Return of Sen: Chapter 6
It was raining.
Actually, that was putting it mildly. Two years ago, it had rained at the bathhouse and the surrounding area had flooded. It had rained hard, yes, and lots, but that was nothing compared to now. The rain came down like the water being dumped into the baths inside. Each bolt of lightning lit the pitch black sky like a ray of daylight, and every clap of thunder shook the earth like a giant earthquake and sounded as if great boulders were being thrown from the roof and were crashing to the ground. It was a very intense storm, but even that was almost putting it mildly.
Which pretty much mirrored Chihiro's mood.
Her mind was in turmoil. Haku wanted her to leave. She didn't know how or why it happened, but Haku wanted her gone.
"That does it, get out!!" he'd screamed. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"
Chihiro stumbled out into the insanely powerful thunderstorm, the rain drenching her within seconds. If Haku wanted her to leave and never come back... she would. There was nothing to stay there for, if the one she loved didn't want her.
She dashed down the steps in the town, the rain making the stones slippery. She nearly fell a few times, but she kept running away from the light, the warmth of the bathhouse... the bitter cold of Haku.
When the river came in sight, she was even more dismayed to find its current moving swiftly, and one edge was miles and miles from the other.
"Fine," she mumbled to herself. "I'll swim it." In the back of her mind, she knew she would never make it, but she shoved that thought aside. So what if her strength gave out halfway? Better to drown here than go back to the human world with nothing to fuel her will to live. She started down the hill.
But it was too muddy. Letting out a cry, she fell forward and slid forward on her stomach, her front getting soaked with brown, slowing and stopping as she reached the river's bank, which was MUCH higher than normal. There she lay, tears finally escaping her, sobbing harder than she ever had before. One thought echoed in her head as she cried.
Haku, why did you have to do this to me?
Back in the bathhouse, Haku stood alone, leaning against the wall, staring at his hands. His rage had disappeared for the most part, and he was starting to rethink his rash decision. Maybe I was too hard on Chihiro, he thought worriedly.
Just then, a cruel laugh broke into his speculations.
"Hah! What a little fool!"
He looked up and saw Yui standing at a window, holding an ice pack to her cheek and smirking. The smoldering embers of his anger suddenly flared up again. He stalked over to her.
"What is so funny, Yui?"
Yui smirked again and pointed out the glass. "Check out that idiot! She's just laying out there in the mud! If she's not careful, she's gonna get hit by lightning! She's such a fool!" Yui let out another fierce giggle. "Serves her right, though, doesn't it?"
His fury returning, Haku growled deep in his throat and shoved the girl against the wall with all his strength. "Don't you DARE laugh about something like that!! It's not funny at all!! How dare you-" Something clicked in his mind. It felt like a getting pummeled by a ton of bricks. His eyes went wide and his wrath increased tenfold. "YOU did this! YOU'RE behind all this!! You really WERE abusing Chihiro, and she was telling the truth!!" That realization hit him hard, too. His voice lowered a notch as he repeated, almost to himself, "She was telling the truth... and I didn't believe her..."
Yui gave a sly grin, even though she was in pain from the force she'd hit the wall with. "So what if I did? It's too late now. Sen's gone. I've accomplished what I wanted; nothing else matters!"
"Why did you do it!?" Haku shouted, eyes blazing once more. Yui didn't reply right away, but Haku continued, "On second thought, I don't care right now! I've got more important things to do than listen to your lies." He let go of her shoulders and started off. After a few steps, he turned and glared at Yui. "But when I get back and Chihiro's safe, I'll find out the truth."
With those as parting words, he went quickly down the stairs, grabbing a large umbrella as he went. His back was to Yui, so he didn't see the small, sad smile cross her lips or the tears start to fall down her face as she closed her eyes.
There she was. Chihiro, laying in the muck by the river, its currents getting closer by the minute. Haku readjusted his grip on the umbrella as lightning crackled overhead. As fast as he could without stumbling, he ran down the hill to her side. Actually, he stopped a few feet from her.
"Chihiro..." he whispered, even though in the rain and thunder, it couldn't be heard. He took a step nearer, then another, and another, till he knelt next to her and touched her shoulder gently. "Chihiro!" he said again, loud enough to be heard this time, which meant he was shouting.
Chihiro jerked her tearstained face out of the mud. She stared at the hand touching her, then up at Haku. She yanked out of his grip and hurled herself away from him.
"Get away from me!!" she shrieked.
"I know you won't want to see me right now, Chihiro, but - CHIHIRO!!"
Her hand slipped in the brown goop. With a scream lost in another crash of thunder, she fell into the raging river.
Haku didn't pause to think. Flinging aside the umbrella, he dove into the river after her. In a flash, he became a dragon, because he could swim faster that way. He caught up to her, swam under her so her thrashing body caught hold of his horns, and surfaced. He flew into the air, then into the town, and he grounded himself in front of the bathhouse. Chihiro rolled off his scaly back and he turned into his human form again.
Haku carefully picked up her head and set it in his lap. She coughed up a bit of water, then gazed up at him, too out of breath to try to get away. The storm seemed to be lessening; the rain had let up enough to speak normally.
"Chihiro... please forgive me," Haku begged. "I know I acted horrible and don't deserve it, but please." He felt tears of his own prick his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Chihiro noticed this but didn't say anything. After a moment, he spoke again. "You fell in another river and I had to save you again. It's kind of odd, huh?"
"No."
"No...?"
"I can't forgive you, Haku, I... I won't."
This chapter's reviewers:
Arienis, Takako san, heebiejeebie, XxXKagomeXxX, Velf, Yamis-girl202, Edward Elric, Yuko Samari, blue fuzzy elf, namida-namida, Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol
It was raining.
Actually, that was putting it mildly. Two years ago, it had rained at the bathhouse and the surrounding area had flooded. It had rained hard, yes, and lots, but that was nothing compared to now. The rain came down like the water being dumped into the baths inside. Each bolt of lightning lit the pitch black sky like a ray of daylight, and every clap of thunder shook the earth like a giant earthquake and sounded as if great boulders were being thrown from the roof and were crashing to the ground. It was a very intense storm, but even that was almost putting it mildly.
Which pretty much mirrored Chihiro's mood.
Her mind was in turmoil. Haku wanted her to leave. She didn't know how or why it happened, but Haku wanted her gone.
"That does it, get out!!" he'd screamed. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"
Chihiro stumbled out into the insanely powerful thunderstorm, the rain drenching her within seconds. If Haku wanted her to leave and never come back... she would. There was nothing to stay there for, if the one she loved didn't want her.
She dashed down the steps in the town, the rain making the stones slippery. She nearly fell a few times, but she kept running away from the light, the warmth of the bathhouse... the bitter cold of Haku.
When the river came in sight, she was even more dismayed to find its current moving swiftly, and one edge was miles and miles from the other.
"Fine," she mumbled to herself. "I'll swim it." In the back of her mind, she knew she would never make it, but she shoved that thought aside. So what if her strength gave out halfway? Better to drown here than go back to the human world with nothing to fuel her will to live. She started down the hill.
But it was too muddy. Letting out a cry, she fell forward and slid forward on her stomach, her front getting soaked with brown, slowing and stopping as she reached the river's bank, which was MUCH higher than normal. There she lay, tears finally escaping her, sobbing harder than she ever had before. One thought echoed in her head as she cried.
Haku, why did you have to do this to me?
Back in the bathhouse, Haku stood alone, leaning against the wall, staring at his hands. His rage had disappeared for the most part, and he was starting to rethink his rash decision. Maybe I was too hard on Chihiro, he thought worriedly.
Just then, a cruel laugh broke into his speculations.
"Hah! What a little fool!"
He looked up and saw Yui standing at a window, holding an ice pack to her cheek and smirking. The smoldering embers of his anger suddenly flared up again. He stalked over to her.
"What is so funny, Yui?"
Yui smirked again and pointed out the glass. "Check out that idiot! She's just laying out there in the mud! If she's not careful, she's gonna get hit by lightning! She's such a fool!" Yui let out another fierce giggle. "Serves her right, though, doesn't it?"
His fury returning, Haku growled deep in his throat and shoved the girl against the wall with all his strength. "Don't you DARE laugh about something like that!! It's not funny at all!! How dare you-" Something clicked in his mind. It felt like a getting pummeled by a ton of bricks. His eyes went wide and his wrath increased tenfold. "YOU did this! YOU'RE behind all this!! You really WERE abusing Chihiro, and she was telling the truth!!" That realization hit him hard, too. His voice lowered a notch as he repeated, almost to himself, "She was telling the truth... and I didn't believe her..."
Yui gave a sly grin, even though she was in pain from the force she'd hit the wall with. "So what if I did? It's too late now. Sen's gone. I've accomplished what I wanted; nothing else matters!"
"Why did you do it!?" Haku shouted, eyes blazing once more. Yui didn't reply right away, but Haku continued, "On second thought, I don't care right now! I've got more important things to do than listen to your lies." He let go of her shoulders and started off. After a few steps, he turned and glared at Yui. "But when I get back and Chihiro's safe, I'll find out the truth."
With those as parting words, he went quickly down the stairs, grabbing a large umbrella as he went. His back was to Yui, so he didn't see the small, sad smile cross her lips or the tears start to fall down her face as she closed her eyes.
There she was. Chihiro, laying in the muck by the river, its currents getting closer by the minute. Haku readjusted his grip on the umbrella as lightning crackled overhead. As fast as he could without stumbling, he ran down the hill to her side. Actually, he stopped a few feet from her.
"Chihiro..." he whispered, even though in the rain and thunder, it couldn't be heard. He took a step nearer, then another, and another, till he knelt next to her and touched her shoulder gently. "Chihiro!" he said again, loud enough to be heard this time, which meant he was shouting.
Chihiro jerked her tearstained face out of the mud. She stared at the hand touching her, then up at Haku. She yanked out of his grip and hurled herself away from him.
"Get away from me!!" she shrieked.
"I know you won't want to see me right now, Chihiro, but - CHIHIRO!!"
Her hand slipped in the brown goop. With a scream lost in another crash of thunder, she fell into the raging river.
Haku didn't pause to think. Flinging aside the umbrella, he dove into the river after her. In a flash, he became a dragon, because he could swim faster that way. He caught up to her, swam under her so her thrashing body caught hold of his horns, and surfaced. He flew into the air, then into the town, and he grounded himself in front of the bathhouse. Chihiro rolled off his scaly back and he turned into his human form again.
Haku carefully picked up her head and set it in his lap. She coughed up a bit of water, then gazed up at him, too out of breath to try to get away. The storm seemed to be lessening; the rain had let up enough to speak normally.
"Chihiro... please forgive me," Haku begged. "I know I acted horrible and don't deserve it, but please." He felt tears of his own prick his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Chihiro noticed this but didn't say anything. After a moment, he spoke again. "You fell in another river and I had to save you again. It's kind of odd, huh?"
"No."
"No...?"
"I can't forgive you, Haku, I... I won't."
This chapter's reviewers:
Arienis, Takako san, heebiejeebie, XxXKagomeXxX, Velf, Yamis-girl202, Edward Elric, Yuko Samari, blue fuzzy elf, namida-namida, Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol