Disclaimer: I still have many Oreos, but no Spirited Away.
Chapter 2: Amiss
A sound of splashing wind washed through Kohaku's ears. He laid back in his chair, yearning to enter a world of dreams and memories, yet nothing came. He jumped to his feet and ran out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. He ran his hands down the walls inside: they were cracking. The formerly powerful cords gave a jerk as they deposited the box on the main floor. Something was odd.something that should have been noticed, but had gone amiss due to the lack of attention among the remaining employees.
He was greeted at the bottom of the lift with mutterings of horror. Rin stood in the middle of a wide circle of people, frantically wiping her hands on her wide blue apron as well as trying to get rid of the tears running down her face. Kohaku was struck with an unfamiliar scent: it was human, perhaps from some intruder. On a side note, Kohaku felt that he had nothing against intruders. After all, the last one to come around was quite wonderful. However, it was Rin that concerned him now. Cries of Master Haku swarmed about him as he strode into the midst of the circle and calmly lifted Rin's chin with his fingers, emotions dodging about inside him.
"What happened here?"
Rin shook at the cool expression in his eyes. She had never seen him like this, ever. Although he was always rather calm around people, his expression was so absent that it rather frightened her.
"I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and to retrieve some water from the stream. When I came back in, I noticed a strange smell on myself. I checked again, and the scent was everywhere outside as well, and it's getting worse each minute. Look for yourself."
With that exclamation she wiped a final tear from her eye and looked defiantly about the circle. Meanwhile, Kohaku seemed conflicted. He rushed outside, scanning the vacant grasses and foliage-overgrown restaurants for reasons and answers of some unanswered question. It was bluish, he noticed, not the usual bright daylight of the spirit world these past few years. Lazy and foggy, the atmosphere crept up on the old bathhouse and seemed to do more damage than any storm had ever done. The humanish scent came from a rapid wind in the northern most part of the lands: it seemed to come out of a crack in the sky.
Haku slammed the door shut with a bang, already feeling the smell rising from his toes over his head into the room.
"It is a crack.a break in the barrier between our world and the humans'. There is nothing to be done. We must investigate it, and do our best to come up with an alternative."
The women stared at him with shock, though unable to hide their distaste for his fresh human scent. Master Haku himself, disowning the bathhouse? How impossible. Murmurs of discontent popped out of the air, ringing loud and clear in the silent hall.
He sighed, knowing that the time would come. Yubaba had warned him when she left that the location was becoming old and dangerous, too old for her taste, yet Haku had stayed. They had been worth it, these past few years. No scramble for money or rush for work in the morning. Food was obtained and eaten as needed, and the life of the remaining dwellers was simple and calm. Only now was there change. He leaned his head against the wall and wondered about his dear Chihiro. Maybe there was a hole where she lived as well.who knew? Just one thing mattered to him now: to rid his world of this disturbing presence, and return to his wonderful friend.
~~ A/N - Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it took a while. Thanks especially to the kind person who corrected my name spellings. Stupid subtitles. So many nice people to hug.Well, I hope you like this chapter. It is heating things up a bit. I know the going is slow, but there will be fluff, never fear! Eat Oreos.
Chapter 2: Amiss
A sound of splashing wind washed through Kohaku's ears. He laid back in his chair, yearning to enter a world of dreams and memories, yet nothing came. He jumped to his feet and ran out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. He ran his hands down the walls inside: they were cracking. The formerly powerful cords gave a jerk as they deposited the box on the main floor. Something was odd.something that should have been noticed, but had gone amiss due to the lack of attention among the remaining employees.
He was greeted at the bottom of the lift with mutterings of horror. Rin stood in the middle of a wide circle of people, frantically wiping her hands on her wide blue apron as well as trying to get rid of the tears running down her face. Kohaku was struck with an unfamiliar scent: it was human, perhaps from some intruder. On a side note, Kohaku felt that he had nothing against intruders. After all, the last one to come around was quite wonderful. However, it was Rin that concerned him now. Cries of Master Haku swarmed about him as he strode into the midst of the circle and calmly lifted Rin's chin with his fingers, emotions dodging about inside him.
"What happened here?"
Rin shook at the cool expression in his eyes. She had never seen him like this, ever. Although he was always rather calm around people, his expression was so absent that it rather frightened her.
"I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and to retrieve some water from the stream. When I came back in, I noticed a strange smell on myself. I checked again, and the scent was everywhere outside as well, and it's getting worse each minute. Look for yourself."
With that exclamation she wiped a final tear from her eye and looked defiantly about the circle. Meanwhile, Kohaku seemed conflicted. He rushed outside, scanning the vacant grasses and foliage-overgrown restaurants for reasons and answers of some unanswered question. It was bluish, he noticed, not the usual bright daylight of the spirit world these past few years. Lazy and foggy, the atmosphere crept up on the old bathhouse and seemed to do more damage than any storm had ever done. The humanish scent came from a rapid wind in the northern most part of the lands: it seemed to come out of a crack in the sky.
Haku slammed the door shut with a bang, already feeling the smell rising from his toes over his head into the room.
"It is a crack.a break in the barrier between our world and the humans'. There is nothing to be done. We must investigate it, and do our best to come up with an alternative."
The women stared at him with shock, though unable to hide their distaste for his fresh human scent. Master Haku himself, disowning the bathhouse? How impossible. Murmurs of discontent popped out of the air, ringing loud and clear in the silent hall.
He sighed, knowing that the time would come. Yubaba had warned him when she left that the location was becoming old and dangerous, too old for her taste, yet Haku had stayed. They had been worth it, these past few years. No scramble for money or rush for work in the morning. Food was obtained and eaten as needed, and the life of the remaining dwellers was simple and calm. Only now was there change. He leaned his head against the wall and wondered about his dear Chihiro. Maybe there was a hole where she lived as well.who knew? Just one thing mattered to him now: to rid his world of this disturbing presence, and return to his wonderful friend.
~~ A/N - Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it took a while. Thanks especially to the kind person who corrected my name spellings. Stupid subtitles. So many nice people to hug.Well, I hope you like this chapter. It is heating things up a bit. I know the going is slow, but there will be fluff, never fear! Eat Oreos.