Author's Note: Wow, it's been a really really really long time since I've updated this story and believe me, I'm really really really sorry about that! I feel bad for keeping you guys waiting so long! I'm so sorry! School just started up for me again a few days ago, which is the main reason I haven't done as much writing as usual. For the past few weeks, I've been trying to soak up the last drops of summer goodness, so I've been really busy doing other stuff, and as a result, have spent very little time with my stories. Sigh. Well, now that school has started for me again, I'll still try really hard to get chapters out every so often, but it might be hard. I'll do my best! So, expect a really weird updating schedule from me…like one week, I might update twice, and then not update again for another two and half weeks, depending on what else is going on in my life. Just keep checking back, or if you'd like, I can just e-mail you when I update…whatever you want. Well, on to the story…
~~~
"All right, let's get down to business, we'll see what you're made of" Lin said, clapping her hands together once and then holding them at her sides. She gave her companion a playful, lopsided smile that had the effect of making her look years younger, almost child-like. Chihiro responded with a yawn. It was their first training session together, and, much to Chihiro's chagrin, it was also several hours before dawn.
"It's too early," she whined, giving Lin a glare that would have been far more potent had she been able to keep her eyelids from drifting closed every so often.
"It is not too early, and it's your problem if you didn't go to sleep at a reasonable time. Now, unless you have any more complaints, I suggest you unsheathe your weapon and get ready," Lin replied matter-of-factly. She nodded her head curtly, completing the effect. The older woman withdrew a long, glimmering sword with a black hilt from her belt and held it loosely, almost carelessly. Chihiro mimicked Lin's action, pulling her own sword- one that she'd found in her room the previous night and after a brief test, deemed her favorite- from its casing. She visually appraised it, a smile forming on her tired face, and a flash of brightness lighting up her gold-flecked eyes. Somewhere deep inside her a part of her knew, almost instinctively, that this was an excellent weapon, a brilliant piece of craftsmanship, and she was happy to have it. It was by no means a particularly attractive blade, it was a little scuffed and its hilt was crude, but it was exceedingly well balanced and she found it fit her perfectly, somehow.
She sighed, and something stirred inside her. It was almost like…recognition, of a sort. A wave of calm washed across her, and she felt confident, happy. It was like she'd done this a million times before, though she couldn't recall it. She felt at home here in a training room, on the makeshift battlefield. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation, the feeling that she had found something familiar, something she could identify. She almost felt like she was…home.
"You ready?" Lin asked, snapping Chihiro back from her reverie. The girl nodded, gripping the weapon tighter, feeling its power. Lin nodded. "Good. Now, I'll start slow with you. Just take a basic defensive stance and…" she trailed off as she watched Chihiro. The young woman was already in a flawless stance, awaiting Lin's attack calmly. "Hey, wait a second, I didn't show you that yet!" Lin cried, sounding almost offended, and perhaps a little suspicious. "How'd you know?"
Chihiro shrugged, and in all honesty, she really didn't know how she'd done it. It had come to her naturally, as if doing anything else would have been positively ridiculous. She smirked slightly, pleased to have caught Lin off guard.
"Well, maybe training you won't be as painful as I thought," Lin muttered. She exhaled loudly and without warning, lunged forward, straight towards Chihiro. The girl was surprised at first, but quickly righted herself and blocked the attack easily, almost effortlessly. Lin paused and gaped for a moment. She pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face with a gentle flick of her hand and then stood with her arms crossed over her chest, regarding Chihiro with a curious expression. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted.
"Looks like your new recruit isn't exactly an amateur, Lin" came a deep, obviously amused voice from the doorway. Chihiro and Lin turned in unison to face the newcomer. It was a young man; probably right around Lin's age, if not a few years her senior. Chihiro noted that he was rather handsome, with light brown hair that looked like it had been bleached ever so slightly from being touched by the sun and warm brown eyes to match. His face was kind, despite the jagged scar that sat just above his left eyebrow. He was average in both height and build, but seemed to be in excellent shape.
"Oh, fabulous, spectators, just what I needed," Lin sighed derisively, raising her eyebrows and pursing her lips in annoyance. "What are you doing here, Kris? I'm busy."
"Come on now, no need to be sour with me, darling," he purred, a good deal of sarcasm edging his speech. He laughed good-naturedly at Lin's affronted expression, and then quickly shifted gears, becoming more serious. "I just thought I'd stop by…see what you were up to, that's all. Nothing to get all worked up about. Now, are you going to introduce me to your new protégé, or not?"
Lin scoffed, but grudgingly obliged. "Kris, this is Sen. Sen, this sorry excuse for a warrior is Kris," she said in a quick, bored monotone. Chihiro smiled, mildly amused by Lin's evident exasperation.
She turned her attention back to Kris, and suddenly found herself blushing. "Hi," she said meekly, waving a hand in the air awkwardly. Kris smiled kindly and genuinely at her, making the handsome qualities of his features stand out. Chihiro immediately felt more at ease; he seemed like a nice person.
"Looks like you know how to handle that thing," he said, indicating her sword, "you're pretty good-"
"And she'd be even better if you'd go away and let us practice," Lin interrupted, her icy expression still set firmly in place.
"Ok, ok, don't go getting all excited, I'll leave," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. He moved for the door, and then abruptly turned around, a roguish grin on his face, "that is, if you really want me to."
"Out!" Lin shouted, finally pushed to her limits. Kris laughed once more before making his exit, winking at Chihiro as he did so. The girl couldn't help but laugh as well, earning her a furious glance from her would-be instructor.
"It's about time," Lin mumbled, looking like she'd just swallowed something very disagreeable. "All right, now let's get back to work."
~~~
Haku returned to the scene of the earlier battle near the village, to the spot where he had last seen Chihiro before she'd been kidnapped. He studied the area again with his brow furrowed in concentration, but still he turned up empty-handed. There was nothing there. No signs or clues as to where Chihiro and her captor may have gone, nothing of any value. With a frustrated groan, he kicked a foot at the yellow patch of dirt, as though it were intentionally keeping their tracks hidden from him, as though it enjoyed his annoyance. He closed his eyes, running a hand through the thick strands of his hair and contemplating his next move. The Shadow had taken Chihiro into the forest, disappeared amongst the trees and overgrowth. There would be no point in trying to pick up a trail in there if he couldn't even find one here on its outskirts, he'd likely succeed in getting himself lost, nothing more. With one last contemptuous look, he resigned himself to taking another path, hoping to find some hint or lead elsewhere.
He veered off to the right, finally finding himself on a shallow trail. It looked as though it had been forgotten or neglected for years; weeds grew into it and small, sparse patches of grass were beginning to sprout up here and there. He took care not to tread on them. For the most part, he kept his pace steady, his feet hitting the ground in a constant, ceaseless beat as he padded along the dirt road. The path wound it's way through a field filled with wildflowers of a variety of colors that gave it the appearance of a vivid, prismatic sea. It was really quite peaceful. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen that particular path, but he intended to follow it until he reached the next town or village, where he hoped to inquire as to whether Chihiro had been seen there. There were countless possibilities, she could be anywhere, but he was resolute, entirely dedicated to finding her.
He'd walked through the night, not stopping to sleep or eat. He hadn't felt the effects at first; it hit him all at once, and suddenly, he was exhausted. He slowed his strides, looking up towards the sun and, based from its position in the sky, determined that it was perhaps time for him to a short break. It had been quite some time since he'd had any rest. The battle from the previous day had severely worn down his defenses, and he hadn't had so much as a wink of sleep since then. With a wide yawn, he sank gracefully to the ground in a cross-legged position, resting his back against a boulder. It was early morning now, and the sun was hanging low in the air, throwing waves of sunlight across the field, and warming Haku's tired body. He sighed contentedly.
I'll just take a quick rest… he thought to himself, giving in to his fatigued body's needs. With a final yawn, he fell deeply asleep.
~~~
Yubaba regarded the three men standing before her with incredulity. She arched an eyebrow as she stroked one of the many necklaces and jewels that hung from her neck. It shimmered and gleamed brightly in the candlelight, looking all the more beautiful when compared to the tired, worn face of its owner, her skin creased with old age. The woman mumbled to herself and grimaced, her features a perfect reflection of her mood. Finally, she turned to one of the three men standing at attention, awaiting a response from her. "So, you mean to tell me that my sister has a new warrior?" she asked dubiously. The man nodded. "Another one of her so-called 'secret weapons,' no doubt," she sneered. She was silent for several seconds, "A secret weapon," she repeated musingly after her pause, "leave it to my sister to come up with an idiotic idea like that. Well, do you have any idea who this new recruit is?"
"I only heard the tail end of the conversation, Empress, I didn't overhear many details..." the man furthest to the left stated. He was short, with thinning blonde hair and a pinched, anxious expression. He was wringing his hands together nervously. "I'm sorry I couldn't find out more, but…"
"That fool Zeniba thinks one man, this new weapon of hers, is going to be a threat to me? Ha!" She laughed loudly and disdainfully, seemingly ignoring the man's comments as she continued on her tirade. "She's gone mad in her old age…But still, I would like more information on her little secret. Get back inside her base, find out more," Yubaba instructed, addressing the man who had spoken earlier. He nodded quickly, the nervous expression never leaving his face, and left the room. Yubaba's eyes trailed after him as he left, and she sat for several long moments in silence wearing a pensive expression.
"Well, what do you two want?" she demanded suddenly, turning her attention to the two men that remained. "Well?" she snapped when they both struggled to answer, surprised by her outburst.
"Empress, we have some, some rather bad news," one of them began. He was the more disheveled of the two, with dirt smeared across his nose, and coating his left check. Dried blood was caked to his arm and his clothing was torn in multiple places. He shifted uncomfortably, and brushed quickly at the smudges on his face, as though the Empress' scrutinizing gaze had suddenly made him very conscientious about his appearance.
"Yes, go on," Yubaba prodded, waving a hand in the air in impatience.
The young man stammered and stuttered incoherently, but his companion hastened to offer a response, judging that keeping the Empress waiting was most likely not a good idea.
"Well, you see, Empress, we were part of the regiment you sent up to that village yesterday and we've only just returned. It didn't go well. It was terrible, in truth. We had so many wounded to carry back…that's why it took us so long. I feel that I must inform you that we…failed. We didn't capture the village. Some of our best warriors fell out there."
"What?" Yubaba shrieked. "What do you mean you lost? To a bunch of peasants, you were defeated by a tiny village?"
"No, no, you don't understand, they had help…those rebels, they were there! They were waiting for us!" the young man cried quickly, taking a step back. He launched into the story of the battle, ending it by telling her of the one young man that had changed the tides of the battle and tilted it in favor of the rebels. The black haired boy with green eyes that blazed with the fire of hatred. The one who had fought with a fury like none of them had ever seen. The boy who had left the field stained with the blood of his enemies, never relenting, never flinching. Everyone who had crossed his path had fallen at his hand, defeated. "He was…he was like a demon," the soldier concluded.
Yubaba listened intently, her eyes never leaving the warrior's face as he told her of the young man who was responsible for the defeat of one of her strongest units. She pursed her enormous lips together and after several moments began speaking slowly. "Well, then I have a special assignment for you two. Find this rebel boy, find him and bring him to me. I don't care what it takes. I'd like to have a talk with him. Maybe I'll take a leaf out of Zeniba's book after all…maybe it's time I found my own 'secret weapon.'" Her eyes flashed coldly, soft peals of cold laughter escaping her lips.
~~~
Sweat dripped down Chihiro's forehead, falling in little rivulets into her eyes, coating them with a thin layer of film. She was breathing heavily and her temples throbbed. "Lin, I…can't see, and I…need to catch my breath, just…hold on for a minute," Chihiro gasped out between gulps of air. She gripped her sword limply in one hand while clutching her side with the other.
"What, do you think in battle your opponent is just going to let you have a little 'time out' because you're tired? Toughen up, sweetie, we're not finished yet," Lin instructed. She had hardly broken a sweat, and looked as fresh and collected as ever. Chihiro groaned, resenting the older woman ever so slightly for it, and hating herself for her weakness.
"I can't…I need water, or sleep, or-"
"Oh all right, all right, I guess three hours is enough for now. Here," she tossed Chihiro a small bowl and pointed her to a large bucket of water in the corner. The girl smiled gratefully, filling the bowl with water and drinking deeply. Lin continued speaking while Chihiro splashed the bowl into the water and pressed it against her eager lips. "I'll have you whipped into shape by the time I'm done with you. You see, stamina is the key. As long as you can outlast your opponent, you'll always come out ahead. Agility and strength are important too, but before you can focus on those things, you have to make sure you've got the endurance to last in a fight."
Chihiro nodded in agreement, only half-listening to Lin's words. She was too busy focusing on drinking to pay full attention. The cool water slid down her parched throat, giving it the moisture it so desperately needed. She stared down into the cool blue water in the bucket; contemplating sticking her head into it…it looked so refreshing and cold…
"Are you even listening to me?" Lin demanded, now standing directly behind Chihiro. The girl turned around, smiling guiltily at her instructor.
"Thirsty," she said, pointing to herself, before dunking the little bowl back in the barrel, filling it to its brim again.
"Obviously," Lin replied with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, you did well for your first day. You've got a lot of talent. You're a natural"
"But what if, I mean…do you think maybe I was a warrior back home, back wherever I came from? Maybe that's why I know. I mean, once that sword's in my hand, it's like it wakes something up inside me, I don't even have to think about it, it's just pure instinct," Chihiro said excitedly.
"Um, maybe…" Lin answered uncomfortably. Chihiro noticed her expression fleetingly, and briefly experienced the sensation that Lin was keeping something from her. It was an unpleasant feeling. However, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, like the awkward had never existed at all. Lin had already put her normal, cheery smile back into place and had started chattering away again, brushing Chihiro's comments aside with a wave of her hand. Chihiro forgot her suspicions and decided that she was just being paranoid. She shifted her thoughts away from the topic and focused on Lin, who was talking animatedly to her. "Well, let's go grab something to eat, after all, you said you were hungry. The dining hall isn't far from here, it's actually really convenient…"
Even as she prattled on with the deceitful appearance of ease, Lin was struggling with herself internally. Chihiro had been dangerously close to the truth only moments ago. Closer than Zeniba would approve of. Lin made a mental note to be sure to speak with the Empress again before the day was done.
~~~
Author's Note: Well, I certainly hope that was worth the wait. Thanks for the encouragement and all of the great reviews you've given me so far! I always look forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Until next time, bye!