Disclaimer: Damnit, juz dun sue me!!
Authors note: Sorry abt the long delay for this update, I've been going through a difficult time, no time to write, weeeeell, this chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewers, thanks sooooo much!!
Haku's clothes flapped in the gusts of wind from the canyon as he fell forward. Seeing Chihiro not far from him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him as he transformed into a magnificent white dragon. Landing soundlessly on the bottom of the gorge with wisps of wind blowing in all directions, Haku let Chihiro gently off his back before changing back into his human form. Her eyes fluttered slowly and opened as she tried to sit up, groaning loudly.
Haku knelt by her side asking with concern," You alright Chihiro?"
"Yeah, I guess... sorry, I must have been a fool to just fall off like that."
"Relax, I can easily fly us out of here."
Standing up, he walked off a short distance. Turning his head to make sure that he could see Chihiro, he stretched his hand out, frowning. Closing his eyes as he concentrated on the tingling feeling on his fingertips, Haku whispered," Magic in the wind, magic in the land, show me your secrets..." Feeling a surge of magic on his fingertips, he opened his eyes. There is magic here... but who and how could have cast such a spell? For it to be so strong, even though it is ancient. Damnit, we're getting more questions than answers...
"Haku!" Chihiro called impatiently as she stood up, her legs wobbling slightly. Running over to where he was, she grasped his hand tightly, never wanting to be separated. Slightly taken aback by her sign of affection, Haku squeezed her hand in assurance, telling her," Theres something I have to check, before we go out."
"Ok..." Chihiro replied uncertainly, glancing nervously at the dark shadows that danced around in the dark.
Turning round a sharp bend in the narrow gorge, Haku gasped in surprise and excitement at what he saw. Chihiro only clutched his hand more tightly as she could not sense the immense amount of magic that surrounded the place where they stood. A small cave was in front of the pair and there was a pedestal embedded deeply into the rock. So this is what Nimokushi was talking about... the place where ancient spirits opened the gates to the human world, not realizing the consequences. But... how can he call this amount of magic weak?!?! This is the strongest force of magic that I've ever felt, I didn't even know that this level of skill and power could be achieved... Seeing runes at the bottom of the base of the pedestal, Haku visually recorded them into his mind, before sighing loudly. They were back at square 1.
"Why? What's happening? I don't understand Haku..."
"Ok... it's a long story, I'll tell you everything once we've reached the bathhouse."
"We're going back to the bathhouse?!?!" Chihiro gasped, her initial thoughts of joy as she remembered both Rin and Kamaji, her only friends in the spirit world, besides Haku. Then, her mind drifted to Yu-baba. What would she do to her?
Changing into his white dragon form, Haku let Chihiro up onto his back, before he charged out of the canyon, starting off at a regular pace for the bathhouse.
"Where is Haku!?!?!?!" Yu-baba stormed as she questioned the head supervisor.
"I don't know, Ma'am..."
"What?!?! Find him in 10 minutes or you're going to be dinner as pork later!"
Squealing a loud apology, the frog supervisor made a hasty retreat. Sitting down at her table, Yu-baba conjured a hot towel to wipe her face.
"I dismissed him, Yu-baba." Nimokushi's voice drifted out from the shadows.
"What?!?!" shouted Yu-baba. Then suddenly remembering who she was talking to, she replied in a meek tone," Sorry... but, you should know the rules Nimokushi."
"He has found his name and worked off your deal, you cannot keep him even if I had not needed him for a task, besides... the rules have changed."
Wind ruffling in her tied up hair, Chihiro opened her eyes and nearly fell off Haku's back, dazzled by the silvery scales on his back and the splendor of the ocean before her. It was crystalline clear and an infinite pacific blue, without as much as a speck of waste in it.
"Hey, Haku... So how about telling me whats going on in the Spirit world?"
"I won't, kiss me again first." Haku jokingly replied.
"Oi! You're so evil, Haku." Chihiro laughed as she smacked his silvery back and blushed.
"Ok... ok," Telling her what had been happening in the Spirit world as of late. He simplified the story, leaving out the meeting and Geniko's speech about the destruction of the town. After he had finished, Chihiro was shocked to the core, though she knew that her friends in the Spirit world were right. Staring out at the peaceful sea, she knew perfectly well what some humans would do if they discovered this paradise in the midst of their rotting world. Suddenly, something occurred to her.
"Hey... Haku, if this is whats happening, and the gates are going to be sealed, can I return to the human world once all this is over?" Flashes of memories passed through her mind, images of her friends, her parents and her young cousin whom she loved like a sister...
"I don't know Chi... I really don't know..." Haku whispered into her mind as the bathhouse came into view on the horizon.
Touching down at the entrance to Kamaji's boiler room, Haku let Chihiro off and changed to his human form. Entering the boiler room, Chihiro realized that it was twice as large than it was 6 years ago. Moving cautiously through the jets of steam that erupted from the huge vats around her, Chihiro squinted through the clouds of steam, excited at seeing her friend after so many years.
"Kamaji?" Chihiro said loudly as she entered the main hall of the boiler room, where he mixed his herbal baths for clients at the bathhouse. A huge spiderlike spirit sat at a booth, eating his lunch and picking herbs from the cabinets behind him with his many arms. "Faster you sootballs! Faster!" he shouted at the magical balls of soot which carried coal to supply the enormous furnace at one corner of the room.
"Kamaji!!" Chihiro shouted, knowing that the ancient spirit had trouble hearing, and to make herself heard over the clanging of the rusting furnace.
"Sen!!!" Kamaji cried, dropping everything he held and hugging Chihiro with all of his 8 arms.
"Okok..." Chihiro squealed loudly as she attempted to free herself from his 8 arms.
"Sorry... But why are you back?"
"Long story..." Chihiro replied, glancing at Haku. His face was troubled and he seemed to be deep in thought. Thinking that he just didn't like the bathhouse due to the bad memories that it brought, she ignored him.
"Haku..." Kamaji called, snapping him from his trance.
"Y...yes?"
"You are looking for the ancient stones of power, they all have the same eyes as you."
"Can you help me, Kamaji."
"I will, because of the danger that the Spirit world lies in."
Confused by all this, Chihiro asked," Wait... what is happening?!? What ancient stones of power?"
"The 4 gates between the 2 worlds are positioned in a formation, and are named after the 4 greatest weaknesses or sins of humans and spirits, each named after 1. The 4 artifacts of power are the counteracting emotions of the weaknesses. To find out where they are, I suggest consulting Zeniiba, she has always loved the history of this legend."
"Thank you Kamaji." Haku said simply.
Disbelief crossing her face, Chihiro seemed in a dream as Haku pulled her to the exit of the boiler room.
"Oi, Haku..." Chihiro whispered as she lay on Haku's back.
"Yes Chi?"
"You can handle this on your own, why did you need to call me here?"
"Because, I... I missed you..."
Smiling gently, Chihiro hugged Haku's back more tightly, breathing in his strong dragon scent.
Authors note: Sorry abt the long delay for this update, I've been going through a difficult time, no time to write, weeeeell, this chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewers, thanks sooooo much!!
Haku's clothes flapped in the gusts of wind from the canyon as he fell forward. Seeing Chihiro not far from him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him as he transformed into a magnificent white dragon. Landing soundlessly on the bottom of the gorge with wisps of wind blowing in all directions, Haku let Chihiro gently off his back before changing back into his human form. Her eyes fluttered slowly and opened as she tried to sit up, groaning loudly.
Haku knelt by her side asking with concern," You alright Chihiro?"
"Yeah, I guess... sorry, I must have been a fool to just fall off like that."
"Relax, I can easily fly us out of here."
Standing up, he walked off a short distance. Turning his head to make sure that he could see Chihiro, he stretched his hand out, frowning. Closing his eyes as he concentrated on the tingling feeling on his fingertips, Haku whispered," Magic in the wind, magic in the land, show me your secrets..." Feeling a surge of magic on his fingertips, he opened his eyes. There is magic here... but who and how could have cast such a spell? For it to be so strong, even though it is ancient. Damnit, we're getting more questions than answers...
"Haku!" Chihiro called impatiently as she stood up, her legs wobbling slightly. Running over to where he was, she grasped his hand tightly, never wanting to be separated. Slightly taken aback by her sign of affection, Haku squeezed her hand in assurance, telling her," Theres something I have to check, before we go out."
"Ok..." Chihiro replied uncertainly, glancing nervously at the dark shadows that danced around in the dark.
Turning round a sharp bend in the narrow gorge, Haku gasped in surprise and excitement at what he saw. Chihiro only clutched his hand more tightly as she could not sense the immense amount of magic that surrounded the place where they stood. A small cave was in front of the pair and there was a pedestal embedded deeply into the rock. So this is what Nimokushi was talking about... the place where ancient spirits opened the gates to the human world, not realizing the consequences. But... how can he call this amount of magic weak?!?! This is the strongest force of magic that I've ever felt, I didn't even know that this level of skill and power could be achieved... Seeing runes at the bottom of the base of the pedestal, Haku visually recorded them into his mind, before sighing loudly. They were back at square 1.
"Why? What's happening? I don't understand Haku..."
"Ok... it's a long story, I'll tell you everything once we've reached the bathhouse."
"We're going back to the bathhouse?!?!" Chihiro gasped, her initial thoughts of joy as she remembered both Rin and Kamaji, her only friends in the spirit world, besides Haku. Then, her mind drifted to Yu-baba. What would she do to her?
Changing into his white dragon form, Haku let Chihiro up onto his back, before he charged out of the canyon, starting off at a regular pace for the bathhouse.
"Where is Haku!?!?!?!" Yu-baba stormed as she questioned the head supervisor.
"I don't know, Ma'am..."
"What?!?! Find him in 10 minutes or you're going to be dinner as pork later!"
Squealing a loud apology, the frog supervisor made a hasty retreat. Sitting down at her table, Yu-baba conjured a hot towel to wipe her face.
"I dismissed him, Yu-baba." Nimokushi's voice drifted out from the shadows.
"What?!?!" shouted Yu-baba. Then suddenly remembering who she was talking to, she replied in a meek tone," Sorry... but, you should know the rules Nimokushi."
"He has found his name and worked off your deal, you cannot keep him even if I had not needed him for a task, besides... the rules have changed."
Wind ruffling in her tied up hair, Chihiro opened her eyes and nearly fell off Haku's back, dazzled by the silvery scales on his back and the splendor of the ocean before her. It was crystalline clear and an infinite pacific blue, without as much as a speck of waste in it.
"Hey, Haku... So how about telling me whats going on in the Spirit world?"
"I won't, kiss me again first." Haku jokingly replied.
"Oi! You're so evil, Haku." Chihiro laughed as she smacked his silvery back and blushed.
"Ok... ok," Telling her what had been happening in the Spirit world as of late. He simplified the story, leaving out the meeting and Geniko's speech about the destruction of the town. After he had finished, Chihiro was shocked to the core, though she knew that her friends in the Spirit world were right. Staring out at the peaceful sea, she knew perfectly well what some humans would do if they discovered this paradise in the midst of their rotting world. Suddenly, something occurred to her.
"Hey... Haku, if this is whats happening, and the gates are going to be sealed, can I return to the human world once all this is over?" Flashes of memories passed through her mind, images of her friends, her parents and her young cousin whom she loved like a sister...
"I don't know Chi... I really don't know..." Haku whispered into her mind as the bathhouse came into view on the horizon.
Touching down at the entrance to Kamaji's boiler room, Haku let Chihiro off and changed to his human form. Entering the boiler room, Chihiro realized that it was twice as large than it was 6 years ago. Moving cautiously through the jets of steam that erupted from the huge vats around her, Chihiro squinted through the clouds of steam, excited at seeing her friend after so many years.
"Kamaji?" Chihiro said loudly as she entered the main hall of the boiler room, where he mixed his herbal baths for clients at the bathhouse. A huge spiderlike spirit sat at a booth, eating his lunch and picking herbs from the cabinets behind him with his many arms. "Faster you sootballs! Faster!" he shouted at the magical balls of soot which carried coal to supply the enormous furnace at one corner of the room.
"Kamaji!!" Chihiro shouted, knowing that the ancient spirit had trouble hearing, and to make herself heard over the clanging of the rusting furnace.
"Sen!!!" Kamaji cried, dropping everything he held and hugging Chihiro with all of his 8 arms.
"Okok..." Chihiro squealed loudly as she attempted to free herself from his 8 arms.
"Sorry... But why are you back?"
"Long story..." Chihiro replied, glancing at Haku. His face was troubled and he seemed to be deep in thought. Thinking that he just didn't like the bathhouse due to the bad memories that it brought, she ignored him.
"Haku..." Kamaji called, snapping him from his trance.
"Y...yes?"
"You are looking for the ancient stones of power, they all have the same eyes as you."
"Can you help me, Kamaji."
"I will, because of the danger that the Spirit world lies in."
Confused by all this, Chihiro asked," Wait... what is happening?!? What ancient stones of power?"
"The 4 gates between the 2 worlds are positioned in a formation, and are named after the 4 greatest weaknesses or sins of humans and spirits, each named after 1. The 4 artifacts of power are the counteracting emotions of the weaknesses. To find out where they are, I suggest consulting Zeniiba, she has always loved the history of this legend."
"Thank you Kamaji." Haku said simply.
Disbelief crossing her face, Chihiro seemed in a dream as Haku pulled her to the exit of the boiler room.
"Oi, Haku..." Chihiro whispered as she lay on Haku's back.
"Yes Chi?"
"You can handle this on your own, why did you need to call me here?"
"Because, I... I missed you..."
Smiling gently, Chihiro hugged Haku's back more tightly, breathing in his strong dragon scent.