10.

Berries and Blood

We entered her house. It hasn't changed one bit. The small cottage was still cozy, as if it was picked out of a fairy tale book. I gasped. No Face was still there, spinning a yarn. The black spirit with the white mask caused the bathhouse some problems a few years ago. I let him enter in the bathhouse since I thought he was a customer. He was offering everyone in the bathhouse gold but when I didn't take the gold he was offering me in hurry to save Haku, he got really mad. So he kind of wrecked havoc in the bathhouse. I didn't even have time to apologize to Yubaba then. I had to return the golden idol Haku stole from Granny under Yubaba's orders. If I didn't return it, then Haku would have died. No Face, Yubaba's son, who Granny turned to a mouse, and Yubaba's pet bird accompanied me to Granny's house. The three of them were still here as if I was in the same situation seven years ago. The huge mouse squeaked happily when they saw me.

"See, Chihiro, your friends haven't forgotten about you at all," Granny said. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach when I heard this. "You three, it's past your bedtime. Go to sleep."

"I'm sorry, I did," I murmured as the three went to different rooms. I wasn't sure they heard me.

Granny smiled understandingly. "I don't expect you to wear that hair tie all your life. Of course your bound to forget everything. My obnoxious sister just decided to make it quicker for you to forget everything." She shook her head. "She just does not know how to behave herself. Now, let's see, we need to defeat this thing before he takes Haku's life. Please, sit." She waved towards the two wooden chairs by surrounding her table.

"What do you think we should do?" Haku asked.

Granny rubbed her chin. "We know that every spirit has a weakness but we don't have time to find what this spirit's weakness is."

"Isn't there another way?" I asked, worry breaking my voice.

Granny couldn't help smiling. "You should be grateful, Haku. This girl really loves you."

Blood pooled at my cheeks but I hung my head. "But I feel so useless, Granny. If I really do love Haku, I would have done more. I would have saved him from the pain. I wouldn't have let him get to the point that he is dying. I should have remembered everything!"

I felt Haku grab my hand, his incredible warmth vibrated throughout my body. "You've done much, Chihiro," he said comfortingly with a smile.

"Yes, we all know you have done alot. You coming here and trusting Haku alone shows how much you care for him. Besides you are only human. Like what I have said before, I do not expect you to wear that string No Face, the mouse, the bird, and myself made for the rest of your life and neither does Haku. We should not dwell on these nonsense things. We should focus on defeating the enemy. Let's see, I believe the spirit was one of your enemies when you were an official River Spirit, correct?" Granny said as she stood up and started rummaging through a cupboard.

"Yes, he was the spirit of the land that surrounded the Haku River. He has always been mad at me because I let the waters carry pieces of his land."

"Ah of course. But where your river used to be is now an apartment complex, correct?"

Haku's hold on my hand got firmer just a bit for me to notice. He replied in a hard voice, "Yes."

"But the land was also covered in cement so he was also forced to leave. He must have searched for a piece of land that wasn't owned by another spirit of his kind. He must have moved to the land that surrounds that River Spirit you helped Chihiro. I'm guessing there was a major battle and he forced the other River Spirit out of the water and pushed him to that mound of trash; that's when he visited my sister's bathhouse and that's where you helped him. When he was cleaned, he then must have returned to that Land Spirit and defeated him. I see, it all make sense now. It's a bit complex, Chihiro but it make sense," Granny added at my confused stare.

"But how do we defeat that thing?" I asked, blinking away the confusion.

"Haku, I believe you grow a type of rare berry in his land, correct?" Granny asked Haku. "Isnt' that the same berry that can be seen in the garden of my sister's bathhouse?"

"Yes. When I came here I started growing those berries because I saw so many humans get lost in the Spirit World. Yubaba turns most of them to pigs but there are those who does escape her clutches but only because they fade away so fast."

"Perfect. Ah, I have finally found it!" Granny said as she pushed aside a huge jar containing what looks like fingers, and took out an item hiding at the back. She returned to the table. "I think I finally have the answer for your problems. You see, those berries have the opposite effect for Spirits. If those berries can turn humans into spirits, it can solidify spirits. It's brilliant, actually."

I looked around. "I don't get it. How could we defeat that thing just by those berries?"

Haku looked at me. "Don't you see it? If my berries can turn a human like you into a spirit, then if a spirit eates it, then that spirit will turn into a human and fade away. Why haven't I thought of it before?"

"Yes, yes, but it wouldn't have worked as effectively as you would have wanted it to, Haku. The only thing for that to be lethal to that Land Spirit is for your blood to be mixed with the juice of the berry," Granny said, finally showing us what she found behind the large jar of fingers. It was a dagger with unfamiliar enscribings at the hilt. "This is one of the seven ancients daggers in this universe. It is the prized pocession of my family and I was lucky enough for me to inherit it. I think that's why my sister hates me so much. I've always thought it was because I can cook much better than her."

"Would you please just tell us what to do?" I said a bit impatient. Haku's hand slipped out of my grasp and I could see his face paling.

"Oh yes, oh yes. Well you should mix Haku's blood with the juice of the berries. Haku's blood is mixed with the poison the Land Spirit had casted upon him and of course, the blood of our enemies can also poison us, spirits. If you mix Haku's blood with all of those in it and the berries, I'm sure that potion will be fatal for that spirit. But it can only be effective if you stick this dagger straight to Haku's heart. You must do it, Chihiro. The magic will work best if his heart is stabbed by the one it beats for," Granny said, pressing the cold blade in my hands.

I blinked. "What?! No way! I'm not going to stab Haku! There's no way I'm going to do that!"

Haku turned my head towards him. "I'm dying anyways, Chihiro. This is the only way to save the bathhouse and everyone of our friends there."

What was he saying?! He was dying so he want me to hurry it up?! Why would he want me to do that?! "I'm not going to do that! I-I-I-I can't!" I screamed, standing up, the chair landed on the floor with a loud bang. The tears were already pouring without me noticing them. "I'm not going to kill you!" Haku also stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to break free from his touch but he refused to let me go, burrying his face on my hair. But the pain finally grabbed hold of my heart and took out all of my strength to struggle against him. I could only cry in his arms. "You're an idiot Haku! Idiot! Why would you do that?!"

"You have to do it, Chihiro. You have to. It's the only way," his voice came out muffled. I felt warm, hot liquid in my scalp and hair. I realized it was Haku's tears. He crouched down a bit just for me to look directly in his eyes, the tears were sparkling in his cheeks. "I promise, I will live. I have a reason to live." He was suddenly getting closer and closer until his lips were against mine. I felt I was going to melt. I didn't care if Granny was watching. I didn't care if the whole world watched us lock lips. I don't ever want to let him go.

He ended the kiss and let me bury myself in his chest once again, crying my eyes out. "She'll do it, Zuniba," he said, finality in his voice.