Meh. I don't know what to say up here except for the usual 'thanks for the reviews' schpeel. So there ya go.

Today's advice: Choose the Right!


"There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Bosu asked hopefully as he watched Chihiro place the last of her belongings into a cardboard box.

"I'm so sorry Bosu. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've thought about it a lot and it's not something I could let myself pass up." Chihiro said with a sad smile. Bosu sighed.

"Well, in that case, I bought you this." He pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back. Chihiro stood up and accepted them with a small smile. "I know how much you like bouquets." He said with a slight shrug.

"Yes, I do. Thank you." She said touching one of the half-open bulbs tenderly.

"No, I should be thanking you. You've really added a light to this place. We're really going to miss you here." Bosu said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you guys too." Chihiro said, her voice cracking slightly. Bosu smiled and rubbed her arm.

"Just make sure you stop by and visit whenever you're in the area." He said.

"I will." Chihiro said after the faintest of pauses.

"Are you sure you don't need me to drive you back to your apartment?" Bosu asked eyeing the last box skeptically. Chihiro shook her head and picked the box up with a grunt. Bosu shrugged in defeat and held the door open for her to edge through. Chihiro nodded her thanks to him and left the building. After depositing the box in the dumpster, Chihiro began the walk back to her apartment for the last time. She stared dolefully at the roses as she walked. She really would miss everyone. The people at the bathhouse had become almost like family to her. Something rustled in the tall grass at the edge of the sidewalk. Chihiro shuddered and clutched the roses to her chest. It was definitely painful to give it all up, but it would be better if she just shoved it all aside for now. There were three little girls sitting on a curb talking animatedly. Chihiro stopped and gave them the bouquet with a small smile. They thanked her enthusiastically and cooed over the flowers.

Chihiro sighed and pushed the door to her apartment open a few minutes later. The last two days had been frantic: settling debts, bidding farewell, foreclosing her apartment and donating all her possessions to charity. Her apartment was now almost completely bare. There wasn't even any food in the fridge. She planned on walking to the spirit world entrance that night to wait for Haku, but it was still several hours away from sunset. Chihiro walked over to her counter and set the keys down. She stared at them for a moment, then turned to walk through the apartment for the last time. But the hallway to her bedroom was blocked by a tall figure.

"Saru! You scared me!" Chihiro said, clutching at her chest. Saru smiled and took a step towards her.

"Um, what are you doing here?" Chihiro asked. There was something about his face that was off setting. His grin broadened and he continued walking towards her.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Saru pulled a sword from behind his back. Chihiro shrieked and jumped backwards. Her hip hit the corner of the counter, sending a jolt through her body. But that pain was only fractional to the burning of the swordtip biting into her thigh. Chihiro screamed and her legs collapsed beneath her. Saru laughed and held the sword up to the light. A few drops of blood trickled down towards the hilt. He smiled down at her and waved his hand. Pressure closed all around her and she felt herself standing up against her will. She was pressed against the fridge, and the pressure continued to build around her until she could barely breath. She stood there trying to squirm, watching in horror as Saru merely smiled at her. Her vision began to cloud, and still he smiled. Her heart was beating frantically in her ears as though commanding her to take a breath. Then, something seemed to burst from Saru's neck, spraying Chihiro's face with blood. His smile disappeared and he sank to his knees. Standing behind him was the pale, bald spirit. The one Yubaba had called Hebi. He stared gravely at Saru's body for a moment then stepped over it just as the pressure around Chihiro released. Chihiro began sinking with a small cry, but Hebi caught her before she hit the floor.

"HOW COULD HE DO THIS!" Chihiro shrieked shrilly, staring at Saru's slack face and glazed eyes. But even as she watched the face melted away into shadows until there was nothing left but a black puddle.

"That wasn't the man you know." Hebi said, his voice a hoarse whisper. Chihiro looked at him in astonishment. "Come. We need to tend to your wound." He picked her up and carried her over to the couch. Hebi peered closely at her leg. The wound was deep and blood was quickly spreading over her jeans. Chihiro felt her whole body begin quivering as she watched it.

"Ssssh. Take a deep breath. It will be okay in a second." Hebi said, squatting in front of her and placing his palm over the wound. Chihiro gasped as her entire leg began to burn as though it had been stabbed all over again. Hebi murmured softly to her and slowly lifted his hand away from her leg. It felt as though bugs were crawling all through beneath her skin as the ripped flesh continued to burn and began knitting back together. Then everything stopped and she felt nothing at all but the warm stickiness of her blood-soaked jeans. Hebi smiled at her and patted her knee. Chihiro gawked at him, her jaw flapping until she finally found her voice.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" She yelled, her voice a few octaves higher than normal. "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Hebi waved his hand through the air as though trying to push away her stress.

"Don't worry. Everything is fine. There is no reason to be upset." He said softly.

"I WAS JUST ATTACKED BY MY EX-BOYFRIEND THEN WATCHED HIM GET KILLED BY SOMEONE I DON'T EVEN KNOW! HOW IS THAT FINE?" Chihiro shrieked.

"I already told you, that wasn't the man you know." Hebi said calmly. "You are about to inherit one of the most prosperous facilities in both the spirit and physical world. You should have realized there would be those who would try and take it from you." He smiled and sat down on coffee table.

"As for who I am, I was sent by Yubaba to protect you."

"Oh." Chihiro said softly. Then everything rushed to her head at once and the world turned black.


Chihiro awoke to a cool washrag being dabbed across her forehead. She groaned and opened her eyes to find Hebi smiling at her softly.

"You humans really are clumsy creatures." He said. It wasn't and insult, it was more as though he were stating a fact. Chihiro swallowed thickly and glanced over at the kitchen. The dark puddle was gone.

"Don't worry. I've already cleared it up." Hebie said, dipping the cloth into a bowl of water. "Now hold still. You have blood on your face." He brought the cloth back up and gently rubbed her cheek. Chihiro swallowed again and tried to speak. It took a few attempts as her throat was unnaturally tight, but she finally managed a whisper.

"So just who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Hebi. And as I've already told you, I was sent by Yubaba to protect you." He said, moving his attention from her cheek to her nose.

"So…you're one of her employees?" Chihiro asked. Hebi smiled and shook his head.

"I was once, a few decades ago. But not anymore." He wrung the cloth out and began wiping her other cheek.

"How do I know you're not going to do anything to me if you're not under contract with Yubaba?" Chihiro demanded, her voice shaking. Hebi sighed and pulled his hand away from her face.

"I know the spirit world is still strange to you and I recognize that you are leery of me. I assure you that I'm glad of that because the spirit world is a very dangerous place and it would be far more dangerous for you to become comfortable with it before you understand it. But I promise on pain of death that I am not here to do you any harm. I owe you very much and have a personal reason to keep you safe." He said, his wide mouth tilting slightly.

"I've never even officially met you before. How could you be in my debt?" Chihiro asked cautiously. Hebi shook his head and waved his hand causing the bowl and cloth to disappear.

"Perhaps I will tell you one day. But for now, we should be going." He said, helping Chihiro sit up.

"Wh-where are we going?" She asked.

"Home of course." He said standing up and offering his hand.

"But…" Chihiro frowned. She had expected Haku to take her back, not this weird stranger. Hebi lifted a hairless eyebrow at her quizzically. Chihiro pursed her lips and made a decision. "I…I need to make a phone call first." She said.


"Hello?" A deep voice mumbled.

"Daddy?" Chihiro asked nervously.

"Chihiro?…How have you been sweetheart?"

"Alright I guess. I've been offered a very good job." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking too much.

"That's wonderful." Her father said. Chihiro swallowed and continued.

"Um…is Mom there with you?" She asked.

"Nope. She's gone over to your grandmother's for the weekend."

"Oh." Chihiro fiddled with the phone cord for a few moments, trying to think of what to say.

"Are you alright sweety?" Her father asked.

"Yeah! I'm fine. Just…just give Mom my love for me, okay?" She asked.

"Chihiro, what's going on? You don't sound right." He asked anxiously.

"I'm fine Daddy! Don't worry about me. I'm going to be okay…I promise…Don't worry, I'm completely safe…"

"Chihiro! Tell me what's going on right now!" He demanded, his voice becoming frantic.

"I love you Dad…Goodbye."

"Chi-" Chihro dropped the phone on the receiver and turned to Hebi who was watching her with those strange yellow eyes. Chihiro choked back a few tears and nodded at him. He gave her a small smile and led her out the door.


Wooo! That chapters finally over with! I've had it halfway completed for the last week and a half. Please remember to review.