Whew! I got chap 5 done! Im so proud of myself! (JK). Here is the
(surprisingly) much anticipated 5th chapter where the big question, WHO IS
THE GIRL WITH THE SILVER HAIR, will be answered (sort of..)
Anyway, thanx to all of the reviewers!!!! Wow I cant believe you all liked the fic (its my first). I seriously appreciate all of the reviews!!
Disclaimer: oke, I don't own CCS or Spirited Away DO NOT sue me pls!!!! I am but a poor little person with an empty wallet...
lalala-flashbacks
'lalala'-thinking
~~~ - Dreaming
"lalala"-out loud
Chapter 5: The Seventh Day
The workers were running towards the small figure at the foot of the bridge. She stood perfectly still; you could mistake her for a statue. Her eyes were bright gold, and reflected the glare of the building like twin orbs of crystal. She had been waiting for dark to come and for the bathhouse to open.
One of the men came forward. "Hey! You can't come here; you're just a little girl. You're not a spirit!"
She raised an eyebrow. She called to them, "This is a place for cleansing, is it not?" Her voice was compelling to obey.
The spirits wavered. "Errr.yes.but."
She knew she had them. "I have money." she reached into her plain kimono and brought out a piece of gold. "I want a bath. NOW!"
The gold worked like a charm. "Right away, Miss. Come on in!" The frogmen gestured towards the building.
'These spirits are so easy to fool! I had them eating right out of my hand,' she thought. 'You'd think they would be on their guard since I sent Kaonashi.' The girl grimaced. Kaonashi had gotten out of hand. She had to remember to punch some sense into those servants of hers when she got back. ' I wonder where he is.' she mused. 'He must be sulking about, looking for her. Oh well, you can't find good work nowadays; I just hope he won't come and mess things up.' Last she had heard of Kaonashi was that he had been working as a helper to Zeniba. Then he had disappeared. 'I wonder if he's going back to.' the young girl brushed away the thought. 'He couldn't find it; no real person can unless I make them.' Her mind eased, she looked around and marveled at the interior of the bathhouse. It was better than she expected.
Yubaba stood in the inner entrance, greeting customers. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the solemn young girl being escorted by her men. "What do you want?" she asked, suspicious immediately. The girl knew Yubaba wouldn't be as easy to fool. But she had a trick up her sleeve.
"Yubaba." she whispered, so only the old crone could hear. Her voice was coated with emotions; it was sad and happy, angry and unruffled, old and young. Yubaba heard it like a bell in her head, echoing and ringing around until she couldn't think. Then the girl held out her hand, the palm full of gold. Yubaba wordlessly took the money.
"Anything for you, dear," She said in a dull tone, "do you have a particular attendant in mind?"
She smiled. "Yes, I would like Rin. And hurry, if you please."
Yubaba turned around and yelled, "RIN GET DOWN HERE!" Then she turned back and stared into space. One of the other workers moved to show the girl where she was supposed to bathe.
She glared at him. "I will go myself." She walked away. As she rounded the corner, she snapped her fingers. Everyone in the vicinity suddenly stopped what he or she was doing. After a few seconds, their minds were looped back before the strange girl had come. No one remembered she was there, except the workers at the gate. 'But that had been purposeful, to persuade Rin.' she thought.
Yubaba, back at the front, blinked twice. "Okay people, we've got a hard night tonight. Let's not keep our rich customers waiting!" Slowly, the hustle and bustle of the bathhouse returned to its usual clamor.
- - -
Rin sat upstairs, taking a short break from all of the work. 'Tonight is especially busy,' she thought, 'I'm going to have a tough time with Chihiro on break.' She wearily munched on a roasted newt (specialty of Kamajii). As she ate the last delectable morsel, Rin heard Yubaba scream from the entrance. She groaned loudly, and made her way downstairs. Yubaba probably had anther customer for her; she already had some lined up.
"I don't get paid enough for this!" she muttered under her breath, shoving some of the workers out of her way so she could get to the foreman to see which bath number she had to attend. As she approached him, Rin saw him talking to one of the greeting men who worked at the bridge. She heard him telling the foreman about the client.
The foreman saw Rin and waved her over. "Hey Rin! You've got a good customer here, I hear she's rich."
Rin brightened slightly. "Rich?" she asked.
"Yeah," the gateman said, "she had a lot of gold with her! Maybe you can get some tips Rin!"
She grinned. Now that was some good news. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Rin got the tub number and headed for her new rich guest. As she walked, she smelled the herbs mixed in with the bath water. 'Ewww.' Rin thought. She could smell the sulfur soak for the radish spirit. But after all of her working years, Rin had gotten used to the aromas of bath herbs.
Rin found the right bath and walked in. There was a young girl standing by the tub. "What? You're just a girl!" she exclaimed.
The customer ignored her. "Fetch Chihiro, Kohaku, Sakura and Syaoran now! Hurry!" she yelled. Rin hesitated, unsure of what to do. The girl stamped her foot. "Do I have to do this with every stupid spirit in here?" she muttered, reaching into her kimono. Her hand came out with gold. "You want gold? Well go and get them!"
Rin paused, but the allure of money started her feet and she found herself running her room. 'How does she know who they are?' Rin wondered.
- - -
Syaoran, Sakura, Chihiro and Kohaku were enjoying a rare break. They were strewn across the floor on various pillows and could hardly talk for being out of breath. It seemed that Aburaya had been busier than usual. Sakura and Syaoran had been tired out from a bout of floor scrubbing (which Sakura thought was a lot harder than regular housework). Chihiro had just finished a customer off by herself when Kohaku had appeared out of nowhere and told her that Yubaba was giving him the day off. So they had gone to one of the rooms and were later joined by Sakura and Syaoran.
Syaoran cracked his knuckles. His hands were surprisingly sore from scrubbing. He felt odd. "Is it just me.or does anyone feel something weird is gonna happen?"
Kohaku looked at him blankly. "Anything could happen," he said simply.
Sakura had been keeping track of the days by scratching lines in the wall by her cot. There were seven of them. "We've spent seven days here. That's a week. Can you believe it?" Syaoran shook his head in response.
Chihiro smiled. The week had been the best week she could remember since.forever, it felt like. Even if she hadn't seen too much of Kohaku, she'd still gotten to see Rin and feel the good soreness of work that told you you were burning off calories. She leaned back and was surprised by Kohaku's arm that had been debating on putting itself around her shoulders (for some time). She leaned into it, smiling slightly. Kohaku jumped at the sudden contact.
Suddenly Rin burst in through the door. She panted out, "Hey you guys, there's this weird customer who wants to see you all. It's really weird, she just asked for you." "What?" they exclaimed. Only the workers in Aburaya knew they were there, and even then, not all of them. None of the customers knew that the bathhouse was harboring humans, so how could someone know?
"Who's the customer? What kind of spirit is it?" Kohaku asked.
Rin shrugged. "If I could guess, I'd say she was some other kind of spirit. I might even say she was a . human. But," she added hastily, "she doesn't look like any kind of human I'd know. She's really weird but she's rich." Rin told them about the gold.
"I guess we can go." Kohaku said hesitantly. He wasn't wild about going to see some weird spirit. It could be dangerous. But he had no choice; even Rin knew that. Yubaba always made sure good customers got what they wanted; this one was rich, on top of it all.
"All right, let's go then!" Rin said impatiently. (She wanted that gold!). The group got in line, following Rin down the corridors of Aburaya. That particular hallway had heavy redwood beams on the ceiling and walls, and the light reflected off of the wood, giving the hallway a rosy color. Shadows of customers were seen through the decorated rice paper walls, and the soft chatter of workers hummed under the stillness of the hallway.
'Too still.' Kohaku thought. Things were too quiet, especially on a busy night like this. He kept his guard up, walking tensely down the corridors. Suddenly he felt a surge of pain flash through his back. "AH!" he moaned, falling to the ground, but the pain was gone before he hit it. Kohaku knelt on the floor, panting.
"KOHAKU!" Chihiro yelled, coming forward. What happened to Kohaku? "Are you all right?" she demanded. Rin turned around and immediately checked for blood or broken bones.
She frowned. "He's okay.?" Rin paused, uncertain of what just happened.
Sakura looked at him. Kohaku looked fine to her. "Erm, are you feeling well?" She was concerned, but there was not a scratch on him.
Syaoran stared silently at Kohaku. He was still adjusting to the fact that he was a dragon, but couldn't help feeling apprehension for Kohaku. The pain had sounded real enough, but there was no explanation, except for-
"Are you sick?!?" Chihiro asked hysterically. She couldn't imagine him getting hurt, even after the last time.
Kohaku shook his head. He knew what it was. The pain had been a premonition of someone's pain to come. 'I can't tell them though,' he thought, 'I don't want to worry Chihiro.' He gazed at her, feeling happy that Chihiro was so worried.
Rin straightened up. "Well, let's keep moving, then." The group got up, single file again. Kohaku was right behind Rin, followed by Sakura and Syaoran walking together. Chihiro was last.
As they kept up the fast pace, Chihiro felt a tug on her foot and found the ground rushing up to meet her face. For some reason, she didn't call out. Chihiro lay face down on the ground, slightly winded. 'That was odd.' she thought, 'the floors are smooth, so how come I tripped?' as she lay on the ground, Chihiro felt a strange sensation come over her. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, or her body was slowed down with everything moving faster around her.
Chihiro looked up. Rin and the others were already far down the hallway and turning a corner. She should catch up with them. But she felt the inability to move. Chihiro struggled to sit up, and as she managed to get her torso up, the first thing she saw was-
CRRRRAAAAACK
- - -
Rin led the group inside the bath. Sakura, Syaoran, and Kohaku frowned. This wasn't a spirit!
A small girl stood with her back to them, facing the pool. The waters were calm, disturbed only by rhythmic ripples across the glassy surface. Too rhythmic.
She had silky, silver white hair that fell down her back and was smooth like the surface of the water. The girl stood perfectly still, as if she was concentrating. Sakura looked closely. Although standing still, she seemed far from a statue-her whole being was tuned and focused like a vibrating harp string.
All of a sudden, she whirled around. Her eyes were gold ('gold!' Sakura thought wildly, but then, 'I shouldn't be surprised.') and wide with a sudden anger. Her face was pale, and her eyebrows were thin and high arched liked lines painted by delicate brushes. She looked around passionately.
"Where's Chihiro?" she yelled.
- - -
The heavy beam of wood cracked from the ceiling. It fell in slow motion, and Chihiro could only watch in horror as the smooth red surface of the wood came right at her. Around her, Chihiro could hear other beams falling. They were going to drop right over her!
She couldn't scream, only turn around so her head wouldn't get hit. As she turned, the first beam hit her back. Chihiro heard a dull thud, and felt an intense throbbing pain against her back.
Splinters of wood sprinkled around her, and Chihiro thought she tasted blood in her mouth. Coughing, she tried to breathe in, but the leaden beam was crushing her to the floor. Chihiro dimly heard another crack, and in a moment, a final beam fell right on her head.
Chihiro sank into darkness.
- - -
Kohaku gasped. He had completely forgotten her! 'No, I can't forget her,' he thought ruefully, 'she's always on my mind.what could have pushed Chihiro out of my thoughts?'
Sakura looked around. The strange girl was right. Chihiro was nowhere to be seen. Even Syaoran appeared worried. He had become fond of the younger girl, now that he knew she wasn't evil or all mighty.
Rin bellowed out, "Chihiro! Where are you?" She couldn't let anything happen to that kid!
The girl sighed, and turned towards the exit of the tub room. "Well you're coming, right?" she demanded edgily. 'It might already be too late.' she thought anxiously.
Kohaku ran swifter than the wind, knocking workers and customers out of his way. The others followed in his path. He could only think of Chihiro. Something bad had happened to her, he just knew it. And suddenly, he did. 'The premonition!' he thought madly, 'it was her pain!' The despairing thought pushed him on. Kohaku knew he would die if anything happened to Chihiro.
Sakura and Syaoran struggled to keep up with Kohaku. 'I hope nothing horrible happened to her,' Sakura thought. Chihiro had been a good friend.
Syaoran felt penitent. He had never really apologized for what happened in front of the doorway to the Spirit World.
Kohaku was close behind the peculiar girl (how she was running ahead of him, he couldn't imagine). They ran to the hallway where he had felt the pain across his back. Instead of being quiet like it had been before, the hallway was bustling with workers.
"Is she dead?"
"What happened?"
"I think the ceiling collapsed. See the hole?"
The young girl stopped on the outskirts of the crowd. Kohaku pushed forward, knocking people out of his way so he could get to the center; what everyone was looking at. Sakura and Syaoran tried to get in, but they found the crowd too thick. Rin stood near them with a look of despair on her face.
Kohaku stopped in front of the crowd. In front of him, a pile of redwood beams lay on a huddled figure. Splinters of wood and spots of blood were scattered about. He recognized the person trapped underneath.
"CHIHIRO!" he let out a strangled gasp and ran to her. Kohaku knelt by her body. ".Chihiro." he put his trembling hands around her body and clasped her to his chest. And then he started to sob. 'No, no, no, no, no,' he thought, 'this isn't happening, she can't be die, Chihiro don't do this to me!'
Such a display of emotion from Haku (Haku, Yubaba's henchman!) baffled the crowd. Haku was such a solemn person, yet here he was crying his heart out over some human! Unexpectedly, he whirled around. "Stay back! Go away!" he roared madly. The wild look in his eyes drove the crowd away, except for Sakura, Syaoran, Rin, and the silent young girl.
She came forward, with a look of sympathy but slight irritation. "She's not dead, Kohaku." The girl calmly stood near him.
He turned, snarling. Kohaku lunged forward, turning into his dragon form. His eyes were wild with anger, anger at this girl who had come. As he came closer to reaching her, she held her hand out. "Pullaw!" she murmured. Kohaku suddenly hit an invisible wall. The dragon crumpled on the ground, defeated for the moment.
Seeing this, Syaoran pulled out his sword. Some weird girl wasn't going to go around hurting people! At the same time, Sakura held her hand out and released the key.
"Windy! Release!" she yelled, at the same time Syaoran called on his fire elemental. The card glowed, and fire and the distinct form of windy hurtled towards the girl. But she stood calmly.
"Esrever." She said, in the same weird language as before. The ball of wind and flame suddenly turned around, and raced towards Sakura and Syaoran!
"AH! Shield!" Sakura cried out, just in time. The magic crashed against the barrier, and the fire elemental strip of paper and Sakura Card fluttered to the floor. The girl flicked her wrist, and the two slips rose off the ground.
"Clow can't hold a candle to me!" she said, power flashing in her eyes.
Sakura and Syaoran gasped. How could she know about Clow Reed? Sakura considered telling the girl that it was her magic, not Clow's, which was in the cards. But on second thought she didn't want to draw attention to herself.
The girl turned to Kohaku, who had been watching silently for the past few minutes. "And you! This will get you nowhere. Act like a respectable demi- god and calm down!" She was frowning now.
Kohaku quietly turned back into his human figure. "You were the person in my dream," he muttered softly. "So you were the one who knew that they were coming here."
She smiled triumphantly. "About time you figured it out."
- - -
"She'll live, it'll be okay." The girl's words rang out in the stillness of the workers' room. Rin sobbed silently in the corner, and Sakura and Syaoran sat in shocked silence on a cot nearby. After seeing the damage done to Chihiro's back and all of the blood, Sakura had turned pale and Syaoran had held her hand tightly.
Kohaku lay Chihiro down on a cot. He made sure that her head rested comfortably on the pillow, and that the bandage around her middle was secure. He covered her with a light blanket. Sakura noted the tenderness in the way he handled Chihiro.
Kohaku turned towards the girl. "Who are you?" he asked tonelessly.
She only smiled ('Cold smile,' Syaoran thought). The girl walked forward, towards Chihiro's still figure on the cot. "This will mess things up.for me, and for you," she whispered. She put a small white hand on Chihiro's forehead. Then she said something unintelligible. "Og ot eht ecalp, og ot Gnimaerd, uoy lliw dnif flesrouy ereht." Then she stood up and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" Kohaku cried. "Who are you?"
She turned around. "I will return." She paused, and then threw a piece of gold at Rin.
Rin caught it, and hurriedly said, "Thank you." She didn't want the gold. Rin wiped her eyes and murmured something about having to work. She went out the door.
The girl still stood in the doorway. "Perfect your magic," she said to Sakura and Syaoran. "You will need it later." With that she left.
Kohaku silently turned to Chihiro and knelt by her. He put his head in his hands and sat there without a sound, huddled by Chihiro's limp figure. He sat as still as stone.
~ ~ ~ ~
oke, not much of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, Chihiro doesn't die! I would never do that to her! So don't worry too much.
alrite, thanx to:
shazaoblossom and meta lise (my 2 most frequent reviewers)
ice blossom **gives big hug!** thanx 4 the great review, im glad u like my fic!! ^.^
Giginka Renamon and firey queen86 and neone else who reviewed! Thanx 2 all!
Ps- - - up till now all the chappies I've posted have been prewritten (xcept 5.that was kinda in the workz) so that's y they came up so fast. I really started this fic back in February so I've been writing it since then. So from now on don't expect too fast updating, lol....
silent H
Anyway, thanx to all of the reviewers!!!! Wow I cant believe you all liked the fic (its my first). I seriously appreciate all of the reviews!!
Disclaimer: oke, I don't own CCS or Spirited Away DO NOT sue me pls!!!! I am but a poor little person with an empty wallet...
lalala-flashbacks
'lalala'-thinking
~~~ - Dreaming
"lalala"-out loud
Chapter 5: The Seventh Day
The workers were running towards the small figure at the foot of the bridge. She stood perfectly still; you could mistake her for a statue. Her eyes were bright gold, and reflected the glare of the building like twin orbs of crystal. She had been waiting for dark to come and for the bathhouse to open.
One of the men came forward. "Hey! You can't come here; you're just a little girl. You're not a spirit!"
She raised an eyebrow. She called to them, "This is a place for cleansing, is it not?" Her voice was compelling to obey.
The spirits wavered. "Errr.yes.but."
She knew she had them. "I have money." she reached into her plain kimono and brought out a piece of gold. "I want a bath. NOW!"
The gold worked like a charm. "Right away, Miss. Come on in!" The frogmen gestured towards the building.
'These spirits are so easy to fool! I had them eating right out of my hand,' she thought. 'You'd think they would be on their guard since I sent Kaonashi.' The girl grimaced. Kaonashi had gotten out of hand. She had to remember to punch some sense into those servants of hers when she got back. ' I wonder where he is.' she mused. 'He must be sulking about, looking for her. Oh well, you can't find good work nowadays; I just hope he won't come and mess things up.' Last she had heard of Kaonashi was that he had been working as a helper to Zeniba. Then he had disappeared. 'I wonder if he's going back to.' the young girl brushed away the thought. 'He couldn't find it; no real person can unless I make them.' Her mind eased, she looked around and marveled at the interior of the bathhouse. It was better than she expected.
Yubaba stood in the inner entrance, greeting customers. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the solemn young girl being escorted by her men. "What do you want?" she asked, suspicious immediately. The girl knew Yubaba wouldn't be as easy to fool. But she had a trick up her sleeve.
"Yubaba." she whispered, so only the old crone could hear. Her voice was coated with emotions; it was sad and happy, angry and unruffled, old and young. Yubaba heard it like a bell in her head, echoing and ringing around until she couldn't think. Then the girl held out her hand, the palm full of gold. Yubaba wordlessly took the money.
"Anything for you, dear," She said in a dull tone, "do you have a particular attendant in mind?"
She smiled. "Yes, I would like Rin. And hurry, if you please."
Yubaba turned around and yelled, "RIN GET DOWN HERE!" Then she turned back and stared into space. One of the other workers moved to show the girl where she was supposed to bathe.
She glared at him. "I will go myself." She walked away. As she rounded the corner, she snapped her fingers. Everyone in the vicinity suddenly stopped what he or she was doing. After a few seconds, their minds were looped back before the strange girl had come. No one remembered she was there, except the workers at the gate. 'But that had been purposeful, to persuade Rin.' she thought.
Yubaba, back at the front, blinked twice. "Okay people, we've got a hard night tonight. Let's not keep our rich customers waiting!" Slowly, the hustle and bustle of the bathhouse returned to its usual clamor.
- - -
Rin sat upstairs, taking a short break from all of the work. 'Tonight is especially busy,' she thought, 'I'm going to have a tough time with Chihiro on break.' She wearily munched on a roasted newt (specialty of Kamajii). As she ate the last delectable morsel, Rin heard Yubaba scream from the entrance. She groaned loudly, and made her way downstairs. Yubaba probably had anther customer for her; she already had some lined up.
"I don't get paid enough for this!" she muttered under her breath, shoving some of the workers out of her way so she could get to the foreman to see which bath number she had to attend. As she approached him, Rin saw him talking to one of the greeting men who worked at the bridge. She heard him telling the foreman about the client.
The foreman saw Rin and waved her over. "Hey Rin! You've got a good customer here, I hear she's rich."
Rin brightened slightly. "Rich?" she asked.
"Yeah," the gateman said, "she had a lot of gold with her! Maybe you can get some tips Rin!"
She grinned. Now that was some good news. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Rin got the tub number and headed for her new rich guest. As she walked, she smelled the herbs mixed in with the bath water. 'Ewww.' Rin thought. She could smell the sulfur soak for the radish spirit. But after all of her working years, Rin had gotten used to the aromas of bath herbs.
Rin found the right bath and walked in. There was a young girl standing by the tub. "What? You're just a girl!" she exclaimed.
The customer ignored her. "Fetch Chihiro, Kohaku, Sakura and Syaoran now! Hurry!" she yelled. Rin hesitated, unsure of what to do. The girl stamped her foot. "Do I have to do this with every stupid spirit in here?" she muttered, reaching into her kimono. Her hand came out with gold. "You want gold? Well go and get them!"
Rin paused, but the allure of money started her feet and she found herself running her room. 'How does she know who they are?' Rin wondered.
- - -
Syaoran, Sakura, Chihiro and Kohaku were enjoying a rare break. They were strewn across the floor on various pillows and could hardly talk for being out of breath. It seemed that Aburaya had been busier than usual. Sakura and Syaoran had been tired out from a bout of floor scrubbing (which Sakura thought was a lot harder than regular housework). Chihiro had just finished a customer off by herself when Kohaku had appeared out of nowhere and told her that Yubaba was giving him the day off. So they had gone to one of the rooms and were later joined by Sakura and Syaoran.
Syaoran cracked his knuckles. His hands were surprisingly sore from scrubbing. He felt odd. "Is it just me.or does anyone feel something weird is gonna happen?"
Kohaku looked at him blankly. "Anything could happen," he said simply.
Sakura had been keeping track of the days by scratching lines in the wall by her cot. There were seven of them. "We've spent seven days here. That's a week. Can you believe it?" Syaoran shook his head in response.
Chihiro smiled. The week had been the best week she could remember since.forever, it felt like. Even if she hadn't seen too much of Kohaku, she'd still gotten to see Rin and feel the good soreness of work that told you you were burning off calories. She leaned back and was surprised by Kohaku's arm that had been debating on putting itself around her shoulders (for some time). She leaned into it, smiling slightly. Kohaku jumped at the sudden contact.
Suddenly Rin burst in through the door. She panted out, "Hey you guys, there's this weird customer who wants to see you all. It's really weird, she just asked for you." "What?" they exclaimed. Only the workers in Aburaya knew they were there, and even then, not all of them. None of the customers knew that the bathhouse was harboring humans, so how could someone know?
"Who's the customer? What kind of spirit is it?" Kohaku asked.
Rin shrugged. "If I could guess, I'd say she was some other kind of spirit. I might even say she was a . human. But," she added hastily, "she doesn't look like any kind of human I'd know. She's really weird but she's rich." Rin told them about the gold.
"I guess we can go." Kohaku said hesitantly. He wasn't wild about going to see some weird spirit. It could be dangerous. But he had no choice; even Rin knew that. Yubaba always made sure good customers got what they wanted; this one was rich, on top of it all.
"All right, let's go then!" Rin said impatiently. (She wanted that gold!). The group got in line, following Rin down the corridors of Aburaya. That particular hallway had heavy redwood beams on the ceiling and walls, and the light reflected off of the wood, giving the hallway a rosy color. Shadows of customers were seen through the decorated rice paper walls, and the soft chatter of workers hummed under the stillness of the hallway.
'Too still.' Kohaku thought. Things were too quiet, especially on a busy night like this. He kept his guard up, walking tensely down the corridors. Suddenly he felt a surge of pain flash through his back. "AH!" he moaned, falling to the ground, but the pain was gone before he hit it. Kohaku knelt on the floor, panting.
"KOHAKU!" Chihiro yelled, coming forward. What happened to Kohaku? "Are you all right?" she demanded. Rin turned around and immediately checked for blood or broken bones.
She frowned. "He's okay.?" Rin paused, uncertain of what just happened.
Sakura looked at him. Kohaku looked fine to her. "Erm, are you feeling well?" She was concerned, but there was not a scratch on him.
Syaoran stared silently at Kohaku. He was still adjusting to the fact that he was a dragon, but couldn't help feeling apprehension for Kohaku. The pain had sounded real enough, but there was no explanation, except for-
"Are you sick?!?" Chihiro asked hysterically. She couldn't imagine him getting hurt, even after the last time.
Kohaku shook his head. He knew what it was. The pain had been a premonition of someone's pain to come. 'I can't tell them though,' he thought, 'I don't want to worry Chihiro.' He gazed at her, feeling happy that Chihiro was so worried.
Rin straightened up. "Well, let's keep moving, then." The group got up, single file again. Kohaku was right behind Rin, followed by Sakura and Syaoran walking together. Chihiro was last.
As they kept up the fast pace, Chihiro felt a tug on her foot and found the ground rushing up to meet her face. For some reason, she didn't call out. Chihiro lay face down on the ground, slightly winded. 'That was odd.' she thought, 'the floors are smooth, so how come I tripped?' as she lay on the ground, Chihiro felt a strange sensation come over her. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, or her body was slowed down with everything moving faster around her.
Chihiro looked up. Rin and the others were already far down the hallway and turning a corner. She should catch up with them. But she felt the inability to move. Chihiro struggled to sit up, and as she managed to get her torso up, the first thing she saw was-
CRRRRAAAAACK
- - -
Rin led the group inside the bath. Sakura, Syaoran, and Kohaku frowned. This wasn't a spirit!
A small girl stood with her back to them, facing the pool. The waters were calm, disturbed only by rhythmic ripples across the glassy surface. Too rhythmic.
She had silky, silver white hair that fell down her back and was smooth like the surface of the water. The girl stood perfectly still, as if she was concentrating. Sakura looked closely. Although standing still, she seemed far from a statue-her whole being was tuned and focused like a vibrating harp string.
All of a sudden, she whirled around. Her eyes were gold ('gold!' Sakura thought wildly, but then, 'I shouldn't be surprised.') and wide with a sudden anger. Her face was pale, and her eyebrows were thin and high arched liked lines painted by delicate brushes. She looked around passionately.
"Where's Chihiro?" she yelled.
- - -
The heavy beam of wood cracked from the ceiling. It fell in slow motion, and Chihiro could only watch in horror as the smooth red surface of the wood came right at her. Around her, Chihiro could hear other beams falling. They were going to drop right over her!
She couldn't scream, only turn around so her head wouldn't get hit. As she turned, the first beam hit her back. Chihiro heard a dull thud, and felt an intense throbbing pain against her back.
Splinters of wood sprinkled around her, and Chihiro thought she tasted blood in her mouth. Coughing, she tried to breathe in, but the leaden beam was crushing her to the floor. Chihiro dimly heard another crack, and in a moment, a final beam fell right on her head.
Chihiro sank into darkness.
- - -
Kohaku gasped. He had completely forgotten her! 'No, I can't forget her,' he thought ruefully, 'she's always on my mind.what could have pushed Chihiro out of my thoughts?'
Sakura looked around. The strange girl was right. Chihiro was nowhere to be seen. Even Syaoran appeared worried. He had become fond of the younger girl, now that he knew she wasn't evil or all mighty.
Rin bellowed out, "Chihiro! Where are you?" She couldn't let anything happen to that kid!
The girl sighed, and turned towards the exit of the tub room. "Well you're coming, right?" she demanded edgily. 'It might already be too late.' she thought anxiously.
Kohaku ran swifter than the wind, knocking workers and customers out of his way. The others followed in his path. He could only think of Chihiro. Something bad had happened to her, he just knew it. And suddenly, he did. 'The premonition!' he thought madly, 'it was her pain!' The despairing thought pushed him on. Kohaku knew he would die if anything happened to Chihiro.
Sakura and Syaoran struggled to keep up with Kohaku. 'I hope nothing horrible happened to her,' Sakura thought. Chihiro had been a good friend.
Syaoran felt penitent. He had never really apologized for what happened in front of the doorway to the Spirit World.
Kohaku was close behind the peculiar girl (how she was running ahead of him, he couldn't imagine). They ran to the hallway where he had felt the pain across his back. Instead of being quiet like it had been before, the hallway was bustling with workers.
"Is she dead?"
"What happened?"
"I think the ceiling collapsed. See the hole?"
The young girl stopped on the outskirts of the crowd. Kohaku pushed forward, knocking people out of his way so he could get to the center; what everyone was looking at. Sakura and Syaoran tried to get in, but they found the crowd too thick. Rin stood near them with a look of despair on her face.
Kohaku stopped in front of the crowd. In front of him, a pile of redwood beams lay on a huddled figure. Splinters of wood and spots of blood were scattered about. He recognized the person trapped underneath.
"CHIHIRO!" he let out a strangled gasp and ran to her. Kohaku knelt by her body. ".Chihiro." he put his trembling hands around her body and clasped her to his chest. And then he started to sob. 'No, no, no, no, no,' he thought, 'this isn't happening, she can't be die, Chihiro don't do this to me!'
Such a display of emotion from Haku (Haku, Yubaba's henchman!) baffled the crowd. Haku was such a solemn person, yet here he was crying his heart out over some human! Unexpectedly, he whirled around. "Stay back! Go away!" he roared madly. The wild look in his eyes drove the crowd away, except for Sakura, Syaoran, Rin, and the silent young girl.
She came forward, with a look of sympathy but slight irritation. "She's not dead, Kohaku." The girl calmly stood near him.
He turned, snarling. Kohaku lunged forward, turning into his dragon form. His eyes were wild with anger, anger at this girl who had come. As he came closer to reaching her, she held her hand out. "Pullaw!" she murmured. Kohaku suddenly hit an invisible wall. The dragon crumpled on the ground, defeated for the moment.
Seeing this, Syaoran pulled out his sword. Some weird girl wasn't going to go around hurting people! At the same time, Sakura held her hand out and released the key.
"Windy! Release!" she yelled, at the same time Syaoran called on his fire elemental. The card glowed, and fire and the distinct form of windy hurtled towards the girl. But she stood calmly.
"Esrever." She said, in the same weird language as before. The ball of wind and flame suddenly turned around, and raced towards Sakura and Syaoran!
"AH! Shield!" Sakura cried out, just in time. The magic crashed against the barrier, and the fire elemental strip of paper and Sakura Card fluttered to the floor. The girl flicked her wrist, and the two slips rose off the ground.
"Clow can't hold a candle to me!" she said, power flashing in her eyes.
Sakura and Syaoran gasped. How could she know about Clow Reed? Sakura considered telling the girl that it was her magic, not Clow's, which was in the cards. But on second thought she didn't want to draw attention to herself.
The girl turned to Kohaku, who had been watching silently for the past few minutes. "And you! This will get you nowhere. Act like a respectable demi- god and calm down!" She was frowning now.
Kohaku quietly turned back into his human figure. "You were the person in my dream," he muttered softly. "So you were the one who knew that they were coming here."
She smiled triumphantly. "About time you figured it out."
- - -
"She'll live, it'll be okay." The girl's words rang out in the stillness of the workers' room. Rin sobbed silently in the corner, and Sakura and Syaoran sat in shocked silence on a cot nearby. After seeing the damage done to Chihiro's back and all of the blood, Sakura had turned pale and Syaoran had held her hand tightly.
Kohaku lay Chihiro down on a cot. He made sure that her head rested comfortably on the pillow, and that the bandage around her middle was secure. He covered her with a light blanket. Sakura noted the tenderness in the way he handled Chihiro.
Kohaku turned towards the girl. "Who are you?" he asked tonelessly.
She only smiled ('Cold smile,' Syaoran thought). The girl walked forward, towards Chihiro's still figure on the cot. "This will mess things up.for me, and for you," she whispered. She put a small white hand on Chihiro's forehead. Then she said something unintelligible. "Og ot eht ecalp, og ot Gnimaerd, uoy lliw dnif flesrouy ereht." Then she stood up and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" Kohaku cried. "Who are you?"
She turned around. "I will return." She paused, and then threw a piece of gold at Rin.
Rin caught it, and hurriedly said, "Thank you." She didn't want the gold. Rin wiped her eyes and murmured something about having to work. She went out the door.
The girl still stood in the doorway. "Perfect your magic," she said to Sakura and Syaoran. "You will need it later." With that she left.
Kohaku silently turned to Chihiro and knelt by her. He put his head in his hands and sat there without a sound, huddled by Chihiro's limp figure. He sat as still as stone.
~ ~ ~ ~
oke, not much of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, Chihiro doesn't die! I would never do that to her! So don't worry too much.
alrite, thanx to:
shazaoblossom and meta lise (my 2 most frequent reviewers)
ice blossom **gives big hug!** thanx 4 the great review, im glad u like my fic!! ^.^
Giginka Renamon and firey queen86 and neone else who reviewed! Thanx 2 all!
Ps- - - up till now all the chappies I've posted have been prewritten (xcept 5.that was kinda in the workz) so that's y they came up so fast. I really started this fic back in February so I've been writing it since then. So from now on don't expect too fast updating, lol....
silent H