Hey everyone, this is me again, with the next chapter! Yay! (well what else would I be here with?) So anyway, a million sorry's for not updating sooner, but man, 9th grade is killing me with all of this homework. :I. And the plot's been getting complicated (well at least for me) and I had to keep checking other chapters and blah blah blah. Oh btw I dropped a bombshell of a clue in here among others. but if you think you know whats goin on, try not to be excessive with it in your review (and you may feel free to review ^.^) cos people can read them and I don't want to spoil it for others. la la la thank you so much for the reviews, especially Kawaii Kitty-Chan for telling me how to make the italics n stuff work! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Now this works, hehe.
Oh yeah, if any of you guys like Rurouni Kenshin and are in LOVE with Soujiro like I am, please read my Soujiro fanfic! It's called, Remember Me, and I'm really sad cos I haven't gotten many reviews for it =( so I'd really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: Please refer to chapter 12.
*/ lalala /* = flashback
'lalala'-thinking
* * * with italics- Dreaming
~ ~ ~ - in Gnimaerd (either Ananda or Aiden)
"lalala"-out loud
Chapter 13: Ananda's VisitKohaku gently shook Chihiro's shoulders. "Wake up, Chihiro," he said softly. She opened her eyes. It was still dark out, but the train had stopped.
Chihiro stood up and said, "Are we here?"
"Yes." Kohaku walked over to Syaoran's snoring figure and started to wake him up. Chihiro followed suit and did the same to Sakura.
Once they were all outside, Kohaku started to walk. Chihiro was behind him, and then Syaoran holding Sakura's hand (because she was a little scared; it was very dark out).
The woods were cool and shadowy. Their footsteps seemed deafening in the oppressive silence. A small sliver of moon hung in the sky, shedding faint light on the dirt path. The atmosphere didn't encourage conversation.
Chihiro suddenly heard something. It sounded like a bunny jumping around, only as if its legs were rusty and making squeaking sounds. Then she remembered. 'It's that weird lamp thing! It'll give us some light in these creepy woods.' She turned around and told Sakura and Syaoran, "A guide is coming."
"A guide?" Syaoran asked. He and Sakura exchanged wary looks. Then he noticed a light that was…bouncing its way towards them. Haku had stopped walking. Sakura gave a small gasp as the light came into full view. It was a lantern attached to the top of a long arm with a hand on the bottom. He glanced at Sakura again, expecting her to be scared, but she was only grinning. Syaoran followed her gaze.
The lantern was bowing to Haku, and then to Chihiro. Both of them bowed back. Then it (almost expectantly) stood still. Sakura and Syaoran took the hint and returned the bows. "It reminds me of the lamp that Pixar made. The one with the ball." Sakura whispered to Syaoran. He 'oh'd' in recognition.
It jumped around and then started off. Every so often it would stop and stand on a tree root. When they caught up the lantern would start hopping off again. Even with its small pool of light, the dark swamp seemed much easier to bear.
The lantern led them up to what looked like a fairytale house, complete with gingerbread style molding, a fence, and a thatched roof. It jumped up and attached itself to an arch connected to the fence.
They all hesitated at the gate. Syaoran looked at the lantern, innocently swinging above their heads. He tried to sense some magic, but didn't feel any in it. 'That's a nice little trick,' he thought.
"Come on," Kohaku said. They all walked to the green wooden door. He made a move to knock, but the door swung open of its own accord.
"Come in," came a voice that sounded exactly like Yubaba's. Sakura was reminded of the story about the gingerbread house and the witch inside. They all walked in.
- - -
Zeniba really did look like Yubaba. 'Of course, she said it was her twin sister,' Syaoran thought. 'On the other hand, she has somewhat better taste.'
Sakura and Syaoran looked around the homey cottage; at the blazing fireplace, the wooden floors and walls, the little house on the prarie-esque accessories, and most of all, the Yubaba look alike in the pink apron.
Zeniba had been cooking something on the stove and turned around as they entered. "Well it's about time. I've been waiting for you." She gave them all a smile, one that rested on Chihiro's face a little longer than anyone else's. "Now before we get talking, you can call me Granny." Sakura and Syaoran exchanged looks. Granny?
She continued, "Now if I could have your names?" Zeniba made a gesture towards Syaoran and Sakura. They looked hesitant to disclose their names (probably thinking of Yubaba) but Chihiro gave them a nod.
"I'm Sakura."
"Syaoran."
Zeniba nodded to herself. "All right then. Does anyone want a pot of tea?"
Kohaku looked faintly annoyed. "Zeniba, I think we should talk first. It's very important. Yubaba sent us here."
She only chuckled. "I know. But I think that you all could do with some food before we get down to the serious stuff. And when will I get you to call me Granny?" Zeniba gave Haku a grin. He didn't say anything.
"Um…Granny," Sakura said, "May we eat? I am a little hungry."
Zeniba nodded. "Of course! The food is right behind you, on the table. I'll be ready with the tea in a moment." She bustled over to the kettle on the stove, leaving the four of them to awkwardly get seats.
Chihiro remarked, "You knew we were coming, didn't you?"
Zeniba waited till she had the pot on the table before answering. "Of course I did." And she left it at that.
Haku said as she sat down, "Well you probably know what we're here to talk to you for."
She replied again, "Of course. Would you like some cake?" She directed the last statement at Syaoran, who had been eyeing some of the shortcake. He jumped slightly, and then nodded. Zeniba continued to Haku, "So you want to know what's going on with all of the sicknesses? Where did all the people go? Kaonashi? Gnimaerd?"
At the last few suggestions, the four of them raised an eyebrow. Who knew that Zeniba knew about Gnimaerd?
She continued, "Well I'm sorry to say, but I don't know much about anything. Not much more than my sister, at least."
Syaoran said, "But you know about Gnimaerd. How much do you know?"
"Hmmm…first of all, some of you may not know it, but Kaonashi was with me before he departed to Gnimaerd."
Chihiro said, "Granny, how much do you know about Gnimaerd?"
Sakura added, "Yeah! We have so many questions…"
Zeniba held up her hands. "I'm sorry, but all I know was that Kaonashi originally came from there. You see, I learned from him while he helped me out. He was, how do you say…employed, in a sense. And at one point he just up and left. Kaonashi told me he was going to a place called Gnimaerd. He said someone told him that he was needed."
"Who told him? And how did he tell you? I thought Kaonashi couldn't really communicate." Kohaku said.
She answered vaguely, "We devised a system. And I don't know who told him. He didn't say."
Chihiro thought for a while. Even with the calm she seemed to have acquired, there was still so much she didn't understand. Chihiro could tell from the look on Sakura's face that she was just as confused. Haku was impassive and Syaoran was munching on some cake.
Sakura sipped some tea. She wondered if they should bring up the necklaces. It was obvious that they weren't going to get much out of Zeniba. "Well, let's go over what we know so far about the sicknesses and the humans." Sakura suggested.
Kohaku said aloud, "Alright. So at 12:00, all of the humans disappear, except for Chihiro, Sakura and Syaoran. Basically that's all we know about that."
"Then," Syaoran continued, "there are two kinds of sicknesses going around. For the people in the Bathhouse, it's like a flu."
"But even that is very serious." Chihiro interrupted.
He kept going. "So there's another one that's turning spirits into demon-ish things. Like the Iris Spirit we saw. And Yubaba said that it was caused by an imbalance between the two worlds, or something like that."
"Only we don't know what caused the imbalance." Sakura said. "And are the things connected? Yubaba said they were or something."
Chihiro added, "And all that stuff about the times going wack. And the water in the Spirit World getting dirty and then in the human world, the holes in the ozone layer and etcetera."
Zeniba listened thoughtfully. "Sorry to say, but that's about all that I know. But they might all be connected."
"Do you think," Chihiro said, "that Ananda knows? If they're all connected?"
Kohaku said, "She sounds important. And if Ananda is as wise as it seems, she probably knows why everything happened."
"So could Aiden." Syaoran added.
Sakura asked, "Whatever happened to her? Remember how she said she was going to come back?"
"Maybe she will." Syaoran said.
"Could someone please tell me," Zeniba interrupted, "Who Ananda is?" There was an odd expression on her face, almost if she remembered something. "Is that really her name?"
Chihiro thought it was an odd question to ask. It was just an ordinary name, on a not so ordinary…well…Chihiro wasn't sure if Ananda was a spirit or not. She related what had happened to her to Zeniba, who listened attentively while Sakura, Syaoran, and Haku ate.
By the time she finished, it was light out. They all sat in silence. Sakura was in a half doze, Chihiro drank tea, and Haku and Syaoran were thinking.
"That is," Zeniba said suddenly, "A very interesting story." She stood up and yawned. "I'm going to tuck in and think about all of this. Even though you probably slept on the train, you all should get some sleep. Don't think too much." Zeniba waved a hand and some beds appeared; two at one end of the room, and two at the other. They were obviously girl sides and boy sides.
And then Zeniba was gone through a door that Chihiro hadn't noticed before. 'I guess that's where she sleeps,' Chihiro thought.
The four of them went to their sides and got into the bed. Nobody really cared at this point about changing; they were all lost in thought. Chihiro was thinking about her parents and everyone else, Sakura thought about Ananda and Aiden, and Kohaku wondered if Zeniba was telling all she knew. But Syaoran was thinking of something totally different.
Syaoran had the weirdest feeling that he had heard the name Ananda before. Or at least, Ananda as a word. Before he had even met Sakura, even. 'What is it? It's right there…I can almost reach it,' he thought with annoyance. There was something hovering beyond his memory…
Suddenly he found himself thinking of his training, back when he had been very young. His master had taught him a lot—more than just fighting. He had even learned about different religions and things. 'Like Sanskrit.' Syaoran thought. Now that was a random thought.
And eventually everyone managed to fall asleep, even with full minds.
* * *
"Sakura? Syaoran? Haku?" Chihiro said incredulously. They were all looking at her with the same confusion. "But…I was just dreaming about…" she frowned.
Sakura said, "Maybe…we're still dreaming."
"Wait a minute," Syaoran said, "How can we all be dreaming about being in the same place with each other? It's too weird."
Haku said, "Then we'll see when we wake up. If only one of us remembers it, then it was a dream. If we all remember it, then…"
"It's just like in books!" Sakura grinned. "They always do that kind of thing."
"But is it possible for us all to be dreaming the same thing at the same time?" Chihiro asked.
"I guess it's a kind of…group dream then." Haku said.
They all looked at their surroundings. It was a flat, featureless plane. There was a long sort of grass growing, and the sky above was pale blue. They were all in the clothes they had been wearing. Oddly enough, there was no sun in the sky, but it was still bright. And though no wind blew, the grass rippled slightly.
Syaoran said, "So where are we?"
"You're nowhere and anywhere."
Chihiro recognized that voice. "Ananda!" she cried out and turned around. And there she was. Only Ananda seemed…different. Chihiro ran to her to embrace her. But as Chihiro approached, Ananda took a step back and gave her a cool frown. She dropped her arms, momentarily confused.
The other three looked eagerly at Ananda. They had only seen her once, and from what they'd heard from Chihiro, they were very excited to see her. (Of course, Kohaku stayed expressionless).
"It's very nice to meet you again, Ananda." Sakura said, "And thank you for what you've done for Chihiro."
Ananda had guessed that Chihiro would've told them what happened. It was only natural. Anyway, she had business to attend to.
But before she could continue, Syaoran said, "We have a lot of questions to ask you. Like---"
"Hold on." Ananda said in a slightly annoyed tone. "I'm here to give you instructions, not answers. You have to go to Aiden's House."
Haku said, "Well where is that?"
She replied dryly, "I was getting to that." She continued, "Aiden likes to live in the Spirit World, so there's not much of a problem there. But I can't tell you where it is. You three have to find it for yourselves."
Chihiro thought of what Ananda had told her when she first arrived in Gnimaerd.
*/ "Well done Chihiro!" she cried.
Chihiro was confused. "What did I do?"
"You've passed your first test!"
"First test?"/*
"Maybe this will be a test too…" she murmured to herself. Chihiro looked back up at Ananda. There was definitely something different about her. And why hadn't she hugged her back? Was Ananda angry?
Ananda said, "You will find it, don't worry. You just have to figure out how. It isn't that hard, once you think."
"Couldn't you just tell us?" Syaoran burst out. "I'm a little tired of this kind of thing."
Ananda raised an eyebrow. Sakura said, "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, this is just really beating around the bush. You want our help. You want us to go to Aiden's House. So just tell us where it is already. You probably know a ton of things, and I'm getting tired of tests and destiny and weird magicians like Cl--"
Here Syaoran stopped, because he almost let it slip about Clow Reed. And also because Ananda was staring at him with an incredibly annoyed look on her face. She started to say something and stepped forward, when Chihiro, desperate to get Ananda's attention away from Syaoran, blurted, "Ananda, Sakura and I want to know about the necklaces you and Aiden gave us."
Sakura blinked. Ananda turned to Chihiro, looking confused for once. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Chihiro reached into her shirt, and there it was, the necklace. Syaoran and Haku stared blankly. "I got this just before I returned to my body in the room with the plaque on it. And Sakura," Chihiro gestured at her, who had just taken out her necklace, "had a dream where Aiden gave her that."
Ananda frowned and thought for a moment. "When did you have this dream?" she asked Sakura.
Sakura said, "The night before this."
Ananda thought, 'So that's what he was doing. But what are the necklaces for?' Aloud, she asked, "May I see them?"
Sakura and Chihiro held out their necklaces. Ananda held one in each hand and carefully inspected them while murmuring something unfamiliar. Chihiro noticed something odd. When Ananda was holding them, both of the pendants seemed to get darker in color. Or maybe it was just whatever she was muttering. Or maybe not.
Ananda was frustrated. 'Why can't won't it work? It's like there's a bind on them…or that I just can't overwork the necklaces. But Aiden can't create something like that…only He could…'
She gave them back, looking angry again. "I have to go." Ananda said shortly. And then she snapped her fingers and without warning, the dream ended.
* * *
Chihiro sat up with a jolt. 'I remember the dream.' Chihiro thought. She grabbed her necklace and stared at the pendant. "What are you for?" she whispered. Chihiro looked across the room at Haku and Syaoran. 'I guess I have to wait till morning to see if it was just a dream.' But Chihiro had the feeling that it wasn't.
~ ~ ~
Aiden sat in his library again, reading. He casually flipped the pages of an ancient looking book, but his mind was somewhere else. He was thinking about the necklaces, and what they might possibly have to do with Ananda. That was what He had told him to do, and that they would help her. But Aiden was in the dark, as he usually was with His orders.
Suddenly a shrill voice interrupted his thoughts and Aiden fell off his chair. "AIDEN!" he heard Ananda yell.
'She sounds angry,' he thought darkly, 'And that is not good.' In a flash, she was beside him. Aiden couldn't help grinning. Ananda looked so out of place when she was angry. Of course, she wasn't supposed to be angry, ever.
"And what do you want?" he said.
She frowned. "You know very well what I'm here about. What were those necklaces you gave Chihiro and Sakura?"
Aiden's eyes widened. Oh bother, they must have told Ananda in the hopes that she could answer some more questions. 'Really, these humans have to deal with being in the dark a bit…especially that one,' he thought. Aiden said, "I don't know. Why, don't you?"
Ananda scowled. "I should have been able to work on them, but either they were protected or specially made." She gave him an appraising look. "And you know what I mean by specially made."
He replied, "I can't say I do know." Aiden smiled at her, in hopes of an answering smile from the fuming Oracle.
But she only snorted and said, "Well I can tell where this is going. I don't like to be kept in the dark, Aiden. But I know He had something to do with it. Only He can overwork me." And with that she turned around and disappeared in mid walk.
Aiden sighed. He hated making Ananda angry, and she would only get worse from here.
~ ~ ~
Somewhere in the forests near swamp bottom, shadows slipped through the trees. They crawled under the foliage and slithered in the dark spots, avoiding contact with sunlight. With them, they carried an ill will, and an order to kill.
~ - ~ - ~
Okay y'all, now we know what time it is! Review time! Huzzah! Review and I'll love you forever…and you'll get a fifty pound bag of sugar!
silent H ^.^