The Lifeless girl – I know I thought it was kinda cute too! Thanks!
Elivira – Thanks so much! I really appreciate that! And uh-uh! There's no way I'm giving ANY hints as to what's going on with her! You'll just have to read to find out ;) and as for the whole not recognizing her part, well, they haven't seen her in 8 years almost, except for haku but he wasn't really seeing her, so she obviously is going to grow up a lot from her scrawny 10 year old body, not to mention her most recognizable features by them: her brown hair and brown eyes, have been taken away leaving gray eyes and white glowy streaks in her hair. So I don't think they would really recognize her.
PiiXXiiEE – ohhhh you've been to a ball?
She knew she was out of place the very second she stepped out of the changing rooms that had been set up. Walking out she had to hold up her long train so that it was not stepped on by the rushing kami and yuna. Everyone was running around trying to get the last minute hair pin placed or obi tied, but when she emerged from behind the rice paper everyone went quiet. Mizu-Sen felt her face grow pale to the bone as she knew all eyes were on her. Only when she looked up did she notice the reason why; every girl in the room paled in comparison to her. They had all been granted with a simple white kimono and dark blue obi; nothing very formal, but would fit the occasion. All of their hair was tied back in traditional buns with blue chop sticks hanging from the back. Some faces stared in shock and wonder at the beautiful girl in front of them; some of the yuna who were used to being the beautiful ones practically turned green with envy. Why did she have this extravagant gown while they were dressed so plainly?
One of the little girls who she had come to know as Sayuri ran towards her "Oh, Mizu-Sen you look gorgeous!"
She paled further "T-Thank you Sayuri. You look very pretty yourself." She said complimenting the little girl. The little girls wore opposite of the older ones; adorned in a dark blue kimono and white obi.
She grabbed her hand and started to pull her out of the room "Come with me, Rin has been asked to do your hair."
"O-okay." She said, in all honesty she had not expected to do anything with her hair. She was just going to leave it down in its long locks, but now she realized that would not work as her hair hang to the middle of her back where the obi train began. It would cover all the beauty of it.
Sayuri guided her into a room only about ten feet away from the madness. They walked in to find the room entirely empty except for Rin who was standing with her arms crossed expectantly. "Well it took you long enough!" she said directed at Mizu-Sen. "Thank you, Sayuri, you may go back to get ready." Sayuri bowed before leaving without another word. Only then did Rin notice what she was wearing. "Whoa Mizu-Sen where did you get that?" she said gesturing to her attire.
"Yubaba gave it to me to wear last night." She said trying to keep calm. She didn't understand why she had this gorgeous dress, and Rin was standing before her in the plain white kimono and blue obi.
"That old witch!" she said sourly; obviously jealous. "Well a bun just won't work with this, now I know why Yubaba gave me all these!" she said gesturing to a basket filled with freshwater pearls and blue gemstones. "All right girl sit down!" she commanded. Mizu-Sen had trouble finding a compromising sitting position without possibly tearing the fabric that clung to her. She eventually had to sit on her knees pulling the train around to her front so Rin could maneuver. Rin had quick and lithe hands, it was almost dainty the way she moved her fingers. The thought of this girl being dainty was definitely not the first thing that came to one's mind.
Rin worked off of the curls that were already present from not towel drying her hair. Pulling some up at different layers and back, holding them in with pins that stuck her head for only a moment. When it was obvious the styling was over she started to place the pristine freshwater pearls on the chestnut parts of her hair, and the shining deep blue gemstones on her glowing white parts. "Hold on girl, one more part." Rin reached into the basket and pulled out a crystal snowflake that looked as if the slightest movement would break it. There was no pin to place it; it just stayed in her hair by magic. "There, your hair is beautiful." Said Rin quietly, something that was completely out of character for her. "Well, go on! Look at it!" she commanded.
Mizu-Sen stood up and gasped as to what she saw in the mirror. She was in shock the girl in front of her was actually her. The hair was piled on top of her hair and fell down at different waves, no stray hairs at any part; Rin was too thorough for that. The freshwater pearls danced through the chestnut locks, and the deep blue gemstones glowed from the light that was emitting from the hair below them. The snowflake was placed on the right side of her head, right in front of where the curls started. It glistened with every small movement she made; the colors of the rainbow shined constantly through it, but at the same time it was still clear. "Oh yeah, I did awesome." Said Rin praising herself.
"It…It's beautiful, Rin!" she said as a smile creeped on her face.
"Of course it is! I did it." She said as if it should be obvious. Still smiling she turned to take her leave. "Hey! We're not done!" she called after her.
"What?" she turned around confused. What more was there to do?
"Makeup! You can't go without any color on that pale face of yours!" she said, going over to grab her wrist and drag her back. "Now just relax and if you move a muscle it will be the last thing you ever do." She said threateningly. Mizu-Sen saw through the charade and smiled once more before smoothing her face into a clear mask and closing her eyes. She expected that when she looked into the mirror she would have the resemblance of a geisha, pasty skin and cherry red lips. Rin moved the makeup brush (which looked more like a paintbrush) over her lips very lightly adding color to them. She could feel her outlining her eyes and draw intricate designs over her cheek bones. "Done! It needs time to dry, so if you move a muscle as it's drying, as I said before, it will be the last thing you ever do!" Mizu-Sen didn't want to wait, she knew it would be time to go soon and she was growing impatient. While thinking this a breeze picked up in the room and blew against her face gently. "What the…? The windows are closed!" Rin said obviously confused. The breeze continued to blow against her face and she could feel the paint slowly cake up and dry on her face. "What!" Rin cried, "Your makeup! It's dry! How?" she was flabbergasted. "Whatever, open your eyes and look." She ordered overcoming her shock.
Mizu-Sen gently opened her eyes and gasped once more at Rin's masterwork. Her face was far from the harsh beauty of a geisha. Her makeup was applied softly, accenting the right places. A light pink color was painted along her lips to bring a slight color to her face. Her eyes were lightly highlighted with a bit of charcoal; a wonderful contrast against the pale stormy gray eyes. It was beautiful without being overdone. The real beauty of the masterpiece was the swirling snowflake and wind pattern that lay on her cheekbones. Swirling blue lines to represent the winter wind encompassed gentle white snowflakes; Rin made the pattern identical on both cheeks. (A/N pics of her hair and makeup are on my blog!) She looked like the vision of winter. "Rin…"
"Yes, yes I know I'm a genius. Just get over here and hug me but don't smear your makeup!" she held her arms open for the girl. Mizu-Sen gladly accepted the invitation.
The words bypassed her brain and slipped through her mouth without thinking about them. "Who are you going with?" she rushed out so fast it sounded like one word.
Rin held her back at arm's length, one hand on her right shoulder. She smirked at the outburst. "I got matched up with someone I've never met. His name is Katashi, apparently he's some hotshot herbal trader." She said rolling her eyes obviously not impressed. Mizu-Sen hoped she would not return the question. Her prayers were not answered as Rin asked "What about you?"
She then found that the right moment to play with the front part of her obi. "Um, I'm going with Haku."
She let this sink in a minute, Rin's hand dropped from her shoulder. "Out of every single kami in the spirit world you were paired with lizard boy!" she demanded. Mizu-Sen gave a sheepish nod. Rin almost doubled over in laughter "This is priceless! Oh man I can't wait to see this!"
"Lizard boy?" she asked sheepishly.
"Lizard boy, pond scum, pompous jackass, take your pick. He's all those things in one." Said Rin smirking. Mizu-Sen didn't pry further, figuring she would find out one way or another someday. "Come on, your prince charming awaits." Said Rin grabbing her wrists and pulling her out the door. They walked back through the madhouse room, as Mizu-Sen had named it. The number of Yuna had depleted greatly as they had all left to meet in the great hall in preparation to leave. What yuna was left eyed her viciously as they knew she was much prettier than them.
By the time they had reached the main room all the female bath workers were there talking amongst themselves and complimenting each other on how pretty they looked; even though they looked far more than ridiculous with their geisha faces. Rin and Mizu-Sen stood in the back of the room, which Mizu-Sen was grateful for as it meant she would be less noticed.
She looked around in confusion for Haku, not finding him anywhere. "He's not here. The boys and girls travel separately as the girls dance first, a traditional fan dance to signal the opening of the ball and welcoming of the snow. The boys will then join in later." Said Rin, seeing her searching.
"Oh." She said a little disappointed. At that moment Yubaba appeared on the platform with a woman that looked identical to her.
"That's her twin sister, Zeniba." Rin whispered in her ear.
"Listen up! My sister here will use her golden seal to transport us to the island of mumei. Listen to her for directions!" she grudgingly stepped back allowing her sister to speak forth.
Zeniba looked around the room once, catching eyes with Mizu-Sen. She held her gaze for a moment with a sly smile and then turned away. "The directions are simple. Everyone holds hands in a big circle, clear your mind of all thoughts, and then we can leave" she said in a grandmotherly voice. How were those two witches related?
Rin grasped on to Mizu-Sen's hand and Mizu-Sen grasped on to little Sayuri's. There was a flash of gold and suddenly they found themselves no longer in the bathhouse.
The courtyard stretched the majority of the island leaving a very small forest on the outskirts. It wasn't a large island, but not small either. It was just large enough to hold the occupants of the spirit world with enough room to be comfortable. The ballroom was outdoors as if to welcome the elements. The floor was cobblestone with a large compass in the middle of it signaling the cardinal coordinates of: North, South, East, and West. The whole thing was encased under a large sheet of ice that shined under the moonlight.
The party was almost afraid to move on the ice, but it proved stable and some spells must have been cast to make it to where they didn't slip. The girls arrived in perfect formation for the dance holding fans. Mizu-Sen didn't know where her fan had come from, but assumed it was part of the whole dance. A second before the music had started proved enough time to take in her surroundings. She was standing in the very middle of the concealed compass, the kami and Yuna surrounded her in five layers of circles, all facing towards her. They all held dark blue lace fans to their faces, shielding themselves. Mizu-Sen held a fan that was woven from literal snowflakes, the whole thing radiated with power.
A bell chimed and everyone on the outside circles held their fans to the right and spun once clockwise. Something had taken over her muscles and Mizu-Sen realized she had no control over herself. Involuntarily she held her fan to the left and brought it in an arch over her head. Another bell chimed. The outside circles held the fans to the left and did a little side skip to the left before raising their fans upward. Mizu-Sen arched the fan back over her head the other direction. The kami then found a partner to their right and placed their palms flat to each other, holding the fans outwards in their opposite arms. They circled around each other slowly flicking their fan hands. The dance was silent as the falling snow should be; only little bells signaled the next move. Mizu-Sen then held two fans, one in each hand, both woven out of snowflakes. A lighter sounding bell signaled the near end of the strange dance. All the girls in the outside circles knelt on one knee; one arm was placed behind their back with their fans pointed to the girl in the middle of the circle. Without console to her body Mizu-Sen raised both arms out to her sides to bring them crossing into her chest.
The words forced themselves out of her mouth, with a voice seemingly not her own
"On this the solstice,
the longest day of night,
let the snow fall from the heavens under the moonlight!"
She proclaimed with grandeur. It sounded like an incantation. Her hair began to radiate brighter as did the fans; she uncrossed her arms and threw the fans high into the heavens. With a blinding light the fans burst and endless snow began to fall.
The fans of the other kami disappeared, and everyone stood up in silence. The males appeared out of thin air, making Mizu-Sen slightly jump as Haku appeared out of thin air next to her. His hair was in its usual style, but he was wearing a very formal white kosode with blue dragons weaved into the fabric. He wrapped his arm involuntarily around her waist, as did all the other male population there. Mizu-Sen did not mind in the slightest though. She looked around and saw Rin looking slightly disgusted with the arm of an attractive man wrapped around her. The man was a head taller than her with short cropped black hair and sea blue eyes. There was no denying the man was not attractive; she didn't understand Rin's resilience. But then again, it was Rin.
A stage appeared out of nowhere with a man wearing green robes and had dark brown hair. The males dropped down to one knee as the females placed their hands together and gave a formal bow. "Rise." The man said with kindness in his voice and a smile on his face, his arms raised. Everyone did as he said. "Thank you all for attending the eighth annual solstice ball! I'd like to welcome each and every one of you for bringing the snow to the ball tonight! Now, before we continue with the festivities, let us eat!" he said, and on his word round tables appeared out of nowhere. White table clothes adorned the top and the chairs were made out of crystal. Name cards were placed so that everyone had a place to sit. Of course the partners sat together. The table where she was to sit appeared right in front of her, Haku held her chair back for her as she gathered the long train in her arms before sitting. No sooner than they had sat down were they accompanied by Rin and Katashi who were to be their dining partners. Yubaba and Zeniba accompanied the man who announced the dinner at a long banquet table on the stage. Other important spirits sat further down.
"That is our Lord, husband of Lady Ka-Tsuchi." Said Haku taking a drink from the fancy glass. She nodded. A clear substance was in it, Mizu-Sen assuming it was water took a large drink from it. The icy sensation that filled her throat afterwards disconfirmed her suspicions of water.
"What is this?" she asked.
"A rare spirit of the northern ice plains. It is a mixture of a small amount of alcohol and melted snow. It is said to taste differently to every person according to their tastes." he said.
"What does it taste like to you?" she asked curious.
He turned his head to look at her, a small smile on his face. "It tastes like the water of my river."
"A river spirit?" she asked. She knew his element was water, but she didn't know he was the actual spirit of a river.
"I once was. They filled in my river in the human world and placed these atrocious houses on top of it." He replied solemnly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Her cheeks paled.
He genuinely laughed; the first genuine laugh anyone had ever heard him laugh. Rin's mouth dropped in shock. "Don't be, I assure you it's fine." He said with a smile. "And you? What does it taste like to you?"
She took another sip to confirm. "Rain. It tastes of rain water and ice mixed together, with something a little sweet." He nodded.
Shadow spirits started to come around and serve the meal, a bowl of rice and dumplings. A pig per table was served optional. Rin and Katashi picked greedily at the pork and Haku took little bites of it. Mizu-Sen shied away from it, wanting nothing to do with eating the pig. She stuck to her dumplings and rice.
"Have some pig Mizu-Sen! It's there for you to eat not stare at." Rin commanded.
"I-I don't want to eat any." She didn't know why she didn't want to eat it; she was just naturally disgusted by the idea of eating a pig.
"Oh come on." She insisted.
"Rin, I don't think I eat animals." She said a little confused.
"Whatever." Rin said rolling her eyes taking another bite of pig. Haku put his plate of the pork aside and began determinedly eating his rice and dumplings.
Dinner talk was light and airy, keeping up small conversations just to not seem rude. You could cut the tension with a knife. It was easy to tell something had been bothering Rin for a long time as she seemingly stared down Haku. Finally she could take it no longer "Haku when are you going to compliment me on my masterpiece?" she demanded.
"Excuse me?" he said after taking a small sip out of the glass. Rin said nothing but merely stood up and pointed to Mizu-Sen. She was the only one standing and was drawing attention. She cared little, the girl had no shame. Mizu-Sen however turned icily pale for almost the twentieth time that day. Following her pointed finger to the girl he appraised her up and down from what he could see in the chair.
"She looks lovely," he said more to Mizu-Sen than to Rin. "Then gems and snowflakes go with her perfectly. I cannot imagine anything lovelier right now." At that Mizu-Sen snapped her head up to look at Haku. Fires raged deep and slow in his emerald eyes. He forced his head away and took a very long drag of his drink; draining it to the last drop. "Why don't we dance?" he asked.
She looked around at everyone still eating. Lively music was playing but there were no dancers; everyone would know when the time to dance came. "But, no one else is dancing." She queried.
"Yes?" he cocked an eyebrow. She knew there was no wiggling her way out of this, one way or another all eyes would be on her: the glowing girl. Seeing her resolve he stood up and offered her his hand. She hesitantly reached hers forward to grab his. Once hand in hand he was dragging her to the dance floor. Standing in the middle of the compass once more where there were no tables.
He placed his hand lightly on her waist and took her hand in his. She placed her free hand on his shoulder and he began to lead. "Your dress is exquisite. Something like that would be worthy of Lady Ka-Tsuchi herself." He said spinning them around. They moved around the outskirts of the compass spinning themselves in the process. She was more than aware that every eye of the entire spirit world was placated on them; the only eyes she noticed were deep and emerald. The only eyes he felt concerned enough to care about were deep and stormy gray. Aware of the outside; they were lost in their own little world.
"Where is Lady Ka-Tsuchi?" she asked after he dipped her.
"Asleep." He replied simply. Of course she knew that, now she felt stupid and wanted to slap herself. They said no more as they continued their strange dance. He lifted her on several occasions and dipped her; the moves coming naturally and in perfect synchronization with the music. Under the moonlight Mizu-Sen was quite a vision. Everything white on her seemed to radiate aside from her hair which was the brightest and most pristine thing anyone in the audience had ever seen. Her dress reflected moonlight as if it had been bathed in it and her eyes began to shine.
All too soon the dance was over; Haku dropped his arms and stepped away and bowed. She smiled and nodded; curtseying was near impossible with the way the fabric clung to her.
The audience was too enchanted to do a thing. A clap echoed from the head table and they turned to see their lord applauding them. "Thank you for that wonderful demonstration! What you just observed was the first dance of the night. Every year magic chooses one pair to do a lead dance signaling the beginning of the ball. You two have just had the honor." He said gesturing to the two of them. "What are your names?"
"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, my Lord." Haku replied bowing.
"Yes, I know you Nigihayami. I have never met the flower that stands before me now however, who are you?"
"I do not know my real name, but the name I was bestowed once I came here was Mizu-Sen, my lord." She said bowing.
"You have hair like my wife's." he said "very interesting. I look forward to getting to know you Mizu-Sen." He then turned to the rest of the spirits "Normally this would be my wife and your Lady Ka-Tsuchi's honor, but seeing as she is going through her yearly sleep I will announce this. So with this: dance!" He proclaimed. The tables and food disappeared leaving the ice on the floor. Everyone rose with their partners and assumed a position with the ladies back to the male.
The dance that they began was a very sensual dance involving slow strokes and movements. There was a lot of touching, but none of it inappropriate or awkward. It was intimate without overbearing; a beautiful dance. The dance was supposed to represent the icicles hanging from the trees in the forest, attached without really being a part of it. With this each partner had individual moves but were still one in the dance.
The dance ended with the partner's face merely an inch away from one another; many others found this an acceptable time to kiss their partner without shame. Mizu-Sen thought she was going to faint with Haku's face that close. She could feel his breaths on her face, warm and soft like him. He smelled intoxicatingly of honey and spring water. She knew she could lost herself in that scent forever. In that moment she could no longer help but kissing him than a bird could help to fly. She leaned her head forward and closed her eyes expecting to close the gap between them. Before he let that happen he immediately drew his face back. She opened her eyes seemingly disappointed to see a hunger within Haku's eyes. She had seen fire in his eyes before, but they were tepid compared to the blaze that rang clear now.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, not breaking his gaze.
He spoke just as gently, his voice echoing the softness of the falling snow. "Don't be, it is I who am sorry. I need to leave for a moment." He let go of her and walked towards the woods to the east of the massive ballroom floor. She stood in shock for a moment. How could she be so stupid? She wanted to slap herself, and cry. But she held her position of dignity.
Her mind made up she followed after him, ignoring the stares she got from the other kami and yuna. She walked with purpose, her posture perfect. Once concealed in the sanctuary of the canopy of the ice coated trees above she lost her important and crumbled back to Mizu-Sen. It didn't take long to find a greenish-blue hair color in an all-white forest. He was sitting with his back to her on a tree stump, holding his head in his hands. She walked forward lightly and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder; causing his head to quickly snap up in surprise.
"Don't talk." She ordered; unwilling to meet his gaze. "I was stupid for trying to attempt that, I guess I was just caught up in the moment and I just like being around you so much i-i-I don't know what came over me. I promise never to try something like that again." She said on the verge of tears which she wouldn't allow to flow over; Rin would kill her if she messed up her makeup.
He stood up and grabbed her face, careful to avoid the painted snowflakes on her cheeks; forcing her to look at him. His eyes were bloodshot with tears. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this. I am just as much to blame for this. You tempt me Mizu-Sen, I will not deny this. I have only known you properly for a day, but that is seemingly not mattering to me. I would have kissed you if it were not for…" he paused closing his eyes. "someone else." She mentally slapped herself, of course there would be another girl waiting on him, he was too good to be true. "I have loved before, deeply. She was a small girl the last time we met, and we haven't seen each other since we were very small. But I know I love her, it has grown and flourished over the years. Then, about three months ago she…died." He sobbed quietly for a moment. "I thought I would never love again, but I recently found out there's a possibility that she could quite possibly be alive! She's my true love, I'm sure of it. If things were different Mizu-Sen, then maybe…but I have to find her if she's still alive." She nodded feeling her heart crumble.
"You are a good man, Haku. If there's anything I can do to help you find her I will!" she proclaimed.
"Thank you, Mizu-Sen." He said reaching forward to stroke her face, stopping himself halfway. "This should not be happening." He groaned. She gave him a look of confusion. "I am a dragon Mizu-Sen. A dragon is supposed to have one love for eternity that they love and cherish. One heart to bind to their mates forever. A dragon knows when they meet that person, it's rather obvious. But this, I am falling for you too Mizu-Sen and I have to stay true to…" he paused not saying her name.
"To who?" she coaxed. She was in shock of his confession for her, but didn't dwell, she knew it would only hurt more later
"I cannot say her name at the moment, it hurts too much." He said. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I am sorry I cannot be more than a friend to you at the moment, please forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive." She assured him "I will be content with being friends." She lied.
"Come, our absence will be noted soon; seeing as you are the Belle of the Ball."
"I am not." She insisted, her face pouting. He found it endearing as she did that but restrained himself.
"Do you not see how every girl is staring at you, practically green with envy? You are clearly the most beautiful person here." He smiled.
She paled, half knowing it was true. He grabbed her hand and escorted her back to the dance floor; her hair shining more vividly under the moonlight.
Now how's THAT for a chapter! God Haku how thick headed can you be! He's seriously being dumb right now…
So you guys asked for it, and here it is! Over 5 thousand words and 9 pages in Microsoft word is my gift to you, I'm going back to the hell where they drain all creativity and waste all my time (aka school) tomorrow from my break, so updates won't come as often, maybe only twice or three times a week, but I will update weekly at the very least!
Pictures of Mizu-Sen's hair and makeup on my blog, link is on my profile page!
I've also received a lot of questions regarding "Chihiro's monthly monster" asking when I will update. It was intended as a one-shot, meaning it's complete as it is. Maybe after I finish this story and find inspiration I will write one more chapter of it, but as for now it's complete as is. Thanks!
In the meantime please review! The more reviews I get the faster the story gets updated :)