Hello and welcome to chapter two of Shizu Michi, the Silent Road. I'm writing this chapter now with the Spirited away soundtrack going on in the background, so I'm totally "in the zone" ^_^ Oh yes, and sentences in italics are thoughts the characters are thinking.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this (except Ryuki, she's my room mate. She's very nice, but way too serious) ^_^
Chapter 2
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Chihiro stared blankly at Ryuki.
Fly?
Ryuki put her hands on her hips and suddenly got a very fake-serious expression. "Yes, fly; what, would you rather take the expressway up? Or maybe the elevator? I'm sure Yubaba would welcome you."
Chihiro cringed; she could tell that Ryuki was forgiving but slightly annoyed with her.
"Sorry."
Ryuki once again examined the outside of the structure. "Okay. We're going to try and do this as fast as possible, because as soon as we hit the 4th floor there, we're in the light. I'll aim to keep close to the wall, but it may be difficult, seeing as though I must carry you." She ran her hands over the wall. "And try not to kick the wall," she added. "You'll make me lose my balance."
The tone in her voice made Chihiro shiver, but she told herself to be brave. She didn't know exactly how it was going to work, but considering what Ryuki was doing for her, she had come to trust the other girl.
Ryuki gestured for Chihiro to come stand next to her. She stood stiffly in front of the wall, eyes closed. Chihiro approached her carefully, trying not to make a sound, just to see Ryuki's reaction.
"I know what you're doing." At Ryuki's abrupt comment Chihiro stopped in her tracks. "I can see even with my eyes close. You, on the other hand, you look, but you don't see. Now come stand next to me before we're caught."
Sheepishly, Chihiro positioned herself next to Ryuki and tried to remain as stiff as possible, but her hands still shook. She rubbed them quickly and put them back at her side.
As she did that, she suddenly felt Ryuki's strong grip around her arm. Before she knew what was happening, Ryuki and jumped, no, leaped from the ground and was soaring the air. Chihiro felt her stomach flip as she looked down. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling weak.
She almost yelled out when she felt Ryuki begin to fall. She squirmed for a moment, but then remembered Ryuki's warning. "You'll make me lose my balance…" Chihiro didn't want to find out the consequences of those actions.
She placed herself straight and hung on to Ryuki for dear life.
To her surprise, Ryuki immediately lost her rigid stance and bent her knees forward, using the momentum to draw them closer to the wall. Chihiro opened an eye to find the wall rushing towards them at impossible speeds.
As the wall came forward, Ryuki changed position again, sticking her foot out. She caught her first foothold easily, and remained there for a split second.
Okay, the hard parts over. Now to pick up on the rest …
Coiling her leg muscles and bending her knees, Ryuki gathered the remainder of her momentum and used it to power herself up. She caught her next hold easily, and moved swiftly to the next. As she moved higher, she kept using her feet lightly, catching as much air as she could for the grand finale.
After three more short jumps they reached the fourth floor. The lanterns were lit brightly, and through the curtains Ryuki could see the people bustling around busily inside. She swerved off to the right, as far away from the window as possible, to the edge of the wall were there were no footholds.
She landed at the far edge of the balcony railing and raced across it. Reaching the edge, she bent as low as her knees would allow, and soared up along the edge of the structure. Her foot touched the wall, but it was flat. She would either slip or lose her grip, or, if she was fast enough, run up the wall itself with all that force she had saved up, plus a hint of magic.
Moving as fast as her feet would carry her and Chihiro, Ryuki zoomed across the wall, zigzagging to keep a steady rhythm. She took her gaze off her feet for a moment to look up at the 6th floor, coming up fast, and steadied herself for the final jump.
Then it went wrong.
A large black bird with a cruel hooked beak and uncommonly large talons soared out of the window of the rooftop chamber.
What ?!
The bird looked down at them, or at Ryuki at least, and somehow an evil grin spread over its features. It turned swiftly back to the window.
Ryuki, rhythm and balance now lost, began to tip backwards.
I have to get her up there …
With one final pull of strength, Ryuki made a 360 degree turn, letting go of Chihiro's hand, enabling her swing to the nearest balcony railing, which happened to be by some universal chance Rin's room.
Chihiro, acting on pure instinct, reached a hand out and grabbed the rail. Ryuki's swing was strong, so she pulled her legs over, falling hard on the stone floor. Ryuki herself, however, wasn't so lucky. As Chihiro glanced through the handrail bars, she caught a glimpse of Ryuki plummeting backwards.
"Ryuki!"
But Ryuki wasn't about to give up. As she fell, she summoned up the last ounce of magic within her. The power of transformation.
And before Chihiro's eyes, Ryuki began to change.
Her figure shimmered, almost like a hologram or a movie picture. For a second she had no shape at all, just a twisting figure of white light, but then out of that radiant glow a different kind of being burst skyward.
Ryuki's a dragon…?!
Ryuki's long form twisted around and floated upright, staring hard with dark emerald eyes at the window of the top chamber. A fine sheet of silvery-white fur covered her body, and along her underneath, from her throat to the end of her tail, she was covered in pearly scales. A billowing blue-grey mane swirled and whipped in different directions in the strong wind. And protruding from her forehead were two dangerous, razor-sharp ivory horns.
She looks so much like Haku …
The dragon spread out her claws and flew up to the rooftop, above Chihiro. Chihiro leaned over the railing trying to get a glimpse of her, but saw nothing. All of a sudden Ryuki's lithe form swooped back into view, recoiling from what Chihiro suspected was a physical blow.
Ryuki flew back and forth around the summit of the bath house. Then Chihiro saw something that would be burned into her memories forever.
Ropes, no, worms, or creatures of some sort, came shooting out from the crown of the building and began to wrap themselves around Ryuki, binding her arms and hind legs. She lashed out with her tail and roared with pain. The rope-like things were burning her fur and scales.
Chihiro tried to cry out but found she couldn't say anything. She could only stand and watch as Ryuki clawed and bit viciously at the ropes. At one point she raised her head and howled piercingly, the cords burning the inside of her mouth.
"Well, well, looks like we've caught ourselves an unhappy customer."
Chihiro immediately recognized the sneering voice as that of the greedy witch Yubaba. She came into view, floating above Chihiro, face to face with Ryuki, a malevolent glint in her eyes and a conniving grin planted on her features. She glared at Ryuki.
"Still looking for your poor lost brother?"
Brother?
"Well I'm disappointed to say you won't find him here," the witch continued. "He left a long time ago. But you don't give up easily, do you?" Her expression suddenly changed, and her voice grew full of hate. "You pitiful creature. I should have killed you when I had the chance. Crushed you in my grip …" Yubaba clenched her teeth. "I think it's time I finally dispose of you." She rose her hands and began curling her fingers, one by one. As she did so, the ropes around Ryuki tightened.
Ryuki roared again, and within her jaws a greenish glow appeared. It sparkled and turned into a golden orb. The roped began to loosen as Yubaba backed away.
"Oh-no."
The beam of light shot from Ryuki's mouth straight at Yubaba, who barely made it inside her chamber. The blast hit the doorway and the glass shattered, the shards spraying over the northern end of the structure like knives. Chihiro had to duck down in a corner to avoid being torn apart.
Ryuki withstood the raining glass but the damage was still great. She was bleeding heavily from her muzzle and chest, and also from inside her mouth. Her left eye was almost blind, a piece of glass sticking out of the end. The beam of light dissolved, leaving her floating in the air helplessly; but she was free. When Yubaba had run back into her chamber and closed the glass panel behind her, the burning wires had been severed. They fell away from Ryuki, now mere pieces of rope.
Chihiro uncurled from her protective ball as the rain of glass subsided. She looked up to find the dragon freed but terribly hurt. Yubaba and her bird were nowhere in sight.
Chihiro watched as Ryuki turned away from the bath house and flew towards the sea. Her sleek form slid into the water, and Chihiro could see no more.
"Sen?"
Chihiro spun around to find none other tan a sleepy-looking Rin at the balcony doorway. She rubbed her eyes and stared closely at Chihiro.
"Sen! It is you!"
Rin rushed over to Chihiro and flung her arms around the girl. "You're back! But … why?"
Chihiro was dimly aware of Rin's presence. All her thoughts were focused on the sea. She barely heard Rin's question.
"Sen?" Rin looked at her with a concerned expression. "What's going on? Talk to me here!" She shook Chihiro's shoulder.
"I came back," Chihiro whispered, "to look for Haku."
"Huh?" Rin looked at her quizzically. "Haku? He's been gone for a long time. No one's seen him for months. Yubaba said he went back to the human world."
Chihiro shook her head. "Yubaba's lying."
Rin looked at the girl as if she was sick. "Well, you better come in and tell me the whole story. Hurry up, or we'll be seen out here. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole place is swarming with Yubaba's servants by morning after all the commotion you caused."
Rin took her into the room and sat her down on one of the blankets while she lit a lantern.
"Where are the others?" Chihiro asked.
"On night shift," Rin answered, setting the lantern down gently on the dresser. "If Misao hadn't taken my turn, I wouldn't be up here getting the sleep I deserve."
Before she could continue, there was a bang at the sliding balcony doors, and a thud.
"Hide!"
Chihiro burrowed under the many piles of blankets and lay perfectly still. Rin got up and approached the door slowly. Whoever it was they were on the other side of the wooden entranceway, so she couldn't see who.
"Careful, Rin." Chihiro warned from her little tent. Rin didn't answer, but opened the door slowly. There was another thud and a shout from Rin.
Chihiro threw off the covers at got up. There, lying on the floor in a bloody heap, was Ryuki, still in her dragon form.
Rin backed away slowly as Chihiro ran up to the figure. She was unconscious but still breathing. Chihiro cautiously laid a hand on Ryuki's mane. Her image began to shimmer. A split-second later a battered-looking Ryuki was laying on the floor in her original form.
Rin looked over Chihiro's shoulder. "Is that Haku?"
Chihiro shook her head. "Help me."
Rin looked stunned for a moment but then saw what Chihiro meant. Holding on to Ryuki's arms and legs, they dragged her over to a bundle of blankets and laid her down gently.
Chihiro and Rin sat back, breathing hard. Rin looked over at Chihiro and cracked a smile. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Sen."
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So? What did you think? Please review! I know this chapter isn't as long as the other, but I had to write it quickly, since I wanted to upload it before I went away. I'm going away for a few days so there won't be an update for a while, but never fear! I'll continue ^_^
Rin-Chan