Weeks went by, Haku busied himself with literature about spirits gifting mortals with children. There were so many different outcomes from a vast array of spirits, that Haku didn't know what to truly expect from Chihiro should she actually have to carry the thing full term. Forest spirits who had charmed women into having sex, had written that most mothers turned into trees after giving birth. The fire spirits had written about their chosen women having the baby or new spirit, come out of her mouth, the trama so fierce and hot, killed the mortal after she basically belched out the new spirit.
Not all mortals died, which was positive, but they also weren't the same afterwords. Some gained powers, a blessing unto them for carrying a newly made spirit. Powers that varied from talking to animals to inhuman strength.
Thus far, Haku had yet to find anything on a river spirit mating with a mortal and it's outcome. It appeared that no one had written anything about it yet, which was very frustrating. How was he to help when he didn't know what to expect? Then again, he was only researching all this as a back up. Just in case his Chihiro was in it for the long haul, if they didn't find a way to get rid of the growing thing inside her. They still had time, he could sense that the being within his girl still needed a few months to finish its growth.
When he wasn't busy studying about spirit and mortal conceptions, and when he wasn't running around the bathhouse solving problems, Haku was teaching Chihiro more magic. He had gone over how to control fire, and she was doing very well with that. The newest thing he was working on with her, was taking control of water. Being what he was, the act came like breathing for him. Chihiro wasn't having as hard a time with water as she had experienced with fire. He assumed because of their bond, the water was willing to try and listen to her will.
She could make it form shapes when her hand was touching it, but she had yet to master the art of calling to it from a distance. Something that could be very handy in the right circumstance.
"How do you do it, Haku? What do you think to the water to make it listen?" She had asked of him one day.
"You never ask, you command it, Chihiro. You will it to listen, to be an extension of yourself." He had answered her, "You must be more insistent, more forceful. There's no room for 'would you mind?' when you're controlling something like water."
She tried harder, his Chihiro was a willing and ambitious student. A fact he admired about her, thank goodness she hadn't regressed during her time in the human world, Haku didn't know how well a whiny Chihiro would have done with the magic he was trying to teach.
"Chihiro, didn't you have goals...expectations for yourself in the human world? What would you have done if you hadn't..." He didn't want to finish his sentence, but it was alright, Chihiro understood what he meant.
Her hands stopped practicing, slipping into her lap comfortably as they both sat and gazed at one another.
"You know, a lot of people my age, know exactly what they want to do. Either their own choice or a choice made for them by their parents. For me, I didn't really have my head buried into the whole, 'what college are you attending after high school' thing. My parents think I'm a dreamer, that my head is always up in the clouds. I guess, what would have been enjoyable for me, was to go on to be a writer. I love books, and I thought that maybe someday I could write a few. But, as my parents like to remind me, 'Theres no money in it, Chihiro.' So my goal seemed trivial and preposterous to them. We were arguing about me taking at least some general courses at a community college before all this happened." She gestured to her stomach, making Haku's heart ache.
"Money concerns your parents more than your overall happiness?" He shook his head at the idea.
"It's the human world, Haku. Plenty of parents worry about that for their children. I guess I don't have that worry anymore." Chihiro shrugged, her eyes a bit sad.
Haku reached out to clasp her hand, making her sad eyes vanish. "Why do you ask?" She looked quizzically at her friend.
"I just wondered about your other life, what it might have been like with different circumstances." He answered simply.
"You're still glad I'm here, aren't you?" She asked somewhat worriedly.
"Chihiro, I couldn't be any happier. You're the most special person in my life, I feel grateful to have you with me again." He left out how he felt about her condition, she didn't need to be constantly reminded of that. Truth be told, if she hadn't gotten pregnant, the young woman wouldn't have ever come back, so in a way, Haku supposed the situation had its merits. Or maybe just one merit, for nothing else involving the pregnancy pleased him one bit.
"Chihiro, how would you like to call it a day, and go for a flight with me?" He asked her, thinking too much about his girls situation was going to drive Haku mad. They both could use a break from the bathhouse, what better way to feel untethered than to go flying?
-0-0-
Koga held a scar over his right eye, the eye Kohaku had struck with his damn claw. So far the few healing spells he'd preformed weren't making that specific scar vanish. It bothered him greatly, for Koga was an extremely vain spirit. How was he to look handsome with an ugly scar upon his face?
"Damn him!" Koga cursed to himself as he looked in a mirror once more.
Haku would get his! Soon that girl would be ready to pop, and Koga would whisk her away from the ever confident Haku. He'd be unable to stop the act, for by then the human would be more connected to Koga than Haku. As he reached out with his mind, he could feel the being inside Chihiro right now, sleeping and growing. Koga was elated to see what Chihiro would birth him, what powers the newly created spirit would hold. He already was working on a room for the mother and his offspring. The outside of the ancient tower may look ruined and decrepit, but with his magic, the inside was anything but!
Silk curtains and pillows were everywhere within the tower, along with rich looking decorations of gold and silver along the walls and floors. Incense was burned all day long within the dragons home, the smell of orchard one of his favorite scents to burn.
Soon, this lonely tower would be holding a family inside it, his family. With a bit of time and forcefulness, Chihiro would come over to Koga's side. She'd forget about Haku and learn to respect and eventually love her new river spirit.
-0-0-
Chihiro had yet to gain any kind of weight from her pregnancy. Which might have been due to where she was, the spirit world was capable of making things extremely different from her human world. Not that she really wanted to start showing a baby bump, it just concerned her. She knew what to expect in the human world, she'd read about pregnancy in school, but here it seemed her knowledge was irrelevant.
She ate a lot more food, that was normal for the human world, and she supposed now it was normal for the spirit world as well. But so far she wasn't moody, she felt sad some times, over her situation, but she was never sharp or rude with anyone she talked with.
Haku was so caring, he was busy reading as much as he could about spirits that had gotten humans pregnant. Researching so that in case they couldn't remove the thing inside her, they'd at least know what to expect. For some unknown reason, he had yet to share with her any information, but that was okay. He'd speak to her when the time was right, it's not like he was hiding anything from her, Haku would never behave that way.
She was feeling more stressed out and concerned when she had been in the spirit world for a little over two months. Nothing had changed her situation, and she was starting to feel panicked. One evening, when Haku was busy inside the bathhouse without her, she'd declined on going, having felt lightheaded and squeamish. She had taken it upon herself, to ask for assistance from a dangerous source, a person she knew Haku would have forbid her from speaking with. That was why she ventured now, when he wasn't there to stop her actions.
Determinedly, she walked to the elevator and went up one floor. Once the doors opened, her head peeked out first, remembering her first visit to this floor of the bathhouse, Yubabba's floor.
She had been a frightened little girl then, but now she was stronger, wiser, and older. She wasn't going to be tricked into a deal that did little good for her, no. Chihiro was going to be clever, and get Yubaba to help her without having to sacrifice her name or memories.
Her slender feet creaked against the wooden floor as she walked up to the ugly door knocker that resembled Yubaba's face. This time, she knocked, afterwords she stuck her tongue out at the knocker for its comment it had made the last time she was there. It humphed at her before the door opened up widely.
"What is it now? Does Haku send you to me just to make my day extra deplorable?" She called to Chihiro, the young woman quickly entered, hustling over to the witch before magic was used on her. Chihiro was more confident, walking up to the large form of Yubaba, gazing at her unafraid as they stared one another down.
"Well, why are you here?" She asked irritably, looking at the girl with unkind eyes.
"I know you like to make deals, Yubaba. I have a proposition in mind, that is, if you're powerful enough to do your end of the bargain." Chihiro's words were met with a raised brow and a smirk.
"Didn't you learn your lesson last time? I thought you knew better than to make deals with me anymore." Yubaba kept her attitude cool and collected, watching the young woman with interest.
"This time there's no downfall on my end. This time we both get something out of our deal." Chihiro assured the witch, Yubaba gestured with a hand, meaning for her guest to elaborate.
"You're a witch, you've undoubtedly sensed a difference with me, so lets not pretend you haven't felt this thing inside me." Chihiro began, noticing the witch was beginning to smirk wider at her. "Here is my offer, Yubaba. Take this thing out of me, and you can keep it for yourself. Teach it tricks, do whatever you like with it. Just get it out of me before I have to deliver it myself." She spoke her proposition.
"Ah, the little mother to be doesn't wish to raise her child? Well too bad! I have enough spirits around here, and I have my own baby to take care of." Yubaba folded her arms defensively.
"A baby that is now a child, and bound to grow into a grown up eventually. Haku has always been a hard spirit for you to get along with, let alone control. This spirit growing inside me would be a new start, something you could control from the beginning." Chihiro made her case, and it did stir Yubaba's interest.
"I newly made spirit to control." Yubaba spoke aloud, considering the idea.
"I will only take this spirit from you once you go into labor. That will be the only way my magic can work on it, so you're stuck like you are until it's ready to hatch." The witch informed the young woman before her.
"Does this mean we have a deal?" Chihiro eyed the elderly lady carefully.
"Fine. I've been bored around here anyway, perhaps this spirit will bring me some entertainment. We have a deal." Yubaba snapped her fingers, a paper magically appeared with their conditions written on it.
"Sign here and it's final, no turning back." Yubaba smiled coyly, waiting for the timid part of Chihiro to show itself. Surprisingly, the young woman was stiff and unbothered, signing the paper with an easy confidence.
Yubaba took the paper and filed it safely away, turning again to look at Chihiro questioningly, "Why are you still here? Leave!" She shooed the human, only satisfied when the young woman was completely gone.
Yubaba started to laugh, enjoying how everything was turning out. Oh Koga would have Chihiro alright, but not his new spirit! The look on his face would be priceless once the brat goes into labor and nothing comes out for him. Yubaba bet that Chihiro would be getting very rough treatment from the irate river spirit after he finds out what happened to his offspring!
Yubaba would be able to control both Haku and her new spirit, and if Haku started to annoy her, she'd just destroy him and keep her more obedient, and tame spirit. Things were going to be so much better around here! Yubaba could hardly wait for the human to pop, the sooner she did, the sooner Yubaba would have her bathhouse the way she wanted it.
-0-0-
Chihiro had been brave in front of Yubaba, but as she returned to Haku's chambers, and sat quietly on her bed, guilt started to eat at her. Haku would be so mad at her, if he found out, but at least this way guaranteed that Koga wouldn't have her bound to him. Once the spirit was in Yubaba's possession, he couldn't possibly want anything from just Chihiro. It had all been about the thing inside her, and once that was gone, he'd have no use for her. She'd be able to be with Haku without the worry of Koga.
This simple fact calmed her guilt. In the long run, this deal would be a positive thing. She'd just not mention it to Haku until she absolutely had too...
-0-0-
Spirited Away belongs to Hayao Miyazaki.
A/N: Chihiro is making some questionable choices. Where will it all lead her in the long run? Unfortunate things are about to happen, stick around and find out how her choices effect everyone around her.