WG: Sorry it took so long for the next chapter. If you don't know, WZ and I have a fiction press account now. So, I am now juggling three stories at once. It is not easy.
WZ: Well, be glad people actually read your stories. You had your story up for, like, three hours and got two reviews in the same day. Mine's been up for a week and not a single review.
WG: Well, maybe that proves my stories are better.
WZ: *glares*
WG: *laughs* I was just kidding. Anyway, here's the story.
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I flailed about, helpless in the gushing water. My hands clawed for some soild surface. Legs kicking feebely aginst the impossible current. But how? How did I get in the water? My mind was racing, heart pounding, blood rushing through my brain. It was simply terrifying. I could already feel my limbs numbing from the cold. The icy water rushed up into my eyes, ears, nose, mouth. The hard current was swiftly pulling me away from shore, into the ocean. Yes, I knew that much. But how was I to get back, safely, on land? A thought suddenly struck me. A thought that made the water even more terrifying. I was going to die here.
The knowledge of that made fear creep into my mind. But I couldn't worry about dying yet. I must try to live, not think of death. I had to break the surface, reach the life-giving air. But which way was up, which was down? I felt like the world was spinning. My vision was misty and blurry from the icy coldness. I started to give up hope. My legs slowed then stopped. My arms stopped thrashing. My lungs burned, screaming at me to get to the suface. I wanted to, knew I had to. But I as I tired to get to the surface, the current fought me down. I struggled with it, but without air, I was too weak to fight for long. I wasn't able to got to the surface. I felt so weak, my muscles ached. I didn't feel like arguing with the current anymore. I felt like….sleeping. My eyes slowly closed as I accepted the oblivion. But all I could think was: Why?
I suddenly felt something brush against my leg. It was almost funny. I I was so numb from the cold, I thought wouldn't be able to feel anything. But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did now. Again, a felt something on my leg, then vanish. What could it be? A curious fish? No, no way it could be a fish. It was too warm for a cold-blooded animal like a fish. And it had fur, not a fish's scales. But I couldn't tell what was going on around me anymore. I was dizzy from the lack of air, and nausious form inhaling the water. I was so close to passing out, I barely even noticed a large mass sliding underneath me, carrying me to shore.
And just as I was about to give up, just as I was going to surrender to the oblivion, my head broke the surface! Instead of water flowing around me, it was the wind stinging my numb, frozen flesh. I coughed and spluttered and took a deep breath of the wonderous air. It was like I was given a new life. I coughed up more water and breathed again. I laughed and cried and breathed. It felt so good!
When I began to feel better, I wanted to see what had carried me this far. But when I glanced down, it flickd away, dumping me into the shallows. It was fast. Just like a fish. I was now in shallow enough water to stand on my own. I moon-walked through the water, finally reaching the shore. I stood, blessing the sand beneath my feet. I loved it. I loved haivng solid ground under me again. I started to walk away, but a sudden urge stopped me. I glanced back toward the Kohaku River. It was calm, disguising the churning water that almost killed me. I wondered if that thing would appear again. No, I told myself, it has no reason to. I bowed to the river. Bowed to the creature that had saved me, that I knew was there somewhere. Thank you, I said silently, whoever you are.
I slowly started to turn around, but then something caught my eye. Suddenly, the water's surface exploded and something rose from it. A snake. Only, no it wasn't a snake. Couldn't be. It was too big, and it had fur. It was impossible. But there it was! Then, I slowly started to comprehend. A long main of flowing blue hair? Short, stubby legs and horns? Two long, thick, whisker-like apendages growing from either side of his face? A dragon! My mind screamed the word. It was a dragon! A dragon saved me!
Before it could disappear, I called out to it. "Thank you," I yelled, not even sure if it could understand me. "Thank you, for saving me!"
It turned to look at me with bright green eyes. The eyes peirced right through me. The gaze lasted forever. I stared intimately at the eyes. They were bright green, as green as the leaves on a tree. They were deep, expressing all kinds of emotion. And cat-like. They were….beautiful. I couldn't pull myself away.
For a while, I wondered why it never fell. Then, I could see. It was flying! Floating in the air. But, it lived in the water, didn't it? How could it be a flyer too? It didn't make any sense.
He spoke to me, then. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not, but I was sure then that the dragon talked to me. He said very few words. I wasn't to remember the dragon, or what he had done, for a very long time. But what he said, I remembered. What he said, I will always remember.
"I am the spirit of the Kohaku River. I am glad you are safe. Goodbye, human-child."
"Ahhhhh!"
I awoke with a start. The dream. The same dream. The dream I had been having for all these years. For these long, lonely, eight years. They were simply dreams of memory. Not of any importance to most people. But, to me, they mattered. They were the memories of when I first met Haku. The one I love.
But why? Why was I still having these dreams of longing? He had returned, hadn't he? Haku had come back to me, right? In my mind, he had. In my mind, in every way, it was him. His hair, his clothes, his personality. All of it. It was him. I knew it. He had come back. In my mind, his promise had been fufilled. In my mind, he had returned. But in my heart, my heart was still telling me to wait. My heart said I must still wait for him. Why could it not see he had returned? Why, Why?
I silently crept from my bedroom. We still had the same house as when we first moved here. My room was upstairs and my parents room was down the hall. Our family room was down the stairs. And this was where I headed when I awoke. I needed to prove to myself that Haku was real, and that he was back.
I quietly entered the room. I saw Haku sitting on the couch. He ws wearing the same clothes from the day I last saw him. From this point of veiw, I couldn't tell if he was awake or not. But as I took a step closer, he turned and looked at me. The green eyes first seemed startled, then almost happy, and then confused.
"What are you doing up so late?" he asked.
"Can't sleep," I admitted. Then Haku's eyes got that look. The look only he can give. He was smiling, but his eyes showed saddness.
"Why can't you sleep?"
I took a deep breath, and told him about the dream. The dream I had every night since he was gone. Dreams of longing, dreams of hope, dreams of dispair. When I finished, Haku looked at me curiously.
"But why do you still have this dream?" he asked me. "I am back. I returned, just like I promised you, these eight long years ago."
"I know," I said, "I don't know why. It's just…" I stopped. I didn't know how to explain. "My heart aches when I think of you. I…I have no idea why. My heart doesn't think you are real. I've always been one to follow my heart. And right now, it says to wait."
Haku stared. I could tell my speech wasn't exactly convincing. He didn't understand. But why would he have a reason to? But I didn't have much time think over what I said. Haku started to speak once more.
"It tells you to wait?" he asked. "For what?"
I paused. Should I tell him? Would he understand, or would he think me crazy? No, I told myself stubbornly. He wouldn't leave me alone again. I was sure of that.
"It tells me to wait….for you."
Weeks had gone by since Yubaba entered Haku's cell. He was still gravely injured from becoming the dragon. He knew, if he could muster the strength to transform again, he could break these chains and escape. But Haku doubted himself. The wounds he sustained wouldn't be enough to kill him, but he was almost to weak to hold his head up. And he got no medical treatment. Eventually, he knew the wounds would reseal and disappear completely. But that was a slow process. It might take months, years, for that to happen. He knew had to escape in less than a month.
And so he waited. Waited for what must have been at least three weeks. Slowly, he felt his stregth returning. After a while, he belived he could manage another transformation. At first, he was confident. Utterly sure he could do this. Haku was mentally preparing himself for hours. Just as he was about to change, he glanced at the chains on his left arm. At first, he could see nothing. He squinted hard, and could barely make out the chain. One link on it was twisted and open a little. If it was open, he thought he may have a chance of sliding the chain out through it. Maybe. Maybe he wouldn't have to become the dragon again after all!
But as he looked harder, he saw that it wasn't open enough. The chains were too thick. His heart sank. He still believed he could do it, though. He prepareed himself, bracing himself for the pain. But as he did, he began to doubt himself. When he first begame the dragon, ge was in a mad fury. Then, he had incredible strength. Then, was unstopable. But now, he was calm, collected. He wasn't sure he had the strength or will to do it. But he knew he had to. He must save Chihiro. Haku gathered his breath, and made the transformation.
Haku felt his muscles shifting, his bones rearanging. His hair lightened, then turn aqua-blue. His body extended down, thining and lengthening. Soon, he had changed to his true form. For the first few seconds, Haku didn't feel a thing. Then, just as he started to relax, the first wave of pain hit him. It was unbelivible! Haku felt like his mind was being torn apart. Felt like his body was being shredded. It was unbareable! He only vaugly remembered his goal. He tried his hardest, but the pain was so full, so complete, he couldn't focus on any other thought. A small part of his mind, a part untouched by the magic of the chains, said he has to become human he has to change back. But he couldn't focus enough to do so. He felt like he was going to die.
Just as he thought this, just as he was going to give up, the pain abruptly stopped. Haku dimmly felt himself hit the floor. He couldn't see what had happened; his vision was flecked with specks of red. Blood. Using one claw, he wiped the blood out of his eyes. He looked up and saw what had happened. Appearently, with all his thrashing around, he had broken the chains that bound him.He raised his head and let out a peircing shriek of triumph. Haku bursted through the ceiling, ignoring the look a surprise on the people's faces in the bathhouse. He snaked his way through, entered the clear sky above, and left the gate into the human world. He was free!
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