Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Madam Tuukkou and Shizako.
Everything else belongs to the wonderful mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Explaining everything to Kamaji had been hard, but he understood it all in the end. Chihiro smiled slightly. Kamaji was indeed more like a father, or grandfather, then the father she had in the human world, even if he did have six very flexible arms.
At the moment, Chihiro was setting out to find Rin. She had already changed her garments into the traditional working uniform and now she was starved. She wondered faintly about those so-called Mischief Makers. What had happened to Miki?
Chihiro looked up into the sky as she made her way across the bridge. The moon was so bright here, probably because there wasn't so much pollution in this world than in the human world. That was probably the case. She wandered slowly to the same spot she had been in that fateful day when Haku had fed her the spelled rice balls. She sat and slowly inhaled the gorgeous smell of Honeysuckle. What had happened to the bathhouse? She felt as though there was so much missing. Haku was so different also. His eyes weren't as alive with passion as they had been. They looked kind of dead now, and his voice sounded hollow and sad for the most part. What had happened?
Chihiro looked up when she heard the footsteps from behind the bush. Instinctively, she dove into the honeysuckle bunch and watched. There was Shizako and this woman that looked, well, sinister. She was HUGE. Not huge as in obese, but huge as in very large bone structure. She looked as though she could have some sort of troll blood in her. Chihiro sucked in her breath as the woman began to speak.
"Shizako, I want that human intruder. She's more than what she seems. I don't care if she's only 14 years of age, do whatever it takes to bring her to me. Yes, yes, I know you're fond of the little wench, so you can have her after I get the power she holds in her heart," said the evil thing.
"Yes Madam Tuukkou," replied Shizako in a straight voice.
"It is a generous gift I am giving you, my apprentice, she is too delicate to last long, so be cautious. But be wary of the River Spirit Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, the girl is precious in his eyes and I do not want you damaged in any way," said Madam Tuukkou. Shizako nodded, an ill- bearing glint in his crimson eyes. Chihiro shivered, but she couldn't help but think about what Madam Tuukkou had said. 'The girl is precious in his eyes.' She slipped out of the bush quietly just as they began to walk away, talking again.
Chihiro was almost out of the garden when a cold hand closed upon her arm, spinning her around.
"AIIIIIIIIUUUUUUUAAAAAAAA!" screamed Chihiro in a pain filled and terrified voice.
"Eavesdroppers get punished, little one," said Shizako, letting go of her arm and circling his prey. Chihiro looked up at him, fear in her eyes. He smiled a cold smile that sent shivers up her spine. "You're so beautiful in the moonlight, like an angel," he said as he came up behind her and caressed her hair. She jerked away angrily and began to run, but his hands came out and bent both her arms behind her back in a painful embrace. Chihiro gasped in pain as he twisted harder, tears springing into her eyes. He began caressing her hair again, and she began to struggle, but he smiled sinisterly and gripped harder.
Just when Chihiro thought her arms were going to break, either that or she was going to spit in Shizako's face, something black came hurtling out of the growth. The black thing stepped into the light and Chihiro noticed it was Haku, and he didn't look dead anymore. In fact, he had a new passion in his eyes, this one bearing hate and rage. Shizako calmly released Chihiro, who in turn sprinted as fast as she could to Haku. Shizako turned himself into his white cat form and bounded up the trees skillfully. Haku narrowed his eyes at the white figure.
Chihiro made her way to Haku, whose eyes immediately softened, before going expressionless again. She hugged him tightly. He hugged her back in a surprised and pleased sort of way.
Ever since he rescued Chihiro from his river, he had fallen in love with her. Then when she came to the bathhouse four years ago, his love had been reawakened. At the time, he had been rather reluctant to allow himself to fall in love with her, but it had happened and there was nothing he could do about it. He had shunned love, pretending it didn't exist for so long, he had actually hoped never to fall in love because he thought it would just break his heart like so many other spirits who fell in love with mortals. But it happened to him, just like it happened to so many others.
There was something about Chihiro that made him wonder though, something that wasn't a humanely quality. She had no greed. None whatsoever. Her heart was completely pure and untouched with hate. That's what made her so precious to him. Even though he had vowed never to let the foreign expression known as love enter his heart, it had, and now he wanted it to stay. He liked the feeling. It made him feel whole. The only thing that kept him rather depressed and in despair always was the fact that he thought Chihiro would be unable to return the emotions. She was young and beautiful with the purest of hearts; she would never love him, a river spirit demi-god.
"What's wrong Haku?" asked Chihiro after she had stopped quivering with anger and fright. He looked down at her and she was surprised at the amount of sadness in his eyes. Her own eyes grew bright in concern, all her problems immediately vanishing to be more concentrated on the matter at hand. "Why are you so sad and different now?"
Haku looked down at the girl in his arms. He sighed mentally, wishing for a once that he kept Chihiro with him those four years. They had been so long for him. He rather depended on her.
"Sen, no Chihiro, if I told you something, would you promise not to cry or yell? What I tell you may scare you, and I hope that it doesn't with all my heart," said Haku. Chihiro nodded, curiosity and a little pinch of nervousness at about what he was going to tell her. Haku took a big breath. He was going to tell her he loved her, and it was going to end with catastrophic results, he knew it.
"I lo-
Haku was interrupted suddenly when Rin came bursting around a corner.
"CHIHIRO! HAKU! Oh! Was I interrupting something here?" asked Rin before continuing. Haku had a look of annoyance, shock, and confusion on his face. Rin took all this in. Yes, she had definitely come at a REALLY bad time.
"What's wrong Rin?" asked Chihiro. Rin looked at Chihiro, then at Haku, then back to Chihiro again, and she walked over, looked at Haku straight in the eye, and began to speak.
"Haku, good luck, no seriously, even though I hate you, I wish you luck. Also, if you harm a hair on her head, I will personally strangle you with your hair. Am I clear?" said Rin in a firm voice. Haku's eyes widened slightly, then he nodded, albeit a bit quickly.
It was Chihiro's turn to look from Rin to Haku again and again in confusion.
Author's Note
Thank you everybody who reviewed! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but I actually have an excuse this time. My computer has been being a real pain in the --- because it keeps deleting my stud without telling me, so I actually had this chapter done, then it got deleted and I had to write it over. So once again, I'm really sorry about the wait. I'll try to get better, I promise.
Explaining everything to Kamaji had been hard, but he understood it all in the end. Chihiro smiled slightly. Kamaji was indeed more like a father, or grandfather, then the father she had in the human world, even if he did have six very flexible arms.
At the moment, Chihiro was setting out to find Rin. She had already changed her garments into the traditional working uniform and now she was starved. She wondered faintly about those so-called Mischief Makers. What had happened to Miki?
Chihiro looked up into the sky as she made her way across the bridge. The moon was so bright here, probably because there wasn't so much pollution in this world than in the human world. That was probably the case. She wandered slowly to the same spot she had been in that fateful day when Haku had fed her the spelled rice balls. She sat and slowly inhaled the gorgeous smell of Honeysuckle. What had happened to the bathhouse? She felt as though there was so much missing. Haku was so different also. His eyes weren't as alive with passion as they had been. They looked kind of dead now, and his voice sounded hollow and sad for the most part. What had happened?
Chihiro looked up when she heard the footsteps from behind the bush. Instinctively, she dove into the honeysuckle bunch and watched. There was Shizako and this woman that looked, well, sinister. She was HUGE. Not huge as in obese, but huge as in very large bone structure. She looked as though she could have some sort of troll blood in her. Chihiro sucked in her breath as the woman began to speak.
"Shizako, I want that human intruder. She's more than what she seems. I don't care if she's only 14 years of age, do whatever it takes to bring her to me. Yes, yes, I know you're fond of the little wench, so you can have her after I get the power she holds in her heart," said the evil thing.
"Yes Madam Tuukkou," replied Shizako in a straight voice.
"It is a generous gift I am giving you, my apprentice, she is too delicate to last long, so be cautious. But be wary of the River Spirit Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, the girl is precious in his eyes and I do not want you damaged in any way," said Madam Tuukkou. Shizako nodded, an ill- bearing glint in his crimson eyes. Chihiro shivered, but she couldn't help but think about what Madam Tuukkou had said. 'The girl is precious in his eyes.' She slipped out of the bush quietly just as they began to walk away, talking again.
Chihiro was almost out of the garden when a cold hand closed upon her arm, spinning her around.
"AIIIIIIIIUUUUUUUAAAAAAAA!" screamed Chihiro in a pain filled and terrified voice.
"Eavesdroppers get punished, little one," said Shizako, letting go of her arm and circling his prey. Chihiro looked up at him, fear in her eyes. He smiled a cold smile that sent shivers up her spine. "You're so beautiful in the moonlight, like an angel," he said as he came up behind her and caressed her hair. She jerked away angrily and began to run, but his hands came out and bent both her arms behind her back in a painful embrace. Chihiro gasped in pain as he twisted harder, tears springing into her eyes. He began caressing her hair again, and she began to struggle, but he smiled sinisterly and gripped harder.
Just when Chihiro thought her arms were going to break, either that or she was going to spit in Shizako's face, something black came hurtling out of the growth. The black thing stepped into the light and Chihiro noticed it was Haku, and he didn't look dead anymore. In fact, he had a new passion in his eyes, this one bearing hate and rage. Shizako calmly released Chihiro, who in turn sprinted as fast as she could to Haku. Shizako turned himself into his white cat form and bounded up the trees skillfully. Haku narrowed his eyes at the white figure.
Chihiro made her way to Haku, whose eyes immediately softened, before going expressionless again. She hugged him tightly. He hugged her back in a surprised and pleased sort of way.
Ever since he rescued Chihiro from his river, he had fallen in love with her. Then when she came to the bathhouse four years ago, his love had been reawakened. At the time, he had been rather reluctant to allow himself to fall in love with her, but it had happened and there was nothing he could do about it. He had shunned love, pretending it didn't exist for so long, he had actually hoped never to fall in love because he thought it would just break his heart like so many other spirits who fell in love with mortals. But it happened to him, just like it happened to so many others.
There was something about Chihiro that made him wonder though, something that wasn't a humanely quality. She had no greed. None whatsoever. Her heart was completely pure and untouched with hate. That's what made her so precious to him. Even though he had vowed never to let the foreign expression known as love enter his heart, it had, and now he wanted it to stay. He liked the feeling. It made him feel whole. The only thing that kept him rather depressed and in despair always was the fact that he thought Chihiro would be unable to return the emotions. She was young and beautiful with the purest of hearts; she would never love him, a river spirit demi-god.
"What's wrong Haku?" asked Chihiro after she had stopped quivering with anger and fright. He looked down at her and she was surprised at the amount of sadness in his eyes. Her own eyes grew bright in concern, all her problems immediately vanishing to be more concentrated on the matter at hand. "Why are you so sad and different now?"
Haku looked down at the girl in his arms. He sighed mentally, wishing for a once that he kept Chihiro with him those four years. They had been so long for him. He rather depended on her.
"Sen, no Chihiro, if I told you something, would you promise not to cry or yell? What I tell you may scare you, and I hope that it doesn't with all my heart," said Haku. Chihiro nodded, curiosity and a little pinch of nervousness at about what he was going to tell her. Haku took a big breath. He was going to tell her he loved her, and it was going to end with catastrophic results, he knew it.
"I lo-
Haku was interrupted suddenly when Rin came bursting around a corner.
"CHIHIRO! HAKU! Oh! Was I interrupting something here?" asked Rin before continuing. Haku had a look of annoyance, shock, and confusion on his face. Rin took all this in. Yes, she had definitely come at a REALLY bad time.
"What's wrong Rin?" asked Chihiro. Rin looked at Chihiro, then at Haku, then back to Chihiro again, and she walked over, looked at Haku straight in the eye, and began to speak.
"Haku, good luck, no seriously, even though I hate you, I wish you luck. Also, if you harm a hair on her head, I will personally strangle you with your hair. Am I clear?" said Rin in a firm voice. Haku's eyes widened slightly, then he nodded, albeit a bit quickly.
It was Chihiro's turn to look from Rin to Haku again and again in confusion.
Author's Note
Thank you everybody who reviewed! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but I actually have an excuse this time. My computer has been being a real pain in the --- because it keeps deleting my stud without telling me, so I actually had this chapter done, then it got deleted and I had to write it over. So once again, I'm really sorry about the wait. I'll try to get better, I promise.