Author's Note: Well, I'm back from vacation and ready with a new chapter for all of you. This chapter is going to be a little different than some of the previous ones; it's going to be shorter (sorry!) and also, I'm only going to be following one individual storyline/character, rather than writing scenes featuring everyone. So, without further ado, here's the all-Haku chapter, hope ya like it!
Disclaimer: I keep forgetting these things. Oops. Well, I don't own anything, so no suing, ok?
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Haku stood silent and still, squinting his eyes against the brilliant golden rays that emanated from the wall that served as a marker to divide the Sphere of Chaos and the Spirit World. In the dead of night, amidst the darkness of a moonless sky, the wall seemed to glow all the more brightly. There was something almost sinister about the way it engulfed Haku in light, making him feel as though he were in the middle of a warm summer's day, despite reality. The partition stretched for miles, seemingly endless in its size and span from the view where he stood. The wall rose nearly double Haku's height, and he was shocked to see that something that had appeared to be so small from a distance was actually quite massive.
The golden barrier pulsated like some living creature, filling the area with a dull, throbbing white noise. Haku peered more closely at it, and was surprised to find that it was partially transparent, that he could just barely make out odd swirling and twisting shapes behind the veil of gold. The wall didn't appear to be solid- it looked as though he could walk straight through it if he wanted to- and suddenly, he realized why. The wall wasn't meant to serve as some sort of barricade, something to keep intruders out, its purpose was merely to act as a warning, to show travelers where the boundaries of the lands of chaos lay so that they may avoid it. He would not be granted the luxury of avoidance.
The river spirit closed his eyes, temporarily blocking the wall from view, and attempted to drown out the buzzing noise that surrounded him. He prepared himself for what he had to do. He'd traveled for hours on end in the dark of night, putting distance between himself and his companions. He couldn't afford to lose time now. He couldn't bear to let them risk making this journey with him. He plunged through the wall, the gold mist clinging at his skin.
He opened his eyes. He was through. He turned slowly, facing the wall again. Behind it, he could make out the distant shapes of the hills and forests of the Spirit World. With a grimace he became aware of the growing sensation that he may never see the land that had been his home for years again. He turned his back quickly to the wall. He wasn't sure he had the strength to risk the temptation of simply leaving the Sphere of Chaos at once, of bursting back through the wall again and running back to his companions, back to Chihiro. He took a step forward.
The moment he did, a cold gale lashed against his skin. Without so much as a tree or boulder to shield against the unyielding wind, Haku felt himself being pummeled by gust after gust, each one impacting his lone form with shocking force. He grunted and tried to push forward, fighting against the wind that seemed intent on blowing him back and keeping him from proceeding further into the domain.
Finally, after several laborious steps, he stopped, left completely breathless. As soon as he halted his strides, the wind seemed to die down, and nothing was left but a soft, whispering breeze. Puzzled, Haku rose to his feet again and with mild trepidation, ventured to take another step forward. No sooner had he lifted his foot from the ground than the wind picked up again, even stronger than it had been before. He stopped again, and once more, the wind relented, as calm as the eye of a storm.
Haku put his hands on his hips, examining the land before him carefully. The entire realm seemed to be filled with a strange, soft light. What appeared to be clouds churned several feet above his head, bending and contorting rapidly. Other than that, the terrain was completely flat and bare.
A low, hushed moaning echoed around him, punctured infrequently by soft hissing noises and pops. Haku glanced around distrustfully, disconcerted by the odd calmness of a land that was supposed to be filled with chaos and disorder.
He determined that it was best to keep moving forward, even if it meant he had to fight against the wind. He dug a toe shallowly into the ground and pushed off, deciding to take it at a run. The wind began lashing out at him once again, howling as though it were enraged by his refusal to be balked by its force. When Haku had successfully traveled several steps, the wind wailed and shifted direction, and now rather than hitting him head on, it was blowing behind him, pushing him forward.
He spun around, disoriented by the change, and immediately the wind shifted again, now hitting him from all sides. He clenched his eyes shut against the stinging currents of air and gritted his teeth. He lost all sense of direction and stumbled blindly onwards.
Finally, he was forced to his hands and knees by an especially brutal gust. He continued forward anyways, inching himself over the terrain. He reached a hand forward and gasped when he put it down. There was nothing there. He was falling. His eyes flew open in time for him to catch a glimpse of the ledge he had fallen from before he was cast into darkness. Above him, the wind continued to howl. Only this time, it did not seem to be howling with rage, but rather with a mocking laughter.
Haku reached his arms up, flailing them out and scrambling to find something to grab onto, a loose branch, a rock, anything. He continued his freefall into the darkness, crying out in rage and desperation. Finally, his hand made contact with something. He was surprised- in truth, he hadn't really been all that optimistic about his odds. He clenched his hand against it, bringing the other one up as well for support. When he felt that his grip was secure, he sighed in relief. He was dangling rather too precariously for his liking, but at least he wasn't plunging downwards, further from the surface. The sound of his forced, rasping breaths echoed off the walls of stone.
He blinked several times, willing his eyes to adjust to the inky chasm. There was no need, though, for moments later, small dots of light began bursting forth, like miniscule stars exploding into view. After only seconds, hundreds of them had appeared, filling their surroundings with an otherworldly light. They bobbed up and down in front of his face, letting out a faint jingling sound as they did so. They grew closer to Haku. He was utterly mesmerized by them. They consumed him, circling his body. As he watched the lights, he felt his mind growing weaker, his grip loosening on the rock that supported his weight, yet he did nothing. There wasn't a thing in the world he wanted more than to watch those lights at that moment. As their magic engulfed his senses, he glided into a drowsy state of delirium and happiness. His hands slipped, and once more, he began to fall.
~~~
When Haku came to again, he found himself lying rigidly on a cold, stone floor. He had no idea where he was. His shirt was torn in several places and his pants were frayed at the bottom. His previously damaged ribs smarted, no doubt from the fall. He cursed himself for being lulled into submission by the magic of the Sphere of Chaos, and wondered vaguely what sort of creatures those spots of light had been. He grimaced at the memory, ashamed and alarmed.
He sat up, and looked around at the richly decorated hall where fate had found him. Stone-carved statues adorned the walls, and torches lit the entire passage. He leaned forward to examine one of the statues more closely, when it disappeared with a flicker, replaced suddenly by a living being. Haku took a step back, startled. The creature moved fluidly closer towards him, gliding across the floor. It had a nearly human appearance, but was far paler than anyone Haku had ever seen, with glazed over eyes that seemed to stare straight through him, rather than at him. It's face held no expression.
Haku took a defensive stance, purely out of instinct, but within another moment, the creature disappeared, and in its place stood the statue once more. Haku knit his brow and shivered involuntarily.
He started running, as illogical as he knew such a move was. He felt less vulnerable when he was moving. The hall was long and stretched far beyond his view in either direction. He wasn't sure he could find a way out; both ways looked exactly the same. With a sinking feeling, he decided on a direction and took it, following the hall as it continued seemingly endlessly into the distance. As he ran past, he had the unnerving feeling that the statues were following him with their stony gazes. Their mouths were turned into cruel, twisted smiles or grimaces, as disembodied voices bounced off the walls, whispering and sobbing.
Time seemed to have no presence or power in this place. Haku ran onwards for an eternity, down the never-ending hall, his chest throbbing and lungs nearly bursting with pain. But he continued. What bothered him most was not that he couldn't seem to escape this place; it was that he couldn't account for his actions. He was being irrational, ruled by some unreasonable fear, yet he was unable to contain the overwhelming emotion.
Suddenly, he became aware of a change. The hall was silent now, save for the sound of his feet pounding the stone beneath him. He slowed down his pace until he was standing still. "Quiet," he remarked to himself, verbally observing the difference with curiosity.
His voice echoed down the hall. The moment it was beyond the range of his hearing, another voice met his ears.
"What do you seek?"
~~~
Author's Note: Well, originally this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but it just didn't work out that way. I think overall I've done a pretty good job of keeping my chapters decent in length, so hopefully you won't stone me to death for this slightly-shorter-than-usual one.
Also, sorry for not updating sooner. The site had been really glitchy lately and I haven't been able to access it at all for the past few days. Has anyone else been having issues getting the site to come up, or is that just me? It's been happening a lot recently. Blah. Well, I hope I'll be able to get this chapter up soon.
Thanks to everyone for the great reviews, it's wonderful to hear from all of you!