A/N: Hiya people! I'm back with Ch. 2 and I hope I haven't killed anyone with all that waiting. I had a little trouble with writer's block and the plot so it took a little while. Here's the Review Corner! Thanks especially to Reioko for helping me with the plot! You ROCK! Ah yes, excuse me that I don't have italics and bold stuff, I haven't figure that stuff out yet. (oh yes, and Kabobs and Ruthie!)
Oh, and I absolutely apologize if this chapter's a little boring. It's only this chapter. I kinda need it for the next chapter to be more exciting and sh-tuff! Apologizes accepted? -puppy face-
whyshoulditellyou: Hehe –grins evilly- wait till you see the rest of it!
Izumi_star: I'm back and yup, I've got Ch. 2… I didn't kill you when it took so long, did I?
Campion: hey Kabob. Thank you for all yas helps!!!!
Raven-666: Thanks for reviewing! Hope ya'll like the second chapter.
Mariah aka Mystic Ice: I luved your S.A. story! Happy reviewing [thanks].
Strawberryz: I don't plan on stopping! Thankies for reviewing!
Green Eyes Silver Dragon: I've got chapter 2 up now. Thank you! –takes a bow-
mari333: -huggles- thank you!
On with the story!
The breeze slowly calmed and Chihiro was gently placed back down on her feet. Her body swayed a little as her eyes darted around nervously, trying to catch a glimpse of who or what had summoned her. Chihiro gasped in shock and took a step back. In her haste, she forgot about her injury, but was reminded when a sharp sensation hit her and she buckled from the pain. She let out a small, almost inaudible cry, before she collapsed on the ground. The stranger looked down at her as she sat there on the ground. She then slowly raised her head to have a look at the strange figure staring down at her. Her eyes traveled upward, taking in an extremely tall man cloaked in ebony robes that looked like midnight. The hooded man's robes blew in the breeze making him look like nothing but a shadow in the wind. There was something very mysterious, and forbidding about him.
Two arms unfurled themselves from the bindings of the midnight cloak and reached down to help Chihiro up. He extended his large hands to her. Staring tentatively, she took hold of them. Their strong warmth brought Chihiro back to reality as she realized she was staring open-mouthed at him. Closing her gaping mouth and then blushing furiously, she mumbled, "Gomen nasai." In those few moments, she was back up on her feet and stood there awkwardly. Fiddling with the edge of her shirt, her honey brown eyes cautiously watched the stranger. [Haku:-mumbles-get your hands off of her!]
"Come...here." came a voice from the anonymous man.
Chihiro hesitated for a moment, unsure of what this stranger would or could do. Small limping footsteps could be heard as the girl made her way over to him. Seeing that she was beginning to trust him, he sat down on the train station bench with a relieved sigh. "Sit down and let me look at your injured leg." he stated. His voice had a tone that was crisp and curt. It seemed to penetrate the silence like the sharp blade of a knife through human flesh. Unusually placid, Chihiro obeyed the man's command. Even though the pain from her leg was unbearable, she moved with easy strides over to him and sat down. As she painfully attempted to lift her leg, she glanced at the man helplessly..... Oww it hurts so much...
"You may leave your leg down."the man said to her with an approving nod. He then swiftly knelt down, placing one hand on her swollen ankle. "Sen.... you should be more careful next time." came the voice from the anonymous man. His voice startled her. But the fact that he knew her previous name from the Majou no Sekai, surprised her even more.
"Yes?" she answered. Chihiro eyed this hooded figure warily. This was all too confusing to her now. How could this stranger know her name if he didn't meet her six years ago at her first visit? Could this be Haku?
The old abandoned station gave off a musty stench. The smell of moss mingled with the lingering memories of the past that still hung heavily in the air. If the walls could talk, they would surely tell tales of the wisdom they had gathered through time. If only someone would just listen.
Suddenly, Chihiro felt as if her breath had been taken away and that she was so high above the ground there was no air. But that wasn't the case. It was only the tall, dark stranger that had swept her off her feet and into his arms. Ignoring Chihiro's protests and kicks, he strode through the exit of the train station and into the meadow . Just as Chihiro had remembered it, the grass was still the lush green, and the sky above was just as blue as it ever could be. The hooded stranger untangled one arm from its hold on Chihiro's body and snapped, a blindfold appearing over Chihiro's eyes. Her struggling was more desperate and her protests grew more intense as she realized the danger of this all. I'm so stupid! How could I have let myself fall into a trap like this?!
Instead of slinging her body over his shoulder as she thought he would, the man only gently cradled her in his arms. The monotonous rhythm of walking soon became a lullaby for Chihiro as she struggled to stay awake. Her head finally lolled back in slumber, as the ride grew bumpier. Dashi slowed down his pace as he neared the entrance to his own home, a small cottage. Shifting Chihiro's weight gently from one arm to another, he thought of the first time he walked up this path to his dwelling.
-flashback-
The bulk of what seemed to be a young boy marched up a newly cobbled path in the woods. His chest was puffed out and everything in his posture seemed to be happy and content, but one look in his eyes and you could sense that something was wrong. Those silver eyes of his were dull and looked dead, empty.[A/N:I am starting to get confused myself...?Chihiro:-shivers at the thought of dead eyes-] It was quite ironic. The way Dashi held his body and the listless look in his eyes, clashed miserably in a fight to dominate. No one knew, but there was only one thought that had crossed and remained in this spirit's mind.
I need to find THE ONE for it to be perfect.
-end flashback-
That was before, not now. Currently, Dashi arms were no longer empty. They were full with someone in them. Sidestepping a small gate that led to the cottage, Dashi reached out for the doorknob. Swinging the door open, he was about to wake the girl up when she started mumbling,
"silver dragon...baths....Ha..ku..Lin."
The slight frown that had disrupted Dashi's fairly handsome features, immediately dissipated when Chihiro began to claw again at her blindfold. Obviously, she was awake so he untied the knots of fabric that covered the girl's eyes. Feeling the fabric loosen and lift, Chihiro took a good look at her surroundings. The thing that surprised her the most was that she was indoors in a Zeniba-like cottage....minus the cozy furnishings. "Now can I stand up?" Her voice was strangely calm, despite the fact that she was still sitting in the stranger's arms.
"What? Oh,yeah." he replied. Flustered, he actually considered just opening his arms and letting the girl drop. But that was against better judgement, so he resorted to gently placing Chihiro on her feet.
"Well it's quite a place you've got here." Chihiro mustered.
"Yes."he replied blandly.
Well, at least he furnished it… kind of. Chihiro's brown eyes moved, taking in the sight of the bare home Managing an inward sigh and a weak grin, Chihiro continued in her forced carefree voice. "So...what am I doing here? Fullfilling some weird desire or something?" she said all too casually. There was no answer as the two stood there in silence. Turning slightly towards where she thought the stranger was, there stood a young male, slightly taller than her, instead. "W-who are you?" Chihiro's mind was now completely confused with all the sudden changes.
"I am Dashi, Apprentice to Mistress Yubaba and 2nd henchman." His voice was cold and passionless.
He was what? Chihiro shook her head, trying to make things more clear. So Yubaba was still the owner of Aburuya, and she has two henchmen now? What's she need that for? Seeing her confused look, Dashi inwardly grinned inspite of himself.
"I will be taking you to Mistress Yubaba to see what she shall do with you." He said. What he didn't know was that Chihiro could still remember Yubaba and some others from her previous visit to the land of the spirits, and Haku could easily remember the bright-eyed girl that had passed through six years ago. Chihiro was then led to a small adjoining room. There she stayed the night, a little unsure if she could let herself rest peacefully under such a roof. But fortunately, sleep eventually came, allowing the girl to have the rest that was long sought after. [Haku: -gazes at Chihiro with moony eyes-]
Sunlight streamed through the small window at the side of the room as Chihiro tossed in her futon once again.The blinding light pierced through Chihiro's cocoon of peaceful darkness with a start, awakening her into a frazzled mood. As she cursed the sun silently, a soft knock came from her partially closed door. It was Dashi. She glared daggers at him. "What do you want?" she snapped angrily. [A/N: Ooh. Pissy mood for da girl, huh?]"It is time to bring you to the bath house." The tone was higher pitched than last night.Now it was more childish yet colder than she remembered. A young face now appeared before her, and she gasped. The stranger..or the boy, had silver eyes, black hair and a slight build not too unlike how Chihiro remembered Haku.
"Yes,I am still Dashi, last night was one of my disguises," a grin displayed a row of even white teeth, "So are you ready to go yet?"
The impatience in the boy's voice made Chihiro's temper flare. Glaring at him even harder, her hands made a quick motion before she spoke, "Nearly, if only I could get some breakfast because my stomach is growling." Nodding slightly, the silver-eyed boy abruptly left the room. Sitting back on her haunches, Chihiro mused over what had happened. Firstly, she had been 'kidnapped' by some strange person in ebony cloaks, then the fact that this kid or spirit was somehow related to Yubaba, and even more. He wasn't tall, mysterious, or anything like that. He was a young spirit with stunning silver eyes.
Reluctantly, she rose up from the comfort of the futon. She was ready. Ready to face Yubaba and her schemes no matter how harsh or evil they were. Chihiro then strode out of the makeshift bedroom with an air of defiance.
As she stepped out, she sniffed at the air. She smelt something delicious. "Err.. Dashi?", she inquired as she sniffed again at the tantalizing smell that drifted towards her nose. "Are we leaving yet?'' she asked.
The boy nodded as he handed Chihiro a small package, indicating that it was her breakfast. Motioning for her to follow, he walked outside and disappeared into the bordering forest. Running quickly to catch up, she glanced around and found herself back in the fertile green meadow once again. This was the first place that she saw when she had passed through the tunnel, and also the area where she had met the stranger that had taken her to the cottage.
Recognizing their destination, Chihiro ran over the bridge going towards Dashi's thinning form. He was headed for the boiler room where Kamaji stayed. Smiling gleefully, she forgot all her worries for the moment, and dashed ahead of Dashi and ran down the wooden steps. The broken wooden step was still there from her first visit. Stopping herself from running into the wall and hurting herself again, Chihiro made a desperate turn. When she looked straight ahead, she found herself in front of the boiler room door. Slipping her slender fingers through the door handle, Chihiro pulled the door open and a blast of hot air greeted her face. Stepping in quietly, she walked forwards and cleared her throat. "Kamaji?" the girl's soft tone rang out clearly even above all of the machinery noise. Squeaks immediately filled the air as the soot ball spirits recognized her and crowded around her feet. Kamaji turned slowly, still preoccupied with his work before he shouted with glee at seeing his 'granddaughter' again.
"Se-Chihiro! Good to see you! I thought you'd never come back here! "Kamaji shouted. Two long arms stretched to greet her with a hug as the metal door opened behind her. In stepped Dashi, wondering what on Earth she had done by coming down here by herself. Seeing that Chihiro had a warm welcome, he was visibly surprised, and had to struggle with himself to not ask a question. Chihiro hugged Kamaji back in return, but paused when the the small wooden door slid open. It revealed a very familiar face. It was Lin. Chihiro turned and smiled...
-pouts pointedly- I know, there isn't much of a cliffhangie, but it's all for the better. –runs off- I'll see everyone when ch. 3's done!!!!!!!