Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or Frozen. And since I've decided disclaimers are ridiculous, just consider the rest of these chapters disclaimed, okay?
Ís raced to the boiler room, colliding with various employees toting huge platters of food in her haste to reach Kamaji. But after three such encounters, she huffed and stopped the nearest spirit. "What's going on?" she demanded.
He spun around, shaking her hand off and retorting, "Go find out on your own; I don't have time—" His eyes widened as he took in her uniform and white-blonde hair. Then he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the polished wood floors. "I am sorry— I was rude— my apologies— Mistress Ís, I didn't realise—"
"Just tell me what's going on," Ís interrupted.
The spirit's eyes did not lift from the floor as he answered, "There's a rich spirit and he's hungry, so everyone is trying to please him." His eyes flickered to the bare feet running by; no doubt he'd heard the feminine giggles and the clink of gold. "May I go?" he asked, a hint of a whine creeping into his voice.
"Fine. You are dismissed." Ís watched him bow and scrape, then run away, and the display made her snort. He was so greedy, no different than Yubaba. But gold did not equal greed: there was good in the bathhouse, like Haku. And if she were to save him, she'd need to hurry.
When Ís entered the boiler room, she was immediately enveloped by hot, dry air. In the stifling atmosphere, Kamaji's silhouette was hard at work grinding the various herbs into a paste and the clink of coal was occasionally punctured by cries of "Get ta work, ya lazy balls of soot!" Not bothering to bow, Ís hurried to him and tugged his sleeve. "Kamaji," she shouted over the din. "I need my healing charms."
Kamaji turned and peered at her, for he'd always been rather near-sighted. Regardless, his eyes lit up when he recognized her and his eyebrows rose at her request. "It's time, isn't it," he stated.
"It is," Ís answered simply.
One of Kamaji's arm was already reaching for the furthest drawer on the second row. Upon opening said drawer, it withdrew a bag heavy with the charms Ís had collected over the years, which he then placed in her hands. "Good luck, Ís."
She turned, a sad smile on her face and the bag slung across her shoulders. "Thank you, Kamaji. I'll be needing it." With that she left, crawling through the panel, and the human girl was gone just as quickly as she'd came.
Kamaji watched her go, hoping with all his heart that Ís would succeed. For if she did, his life would improve dramatically: he pictured the train tickets at the bottom of his drawer, tickets no doubt yellowed by age, tickets which represented what could have been but never was, and prayed for victory.
…...
The girl who carried so many hopes and dreams steadily made her way to Yubaba's rooms. However, when she reached the upper levels, she only narrowly avoided running headlong into a mass of spirits. Her breath caught as she thought of Lin, likely caught in the crush, and after a moment's consideration Ís dove in. She needed to reach the elevators and save Haku, but if she happened across her spirit woman, she'd take the time to save her as well.
But to her surprise, the servants, who'd all been eagerly crowding forward only a few seconds ago, turned and began screaming. Instead of pushing toward the honored guest as she'd expected, they began fighting their way out, trampling and clawing each other.
Ís was no different. They charged her, shoving her aside and, when Ís was almost crushed by the mob, she thought grimly, enough is enough. She shot herself into the air and created an icy, elevated walkway with which to cross the room unscathed. And though she kept an eye open for Lin, she couldn't find the spirit woman.
However, Ís' magic caught the attention of the honored guest; a monstrous black spirit lurched towards her, moaning,. "Feed me... Feed me!" His arms slapped against her walkway, shaking it and making Ís stumble. But she gritted her teeth and balanced, thanking Kagwi's old lessons as she raced away. She slipped only once, but luckily she was close enough to her goal, and instead of falling into the mass of spirits, she tumbled to the foot of the elevator. Her way to Yubaba's rooms. And not a moment too soon: the monster was behind her and groaning once more, saliva dripping from his maw, "I want you, I want you!"
Ís stood, spun, and shot a blast of glittering ice into his mouth. While it wouldn't kill him, it would certainly slow him down and help the trapped employees escape. Her good deed done, Ís hurried into the elevator and pulled the lever.
The ride was smooth. When the doors opened, Ís glided out and approached Yubaba's knocker, her hand already raised, but suddenly it squawked, "Out of my way, girl."
Ís jumped aside, barely avoiding the door as it swung open and slammed against the wall. Yubaba strode out. Hiding the bag of healing charms behind her, Ís bowed low to the witch. "Master," she said softly.
Yubaba regarded her, then sniffed and said, "Ís, I was just about to call you. See if you can save Haku — he's bleeding all over the rugs, but he's such a well-trained thief. And if Haku can't be saved, then shove him down the chute and come downstairs. I need you there as quickly as possible." Ís nodded and Yubaba swept out, presumably to handle No-Face.
As soon as the witch left, Ís dropped her charade of indifference and raced to Yubaba's study. Hopefully Sen was already there; hopefully Haku was still alive; hopefully this entire plan would even work. Those thoughts pounding through her head, she sprinted in, only to freeze in the doorway at the sight of Haku, still a dragon, lying by the chute with blood gushing from his numerous wounds. The green heads were already hard at work pushing him ever nearer the chute, as if they'd already deemed him beyond saving, and Yubaba's bird-puppet circled around cawing defiantly.
"Haku!" Ís cried, running to his side. Four blasts of ice had the green heads and the bird-puppet immobilized, and then her hands were digging through her bag. This was worst than she remembered. But Chihiro was already there, holding him tenderly in her arms. "Chihiro, feed him the river spirit medicine! He needs to vomit." Then Ís slid to the nastiest gash, a discolored wound near his hind leg, and began activating a healing charm.
Chihiro, she was pleased to note, was already crawling up to Haku's mouth and resolutely trying to pry his mouth open.
"Well, well well," a voice drawled. "What do we have here?"
Ís' heart stopped. She knew that voice. "Zeniba," she stated with calm she did not feel. She stood, turned, and faced the misty outline of the witch. "What an unpleasant surprise."
The witch merely cackled. "You think I'd let you heal Haku? Of course I had to come."
"Even though Yubaba's detection charm will surely find you?" Ís asked, her eyes scanning the room. Zeniba must be projecting from somewhere; Ís just had to stall. It would be okay.
Crash! Ís spun to see Boh struggling out of his room with the curtains tangled around his portly form. But then he ripped free of the fabric and staggered toward Chihiro. "I'm not afraid of germs," he said quietly. "If you don't play with me, I'll cry."
Ís frowned. She hadn't anticipated this. She strode to Boh and ordered, "Go back to your room."
"No! I wanna play with Sen." Boh's face screwed up. "Play with me Sen, or I'm gonna cry." Tears began welling in his eyes. "I-I-I'll cry and Mama will come…." His voice began stammering, wails promising to burst forth and Ís froze, paralyzed by indecision. If Yubaba came, it'd be impossible to protect Chihiro. But she couldn't attack Yubaba's son! Doing so would be suicide. Her mind whirled fruitlessly, unsure of how to respond.
But Zeniba took action. "You're a bit of a porker, aren't you?" she said with a sneer.
"Mama?" Boh asked.
"No, you pea brain," she said disdainfully. "Can't you even tell me from your own mother?" She made a small zipping motion, and before Ís' eyes, Boh shrank into a small grey mouse. "There now," Zeniba sighed. "Your body matches your brain. Now, what else can we mess with this? Remember," she said, winking at Ís and Chihiro, "this is our little secret. You tell anyone else and I'll rip your mouths out."
Ís watched, shocked, as Zeniba also transformed the three green heads into a large baby identical Boh and Yubaba's puppet into a small, buzzing bird.
Suddenly, Haku jerked. Ís spun and saw a black blob sizzling on Yubaba's maroon carpet, disintegrating until only a black slug and a golden seal remained.
"My seal….." Zeniba whispered, though Ís paid her no heed.
"Step on it!" Ís shouted, grabbing Chihiro's wrist and dragging her to where the slug was. The two immediately began frantically trying to step on the slug. However, it wriggled towards the translucent witch and Ís slowed, afraid of getting too close to Zeniba; Chihiro, though, had no such inhibitions and kept stomping until, finally, she succeeded.
"Quick!" Ís shouted. "Put your thumbs and forefingers together."
"Like this?" Chihiro asked.
"No, like this." Zeniba modeled for Chihiro. The human girl mimicked the witch, and then Zeniba bisected the rectangle, chanting "Evil begone."
Silence enveloped the room until Zeniba drawled, "So, is seems Haku had a control slug. I guess that excuses him; but you, ice-girl, still have to suffer for your thieving ways." She raised her hand, no doubt beginning a spell, when Haku awoke and brought his tail up, only to slam it back down and slice a small piece of paper Ís hadn't noticed before.
"Ooh, a papercut," Zeniba said as she broke in two.
Ís sighed in relief. But then she saw Haku falling down the chute, for his movement had unbalanced him. "No!" she cried, running to his side. But he'd already begun tumbling into the darkness, Chihiro clinging to his horns.
Ís eyed the drop with trepidation; however, she couldn't leave Haku and Chihiro. Though their chance of survival was miniscule and the bathhouse needed her, Ís found she couldn't abandon them. Somehow they'd wormed their way into her heart and she knew she'd never forgive herself if she stood by and let them die. So, after taking a deep breath, Ís tied the bag of charms tight over her back and jumped into the abyss.
She plummeted. The cold, icy stones around her were indistinguishable from the gloom, and it was impossible to tell how quickly she fell. Just when she'd thought all hope was lost, that Haku and Chihiro had been eaten by the old, angry spirits that lived trapped beneath the bathhouse, Ís glimpsed a few shimmering pearlescent scales, much like those of Haku, floating at the mouth of one of the numerous passageways leading away.
It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Chihiro and Haku had survived. Now, she only had to worry about herself. Ís spun as she fell and, when she was positioned just so, she sent concentrated blast of her icy magic towards the opposite wall. The icy air pushed her towards the opening and out of the ancient spirits' reach; the spirits, no doubt irritated by missing two meals in such quick succession, gave a low moan and rose from the depths.
But they were too late. Ís had already landed in the passageway. She called an icy wall into existence so that they couldn't follow her, silently thanked Kagwi for his training, then padded along the duct, following the trail of wet crimson blood and white-blue scales. The trail ended at a hole in the duct. Ís eyed the drop, which she estimated to be around twelve feet, and was on the verge of climbing through when she heard Kamaji's voice. "Zeniba's solid gold monogram seal? That's as powerful as it gets."
"Kamaji, what if I take the seal back to Zeniba?" Chihiro's voice seemed hesitant. "I could give it back to her and apologise for Haku."
Ís's eyes shot open. She hastily jumped through the hole, breaking her fall by conjuring a snowdrift beneath her. Unaware of the astonishment from her sudden entrance, she asked, "You'd go to Zeniba?"
"Yes," Chihiro replied, her tone brooking no argument. "Haku helped me before, and now I want to help him. There's a curse on Zeniba's seal, and he's not going to recover until it's broken."
Ís nodded. "I understand. Go ahead. It's not as if I could use the seal. But I could use her help fixing the bathhouse."
Chihiro grinned. "Understood. Thank you, Ís."
Kamaji looked at them both, then said, "If you're going to Zeniba's cottage, Chihiro, then you're going to need tickets. Train tickets." An arm reached to the bureau and withdrew a thin roll of paper. "I've been saving these for forty years… but I want you to have them."
Ís' own throat was closing from the sacrifice Kamaji was making for Chihiro; she watched, approval in her eyes, as Chihiro bowed before him and whispered her thanks. Then Ís laid a hand on Chihiro's arm. "If you do earn Zeniba's forgiveness, could you also ask for her help in delivering a short letter? It's for my family."
Chihiro nodded. "Sure!" she replied. "I'd be happy to do that, Ís".
Ís smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll write it up before you leave. And remember, don't come back to the bathhouse until Haku and I retrieve you, okay?"
"Got it," Chihiro replied. "And Ís, his true name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. I just thought you should know."
Ís blinked. Then she said a little sadly, "He has his true name back, too. I'm glad for him." She took out her bell and rang for Lin. While she waited, she borrowed both a scrap of paper and a pen from Kamaji and scribbled: Mother, Father, Anna. I'll be back soon. Wait for me. Your daughter, Ís. Then she pressed the scrap of parchment into Chihiro's hand with a murmured, "Thank you."
Chihiro was on the verge of replying when an irritated Lin burst into the boiler room. "Ís!" she snapped, "I was in the middle of something!" Then the spirit woman caught sight of Ís and Chihiro covered in Haku's blood, and her expression changed to one of concern. "What's going on in here?
"A fight with Zeniba," came the grim reply. "But the time has come to right the wrongs. Lin, I need you to take Chihiro to Zeniba's and stay there, far, far away from the bathhouse."
"Understood," the spirit woman replied. "But the guy with all the gold turned out to be a monster named No-Face. He's already eaten two people and he's asking for Sen. Shouldn't she stop him first?"
Ís' eyes flashed. "No," she replied. "I'll deal with him. You two need to get away and stay safe."
Chihiro nodded mutely, then thrust a half-sphere into her hands. "Take this. It's the other half of my river-spirit medicine and I think you need it more than my parents." Ís accepted without a word, pocketing the gift. Then Chihiro threw herself at Ís, enveloped the girl in a hug, and whispered, "Good luck."
Ís returned the hug. When she pulled back and held Chihiro at arm's length, she said, "Thank you. And I'll make sure Haku recovers. I promise."
Chihiro smiled at Ís and murmured, "Goodbye." Then she turned to the spirit woman. "Lin, we need to leave before it gets bloody. Shall we go?"
"Just a few seconds, Chihiro," Lin replied. She grasped Ís' hands and said, "I can't believe we've made it this far. Be strong, Ís, and make it through alive." Lin kissed Ís on the forehead, then regretfully pulled away. "If anyone can do this, it's you."
Ís watched them go, tears in her eyes: this might be the last time she saw Lin or Chihiro ever again. After the door shut behind them, she turned to Kamaji. "Would you watch Haku?"
"Of course, Ís. I'll use the healing charms and, when he wakes, I'll send him to you."
"Thank you." Ís bowed low.
One of the spider spirit's arms snaked out and his hand lifted Ís' chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "No. We should thank you. Don't think we are unaware of the sacrifices you are making."
Ís swallowed hard. "Goodbye, Kamaji," she said, her voice breaking. Then she jerked out of Kamaji's grasp and hurried out of the room. Once outside, she leant against the wall, took a deep breath, and Ís whispered, "Conceal, don't feel." Her emotions were running rampant after bidding farewell to Lin, Kamaji and Chihiro, and it could prove her undoing. She needed to be as cold as the ice she wielded.
When her calm was finally restored, she hurried towards the elevators and stopped the first employee she came across. "Where's Yubaba?" she demanded.
"Upstairs with the monster in our finest room," the cowering employee replied.
Ís nodded, then strode off.
When she entered the room, it was chaos: china dishes were thrown every which way, elaborate foods were strewn about the floor, mixing and muddling to form a greyish goop, and large rents were torn into the rice-paper walls. Yubaba stood before No-Face, trying desperately to placate him, and Ís sidled up to the witch. "Haku is dead and the seal is nowhere to be found," she reported.
"I don't care about that!" Yubaba snapped. "Where's Sen?"
Ís saw the monster's head snap up at the mention of the human girl. She forced herself to remain nonchalant as she shrugged and answered simply, "She's gone."
Immediately the monster, No-Face, was upon her, his rancid breath billowing in her face. "Where is Sen? I want Sen!"
Ís fought to keep the fear from her face. "I don't know where she went."
"Noooooooo!" he cried. "I want Sen, I want Sen!" His tongue flailed about and Ís was forced to dodge. "This is your fault," he panted. "This is your fault!" He charged at Ís, catching her by surprise. Too late she raised her hand to shoot ice at him — his slavering tongue had already wrapped itself around her body, and before she knew it Ís was inside of the monster.
She floated there in stunned silence. Her hands scrabbled at the wall, finding no purchase. Her powers sparked from her fear, illuminating the inside of the monster with white-blue flashes. The thick black gelatinous matter surrounded her, cradled her, soothed her. Give up, it seemed to whisper. Sleep. It was tranquil and Ís felt her eyelids drooping until she caught herself. Lin still needed her. Haku still needed her. The entire bathhouse still needed her. She couldn't abandon them now, not when she was so close to winning. But how could she escape?
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XD Sorry about the cliffie. But I'm back! AP tests are over and I'm just ready to write a bunch of fanfic… summer, here I come!