Author's Note: Right, here's the next chapter in my story. I spent a little more time with this one, so it's a little longer than the others. Oh, and there's plenty of sap in there too at the end for those of you who have been waiting for it. At this point, I feel some thank yous are in order. This may take a while, but it's something I really felt I should do.
Tempus Mori, Bey-kai-fan and Megumi Chihiro Chiba: I sincerely hope the three of you of you are still reading and enjoying my fic. Your reviews made me extremely happy (special thanks to Tempus Mori for the beautiful review), and I really appreciate it.
Nari Dragon-girl, Cammy, and KitKatGirl: Thank you for your continued support of my story. It's really great for me to see people reviewing consistently, and it makes me happy to know that you consider my story worthy of repeated reading.
La JazzFish: Thank you for the advice, like I said, constructive criticism is extremely helpful for someone like myself who is still trying to learn the ins and outs of the fanfic world.
Stratagirl5: Thanks for the review. If you ever want to chat, my screen name is Chispa74. I'll keep an eye out for you too whenever I'm on!
Disgruntledbandgeek: Thank you so much for the support. I realize that I do tend to criticize myself, a bad habit I'm trying to get rid of. In the future, I'll be sure to avoid it. Thanks for the vote of confidence!
Assassin23: Thanks for the suggestion, it's definitely one thing that I was considering when writing Shen's character. I'm not sure where exactly I'm going to go with that, but I have a pretty good idea.
Kittenofmystery: Thanks for the sudden burst of reviews! I'm glad you like my story (I'm a fan of yours), and I hope you keep reading!
To everyone else who I didn't mention by name, I'm sorry, this section just got really long, and I didn't have time to thank everyone specifically. Thanks so much to all of you, I never expected my story to get such a huge response. Oy! Sorry for the distraction, now on to the story!
~~~
Chihiro groaned, a sound that was muffled slightly by several thick strands of hair that had fallen into her face during the night as she slept uncomfortably. Steadily, her mind began slipping back into consciousness, though she begged herself to return to the comfort of sleep. Unfortunately, her silent pleas to herself were denied. The edges of her eyelids prickled, a familiar sensation that came as part of the moment between being asleep and awake. She opened them slowly to reveal deep honey-colored eyes and blinked several times. She yawned and tried to reach up a hand to rub the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, but to no avail. Her hands wouldn't move.
Oh right, I forgot about that…I'm a prisoner, lovely. Good morning, Chihiro! She thought to herself sarcastically as she fidgeted against her bonds. She stretched her neck backwards to glare at the restraints that had her arms secured firmly to the wall. Even under her unwavering glower, they refused to loosen and allow her some mobility. Perhaps my glare is losing its potency, what a pity. I'll have to work on that. But now what happens if my nose starts to itch? What an inconvenience, I mean, they could have at least put me in a cage or something where I could move a little bit, instead of this…
"So you're finally up? I'm glad, you sleep like the dead, I was worried for a while." The voice hit her ears pleasantly, a deep and steady sound. Her inner-rant was quickly forgotten.
Chihiro redirected her attention away from her bonds and towards the young man held against the wall opposite her. The corners of his mouth were curled into a placid smile as he watched her. A blush crept onto her cheeks, but she didn't bother suppressing it as Haku was probably too far away to be able to notice.
"My back hurts. How long was I asleep?"
"Not too long, maybe six hours. You should try to get some more rest, if you can." Chihiro shook her head, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep any longer even if she wanted to. Her hair brushed against her shoulders and face as she did so, which surprised her. She had forgotten that her hair was down and out of its usual ponytail. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she remembered yesterday night…
~~~
She and Lin were standing just outside the bathhouse, staring up at it. Lin was explaining the current situation with Yubaba to an anxious Chihiro. "She says the bathhouse won't be open for a while, as she has some important business to attend to. So now, the old hag has forced all out on the streets. We don't what's going on," Lin finished, looking disgruntled and more irritable than usual.
Chihiro cast her eyes to the ground, not wanting to believe what she was about to say. "It's Haku," she turned her gaze back to the bathhouse, "she has Haku." She paused for a moment, trying to collect herself and avoid tears. She breathed in slowly and turned to her friend. "Lin, I need your help. Can you do me a big favor?" After a moment's hesitation, Lin nodded her head uncertainly. Chihiro smiled at her and began talking excitedly, "I need you to find Zeniba and No Face for me, and bring them here."
Lin protested, saying that there was no way she could get on a train, and even if she could, someone as powerful as Zeniba certainly wouldn't listen to her requests. Chihiro thought for a moment, when an idea came to her. Her face lit up as she hurriedly removed the hair tie Zeniba had given her all those years ago. Her long hair fell down around her face, blowing gently in the wind. She glanced down at the tie, admiring its beauty and power, before pressing it firmly into Lin's open hand. Being separated from the simple band felt almost painful; it was one of her most cherished possessions and she had worn it nearly every day for six years. But it had to be done.
Eventually, Lin obliged and left to seek out Zeniba. Chihiro was sure that with the hair tie in her custody, Lin would have little difficulty in successfully completing her journey.
~~~
"That's it!" she screamed suddenly with tremendous enthusiasm. She laughed ecstatically, so hard it seemed her lungs would burst, though she didn't mind. In all the excitement and fear she had experienced since entering the bathhouse, she had completely forgotten that Lin had gone to find Granny for her. "She's coming! Haku, we're going to be all right!"
Haku looked at her quizzically, mouth agape and eyebrows arched in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about Chihiro…Would you like to slow down, breath, and then explain?" It was a command more than a question.
Chihiro did as he suggested and curbed some of her overwhelming zeal long enough to settle down and relate her story back to him. She finished with a broad smile and an animated cry of "Zeniba will come for us, I know she will! She's going to free us and then we can get out of this place!"
Haku smiled to himself at seeing her so happy. He admired her cheerful features, and then sighed. He hated to dampen her spirits, but he felt that perhaps she was being overly optimistic, to the point of being almost delusional. "Chihiro," he said her name quietly and tenderly, in an attempt to break the news to her with some gentleness, "you know that there is a chance this won't work out, don't you? There are a million things that could go wrong; Zeniba could come too late, or not at all. She might not be able to get us out, we have no idea what Yubaba's planning, it's just so…uncertain right now. We can't rely on the hope that your friends Zeniba and No Face will come for us. At least I can't. I don't like to depend on speculations and chances."
Upon seeing Chihiro's face, Haku instantly regretted his short speech. Her mouth was no longer brimming with excited words and turned up in a smile, but rather clamped firmly shut in grief and defeat. Her eyes were shining, but now with fresh tears, and not with the hope and anticipation that had previously been there. His heart wrenched in his chest, causing him to sputter momentarily. "I-I'm sorry Chihiro. I didn't mean to upset you. There's still a chance that they'll come, it's a wonderful idea. I bet they'll be here in no time," he finished lamely. He hadn't even convinced himself. He dared a glance over at Chihiro, and saw easily that he hadn't swayed her either. Her disappointment was written plainly on her face.
"No, you're right," she admitted with her face fallen, "it was silly of me to think that everything would work out perfectly like that, this isn't a fairytale, after all. I was just so excited, I got my hopes and now…" she trailed off, biting the inside of her lip.
"No, no, I'm sorry Chihiro, really. There's still a chance, there's always a chance," he breathed out quickly. They refused to make eye contact with each other, Chihiro out of embarrassment and Haku out of guilt for making her feel unhappy. "I had no intention of hurting you…I hope you know that. I would never deliberately hurt you, never. Please, smile again. Just…smile," he pleaded desperately.
They looked at each other now, eyes meeting. Chihiro swallowed, and managed a sad, almost unnoticeable smile for him. He watched her and sighed with the knowledge that she was still extremely upset. He thought quickly, trying to think of something that might cheer her up, or at least distract her.
"Can I tell you something sort of silly?" he asked quietly. She stared at him for a long moment, briefly confused by his change of subject, but finally succumbed and nodded her head. He cleared his throat and began, carefully choosing his words. "Every time I left one of your dreams after our visit for that night was over, I'd stand just outside your door, the one that leads to your mind, I mean. And I'd stay there, sometimes for hours, just thinking. And I'd always remember that day we said good-bye, the last time I held your hand before you left. That moment repeated in my mind. And whenever it did, my hand would sort of…tingle, like it had fallen asleep, and it made me realize just how much I missed you and far away we really were. But now we're not far at all, only paces from each other." He looked her in the eye now, holding her with those green orbs, refusing to let her look away. "The moment that we're free of these bonds," he spoke softly, "the first thing I'm going to do is get that feeling back. I want to remember what it was like to hold you, I want to remember that you're real, and not just some wonderful, perfect vision that I've invented, that exists only in my mind." He paused shyly. "I'm sure that I love you." It was a simple statement, and the honesty and purity of it shook Chihiro to her core, to the point where she felt weak.
She opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but desperately wanting to give some sort of response. She wanted to reveal all her feelings to him, to tell him she felt that same way, that she cared for him too. "Oh, Haku-" she began to speak, but was interrupted when the doors slammed open. Shen walked in, arms crossed over his chest and nose in the air. The moment had passed with the young man's arrival, and Chihiro had missed her chance.
"Well, it seems Mistress Yubaba isn't sure what to do with you two just yet," Shen announced loudly with a disappointed look, "so she won't let me kill you. Not at the moment, anyways." He sighed and gazed wistfully down at his blade, as if imagining their blood already dripping from it. "However," he continued, looking cheerful again, "she did give me permission to come in and…see how you were recovering, river spirit. And what better way to test your strength than with a little duel? It will be great fun, and your little friend will get to watch!" he mocked as he smirked and looked over at Chihiro. "Hello darling, did you sleep well?" he inquired with feigned politeness. She let out a disgusted sigh at this, rolling her eyes at him. He pouted, "Oh, you wound me, milady. But no matter, not even a lovely woman's scorn could depress me today." He turned again, this time to look at Haku. "I do love a good fight, and I've been looking forward to this ever since we dragged your carcass back from the Dream World."
Shen walked over to Haku with a skip in his step, whistling to himself the entire way. He took his time, savoring ever moment that went by. Finally, he pulled his sword from his sheath, cutting Haku's bonds with glee. Haku stumbled to the ground when the last restraint was cut and glared up at Shen.
"Right," Shen bubbled merrily, "now we're all ready." He clapped his hands together happily as I to illustrate his anxiousness.
"I don't have a weapon," Haku growled. Shen fingered the blade at his side and shrugged.
"Yes, that would appear to be the case, wouldn't it? Oh well." The young man raised his blade in the air and brought it down in a flash. Haku managed to roll to the side, missing the cold steel by inches. He shoved himself roughly to his feet and took a defensive stance, preparing to dodge the next attack.
Shen looked sorely disappointed at having missed. He paused to stare thoughtfully at his weapon, as if trying to discern how he had failed to strike his opponent. His blue eyes darted across the sword, and then back to Haku. He smiled viciously at the river spirit, causing his features to take on an exaggeratedly evil appearance. The air between them hung tense as each remained still for several long moments. Finally, Shen lunged forward towards Haku and once again the tip of his blade came very near to hitting its target, but missed by a fraction of an inch as Haku jumped to the side. Chihiro screamed and struggled against her bonds, trying to free herself. She knew that Haku was still weak, and she feared he wouldn't be able to last long against Shen.
This continued for sometime, Shen on the offense, attacking while Haku narrowly avoided his blows. Haku searched his mind, trying to remember any spell Yubaba had taught him that may have proved useful in battle. Nothing came to mind; it had been too long since he had used those skills. He was surprised that Shen hadn't used magic against him yet, but considered it lucky. He would have been finished had the apprentice done so.
Time dragged by, and Haku could feel himself rapidly losing strength. Shen, on the other hand, seemed invigorated by the battle, and showed no signs of fatigue if he felt any. He swung his sword over his head again, coming at Haku quickly. This time, he flipped the sword and shoved its hilt into Haku's side. Haku's already damaged ribs cracked under the pressure of the blow, and he fell to his knees with an agonized cry. Shen was on his knees next to Haku in an instant with the tip of his blade pressed against the injured river spirit's throat.
"I know Yubaba told me not to kill you just yet," Shen whispered silkily into Haku's ear, "but sometimes things go wrong. Accidents can happen in the heat of battle. I'll just explain to the mistress that I got a little…carried away, and destroyed you. I'm sure she'll understand." Haku felt the steel of the weapon pierce his skin, and he knew that Shen had drawn blood. It was certainly not enough to kill him, a mere pinprick really, but it made him inhale sharply in surprise. Chihiro was screaming loudly from her place tied to the wall, and he could see her thrashing violently out of the corner of his eye. Shen followed his gaze and smirked. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'to the victor goes the spoils,' river spirit? I'd say it applies in this situation. Once I kill you, you can be certain I'll take great pleasure in spending some quality time with her. That is, before I kill her, of course."
Haku's pulse quickened in his rage and he felt a surge of energy. He ripped himself from Shen's hold swiftly and managed to take his captor by surprise. Haku's foot contacted with Shen's stomach, sending the young man sprawling backwards as the sword fell from his hand, hitting the floor with a resonant clang. Haku took advantage of the situation and dove for the now liberated blade. Once he had grasped it firmly, he rolled back onto his feet, graceful despite the pain of his broken ribs. He looked down at the weapon in his hand and walked several paces to where Shen was lying on the floor and clutching his stomach. Haku towered over him.
"I should kill you," Haku spat out, "I should take your life right now."
"Haku, please, let's just go, I don't want to stay here anymore," the voice surprised him. He had nearly forgotten about Chihiro. He glanced back at her quickly, not wanting to take his eyes off Shen for too long. She didn't want to see Shen die, she only wanted to leave, that much was apparent from one glimpse of her frantic face. "Please, Haku."
He looked back and forth between the two and ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. No, she's right, now isn't the time for this. My only concern right now should be to get her out of this place. There'll be time for him later. Haku raised the sword and brought it down forcefully. The hilt made contact with the back of Shen's head, effectively rendering him unconscious.
Haku sighed heavily and nudged Shen's prone form with his toe. When he was satisfied, he walked over towards Chihiro.
"Thank you," she mumbled, "I just didn't want to see someone die, not even someone as terrible as him. I just couldn't-"
Haku held a finger to his lips with a gentle "shh," stopping her mid-sentence. "It's all right, Chihiro. Just be still for a moment, please, while I cut your bonds." He strode over to her side and sliced through the ropes carefully, until the last fiber had fallen to the ground at her feet. She faltered, her legs unused to supporting the weight of her body, and rubbed her wrists where the tight ropes had cut into her skin. After several flinches and groans of discomfort, she stopped massaging her tender skin and looked up at Haku.
He was right there, staring down at her with eyes so full of emotion that she was almost overwhelmed by them, completely lost to the sheer feeling and power they held. She tilted her head back so that she could look at him better and chewed on her bottom lip. Slowly, she reached a hand out towards him, as if her fingers were magnetically drawn to his face. She paused when the tips of her fingers were just shy of touching his cheek and closed her eyes. After all these years, finally… she thought to herself. Her hand pressed against the side of his face, his warm, soft face, so full of life. For the first time in six years, she was completely, totally, beyond a shadow of a doubt, positive that he truly existed.
"Haku, you feel…real" she breathed out. She realized how ridiculous it sounded milliseconds after it left her lips, but it was true. After so many years of waiting, he finally felt real to her. She laughed, partially out of embarrassment, but primarily out of joy.
Haku reached up his own hand and placed it on top of hers as it lay on his face. "You feel real too," he whispered with a brilliant smile. He watched her face light up, with eyes sparkling up at him in a way he never would have believed possible if he hadn't seen it. "Now I remember what it's like! Chihiro, we're real!" he cried once more, scooping the blushing young woman up in his arms, completely forgetting the pain of his broken ribs. She gasped in surprise and instinctively threw her arms around his neck. He spun her around once as she laughed, an all-encompassing laugh that was filled with everything she felt for him. She had never felt more real than she did in that moment.
He set her down, holding her close to him, and smiled contentedly, though she couldn't see it. He could feel her next to him, her heart beating, her breath wafting along his neck, and it amazed him. After several moments had passed, she pulled back from him a little, just enough so that she could look into his eyes. She sighed and placed her forehead against his own so that their noses touched gently.
"You know, Kohaku," she said softly, using his full name, much to his delight, "I never got to finish what I was saying before Shen came in." He opened his mouth, but closed it again quickly, waiting for her to continue. She inhaled slowly. "I don't think I can put it as beautifully as you did, you're so much more graceful than I am in so many ways, but I wanted to tell you that I, well, I feel the same." She wasn't sure why she was hesitating, but she was. She wasn't used to this sort of thing, to being so open about her emotions. But he had revealed himself to her, so she felt that the least she could do was be honest with him. "I believe that I love you."
He smiled down at her, his eyes shining. "Oh, you believe that, now do you?" he quipped gently.
"Yes, I believe I do," she replied with a grin. They smiled at each other, laughing in spite of themselves, in spite of their situation. They would have been an odd sight to see had anyone walked in at that moment; two disheveled, bruised young people with arms wrapped around each other tightly, laughing hysterically. Neither one could remember many instances in which they had been happier than they were now.
Once their laughter subsided, Haku put a hand under Chihiro's chin and tilted it up slightly. She searched his eyes, so serious now, but still so full of life and love. He sighed and leaned closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. She found it suddenly difficult to breathe. So instead of breathing, she did the only other thing she could think to do, the only thing that seemed natural. She kissed him. Or perhaps he kissed her, neither one was really sure, and honestly, neither one really cared. They would both remember it as being that they had kissed each other.
Six years of emotion, of missed opportunities, of friendship and love went into that kiss. It was overpowering, amazing, wonderful, if not a little shaky as well. Haku wrapped one arm around her waist, and let the other glide around her shoulder so that his hand was buried in her soft hair. She allowed herself to fall against him, one hand resting on his chest, the other at the back of his neck. Her head was swimming and she lost track of the time as they stayed that way.
Finally, painfully, Haku pulled himself away from her, ending their first kiss. "Wow," he murmured into her ear. They smiled at each other again. She could tell he regretted stopping, but something else was clearly on his mind. He cleared his throat and then spoke quietly. "We should really get out of here while we still can. Before he wakes up," he gestured to the still unmoving Shen with a lopsided grin, "or before someone comes looking for him. Come on."
He took her hand and abruptly they were running from the room and down the halls. Haku seemed to know his way through the dizzying series of corridors, so Chihiro was happy to let him lead the way. She noticed fleetingly that he was clutching his side where his ribs were most likely broken with his left hand. She cringed on his behalf, wondering how he could stand the pain. Soon, the door that Chihiro recognized as the exit came into view. She breathed a sigh of relief. And then she noticed the guards. Four of them were waiting in front of the door, blocking their outlet.
"Oh great."
~~~
Author's Note: Right, and I'll leave you there for now. It's not really a cliffhanger, well, maybe it sort of is, I don't know. I'll let you be the judge. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had some sap in there for the diehard romantics, and a little bit of action too for everyone else. In the next chapter, you can look forward to a lot more action, and probably some more romance too, if I feel like it. Anyways, thanks again for reading and to all the people who have reviewed, I love you! Heh. Bye for now, I'll try to get another chapter up within the week!