Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or any of its characters. They belong to Hayo Miyazaki…or whoever does own them. Neither do I own wahtever is in the author's notes. After seeing what a reviwer posted, Wing Zero insisted that SHE write the author's notes. So, don't blame me, Wing Gundam, for anything in the author's notes. Enjoy!
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WZ: Morrigan/Nickoi STAY AWAY FROM HEERO!!!!!!!! He's mine.
WG: Yeah, because she schziophernic. In her mind, Heero is hers and hers alone.
WZ: I reduced him to a shivering coward. Don't mess with me.
WG: Okaaay, I am oficially creeped out now.
WZ: You are supoposed to be creeped out. That's the point.
WG: *backs away from WZ* Nevermind. Well, here's chapter anyway.
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I walked, care-free, down the sidewalk. School had just let out, and I DEFINITELY was not in a good mood. Because of my two outbursts in class, I almost got dentention. But was it really Haku I saw? Or was I just getting so desperate I'm starting to see things?
I swung my backpack around in circles as I pondered this. I closed my eyes, trying my best to form a mental picture of his dragon-form. I wanted to see if that picture matched up with what I saw in class. A long, snake-like white body. A flowing mane of aqua-marine hair. Short, golden-colored horns produding from his head. Short, stubby legs ending in sharp, scaly talons.
Oh, who was I kidding? Did that place even exist? Did I really go to that weird, strange world? Or was it all a dream? I gentally touched the only memento I had of being there. A hair tie.The one who made it was Yubaba's twin sister, Zeniba. She said it would protect me. But how?
I rounded a corner to were my house was. What was standing in front of it almost made me faint. A long, thin white dragon stood almost on my doorstep. My backpack slipped from my grasp, completely forgotten.
"H…Haku?" I took a tententive step forward. I started out walking, then I jogged, and ran. Ran all the way to the one I left all these years ago.
"Haku," I cried as I reached the dragon, "Haku, it was you. I wasn't dreaming then. Oh, Haku. Thank you for coming back. Thank you. Thank you."
I just buried my face in his dog-like muzzle. I cried. I couldn't stop myself. I could only cry. Haku, the only person I had ever loved, who I was forced to leave so many years ago, had returned. Then, a sudden thought struck me.
"Oh no!" I cried, "Haku, you have to hurry. Change out of your dragon-form!" He looked up at me, eyes asking question his voice couldn't. I tried my best to explain it to him "Listen, Haku. People here aren't used to seeing a dragon flying around. Please, change back. And hurry!"
I trotted a ways back to give him some room. There was a soft whoosing noise and then several light clinks. Pieces of the white dragon was flying off, like scales or shreds of paper. Irregular chunks flew off, then vanished. It started off slowly, then accelerated rapidly. When all the parts and disappeared, a young boy stood in its place.
"C'mon, Haku," I said to him, taking his hand, "I will show you my world."
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Haku hung limp is his bindings. How long had he been there? Too long. Were was Chihiro? He dreaded the thought. He hadn't seen her since the day she left for her world. He pulled up that thought from his memory. Memory was all he had left to comfort him.
He remembered everything. The cool breeze. The rolling hills. The golden sunlight streaming in everywere. Chihiro…
Just thinking about Chihiro made his heart ache. So long it had been, she had probably forgotten him. She forgot that Haku and his world are real. She had probably carried on with her life. He believed she didn't need him.
No, he forced himself to think of happier times, better times. But what better times did he have? All his life, being a river spirit, he had been alone. Invisible to humans, yet still there. Always there. It had forever just been him, flowing with the water's current. Haku had never known it any other way.
He had always been alone, yet he never enjoyed it. He longed to be with all the others. But this was a simple a life as a river spirit could live. It was the way it was. His kind were always by themselves, cut off from the rest of the world. That was how Haku would have lived the rest of his life, had it not been for her. Chihiro.
Suddenly, his life held meaning. This girl, this human girl, had given Haku a reason to live. And he would contiue to live for her, whether she would ever know or not.
A sudden pain brought him back to reality. His dark, painful, and lifeless reality. He tried to make his eyes pierce the darkness. The awful blackness that made him feel blind. It was slowly driving him to the brink of insanity. He could barely remember what it felt like to feel the warmth and comfort of the sun.
And the loneliness. The loneliness that he had known all his life. It was familiar, yet unexpected. He had become unacostamed to be all alone, working in Yubaba's bathhouse. He welcomed the loneliness. It was the only thing he had left. That, and memories.
Suddenly, a light peirced the utter blackness. A smalll, insignifigant little column of light that nearly blinded him. Haku did his best to move his head out of the way; the chains around his neck prevented much movement. Soon the light fadded and Haku was left once more in the dark. But, this time, not alone.
He couldn't see the person, but their footsteps on the cold, cement floor gave them away. But, just like the light, the footsteps faded away, and Haku was left alone again. Did I just imagine that? He wondered, or did it really happen? That was the question he had asked himself every day. But when he heard a voice, he knew he was not alone anymore.
"Well, well. It seems you are still alive, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."
Haku's mind burned at the sound of the voice. He knew who it was. The voice of the one who had stolen his name and forced him to work. And, the voice of the one who took Chihiro's name, and turned her parents into pigs.
"Yubaba," he whispered. The tone of his own voice startled him. It had gone so long without usage, it was wispy and hoarse. Haku couldn't get it above a whisper.
"Yes, it is me. How are you faring here, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi? Is it suiting you?"
Yubaba was using a nasty, irritating tone of sarcasim. Haku felt sick just listening to her voice. It was like a poison to his ears. "My name is Haku," he said in a deadly whisper.
Haku couldn't see Yubaba's ugly face, but he could almost see her wicked smile. "You want me to call you the name I gave to you?"
Haku didn't answer. What could he say? He could feel his face burning. He could feel the anger surging through his veins, feel the adrenaline pumbing. Haku felt and looked ready to kill.
"Shut up," he hissed at the person who hid in the darkness.
"Tsk, tsk," she chided him, "Very vulgar language, Haku. Especially because of what I can do to Sen."
Haku's head snapped up. "C-Chihiro?" Sen was the name Yubaba had given to Chihiro. "What have you done!" he cried as loud as he could.
A sudden light broke the darkness. Haku cried out in pain for the sudden light, and turned his head away. Yubaba had lit a small fire at her finger tip. She pulled out a cigaret and put it to the flame. She laughed evily and answered, "No, I haven't done anything to the girl. Not yet, anyway."
Haku was angry now. Blood boiling, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing; true anger. "What are you scheming, witch?" he hissed in a voice not his own.
Yubaba didn't answer. The flame at her fingertip suddenly grew, but the light it gave off didn't grow. In fact, it acually became dimmer. The orange-and-yellow flame became a soft sky blue. This new fire flew upwards, and trailed around in a circle. What appeared to be a glass-like substance filled in the center.
"Watch," Yubaba instructed Haku. He did, even though nothing was there for the first few minutes. Then suddenly, he saw what the witch was trying to show him.
It was Chihiro. She was running. But it was happy kind of running. She was smiling broadly, apparently laughing; the picture didn't have sound. She looked older to Haku's eyes, more mature. A long time must have past, he thought sadly, humans age so quickly. But as he looked harder into the picture, he saw the point Yubaba was making.
Chihiro was running akwardly, as though she was dragging something. And she practically was. Haku saw that her arm was behind her, pulling something along. Slowly, carefully, he saw what it was. It was him. In every way, in every detail, it was him. His face, his eyes, clothes; everything. Haku's heart shot up into his throat. Then the picture fadded away.
"What is this?" he snapped. Yubaba chuckled in a way that made Haku's sweat run."It is part of my plan. That Haku you just saw was an obvious illusion. The fake Haku will gain Sen's trust, and then he will lure her back here. To the spirit world."
She put emphasis on those last few words, making sure Haku understood.
"But why," he rasped out, "Why do all this? What is the point?"
"Why," she hissed dangerously, "Why?! That insolent little girl cost me MILLIONS, turned all my workers against me, she even turned my own BABY against me! Why?! The reason is revenge. This time, I am going to bring her back here and make sure that she never leaves!"
She laugh manically, in a way that made Haku's hair stand up on end. But also, anger. He felt like tearing Yubaba apart. His heart was pounding, breathing heavily, and the corners of his mouth were starting to foam. "You moster!"
Haku was more than furious. He wished he could be free of these chains, if only for a short time. He felt like killing something. Something like Yubaba.
"I'll kill you," he raged ignorant of the chains, now. He was past knowlede of the chains now, past the pain. All he could see was Yubaba and all he could feel was anger. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"
He said it so forcefully that Yubaba took several steps back. His tone was strange and completely devoid of any other emotion but anger. His eyes bulged in and out, giving him the look of a maniac. He looked crazy. But, Yubaba relized, his eyes and emotions weren't the only difference.
His body was phisically changing. His mouth jutted out forward, forming a dog muzzle. His night-black hair lightened and turned aqua marine. His legs and arms shortened and became thick and scaly. Two short nubs grew on either side of his face, then grew out to the length of his body,while his body extended down, down, seemingly forever. His now blue hair creeped up to his back, then shot down along his spine like a wildfire. Yubaba instantly knew what was happening.
"So, planning on become dragon, eh, Haku?"
His emerald eyes were daggers, aimed at Yubaba. He tried to attack his target. But, he suddenly screeched in pain. He buried his head in his scaly talons and screeched again. It was weird for a dragon to make such a human gesture. And at seeing Haku's miseary, Yubaba laughed.
"I tried to warn you, Haku. Those chains that bind you are enchanted. If you become dragon, then your soul will be torn apart."
Haku roared. Either in pain or anger, Yubaba didn't know. Then Haku gave a piercing shriek loud enough to knock Yubaba back. Then she saw what the dragon was doing. He was fighting the chains, fighing as though it was the only thing he could do. Foam flew from his mouth, blood slowly seeped from his eyes and ears. Yubaba laughed at his feeble attempt.
"Try as you might, Haku. You will never break those chains."
But right after she said that, the links on the chains started twisting carvorting, and started to open, snapping. Yubaba could hear metal grinding on metal. Haku's screeching voice was joined with the screeching of metal.
Just as Haku was about to completely shatter the chains, he gave a final shriek of defeat, shuddered, and fell limp. The dragon suddenly seemed to fly off, and a hagged, bloodied boy was left in the chains.
As Yubaba looked closer at the manacles, she saw how close he really was to freedom. Had he fought much longer, they would have been snapped. He is stroger than I remember, Yubaba thought. She turned heel and disapeared into light.
Haku was in the darkness, alone once more. But now, he knew what he must do. He must escape and free Chihiro. But first, he must survive this first test.
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WG: *panting* Man, this was a very LOOOONG chapter. I'm am completely worn out. Sorry, Morrigan/Nickoi, but you will have to wait on the GW character opinions.
WZ: Yeah, I'm tired, too.
WG: WHAT?!? How can you be tired?! You didn't even do anything!!
WZ: And?
WG: Ugh, nevermind. It is too late, and I'm too tired for it. To the readers: Don't expect another chapter soon. I'm goning to be off, working on my Gundam Wing story. Sorry, but I left this one in a cliffhanger, too!
WZ: Have you notice that you are saying "too," a lot?
WZ: Thank you.
WG: Wha…forget it. I'm not even going to ask.
WZ: *smiles*
WG: And don't be mean to our reviewers anymore!
Heero: *appears and slaps WG. Hard.* Be nice to WZ! *disappears*
WG: *rubs head* Okay, okay. You don't have sick you're Heero on me.
WZ: *smiles innocently* Told you so.
