A/N: Selena Estella: I don't know if ReplaceWithSomethingWitty read The Dark is Rising but I did, a very long time ago (think third through fourth grade; I'm a ninth grader now). I'd like to ask why you're wondering? I loved that series.
Chapter Nine
Chapter 9: Chapter 9
Haku had his arms around me, and his breathing was soft and slow in my ear. I'd dreamt about that moment for years, and I almost didn't want to open my eyes and find that it was only another dream. He sensed me waking, or something, and he smiled against my hair. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning," I replied, and rolled over to face him. His wild eyes were warm and gentle, and his face, so perfectly thin and chiseled, was soft in the dim light of morning spilling in from the window. "You know," I said after a moment of comfortable silence, "it sounds weird, but I'm almost worried at how easily we're adjusting to…this."
A rumble grew in his chest, a sound that was primal and more than inhuman, a reminder that he was not just a godlike boy but a powerful spirit, a dragon. "Yes," he said, "it is, as you said, 'weird.' But I'd rather not worry too much about it. I'd rather not…"
"Jinx it?"
"Yeah. Jinx it."
I nodded slowly but I still had a nagging feeling in the back of my head. My arm tingled, and I looked down to find that my hair band had slipped up to my elbow when I'd slept and it was cutting into my arm. I took it off and put it around one of the bedposts. As I rubbed some life into my forearm and tried to ease the pins and needles feeling, my brain cleared of morning fog and I frowned. "I don't want to jinx us either," I said, "but something's wrong."
He sat up and I followed. "Why would there be?" he asked. "I would imagine that someone might want us apart, not together. But now that my attention is piqued..." Haku took my hand and closed his eyes. "I'll try to find any traces of magic, other than my own, on you."
I sat very, very still and tried to focus on him, and how I felt, trying to see if there was any tangible change in the atmosphere that I could pinpoint when he used magic. I felt nothing as a gentle breeze stirred his hair and whispered around my face. He inhaled deeply and his lips parted to reveal a set of pointed canines. "No," he murmured, "I can't smell—wait." His eyes opened and he pulled my arm toward his face, sniffing the skin that still held the imprint of my hair band.
"It's subtle," he said. "That just means that whoever cast the spell is very, very powerful—or very good at what they do."
I pointed at the hair band with my free hand. "Zeniba made it for me. But I don't think she'd want anything bad to happen to me, and I don't want to think that she'd do something like mess with my emotions!"
He gazed at the hair band with a narrowed gaze. He dropped our hands to my lap. "You know so little about this world and its inhabitants," he said in a voice barely above a hiss. "I'm going to have to have a talk with that witch..."
I hugged him tightly, wrapping my arms around his torso, under his arms, so that I could press my head against his chest. He relaxed after a few moments, and I decided I would switch topics to keep his temper in check. I focused on my breathing, synchronizing it with his. My eyes fluttered shut and I began to relax, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It was faster than mine, fluttering like a bird's wings. Thinking of something, I frowned.
"Were you the one who made Skylar's parents not notice that you're not human?"
"I never used any magic on them. I was too out of sorts."
I glanced at the hair band. "Well then… Forget about it." He made a questioning noise, and I searched for something else to say. "It keeps hitting me, more so now than ever before, that you're not human."
"Rightly so," he replied, and kissed my nose. "I'm anything but."
"But when I first came here, you didn't seem so…"
He shrugged. "Dragons are complicated creatures. Six years ago, I had been wandering the Spirit World in my human body for a very long time. When I entered Yubaba's service, I was in my dragon form more often than before, but my magic was suppressed by her control. Ever since you left, I have been switching between forms more often and practicing my magic—and that always leaves a mark on a person, spirit and human alike."
My interest was piqued at that. "So if I practiced magic, I'd change too?"
Haku's eyes flashed and his pupils thinned into slits as he lifted his head and smiled. "Ever so slightly," he murmured. "You wouldn't change, so much as it would add to you. You would bring the scent of magic with you like a perfume, and all those around you would sense it, even if only subconsciously."
His breath across my face held a scent that was strange to me, but enticing as well.
"Either you have really nice toothpaste, or magic tastes like spearmint," I said, and he laughed.
"Can I open my eyes yet?" I grumbled as Bran opened the door that connected our rooms.
I had woken up nearly an hour before, but my eyes would literally not open. I found that I could move my arms and legs, but my butt was firmly glued to my mattress. It was not fun, and I was going to kill Bran as soon as he let me up and told me what the heck he had done to me.
"Woops."
My eyes snapped open and I sat up and tried to get out of the bed, but discovered that my legs were fast asleep and wouldn't support me. I ground my teeth and tried to use only my hands to move myself to the edge of the bed, but I hesitated when it came to jumping down to the floor.
"Let me help." Bran came over and before I could protest he swung me down from the top bunk and tried to help me stand. My knees collapsed and he caught me before I could hit the ground. "…Alright then." He supported me as best he could and dragged me over to the couch.
"Stoppit!" I hissed. "Bran Kendrick I can walk on my own, thank you very much!"He dumped me unceremoniously onto the couch, and sat down on the table in front of it. I glared at him and kicked him as hard as I could with my half-asleep foot. "You jerkface!"
"I seem to recall you saying that on more than one occasion," he said calmly.
"Bran, I want some serious answers," I snapped. "How can you control me like that?"
Bran leaned against his knees. "I told you. I'm a telepath. I have the full package, y'know."
"Great. Usually when someone says telepath, you just think of mind reading, not control." I crossed my arms and kicked him again. "You jerkface."
He narrowed his eyes. "You can hardly blame me. You're so stubborn you would never have listened to me otherwise." I flushed, and was silent. He waited patiently, but then prodded, "Where's the venom?"
"You're right," I said with a sigh. "I'm stubborn as a mule… I don't know why I'm so angry at you… I don't know what's wrong with me."
Bran shook his head and moved to the couch so he could hug me. "Nothing's wrong with you, Skylar," he said firmly. "You've got a temper. That's just you."
I rolled my eyes. "Right… But we've never fought: you, me, or Chihiro. Not with each other."
"It's natural," he said.
"Riiiight."
Sensing that I still didn't believe his weak excuse, he elbowed me in the ribs. "Seriously, Sky," he said. "Just tell me what not to do, and I'll try not to do it."
"No controlling," I said flatly. "No reading my mind. And no lying. Now—why'd you have to see Haku alone?"
He hesitated. "For the first two, alright, I'll try. For that last…I can't promise you anything, Cariad—"
"Why not?" I asked, matching my tone for his soft one. "What are you hiding that's so dangerous I can't know? Is that why you won't give me straight answers?"
"Do you feel like breakfast?"
"Bran!"
His eyes flashed. He bit his lip. "If I told you then it what I'm hiding wouldn't be hidden, would it?" He laughed softly. "But I can hear that you have one last question. What is it?"
"Have you read my thoughts often in the past…?"
If he had heard any of the things I'd ever thought about him, if I'd been too loud with my feelings… If he had ever heard or sensed that, I'd die of embarrassment.
Bran tensed ever so slightly, and then his touch and his warmth and his companionable weight disappeared. He stood and moved away, keeping his back to me. "Yes," he said flatly. "Never truly on purpose, but yes."
I felt my face flush and looked away. Was I ready to be frank with him about—everything?
Nonononono.
Bran coughed lightly to disguise a laugh. "How do you feel about breakfast?"
I blinked in surprise. "Oh yeah. It's morning… It's so quiet, you'd think people would be up by now."
"Spirits sleep in the daytime," Bran reminded me. "Which brings up the question of whether or not any food will be ready."
"I think you're underestimating the spirits' hospitality," Chihiro said from the doorway. She and Haku both were laden with food, the likes of which I had never seen. There was indeed no way that it was physically possible for Chi to carry that much food, and I suspected that the smiling dragon had something to do with that.
I got up to help her, and we set the food on the table—and when that proved not to be enough space, Haku made another table appear out of nowhere and set his tray down on it.
"Enjoy yourselves," he said warmly. "I apologize, but I have to go check up on last night's business. Day is usually when I get my paperwork done."
Chihiro smiled at him winningly. "Can I take them down to the gardens after breakfast?" she asked sweetly. He put his hand on her shoulder and his expression melted under her gaze.
"Of course," he said. "This business, and all that comes with it, is just as much yours as it is mine." He leaned down and kissed her chastely before straightening back up and giving us a polite, happy smile that revealed pearly white teeth. "I'll be seeing you later. If you need anything, just ask."
He disappeared into thin air.
"It's a wonder they even have doors," I said, and Bran laughed.
"It's beautiful, Chi!" Skylar said happily, hugging me spontaneously before spinning away and landing in the grass. Her body hit it not nearly as hard as it would have in the Human World, and she grinned. "This place is so gorgeous!"
Bran was perched on the back of a nearby bench, his feet bare and dangling into the air. He had his arms behind his head and a peaceful smile on his face. I in turn was sitting in the grass beneath a rosebush, inhaling their sweet fragrances; the blossoms were as big as my face, and the petals were velvety soft. They were perfect.
I cupped one in my hand and pressed my nose into it. "Mmm…"
"Achoo!" Skylar was thrown over by her own sneeze, and we laughed at her. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "What're you laughing at?" she grumbled.
"You," Bran said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes and tossed a rock at him, which he caught and threw at her rump good naturedly.
"Glad to see you two're feeling better," I said.
"Yeah," Bran said, but Skylar didn't seem so happy. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she looked up at the sky to avoid me.
"Do they have birds here, Chihiro?" Sky asked suddenly. I didn't pay attention, figuring that she was just trying to change the subject. "…Chihiro? I'm seriously wondering."
I glanced at where she was pointing, racking my mind for any instance where I had seen a bird in the Spirit World. "You know, I don't think they do," I said, and bit my lip. There was a dark figure in the sky that was moving like a bird, but was bigger than any bird I had ever seen. "Maybe it's Yubaba…?"
Bran straightened up and put his hands on the back of the bench, drawing his feet up closer to him, ready to jump down off of his perch. His gaze was anxious and uneasy as he looked up at the approaching form. "Guys, get inside," he said tersely. "Now!"
Without hesitation I scrambled up and ran towards the bridge. Skylar was slower, but after a glare from Bran she followed me. We stopped in the middle of the bridge, our bare feet dancing on the warm, dark wood as we looked up at the sky.
It wasn't Yubaba, nor was it the Yu-bird. It wasn't even another dragon. It certainly wasn't any bird I had ever seen before. I still couldn't see it clearly, but I could tell that much.
"Where's Bran?" Skylar asked suddenly, her voice adopting a worried edge. "Didn't he follow us?"
"Uhhh…"
"Bran, you idiot!"
Skylar made to run back where we'd come, but I grabbed her arm. "Come on, we have to get to Haku."
"But what about Bran?"
"We can do more help for Bran if we find Haku ASAP!" I tugged on her arm again, and she stumbled after me—but then there was an ungodly scream from the heavens and the sky began to darken. There was a flash of lightning from out of nowhere, connecting with the ground on the other side of the bridge.
Skylar moved of her own accord and bolted for the bathhouse side of the bridge, and I followed in close pursuit.
Haku met us in the doorway, his towering figure imposing and dark. His face showed that he was enraged, and a snarl was building in his chest. He pushed us behind him. "Stay behind this line, and don't step out of the building," he commanded. "You will be safe inside, but I can't guarantee anything outside."
"What is that thing?" I asked, and then shouted in pain and clamped my hands over my ears as the monstrous creature let out another earth shattering wail.
"It's a Thunderbird," Haku said. "They're rogue embodiments of thunder and lightning and anger. They aren't spirits, just corporeal forms of storms. And they're not nice."
"What's one doing here?" Skylar shouted over the noise of the bird's wings thwump-thwumping above us. A second later after the mighty down strokes, a furious gale whipped up about our heads; I grabbed onto Haku's stiff arm to keep from being thrown off my feet. He was immovable.
"I thought they were only in Navajo folklore, and they're on the other side of the Human World!" Skylar exclaimed.
"The Spirit World is much different than what you're accustomed to, little ones," Haku said. "Now, I believe it's my job to get rid of this interruption before my sleeping guests are disturbed. Excuse me." His muscles bunched, and then he sprang into the air, his body shifting into his dragon shape in a matter of a heartbeat.
"Where is Bran?" I heard Skylar ask the air furiously. Her eyes were dark with fear for him as she searched the horizon for any sign of him.
"I have no idea—oh my God, Haku!"
The Thunderbird had opened its beak to reveal that the silver trappings weren't all for show; it had teeth, serrated, gruesome edges to its beak that would cause terrible damage. And with that deadly weapon it was now snapping at the tiny sliver of silver that was Haku. Not to mention that its gargantuan wings were causing heavy winds that could knock Haku right out of the air if one of the currents caught him wrong.
I gripped Sky's arm in fright as I watched, unable to rip my eyes away from the fight going on above me. Haku was roaring distantly, and every now and then he'd dart out of sight behind the hulking form of the Thunderbird and do something that caused the Thunderbird to bellow again. I had no idea in whose favor the battle was going, or even what was truly going on. And that scared me out of my mind.
"Sen!"
Lin appeared behind us, her eyes narrow. "What are you doing out here?" she demanded. "It's not safe!"
"But Haku—"
"Haku can take care of himself!" Lin said forcefully. "Come inside!"
"But Bran!" Skylar shouted, and her voice was devastated. "He's still out there!"
Lin came to the doorway and looked out into the storm, and she gave a frustrated sigh. "Bran can take care of himself, now get inside before I drag you there! There's nothing you can—"
Skylar's eyes became unfocused, staring in horror at something behind our backs, outside. I followed her gaze to see a familiar teenage boy in the distance, running towards the cliff… "Bran!" Skylar's horrified shout cut through the air like a knife, splitting my eardrums and my heart. Lin clamped her hand down on Sky's shoulder to keep my friend from running out after Bran. "What the hell's he doing?" Skylar shrieked, fighting Lin with every ounce of her strength. "He's going to freaking die!"
"Sen, help me!"
I grabbed Skylar's arms and turned her bodily towards the inside of the bathhouse. Tears were filling my vision. "Skylar, get inside," I said miserably, and waited for another of the Thunderbird's raucous cries to fade. "The best thing we can do right now is stay safe, so the guys don't worry about us…"
"But Bran's only human!" Skylar insisted frantically. "He's going to die!"
Lin managed to get us deep inside the bathhouse, and she forced Skylar to sit down. I sat down beside my friend and put my arm around her shoulders, which were shaking softly. Lin cursed and began pacing, wringing her hands. "What's that spell, what's that spell?" she was muttering to herself. Suddenly she stopped and snapped her fingers. "I'll be right back. You two stay here."
Lin departed, and I continued to rub Skylar's back. She leaned against me. "Chihiro, Bran keeps lying to us," she muttered vehemently. "And I just want him to tell me and he won't. And if he dies out there then I'll never know and…" Her eyes overflowed and she buried her face in her knees.
"There-there," a smooth voice said from behind us. "Don't cry."
I looked up to find Haku standing in the doorway. He had one arm slung around Bran's shoulders, and he was covered in ash and soot. He winced as he and Bran began limping over.
I shot up. "Haku!" He collapsed into my arms when Bran let go of him; then it was Bran's turn to collapse, but Sky wasn't quick enough and he hit the floor with a heavy thud. His head smacked against the wood and he groaned. I looked at Haku, who was gritting his teeth and grimacing against my shoulder, and then I glanced back at Bran who had apparently passed out stone cold on the floor.
"What happened to you two?" I demanded, sliding along a nearby wall to the floor where I cradled Haku against me, brushing his hair away from his face and trying to assess the situation. I couldn't think of anything I could do except wait for Lin to get back.
"It doesn't matter," Haku groaned, and as I prodded a ragged-edged cut along his neck he hissed. "The Thunderbird has been taken care of, you girls are safe…"
Lin came in, a shallow pan balanced on one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. She stopped in the door. "Over already? Fine." She went over to Skylar, who was kneeling beside Bran with a helpless look on her face. Lin's usual hawkish expression softened and she set down the pan and the pitcher before stooping down beside my friend. "He'll be alright," Lin said. "He's a tough guy."
"He's a stupid idiot jerkface," Skylar hiccupped.
Lin grinned. "That he may be," she said, "but he's still tough. I bet that skull of his is thick enough to've protected him from whatever that demon threw at him. He'll be fine, he just needs his rest. Come on, you get his arms, I'll get his legs, and we can go put him in the room."
It took Sky a moment to comprehend what had just happened, but then she stood, numbly, and hooked her arms through Bran's and lifted him up. His head lolled to the side, and his eyes fluttered in his unconscious state. As his clothes shifted, I caught a glimpse of something on his hip and side under his shirt. At first I thought it was a wound, but I couldn't get a good enough look to see.
"Take care of him, Lin," I called after them worriedly as the door closed, and then turned my attention to look down at Haku, who seemed half-conscious. "Do you need anything? Is there something I can do?" I asked, already reaching for the pitcher of water to wet my sleeve so I could clean Haku's deep wounds.
"No… Wait." He caught my hand in his spidery fingers and he opened his eyes to half-mast. "I used too much magic… I need energy to heal myself. Would it be—"
"Use mine," I said, guessing at his thoughts. "I don't care if it knocks me out. You look like crap, you know, and you need it more than I do."
He was too weak to be chivalrous, and he brought my hand to his lips. "Thank you," he whispered, and I felt my energy began to flow out of my body. My eyes closed with fatigue, and Haku sighed. His head slipped from my shoulder and he pushed himself up on shaky arms. "Just enough to get upstairs," he groaned, still holding my hand, and then I felt a sharp sucking in the air.
When I opened my eyes, we were suspended five inches above the canopy bed that Haku had put me on when we had zoomed into the Spirit World; I assumed it was his room, and now that I had a chance to get a better look at it I realized it undoubtedly was. As we fell with an oomf! to the bed, I was allowed a good look around. The sheets were either silk or satin, and deep blue. The pillows were deliciously soft and the cases were so smooth beneath my cheek it was like water. There was a pool in the corner of the room that I couldn't see the bottom of, since the stones that made up the basin were black obsidian.
There was a desk in here as well, and the rest of the room was dominated by bookshelves. There was another doorway, open to reveal a small sitting room with plenty of couches and carpets and things for company and lounging.
"If you want you can go back to your room," Haku mumbled. He had landed with his face in the pillow, and he hadn't moved to get up. I felt just as exhausted as he looked, and didn't think I had the strength to walk very far.
"Nah," I yawned, cuddling up to his side and watching sleepily as one of the cuts on his knuckles began to stitch itself up. "I think I'll pass out here…"
He grunted, and then that was that.
