A/n: Um . . . what can I say? I don't really know whether or not to continue this because I don't think many people have read it yet . . . but I guess I'll just release this chapter and if I don't hear from anyone, I'll have mercy on you and stop. I'd also like to thank Kate for her review; I think it's rather amusing that she entered it on my screen name.anyone else who reviewed, you are also my heroes.

Chihiro no Kokoro Chapter two: Henshin

It was a very bright evening. Unusually bright, thought Haku, slipping between the thin paper doors of the bathhouse into the grass outside. He wasn't quite sure where he was going; often, he would slip out of his quarters at any unexpected time during the day or night without thought to what he was doing. Yu-baaba had strong manipulative abilities and he had no choice but to follow when he was summoned. He had awoken by a jolt in the night, though, with a slightly different feeling than usual. It felt like something was eating away at his stomach like a disease. His head turned sharply, hearing a crash from one of the lower floors. He listened, sharp ears open. Nothing. He expected to hear Yu-baaba's commanding voice calling him like a dog, but nothing came. He kneeled in the grass, feeling its wetness from the rain earlier. The boy sprung up, careful not to make a sound and followed his instinct to wherever it led him. Then he felt it; it was like someone was wrenching his brain from his head through either ear.

"An intruder," said Yu-baaba sharply in his head, shaking his skull. "I've had a premonition. There is danger. Find it, Haku. Now."

The searing pain in his head subsided and he collapsed back into the grass. Something inside him, though, forced him to obey. He flew down the stairs, hitting each step with the balls of his feet, careful to remain quiet. He crept closely under the window beside the door of the boiler room and gasped. It was completely open, tattered lavender curtains wafting in the willful breeze Then he heard the voices.

"How did you find her? How did you know she would be here?" asked a hushed female voice.

Haku's heart twisted in half; that horrible knot in his stomach tightened and he had to fight himself to keep from groaning. Chihiro.

A low male voice answered her.

"You see," he started. " Once the realm was plunged into darkness, I was told to leave immediately and find help. I came to Majou no Sekai in hopes that I would find the spirit of Unmei, the master of our fates, that she would read to me my destiny. I got a job working for the baker and continued my search during the nighttime-that's how I found you, obviously." He sounded almost flustered.

Haku worked up the nerve to peer through the window, casting his eyes down upon the stunned face of Chihiro. Her thin eyebrows were raised in disbelief; her mouth was wide with shock.

"Kaonashi?"

Haku could see the back of the young man's head from where he sat on his heels; his black hair was in disarray, hood pulled down. The cloak he wore bore a golden symbol, like a pair of thin wings stretched for flight. The boy strained his head in order to see it closer, but in his attempt he tumbled through the open window and hit the hard ground with a loud "gah!"

Sen gasped, rushing to see if Haku had suffered any injuries. The dragon boy paid no attention to his own pain; he simply stared up at Kiyumeku with gaping emerald eyes. The Sora warrior said nothing, but began to disintegrate slowly, like sand into the wind.

"No!" cried Chihiro for the second time that day. "Kiyumeku, Haku is a friend."

" He works for the bathhouse witch," said a wispy voice that seemed to be coming from all around them. "He is not to be trusted."

The expression on Haku's solemn face was something close to amusement, but as he turned to Chihiro, it became serious again.

"I heard a crash and had to see what it was," he said. "Yu-baaba warned me of an intruder."

He reached out to Chihiro, taking her hand.

"You have to get him out of her quickly, Chihiro." Haku paused to look up the empty staircase, then back to her eyes. "Before she sends every frog at Aburaya looking for him."

She nodded, beginning to remember her name again.

"First we have to find Lin"

Haku shot her a blank look.

"I'll explain later; we've really got to hurry."

Chihiro collected the tray she'd used to carry Kamajii's dinner from the ground, slipped on the yellow sneakers she'd decided she might need, and looked all around.

"Kiyimeku," she called. "Can you retain your invisibility for very long?"

The wispy voice continued, rising and falling, seeming to swirl around them.

"I am not invisible," he said. "I am the wind."

Chihiro shivered, pulling the sleeves of her uniform over her.

"Follow me," interrupted Haku. "You're going to have to trust me," he said, whipping his head around in every direction, expecting to see something.

Silence.

"He's going to take us to Kimiko," Chihiro told him soothingly. She was startled as he blinked into sight briefly, nodding, and faded out like a lantern light.

Haku and Chihiro tried not to look suspicious as they hurried across the floors into the labyrinth that was the Aburaya. They turned corners, crossed doorways, and dodged frogs until arriving at the large entryway that contained the foreman, Chihiyaku's, large wooden desk.

Haku held his hand out in a gesture that told the girl to stop behind him. She almost ran into him and he turned around, smiling slightly, then strutted to the foreman's desk in a generally arrogant manner. She recognized this attitude from the night before in the elevator and frowned, pulling her sleeves over her wrists. The constant wind around her was making her chilly, but at least she knew that Kiyumeku was still with them.

"Chihiyaku," said Haku ominously.

The frog looked petrified, breaking the tip of his quill, spilling ink all across his records.

"Master Haku!" he cried, attempting to sop up the spilled ink with his uniform's sleeve. "What may I do for you today?"

The aogaeru looked rather humorous with his arm stuck to the page of his records, endeavoring to bow.

"Chihiyaku, where have you assigned Lin tonight?"

The frog's thick jaw went slack and he fumbled over his words.

"I-er-uh-she wasn't feeling very-um-well so she-well-went back to um-you know-her room."

All the time that Chihiyaku stuttered, he was squirming uncomfortably; he knew Yu-baaba would object to giving employees nights off, but as much as Chihiyaku tried to hide it, he still had a heart.

"Come on, Sen," Haku summoned her coldly and she followed. She could feel her ponytail flowing behind her as the wind trailed behind her like a scarf.

When they reached the sliding door to the yuna's dormitory, Haku stopped and looked awkwardly toward Chihiro for a moment.

"Um-er-maybe you should go and get her."

She nodded, handing him the tray, and stepped through the doors, sneakers squeaking on the polished wooden floor. She had expected Lin to be in bed sleeping, but there seemed to be no one around. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she slid open the shoji that lead to the outside balcony. There she found Lin holding her gilded comb. She whipped her head around as soon as Chihiro stepped outside. The girl's puffy eyes were a telltale sign she'd been crying.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Lin before her young apprentice could react. "Sometimes . . . I get homesick and don't know what I miss."

She wiped her tears onto her sleeve and looked up at Sen's dirt-smudged face.

"What do you remember about where you came from?" she asked.

Lin sniffled a little.

"I remember that this," she held up the comb to Sen, "was a gift from someone I loved very much." She tilted her head back and felt the wind rippling through her hair. "Someday, I'm going to go back."

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak, but was completely startled by a voice all around her.

"Kimiko," it said. "Kimiko, have you forgotten who you are?"

Lin was up in a split second, whipping her head around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" she asked, terrified. Her eyes were roughly the size of the susuwatari down in the boiler room. She gasped when the warrior blinked into sight and extended his hand to her.

Lin shrunk back and hit her head on the rice paper wall behind her, dropping her comb.

"Kimiko, don't you remember?" he asked, stooping to pick it up for her. He ran his hand down the pattern on the handle, pointing to the center of the wings where a small star-like sign was visible. "The god of the wind, Kamisama no Kaze, he is the center of our power."

He moved his hand down the grip over one wing, "and the sign of our tribe, the Sora, are the gilded wings of the Kamisama. He adjusted his grip on the comb, turning it around as she stared at it. Chihiro gasped as it became suspended in the air, slowly revolving in place. "Do you see this?" he asked her, stepping closer, "this is a sign that he is near."

Lin was shaking as she slid down the wall to the ground, sobbing. He kneeled, taking her hands; she didn't look at him.

"Kimiko, you must remember me . . . " he set the golden object at her feet and looked down. "It was I who gave this to you; It's me, Kiyumeku."

Lin looked up at him, still sobbing. The expression on her face changed from completely blank to understanding within seconds.

"Meku," she said, reaching for his hands, "I've missed you."

He stared down at her in awe, like he hadn't expected her to remember at all.

"I remember you and I remember the Sora," she said smiling like Chihiro had never seen her before. "Most of all I remember the time we spent together and how I had to leave you; it was the worst day of my life," Lin spat with a tone of remorse.

"But I've found you again, Kimiko." Kiyumeku pulled her to her feet, embracing her. "You never have to worry again."

As if all this wasn't enough excitement, the door of the balcony suddenly slid open to reveal a fearful-looking Haku, jade eyes panicked.

"Yu-baaba's spotted us," he said to Chihiro, who was standing in the corner of the balcony trying not to hyperventilate. "You need to get out of here, and fast."

He grabbed Chihiro gently by her shoulders and stared off the terrace.

"I know a place we can go."

The jade-eyed boy then promptly fell to his knees clutching his head as if it were about to explode. He fought himself not to cry out and looked up at Chihiro defiantly. The look of terror printed on her face was apparent and he pulled himself up to her.

"How are we going to escape Yu-baaba?" she asked desperately, "she knows everything; if she can sense an intruder, how can we avoid her?"

Haku grinned, though he suspected that it probably ended up looking rather like a grimace.

"You leave that up to me."

She still looked rather petrified.

"Have a little faith, will you?" he asked playfully, as if this entire situation were hilarious. She frowned but nodded. "Turn around."

Chihiro furrowed her brows.

"Haku, if you're about to do something crazy . . ."

He pushed her lightly back into the dormitory and summoned for Lin and Kiyumeku to follow. Once they were safely out of sight, he closed his eyes and tried to remember . . .

A spark erupted within his mind, a flash of pink, a shimmer of silver, the churning resonance of rushing water, the echo of a voice in the distance. He felt himself beginning to change, expand. His neck broadened and extended itself upward; his eyes became almond shaped, moving to the sides of his face. His flesh was covered by a layer of scales. He became a slender silvery beast with a graceful tale and aqua-coloured mane, scales that glinted in the evening's pale light.

"Haku, we don't have much time to waste," shouted an impatient Chihiro, sliding open the delicate shoji now exhibiting a hole from Lin's accident a few minutes previous. Haku turned his long neck in order to look upon her face, which was stricken with horror. Her already large brown eyes were enormous and her mouth a perfect 'o'. He was about to reassure her that it was he, but she relaxed as if she understood, and knew what she should do.

"Lin! Kiyumeku!" she called. "Don't freak out; this is our only way to escape."

Kiyumeku was presently draping the coal black cloak he was wearing over Lin so that it dragged the ground when she walked. He nodded solemnly to Chihiro and faded out; in response, the leaves that lay littered over the ground beside a small potted plant in the corner stirred in a circle, crackling with the draft. Chihiro looked to Lin, who pulled the large hood over her face, winked, and disappeared, blinking into sight, then blinking out again as if showing her friend that she was okay.

Chihiro smiled and climbed onto Haku's back, seeing that he'd lowered himself so that he would be more at her level. The scales were softer than they looked, like the smooth surface of a seashell, fragile and delicate, but enough to withstand any hurricane.

The sudden movement beneath her startled her. A flowing feeling was swift into her head, overtaking and surrounding her with a surreal sort of rush. The ground darted sharply away from her as she clutched to the aqua mane with all the strength she had. The vapour of the clouds misted her as Haku flitted above them, searching for the cover of the clouds to protect them. Chihiro let the little girl side of her out to stare down upon the seas that lay so far below. She glanced behind her and noticed that Lin and Kiyumeku had become visible once more and seemed to be almost dancing on the wind, moving gracefully like spirits. The smile seemed to crawl up Chihiro's throat and burst onto her lips. The girl took a chance and removed one hand from Haku's mane, waving at the two. They both smiled; Lin blew her a kiss playfully. Chihiro had never seen her so happy. She seemed complete. Chihiro frowned suddenly.

"What's that behind us, Haku?" asked Chihiro quietly, pulling herself closer to his large ears. The dragon sniffed slightly and turned his head, careful to appear casual. The girl felt her hair begin to whip faster around her face; the wind grew quicker and the cold became intense. She clutched clumps of his mane in her balled up fists and buried her face in his opalescent scales as Haku flew higher. She could hear the scattered voices of Lin and Kiyumeku, frantic and loud.

The sky seemed to grow darker as the Yu-bird descended upon them, crying its low moaning caw. Sen felt herself forgetting, like the bind of her contract was being renewed within her. She crumpled like a piece of cloth upon Haku's back. She watched the balcony on the high floors of Aburaya; there was a movement, quick like the beating of the Yu-bird's wings, a flash of light, and she felt herself falling. The girl squeezed shut her eyes and gave in to the plunging sensation she was feeling. Then she noticed him falling beside her. His jade eyes were frantic as he grasped for her hand, clutching it tightly as they fell. The forests below them were rapidly growing less distant. Sen pulled Haku closer to her, looking for his protection. He wrapped both arms around her and stared down at certain doom.

Unexpectedly, the pair seemed to hit an invisible force, bouncing upward like a parachute and beginning to flutter over the fields like sheets of paper. Haku ruffled Sen's hair and she opened her fast-shut eyes to see him. Tendrils of his shoulder length hair were whipping about his face and his eyes shone the light reflected by the stars. She smiled and looked below them, how they both were walking on air.

"It's Lin and Kiyumeku," he said, voicing her thoughts as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear. "They're keeping us safe."

Sen smiled, twirling away from him and back into his arms again while he laughed. Then, as he tucked his hands within hers, her smile faded.

"But your dragon form," she said, furrowing an eyebrow.

He stopped her as they came to a stop a few feet from the ground and Haku jumped, landing with a slight "umph" on the unnaturally green grass below. Sen followed, taking his hand and letting him guide her. She looked around and surveyed her surroundings.

"Welcome to Swamp Bottom," said Haku with a rather forced half-smile.

Sen frowned.

"Yu-baaba . . ." she began, "she took your dragon form, didn't she?"

Haku didn't answer her, for he was staring into the woods where the field stopped behind them. A light was approaching in the dark, bouncing like a falling star in the blackness. It was only then that Sen noticed Lin standing beside her. The younger girl took this opportunity to hug her friend with all that she had. Lin smiled broadly and squeezed Sen tight.

Haku was still watching the light, which was approaching them rather rapidly now. They could all see now that it was a lantern post, obviously enchanted to escort strangers to its master's home. The jade-eyed boy looked the strange thing up and down twice before motioning for everyone to follow.

The path through the forest was dark and wound through a dense canopy of thick trees. Sen spent most of the hike being startled by the sounds of extraordinary creatures she had never seen crawling near the path, crackling the leaves as they went.

A large sign loomed over the four as they passed reading "Swamp Bottom." The lantern stopped abruptly, jumped about four feet into the air and attached itself to the sign, swaying in the wind; its squeaky joints creaked with every stir of the breeze. When Sen's eyes focused behind it, she could see a large wooden cabin looming in the distance. It was she who walked past Haku and up to the front porch. Haku gave her a warning glance with his bright eyes, luminous in the dark like beacons.

"Who lives here?" asked Sen.

Haku said nothing, but squeezed his eyes shut and brought his hands to his ears as if trying to keep his skull from flying apart.

"Chihiro . . ." he called her. "Yu-baaba does not want us here. The witch who lives here is her enemy, her greatest opposition . . ."

The door to the little cabin swung and a thin slice of light flung itself onto Haku's small frame like a spotlight. He blanched, but straightened up.

"Her twin sister," he finished.

Sure enough, the woman who sauntered out of the little cabin swinging a small lantern in her hand that showered them with shaking light greatly resembled the bathhouse witch. Somehow, though, this woman had a softer look about her. Perhaps it was the gentle expression on her face or the lighter shades of her clothing, but Chihiro immediately trusted the woman.

"Ah, Kaonashi," she said, addressing the young man behind Lin.

Sen noticed that he'd covered his face with that mask once more and pulled his cloak back over himself.

"I've been expecting you."

Kiyumeku seemed to be pulled by an invisible force as he glided forward to meet her, feet skimming the grass, sending a cold spray of dew scattering in the night. He touched down a few feet in front of her and bowed very low. Chihiro felt that she should do the same, but she noticed suddenly that her legs did not seem to be working.

"I have been searching for you ever since the Kamisama no Kaze plunged our kingdom into darkness," he said formally.

Chihiro gasped audibly; Haku put a reassuring arm around her and she shivered, still watching.

The spirit of Unmei turned, then, and did something none of them expected: she bowed to Lin.

"Irrashimase, Princess Kimiko! Your absence has worried your people for enough time."

Lin bowed in return.

"I had no choice," she said, straightening her uniform, which was now smudged with dirt and wrinkled, frayed at the cuffs.

Sen and Haku exchanged astounded glances.

Lin stepped forward in a very non-royal way to explain herself.

"After my father's disappearance and my mother's death, I had to find a way to make peace between the Yi and the Sora. I traveled very far in order to find the Yi. When I did, they welcomed me and called me Kimiko Hime as if I were their princess, and brought me many gifts. When I refused them, they were bewildered and asked me what I'd come for, if not to rule them. I told them that peace was to be made between our tribes. They thanked me and thanked me for bringing this message to them. I, however, was confused. Why did they welcome our offer of peace so readily now, when we had been begging this for years?"

Lin spread her arms all around her in a questioning manner and continued.

"Their elder spoke to me in order to make me understand. 'We have fought your demon warriors for many years,' he said feebly. 'We are no longer able to keep our flame alive against your fervent wind.'"

Lin through her hands up in the hair and scoffed. "What could I say to this? The demon warriors we had fought for so many years were not the peaceful Yi, who we'd thought were our enemies! I told the Yi that I was tired and they insisted that I stay the night, giving me their finest tents and clothes to sleep in. I slipped out in the middle of the night and tried to escape, but I was caught. They were convinced that I was only a demon warrior in the guise of a princess, coming to kill them all in their sleep. I escaped narrowly, without anything but my life. I didn't even know where I was! I don't remember what happened after that."

The girl looked down to her feet.

"But I ended up at the bathhouse with only limited memories and had no choice by to apply for a job."

Haku's jaw was nearing the forest floor at this point in Lin's monologue. He remembered welcoming the tall girl into the bathhouse staff, informing her of her duties. She had been caustic and rude, with an attitude that was far greater than she seemed. He'd never dreamed that this girl could have been a princess from a far-away land. Chihiro was in a similar state, he could tell, by how tightly she gripped his arm.

The Spirit of Unmei smiled at Lin, moving smoothly toward her, reaching out a large hand and holding Lin's quivering chin between her index finger and thumb.

"Princess, don't cry. The teardrops you shed will only fall into the dirt and make mud; don't make your problems bigger than they are."

Lin smiled a little, wiping a droplet from her eyes with her dirty sleeve. The witch turned to Chihiro and Haku, who stood in a small huddle, shivering.

"Chihiro, little child, quite a predicament you're in, my dear," she said. "Trapped in a world that is not your own and now this." The Spirit clucked her tongue. "Well, come inside, everyone; we haven't got all night to stand out here and shiver, do we?"

With that, the woman turned on her heels and ascended the steps onto her front porch and through the door. Chihiro looked up at Haku, who stared straight ahead with a mite of skepticism in his eyes, or maybe he just wondered why the Spirit of Unmei hadn't addressed him at all. Nevertheless, he followed her when she walked up the steps and entered the warm house.

Chihiro paused in the doorway, letting the sights and smells sink into her. The cabin was larger than it looked; it was all one large room that contained very few things. It seemed that the Spirit of Destiny was a minimalist. On the stove lay a pot of simmering rice, which seemed very tempting to Chihiro after her excitement.

"Come in," said the spirit, waving the door closed with a gesture of her hand. It shut with such force that Chihiro jumped. The witch then began to mill around the kitchen. Lin fell back to her young friend, who gave her an expectant glance.

"How was I supposed to tell you?" she asked quietly with her eyes still fixed upon the witch, who was pouring rice into bowls. "I didn't know myself!"

Chihiro laughed quietly.

"It's okay."

It was then that the Spirit set the bowls of rice on the table and placed chopsticks in them. The aroma was about to drive Chihiro into a state of madness when the witch smiled at her and said, "Chihiro, if you're hungry, dear, you should have some rice."

She didn't need to be told twice. The other three tired travelers seemed equally happy to take advantage of such an opportunity. Haku must have been hungry because, when Chihiro looked over at him, he hadn't even bothered to look suspicious before tasting his food.

The Spirit of Destiny went about bustling through the kitchen, pouring them all tea.

"You may have noticed," she began, stirring Chihiro's tea with a chopstick and pushing it closer to her.

The girl stared at it wide eyed for about two seconds before inhaling as much as she could manage.

"You may have noticed," continued the spirit of Unmei, "that I bear a certain unfortunate resemblance to a certain crone you've met before."

Haku snorted audibly at the statement. Lin gave him a rather dirty look and he straightened his face, continuing to sip his tea with a forced expression.

"I understand that you may not have had the best impression on my twin sister so far," she explained, stirring the contents of the pot on the stove."

Chihiro soothingly tapped Haku's hand, which lay twitching on the table as he restrained himself from speaking.

"My name is Zeniiba," she continued, smiling still, "and you all may call me granny."

It was a strange request, surely, but Chihiro smiled anyway, committing it to memory. The woman seemed to have a good heart, and Chihiro trusted her.

After they had all eaten their fill and taken care to discuss nothing of any importance at all, Chihiro and Lin retired upstairs on an extremely comfortable futon while Haku and Kiyumeku rested on the floor in the living room downstairs.

Chihiro didn't think that sleep would come easily after the day that she'd had. She tossed and turned a few times before Lin sat up with a jolt and smacked her with a heavily stuffed, but still reasonably firm pillow.

"I don't see how that was necessary," Chihiro whined, rubbing her left eye. Lin snorted incredulously and sat up more.

"If you'd been tossing and turning any more, you'd have pushed me right off the bed."

Lin held her index finger in a menacing manner to the little girl's nose.

"And I'll warn you," she advised, "that I am not someone that you should wake up."

Chihiro laughed, pushing some mussed hair from her face.

"No, I wouldn't imagine a princess would be."

The dark haired girl gave a dry laugh that bordered on bitter and turned over on the futon, causing it to shake dangerously.

"I'm not a princess anymore, Chihiro."

Chihiro wrinkled her nose in dislike to the statement.

"You'd abandon your people like that?"

Lin sat up again, her thin face fierce.

"I already have, Chihiro; I abandoned them and they were plunged into darkness!"

Hot tears began to pour down the older girl's cheeks; the shutters of the window next to the bed flapped open abruptly as Lin lost her control of the wind.

"Haven't you heard the legends? I know you have," Lin hissed accusingly. Her face softened abruptly. "I have, too."

The brown-eyed child thought for a moment.

"But Lin," she said, "it wasn't your fault that you left! You're going back. You're going to save them. Zeniiba will help; she'll guide us in what we do."

Lin seemed to pause to think for a moment. She wiped her damp cheeks and lay down, pulling the sheets to her chin.

"I hope you're right, kid, I hope you're right," she repeated in a chant, traveling in whatever thoughts she might be having.

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The morning broke like it ended: before they knew it. Chihiro suffered, as usual, from a dream.

She was a Sora Sky warrior on the verge of a battle. As the troops rode forward on a red elk, she could see the sun rising and smell the blood of the soldiers already fallen. An arrow was fired at her, but she was too quick; within a split second, she had ducked and her arrow arm was pulled back, tense and waiting. Her pulse pounded with blood inside her head and she looked behind her at her tribe members, but they weren't her tribe members; they were yuna, slug spirits of the Aburaya urging the elks to her heels, speed increasing. Chihiro broke into a cold gallop, increasing her leg pressure on the creature, edging farther and farther from the herd of shrieking slugs. She came to the top of a very tall hill and paused for a moment, looking back, then looking forward once more. The yuna appeared to be fading into the background. In front of her lay two paths now: one looked inviting and bright, clean and welcoming; the other path looked slow and arduous, steep as if it wound up a mountainside. She noticed, though, that someone was standing at the mouth of the path. He was dressed in white and appeared to be motioning to her. She squinted and cocked her head, trying to get a better look. There came a noise, suddenly, from behind, and the red elk she rode spooked and launched both of them over the edge of the steep hill. She was flying now, into oblivion.

Then she woke up. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat up, noticing that Lin had gone. The early sunlight drifted in through the open window, and she began to notice the scent that had wafted in from downstairs. Chihiro slipped on her yellow sneakers, which clashed very badly with her bathhouse uniform, and descended the steps, peeking over the railing as she went.

She expected to see everyone downstairs, but instead she was treated to the image of an empty kitchen. A pan of something that smelled incredible was stirring itself on the stove. Chihiro jumped a step and landed lightly on the hard wooden floor. She looked both ways, right then left, and behind her just in case. Her small brow furrowed, the girl followed the sound of voices to the front door. Her hand curled over the handle, she pulled and peeked just one eye outside. Lin and Kiyumeku were both sitting on cushions on the front porch in front of the spirit of Unmei, who was dressed rather regally in purple. The gem on her forehead sparked and glinted as if alive.

"Chihiro, dear, if you don't mind, come out and close the door," murmured Zeniiba, though her eyes were closed. Chihiro did as she was told; she sat on the front mat, curiously watching. Lin's face was worried and Kiyumeku was clutching her hand very tightly, frowning fervently. Zeniiba appeared to be concentrating, shaking something in her hand that rattled like pebbles. In a split second, the frail lids of her eyes opened to reveal a blank blueness, matching the pale blue of the sky that day. She seemed trancelike and cold.

"Kimiko Hime and Kiyumeku . . ."

Zeniiba shuddered convulsively, her blue eyes lighting like a storm. They flickered and crackled with lightning-like streaks. Lin buried her face in Kiyumeku's cloak. His dark eyes appeared nervous, shifty, and he remained stiff.

The spirit sat up from her hunched position, trancelike and solemn.

" In order to restore your kingdom to its former greatness," she intoned, "you must first restore the kingdom of Yi to its position. At this point in time, they are still ravaged by the very demons your kingdom was devastated by. They are holding onto their territory, but only just."

The spirit of unmei took a jagged, raspy breath and seemed to draw back the information from the back of her mind.

"You must find out the cause of these demon attacks and stop them. This is your unmei, your destiny."

And, with her final words, Zeniiba collapsed onto the wooden planks of her front porch, rasping heavily over the sound of Lin's sobs. The princess' slow weeping shook her entire body. The Sora warrior beside her held her tightly, soothing her in the motions of torrential wind around them.

Chihiro could hardly see, for her brown hair whipped around her face so quickly that her view was blocked. And then it was calm.

When the wind cleared, Zeniiba was nowhere to be seen, and Lin was at her feet, Kiyumeku staring up at her in disbelief.

Chihiro shuddered to herself, thinking that perhaps it was time to start calling her Kimiko hime.

The princess' clothing had transformed from the worn garb of the bathhouse to the crimson gowns of a person of royal blood. Her long hair was swept back into an elaborate way by the golden comb that she had kept for so long. The wind rippled around her, creating a rather dramatic effect, blowing back her hair and the long robes as if she were some supernatural creature. She smiled at Chihiro, who stood at the door like a statue. The cherry blossoms blew through the trees to the steady rhythm of the crackling leaves in the slow silence. Princess Kimiko of the Sora tribe looked up at the sky; the edges of her mouth twitched upwards.

"I am ready to embrace my destiny."