wanted to tell you. I love you…" Kiri looked sad. "But I know I'm a spirit and you are human. It will never be…"

Kiri then looked over to Haku as if the last sentence was meant for him. He frowned slightly as he watched Kiri vanished as the sun rises. Haku looked down at Chihiro then. He could see the marks around her body were fading and she was breathing normally again.

He sighed in relieve but then again, when he thought about what happened to Kiri, the uncertainties crept into his heart. If anything would have happened to Chihiro, if he might loose her in any ways, he knew that he would become the lost spirit.

To be continued...

Authors notes: Firstly, I will want to apologize if the chapter seemed confusing and difficult to read due to the frequent change of scenes. I have trouble putting the plots into words T.T It took me several days. I was hoping I was able to post this up earlier. Anyways, I hope it turn out alright.

Curse:

A curse to the Japanese and Chinese believe is a spell that will harm or hurt inflicted by any supernatural powers, a prayer, an imprecation, and execration, magic, witchcraft, God, a natural force or a spirit. Depending on certain curses, some that causes misfortune, unexplanable sickness due to supernatural forces and others may cause death. To reverse or eliminate the curse is often believed to require equally elaborate rituals or prayers. Usually it is said that only the caster will be able to remove the curse one cast.

Thank you for reading!

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