Sorry if I don't update in the next 2 days ^^; I'm moving.

And please remember, Elin is Icelandic. If her speaking parts seem "funny", they're supposed to.

Tell me what you think so far!

-Anii


Chapter 12: "A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Children of Húrin

Leaves crunched under my school shoes as Takamichi and I walked in silence towards my home. I wanted to ask so much and I could tell he did too. Yet neither of us spoke. I swung Tatsunori's bag in front of me like a child and chewed on my lip anxiously. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, "Thank you, Akiyama." I blurted.

Startled, he stuttered, "N-no problem. Wait, for what?"

"For helping us." I watched my feet.

"Don't mention it." He paused. "Why do you think the Reaper is interested in some cherry tree spirit?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "No clue. But it must be something, I doubt a character like that would do something for nothing."

"I know that all too well." Takamichi muttered. "So, you and this Haku," He coughed nervously, "I'm guessing there's something special there?"

My cheeks flamed , "W-what!?"

Thankfully, we were at my house now. I shoved Tatsunori's bag into his brother's chest and turned, slamming right into my door.

"M-miss Ogino?!"

"Goodnight, Akiyama! Thank you very much for walking me home!" I shouted loudly, holding my throbbing nose as I opened my door and ran inside.

I bolted past mom, who was folding laundry, and uttered my "hello" and "goodnight" to her as I flew up the stairs, "Eh? Why didn't you invite him in for a chat?!" Mom pouted.

••••••••

"Does this salmon taste funny?"

My head shot up, "Eh!? Does it really?!"

Akiyama's grin was wide, "Gotcha. What's wrong, Miss Ogino? You've barely spoken or touched your own food."

My eyes lowered back to my plate. "Forgive me."

Silence. I swallowed painfully and snuck a glance at him.

"That's alright. I'll forgive you. This time." The old man added with a wink.

"We're home!" Takamichi called from the front door.

Instantly, my eyes shot back down at my hands in my lap, which were now clasped together in a death grip. "Ah, Takamichi! Come in, Miss Ogino made delicious salmon for us!"

Tatsunori belched, much to his grandfather's disapproval, as his brother walked in. A second boy followed closely behind Takamichi. I snatched up Elin's dish. "I'll take this to your mother!" I shouted loudly.

Akiyama stared up at me, startled, "A-alright then."

I pushed my way past Takamichi and his follower, locking my eyes onto the floor. But my shoulder collided with his and I made the mistake of looking up. Haku, dressed in Takamichi's clothing, his long hair tied back in a loose ponytail, glanced down at me over the rim of his new black glasses. My heart sped up to a dangerous rate and I felt my knees buckle. Haku elegantly used his middle finger to gracefully push his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. "Good afternoon, Miss Ogino."

I could almost hear the loud whistle as the steam shot out of my red ears. "Good afternoon, Kuroki."

Haku raised an eyebrow at me as I used his fake last name.

"Goodbye!" I squeaked as I bolted down the hallway and to Elin's room.

My lips pressed together as I waited for my temperature to sink down out of the danger zone. I heard Elin's quiet humming and a soft smile touched my lips. Elin's room had been added on to the Akiyama house in a western style, to remind her more of home. I rapped my knuckle against her door. The wooden door creaked angrily as it opened a crack.

"Come in!" Elin sung.

I slid through the door and held out the tray to the woman. Her eyes lit up with recognition as they landed on me. She would remember me randomly, it was very difficult to deal with her when she couldn't. She turned her back to me and gazed at the half-finished painting before her, "What do you think, Chihiro?" She asked softly.

I loved Elin's voice. It was so gentle yet slightly raspy; it was the perfect harmony for a voice. "What's it going to be?" I asked, placing her tray down on her desk.

"Oh, not there dear. Put it over there, please. Thank you so much. It's going to be a scene from a forest."

I picked up the teapot and poured the tea into Elin's usual tea cup, a tiny blue thing with hints of white splattered around it.

"Did I ever tell you about the girl I met there?" Elin asked absent-mindedly as she took her cup.

I shook my head and sat down gently on her bed. "Once, when Takeya had been on a trip." She rarely mentioned her husband cheating on her, but I suspected at this very moment, she recalled it vividly. "I had taken Takamichi with me into the forest to pick flowers to paint later that day. He got away from me and I was frantic trying to find my lítill drengur- oh sorry, dear. That means little son. Anywho, I hear someone whisper in my ear and turned to find my son clinging to the long black gown of a woman. I raced to gather him into my arms and Taka mín fought me so hard. The woman smiled and told me what a beautiful boy I had." Elin gently set the tea cup down and examined her unfinished painting.

"A woman in the forest?" I blinked.

Elin nodded, picking up her brush and dabbing the green tip against, what would later become, a bright and bushy tree. "She had long black hair that curled so prettily at the ends. She had a- um- a…a-" Elin touched her finger to her lips and her eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "What did Takeya call those things?" Elin dropped her hand over her face, motioning something.

"A-a mask?" I asked.

Elin snapped her fingers and clapped, "Já! She wore a 'mask' over her face. Her skin was almost as pale as mine. If only I had seen her face, she was such a beautiful woman." Elin made soft green strokes at the bottom of the canvas - grass I suppose. "She became my companion. We would talk for hours. She used to keep me company when Takeya would go away."

Elin paused, her lip puffing out slightly in a pout, "She never let me see her face. Although,…" a smile tugged Elin's beautiful lips up at the corners, "I saw her with her 'mask' more to the right of her face once. She had strange eyes but a pretty little mouth." Elin's eyes lowered in sadness, "She never visited me after that…no matter how many times I searched in the forest."

I didn't speak and Elin threw her brush down in frustration, "You don't believe me do you?"

I bent down onto my knees and carefully handed the brush back to her, "I believe you, Elin."

Tears welled up in Elin's eyes and she threw her arms around me, crushing me to her busty chest. I blushed and laughed softly as Elin smothered my face with kisses. "Such a sweet girl! Ah, your cheeks are pink again, like when you walked in."

My blush darkened, "They weren't-"

"Is that handsome boy here again? Is that why you blush?!" Elin leapt up off of her chair and danced over to the door before stopping suddenly, her hand on the doorknob. "No. He will think I'm crazy too." Her head bent low and I opened my mouth to argue with her.

"Chihiro!"

I winced as I heard my name called out. "Coming!" I shouted back.

I dashed over to Elin, "I'll have Haku visit you tomorrow, alright?"

Elin's eyes were bright blue pools of worry, "What if I can't remember things tomorrow? What if I make a fool out of myself?"

I kissed the older woman's cheek, "You won't make a fool out of yourself. Sleep well, Elin."

••••••••

I kicked off my covers as I lay in my bed flat on my back. I couldn't get comfortable, not even a little. My window rattled angrily from the strong wind outside. The night air began to creep over me and I sighed, lifting my blankets back over my body. I pulled the blanket high up to my chin and rolled over onto my side, snuggling deeper into my warm bed.

I felt my collarbone warm but I thought it was just due to my entire body heating up under the heavy blanket. Then a loud crack made my heart go cold in my chest. For several moments, I couldn't move, fear turning my body to stone.

Finally, after some time, I unfurled my body and crept over to my window. I muffled my shriek of terror with the palm of my hand. I backed away from my window and clutched the necklace tightly, my eyes glued to the No-Face staring though my window. It was banging its mask against the glass of my window and had already created a long thin crack in it.

"I can taste your fear!" It cried.

A dragon raced past my window, carrying the No-Face off with it. I swallowed back my panic and stepped towards my cracked window. I pressed my forehead against the glass.

"Go back to bed."

My body jolted violently with fear and I swung around to find Haku in the shadows of my room, still dressed in Takamichi's clothes. "Y-you scared me!"

Haku enveloped me in his warm arms and I realized: I had been shaking like a leaf. His warmth seeped into my cold body and I closed my eyes, drowsiness falling down on me like gentle snow flakes. "Haku?"

"Mhm?"

My eyes drooped, "You look very attractive in modern clothes."

The last thing I heard was Haku's soft chuckle as my mind drifted off into warm blackness. I didn't even feel Haku placed me in bed and tuck me in like a child.


The No-Face are getting bold :O Please tell me what you think so far! -Anii