Eige-Chan: Chapter Ten is up!! (I do not own Spirited Away.) Aaaaand~! Colors of Fate has finally reached 10 chapters! -claps-
Chihiro & Kazusa: Banzai~! Banzai~! -fireworks-
Kohaku:... Is there really a need to celebrate over this small matter...?
Eige-Chan: -grin- Yes there is! Ah. Right~
To Anonymous: Yea... maybe you're right. Killing the good guys might not be such a good idea after all~ Haha, I will think about it. Thanks for your opinion! (And for always reviewing~)
Eige-Chan: Okie~! Now that we're settled, I give a big THANK YOU to the reviewers of the last chapter, FireGoddess101, XxCrazyXGirlxX, Anonymous, and my BFF Pammy~! -ahem- On with the story~!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Ten: Fate Devises
He's stood alone in the darkness… He could hear footsteps echoing in this pitch-black space… Where is he? Why is he here? He couldn't remember anything…
A woman's voice called out to him.
He turned around frantically, childish features forming into a scared, confused expression.
The woman spoke again, her voice sounding a little softer than the last time she did.
He frowned. He was sure that there was a voice, but he couldn't see anyone. He tried to talk, he tried to shout. He moved his lips, but no sound came out.He started to run, but everything that's surrounding him stayed the same no matter how far he ran. Everything was still the same; dark and empty.
He stopped running as he heard the woman's voice again. But this time, he couldn't understand the things that she said. She repeated the same phrase for a number of times, but he still couldn't comprehend the information. Slowly, the voice started to fade away, leaving him in this wide, pitch-black world. He desperately tried to shout, to yell for help. But no matter how his moved his mouth, no sound was produced.
A searing feel of pain ran through his veins as he was forcefully controlled to kneel down. He held his sides and shut closed his eyes, bracing himself from the strong impact.
"-aku-san… Kohaku-san…!"
Kohaku opened his eyes, cold sweat tricking down his face. What was that awhile ago? A dream? He noticed the continuous speaking of his name and turned his head over at the voice that woke him up. The first thing he saw was Kazusa's big, emerald eyes staring at him with a relieved look hung across her face. He looked past her and saw a large collection of trees and rocks. The dragon raised a brow. What was he doing here, sleeping in a forest? And why in the world was Kazusa here?
FLASHBACK; A FEW HOURS AGO
"Run…" Kohaku choked out the words. A sudden burst of pain made him groan and wince. He braced himself as he knelt down on the moist ground.
"Kazusa!" Kohaku used most of the strength he had left to shout. Thankfully, that had caught the girl's attention, "Run a-...way…!" The last word trailed off as he felt his consciousness dropping. He cursed under his breath as his vision began to dwindle. He didn't like being so weak, so weak that he can't even protect the ones that he treasured… A shot of pain sent shivers through his spine. And right before his mind had stopped working, his body had already collapsed…
END FLASHBACK
The incident flashed across Kohaku's mind almost instantly, bringing the answers of his question to him. He immediately sat up, giving Kazusa a small fright with his swift movements.
"What happened afterwards? Where is Chihiro?" Kohaku asked rapidly with a moderately-loud voice, more questions forming in his mind as he continued. "Are you alright? And wh-" His continuous questioning got cut off by Kazusa as she put a hand over his mouth.
"I'm fine… but if you speak with such a loud voice, Chihiro-chan would wake up." The girl said with a small smile. Kazusa lowered her hand that was on his mouth as she pointed at a long, old log behind them. Kohaku turned his head over and saw Chihiro, lying peacefully on the wooden figure. She seemed more like sleeping rather than unconscious. The river spirit blinked as he saw the scene.
"...What happened?" Kohaku asked, using a much softer voice as instructed. He was definitely much more calm and relieved now, knowing that no harm was done. Thank god that the two of them were alright, but it did seem slightly strange for them to be fine. There should be a reason for that violet-eyed boy to knock Chihiro out and carry her off somewhere. And for that reason, he shouldn't be able to hand the girl over that simply, and Kazusa shouldn't be able to do anything that would let him give up either. This is strange, the whole situation is.
"What do you mean?" Kazusa replied, standing up from her sitting position as she walked over to a large stone. She picked up the half-filled, plastic bottle and opened the lid.
"That guy," Kohaku said as he remained in his sitting position on the relatively-moist ground of the forest, "How has he come to… return Chihiro? Isn't he supposed to be kidnapping her?" He tried to put the question as non-offensive as he could. After all, he didn't want to sound like as if their well-being was a bad thing.
"Ahh…" Kazusa said after she finished drinking the rest of the transparent liquid in the bottle. Putting the empty container back on the rock, she turned around and with a bright smile on her face, she cheerfully said, "I shot him."
...
....
.....
What?
Kazusa laughed as she saw the surprised and confused look on the boy's face. Even though he is two years older than her, she sure liked to make fun of him. She walked towards the boy and sat back down on the floor. Kohaku watched as she pulled out a wooden bow and a collection of arrows that were contained in a cloth-made bag. He didn't know that she knew archery. Well then, those must be the instruments she used for shooting tha-
"But I missed, actually." Kohaku's thoughts were immediately interrupted by Kazusa. Missed? Oh, well… that should be in predictions. That assassin-like boy is a skilled person who was most-likely not even human. Of course she would miss. No matter how polished Kazusa's skills in archery are, she is, in the end, a mere human. In fact, if she hadn't missed, it would definitely be embarrassing for him. He is a river spirit, a dragon, and a class A magic apprentice and he had got cut up by that boy while he was still in his original (i.e.: non-human) form. If Kazusa, a human girl who was younger than him, had successfully beaten the guy… well, that'll surely provide a sufficient amount of shame for him.
Anyway, since it had been established that the boy had ducked Kazusa's arrows. That would bring the doubts back. If he wasn't threatened by any military force possible, then why did he spare the girls? Kohaku frowned at the thought. That boy didn't look like a person who would let go anyone's lives if those lives where needed. Sensing his unease, Kazusa quickly explained.
"Well, after you collapsed…"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He sighed as he removed the black cloth that had covered half of his face. Really, these mask things made it so hard for him to breathe. No wonder he had ran in such a slow speed in the forest. He could have moved about three times faster if it wasn't for the lack of air caused by the mask. But Rikuto-sama had said that it would be troublesome if his face was shown. Well then, it cannot be helped. He would have to move three times slower than his normal speed in this world. Besides, that Kohaku doesn't seem to have his magic or his sense of agility in that human body of his either. That'll keep them in the same circumstances for now.
He stripped off the silver dagger that was hung on his right hip and stared at it for a number seconds. He rolled it over on his hand, admiring the glistening color that it showed once it was exposed to the sunlight. That reminded him of the incident awhile ago. He blinked twice with his emotionless eyes as he remembered what had happened.
FLASHBACK; SEVERAL HOURS AGO
"Kazusa! Run a-...way…!"
He raised a brow as he heard a raspy shout from behind his back. He turned around just in time to see the dragon collapse.
"K-Kohaku-san…?" He whipped his head back to the girl before him as she called the river spirit's name. He stared at her for the moment, watching the worried expression on her face.
After a few seconds, she turned her attention and her emerald eyes at him. He didn't even budge when he saw the look that she was giving him. The look of fright and confusion when she saw the figure of a brunette that was draped over his shoulders. And that look that slowly morphed into anger as she realized the current situation. His cold, black eyes did nothing but stare.
"Who are you?" She asked forcefully, her grip on the wooden bow in her hands tightening as she said so, "What did you to Chihiro-chan and Kohaku-san?"
His half-lidded eyes lazily closed and opened as he slowly reached for the unconscious girl on himself. The Miko twitched as she watched him remove Chihiro from his shoulders and unto the ground in a sitting position, laying her back on a tree to support her figure from falling. Making sure that the brunette was secured, he adjusted the angle of her body slightly. His masked, pale face showed no existence of emotion or expression; and yet, the eyes of the girl before him were shining with large quantities of anger, a percentage of worry, and a small trace offear.
"Don't touch Chihiro-chan!" she said, pulling a stone-headed arrow from her back. Setting it up on her long bow, she aimed the wooden piece at him. Oh how brave.
He stopped moving at the comment, but it was clear that even if he didn't listen to the girl's words, nothing would harm him. He would, of course, be able to block that arrow. And besides… he was observing the small hands of the female that were holding the archery-set. They were shaking slightly.
He took a few steps forward, towards the armed girl in front of him. Instantly, she let go arrow in her hands. He quickly moved in the opposite direction of the arrow, in attempt to block it. The sharp-pointed stone of the feathery ended stick grazed his black shirt slightly, making a tear in it as result. He showed a very small frown and faced the girl, glaring at her with his dark eyes that had the same color of his ripped attire.
So it has to be this way, is it?
He grabbed the curved, silver dagger with his left hand as he quickly charged, using an insanely fast speed (that is said to be three times slower than his normal one…) to move towards the girl. She fiddled with the arrow bag behind her as she tried to grab one of her arrows, but the boy was too quick for her. In a matter of milliseconds, the distance between the two had shortened from a number of meters to a few centimeters. He raised his dagger, aiming its sharp tip at the girl's defenseless neck, attempting to end her life with one simple rip at her artery.
However, just before he lowered the curved blade from the air to her skin, he made a mistake by having eye-contact with the girl he was about to kill. The glassy jade-green color and the round, widened shape it held. The small amount of tears that were generated to show the feeling of fear and worry…
He couldn't do it.
He jumped off the girl, setting his dagger back on the black belt that was attached to his pants. He quickly ran into the woods, trying to get away from this area… At the same time, he had completely forgotten about the existence of the unconscious brunette, who was still lying on a random tree and who he was supposed to bring back to his master.
END FLASHBACK
He sighed as he remembered the pitiful failure on his mission. Rikuto-sama's orders were to bring back Ogino Chihiro; unharmed and alive, to keep Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi out of the way, for now, and to eliminate anyone else who interference. By his cowardly actions awhile ago, he had already failed to accomplish two of the three orders that were given to him.
He stuck his dagger back unto his belt and stared at the pair of pale, empty hands that he owned. These hands had been bathed in a large quantity of blood, of life and of death. Ever since the day that he had signed the contract with Rikuto-sama, he had lost the ownership of his actions. His innocence and compassion had disappeared. Yet why…. Why isn't he able to kill that one single person? It's just a small, single, human life. No big deal. It was nothing compared to the mass-murdering of gods that he was ordered to do about two years ago.
He sighed. Deep down, he knew the answer perfectly well. Of course he couldn't kill her. How could he? She was the only pleasant memory that he had when he was still living in this world. He just couldn't accept the fact that he still held humane emotions. The emotions that he had thrown away a long time ago when he had accepted the job of being Rikuto-sama's private assassin. He didn't want to believe that those things were actually coming back to him. Those useless feelings were nothing but a burden. They were the cause of all weaknesses and flaws.
He shifted his leg position slightly. Humanity is truly troublesome… sitting in a certain position for a long time actually makes your leg go numb. He growled softly as he stared at a strand of his messy, tussled black hair. It was in a pretty long length now, with its shaggy sides covering his ears and a small part of his face, its uneven ends touching his shoulders slightly, and its long bangs that pretty much covered his whole right eye. That's right, now can he forget? Hair grows in this world.
He sucked in a large, deep breath and let out the same amount. Sitting around and observing his now-growing hair surely wasn't the solution. Someday later he would try and get the brunette again. Hopefully, he wouldn't be as lucky to run into Kohaku and Kazusa again. But, he really didn't have to worry that much. With his skill he would definitely (eventually…) accomplish his mission.
His pitch-black orbs opened and closed slowly and steadily. The intense black color that matched the rest of his attire began to dwindle and fade. And in its position, a very dark and deep violet shade regained its reign over the pale boy's eyes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"… And that's what happened."
An almond-shaped eye twitched after Kohaku had heard Kazusa's explanation.
"You… Do you know how dangerous that is?" he lectured, referring to the girl's careless actions on attempting to attack the assassin, "You could have lost your life."
"But I'm fine, aren't I?" Kazusa shot back, showing a very unfitting bright smile for the situation, "And unlike somebody, I actually tried to get Chihiro-chan back with all I can do."
Kohaku stared at her, annoyed by her obvious tone. How can she still smile and joke after a life-threatening incident? But still, he knew that she was right. Back there, He hadn't tried to do anything to help Chihiro. It was true that he is in a human body and that his magical powers were probably sealed, prohibiting him from using them. But Kazusa is a human too, and above that she is younger than him and is also a girl. Yet she had the guts to do something like that, even when knowing that it might cause her life.
Speaking of which. Kohaku peered over at his leg. He moved it slightly, checking if it was alright, since he hadn't felt any trace of pain. He raised a brow at the swift movement of his bone. Did it heal already? No… it had never been broken. Then why did it hurt so much before?
"Kohaku-san. Shouldn't we be getting Chihiro-chan home?"' Kazusa said, disrupting the dragon's thoughts. She looked up. The sun was located right in the center of the vast sky; it was already noon, "Her parents might be worried…"
"Yes… we probably should." Kohaku turned to his back to look at the sleeping girl and smiled slightly. She and Kazusa were both unharmed (even though they almost got killed) after an encounter with the assassin, and isn't that a fact worth to celebrate? He closed his eyes and breathed a relieved sigh.
"My, my… Kohaku-san only shows his soft side when matters concern Chihiro-chan, ka?" Kohaku shivered at the breathy whisper that was heard in his ear. He turned back and stared the grinning girl, who was obviously enjoying his reactions to her words. He shot her an irritated look from the corner of his emerald eyes, but judging from her continuous grin, it seemed that Kazusa had no means to stop what she was doing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Rikuto-sama, I am to report today's results."
"Ah, yes. How'd it go?"
"I am terribly sorry to say that I have failed to carry out your orders. I would need more time to accomplish the mission."
"..Tch….. Well then, it can't be helped. Even you should need some time, isn't so? Heh… don't pay your mind on it, dear. You shall have all the time in the world."
"Yes, Rikuto-sama. And… may I voice a humble request?"
"Request? What do you need?"
"A new shirt, please."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eige-Chan: And so, it is finished! (the chapter, that is~)
Yubaba: What a lame chapter...
Eige-Chan: -glares and ignores- Anyway~ I was watching 'Kuroshitsuji' (the anime) when I was writing this chapter. Ah~ What a lovely, DARK anime it is~ Full of DARKNESS, with a small bit of humor, and a subtle amount of CHIBIS!!!! AHHHH!!! Me likey~ -uncontrollable laughter-
Kazusa: -blink- Kuroshitsuji...? -shock- Eige-Chan has... has.... moved on to another anime?! -faces corner- She has abandoned Spirited Away...
Eige-Chan: -recovers from uncontrollable laughter- EH? No no no no no~ How can I abandon Spirited Away~? I still think that it is the most WONDERFUL thing ever, of course~ Ahaha~ -nervous laugh-
Kazusa: -stare- ... is that so...?
Eige-Chan: -sweat drop- Of course of course~~ -ahem ahem- Well then~ Please read and review!! Remember, reviews = source of inspiration & motivation for us authors! Besides, for me, who does not have a beta, reviews could really help me improve my storyline/grammar/whatever's-wrong-with-my-story. Haha~ R&R!!