"Spiritual Reunion"

By: Shi-chan

Rating: PG

Warnings: Blood and fluffiness in upcoming chapters

Disclaimer: Wonderful creator of Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso is... Miyazaki-sama and Ghibli Films... :( No matter what delusions I put in my head...

Author's Corner!!

Shi-chan: Well, y'all really seem to like this fanfiction, so I'm STILL continuing it. Yay! ^^ I'm also listening to t.A.T.u's song, "All the Things She Said" and watching "Boy Meets World" so I apologize for any errors within the chapter. :)

Ashitaka: How come all of your fanfictions have angst and the separation of couples in them somewhere?!

Shi-chan: XD Think about it this way, at least in my fics the couples generally end up together whilst in Mononoke Hime you and San never officially got together, and in Spirited Away, Chihiro left without Kohaku!

Ashitaka: ...hmph...

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Chapter Three: A Cold-Hearted Boy

After spending a few weeks training secretly in the outskirts between the human and spirit world, Chihiro became an expert at all elements of sorcery. The element in which she excelled most, however, seemed to be water. Yubaba found that quite amusing, as her dear apprentice Haku was a river spirit, but she said nothing of it to the girl. It was most likely a subconscious effect of her missing Haku, and there was no point in making her sad.

Finally, the time came when Yubaba was sure Chihiro could stand up to the demonic powers of her rival. "Sen, it is time to leave here and go to the bathhouse. Once we arrive, it will be only a matter of time before that demon arrives with her army."

The girl had been cleaning herself in a small creek, so she nodded and climbed out of the water. After dying herself and getting her kimono on, she replied with a stern look on her face, "I hope that witch arrives soon." It was apparent that she wanted Kohaku to return to her from the pained look she displayed.

"EVERYONE! YUBABA HAS RETURNED, AND SHE HAS SEN," a frog-looking spirit yelled from outside the bathhouse. Suddenly, hundreds of spirits, gods, servants, and workers ran out of the bathhouse. They were all very eager to greet the little human girl they had once known, who was now nearly a woman. The most excited one there, however, was Lin. She had even changed into a formal kimono upon hearing the news.

As Yubaba and Chihiro approached the bathhouse, they were greeted with loud cheering and happy faces. "It would appear as though they are glad to see you, child," The sorceress told the girl, a smile plastered across her lips. Chihiro grinned and threw her hands into the air, waving them frantically. "Hello everybody!! It's nice to see you all again," she hollered, looking specifically at Lin. The woman smiled when she noticed her gaze, and shook her head. "I'm glad the little dope remembers me," Lin muttered, giggling to herself.

"Oh, Sen, it's so good to see you again..." Lin murmured, running and tackling the human in a hug. Chihiro beamed up at her friend and embraced her as well. "Same here... But I can't stay for long... This time, my parents will know I'm missing, and it would be wrong if their daughter just disappeared on them, you know?" The girl informed her, the smile fading from her face. Lin frowned and replied, "Well now that you're a sorceress, couldn't you make them forget you so that they're not sad? Then, once you rescue Haku, you can stay here with us! Or... do you even want to?" Chihiro looked at the ground a moment upon hearing Lin's suggestion.

As a child, she adored her parents and looked up to them very much. Now that she was a sixteen year-old, she didn't get along very much with them. She had developed a liking to odd stories and writing after she left the spiritual world, which her parents didn't approve of. They told her that it made it seem as though she were insane to think of such stories, and told her not to do it anymore. But Chihiro got to the point to where she couldn't help it, she missed everyone so much. After that, she and her parents fought constantly, and she began finding herself disagreeing with them even though she truly agreed.

After thinking a bit, she looked up from the dirty floorboards and up to Lin. "I think that would be for the best," she responded, a grin on her face once more. The woman whooped and rushed off to get a new kimono and some food for Chihiro. "We can't have you smelling like a human again," she teased.

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Jigokutatsu had sent out possessed spirits as spies to keep the pair up to date on whether or not Yubaba and the human girl had returned. Meanwhile, the dragon had been helping Kohaku to learn more sorcery than he knew, and regain his dusty skills.

"Mistress, word has it that a girl named "Sen" has just returned with Yubaba. Everyone is celebrating, and if I might add, it would be the perfect time to launch an attack." The small cat spirit in which formerly tended to Kohaku's cell announced, dashing outside, to the grassy plains in which Kohaku and Jigokutatsu resided. The dragon licked her fangs and shook her head. Narrowing her blood red eyes at the cat, she replied, "No, despite what may be going on, the witch and the child expect us. We'll have to tire them and not come for a long while, then, ever so suddenly, launch my favorite kind of attack... sleep."

Kohaku looked up from the spot where he had been meditating and knit his eyebrows together angrily. "We cannot launch a sneak attack! That's underhanded and dirty, and it's more fun to beat someone when you know you got the best of them all out!"

Jigokutatsu laughed, a hint of sarcasm stinging it. Cupping her hand to the boy's chin, she responded, "Don't worry, precious, Yubaba will still be awake. She'll be on her guard at all times. Your little darling, however, is new at this and will fall under our spell easy, as will the other fools in that bathhouse. Once the witch realizes what is going on, she'll awaken only the mortal girl."

The river spirit looked to the grass, his face cold and expressionless as though he were thinking her tactics and logic over. Jigokutatsu began observing the boy, many thoughts going through her mind, so the little cat took the opportunity to scurry off.

'That boy is so cold and cruel... He hates speaking and company, and wants to do everything his way, like he is always correct. Despite what I told him, that human truly loves him... How could anyone ever love such a stiff boy?' The dragon asked herself, shaking her head in silence.

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Author's Corner!!

Shi-chan: Yayness! ^^ There's the third chapter since y'all seem to enjoy this fanfiction so abnormally, incredibly much. LOL *hugglez* Thankies to all of you who have left me such nice reviews! I really appreciate them :) They're what keeps me thriving! Please continue to leave me feedback!

~Shi-chan Meows~

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