~
THIRD PERSON POV
~
"Yes! How did you get so..." Rin trailed off. What could she say? Chihiro was incredibly, unnaturally thin, her hair was limp and lifeless, as well as her pale skin. Her eyes were the worst part - those big bright brown orbs that had held such hope and determination and life before were now flat colors of brown around dilated pupils. Devoid of emotion. Devoid of hope. Love. Color. Feeling. Lifeless. She looked like she had been emotionally tortured!
"... How did you get so lifeless?" Rin finished at last.
"...Lifeless?" Chihiro repeated, slurring. Her eyes were half-closed.
"No, Chihiro-chan, don't go to sleep!" Haku thought quickly, frantically. All sense of neutrality and thought abandoned.
"She needs to throw up whatever those pills were that she swallowed," Kamajii said, loudly enough to cut through Haku's adrenaline-ized thoughts. "Quickly, outside! Pout your fingers down her throat - now, hurry!"
Haku wordlessly carried Chihiro to the door, opening it with a foot, and did as he was told.
Chihiro didn't seem at all happy when he brought her to her knees and shoved two fingers down her throat, and Rin came out to help.
This didn't make her any happier, and one hand tangled itself in Haku's hair while the other yanked uncomfortably against Rin's shirt.
She allowed them to wash her mouth out, then seemed to decide that she didn't want them touching her at all. after some coaxing, she was sitting on the other end, next to the soot-balls'-wall-holes, knees drawn up to chest.
"Chihiro," Kamajii said gently. "Tell us, please, what happened?"
"... Happened?" came the flat, toneless, weak reply.
"How did you get like this?" Rin asked, trying a different approach.
".... Like this?" the same toneless, slightly slurred, weak, tired reply.
Haku, though, had thought things through. He had somewhat more direct questions, that got much more direct answers.
"Chihiro-chan, you said this was a dream. What makes you think it was a dream?"
"Coz I had the dream like this 'afore with all of you guys in it all the time for a while but I got that fixed least I thought so I guess not coz look here I am. Dreaming." She spoke slowly and flatly. She was obviously exhausted. Didn't need to take a breath, her words were simply slow enough.
"You had this dream before?" Haku coaxed. "How many times?"
"... Lotsa times, I did."
"Can you tell us them?"
"C'nt 'member."
"Why not? I thought you just said you had had this dream before."
"Ah ya, bu' I c'n on'y 'member bits and pieces."
"Can you tell us those bits and pieces, then?"
"Mom and dad was pigs.... An' I was runnin' and there was somethin' smelly and somebody tha' scare' meh lots... and there was a tunnel... then blackness and in real life tried to tell 'em wasn't dreams, bu' iwas wrong. Jus' dreams." Her eyes crossed slightly, and she closed them, shaking her head slightly. During all of this, she was unaware that the other three had been creeping forward. Chihiro stifled a yawn.
"What made you think they were simply dreams?"
"oh ya, lotsa things," Chihiro's reply was drifted.
Suddenly, she stopped. "iu remember!" she began, jerking to her feet. Her voice became clearer as she began running on adrenaline. "I remember!" she shrieked. "I hate them! I hate my so called mom and dad for putting me in that place and I hate my stupid self for making up dreams that put me in that place to start out with! Some sort of asylum, and I was all alone, and nobody helped me because I was supposed to be crazy! I was! I hate Yuuko and I hate Akio and I hate the other girls and I hate the dumb doctors! I hate that place! and I hate myself! And I hate my dreams, and everybody in them!" she took a deep breath, stumbling away from Haku, Rin, and Kamajii.
"AND I Remember now, who it was that I hated more than anything!" Chihiro's breathing was ragged as she slammed her back accidentally against the door, eyes wide. "I hate you!" she shrieked. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!"
She was shocked into dumbfoundedness from Haku's response.
"Why." He asked. voice completely flat, face completely neutral. He didn't pursue her, just stood there. Both Rin and Kamajii stared at him.
"......... What?" Chihiro asked weakly, sinking down.
"Why," Haku repeated, "do you hate us?"
"Because you put me in some crazy house!" Chihiro cried. "I prayed and I cried and back when I was crazy too, I thought, 'they'll come for me, I can escape, he'll come for me', but ya know what? I gave up! I accepted the fact that I was crazy and I had my last food disorder meeting and I've got my entire death planned out and for that I'm happy!" tears streaked her face, making the blood and soot and dirt on it even worse.
"I take two pills in the morning and two at night and hit Mr. Boppo for Akio, Yuuko, for that wicked place with the needles, for the ""Spirit World"" not being there or existing, for this dream I had dreamt up and fallen in love with! Why don't you all just leave me alone? Why won't this night mare end?" I fell forward to my knees.
"DO YOU THREE KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO ME!?!" Chihiro wailed. "YOU'VE KILLED ME! I COULDN'T EVEN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FANTASY AND REALITY!" with each syllable, she pounded the floor, once more tearing her weak, bony wrists apart. This wasn't her five-a-morning-and-a-night punch thing. This was for the universe, for herself. She hated... SHE HATED EVERYTHING, EVERYBODY, including HERSELF! She felt better, ripping something apart; even if it was apart.
Of course, her sleeves ended up, and cuts and scars showed, but she ignored them or the soft gasp on Rin's part. Kamajii figured out what Haku was doing, and held Rin back, who was trying desperately to get to Chihiro, to help her.
"Shut, Rin," Haku hissed.
Finally, Chihiro had beat herself out, and forced herself to her feet, breathing heavily. Now she was slurring slightly again.
"So I'm gonna go wake m'self up now and die," she sat flatly. "I'll end it once and for all."
Haku, however, marched up to her and dragged her back a few paces.
"This isn't a dream, Chihiro-chan," he said seriously, perfectly neutral. It scared Chihiro a little bit, but she pushed it off and backed away.
Rin had given up by now and let Kamajii hold her back, watching helplessly.
"Yes it is."
"Then prove it."
Chihiro froze, and stared at Haku. Prove it? you couldn't prove to a dream person who you hated more than anything that they were a friggin nightmare! "Prove it?" Chihiro repeated, hatred glistening. "I think that YOU should prove to me that this ISN'T a dream."
"Glad to oblige."
"Wha...?" the reply hadn't been expected, so Haku's next movement wasn't expected either.
Rin shrieked and managed to get a couple of obscenities yelled at Haku before Kamajii clapped a few hands over her mouth as well. He fixed Haku with a look - that had been a little bit TOO harsh.
Meanwhile, Chihiro was slowly turning her head back to its natural position, the smack continuing the ring in her ears.
She touched the spot on her cheek, and managed not to flinch in pain or whimper. But it hurt. It stung! That bastard! 'I hate him! I always have!' she thought angrily.
Hake slowly lowered his arm as Chihiro slowly opened her eyes. Both were shaking with suppressed emotion.
THIRD PERSON POV
~
"Yes! How did you get so..." Rin trailed off. What could she say? Chihiro was incredibly, unnaturally thin, her hair was limp and lifeless, as well as her pale skin. Her eyes were the worst part - those big bright brown orbs that had held such hope and determination and life before were now flat colors of brown around dilated pupils. Devoid of emotion. Devoid of hope. Love. Color. Feeling. Lifeless. She looked like she had been emotionally tortured!
"... How did you get so lifeless?" Rin finished at last.
"...Lifeless?" Chihiro repeated, slurring. Her eyes were half-closed.
"No, Chihiro-chan, don't go to sleep!" Haku thought quickly, frantically. All sense of neutrality and thought abandoned.
"She needs to throw up whatever those pills were that she swallowed," Kamajii said, loudly enough to cut through Haku's adrenaline-ized thoughts. "Quickly, outside! Pout your fingers down her throat - now, hurry!"
Haku wordlessly carried Chihiro to the door, opening it with a foot, and did as he was told.
Chihiro didn't seem at all happy when he brought her to her knees and shoved two fingers down her throat, and Rin came out to help.
This didn't make her any happier, and one hand tangled itself in Haku's hair while the other yanked uncomfortably against Rin's shirt.
She allowed them to wash her mouth out, then seemed to decide that she didn't want them touching her at all. after some coaxing, she was sitting on the other end, next to the soot-balls'-wall-holes, knees drawn up to chest.
"Chihiro," Kamajii said gently. "Tell us, please, what happened?"
"... Happened?" came the flat, toneless, weak reply.
"How did you get like this?" Rin asked, trying a different approach.
".... Like this?" the same toneless, slightly slurred, weak, tired reply.
Haku, though, had thought things through. He had somewhat more direct questions, that got much more direct answers.
"Chihiro-chan, you said this was a dream. What makes you think it was a dream?"
"Coz I had the dream like this 'afore with all of you guys in it all the time for a while but I got that fixed least I thought so I guess not coz look here I am. Dreaming." She spoke slowly and flatly. She was obviously exhausted. Didn't need to take a breath, her words were simply slow enough.
"You had this dream before?" Haku coaxed. "How many times?"
"... Lotsa times, I did."
"Can you tell us them?"
"C'nt 'member."
"Why not? I thought you just said you had had this dream before."
"Ah ya, bu' I c'n on'y 'member bits and pieces."
"Can you tell us those bits and pieces, then?"
"Mom and dad was pigs.... An' I was runnin' and there was somethin' smelly and somebody tha' scare' meh lots... and there was a tunnel... then blackness and in real life tried to tell 'em wasn't dreams, bu' iwas wrong. Jus' dreams." Her eyes crossed slightly, and she closed them, shaking her head slightly. During all of this, she was unaware that the other three had been creeping forward. Chihiro stifled a yawn.
"What made you think they were simply dreams?"
"oh ya, lotsa things," Chihiro's reply was drifted.
Suddenly, she stopped. "iu remember!" she began, jerking to her feet. Her voice became clearer as she began running on adrenaline. "I remember!" she shrieked. "I hate them! I hate my so called mom and dad for putting me in that place and I hate my stupid self for making up dreams that put me in that place to start out with! Some sort of asylum, and I was all alone, and nobody helped me because I was supposed to be crazy! I was! I hate Yuuko and I hate Akio and I hate the other girls and I hate the dumb doctors! I hate that place! and I hate myself! And I hate my dreams, and everybody in them!" she took a deep breath, stumbling away from Haku, Rin, and Kamajii.
"AND I Remember now, who it was that I hated more than anything!" Chihiro's breathing was ragged as she slammed her back accidentally against the door, eyes wide. "I hate you!" she shrieked. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!"
She was shocked into dumbfoundedness from Haku's response.
"Why." He asked. voice completely flat, face completely neutral. He didn't pursue her, just stood there. Both Rin and Kamajii stared at him.
"......... What?" Chihiro asked weakly, sinking down.
"Why," Haku repeated, "do you hate us?"
"Because you put me in some crazy house!" Chihiro cried. "I prayed and I cried and back when I was crazy too, I thought, 'they'll come for me, I can escape, he'll come for me', but ya know what? I gave up! I accepted the fact that I was crazy and I had my last food disorder meeting and I've got my entire death planned out and for that I'm happy!" tears streaked her face, making the blood and soot and dirt on it even worse.
"I take two pills in the morning and two at night and hit Mr. Boppo for Akio, Yuuko, for that wicked place with the needles, for the ""Spirit World"" not being there or existing, for this dream I had dreamt up and fallen in love with! Why don't you all just leave me alone? Why won't this night mare end?" I fell forward to my knees.
"DO YOU THREE KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO ME!?!" Chihiro wailed. "YOU'VE KILLED ME! I COULDN'T EVEN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FANTASY AND REALITY!" with each syllable, she pounded the floor, once more tearing her weak, bony wrists apart. This wasn't her five-a-morning-and-a-night punch thing. This was for the universe, for herself. She hated... SHE HATED EVERYTHING, EVERYBODY, including HERSELF! She felt better, ripping something apart; even if it was apart.
Of course, her sleeves ended up, and cuts and scars showed, but she ignored them or the soft gasp on Rin's part. Kamajii figured out what Haku was doing, and held Rin back, who was trying desperately to get to Chihiro, to help her.
"Shut, Rin," Haku hissed.
Finally, Chihiro had beat herself out, and forced herself to her feet, breathing heavily. Now she was slurring slightly again.
"So I'm gonna go wake m'self up now and die," she sat flatly. "I'll end it once and for all."
Haku, however, marched up to her and dragged her back a few paces.
"This isn't a dream, Chihiro-chan," he said seriously, perfectly neutral. It scared Chihiro a little bit, but she pushed it off and backed away.
Rin had given up by now and let Kamajii hold her back, watching helplessly.
"Yes it is."
"Then prove it."
Chihiro froze, and stared at Haku. Prove it? you couldn't prove to a dream person who you hated more than anything that they were a friggin nightmare! "Prove it?" Chihiro repeated, hatred glistening. "I think that YOU should prove to me that this ISN'T a dream."
"Glad to oblige."
"Wha...?" the reply hadn't been expected, so Haku's next movement wasn't expected either.
Rin shrieked and managed to get a couple of obscenities yelled at Haku before Kamajii clapped a few hands over her mouth as well. He fixed Haku with a look - that had been a little bit TOO harsh.
Meanwhile, Chihiro was slowly turning her head back to its natural position, the smack continuing the ring in her ears.
She touched the spot on her cheek, and managed not to flinch in pain or whimper. But it hurt. It stung! That bastard! 'I hate him! I always have!' she thought angrily.
Hake slowly lowered his arm as Chihiro slowly opened her eyes. Both were shaking with suppressed emotion.