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

By Arlia'Devi

L: Premonitions

Chihiro wasn't mad. She was absolutely furious. Her mood had changed from foul, to angry, to furious and finally to livid as she and Haku made the ride home to the bathhouse in the late afternoon. It had been a quiet trip, indeed, but her anger had boiled despite the cool air and the beautiful scenery that passed by. Haku was only glad she couldn't really communicate with him in this form – that gave him a little over twenty minutes as to what he was going to say to her after everything that had just happened.

They landed in the large bedroom on the second-from-the-top floor and Haku changed back into human form, but didn't say anything for a moment as Chihiro went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Haku heard water running.

"Dearest," he murmured through the door, leaning on it gently. "Come out – please."

Chihiro huffed from the basin. A cool cloth washed her face, but did little to sooth her hot mood. In fact, she was surprised the cold water didn't just form steam on contact with her face.

"He has no right!" she growled, throwing the door open.

"I know," Haku's voice was calm and even, as he tried to keep his own anger in check.

"You agree with him?!" Chihiro screeched, too angry to interpret Haku's less-than-passionate response.

"Of course not!" Haku replied, stunned. "I don't agree with anything. You know that!"

"You didn't say anything to him!" she said. "You just stood there like a dope and didn't say a word. I wanted to go right up and slap him in the face. How dare he say things like that! You're the Lord. I don't care if he's your advisor!" she spat the word out like a bad taste.

"I was too stunned to say anything, Chihiro," he shook his head. "My head froze and I couldn't think of anything, and for that I'm sorry, but what he said I agree it was completely out of line." He gathered the woman up in his arms again. "Who is anyone to tell me not to mate you?" he smoothed over her damp hair, damp from the cold water. "I love you. He couldn't possibly understand."

Chihiro sighed and wrapped her arms around her mate. She nestled into his chest, feeling his heart beat against her cheek. Suddenly, everything caught up with her and she was very tired.

"You should get some rest," he murmured against her ear.

Chihiro felt herself being picked up, before her back was placed on the mattress on their bed.

"I'll wake you up before dinner," he smiled and kissed her gently.

"Haku," she called and he turned back.

"Yes?"

"You're not having second thoughts about what he said, are you? About marrying me?"

Haku shook his head. "Of course not!" he cried. "I told you before, mates are not usually tolerated in the Imperial Palace – I've never known of a Lord to have a Lady like I intend for myself. Well-known concubine is the highest rank I've ever known of a lady, but this is the twenty-first century," he offered a wink to the human woman who giggled. "Women deserve a little more than that, don't they?"

"It'll be hard to convince the already converted," Chihiro reminded him.

Haku snorted in a very unregal manner and laughed. "Senekular is an old drone who thinks women belong in their own separate quarters, harems and brothels. Take little notice of him; I know Sar'onga didn't."

"He's a creep," Chihiro admitted gently.

Haku laughed. "He'll be upset to find I'm more like Sar'onga than he originally anticipated."

Chihiro hummed and settled into bed. Haku gently untwisted the comb from her hair and set it on the bedside table. "Rest now, for a while. I'll keep Rin and Chase busy so they don't disturb you for a while. I'll wake you up before dinner."

She nodded and the dragon lord got up. The bed sprung back up following his leave. The door closed quietly behind him.

Chihiro sighed into the pillow.

"I'm not saying you cannot stay, Lady Chihiro," Senekular's voice rang through her head. His face was imprinted in her mind – his purple lips, his yellow teeth and blackening gums, his old white tongue. "I'm just suggesting alternatives to mating. You know, it's a sacred bond and one that Lords have not undertaken. Ever. I'm not saying it is a bad choice, but we have not had one unsuccessful Lord yet. Women are distracting, Master Kohaku… please reconsider."

She shook her head. No. She felt nothing more than a lowly earthworm among the people at the Imperial Palace. She felt like a freak in High City, with everyone staring at her, whispering. How could the dragon lord choose that?

Chihiro fell asleep, her head spinning in circles.

Haku rubbed his wearied eyes as he did the rounds of the bathhouse. For some reason, he found himself lingering longer than usual with Kamaji in the boiler room. The boiler room held many memories for him – often good, coming from something bad. When he'd fallen sick, he'd hid down in the boilers where it wasn't necessarily cooler, but where he could be alone and it was quiet. Kamaji had let him have a cold bath when he had a fever, or sleep on the floorboards when he'd been injured. Haku sighed and watched the soots work.

"How did the funeral go?" Kamaji asked.

"It ended badly," Haku replied.

"Sorry, I should be calling you 'my lord'," Kamaji chuckled, not sorry at all. "But hey, I'm an old spirit, kid, you'll have to forgive my forgetfulness. Anyway, what happened with you and Sen?"

"The advisor advised against us becoming mates," he admitted gently.

"Wow-zah!" Kamaji spat out his tea. "Sen must have been in a foul mood."

Haku shook her head. "As expected. She was fuming."

"You both knew it would be hard."

Haku had to agree. "I knew taking her to the High City would be a risky choice – hell, I knew asking her to become my mate would brush a lot of people the wrong way. I definitely did not expect that. Not when Sar'onga had been so passive about the matter."

Kamaji said nothing for a long time, and a few bath tokens fell from the roof.

"Alright, scat," Kamaji waved away the dragon. "That's enough of you hiding down here; go do some work, Haku, you lazy old worm."

"Watch your tongue to your lord, Kamaji," the dragon replied in a serious jest. The spider spirit only chuckled.

"I'm more afraid of your mate, my granddaughter, than I am of you."

Haku laughed. "That makes two of us, then."

Meanwhile, many stories above, Rin was talking to Chase. Chase was holding baby Aeala over her shoulder. Aeala was gurgling and reaching out to her father, who passed behind his mate, giving his little girl a funny face.

"Tochan!" she called out, reaching out for Hotaru.

Chase pulled the baby into her arms then, turning around to see Hotaru approaching with a shocked look on his face.

"Did she just say Tochan?" Hotaru asked, a grin plastered on his face.

Chase regarded her daughter carefully. "Did you Aeala-chan? Did you just call out to your otousan?"

Aeala didn't do anything but giggle and launch herself into her father's open arms. Rin leant against the railing, watching the commotion in front of her as the two spirit parents tried to encourage their offspring to speak again.

"Everything is going well?" a smooth voice approached from behind and Rin swirled around, knowing who it was after twenty years.

"Fine, Haku," Rin said as the Lord approached. "Or am I supposed to call you 'my lord'?" she offered a defiant smug.

Haku shook his head and laugh. "Everyone around here is so smug - I get such little respect these days."

"Where's Chihiro?" Rin asked, placing a hand on her hip. "How did the funeral go?"

"Not particularly well," Haku admitted gently, his eyes wandering over Rin's shoulder to the swooning couple and their child. "She's taking a nap. What's going on with these two?"

"Aeala called out 'tochan' to Hotaru – they're trying to force her to speak again by doing all manner of degrading actions." Rin snorted at the ridiculous faces Chase was pulling at her daughter.

"Don't be such a spoil sport," Haku chided gently. "Your time may come."

"Doubt it," Rin said with a sneer.

"Oh hey guys."

Rin and Haku turned to see Chihiro approaching them, dressed in bathhouse clothes and her hair pulled back into a loose bun. She hadn't seemed to have shaken the sleep from her face or voice yet and yawned as she stood by Haku's side.

"How long until dinner?" she asked, scratching her head. "I'm starving…"


Back at the Imperial Palace in the High City, it was very quiet meeting of the Lord's advisors, generals and members of the Royal Parliament. Senekular sat at the head of the long white marble table, picking grapes off a small bunch leisurely. Along the sides of the table sat other members of the Royal Parliament, including Ayne.

"I believe my Lord did a fine job at the procession today," spoke one member, the one named Dal, with dark skin, a half-shaven head and a large build. A long raven braided ponytail ran down his back. His voice was gentle and soothing, breaking the silence comfortably. "It was interesting he brought his mate – the human one, she's something else."

"The human is not his mate," Senekular responded sharply, taking another grape and dropping it into his mouth.

"She will be," replied Ayne.

Senekular didn't respond to that comment.

"I thought she did a fine job, better than any normal human could do," replied Dal. "For a moment, I even forgot she was a human."

"She's very pretty," said Ismene, who sat next to Ayne. "I was surprised. Humans are ugly creatures, covered in fur and hair. Tell me, do they still reside in caves?"

"You have not seen a human for a long time!" Ayne laughed.

Ismene shook her head. "Maybe not. But I was also surprised with her conduct. Of course, it will take some time for her to settle in, but I believe she'll be an asset to the Lordship."

"Hogwash!" a large spirit called out. He was large with reddish skin and wore a large white robe. Yaug was a hideous looking spirit – a head like a tomato and large googly eyes. His chin had small white hair sprouting out, though his head was bald. In his ears were large golden stretchers. "What a joke that is – a Lady? It's bad enough she's a stinking human, let alone being allowed in the Imperial Palace. If the Lord has any rational thought, he'll dispose of her."

"She could be a concubine," Senekular hummed, throwing the finished grape vine in a bin. "Though the Lord was not too happy when I mentioned it."

"I cannot believe you two!" Ayne hissed, rising to her feet. "You're still stuck in the last century, it's disgusting."

"Hold your tongue, girl," Yaug warned. "You should watch what you say in the presence of beings much older than you. In the thousands of years these lands have had a Lord, there have never once been a partner."

"Humans are so delicate," Senekular sighed, grinning at Ayne. "Wouldn't it be unfortunate if she … slipped?" Yaug laughed heartily on the end of the table.

Ayne sucked in a sharp breath. "You better not touch a hair on her head, Senekular! You think you can manipulate Kohaku then you're sorely mistaken. He's more like Sar'onga than you think."

Senekular looked at Yaug and laughed. "Just like Sar'onga?" he chuckled. Yaug grinned. "Tell me again, Ayne, how you came to be in the Royal Parliament? Too bad opening your legs won't get you anywhere with this new Lord."

Ayne narrowed her eyes. "You're a disgusting snake. Lord Kohaku will see you for the slime you are."

Senekular rolled his eyes as Ayne stormed off. "Common whore." He looked to Ismene, the olive-skinned, blonde-haired maiden. "And what do you have to say, woman?"

"You both disgust me," Ismene growled and hurried off after her sister. Dal remained silent, his ears ringing from such blasphemy.


"Ah-choo!"

Chihiro sat up in bed, sneezing twice. Haku reached up from behind her, feeling her bare shoulder.

"Are you getting sick?" he murmured endearingly.

"No," she said, pressing a hand against her cheek to check for a fever. "Someone's just gossiping about me."

Haku scoffed and rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to his partner's shoulder. "You humans and your superstitions," he laughed gently and threw an arm around Chihiro's waist. "Come back to bed."


Thanks to those people who reviewed the last chapter. This one is a little short – but I've been revising a couple of early chapters – some things in this story just didn't add up, and I've finally found the time to edit properly.

Those who reviewed were:

Cinnful, MintxMARS, Sokka2Me, DemonGirlSylvie, roseskyangel, sonia- s.a, JasmineGreenTea, ulquihime7980, Have a Nice Dream, FlutterbyBella, Barbie1swagg98, michelle88222, litugreen, The Madness Of My Life, doglover500, LaurenvBelladonna, DemonChild94, WhiteTiger246 and 03-636 Ebullient Ancilla.

This chapter was a lot shorter than others – a mere 2,500 words.

Please remember to review before you leave! x

~ Arlia'Devi.