Woo, I'm finally back from holiday and I finally get to continue! I've been searching around a bit, looking at reviews and stories, and I find a lot of people get confused with "Rin" being "Lin" or whatever. Well, I've looked it up and it appears that Rin is the real Japanese original name, but I think they might have switched it around a bit for the English version. It's just a theory. ^_^ And I read in a review that someone said I had pretty much copied the whole first scene of the movie. Well, that's partially true, and it was intended. I had to get the thing flowing and establish some points. All for the good of comprehension!
Oh yeah, and guess what everybody : Aurani thinks this is a Mary-Sue! She thinks Ryuki reeks of Mary-sue. I nearly fell over with disbelief when I read that in the review section. She thinks every Spirited Away girl is a Mary-Sue. Most of them aren't. I mean, look at Ryuki : she's no Mary-sue. She can't be in love with Haku, that's for sure ^_^;
Disclaimer: I bought Haku so he could give Aurani a thrashing (no, just kidding, I'm way nicer than that, and Haku is still free in the wild. So I'll be merciful for now.)
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Chapter 3
~ Haku, where are you going?
I've told you a million times; is everything I do your affair?
Well, as a matter of fact, yes, it is my affair. I warned you about that. It's … well, never mind.
What?
Well … I don't like that place. The witch …Yubaba …I don't trust her.
She seems civilized enough to run a bath house.
Will you stop mocking me?
Not until you treat me like an equal.
Fine! Just don't be gone too long.
* * *
So, you haven't seen him at all?
No, dear, I would tell you if I would, wouldn't I?
Well, yes … you're sure?
Of course.
Alright … but you will tell me if you see him, right?
You have my word, dear.
Fair enough. I apologize for wasting your time, Yubaba-sama.
Not at all. Come back soon.
* * *
He's gone.
I'm sorry –
It's your fault.
It was an accident, I didn't mean to –
But you can't help it, can you?
He's not lost, there's still time, I can find him –
Time? What time do you think we have, Rei-Yuki? You lost him.
I-
By letting him go you have betrayed the River. Betrayed all of us.
I want nothing more to do with you!
You cannot escape it.
No!
Kohaku is dead because of you. You've killed your own brother!
"No!"
Ryuki's eyes shot open, their eerie green glow bouncing off the ceiling. She blinked rapidly, and the light subsided. She felt around her; the robe she was wearing was soaked, as were the sheets under her. Her brow and cheeks were hot with perspiration.
Where am I?
She tore her gaze from the ceiling and looked around. There was nothing to see though, her eyes were still covered with a sleepy haze. She closed them, trying to rub off the fresh, burning memory of the dream. It had been coming more frequently now, more vividly. She could remember everything so clearly as if it had happened yesterday. In truth it had been a long time.
It always started with the parting. Haku leaving the River, having a disagreement with her. Her reluctance to let him go. Her suspicion of the witch and her magic.
Then the search. The search that had led her over the globe. Even to the witch's territory, where she had sent Ryuki away, even more puzzled than before.
Then the council. That part was always the worst. The memory was fresh, she remembered every word. They wouldn't let her talk, just accused her and accused her. The Great Spirit had even called her by her true title so bluntly, it was a great insult. But then again it was banishment. She thought she could make them understand, give her a chance to look harder. But they exiled her without question. The good thing was that not many others knew, so she was still permitted entrance to the bath house. But now … now she had been chased out of one world and was being hunted in the other.
She summoned up all the physical strength in her body and rolled over. Then, with an even greater effort, leaned forward and propped herself on her elbows. The haze was gone now, she could see the room clearly.
Lying not to far away was the chambermaid she knew as Rin, breathing slowly and peacefully, fast asleep. Sitting on the edge of the balcony, legs dangling free into space, was Chihiro.
Making as little noise as possible, which wasn't that hard for the spirit, Ryuki crept over to where Chihiro was. She scooted up next to her and sat cross-legged, chin in the palm of her hands. It was only until she sighed heavily that Chihiro noticed her presence.
"Oh, Ryuki, you're awake!" She spun around and looked at Ryuki, from her dim green eyes and the bruises on her cheek to the torn and soaked robe. Concluding that she was still a good deal alive, Chihiro gave her an awkward hug from the side. Ryuki winced a bit, but smiled.
Chihiro let go, but then got a sort of discomforted look. She looked down at the floor hard, then back at Ryuki.
"You weren't telling me the whole truth, were you? You're more than you seem."
Ryuki smiled amiably. "Clever girl. No, you're right, I wasn't telling the truth, and I at least owe it to you." She looked out through the railing. "I'm not exactly a friend of Haku's, but … well, I'm his sister."
There was a kind of astonishment in Chihiro's eyes, but she nodded gravely, as if she understood and had suspected that the whole time.
"And like Haku, I'm a spirit. A storm spirit, actually, the god of the summit of Mount Fuji. I rule over the winter storms and snowfall. Well, I used to." There was pain in her eyes now, the green light growing dimmer. "One day I let Haku go off on his own … it's not a safe world out there for spirits … and … he never came back. " She shuddered, an unspoken thought going through her mind. "I looked everywhere for him, but with no luck. His absence at the River made it weak and drained, the water no longer pure, until it was swept away and destroyed by humans. The spirits banished me, and now I live in exile, still searching for Haku."
Chihiro looked down and tried to search for the right words, but couldn't find any. There were no words for this. Ryuki had lost her brother and her place in the world of gods. And if Ryuki couldn't find her brother, it meant that Chihiro had lost a very dear friend.
"But I'm convinced that he's here," Ryuki said, a little bit of the green fire coming back into her eyes. "I'll never stop searching. Yubaba will have to kill me first."
Chihiro watched with wonder as the spirit's face suddenly flushed, and the eyes turned from pale green to a fiery emerald, burning with determination. And somehow, watching the confidence rise within Ryuki, Chihiro felt hope build in her heart.
"We start our search before dawn." Ryuki looked at Chihiro. "Are you with me?"
Chihiro nodded, suddenly feeling excited.
"Good. We should start with the most obvious place: Yubaba's chambers."
Chihiro thought about this. "But now that she knows you're here, wouldn't she expect you to go there, and so bring him somewhere else?"
Ryuki looked at her, a fair amount of surprise and respect written on her features. "You are a clever girl. Maybe you're right. And then again, she might have delayed it, thinking I'm too wounded …" She considered this new possibility. "Well, you might as well get some rest for the moment. I want to be out of here before the sun touches the horizon."
Chihiro nodded and crawled back over to where Rin was. She buried herself deep within the covers and let her thoughts drift away.
Maybe there's hope … and her mind fell into darkness.
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*Yawn* I'm so tired. I started this chapter at 8:00 PM and it's now 9:30 and I have school tomorrow! Curses! Oh well, another day, another chapter! I know it's kind of short, but, whatever.
Please Review!
Rin-chan