Neighbors: Deceptions

by Siren & SpelCastrMax

Authors Note (Yes there's 2 of us for the price of one): Everyone has

seen Spirited Away and EVERYONE wanted a longer ending, so here's our

rendition. Enjoy.

From SIREN: Sorry for the LONG!!! delay peoples. College got in the

way again.

From SPELCASTRMAX: I dissected a pig! I called it Orwell. It was

evil.

SIREN: That's nice, dear.

SPELCASTRMAX: We were born in the year of the pig. Wait, I already

said that.

SIREN: Yes, you did.

SPELCASTRMAX: You keep shaking your head at me. Isn't that gonna cause

some permanent damage?

SIREN: Now that you mention it, I have had some dizzy spells lately.

SPELCASTRMAX: I had a nausea spell this morning, but I doubt you wanted

to know that.

(SIREN shakes her head)

SPELCASTRMAX: STOP THAT! (turning back to the readers) By the way,

sorry again folks. It's been a hectic summer and it looks like it's going

to be a hectic school year, so just bear with us. Thanks!

Chapter Five: Deceptions

Yukari blinked a few times, then stretched out her hands as if

pleading with Haku and Chihiro. "Let me get this straight. Haku is a river

spirit, used to be under the control of a power-hungry sorceress, and a

dragon in his off hours. His 'sister'..." She paused to make

quotations with her fingers, "...is actually a worker at a bathhouse in the

spirit world."

"Yes," Haku simply replied, his face emotionless as always.

"Cool!" Tommy exclaimed, his face confused, but excited.

His sister turned to him and muttered, "You would think that was cool,

wouldn't you."

Chihiro grinned at the familiar sibling rivalry, yet the smiling face

faded when she glanced at Haku. "Yet this doesn't explain your

disappearing act the last few years."

The twins both turned their attention to the spirit beside Chihiro.

He looked back at them without denial, but also without an answer.

Noh Face made one of his "eh" noises and motioned in the direction of

the out of sight tunnel. Tommy jumped and nervously turned toward the

monster. With a slight whine in his voice, he pleaded, "Can we move

him or something? He's feakin' me out."

The creature cast his mask downward and trudged over to Chihiro. Haku

rose, stating, "Noh Face is correct. We should get moving. I'm sorry,

but you had better come with us."

Tommy raised his hand, yet spoke before being called upon. "Where are

we going?"

Yukari was a little more practical. "Wait! We have to call our

parents first."

Chihiro squeaked, "That's right! I can't let them worry."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "What do we tell them, 'Kari? 'Mom, Dad. We

won't be home tonight. We have to keep lookout for unknown forces in

the Spirit World. See you in the morning. And don't worry I brought a

change of undies!'" He finished his story with a snort while the

others groaned.

His sister had the solution. "Chihiro can say she's at our house and

Tommy and I will say we're at her house. If all this deception works,

we can go to the Spirit World and be back before they crosscheck.

Cliche I know, but it should work."

Haku calmly put in, "We aren't going to the Spirit World. There's too

much of a risk of the sorceresses keeping you there. We are just

camping out at the tunnel entrance to keep lookout."

"For what?" came Chihiro's short reply.

Haku ignored Chihiro and the plan went into action. For a moment,

Tommy forgot all he had just learned and asked Haku what he was going to

tell his own parents. 'Kari smacked her brother upside the head and

snapped, "You idiot! River spirits don't have parents."

The three humans set up sleeping bags around the stone figure outside

of the tunnel. Haku watched from a tree where Chihiro could not pester

him. Tommy would steals looks at Noh Face and finally snapped, "You

stay over there...away from me!"

Chihiro glanced back and forth between the two. "He really creeps you

out, doesn't he. I don't see it."

Yukari waved at the depressed Noh Face. "Here, you can sit by

me...just don't eat me."

As the brother and sister started their usual and entertaining banter,

Chihiro drew her eyes away. She stood under the tree with her hands on

her hips and feeling rather brave. In a sharp voice, she snapped,

"Kohaku River! You get down here and explain to me why you have us sitting

in the middle of the woods waiting for demons to walk by!"

At first, he muttered under this breath with hand in front of his

face.

"What was that?"

Turning his eyes downward at her, he repeated, "First of all, they

aren't demons..."

Impatiently, she asked, "And second of all?"

Haku mumbled again.

"Excuse me?!"

"I said..." He rethought his words before saying them. "We aren't

here looking for them."

She tapped her foot. "That's not what you said."

Behind her, Tommy sat with Yukari on one side and Noh Face on the

other. "Jeez what a grump she's been today. Is that time of the month?"

'Kari gave her brother another whack in the head and Noh Face took his

thumb and index finger to flick the boy on the nose. (A.N: SIREN: See,

I'm not the only one getting brain damage!)

The moon rose high and it wasn't long before the twins had drifted

off, Tommy snoring lightly and Yukari mumbling softly. Even Noh Face

seemed to be in a dreamlike state.

Chihiro lay awake, resting on her side and staring at the little

statue which watched her curiously. She could hear Haku leap from his perch

and lean against the tree. "I'm not asleep, if that's what you think,"

she told him.

"I know." He walked two steps closer, just near enough so he could

place himself beside her as she sat up. After a moment of quiet that

lasted a century, Haku's voice seemed to come from thin air. "It's a

Thunder Dragon."

Chihiro breathed inward and whispered, "What?"

Haku turned to her, his face the normal stone expression. "The thing

that is after you; it is a Thunder Dragon called Raiju."

The teenaged girl began to shake her head back and forth insistently.

"No. No. No. That can't be right. Why would he be after me?"

Her river friend's eyes turned from her as if in guilt as he admitted,

"I do not know. What I do know is that you are in great danger."

At his words, Chihiro felt like she was reliving a nightmare. The

most terrifying images from her Spirit World Adventure, things that

seemed so far away and unreal, ran through her brain as her heart beat sped.

Another second passed before Chihiro fainted from shock.

_____________

Okay, here's the deal. This week we have a Spanish Test and we need to

take a trip to the Art Museum for what the Art History professor

referred to as "required extra credit". However, we will do our best to post

the next chapter within the next two weeks...hopefully. Until then, go

rest your eyes.