Chihiro sighed as she watched her cousin fly off on Retsu's back on her way to the Clan. Though before she had given the dragons a thourough threatening should they fail to protect the girl in her absence, she still felt worry pit in her stomach as the shapes of her cousin and the dragons soon shrank into tiny black dots. When she couldn't see the dots in the sky, she turned to see Haku standing only a mere couple of metres behind her.
She frowned slightly, wondering how long he had been standing there but chose to ignore and walk right past him... unsuccessfully.
"Chihiro," he called softly, holding onto her arm.
She whipped around to face him, "What do you want?"
"To talk. Without being interrupted by your cousin, or anyone else for that matter," he said, imploring her for the chance to finish their much needed discussion.
Chihiro bit the inside of her cheek in thought before giving up with a sigh, "Fine. Talk."
Haku's brows twitched closer together at the irritated lilt in her voice, "Why are you suddenly hostile?"
"Sorry if I am still angry at you," she spat back.
"You seemed perfectly capable of civil conversation yesterday," he pointed out annoyedly.
Chihiro flared defensively, "I wasn't civil and you were? What was with that interrogation about Allen? You were practically barking at me!"
He pursed his lips, determined to hold back from shouting out his frustrations. "Dragons don't bark," he stated, enunciating each word.
She flung her hands in the air dismissively, "Roar, growl, whatever! Point is it wasn't very 'civil' of you! At least by human standards."
"Well I'm not a human Chihiro."
"You think I don't know that?"
"I think you don't understand that sometimes."
"Do you realise how hard it is to understand when you don't talk to me about being a dragon?"
"I find it hard to talk to you when you hardly listen to me!"
"Again! Sorry!"
"I don't think you are sorry."
"So dragons don't understand sarcasm. Finally, first piece of information in a long time!"
"You are being petty now."
Chihiro scoffed at the insult and started to head back into the cottage, "You're impossible!"
"You are immature!"
At this she whipped herself around and stalked up to him angrily, "Why do you even bother anymore? You've obviously moved on!"
Haku visibly flinched and he felt a restraint on his frustration break, "Can you not see that I am doing everything I can to show you I still care about you?!"
Chihiro's froze at the sudden outburst and her voice struggled to come out any louder than a whisper, "Why?"
"Because..."
He suddenly seemed to realise his loss of control and began composing himself. Seeing this, Chihiro reached out before he could close himself off again, holding onto the sleeve of his hakama, "Because what?"
"Because I am afraid of losing our friendship," he replied in a monotone, subtly averting his gaze from hers.
"We both know that's not it..." she commented picking up on the lie but slightly frowning at the underlying implication that she had just been 'friend-zoned'.
Haku only had to momentarily meet her searching brown eyes before the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Then it is because I have already decided that losing you again would be an excruciating fate I would not even wish on Yubaba herself." When Chihiro only stared blankly in shock, he grasped her shoulders, imploring her to understand, "Do you know how hard it was knowing I was finally free from Yubaba but that it came with the cost of being able to see you? Not only was I unable to go to your side as I wished, but I had to wait for you to come to the Spirit World and even then I didn't want you come at all if it meant that Yubaba was using me to trap you!"
Tears pricked the sides of her eyes as she realised just how self-righteous and how obstinate she had been towards Haku; of course she wasn't the only one who had suffered the past eight years, she'd just assumed by his rather inexpressive features that he had fared much better than she had. How wrong she was. She wouldn't even know how to cope if she was in his place.
"Chihiro," he said her name softly and in a way that made her head finally realise what her heart had been trying to communicate to her all those times when she was supposed be angry at him but was instead calmed by him, when her heart was hammering as she returned to the Spirit World and all those times when she had unwittingly painted those mesmerising green eyes that were searing into her at that very moment... she was still as much in love with Haku as she had been eight years ago. All those years of separation, her attempts to remove him from her mind and ignoring him, changed nothing.
And if the swirling pools of emotion in Haku's eyes were anything to go by, their feelings were quite mutual.
His eyes seemed to capture her, pulling her closer so that she rested her forehead against his, a gesture that was heartwrenchingly familiar to the day she discovered his name. But it was all the more different at the same time. They were no longer the smaller and naive children they had been eight years ago. Standing this close to Haku, she was now aware of just how much taller he was now as she gazed up into his eyes, how much broader his shoulders were and now that she was aware of it, how much his features had become more mature and masculine. Her eyes caught sight of his lips and she blushed, quickly lifting her eyes back up to his.
All of a sudden, in the brief moment her eyes had strayed from his, his green eyes had darkened with something she couldn't name but sent heat coursing through her body. Before she could ponder what it was, he leaned down, closing the gap between them and capturing her lips with his. Her eyes closed as the heat she had felt turned to fire under the caress of his lips. As his hands moved from their place on her shoulders to gently cradle her face, she wondered how she had ever thought she was anything but in love with Haku. The kiss was sweet, warm and conveyed eight years worth of love and longing. She met his tenderness with her own desire as she looped her arms around him, holding them together just that little bit more.
When they broke apart from their kiss, Haku seemed as if he were trying to say something but unable to find the words. Understanding what he was trying to say, Chihiro smiled and pressed her fingers to his lips, "I love you too. Forgive me for being so horrible to you?"
She got her answer with a bone crushing hug.
Ryumiko lay flat out on the grass of the hill they had stopped on and sighed to the wind, "How much longer until we get to this place?"
Yukaoi's bell-like laugh came from above her, "Not too long."
"You said that like an hour ago... What is this for anyway?" she asked, pointing at the elaborate detail on the pale gold dress she was given for the day.
"You'll be meeting the leaders of our clan so I thought it would be helpful to make a good impression," she explained.
Ryumiko raised an eyebrow. She was wearing the most beautiful dress she probably would ever see in her life and it was because it would help her make a good impression? Just what did these dragons wear on even more important occasions than this?! Despite loving the new dress, she wished that she didn't have sleeves of white bandages along her forearms and a bandage across her cheek, but it was unavoidable until the worst of the injuries was gone.
Akinobu had materialised while they stopped for one of Ryumiko's many 'food breaks', and was currently lounging in a sunny patch of grass beside her. She smiled as she stayed watching the tiny ghostly dragon, happy that he was able to peacefully relax in the sun. After all she only spent two days in Yubaba's grasp and hated it, Akinobu had remained there for over eight years... she was glad she was able to rescue him.
She then moved her gaze to Retsu, who was sitting silently a little way off from her. She frowned when she realised his back was turned to face her. He had been brooding all day, pretty much all day and she had no idea why or how to deal with it.
"I think we should get going now. This was probably the last stop before we get there," Yukaoi smiled at her and held out a pale hand. "Ready?"
To be surrounded by a number of powerful dragons who may or may not have the desire to kill her for past grudges against her lineage she was not aware of until little over a week ago? "As ready as I'll ever be..."
Meanwhile, Retsu had been conflicted with the thoughts his sister had been subtly trying to warn him about earlier. This morning, he was fine... until Ryumiko had come downstairs dressed in such finery. Though she was oblivious to it, she had left him breathless at the sight of her. Of course he had always known she was quite attractive but today she was simply... . And nothing had hit him harder that morning than the realisation that in the future, she may indeed be well off his limits with her being part Noble and him being Reptillian. Not that he was currently courting her or vying for her attention... or was he?
These thoughts led him around in a dizzying and inconclusive circle. It also didn't help that today, Ryumiko would remain in all her splendour, enticing and thus confusing him all the more. Yes he enjoyed her company, yes he knew he cared for her, and yes he felt a definite overprotective streak towards her but did that mean he had those kinds of feelings towards the girl? His only source of comfort for that day were two facts.
One. If he did come to the conclusion he was romantically invested in the girl, maybe the rules would be bent because she was not completely of Noble blood and also there were no other Nobles in existence to compete against.
Two. Chihiro had designated Yukaoi as the dragon who would carry Ryumiko. Which was comforting as he was unsure of how he would handle physical contact with her at such a confusing time.
Though today, fate wasn't so kind. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the girl who currently plagued his thoughts.
"We're going," she told him with a brief smile.
As he stood, she continued talking, "Hey Retsu, are you okay? You seem kinda out of it."
He turned gave her a reassuring smile, "I was simply contemplating future complications and how to counter them with as little trouble as possible." It wasn't a complete lie but he felt a twinge of guilt for dodging the whole truth anyway.
She blinked in suprise, "Oh! Good thinking!... What do you do anyway?"
At this, his guilt melted away and his brows raised in curiosity, "What do I do?"
"In the Dragon Clan I mean," she clarified.
"I am a General under my leader's domain of rule," he answered shortly.
Ryumiko nearly stumbled at the new information, "A General? As in like a commander of an army type General?"
"Yes."
"Woah," she breathed. She knew he was strong and could fight but she had assumed all dragons could do that, like a type of instinct. But this new piece of information not only revealed something about Retsu, but also that the dragon race was much more organised than she had been inclined to believe. She frowned when something suddenly dawned on her, "So... what was a General doing hanging around Rin's house?"
He cleared his throat, "Well, as you know there was a chance that the prophesised one would turn up there."
"I know that. But did they really need a General to find the 'prophesised one'? I mean a soldier or something probably would have been satisfactory."
Retsu smirked, "Personally I think having a General was a wise choice considering the day we first met."
Thinking about the savage bird made Ryumiko shudder then nod in agreement, "You're right."
A growl abruptly erupted a little ways off from them and they both turned to see Yukaoi and Akinobu arguing what formalities should be performed upon their arrival to the Dragon Clan... again. Ryumiko hurried up to the quarreling duo and gently touched Akinobu, though it wasn't really touching since the little dragon wasn't exactly a physical form. Still, Akinobu felt her and stopped mid-sentence to face the girl.
"We need to get going shouldn't we?" Ryumiko tentatively asked, subtly implying that they should stop fighting.
With a huff and a literal puff of smoke, Akinobu disappeared under her skin and she smiled in relief. Yukaoi, agitated that the little serpent had retreated from their 'discussion' turned away from them and leapt into the sky, leaving Ryumiko stunned and Retsu with the sudden realisation that he would now have to be the one to carry the object of his immediate thoughts. It was going to be a long flight.
Albeit, he did not notice her presence after some time. Once Ryumiko had finally settled down comfortably, she seemed to meld to his scales and became unnoticable to him, and for that he was thankful for her Noble blood. He did notice however, that somehow, with her on his back that his flying was smoother and more stable... if that was even possible. But regardless of these oddly relaxed moments, the slightest adjustment Ryumiko made immediately brought Retsu back to reality and threw him into his whirlwind of confusion once more. A long flight it was.
The arrival of the sibling dragons and their charge at the fortress was cause for much commotion amongst the dragons. As the nine Dragon Leaders assembled in their hall, the other dragons that worked within the fortress were frantically preparing suitable accomodation for the guests. It was a pandemonium that was only quelled once the visitors were sighted and everyone came to a halt.
The leaders murmurmed amongst themselves in great anticipation and fell deadly silent as a messenger dragon entered, announcing the entrance of the two dragons from the east and the prophesised spirit.
The three entered, with the two dragons in front, concealing the third person behind them. All three bowed and waited for the eldest Dragon Leader to greet them.
The eldest, a tall dragon with a long yellow beard and fiery orange eyes stood with arms opened wide, "Welcome Yukaoi and Retsu of the Eastern Tenkyu dragons and our esteemed guest. Please tell us what news you bring."
Ryumiko lifted her head as the others did and could not help but stare. Sure the pale marble hall was astonishing in itself and more than once Akinobu had told her to stop admiring the scenery and pay attention to what was happening. Now, she couldn't tear her eyes from the impressive sight the clan leaders made.
She knew, thanks to Akinobu, that the man who had greeted them was the eldest. She didn't believe it at first since the 'eldest' dragon looked as if he were twenty, but she soon recalled that spirits could choose how they aged. She figured that was going to throw her off a lot in the future. She could vaguely hear Retsu and Ryumiko relaying the previous events that befell them and Akinobu informing her about each leader, but her attention focused on only two of the leaders. Neither had their attention on her (yet) but they held hers nonetheless.
The first was a tall and well-built dragon who appeared in his mid forties. He had long copper-like hair that was secured in a low ponytail and similar copper eyes. He had lines etched into his face spoke of countless things he had experienced in life, horrors in the lines around his eyes, great joy in the lines that lightly appeared on his cheeks... she had no idea what made this dragon so much more interesting than the others, there was nothing particularly special about him but she couldn't stop the nagging feeling of being drawn to this stranger.
The other dragon that had caught her attention, was a steely eyed dragon beside the copper haired one. This dragon was slightly shorter than the other but that didn't diminish his imposing atmosphere. His short cropped jet black hair and his white eyes added to the brooding and borderline furious expression the dragon bore as he listened to the tales of recent events. There was something about this dragon that set her on edge.
Akinobu supplied her thoughts with the relevent information, 'The dragon with copper hair is Lord Natsuo of the Fortress.'
'Just the fortress?' she inquired.
'This fortress lies in the centre of the eight regions. The title refers to the central region not just the fortress.'
'Oh... then shouldn't that make him more important than that 'Eldest' dragon if he's the head of the fortress?'
'No. Each leader is the strongest within their respective region, but amongst other leaders, their rank lies in age, so that there is a balance of strength as well as wisdom.'
'Makes sense I guess... What rank does Lord Natsuo lie on?'
'He is the third highest leader amongst the dragons but I do believe he is possibly the strongest out of them all,' Akinobu commented, before moving onto the other dragon. 'That other one there, that is Lord Raiden of the South, fourth in rank and third in strength.'
'He seems... unhappy,' Ryumiko noted, observing the creepy glint in the eyes of the dragon in question.
'Indeed. Pay attention now, I believe it will soon be your turn to introduce yourself.'
And with that, Ryumiko's heart began to thunder with anticipation, the weight of the her next actions suddenly sinking in. Once Yukaoi finished her account of their tale, the Eldest spoke again, "You mean to say that our esteemed guest has already retrieved our power from Yubaba?" Ryumiko noticed all of the leaders subtly lean forward in curiosity.
Yukaoi gave a firm nod of her head, "Yes, it is so. I and my brother have seen and even conversed with our power ourselves."
"Step forward spirit!" commanded the Eldest.
Ryumiko wasn't sure who he was talking about at first, but she soon realised, once Retsu and Yukaoi stepped away to reveal her, that it was time for her to take centerstage... and what a stage it was. She had never felt so much expectation, scrutiny, awe and disappointment directed at her all at once and with such strength. She almost shied away, but slight encouragement from Akinobu and a quick reassuring smile from Retsu and Yukaoi allowed her to remember what she was supposed to do. With a quick step forward and a very low bow, she reminded herself to keep her eye level below the Leaders'.
"You may rise and tell us your name child," the Eldest said.
'Why does everyone keep calling me a child?!'
'Because you are a child.'
"My name is Ryumiko Ogiro," she stated, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Ryumiko Ogiro, would you please present the Clan's power to the Leaders."
With a deep breath, Ryumiko stretched a hand out with her palm raised upwards. Slowly, probably to add to the drama Ryumiko guessed, Akinobu materialised out of the glowing wisps of smoke that trailed out of her palm. As soon as Akinobu had completely formed, she could hear excited murmurs around her. She also desperately wished to see the expressions of the dragons, but she reminded herself once more not to do so incase she let her eyes rise above the level of one of the Leader's. As she concentrated on not looking at the Leaders, she noticed an orb-like object in front of her, something she couldn't see when the other two were standing in front of her. It was glowing in a very similar way to Akinobu but the orb's glow was faint, like a dying fire.
'Is that where you live?' Ryumiko asked Akinobu, still able to communicate telepathically with their physical connection.
'Yes.'
'It's rather small for you to live in isn't it?' she questioned with a small frown. Surely Akinobu wasn't a prisoner was he?
'It is a home that I may come and go to as I please, no need to worry little one.'
"What a fortunate day!" exclaimed the Eldest. "If you may, would you please return the power to us?"
With a nod, Ryumiko stepped toward the orb, as Akinobu instructed her, and she lowered her arm so that the dragon could easily reach the ball. She thought all was going well as Akinobu stood atop the orb, but after a few seconds, something seemed wrong. She looked Akinobu in the eyes, demanding to know what was supposed to happen. The dragon simply looked frustratedly at the ball before turning to face the now disgruntled Leaders.
"It would seem that we have underestimated Yubaba."
FINALLLYYYYY! My gosh Haku it only took you forever! Mind you it took me forever to update as well... but I HAVE FINAL EXAMS NEXT WEEK! *goes into a mindless panic* Anywho, this chapter had a lot of plot furthering (for once) and I would really appreciate some critiquing because I'm not sure if this chapter felt too rushed...
!*! HOWEVER on an awesome note, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER I HAVE FANART! It's a gorgeous illustration from the last chapter and I have huge thanks for Sanando-Maris-Anguis for the drawing! Firstly, I feel so privileged to have fanart in the first place and secondly, I think you really captured this moment perfectly! It is such a joy to see my characters come to life! Check it out it's actually amazing!
Here's the link:
fav. me/ d5jetc0 (Remove spaces when pasting into address bar)
But I shan't forget my many thanks to you dear reviewers!
Anabelle9 (I'm glad you like my writing! It shall keep going! Thank you so much for your review!)
WoodsWolf (Haha, well we all do have our crazy side :P Thank you for your review!)
FruitySmell (Thank you so much, I'm so glad you have enjoyed the story thus far and hope you keep enjoying! :D)
Genie2130 (No problem :D Thank you so much for reviewing!)
FoxxyNeko (Sorry for another long wait but just a few more weeks then my exams will be over and then I'm a FREE WOMAN! :D Thank you so much for your review!)
Moongirl12121 (Yay new computer! Me too... I wish Retsu would just sweep Ryumiko off her feet already... save me the trouble of sorting through their emotional crap :P Thank you so much for your reviewing!)
InkWoven (Sorry again for the wait! And I'm glad you enjoy reading this story! I also feel quite happy from your review because I am so pleased to be able to create a story that garnered such praise even though I'm still only a teenager at present :P Thank you for your review!)
Evanna23 (Thank you so much for your review! Although I do have one question, can you please show me what you consider offensive language in my writing so that I can adjust the story appropriately. I did look for it but could not find anything as such, though keep in mind we do live in different countries so what you may consider offensive may not be at all offensive where I come from. Also I am going by the original Japanese film, and it is Rin in the original version, the English version is Lin. I didn't want to make it Lin because Lin is a Chinese name and both the film and Rin are Japanese. Thank you so much for reviewing though and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!)
For the rest of you: Please Review!
Because you can encourage me for my exams!
Haha that's a lie, this chapter only came out because I was avoiding study :P
But still...
New review box/Button is here!
l
v