Hey. Here's to hoping that I get into double digits when it come to
reviews. I think that it's so cool that I've got at least ONE reviewer who
makes up like six of those eight reviews that I've got. [you know who you
are : )]
Anyway, I don't need reviews just yet in order to finish this story. I think I know where I'm going to go with it, so all's well that ends well.
Keetra- Yeah, I remember that you did say that you have no intention of updating Sea of Sapphires, but that's okay because I reviewed that one in particular because it is the only one of your fics that isn't finished. Don't worry, I'll get around to reviewing the rest of them sooner or later.
Anyway, you all know that pairings, and so that means that without much further ado, I can give you the next chapter!
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS, even when it doesn't seem that way. . .
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
*~*
Disclaimer- I don't know why so many people hate to do these things. They aren't THAT bad, are they? Anyways, I. . . I. . . I don't. . . own. . . nothing. . . (wow, that was harder than I thought (choke))
~*~
Sky stood there, the snow swirling around him, unable to find words to make Jumari listen to him, to understand just how hard it was for him to leave her originally. He had never WANTED to leave, but had felt that it was necessary, as a relationship between him and her was not looking as though it was going to work out. There had been things that needed looking after, things that he had had to take care of. He had not meant to hurt her, he had assumed that when he came back she would still be there, waiting for him.
Now that he looked back at it, the assumption had been foolish. It was not her duty to wait for him to come back to her. She had had every right to get on with her life.
"I. . . never knew that it would hurt you that badly. If I had, I never would have left in the first place. I would never hurt you, nor would I ever let you down. Surely you must know that after all the time that we spent together." She just stared at him, then got up and ran off through the tall hedges, quickly disappearing. He stood there for a few more minutes, then sat down on the bench to think.
*~*
Chihiro and Haku made their way back to the room, where they found that Nami had awoken, and was now flushed and shivering.
"I'm. . . hot. . . and cold. . . at the same time," he said with a question in his voice. "What's wrong with me," he added weakly.
"You fell a long ways, and spent a lot of time in the snow." Chihiro walked over to the bed and put the back of her hand to his forehead. "Wow. You're really hot (a/n- not THAT way). I think you must have a fever."
"Am I going to die?" (a/n- see, the thing is, spirits don't get sick all that often, and it just happens that this is the first time that Nami has gotten sick. I mean, come on, he'd never even seen someone crack their knuckles before!)
"Of course not." This time it was Haku who was speaking, looking at Nami with a smirk on his face. "You're not dying, you're just sick. It's natural."
"I feel so bad."
"Well, of course you do. You're running a temp."
"What's that?"
"It's where your body temperature is higher than it normally is. It's just a natural function of your immune system, so don't worry about it." Chihiro pushed him on the shoulder so that he fell back into the bed. "Just rest here for a while. We'll see to it that you get some food."
She got up off the bed and led Haku out of the room, where she turned to face him.
"What's the normal temperature range for spirits?"
Haku looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes.
"Just answer the question."
"Well, I'd say around a hundred and two point seven. That's give or take a few points. Why?"
"Because even without a thermometer I can tell that he's got to be over a hundred and five. I'd say around a hundred and ten, but that can't be right. If he was running a temperature that bad, he'd be dying."
Haku suddenly started, as though realizing something. "Well, I heard that a spirit isn't in trouble until their temperature reaches a hundred and fifteen, so he should be all right. He's just a little higher than normal. There's no reason to get worried."
Chihiro looked back at him, her glance penetrating him to his very core. Finally, she seemed satisfied that what he said was the truth, so she turned back and went into the room. Nami had fallen asleep again, his flushed face contrasting the white of the pillow in which it lay.
"Haku, could you go to the kitchens and ask them for something to eat?"
"Sure. What should I ask for?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just ask for ramen. That should hold him for a while. If they have any chicken noodle soup; that would probably help too." She walked over to the bed and stared down at the pitiful figure lying in front of her. "Pity they don't have things like aspirin here in the spirit world. It would do him a world of good."
Haku turned and walked out of the room and down to the kitchens, where he was amazed to find that he could see the spirits working there. Throughout the rest of the tower, the spirits who serviced the rooms were invisible, and so did not get in the way ever. Here, however, he found himself looking upon all manner of spirits, from frogs to wolves to cats to birds, they flocked around in a constant bustle of activity, working and slaving to make the food that would be eaten by the inhabitants of the tower. The moment he entered the kitchens, however, all the commotion and activity ceased, and all eyes turned towards him.
"I. . . I'm just here for some soup," he stammered, a bit unnerved by the penetrating glances he was receiving from the spirits that surrounded him.
One of the spirits quickly approached him carrying a bowl of piping hot soup, while another came with a loaf of bread, and still another with a steaming cup of tea. They gave him the items, then pushed him out the door, all being done without as much as a word between them. Once outside the door, Haku scratched his head in bewilderment, and then headed back to the rooms. As he headed up the stairs, he ran into Knoma, who had a rather preoccupied look upon his face. He was walking with his head down, muttering unintelligible words to himself as he hastened in the general direction of the kitchens.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you," Haku said, giving him a quick smile.
"Huh? What? Oh, it's you. What do you mean?"
"Well, I was just down there, and it seemed to me that the servants in there didn't want to be bothered by anyone. They were quick to give me the door."
"Oh, well, see, the thing is Jumari placed a curse on them. They used to inhabit a village not far from the tower, but when an evil demon was besieging the tower, she called for their help, and they refused to come to her aide. With my help, she defeated the threat, but then she placed a curse on them that robbed them of their freedom as well as speech, so that they must serve her for all eternity. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are urgent matters that I MUST attend to IMMEDIATELY." The stress that he put into his words caused Haku to get out of his way quickly and allow him to move on.
{I wonder what that was about} Haku thought to himself as he walked back into the room and handed the food and drink to Chihiro. Nami had once again awoken, so she carefully fed him the soup, and gave him the tea to drink. Once he finished, he once again drifted off into a feverish sleep.
*~*
I know that this chapter was shorter than the other, but I did what I could, and I'm also very sorry if there wasn't as much action in this chapter. I'm still trying to develop certain characters, and trying to explain a little more about Jumari's past.
Please, keep reading and reviewing!
Anyway, I don't need reviews just yet in order to finish this story. I think I know where I'm going to go with it, so all's well that ends well.
Keetra- Yeah, I remember that you did say that you have no intention of updating Sea of Sapphires, but that's okay because I reviewed that one in particular because it is the only one of your fics that isn't finished. Don't worry, I'll get around to reviewing the rest of them sooner or later.
Anyway, you all know that pairings, and so that means that without much further ado, I can give you the next chapter!
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS, even when it doesn't seem that way. . .
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
*~*
Disclaimer- I don't know why so many people hate to do these things. They aren't THAT bad, are they? Anyways, I. . . I. . . I don't. . . own. . . nothing. . . (wow, that was harder than I thought (choke))
~*~
Sky stood there, the snow swirling around him, unable to find words to make Jumari listen to him, to understand just how hard it was for him to leave her originally. He had never WANTED to leave, but had felt that it was necessary, as a relationship between him and her was not looking as though it was going to work out. There had been things that needed looking after, things that he had had to take care of. He had not meant to hurt her, he had assumed that when he came back she would still be there, waiting for him.
Now that he looked back at it, the assumption had been foolish. It was not her duty to wait for him to come back to her. She had had every right to get on with her life.
"I. . . never knew that it would hurt you that badly. If I had, I never would have left in the first place. I would never hurt you, nor would I ever let you down. Surely you must know that after all the time that we spent together." She just stared at him, then got up and ran off through the tall hedges, quickly disappearing. He stood there for a few more minutes, then sat down on the bench to think.
*~*
Chihiro and Haku made their way back to the room, where they found that Nami had awoken, and was now flushed and shivering.
"I'm. . . hot. . . and cold. . . at the same time," he said with a question in his voice. "What's wrong with me," he added weakly.
"You fell a long ways, and spent a lot of time in the snow." Chihiro walked over to the bed and put the back of her hand to his forehead. "Wow. You're really hot (a/n- not THAT way). I think you must have a fever."
"Am I going to die?" (a/n- see, the thing is, spirits don't get sick all that often, and it just happens that this is the first time that Nami has gotten sick. I mean, come on, he'd never even seen someone crack their knuckles before!)
"Of course not." This time it was Haku who was speaking, looking at Nami with a smirk on his face. "You're not dying, you're just sick. It's natural."
"I feel so bad."
"Well, of course you do. You're running a temp."
"What's that?"
"It's where your body temperature is higher than it normally is. It's just a natural function of your immune system, so don't worry about it." Chihiro pushed him on the shoulder so that he fell back into the bed. "Just rest here for a while. We'll see to it that you get some food."
She got up off the bed and led Haku out of the room, where she turned to face him.
"What's the normal temperature range for spirits?"
Haku looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes.
"Just answer the question."
"Well, I'd say around a hundred and two point seven. That's give or take a few points. Why?"
"Because even without a thermometer I can tell that he's got to be over a hundred and five. I'd say around a hundred and ten, but that can't be right. If he was running a temperature that bad, he'd be dying."
Haku suddenly started, as though realizing something. "Well, I heard that a spirit isn't in trouble until their temperature reaches a hundred and fifteen, so he should be all right. He's just a little higher than normal. There's no reason to get worried."
Chihiro looked back at him, her glance penetrating him to his very core. Finally, she seemed satisfied that what he said was the truth, so she turned back and went into the room. Nami had fallen asleep again, his flushed face contrasting the white of the pillow in which it lay.
"Haku, could you go to the kitchens and ask them for something to eat?"
"Sure. What should I ask for?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just ask for ramen. That should hold him for a while. If they have any chicken noodle soup; that would probably help too." She walked over to the bed and stared down at the pitiful figure lying in front of her. "Pity they don't have things like aspirin here in the spirit world. It would do him a world of good."
Haku turned and walked out of the room and down to the kitchens, where he was amazed to find that he could see the spirits working there. Throughout the rest of the tower, the spirits who serviced the rooms were invisible, and so did not get in the way ever. Here, however, he found himself looking upon all manner of spirits, from frogs to wolves to cats to birds, they flocked around in a constant bustle of activity, working and slaving to make the food that would be eaten by the inhabitants of the tower. The moment he entered the kitchens, however, all the commotion and activity ceased, and all eyes turned towards him.
"I. . . I'm just here for some soup," he stammered, a bit unnerved by the penetrating glances he was receiving from the spirits that surrounded him.
One of the spirits quickly approached him carrying a bowl of piping hot soup, while another came with a loaf of bread, and still another with a steaming cup of tea. They gave him the items, then pushed him out the door, all being done without as much as a word between them. Once outside the door, Haku scratched his head in bewilderment, and then headed back to the rooms. As he headed up the stairs, he ran into Knoma, who had a rather preoccupied look upon his face. He was walking with his head down, muttering unintelligible words to himself as he hastened in the general direction of the kitchens.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you," Haku said, giving him a quick smile.
"Huh? What? Oh, it's you. What do you mean?"
"Well, I was just down there, and it seemed to me that the servants in there didn't want to be bothered by anyone. They were quick to give me the door."
"Oh, well, see, the thing is Jumari placed a curse on them. They used to inhabit a village not far from the tower, but when an evil demon was besieging the tower, she called for their help, and they refused to come to her aide. With my help, she defeated the threat, but then she placed a curse on them that robbed them of their freedom as well as speech, so that they must serve her for all eternity. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are urgent matters that I MUST attend to IMMEDIATELY." The stress that he put into his words caused Haku to get out of his way quickly and allow him to move on.
{I wonder what that was about} Haku thought to himself as he walked back into the room and handed the food and drink to Chihiro. Nami had once again awoken, so she carefully fed him the soup, and gave him the tea to drink. Once he finished, he once again drifted off into a feverish sleep.
*~*
I know that this chapter was shorter than the other, but I did what I could, and I'm also very sorry if there wasn't as much action in this chapter. I'm still trying to develop certain characters, and trying to explain a little more about Jumari's past.
Please, keep reading and reviewing!