Demetri stared at the empty desk beside Haku as the teacher lectured to the class. Chihiro didn't come to first period, and she hasn't appeared for second period either. He was worried, she was so happy before school started so why is she not there? Demetri scratched his head furiously, glaring at his blank, open notebook. Where is she? Chi-chan never skipped class before. Did something happen? At that thought, the Irish boy snuck a glance at Haku who had his cheek his hand, gazing outside the window deep in thought. Did he have anything to do with this? Demetri clenched his jaw and swiped his pencil off the desk, furious if the river spirit did anything bad to Chihiro. If that Kohaku hurt Chi-chan in any way, I'd-
His thoughts were interrupted as the teacher smacked their ruler on his desk. "Anastoga, you seem to think that you understand the lesson well enough to not pay attention during class, please explain to me the theory of quantum entanglement?"
Demetri paled, physics not being his best subject. "Ano...Uh…"
"If you were listening at all, you would know that I was talking about Kepler's Three Laws, and not quantum entanglement. Please pay attention, Anastoga." Demetri's face turned pink as the class rippled in laughter and the teacher walked over to Haku next who was still looking out the window. "Now, Nigihayami, it's your turn for a mock session. What is the density functional theory?" Haku didn't seem to notice the teacher's question and kept staring out the window. The teacher clicked their tongue and rapped their ruler on his desk. "Nigihayami, are you listening to me? Nigihayami, please look at me."
The students began to murmur around Demetri as Haku continued to ignore their teacher. "Wow, Nigihayami-kun has guts, ignoring sensei like that."
"Second day at school and he's already in trouble."
Demetri grimaced as he watched Haku and his teacher. What's wrong with him? He thought when the door to the classroom rattled open. "Sorry I'm late, sensei," Chihiro breathed out as she stood at the door, her uniform a mess.
"Chi-chan! Where were you?" Demetri asked, immediately going over to her and checking for wounds. "Why are you covered in dirt?"
The young girl laughed meekly, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah...I tripped somewhere again. I'm okay."
"Ogino!" The teacher snapped, turning his attention away from Haku. "You're late! It's halfway through second period!"
"I'm sorry, sensei, it won't happen again!" Chihiro apologized, bowing deeply.
"Hmph. What's with my students misbehaving today?" The teacher grumbled. "Get to your seat."
Chihiro bowed again before walking to her seat. As she passed by Haku, she snuck a peek at him and gasped. "Haku! What's wrong? You're so pale!" She cried out, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to face her. Dull green eyes stared into hers as recognition slowly registered in his face.
"Hm..? Oh, it's Chihiro," Haku said while slowly blinking. He looked away from her. "I'm fine."
"You sure?" She was about to ask when the teacher suddenly towered over the river spirit.
"Why, Nigihayami, you're responding now? That's perfect! Ogino, take your seat already," the teacher barked and Chihiro hurried to sit down, leaving Haku to his wrath.
What's wrong with Haku? He hasn't been acting like himself, Chihiro thought to herself worriedly as she washed her hands in the washroom during break period. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and unconsciously brought her fingers to her lips. He even kissed me earlier. The memory made her blush furiously and she tried to wave the thought away. It had shocked her, his actions that is.
After Haku left her standing there in the hallway, Chihiro had wandered out the school building and ended up at the school's back garden. There she sat amidst the beds of flowers, her knees pulled up to her chin, deep in thought. She kept remembering the kiss, and each time, her heart ached. She was confused. It wasn't like him to do that, to say what he did to her. Chihiro liked Haku, but she didn't know if it was the type of like that is romantic. It was all too sudden. They may have been great friends for that short time eight years ago, but she just got her memories back. This is almost like meeting a stranger and then agreeing to marry them the next day, Chihiro had thought as she stared blankly at the colorful flowers that swayed in the morning breeze. She reached out to stroke a white-petaled flower with streaks of sea-green. No, it's different from that. We were close back then but…
Her thoughts kept going in an endless loop as she tried to figure out exactly what she was feeling and before she knew it, it was already halfway through second period. Chihiro had jumped to her feet and began sprinting for the school building when a certain little tree spirit had decided to throw an acorn at her and she fell flat on her face in the dirt. "Ow...why do I keep hurting my face," she grumbled, rubbing her nose as she got up to her feet. "Oh, my uniform's a mess! But I have to get to class, uh…"
"Hey lady! Why aren't you in class like the other stinky humans?" A young boy with tinted-green skin and curly hair the color of moss shouted at her with a huge white grin.
"Huh?! A spirit?" Chihiro had gasped at the sight, that being the first time she saw a spirit at school.
"Whoa! The human can see me! Neat!" The tree spirit grinned as he sat, perched on a thin limb of a tall maple tree. Chihiro gaped at the young spirit which had made him laugh. "Hey, lady, I think you're nice so I'm gonna tell you my name. I'm Momiji."
"...I-I'm Chihiro," she finally let out and Momiji laughed more.
"I know that! I see you everyday when you're eating your meals."
She looked at him, feeling a little confused when she realized something. "Wait a minute...that's the tree Haku fell out of yesterday!" Chihiro exclaimed, pointing at him.
"Yeah, he was snooping in my tree so I kicked him out," Momiji said bluntly, an accomplished look on his face.
"Ha, and he said he was just taking a nap," she scoffed, crossing her arms.
"He was snooping. I don't like people snooping in my tree," he had said with a huff before he frowned. "Hey, lady. Is the snoop okay? He felt weird."
"Huh?" Chihiro tilted her head and Momiji shook his head.
"Never mind."
"Huh? Hey, wait! What do you mean by weird?" she yelled up at the tree. "Momiji, tell me!"
"I don't wanna. Find out yourself, lady," he had stuck his tongue out her and started to disappear in the tree.
"Hey! Momiji! Come back!"
"Hey, lady-, aren't you supposed to be going to class?" his voice came from the depths of the lush green leaves of the tree and she smacked her forehead.
"Ah! I completely forgot, thanks to you! Bye, Momiji! Don't throw acorns at me next time! And you better tell me what you meant by weird" She had yelled over her shoulder before she ran for class. Then she arrived all messy with everyone all riled up.
"Chihiro-chan? You okay?" Emi asked, breaking her out of her quick flashback.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay, I wa just thinking," the young girl smiled at her friend to not make her worry.
"Okay, that's good! I'm glad my pe uniform fits you," Emi smiled back sweetly before turning to look at her reflection in the mirror, re-applying her makeup. "You really need to stop tripping everywhere or you could get seriously hurt."
"Haha, it can't be helped if I slipped on an acorn," Chihiro laughed, wiping her hands with a paper towel. "Thanks for the uniform anyway."
"No problem. So, is it true about Haku-kun getting in trouble in class with sensei?" Emi asked, gossip being her favorite thing. Chihiro nodded, becoming silent as her friend shook her head in amazement. "Wow, I thought Haku-kun was the type that stayed on the teacher's good side. Although bad boys are kind of nice if you know what I mean." Chihiro gave her a look and she laughed. "Don't worry, Chihiro-chan, I'm not interested in Haku-kun, no need to be territorial."
"I don't like him," Chihiro tried to protest before giving up. Emi won't believe a word she says since she's the type who likes getting involved with non-existent love lives. "Never mind. Think what you want, Emi-chan, I don't care anymore." She left the washroom with Emi laughing and returned to the classroom. "Huh? Where's Haku, Demetri?"
Demetri looked up from his desk where he was laying his head and scowled. "There you go again with that 'Haku'. Why should I care where that guy went?"
Chihiro raised her brows in amusement, her friend Lin having said something similar to her back then, many years ago. "Well, I'm going to look for him." If she was being honest to herself, she would have rather stayed in the classroom with Demetri but she was worried about Haku. He's been acting too strange this morning.
"I guess I'll come, too," the Irish boy muttered, following her out of the classroom. He didn't want to leave Chihiro alone with Haku in case she might get hurt.
The pair wandered the hall when Demetri noticed Haku outside in the courtyard, leaning against the young maple tree where Chihiro met Momiji. "There he is, Chi-chan." The two came out side and approached the river spirit. "Kohaku, class is about to start soon. Hey, are you listening?" Demetri tried to grab Haku's shoulder to force him to turn around but the moment his hand touched the river spirit, Haku collapsed. "Kohaku?"
"Haku!" Chihiro gasped, quickly kneeling beside him as he lay on the short grass, taking shallow breaths. She took his head and put it in her lap as she peered down at his pale face worriedly. "What's wrong with you?"
"I thought he felt weird." She looked up at the maple tree to find Momiji gazing down at them, a small frown on his young face. "Guess I was right."
"Momiji! This is what you meant?" She asked the tree spirit.
"Yeah, the pollution got to him. He's Kohaku, right?" Momiji said and Chihiro nodded. "My friend told me that a river spirit came from the spirit world. She was all angry and stuff since that spirit didn't really have a place he's connected to here. He's that river spirit, right? No wonder he felt weird."
"Weird?" Demetri repeated, not at all surprised at the tree spirit.
"Spirits grow weak with pollution. Having a permanent place to be connected to, like Momiji's tree, helps maintain stability on a spirit's health here in the human world," a woman's voice spoke behind them and the two humans whirled around to find a tall, slim woman with tinted-green skin like Momiji's, except with few white scales here and there, and hair of deep shades of magenta. "That's why it's not good for a spirit without a connection to the human world to stay for more than a day."
"Kudzu-nee! Hi!" Momiji grinned, hopping down from his tree and skipping to the woman, throwing his arms around her. "She's the one I've been talking about! The angry spirit!"
"I wasn't angry, Momiji, I just found Kohaku to be very stupid," Kudzu said bluntly as she hugged the tree spirit warmly.
"Kudzu-san...you know what's wrong with Haku?" Chihiro asked, hugging the pale river spirit close to her.
"Yes. He requires a remedy to take out the toxic that invaded his system that came from the pollution in the air," the flower spirit replied coolly, observing the two humans and the river spirit with deep brown eyes. "He's not in a critical state so don't worry. It's similar to what humans would call to having a flu. They'll get weaker and weaker, with headaches, stomach aches, fever, and vomiting. First stage, the spirit is acting extremely different than usual, normally more blunt as if they have a fever. Then they'll be dizzy and more spaced out, and next, pain. You should hurry while he's not in a critical state. When he is, young Kohaku will slowly start disappearing, just like his river. His power will be drained and he will become a lost spirit with no purpose."
"We don't even know what to do!" Demetri exclaimed. He scratched his head, glancing down at Chihiro. "Kudzu-san, right? Tell us about this remedy that will heal Kohaku."
Kudzu smiled and brought up a hand to her head, and when she pulled it away, a beautiful flower of magenta shades lay in her pale green hands, seemingly plucked from nowhere. "Here is a flower from my vine. Dry it, and and place it in a cup with the potion that Zeniba packed in that chest, like tea. Let Kohaku drink from that potion combined with my flower and in the next morning, he will be as new." Kudzu handed the beautiful flower to Momiji, nodding to him, and the tree spirit ran back to the three and stopped in front of Chihiro. Chihiro opened her hands and Momiji dropped the flower into her palm with a small grin before going back to Kudzu.
"Kudzu-san...thank you very much," the young girl bowed her head, clutching the flower to her chest.
"Make sure that Kohaku drinks the potion within four hours, or he will reach the critical state a spirit suffers from pollution, and my flower and that potion will not be able to help him at all," Kudzu heeded with a solemn voice. "It will take an hour to dry the kudzu, so go and hurry."
"Wait, Kudzu-san!" Chihiro called out to the flower spirit as she began to walk away with Momiji. "How did you know about Zeniba?"
The flower spirit smiled warmly before turning around. "She is more prepared than you think, young human. We will meet again, I am sure." And with that said, the two spirits disappeared, returning to their nature state.
Chihiro looked up at Demetri who nodded at her. "We'll have to ditch school, but we have no choice. Let's go before class starts and people come looking for us," he said, helping her up. Demetri lifted Haku's arm over his shoulder and the two humans began to make their way out the school grounds. "Chi-chan. What potion was Kudzu-san talking about?" he asked as she walked quietly beside him.
"In a dream last night, an old friend gave me a chest full of magical items. She said it was to use to protect myself," Chihiro answered. She fingered the small rod in the pocket of her skirt and the two rings. "I''m scared, Demetri. I feel like something bad's about to happen. What happens if we get attacked by oni? Haku won't be able to protect us."
"I'll protect you," Demetri immediately said, a determined look on his face. He looked Chihiro in the eyes for a moment before looking up ahead. "You can rely on me. I'm always here for you, Chi-chan."
At a loss for words, all Chihiro could do was touch his arm and smile. "Thanks, Demetri."
They walked a couple minutes more in silence before Demetri finally wrinkled his nose. "Chi-chan, you smell that right?"
"Hm? Smell what, Demetri?"
"Artificial grape. And it's strong. I've been smelling it since we talked to Kudzu-san," the Irish boy stuck out his tongue in disgust, making Chihiro laugh. "What?"
"The smell is coming from the flower, Demetri! It's a kudzu flower," Chihiro giggled, waving the dainty flower in the air. "You don't like the smell of grapes?"
"It smells like the stinky grape gums, I don't like it," Demetri said indignantly, shrugging Haku over his shoulder again before the river spirit slipped to the ground. With a small pout, he changed the subject. "So spirits are named after their place here in the human world?"
Chihiro looked up at the sky thoughtfully and shook her head. "I think it's more like we name places here after the spirits. If it doesn't have a name, than whoever inhabits it is a nameless spirit I guess. I think Bakal-san would know more about it than me."
"You're probably right," Demetri agreed. "Speaking of Bakal-san, we should drop Kohaku off at his house so we can just go grab the potion from your place, Chi-chan."
"That's a plan!" Chihiro grinned. "Ah! Haku's slipping, Demetri! He's slipping!" She grabbed Haku's arms, helping Demetri pull Haku up who was already halfway on the ground. She lifted the spirit's other arm around her shoulders and nodded. "I'll help carry him. Whoa! He's hot!"
"Why are you checking out a sick person?" Demetri made a small smirk as Chihiro's face flushed red.
"No! I mean that Haku feels hot! He must be really sick, we need to hurry!" she exclaimed, starting to pick up the pace.
"Hey! Wait, Chi-chan! We need to be on the same pace!" Demetri shouted, trying to keep up before she made the three of them trip and fall on the ground. They were half-running, half-tripping now, as they rushed to get to Chihiro's street. Demetri spotted the familiar convenience store that sat at the corner of her street, just a block away from the train station he uses whenever he visited the girl with Emi. "We're almost there!"
"We're gonna make it! And without a single problem, too!" Chihiro cheered, happy that nothing bad happened...is what she thought, right before she tripped on Demetri's sneakers and the three went tumbling to the ground. "Ouch! Why do I keep tripping?" she complained, trying to untangle herself from the boys' limbs.
"Ow, ow ow! Chi-chan, you're pulling my leg!" Demetri yelped, yanking his foot from her hands. He rubbed his ankle, and lifted the edge of the pants to check if it was swollen. "Gah, I hurt my ankle from the fall. I told you not to run!"
"I'm sorry!" Chihiro squealed, folding her hands together in apology. "And we were so close, too. Can you walk, Demetri?"
"I'll try." He held out a hand and Chihiro took it, pulling him up slowly. Once he put pressure on his injured foot, Demetri hissed and immediately lifted it up. She quickly made him lean against the brick wall that stood at the side of the street and looked at him worriedly. He scowled and shook his head, being careful to lean on his one good foot. "I can't carry Kohaku like this, Chi-chan. You'll have to get someone to help us."
"I don't want to leave you alone in case an oni decides to come by," Chihiro protested, gripping his hands tightly.
Demetri gave her a reassuring smile and tugged her now messy ponytail. "I'll be okay, Chi-chan. Didn't Kohaku say they don't normally come out during the day?"
"But-"
"If you're so worried, then hurry and go find someone to help us. The sooner we get Kohaku at Bakal-san's house, the better."
"...Okay, you have a point. I'll go ask Bakal-san for help. I'll be quick!" Chihiro said, and as she was about to stand up, Demetri's jade eyes widened and he quickly grabbed her wrists.
"Chi-chan, watch out!" he shouted, pushing her down to the ground away from the wall, covering her body with his. Something dark and shady crashed in the wall where they were moments before, barely missing the two and the unconscious river spirit. Dust rose in clouds around them as the two humans coughed. "Urg, what was that?" Demetri groaned, wiping his now dusty face with the sleeve of his arm.
Chihiro peeked in between his arms and head to see what had crashed into the wall. She gasped as her face paled. "Oni!" A large dark shadow emerged from the dust and debris, first in the form of a horned serpent before transforming into the demon it really was. She trembled as Demetri leaned over her protectively.
"Crap, if my foot wasn't hurt," he muttered under his breath, glaring ag the demon, unfazed by its grotesque features. It was the same one before, dark-green skin and gnarled horns. There was a scar where the dragon Haku had rakdd his claws, running from its forehead halfway down its bare chest. The oni let out a low gurgling laugh.i
"Ha! Dragon's sick, eh? Gonna die soon!" the oni bellowed, cocking its club over its shoulder. The oni looked at Demetri and laughed harder. "Haha! Trying to protect her, human? You're weak, I can crush your puny skull easily." The oni made an ugly grin and took a step towards them as Chihiro cowered under Demetri. "Out of my way, human." The oni swung its club, hitting Demetri's stomach and sending him flying down the street.
"UGH!" Demetri grunted before he crashed into the pavement in a crumpled heap.
"Demetri!" Chihiro screamed, scrambling to her feet to rush to her friend. She only took a step before the oni kicked her side and she fell back to the ground, her head banged knocking into the brick wall. 'Ughh," she groaned, a pounding ache threatened to split her head open. She looked at the oni with dazed eyes and she saw it standing over Haku. Her eyes widened and she shouted. "Haku!"
"I'll pay you back for my scar, stupid spirit," the oni laughed, raising its clawed hand in the air.
Chihiro's hand fumbled in her skirt pocket as she remembered the rod Zeniba had given her. She slowly got up with shaky feet, gripping the rod. "Don't hurt him!" She shrieked, pointing the short rod at the oni.
"Ha! What are you going to do with that? Throw it at me?" The oni taunted.
Chihiro hesitated, glancing at the rod realizing she had no idea how to use it. But Haku and Demetri's life were at stake, including hers! She had to try something. Remembering the staff that Robin from Teen Titans used, she cracked the rod in the air and it instantly grew in length reaching about six feet with small scythe-like blades on both ends. "No! I'll fight you!" Chihiro yelled, trembling as she wielded the weapon.
The oni smirked and began lumbering its way towards her. "Let's see what that stick of yours can do." The oni swung its club and Chihiro dove into the ground, avoiding the lethal swing. When she regained her balance, she attempted to swipe at the oni's arm. When the blades made contact with the oni's leathery skin, there was a bright crackle and the skin singed as it pierced through. The oni let out a rumbling shout and tore the staff out of Chihiro's hand. It threw the staff over its shoulder and it landed with a clatter down the street. "You little twerp! You burnt my skin!" The oni roared as it swung its club again, this time crushing into Chihiro's back, tearing the wind out of her. Chihiro lay on the pavement uselessly as the oni towered over her menacingly. "I'll eat you first, and I'll do it slowly so your friends will have the image of it burnt in their eyes and your screams still echoing in their ears," the oni opened its mouth to reveal the sharp fangs it hid.
Chihiro whimpered, the pain in her head and back only allowing her to squeeze her eyes shut as the demon began to reach out to her with its gnarled hands. Someone help us! She begged in her mind as tears formed in her shut eyes.
There was a loud flapping of wings as a strong gust of wind forced her to roll over several times on the ground. She weakly opened her eyes to find a great black bird landing in front of her, hiding her from the oni's view. "A tengu! How-?!" The oni exclaimed, a hint of fear in its voice.
"I cannot believe I have to guard a filthy place like this," the great bird murmured to himself as it laid his beady eyes on the now trembling oni. "Zeniba owes me big time."
"Zeniba..?" Chihiro repeated in a feeble voice. The tengu turned his head and looked at her.
"Yes. The old witch went out of her way to protect a puny human like you," the tengu said. "I have yet to see the amazing qualities of you, human girl. But I promised to protect you so I will." With that said, the tengu flapped his great black wings, sending strong gusts to the oni, and he let out an ear-splitting shriek before using his talons to claw the oni.
"Aaggghhhhhhh!" The oni screamed as it was ripped to pieces. Dark blood fell in great streams around its feet and it mustered the last of its strength to swing its club at the tengu's head. The tengu ducked his head, allowing the oni enough time to escape one last time. "Damn you all!" It roared before it disappeared in darkness.
The tengu rolled his eyes before melting into a dark-haired man in a black cloak. He scanned through the rubble and found the dainty kudzu flower unharmed upon the unconscious Haku's chest. The tengu-man picked up the flower and put it away in his cloak where it would be safe. "Looks like that oni isn't the only trouble around here," the tengu murmured to himself as Chihiro struggled to sit up.
"I need to check if Demetri's okay," she panted, using all her energy to get on her knees.
"Stay down, human, you will hurt yourself more like that," the tengu said just as Bakal came sprinting around the corner. The man gasped at the mess and the sprawled out teenagers. He rushed to Chihiro's side and knelt beside her. "Chihiro! What happened?!"
"Haku...he's sick," Chihiro groaned, falling back to the ground.
"What! He is?" Bakal quickly glanced at the unconscious river spirit and grimaced. "Oh no, what should we do?"
"Human, bring them to your home for now, we will treat them there," the tengu said, approaching them with Demetri already slung over his shoulder.
"Okay, here, Chihiro," Bakal said, lifting her up in his arms where she lay limp. The tengu lifted Haku underneath his arm and Bakal began leading the way to his house when Chihiro gasped.
"The flower! Where's the flower?" She asked, struggling out of Bakal's arms.
"Don't worry, I have it," the tengu reassured just as they reached the gates.
"What about the potions?" Chihiro asked again, more weakly this time. They were inside the house now, and Bakal laid her on the sofa before rushing off for his first aid kit.
"You can worry about that later, once the flower has been dried. Now sleep," the tengu said after laying Demetri and Haku on the other sofas of the house.
"But-"
"Rest, human." The tengu ordered, waving a hand over her eyes and a sweet slumber overcame her.
Author's note
Sorry it took so long to update! I've been busy and I've been chipping in a few words here and there whenever I could. Not sure if I can make the next update within the week but I shall try! Please leave areview and let me know your thoughts, and hope you like the story!
