Author's Note: Here's chapter 2, for anyone who has bothered to read this story this far. I know it's been a while since I've updated this one, and for that, I am sorry. However, I've been really busy and haven't had much time to write, and what time I have had to write has been spent working on my other story, which is sort of a priority over this one at the moment. Heh. I guess I shouldn't have tried to do two stories at once, but that's the way it goes, huh? Well, I will try very hard to update this story every week and a half or so, give or take a few days. So keep an eye out! Thanks.
Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill by now.
~~~
Chihiro woke to the feel of warm sun dancing across her face. Its rays glided on her forehead and over her eyes, gently willing them to open. She reluctantly obliged, sitting up with a yawn and throwing off her covers. She looked out her window sleepily and noticed the sun steadily climbing the sky, shedding light on the trees and giving them an almost ethereal glow. A smile graced her face for a moment, but was quickly replaced by a frown. It was a beautiful morning, she would admit, but it didn't feel beautiful. She knew today would be a difficult day. Yubaba's forces had been closing in on the local area for some time, and Chihiro feared that they might arrive that day and seize control. She would be going out on a mission with a small party of her comrades today. They were going to watch over one of the local villages, protecting it from Yubaba's army, if they could. She steeled herself, trying to be confident and bold, as she prepared to face whatever obstacles came her way.
She stretched slowly and stood up, still feeling the effects of the previous night's workout on her limbs. She put on a pair of loose fitting black pants that would allow her some mobility and a black tank top; they always wore black when they went on missions. She put her hair quickly into a tight ponytail, and made her way out of the now sun-filled room. She neglected to put on shoes, in accordance with her usual custom. She hated wearing shoes when there was potential for a battle. She liked to feel the earth beneath her feet when she fought; it gave her strength, made her more comfortable somehow.
Chihiro walked out of her room and towards the central building of the complex that made up the base she had come to call home. This was where the members of the group met and discussed their plans for the day. She threw the tall doors open, and saw that the large room was already almost completely full.
"Ah, so she's decided to join us after all," came the voice of Kamajii, a spider-spirit and the self-proclaimed leader, as well as the eldest member, of their group. He was also a vital asset to them, as he had previously worked for Yubaba and offered valuable information and insights. "If you'd like to take a seat Chihiro, we'll begin," he said calmly, but with an edge of frustration to his voice. She rolled her eyes at this (she may have been a warrior, but she was still a teenage girl, after all), but did as he asked.
Her honey-colored eyes scanned the room until they landed on Haku's form several rows from the door where she stood. He glanced over and smiled lightly at her while raising his hand faintly in greeting. She smiled back and proceeded to the seat next to him where she set herself down hastily. Kamajii raised a bushy eyebrow at her momentarily and then cleared his throat and began speaking again. He was discussing the plans for the day; where they would station themselves and other such strategy, but Chihiro was paying little attention. Her mind wandered as she worried about the events that were likely to take place that day. Although Zeniba's soldiers were far from them at the moment, they still had to worry about the other empress. Chihiro played out several different scenarios in her head, finally coming up with what seemed most likely to occur. Yubaba's forces would reach the villages nearby and begin taking over, trying to gain land and establish the power and presence of their empress, Yubaba, in yet another area of their world. Chihiro and her comrades would likely arrive in time, but just barely, to help most of the villagers escape. Unfortunately, they probably wouldn't be able to save the village itself. Everything would be destroyed or stolen. Houses would be burned to the ground and families would be left homeless, as was often the case with these sorts of raids from the empress' armies.
Chihiro bit her lip, closing her eyes, as she remembered a night about six years back. A night when she had experienced exactly what she was imagining now. Most of her memories from that awful night were clouded now, like a simple childhood nightmare more than anything. Something terrible and frightening, but also fleeting and gone like a flash with the light of a new day. She'd tried so hard to push it out of her mind, to erase it from her thoughts forever, that when she pictured that night, it was as though she was seeing it through a wall of water. It rippled through her mind, seeming distorted and so very far away. Most of it was vague, almost lost to her completely, but she remembered the screams with startling clarity. The voices rising in fear and pain. The voices of her parents, of her friends. Her own voice as the world as she had come to know it had shattered around her.
She abruptly snapped back to reality when something began prodding her shoulder. She whipped her head around and looked up at Haku, who was poking her arm gently in an attempt to get her attention.
"Come on, Chi, it's time to go," he said with a concerned gaze and a hesitant smile. He recognized the look on his friend's face, and knew exactly what she had been thinking about. Sometimes she thought perhaps he knew her a little too well. Chihiro glanced around and noticed that the room was nearly empty, only a few stragglers remained. She had missed the entire meeting. Again. She looked towards the center of the circular room to see Kamajii regarding her silently with scrutinizing eyes. She gulped, knowing that she was in for yet another lecture about her "attention problem" when they got home from the mission that day. Haku grabbed her hand and flashed her a quick grin as they jogged out of the room together. Chihiro waved a hand at Kamajii, throwing him a sickeningly sweet smile as they ran past. She laughed quietly to herself, knowing how much he hated it when she did that. He scoffed and shook his head, wondering to himself what in the world he was going to do with that girl.
~~~
Chihiro was crouched low to the ground behind several tall bushes. She barely restrained herself from mumbling complaints, and maybe a few choice profanities, about the pile of sticks beneath her that dug into her stomach and arms every time she moved. She let out one brief, almost inaudible sigh of discontentment, and was quickly shushed by an alert Haku, who was several feet away. Sheesh, how does he do that? she wondered to herself with her brow furrowed and her mouth opened slightly in amazement. She would have been impressed, had she not been so annoyed. He turned his eyes from her and looked straight ahead, his jaw set firmly in concentration. She followed his gaze and peered down at the village below them.
She and Haku, as well as several of their partners, were stationed on the top of a hill that overlooked the village they were trying to protect that day. It was an excellent position; they were out of harm's way, for the moment, and would easily be able to see Yubaba's forces coming so that they would have the upper hand. Other members of their group were closer to the village, ready to attack as soon as the empress' men set foot there.
It was a gorgeous little town, with a gentle river winding its way through the center, and patches of trees all around it. The houses were small, but looked comfortable and warm. It reminded Chihiro of her old home. She flinched at the memory and shook her head as if trying to force herself to stop reminiscing. It was too painful to think about her old village and she was determined to remain focused on her assignment.
They had been there only minutes, and already she was getting uncomfortable and anxious. She fidgeted a little and looked around for something to distract her. Some movement from the village caught her eye. She squinted and noticed that it was a young man wearing black, a member from her group. She smiled. A wave of relief rushed over her when she saw that a large group of people was following him, headed for the safety of the dense forests to the west. She was glad that the members of this village had heeded their warnings and gotten out before Yubaba's army descended on their homes. Now she, Haku and the others would be able to protect the village without the added pressure of being accountable for the villagers themselves. Anything that made their work even a fraction easier was a bonus in her eyes.
Her moment of introspection was halted when she heard a cry from the north. A battle cry. She recognized it easily. She saw Haku visibly tense as his hand reached for the sword at his side. She mimicked his action, preparing herself as well.
She had little time to think when a tidal wave of bodies suddenly came crashing over the northern hill. Much to her horror, there appeared to be over a hundred of them. She hadn't expected so many of Yubaba's men to come; none of them had. The numbers of her own group seemed pitiful by comparison, completely dwarfed by the sheer size and power of this new entity. Her breathing quickened and she could feel herself becoming steadily more nervous as she watched them coming.
"Let's move!" she heard Haku cry off to her left. Chihiro remained frozen in her position, watching as Haku and several others sprung up and began running down the hill towards the village. She shook her head, trying to convince herself to follow, but she was scared now. Her memories haunted her, mocked her, and rendered her useless. Although she commanded her legs to move, to carry her down the hill after her comrades, they wouldn't obey.
Haku paused about half way down and turned around to yell out her name. However, when it reached her ears it seemed muffled and somehow completely insignificant. It barely even registered in her mind. Images of the night her village had been destroyed replayed over and over again in her head, never relenting, preventing any other thoughts from entering her mind.
Haku stood torn for a moment. He glanced between the imperial army closing in on their position and Chihiro, still crouched at the top of the hill. He pivoted on his foot, and began heading back for her at a sprint. He couldn't just leave her there, especially not at a time like this when they were severely outnumbered and needed every person they had helping in the fight. There was still time to get her and get down to the village. Haku had gone no more than a few paces in her direction when something else grabbed his attention. Movement. The foliage several feet behind Chihiro swayed slightly, a subtle motion, nearly invisible in its insignificance. But he saw it.
"Chihiro, move, move now!" he cried out urgently. The moment those words left his lips, a slender form emerged from the bushes, dressed in a red cloak with black lining that concealed its wearer's face.
Chihiro turned just in time to see the flash of a sword being brought up over her. It came down hard, the hilt hitting the back of her head with a sickening crunch. She heard Haku scream her name somewhere in the distance. And then there was nothing but darkness. A sea of black that she was drowning in, a sea that no one could save her from.
~~~
Author's Note: Gah, I really hope that made sense. If it didn't, please feel free to e-mail me (chispa74@aol.com) and I'll try to explain. Anywho…please leave a review, it would make me happy. This chapter was on the short side, but the next one's should be a lot longer, and hopefully have a little more action (and romance, of course) too. Now that I've sort of set everything up, I can start really getting the story moving so that it has more of a plot. I definitely have some plans for this story, so it should hopefully be exciting. You've gotten this far in my story, and for that I thank you. Stick with me just a little longer!