Fade Away – By Snowcloud

Chapter Six – The Quest

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My chapter names suck. ;o I'm so creative right? –Looks at Chapter title-

Oh, and Nightshimmer, no, I'm not going to make Chihiro steal Firestar from Warriors and put him in StarClan for a while and make him cheat on Sandstorm. (LOLOLOLOLOOLOLOL?!)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Spirited Away. Miyazaki does!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm going to cast the spell now," Kamaiji said. "Are you sure you want to proceed? There's no going back."

I nodded solemnly. He glanced at me for a few moments, and then started muttering the ancient words. They sounded so strange, so foreign in my ears. I stood still, scared of what was to happen next. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself. Surely it wouldn't that bad? Kamaiji suddenly stopped chanting and a contract appeared out of thin air.

"Sign it," He instructed.

I, Chihiro Ogino, agree to this quest and accept the consequences and responsibilities.

X Chihiro Ogino

I wrote the letters down in a shaky hand. I finished the last word, and a blue light exploded from the paper. It illuminated the room, blinding me. I closed my eyes and waited for it to pass over.

"Open your eyes, Chihiro." A smooth and silky voice said.

I obeyed, and found the light gone. In its place was a tall, beautiful woman with long silver hair that reached the ground. She was dressed in the most beautiful clothing, her kimono patterned with eccentric designs. Kamaiji quickly bowed, not wanting to offend her. I did the same. Her pale gray eyes bore into me.

"It has been a while since a human has requested this," She said. "Why do you want this?"

I paled. I couldn't find the words to say anything.

"I have to approve your reason." She explained.

My mouth seemed frozen. The woman smiled kindly.

"Perhaps I should reach into your mind instead," She said gently.

I gasped as I felt her warm presence in my head, venturing it. She sprung my memories up, searching for an answer to her question.

"Will we meet again?"

"I'm sure we will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

X

"Get out of here, now!"

X

"Play with me or I'll break your arm."

X

"Haku wouldn't steal anything! He's a good person!"

X

"I want to go to Swamp Bottom and apologize."

X

"Call me Granny."

X

"Only the power of true love can break the spell."

X

"It's something you wouldn't recognize, it's called love."

"Love…"The strange woman murmured. "I've never really understood it. I envy you, Chihiro."

I bowed my head, not knowing what to do next.

"Your love, it seems so pure, so innocent. That feeling, it was amazing." She whispered. "And for that reason, I shall let you proceed."

"Chihiro, bend on one knee!" Kamaiji instructed softly, so that the mystical spirit would not hear.

I did as I was told.

"Chihiro Ogino, I hereby grant you your quest." She announced clearly.

She placed one hand on my head. I stood frigid like ice as I felt the magic running through me. I also felt pain though, unbelievable pain, as my sacrifice. I wanted to yelp in protest, but I refused not to; it would be disrespectful. I bit my lip, wanting it to end. Finally it slowly ebbed away, my veins screaming with relief.

"Thank you, Miss -" I started, realizing I didn't know her name.

"Miss Goddess Irene." She smiled in amusement.

"Um...Goddess...what's do I do?" I asked.

She chuckled.

"I almost forgot to give you your objective!" She exclaimed, and pulled out a thin, wispy paper.

I looked at it curiously, and she began reading.

Two people may embark on the journey to help and guide him/her. The human must go to the desert of a thousand waters, and pick the red jewel. Monsters will be guarding it and attack the person along the way. The precious treasure must not be harmed in any way, because it is used to make the human a spirit. Then, the red jewel must be purified in the burning lake of the holy sanctuary. Afterwards, they must track down the Goddess of Destruction to destroy the human inside him/her. The ghost-like form must then place the jewel over her heart, and she will become a spirit.

I blinked. What? That was confusing. I was still in the state of shock when the Goddess handed me the paper.

"We know you can't memorize it, and this is your only copy. Don't lose it!" She winked.

FLASH! The woman disappeared. I stood there, not knowing what to do next.

"Sen, you better go find your friends and pick the two people," Kamaiji rasped.

I nodded and ran off.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Opening the door to the were-cats room, I realized that Haku and Lin were already there.

"Where were you?" Lin demanded. "We searched everywhere!"

"In the boiler room," I said sheepishly.

"Why?"Haku asked.

I bit my lip, and told them about the quest.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I winced, expecting Haku to be angry. Instead he looked thoughtful and calm, like he knew I would do this. The were-cats looked interested. Lin, however, was fuming.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?" She exploded.

I knew she was only doing this because she cared about me.

"Lin," I swallowed. "I'm only doing this because I love him."

"BUT STILL!" She shrieked. "YOU COULD BE KILLED, OR HURT!"

"I'm sorry, but it's already done. There's no going back." I replied.

"I'm going with you," Haku suddenly said.

That set the room off in a flurry of excitement.

"I'll go!"

"I'll go!"

"No, I'm better!"

"Please let me go!"

One voice stood out among the rest.

"Chihiro, you will need my advanced healing skills." Kiki mewed. "I couldn't heal the Jason last time because I didn't have the herbs, but now I do. Let me come."
I looked at Haku for some support. He nodded, thinking it was a good idea.

"Haku and Kiki will come," I decided.

Everyone else didn't seem disappointed. They knew I would pick the two for their skills. Haku would die for me, I know that. Kiki wouldn't let that happen though, I've heard word about her. With the right herbs, (and a lot of them), she can bring someone back from the brink of death.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My friends were helping us pack.

"Here, Kiki. You can have my extra pair of shoes; you never know when you might need them!" Yoshiro grinned.

"Here are the herbs you wanted!" Tristan added, and stuffed them in her bag.

"Let's hope you don't die there," Felicity teased, pulling out a lucky charm. "I'll always need my best friend!"

Mai and Lin helped me and Haku pack.

"Let's see," Lin said. "Do you have clothes?"

"Check!" I replied, looking at my nicely folded pile.

"Food?" She asked.

I showed her my loaves of bread as proof.

"What about water?" She asked, looking at an empty bottle.

"Check!" I giggled, and shoved Haku.

Knowing Haku was a water spirit, (and a very powerful one), he could summon clean water from the ground wherever we went.

After an hour, we were all packed up. Haku decided to do a bit of research before we left.

"Desert of a thousand waters…what could that be?" He asked.

I shrugged as Haku continued to look through the books.

"There!" He smiled proudly. "The Osaki Desert is where we need to go. It once used to be a very, very large sea. It dried out though, so it must be it!"

He wrote down the instructions to the place in his elegant handwriting.

"Now we have to find out about the burning lake of holy sanctuary." He murmured.

Haku shifted through the books. No such luck. There was zero information about that lake. After a few hours, he sighed and gave up.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was just the break of afternoon, 2:00, when Kiki decided to leave.

"We should go in the day," She explained. "Fewer monsters are out, and it would be easier for your human eyes to see,"

I yawned. Haku looked tired. Kiki pushed a few herbs to us.

"What are these?" I asked groggily.

"They are strength and awakening herbs," She mewed. "You basically don't have to sleep for 12 more hours and you will feel better."

I reached for a leaf and chewed it. It tasted like….well…nothing. I instantly felt refreshed, and the tiredness was sucked out of me. The circles underneath Haku's eyes disappeared.

"Let's go!" He said.

"WAIT!"

We turned around to see Lin, Felicity, Kiki, Jason and Ginger running towards us. Ginger? Why was she here? I found out soon enough. The brown-haired girl threw herself at Haku, and hugged him. Kiki rolled her eyes.

"Ginger, stop, it's not going to work. I'm going on this quest because I love someone else," Haku said dryly.

She pulled back and looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"How come you've never liked me?" She asked thickly.

I felt a pang of pity for her, even after all she had done.

"I was always waiting for someone else," Haku replied.

Ginger hissed and ran back to the bathhouse.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" Felicity cried. "All of you!"

"Dragon boy, you better bring Chihiro back safe and sound." Lin growled.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Bye Kiki. It's not going to be the same without you." Jason meowed. "I'll have no one to tease!"

My friend laughed and hugged him. I swallowed, a lump in my throat. I realized that this could be the last time I would see my friends.

"Let's go," Kiki said.

And that's how the quest began.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx