Author's Note: Sorry folks, but this chapter is going to be slightly on the short side. Once again, I'm leaving for vacation, and I only had time to write one chapter for each of my stories before going (we're taking off tomorrow). Well, I hope you guys like this chapter, even if it isn't very long.
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Haku had finally returned to aid his comrades in battle at the village, filled with a new, terrible rage. Yubaba's men, much to their misfortune, were on the receiving end of his wrath, and were finding it difficult to defend themselves against his onslaughts. Haku's sword hissed through the air as if possessed, tossing aside those that dared stand in its path with ease. Haku couldn't count the number of men he'd injured, rendered unconscious, or perhaps even killed in the moments that passed rapidly by. Their numbers were beyond his recognition.
The scene around him twisted and blurred, more like some terrible, distorted illusion than the world he was accustomed to. Time lost all meaning; some moments flew by carelessly, while others dragged by with a sinister drudgery.
He didn't care.
The wounds that covered his arms and back didn't distract him, nor did the feel of his blade contacting with the solid forms of his enemies faze him. Even the cries of pain and horror from both his allies and his adversaries dissipated upon reaching his ears, failing to register in his mind. His only goal was to complete his task here, quickly, and ruthlessly if necessary. The sooner he finished his duties here, the sooner he would be able to search for her, to bring her back. Chihiro.
His green eyes were stony and cold, almost inhuman in their callousness. With a cry, he raised his blade above his head, preparing to attack the next wave of men that was descending on him.
~~~
When Chihiro awoke for the second time that day, she found herself sprawled uncomfortably on the floor at the end of a long, chilly corridor. Her eyes refused to focus for several distressing seconds, watering heavily from the soreness in her head. When the world around her finally became clear again, she found herself craning her neck to look up from her prone position at a towering figure standing almost directly over her. She started, and let out a yelp of surprise and fear. Her eyes widened as she trembled and stared up at the form before her. The figure's face was almost completely veiled by darkness, hidden in the shadows of a cloak, and only a pair of pale lips was visible. They were pursed together tightly in impatience, drawn into a thin line.
"Get up," instructed the cloaked figure. Chihiro was surprised to find the voice to be that of a woman, and a rather irritable sounding one, at that. "Well, can't you stand?" the cloaked woman inquired with an air of annoyance.
Chihiro scrambled to her feet, bracing herself against a wall as she did so for fear that her legs and weak knees would not support her weight. "You…you're a woman," Chihiro sputtered once she felt stable. At first glance, she hadn't expected this rather imposing, and important looking figure to be female.
The woman groaned and turned around, muttering to herself. Her demeanor immediately changed from that of a daunting warrior to one of a supremely frustrated young woman. "Auuuugh," she sniffed angrily. "They always assume I'm a man. They say, 'Oh golly, look, there goes the Shadow, isn't he an amazing warrior, I wonder how he does it, blah blah blah.'" Chihiro watched her with a puzzled expression. The woman didn't seem to notice, and merely continued her rant. "You'd think somewhere out there, someone might consider the possibility that I'm a woman. But nooo, of course not. I guess their feeble minds just can't grasp it," she turned around sharply, facing the stunned Chihiro with a smirk, "and you're certainly no exception. Just like the rest of them."
"My mind is not feeble!" Chihiro shouted indignantly, though she wasn't really sure why she was upset. More than anything, she was confused, unsure as to why the woman referred to herself as "The Shadow," and even more bewildered that the young woman seemed to expect Chihiro to have heard of her. It seemed that Chihiro's current companion was a celebrity of sorts, or perhaps just very vain.
The woman laughed at Chihiro's outburst, her smirk changing into a slightly haughty smile. She threw back the hood of her cloak, so that Chihiro could now see her entire face, not just her mouth. She was really rather pretty, Chihiro thought, with long brown hair and sharp eyes, yet with a trace of the hardened look of one who had seen many battles as well. The Shadow reached out her hand and grabbed Chihiro's, shaking it firmly.
"My name's Lin, but I'm sure you're more used to calling me 'The Shadow.' That's what they've dubbed me on the battlefield."
Chihiro shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I've never heard of you, well, at least, I don't think I have." She frowned in concentration, trying to remember something, anything at all.
Lin looked surprised at this. She watched Chihiro suspiciously. "But that's impossible, I'm one of the most well-known warriors in the-" she stopped abruptly, suddenly changing tactics. "What's your name?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
Chihiro cast her eyes to the floor and wrapped her arms around her chest as if she were suddenly very cold. "I…I'm not…not quite sure," she said. Lin let out an audible gasp, clearly taken aback by this information. Chihiro looked up at her and began speaking again, ore urgently this time, almost pleading. "You don't know my name, do you? Please tell me, I don't like this. I can't remember and I'm…I…want to know. I just can't seem to recall…" She felt like she was chasing some illusive creature, some sort of truth that lay just beyond her grasp, buried deep in the recesses of her mind. It was terrifying and infuriating and a million other things, all at once. Lin grabbed her elbow gently, forcing the girl to look her in the eye.
"You mean to say, you can't remember…anything?" There was a pause, a silence broken only by the sound of their shallow breathing. "Come with me," Lin said quickly, though her voice quavered slightly. She ushered Chihiro through a door at the end of the hall and through several large rooms and another hallway. Lin stopped abruptly before a pair of two immense doors, each at least twenty feet high.
Gaurds stood on either side of the doorway and nodded brusquely to Lin. "Business with Empress Zeniba," she said, casting a significant look towards Chihiro and then back to the guards. The two men nodded again, each giving Chihiro an evaluative look through squinted eyes first, before moving towards the doors to open them. Lin turned to Chihiro. "I have…certain matters to attend to. It will only take a moment. You can wait out here until I call for you." With that, she strode through the impressive doorway, he red and black cloak billowing behind her. Chihiro leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside, but the guards were already pushing the doors shut and sending her reproachful glares.
"Wait, come back, Lin! Please, tell me who I am, come back!" she shouted when the doors were nearly closed, suddenly overcome by another wave of panic. She received no answer, and a second later, Lin's retreating form was blocked completely from view, hidden behind the now locked doors. Chihiro frowned, and resigned herself to taking a seat in a nearby chair leaning against the wall.
~~~
"That is a rather intriguing twist, isn't it?" Zeniba mused, a question more to herself than to Lin. She thought quickly over what she had been told just moments before. "You're sure the young lady can't remember anything?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Lin replied, "she doesn't even know her name…and her eyes just looked so…lost. It was awful."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was," Zeniba mumbled, and she did indeed look as though the news had brought her some grief. "However," she continued with a cheerless sigh, "I'm afraid it is in our best interest to keep things that way. The less she remembers of her previous life, her life as Chihiro Ogino, the better. She'll be more willing to help us in our cause if she doesn't remember her times as a member of Kamajii's rebel faction, her times fighting against us."
"But it seems so wrong to keep her in the dark, to not even allow her the comfort of knowing her own name. This was never our plan!" Lin cried.
"No, it was not. I'm not sure what triggered the girl's memory loss, but we can't tell her what has happened - we can't risk losing her. You know we need her. She possesses The Ability, and she will be our greatest weapon."
Lin bowed her head, her brow furrowed. "Our original plan was to remove her from the rebel group, to bring her back here so you could speak with her. We only wanted her to be able to understand our goals, to see why we must fight, and why we must defeat Yubaba. There's no reason for us to rob her of her memory, of her entire life!" she exclaimed passionately. She looked up once more to face the Empress. "I'm sure if we explain, she'll be more than willing to help us, regardless of her past history. We just have to make her see…"
Zeniba cut her off with a stern look. "The girl will be given quarters here. Her training will begin tomorrow, and you will be her instructor until further notice. In the mean time, I suggest you find her a new pair of clothes and give her something to eat and drink. Also, she will need a new name, come up with something for her. We can't go around calling her 'That Girl,' and we certainly cannot call her by her true name," she added, giving Lin a meaningful look.
Lin looked lost in thought for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth to speak. "If you will not permit me to tell her the truth, to call her by her birth name, then will you at least allow me to choose her new one?" Lin appealed. Zeniba nodded curtly. "I-" Lin began again, but faltered, "I would like to call her 'Sen,'" she finished hastily. She cast her eyes to the floor, fearing what the Empress would say in reply.
"Sen, is it? So you want to name her after your sister?" Zeniba sighed heavily, reaching forward and grasping the cup that sat in front of her. She raised it to her lips and took a long sip. She set it down on the table gently, taking care to return it to the exact spot where it had been moments before. "Look at me," she commanded gently. Lin complied. "You may call her whatever you wish, name her after your dead sister if that is what you please. But Sen is gone, you know that," Zeniba said softly, in a voice that managed to be somehow both authoritative, yet comforting. "Calling this girl by the same name as your departed sister will not bring her back. But if it eases your heart, so be it. I give you a warning, though, do not let yourself become too attached to our new recruit. You know better than to become too involved."
Lin bowed her head. "Thank you, Empress. Would you like me to bring her in now?"
"Yes, please do. There is much I wish to discuss with her."
~~~
Chihiro amused herself temporarily by admiring the carvings on the large wooden doors that Lin had disappeared behind. She wanted some sort of distraction, and this served well enough.
The two massive doors were etched with complicated pictures of mythical beasts and warriors, some caught in battle, others sleeping or walking amongst each other. They were beautiful, so intricate and complex that they almost seemed alive. She took special interest in a large, vibrant carving of a dragon, its long, lean body soaring as though it were traveling through a cloudless night sky. She sighed. She wasn't entirely sure why, but this picture struck a chord with her and it somehow felt…reassuring to look at it, as though it held a special meaning that only she could see. She reached a tentative hand out to touch it, despite the odd glances from the guards.
Her musings were interrupted however, when the doors began to move. The guards hurried to pull them open, as Lin's head stuck through the doorway.
"Empress Zeniba will see you now," she said simply, holding a hand out to Chihiro.
Chihiro nodded and stood up, following Lin through the doors. She inhaled deeply; mentally preparing herself for what she was certain would prove to be an interesting meeting.
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Author's note: Well, there you have it, chapter 4. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed. I'm coming back from vacation on the 17th, so I will try to have another chapter up soon thereafter. Hopefully, I will have some time to do a little writing while I'm on my trip. I guess we'll see what happens! Until next time, buh-bye, and muchas gracias for los, um, reviewos (close enough…)