The Path of Water

By Arlia'Devi

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away in any respect; all rights go to Hayao Miyazaki and associates. I make no money from this.

The Path of Water

XXXVII: The Snake that Strikes

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

~ Albert Pike

The guard let Chihiro past with a small grumble, and she staggered forward and clenched the door knob as a large rumble of thunder shook the palace to its very core. She shivered and opened the large door, stepping into the extensive hall, noticing Haku studying the sky with Senekular on the far windows.

The room was long and had polished hard-wood floors, thick marble beams that stretched up to the high, intricately decorated ceiling. There was a large tapestry hanging on the other side of the hall, but closer to the door were filing cabinets and a small seating area with old weapons collected along the wall.

"Haku," she called, her voice cutting across the storm to reach her husband. He turned instantly, as did, Senekular.

"Chihiro-," Haku frowned and made a move to slowly approach her. "Are you all right?"

"The baby is coming," she replied as Haku touched her elbow. "It's really early, I'm worried."

"The baby?" Haku gaped for a moment. "Is coming? As in, right now? At this very second?"

"Not at this very second," Chihiro tried to clarify to her dumb-struck husband. "But soon, probably very soon."

Haku pressed his hand to her stomach gently, his brows knitting together. There was another rumble outside and Chihiro heard a skid in the hallway, but another small contraction was beginning to creep up on her and she grabbed Haku's arm and squeezed with a gasp.

"The baby is fine," Haku replied. "Ah! Ow, ow, ow! Let go!" he cried, trying to steal back his arm.

"Ow, ow, ow," Chihiro screwed her eyes shut. "Fuck this really hurts."

"We should get you back to bed, Chihiro," Haku said.

"What's going on outside?" she asked.

"Sudden storm," Haku muttered. "It doesn't matter… come on, I'll call Chase and Zeniba."

Chihiro was about to nod and follow her husband back to their room when crash - the sound of glass shattering against the floor resounded through the hall. Senekular scrambled out the way as the middle window fell into the window, blowing debris into the room. Haku shielded Chihiro with his clothes as she covered her face from the strong winds that billowed in.

"Haku!" a voice cut through the storm and Chihiro turned to the doorway, where Rin was standing. Her chest was heaving and her hair and clothes were wet.

"Rin!" Chihiro called.

"Go with Rin!" Haku told Chihiro, trying to push her forward.

"Haku, it's Raijin!" screamed Rin.

A blinding flash filled the room and Senekular scrambled to where Haku and Chihiro were standing.

"My Lord, it's the thunder god, he's truly gone mad!" he exclaimed.

Standing in the middle of the debris, it swirling around him like a tiny tornado, was Raijin, standing rigid and tall and brandishing his halberd. His lips curled up into a smirk, showing his pointed fang-teeth, and his eyes flashed dangerously, now a deep crimson.

"Go," Haku hushed to his wife, "go with Rin. Back to the apartment where it's safe. Go now."

Chihiro nodded frantically and made to move towards Rin, who was waiting by the door, when suddenly a bolt of lightning cut in front of her and struck the wall behind, making the weapon collection that had been hanging there, fall to the floor with a clutter. Chihiro screamed and stumbled back to Haku.

"State your business, Raijin," Haku barked as Rin ran across the floor, careful of the cut glass and took Chihiro's shoulders.

"Darling…," Raijin sneered. "You ran away…"

Rin visibly shivered.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you're not Raijin -get out of his body!" Rin snarled. "If you're here for me, I'll go with you, just leave them alone!"

"Rin, no!" Chihiro cried.

"Be quiet Chihiro," she replied back hotly.

Raijin chuckled gently and spun his weapon in his hand.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not here for you."

"Then what are you here for?" Haku demanded. "You're certainly not Raijin, a demon has obviously taken control of his body - speak, then, demon."

"I am no demon," Raijin countered. "I am, in fact, still the very same being. I've just been… thinking clearer, these past few decades - about myself, about you, about this, this sham of a government that you've made yourself the leader of…" Raijin sighed gently. "It was a shame, really. I've known for quite some time I'd have to kill you. And we were such great friends for a while."

Haku growled lowly in his throat.

"F-fine."

Raijin chuckled.

"Just let the women go," Haku said.

"No, Haku!" Chihiro cried.

"Go back to the quarters with Rin, Chihiro," he said gently, letting her go. "I'll be there as soon as I can - just stay out of sight, okay?"

"No!" Chihiro cried, her eyes blurring her vision.

"Go," Haku spoke gently.

"Come on," Rin said gently.

"Ah-ah-ah," Raijin chided in amusement, his feet crushing over the glass as he approached Haku. "I don't think so… well, she's carrying the heir to the throne, isn't she? The son of great Dragon of the Eastern Lands, the grandson to the Great Sea Serpent. Such a powerful young man he'll grow into be; not as strong as his old man, of course, but it's said that he will make my master's plans very difficult, but if I stop him today - well, that makes more sense, doesn't it?"

"What?" Chihiro squeaked.

"Chihiro, you have to run!" Haku demanded.

"Haku, this baby is coming, and I'm almost eight months pregnant - I am not able to run, I-," she whimpered.

"It is fated for you to die this day, Lord Kohaku, my dear friend," Raijin sneered. "To fall by my weapon."

Haku growled lowly and looked over to Chihiro. Against the shadow of the wall, he saw a large cobra's shadow rearing up, and he turned quickly to see Senekular approach her from behind. The shadow reared up, connected to the minister whose eyes shone burgundy in evil intention.

"Chihiro!" he wanted to shout, wanted to call, and to reach and grab her and pull her out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough - Senekular was as quick as a striking snake, and strike he did, plunging a dagger deep into Chihiro's back.

"Safe travels to the underworld, my lady," whispered Senekular as Chihiro's body lurched and twisted. He pushed the dagger in a little deeper, twisted it, and then pulled it out again as Chihiro fell to the floor.

Rin screamed and ran to her best friend's body.

"Chihiro! No!" Rin screamed, ripping off her shirt to press at the wound.

"H-h-help, Rin… I…," Chihiro spluttered gently.

Rin looked up to Haku, who was staring with a blank face as Chihiro laid on the floor, her blood seeping into the floorboards. A large cobra reared up behind Haku, its scales a deep crimson and its stomach a shimmering pearly white. Its head almost touched the rafters of the hallway before it hissed, venom flaring out from its mouth and splattering onto the floor and expanded its hood in a menacing display of aggression.

"My Lady!" a woman fell to the side of Chihiro and pressed her hands against the wound. Rin backed off and took her drenched shirt away.

Ayne looked to Rin with hard eyes. "It's okay, I have healed it, she'll be fine - but we're going to pretend she is not, otherwise they will strike her again."

Rin gaped and looked to Chihiro, where the colour was coming back to her face.

"It's okay," she croaked. "I don't feel the pain anymore."

"My Lady, your baby is coming," Ayne said gently. "I will cast a spell so you don't feel the contractions. You have to stay still until we can leave without being detected. This is very important."

"Okay," Chihiro replied shakily. She dared to cast an eye over to Haku.

He had managed to find a sword, a large impressive emerald handled sword made of a beautiful metal, and he wielded it with great skill and as it clashed with Raijin's halberd, made loud resounding clashes. Rin had picked up a double ended spiked spear that had fallen from the wall. She was currently jabbing at the large cobra that was Senekular, who was striking with his fangs, trying to sink them into Rin's flesh.

Ayne huffed and ran her hand over Chihiro's hair, looking around the hall in horror.

"We have to call Zeniba," she sighed gently.

"Please, Ayne," Chihiro croaked gently. "Please just make sure my baby survives. Whatever happens, just make sure it - he - survives."

"You're having a son?"

Chihiro nodded, tears running from her eyes and down her temples.

"Yes."

Ayne smiled gently, almost sadly. "Congratulations, my lady."

There was a loud clang and a cry of pain as Haku grasped is bleeding shoulder, loosening his grip on the sword for the moment. Raijin laughed as the man stumbled backwards.

"I knew you would not surrender without a fight," Raijin laughed. "We knew we would have to take her out, kill that human, and then you would yield."

"Who," Haku gritted, throwing his sword to the side. He could still feel Chihiro's life force - gently, still pulsing and racing like a hummingbirds heartbeat within his subconscious. Until that disappeared, he wouldn't stop fighting. "Is your master?"

Raijin considered this as Rin ripped a large scream from her throat and stabbed Senekular in the right eye, making the snake coil back and smash out another window with his tail.

"It's an uprising!" Raijin laughed. "Mutany!"

Haku grit his teeth and looked at his sword laying on the other side of the room. It would be foolish to try and retrieve it. He would have to try something else - something that Raijin didn't have.

"It is unfortunate we have fought before," Haku spat blood and sniggered. "Even if they were only sparring sessions, I always knew that one place to pin you, every time - and even when you did win, it was only against me, in this form. You have never experienced anything else."

"I can take it," Raijin sniggered. "The Lord of the Western Lands will take this palace, kill every man and whore in it, and when it has been properly cleansed, it will be rebuilt as one again - as it had been in the old days. A great spirit kingdom."

"The West is once again waging war on the East?" Haku snorted. "Foolish mistake. The Eastern forces will destroy you."

"I will kill you before we go to war, and rebuild this place from the top to the bottom."

"Good luck," Haku replied, shivering. Instantly, scales began to shine from his skin and his spine began to grow longer, his feet sprouted sharp claws and his teeth elongated. In a few moments Raijin found himself face-to-face with the Great Dragon of the Eastern Lands, the son of the Mighty Sea serpent, and gripped his weapon a little tighter. Haku growled and the sound ripped through the hall as he struck without mercy.

Across the hall, Rin wrenched the pike from Senekular's eye, just quick enough to jab it into his back again, making the snake howl in pain once again. Quickly she manoeuvred it to block another strike of his fangs, kicking back his head with a foot. She panted and looked for another weapon. There were some throwing knives scattered around the floor and a machete, which she quickly picked up and hurled at Senekular. It cut into his midsection deeply, but it wasn't a fatal wound. Rin huffed. She'd never killed something this big before.

"Just die already," she wanted to scream to him, because she'd caused him a considerable amount of injury but it had not hindered him in the least.

She panted and picked up the pike again.

Abruptly, a growl ripped through the room and there was a flash of white darting past Rin's vision. And then Raijin was being thrown against the wall by a big ferocious cat and Haku had come over to attack Senekular, nudging her out the way. She stumbled away and back over to Chihiro.

"How is she doing?" Rin panted.

"Rin your forehead is bleeding," Chihiro croaked.

"It's okay, how are you?"

"I think I'm okay," Chihiro smiled.

"All right, let's get you out of here, huh?" Rin huffed.

"Haku-,"

"Will be fine-,"

Suddenly a painful yelp broke through the room. Across the wall, Rin saw Hotaru buckle and leap back and Raijin grab his halberd, arm poised high to deliver a leathal blow.

"No, Raijin!" Rin cried. "Don't please!"

Chihiro managed to get to her feet, supported by Ayne.

"Let's get you somewhere safe, my lady," said Ayne.

Haku's body suddenly rushed past them and down to the end of the hallway, where Hotaru was whimpering and writhing from his wounds. Haku snarled loudly and then there was a clatter, and Raijin's halberd fell to the ground, covered in blood and Raijin's arm still attached to the weapon.

"Oh my god," Rin stuttered.

Haku reared back as Raijin cried out in pain, clutching his wounded arm and howling in pain.

Swiftly Rin leapt to her feet. Raijin stumbled backwards, overcome with his wounds, bleeding through his robes and onto the floorboards.

"Haku, please!" Rin cried, throwing herself in front of the dragon. "Please don't kill him, please, Haku!"

Haku growled and motioned for Rin to get out of the way.

"Please, Haku," she begged gently.

Haku grunted. He was filled with rage and adrenaline but then he looked back to Chihiro, who smiled at him gently and was about to stumble out of the room when Haku watched Senekular slowly rise from his coil in the corner, and, dripping with blood and mortally wounded. He rose and his red eyes were set on Chihiro, who was almost out of the room. Rin was sobbing over Raijin, who had lost consciousness.

Chihiro…

Haku was fast, but Senekular was faster, and he struck with precision, his battled body moving across the room and swooping over Chihiro. But there was no injury, no blood, and by the time Chihiro had staggered forward, Senekular had changed back to his human form, falling against the wall.

"Chihiro!"

"My Lady!" Ayne called, catching her as she fell. "My Lady, please stand up!"

Senekular sniggered against the wall.

"What did you do to her?" Haku snarled. His shoulder was bleeding through is robes.

"Get Chihiro into the bedroom," Haku demanded. He approached Senekular and sneered. "What did you do to her?"

"A simple spell, really," choked back Senekular with a bloody sneer. "You will fall. The East will fall."

And then his hand grasped the knife beside him, twisted it back towards him in his hand and plunched it into his stomach, wrenching it across. Haku watched on with disgust as his intestines spilled out onto the floor.

"Enjoy your miserable existence," he gurgled out.

And then he was gone. Haku watched on for a moment as he bled out onto the floor. What was going on here?

"I… I…," he stammered, shaking his head. He'd lost a considerable amount of blood and his body was starting to feel it.

Then something caught his eye. Against Senekular's ear, through his hair, Haku noticed it - a small wriggling object. A slug.

Quickly his hands clasped over the bug before it escaped. It wriggled and slitered around his clasped hands. A guard had arrived at the hall, looking at the horror scene with shock.

"Get me a bottle, quickly!" Haku said. "And call the medics."

The guard scrambled off and Haku went over to Hotaru, where the man had changed back and was panting against the wall.

"You shouldn't have done that," Haku said.

Hotaru huffed with a small smile. "Like you would be able to take them on both by yourself."

"True," Haku hummed. "It might have been much worse. Senekular was a mole."

"And he-,"

"Killed himself," Haku replied. "A medic will be in to see your wounds."

"He almost killed me," Hotaru breathed. "And I saw it in his eyes - he would have too."

"I know."

The guard came back with the bottle then, and Haku put the little slug into the container and fixed the lid. The medics began to work on Hotaru, settling their things down next to him.

"My Lord," said one, "let me look at your shoulder."

"Later," Haku muttered. "I need to go see Chihiro. Stay with them. Treat Raijin then take him to the lock-up. Leave Rin."

"Of course, my Lord," said the guard.

Haku sighed and left the room. He searched for Chihiro's link as he made his way back to their apartment. His shoulder throbbed but he was bleeding less and slowly healing over. He would be all right, but Chihiro was having her baby, their baby… he ran down the halls, and when their apartment door came into sight, he saw Ayne out the front and slowed down.

"Zeniba is here," Ayne said gently. "I did everything I could, my Lord."

A cold shiver run down his spine, but he shook his head. "You did wonderfully, Ayne," Haku assured.

"Zeniba is inside," Ayne said. "My Lord, she wasn't well when we came back - the lady or her child."

Haku nodded. "Okay…"

With a pounding heart, he grasped the door knob. The apartment was quiet, and soon Chase came to meet him.

"How is she?"

"Zeniba is with her, I don't know," Chase said gently. "It doesn't look good, Haku… I-I… what happened there? Where is Hotaru?"

"He'll be fine," Haku assured. "How is Aeala?"

"F-fine… she's in the other room sleeping… you should go see Zeniba."

Haku nodded.

He approached their bedroom and opened the door. The room smelt of spices and burning incense. Sitting beside the bed was Zeniba, holding Chihiro's hand gently.

"Zeniba…," Haku breathed gently.

"Oh, darling," Zeniba turned to him, her eyes and face wet. Haku shook his head.

"No."

"I'm sorry. There was a strong spell cast upon her," Zeniba sighed. "She was already in a weakened state. It tore right through her."

"No!" Haku shook his head, storming past Zeniba.

And there in the bed, was his beautiful wife and mate lying in bed like an angel with her eyes closed and looking so, so peaceful.

"Please, no," Haku cried, taking up her hand. "No, Chihiro," he wept. "Darling. Wake up, please."

"I'm sorry, Haku…"

"And the baby?"

"Was still connected to his mother - he didn't make it either, Haku, I'm so, so, so sorry, my darling... she's gone."

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~ Arlia'Devi