Chapter Ten: Under Their Noses
This chapter is dedicated, as always, to German Mickey and Suils Saifir for leaving such splendid reviews!
Thanks to: Darkangl28, marium, FreakyD45663, moonlightshade, Pinpong, Lia Silverclaw, swiftwings13, Dreamcatcher1411, Winterflower, QueenTatooine, MysticMaiden 18, DarkXSpades, and Vaxl as well!
Haku frowned at Chihiro. "Why are you so calm and collected?" he demanded. "I just told you I would help you take over a huge part of the Spirit World!"
Chihiro stared at him with an incredulous look upon her face. "Haku, I know what you just said you would do, and I understand the gravity of it. I was the one to propose the idea, wasn't I?"
Haku just frowned some more. "Well, as you said, you were the one to propose the idea, so where do we start?" he asked cautiously.
Chihiro smiled at him. "It won't be that complicated. I need you to start taking specific note of spirits who seem angry or discontent. Later, once we are certain that this plan will succeed, you and any allies that I make in the Spirit World will let the discontents in on the rebellion."
"Why would you not approach the "discontents" with the plan?" Haku asked reasonably, his eyes glinting.
The human woman sighed. She knew when she was being tested. "No matter how well I will eventually fit in to this society, I will always be regarded as an outsider to the majority. If I approached other spirits outright with rebellion, they would see me as an intruding human trying to disturb the stability- never mind if the stability is a due to a cruel dictatorship," Chihiro told him. She caught her breath and looked at Haku.
"That's the other reason I need you to help me, Haku," Chihiro said earnestly. "I know Yubaba is wrong and needs to be stopped, but without a spirit as part of the cause, I will fail."
Haku looked her over appraisingly. A long moment passed before he smiled gently at her. "You are very clever, Chihiro," he said softly. "Few in history have seen in a society what you have seen in days."
"Basically," he continued, leaning back on one hand. "You need me for my very status as a spirit, and for my power." Chihiro nodded in response.
Haku gazed at her with that smile still on his lips. "Is that truly all you need me for, little Chihiro?" he asked curiously.
Chihiro flushed and looked away. "No…" she said.
"Then what else?" Haku asked her.
Chihiro sighed and mumbled, "I need you for you. Without you as my friend, I'd be all alone here." She glanced up at him. "Right now, whether you like it or not, you are my everything in a world where everyone else either hates me or doesn't care at all."
She sighed again, but couldn't seem to stop talking now that she started. "Even in the human world, Mayu was my only family and after my parents…left, I could never make friends that I could keep. And any friends I has had before they left, I had left when we moved away…so, you can see, Haku, that if you left me, I would truly be without a friend in any world, and I know that I would miss you so much that I wouldn't want to go back to the human world alone even if I could."
She sat back and blew out the rest out her breath slowly. "So, yeah…I need you for more than your power and status," Chihiro finished lamely, amazed that she hadn't embarrassed herself by crying. She was afraid to see Haku's face after her long discourse; she imagined that he was looking rather shocked and perhaps nauseated.
Haku was looking shocked, but nausea was far from his mind. His mind was racing, trying to come up with something, anything, to say in response.
It was impossible.
He simply couldn't find words. It was startling, even astounding, to see the depths of Chihiro's loneliness, and even more shocking to find himself the remedy. He has always been a solitary spirit- or at least, as long as he could remember starting after he signed that contract for Yubaba.
Either way, Haku had never been one for emotional attachments, relationships, or even friendships of any kind.
Now, while considering Chihiro's honest words, Haku realized that he had somehow acquired all of those, all wrapped up into one quite pretty package- and he hadn't even noticed it happening.
So while Chihiro occupied herself with pretending she didn't exist and therefore couldn't have just spilled her soul to a dragon, Haku silently moved around the table holding the now-cold dishes of food and pulled her into his arms.
Chihiro squeaked at the sudden movement. "Wha-" she said, but was muffled as she fell into Haku's chest. She felt his arms around her and immediately felt relief. He didn't hate her. He didn't think she was crazy. He wasn't leaving her alone.
Chihiro sniffed, but still managed not to cry as she snaked her arms around Haku's waist and held him tightly. He bent his chin to touch the top of her head.
"Do not worry," he said softly. "I promise that I will not leave you. You…you are my everything, too. I have nothing else in this world or others that means the slightest bit to me. Do not worry, Chihiro," Haku repeated and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
It was slightly awkward when the two finally separated and Haku called for fresh meals, but the discomfort vanished as they began to discuss plans over dinner once more. It was agreed that this rebellion was to be carried out as soon as possible. By the end of the month, Haku planned to give Chihiro all of the names, occupations, and type of every spirit that would most likely join them.
"I hope we succeed, Haku," Chihiro sighed. "We're going so fast, but I want to make sure we're completely prepared for the inevitable fighting."
"We are going fast," Haku agreed. "But we will be ready. Both of us are thorough, and I am positive that we will be able to be prepared for anything in the coming months."
"Besides, this was your idea. Certainly you can believe in yourself if I can believe in you," Haku teased gently. Chihiro blushed faintly and said, "I guess."
They looked at each other for a silent moment before Haku said, "We have talked a very long time. It is already late evening again, and I should let you rest."
Chihiro nodded. "Will you rest too, or will you be busy tonight?"
Haku smiled. "I am not tired, so I will begin listing the "discontents" while you sleep."
"Okay," Chihiro smiled back. "Sounds good." She stood to walk Haku to the door.
He turned to her as he slid the shoji open. "Goodnight, Chihiro," Haku said gently, gazing down at her. Chihiro swallowed hard. "Goodnight, Haku," she replied, reaching out and squeezing his hand briefly.
Haku looked briefly surprised before he hesitantly squeezed back. "Sleep well," the dragon man whispered as he chastely kissed the human woman on the cheek. "I will be here early to see you."
Haku disappeared down the hall as Chihiro brought her hand up to her cheek. Smiling like a lunatic, though she didn't realize it, Chihiro made her way to her bed.