I'm sorry for the long wait but I've got mocks on the 10th... consider me very unlucky! I hate examinations!!! Anyways, I do not own any of the original characters from Spirited Away
Thanxs for the reviews! Every time I get one, it makes me smile, every time I smile, I feel more motivated to begin the next chapter!
Nitengale: Is it a romance between them two? I'm not quite sure actually... I'm introducing someone , maybe in the third chapter that might not make it a romance. If it is, and you don't like it, you can stop reading,
Raven: Thanxs! You're beautiful!
LadyRainStarDragon: Thanxs for the nice review and nice comments! They make me very happy!
CSI-123:Chihiro is dead but she will be in the next chapter! The dead go to a place known as the Hall of the Grey Lady . This will be explained later.
A Different Time
Chapter 2
A Journey to the Dead
Mayu laid on her mattress. Rin hadn't spoken since she found out Chihiro has died. She just went to bed sobbing to herself. Mayu felt upset but didn't say anything. Rin was still a stranger and comforting her would be alien to Mayu.
Mayu turned her back to the spirit and found tears wetting her eyes. Even now, the death was like a fresh wound refusing to stop bleeding. Chihiro has only been dead for a week or so but that isn't enough time to heal the gap in her heart. She closed her eyes, dreading how the dragon will take such a death.
Later, Rin had fallen quite and Mayu was fast asleep. Only Kita was awake, wondering what human would cause so much pain to a strong spirit like Rin.
Mayu woke up with a great yawn the next morning. Rin was crouching over her with a bowl of rice in one hand.
''Mayu, you don't look too well, you're already pale but you look slightly more today.''
Mayu smiled, ''It might just be the after effects of last night. You're right, I'm a bit too pale.''
Rin offered her the bowl, ''You better eat up. You're going to see Haku later. You're need all the luck in the world to tell him it. I thank you for telling me. Maybe time is different. You coming here means our friend will never be forgotten, by the time Haku manages to get to your world, he would be looking for her but wouldn't be able to find her, because she's no longer there.''
Mayu grabbed the bowl and ate up. It was the only way to stop the tears from falling. ''Thank you Rin.'' she said between mouth falls. After she had finished, she pulled a blue t-shirt and black shorts out of her bag. She quickly slipped them on and got up. Rin smiled in support and led her away from the servants quarters and to some lifts. They went to the top floor and it was slightly different to when it used to be when Chihiro went to see Yubaba. There was another corridor to the left, greatly furnished with blue and silver wall drapes and paintings.
''Little one, you're going to have to go ahead on your own. I was given particular orders to leave you alone. I'll see you later, if Haku tries to hurt you, I'll be here. I don't think he would take it very well. Good luck.'' Rin said, stopping outside a wooden double door.
Mayu turned round and embraced the woman, ''Thank you Rin. I'll see you later, I hope.'' she whispered. Rin let go and smiled sadly. She turned round and walked back down the way she came.
Mayu faced the heavy doors and knocked softly. She waited a second and heard a voice, ''Come in.''
Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the doors. They were heavy but she didn't mind. She walked in and remembering her manners bowed.
Haku was sitting at a table, his head on his hands. He was frowning as he thought of how the girls movements were like Chihiro's yet not. This girl had more grace, like a cat while Chihiro had a warm clumsiness that was cute.
Mayu looked round the large room, it was a sky blue colour and well furnished with vases and paintings. Behind the table was a whole wall made of glass, a massive window. There was a huge middle part with a silver veil instead of glass. The veil fluttered lightly, the sunlight catching bits of silver thread whilst the wind rocked it back and fourth. Wind chimes and bells hung all around the room, twinkling softly. The floor was wooden and there was a cosy blue rug in the middle. She noticed a bed at one end. It was fairly large beautifully decorated with silk cushions. Mayu looked back at the window to study the vast grasslands.
''Impressed?'' he asked, making Mayu jump. ''Those windows are so that I can fly out any time I want to. I like the wind against my skin so the cold means nothing to me.''
''I see.'' Mayu answered. She took her eyes of the windows and looked at the young adult at the desk. He was looking at her with interest but she knew that would change. Even though she had only met him yesterday, she knew he was strongly attracted to Chihiro and her death would upset him greatly.
''Take a seat,'' he said and a well crafted armchair appeared opposite him. She thanked him and sat down.
''Not many humans wonder over to this world. There are many entrances but most are hidden and only open during certain times. The one you came through opens during special weeks, such as the week with the summer solstice and winter solstice, may day week, when fairies and spirits are most active and festivals like such. This is because those that can, will travel to the human world at those times and do what they are assigned to do.'' he said to her, as if explaining something she asked.
''I thought you wanted to hear about Chihiro, not give me a lesson.'' Mayu said.
''I'm saying, you have five days before the tunnel closes till the next spirit festival. Which would be in a couple of weeks time, celebrating the first falling leaf.'' he stated calmly.
Mayu shook her head, ''I might go back, if I find I don't like it so much here. Maybe I will like it here. I don't know. At the meantime, I'm not too worried, accept maybe when I do return, It won't be the same as it was when I left.''
Haku sat up straighter, ''What do you mean?'' he said, not meaning it to sound menacing.
''What I'm trying to say,'' Mayu chose her words carefully, ''Is that time doesn't run like a river does between the two worlds.''
The dragon boy's eyes widen slightly, ''tell me, how old is Chihiro? Did she get back safely?'' he said, loosing the cool edge he had earlier.
Mayu shook her head and said softly, ''Do you wish to know in what way I'm related to Chihiro?''
Haku nodded and Mayu's eyes saddened slightly. She said, barely a whisper, ''I'm her granddaughter.''
Haku stood up in a split second and almost growled, ''What?'' he stared right into her eyes, ''How could you be? One, you're too old to be her granddaughter, two, she would never forget her promise.'' The wind chimes seemed to get louder and louder.
Mayu looked at her feet, refusing to make eye contact, ''She never forgot her promise, she kept it close to her heart.''
''Then you must be lying,'' he snarled.
''I'm not!'' Mayu cried, she took out her grandma's diary from her bag and placed it in front of Haku. ''I feel you should read it. I haven't read much and she left it for me but I have this feeling that you would find she never forgot! She couldn't forget! You were a part of her, how could you not be there? Be there when she left us?'' Mayu felt tears threatening to fall. She blinked them away.
''What do you mean by 'left us'?'' he whispered, hand hovering above the diary. By now, the bells and chimes lost their beautiful ring and clashed together, out of tune and note.
''She was 82 when she died last week. She spent her last breath telling me about you. She said she always loved you and can't seem to let you go, even after she married grandpa. That's her life in that diary. You should read it and treasure it because it's much more than words. It's her heart.'' she said through tears.
Haku picked up the diary in shock. He didn't want to believe what he just heard. With a cry, he transformed in white light to a long dragon and swiftly flew away through the window, the bells clashed violently, deafening all before dropping to a silent.
Mayu saw the diary was gone, he must have took it. She placed her head in her arms and cried over the wooden desk. The wind chimes sang softly to them selves with a sad ring.
Haku flew to his river. It was a little away from the bathhouse, right between the two worlds. It was basically a cave that went a little bit underground. He walked down a short flight of steps, staggering a bit from the shock. The temperature dropped quickly and when he reached the bottom of the stairs, a large lake filled the cavern from one end to the other. Glittering emeralds filled the bottom, casting green ghostly lights around the stone walls. There was a hay mattress in one corner and a few green and blue candles littered around the area. He knelt by the lakes edge. One would not see it but as the lake got deeper, near the middle, there would be a slight current. Walk nearer to the far side cave wall and the current would pull a human or spirit under and through a three meter wide tunnel. That was the real beginning to his river.
Haku submerged his hand in the water, feeling himself turning into the water. It was part of him, he can go in dragon, human or water form. But only in his river can he become water. He felt himself calm down and slipped into the water. The water gave him a sense of protection, it was his element. It cleared his senses, giving him a refreshing shake. He pulled himself out of the water and his cloths were automatically dried, as if they were never wet in the first place.
The diary was in the middle of the cave. He walked over to it and picked it up. Making himself comfortable by the hay, he began to read. Page by page, he felt Chihiro grow older and older, as the childish story, so much like an imagination turned into more serious things, such as exams, marriage and first child all the way to grandchildren. He knew she didn't forget, every page was his name, every page a thought about a promise that never came true for her and would never come true for him.
He read on, slowly crying softly. He felt like something was missing, like a large chunk of himself. Even at her dying breath, Chihiro mentioned him. He closed the diary and placed it on the floor.
''Why didn't I try sooner? I could have done something! Anything!'' he yelled at the top of his voice. The only response was the echoing of his voice, an evil mimic that hurt because he knew there was nothing he could have done. Time cannot be turned back. Nor can he do anything about the time shift between the worlds. Chihiro was lost to him and there was nothing he could do to bring her back. In anger, he stood up and walked out of the cave.
Haku's cave was protected, he left some spell by the door that only powerful spirits can break. Not even Yubaba can at full strength.
He quickly transformed in a bright silver light to a dragon. He had grown since Chihiro came to the spirit world. His scales harder to protect him and his two horns much stronger. Not even the paper from Zeniba would do much damage. His legs had grown more muscular and one swipe from those claws would tear open a deer's belly like paper. His teeth are now sharper and more menacing that it could snap skulls with ease, not that he would do that sort of thing.
Haku took off into the sky, his green blue fur streaming in the breeze.
Rin ran up to Haku's room, Mayu had been in there for hours and still hasn't came out. She was beginning to feel worried about the girl. She tried to open the doors but they wouldn't budge. Not even when she placed all her weight against them and pushed.
''Mayu! Haku! Are you in there?'' she screamed at the top of her voice, but there was no answer. She sank to her knees and waited. Her chores were done and all she could do was wait.
Haku flew into his room as quietly as he could. He knew he shouldn't have let the girl on her own as the doors do not open unless he wanted them to. Therefore, no one can get in without his permission and the girl certainly can't get out.
He changed back to human form, feeling calmer than ever before but also sad. He wasn't going to show it though. Pain is best kept hidden, he thought, less someone uses it against you.
He looked around and saw Mayu asleep on top of his desk. It was hours since he had gone, it was no surprise the girl fallen asleep. She couldn't exactly go and ask for a drink and a book to read. He had seen Chihiro pretending to be asleep but not properly. He imagined it would be like this girl, peaceful but a stubborn frowning face. Chihiro had a slight stubborn nature. Her breathing was quite and she didn't snore. For some reason, he found it comforting, just the sound of breathing.
Just as he was thinking about Chihiro, an Arctic tern flew in. He turned round, eyes narrowed. This was no normal bird.
''Kita,'' he stated rather than asked.
The bird transformed in a blue light into the ice spirit. Her ice lips smiled in a sneering way, as her blue hair was tied up in millions of little braids. Her cold eyes observed the sleeping girl and the dragon boy. ''I see you don't forget your employees easily.'' she laughed coldly.
''Two years ago, you came here not as a lost spirit but in simple need for a job. You're hiding from the pollution of the nuclear factories in the north, am I correct?'' he asked.
''Yes, they are still destroying and melting ice. Of course, I'm only in charge of a small part but my sisters suffer also. The ice goddess, Ilana, my mother tries to keep it all together but it just isn't working. One day, we will all disappear.'' she said in disgust.
''I gave you your job and I knew you are a quite powerful spirit. Funny how you don't let it on. Why are you here, bird?'' Haku asked.
Kita laughed cruelly, ''I'm here because I believe I can help. I know how you can see your love, again. But you can only see her once and there is no way she can leave.''
Haku's eyes widened, ''how?'' he asked.
At this point, Mayu woke up and yawned, she looked up to see both spirits staring back at her. ''I hope I'm not eavesdropping on anything. Besides, if this was a private talk, it wasn't wise talking so loudly in front of a sleeping person, was it?'' she said, beginning to wake up properly.
''It is not private. You may be able to see your grandmother one last time, little one.'' Kita said.
Haku looked back at the ice spirit, ''Why are you doing this?''
Kita smiled secretively, ''I got a feeling this visit may do you both some good. It can help to see how Chihiro is doing. But, you, Haku, would see Chihiro as a girl and you, Mayu will see her as a old lady. That is the will of the Grey Lady and you must bring something of hers.'' Kita eyes the purple hair band that Mayu had slipped onto her wrist that morning.
Haku also eyed the band, in a hungry way. ''You mean the Hall of the Grey Lady? I think we should go after dinner. The Lady has her feeding times and I don't think it's best to get messed up in those.''
''The Grey Lady?'' Mayu asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
''I'll tell you later,'' Haku answered.
Kita transformed back to a Arctic Tern and flew towards the balcony. ''I think, one of you guys should let Rin in. She's fallen asleep outside your door from worry.'' with that, the spirit flew out, calling in a haunting lonely way.
Haku waved his hand in an impatient gesture. The doors sprung open and Rin came tumbling in. She quickly stood up and glared at the boy.
''You were in here for hours. Is Mayu alright?'' she asked, her tone softening.
''I'm fine, Rin. Haku flew off and I just kinda dozed off for a while,'' she smiled sheepishly.
Rin sighed with relieve then glared at the girl, ''Well, the least you could of done was to bang on the door or something. That way, I would have done something useful rather than worry!''
''Rin, prepare some food for us and get one of the workers to prepare a food basket.'' Haku sat in his chair, cocked his head slightly then added, ''also, get something warmer for Mayu to wear.''
Both girls looked at Haku strangely, Mayu asked, ''Why? I'm not cold!''
''You will be where we're going.'' Haku folded his arms and a paper and pen appeared in front of him. It started writing in a letter format.
''But, Haku, where will she be going that she'll need warmer clothing? Also, why would you need a food basket? Is there more reason for me to worry?'' Rin asked, placing her hands on her hips and adopting a stern look.
Haku watched the paper and said quietly, ''We'll going to the Grey Lady. You know how long the journey takes and the girl would need some clothing.''
''You can't just drag the poor thing to the Grey Lady! You know things can happen and you're just not strong enough to protect her too! It is dangerous and you're not going to just take the girl there! What? Just to see a dead spirit? I'm sad to know that Chihiro's gone and you know what? You can't bring her back! Just seeing her will hurt you more and it will hurt the girl even more!'' Rin yelled at the top of her voice.
Haku stood up, banging his fists on the table, it shook and the pen fell out of the air, making a big black splodge of ink. His voice was low, snarling and menacing, ''I know I can't bring her back. I know the risks of bringing her there and I know that she would want to talk to Chihiro. I also know that it would hurt to see her again but it will be the last time. I also know, you can't stop me.''
Rin stared him straight in the eye, ''You only knew her for a few days. Yes, you love her, yes those few days meant a lot to her and you. It also meant a lot to me and I don't want to see her own granddaughter get hurt. Neither would she.''
Haku almost growled. Mayu stood up abruptly. ''Is this another private argument? You know what? Shut up and quit talking about me because I can hear, and I can also make my own decisions!''
''You don't know what you're getting into, girl. The spirit world is dangerous and you're young.'' Haku said quickly.
Rin smirked, ''There, you said it yourself! She's young and weak!''
Mayu waved her arms about, ''I am not young, I'm just a bit younger then him and also, I can fight! I took body combat for two years!''
''But you can't use magic, can you?'' Rin smiled, ''Stay here, where you'll safe.''
''I am going to make my own decision. I'm sorry, Rin, and I know you worry but I need to see grandmother. She's the only human who understands. Also, I'm sure I'll be alright. If anything, Haku can just turn dragon and fly away.''
Rin shook her head, ''If you really want to go. But it's not that simple. The Grey Lady isn't so simple. Haku, you better bring her back in one piece!'' Rin stormed out, muttering about reckless teens.
Haku sighed and sat back down. The ruin paper disappeared and another replaced it. The pen started writing again.
''Look, it is dangerous but I promise I'll use all my power to ensure your safety. I'll explain more about the Grey Lady while we journey. It'll pass time. Now, go down and get ready and come back up for some food. I'll be here writing a letter to Yubaba explaining our absence. Not that she cares, she probably hope we die along the way.'' he said.
Mayu nodded and turned to go. As she was by the door, she whispered, ''Thank you for letting me see grandma again.''
Haku looked up from his paper but she had already left. He thought back to when Rin said Mayu couldn't use magic but he was confident there was an unknown power within the girl.
Mayu managed to find her way back to the servants quarters without much problem. She thanked her good memory and sighed. It is weird, she thought, they are only nice to me because of my grandma being Chihiro. I wonder what would happen if I was not related to Chihiro? She pondered on that for quite a while.
''Aren't you leaving yet?'' the ice blue girl said as she breezed in.
''Oh?''
''I see I'm interrupted your thoughts.'' the spirit smirked.
''No. I was just thinking. That's all. Idle daydream,'' Mayu smiled. Kita didn't reply but walked back out of the room towards the windows. They were open, revealing lush green land.
''You know? You humans are destructive. But it's in your nature. Wherever humans go, death follows.'' she laughed bitterly. ''But, it isn't the single human who harms but the army of humans. It is impossible for just one to wreck a whole forest. You'll need a group to do that.''
Mayu looked at the silhouette of Kita, ''You're right. It takes many of us to make a difference.''
''It only takes one spirit to change the lives of many. It is inevitable that I'm slowly dying, it is also inevitable for humans to stop destroying.''
''Kita, I'm sorry that the ice is melting but every one has to die in the end. Just some sooner then others. But when you die, you return to earth.''
Kita turned round and laughed, ''Yes, we all die. That is the circle of life, and other's will be born after us. I do not blame you humans. Nature has it's way in the end. I will like to die in the north, where the last of the polar bears tread the soft snow.''
''Sounds lovely, when I die, I want to die in a field of flowers, in the midday where the birds are singing their songs.'' Mayu smiled. Talking to Kita like this made her Grandma's death seem more natural and less upsetting.
''Thank you, human. It seems less morbid now to look forward. Even those who die alone will be remembered in the earth itself. Take care, the dragon will try his best to protect you but the Grey Lady is death, Take my blessing.'' Kita blew into her hand and a blue orb hung, glittering brightly. She blew once more and the orb flew directly into Mayu's chest.
Mayu gasped as she felt a cold tingling. It wasn't painful but more refreshing. She yelled her thanks to the Arctic Tern who flew out of the window.
Mayu stared after the bird till it faded away into a speck.
''Mayu!'' She heard Rin's rough voice call.
''I'm here!'' she replied.
The girl walked in holding a cloth bag. ''There's biscuits, bread, dried meat, water and some cake inside. I packed extra water, it isn't safe to drink from mysterious springs as some have magical properties.''
''I understand.''
''Also, do not go near mysterious or suspicious people. Don't trust strangers as not all of them are safe. Let me find you a cloak to wear...'' she started rummaging through the wardrobes.
''Ah, this looks fairly new. Yeah, you can wear this one. It's warm as well.'' Rin handed a blue cloak to Mayu. Despite the thin silk and lightness of it, the cloak was really warm when worn. ''It's magical, normal silk wouldn't be as warm.''
''Thanks,'' Mayu said as she folded the cloak into her shoulder bag. She pulled the string tightly and stood up.
Rin was looking at her strangely. ''You look so like her. She's a beautiful child and so are you. You be careful though, I heard Haku wants to leave tonight so you'll get there tomorrow evening. Which would hopefully be pass dinner for the Lady. If anything happens, I'll kill Haku.''
''Don't worry, I'll be fine.'' Mayu smiled as she placed her bag over her shoulder and picked up the cloth bag, she added as an after thought, ''and if not, you can kill Haku.''
They both burst out laughing then Rin, wiping her eyes gave Mayu a slight nudge towards the door, ''Off you go now. See you in a few days time. Haku's upstairs with some food.''
Mayu walked out, confident she'll be seeing Rin again.
Haku had sent the letter to Yubaba's room, but he had sneakily placed a spell on it so she won't see it till he's left. He had also tried to mask the scent of magic.
Next, he used a method of magic that was slightly advance, Yubaba can do it and Kita just about. It was a magic that was used to transport non living things from one place to another so they looked like they appeared out of thin air. Of course, the thing has to exist at first and it is near impossible if you were a mile away from the object.
He knew Rin would have taken his orders down. He used his mind to lightly feel about the kitchen. He found what he was looking for, in one corner was some plates full of food with a card with his name on. He ordered the dishes to come upstairs. Then the dishes were on his table. He then called some cutlery up.
Haku placed a spell on the food to keep their heat while he sat there thinking. His mind played games with the cutlery, allowing the chopsticks to dance playfully across the table. He sighed, the wind chimes sighing with him. They were his companions in a way, they mirrored his feelings and amplified them. If he was angry, they would sound it too.
Haku leant back on his chair and thought. All those years and he would finally see Chihiro. Even if it is for a short amount of time, it was worth it. There is no physical Chihiro but there's still her soul. He felt under his shirt and the bag was still there. The soul catcher bag. He may be able to take Chihiro back to the bathhouse and maybe, if he was strong enough, make her a physical body.
I think Chihiro would want that, she could live here, I'm sure she'll like it, he thought.
There was a small knock at the door and the doors opened. Mayu walked in, she had a shoulder bag and a cloth bag.
''I take it that the cloth bag is the food?'' Haku inquired, She nodded in reply. ''Good. Sit down and have some food.'' he poured some wine into two glasses, ''It's not very strong but a speciality of this Bathhouse. It is made from some snow white berries in the north called Isaberry, named after the Ice Rune.''
''Can I ask you something?'' Mayu said, sitting down on the chair. She took a sip of the wine. It was light and pleasant, reminding her of cherries.
''Go on,'' he replied, head cocked to one side.
''Do you need to eat? Do spirits need to eat? It's an awkward question but I was curious...''
Haku took a sip from his glass, ''All living things need to eat. We can survive longer than humans without food. 1 month for an average spirit. Even then, that spirit, starved for a month will only need a small portion of food to allow him another month of life.''
''Oh, I see. But do you enjoy eating?''
''Food has many flavours. Who wouldn't like to taste different things?''
Mayu picked up her pair of chopsticks and her bowl of rice. They ate in silence for some time, Mayu trying to remember her manners. There was four plates. One had some vegetables on in a oyster sauce. There was a chicken dish, a steamed fish and another with aubergines stuffed with mince prawn. She was familiar with these foods, and ate them, savouring every bite. Her mother preferred take outs rather then cooking in and she only ever got to eat food like this if she was round a relative or dads.
They both put down their chopsticks at the same time. Not all of the food was eaten, Mayu found she wasn't that hungry.
''Right, we better get going if we're to get there tomorrow.'' Haku stated as he got up. ''I don't have anything to bring, except this.'' he walked over to a large wardrobe and opened the doors. Lot's of weapons gleamed at the two of them. He reached in and took out a Katana. The hilt was the head of a dragon and a silver dull colour. He unsheathed it and instead of the dull hilt colour, it was blindingly silver.
''Wow, it's beautiful,'' Mayu said as she looked at the blade. The metal had a wavy line going right through it, done by the different temperatures and reactants during the forging.
''Kamaji helped me make it a year and a half ago. It's the White Dragon Katana, white because it's so blinding, I have an advantage to my enemies. It's specially designed for my body structure.'' he passed the weapon to Mayu who almost dropped it.
''It's quite heavy,'' she said as she struggled to keep it up.
''Not really,.it's already quite light,'' he smirked, obviously drawing attention to her lack of arm muscles.
Mayu glared, ''yeah? Well, you did practice with it and all! I've never held a sword before.''
''Good point. But your enemy wouldn't care if you know how to use a katana or not. I'll give you a dagger for the time being. Just in case I can't keep an eye on you.'' he passed her a small 8 inch dagger. It wasn't as bright as his katana but sharp. ''I suppose we can get you trained when you come back. Kita's pretty good at fighting.''
''I would like that,'' Mayu said, smiling.
''The doorway between the two worlds will close in three days time. If we're good on time, we should get back before midnight on the closing day, which means you'll be able to go home after saying goodbye to Chihiro.''
Mayu frowned, ''I wasn't thinking of going home so soon. Besides, what will I do if I get back and find that my home isn't there?''
He didn't answer her. Instead, he walked to the windows and changed the subject, ''We better get going. I'll turn dragon and you can ride on my back. It'll be cold so put your cloak on. I plan to fly right through the night.''
She took the blue cloak out and put it on. It was warm against her skin. She watched in amazement, for the second time, his transformation. I'll never get use to this, she thought. The dragon beckoned her to come over. She went right up to the dragon but was rather confuse on how she would get on him and where she should sit.
He solved her problems by folding his arms and legs underneath himself, like a cat. He then projected an image of how Chihiro sat into Mayu's mind. Mayu got the idea and climbed on.
Haku then effortlessly streamed out of the room.
Mayu soon realised why a cloak was needed, her limbs were slightly cold. Scales did not offer a lot of body warmth.
''I'll tell you about the Grey Lady,'' she heard a voice in her head. It was a few seconds when she realised that it was Haku. She mentally kicked herself for not knowing. ''She is what you humans call death. In a building in a waste land. The building is mainly a long hallway, she sits on the throne. Two secretaries by the entrance allow souls and spirits who are dead in.'' he stopped to take a breath.
''The spirits are given directions according to what they were. However, they must first go before the Grey Lady. She decides if they should be reincarnated, sent back into earth to nourish others or to eternal suffering. Some, whom she thinks fit into neither these categories are for her to decide what to do with.''
Mayu digested this info, ''So what about her feeding times?''
''She feeds on some of the eternal sufferers. She also feeds on some of the living spirits and humans who may wonder into her Hall. However, there are times when she doesn't feed.'' he answered.
''Like tomorrow when we arrive?''
''Yes''
Mayu didn't notice how long had passed. They did not say anything afterwards, she sat there looking at the scenery. There were woods, lakes and farms. There was the occasional town or a big manor whom maybe a rich spirit owned. She remembered looking back at one time to see a great big city, in the distance, the lights still noticeably.
The wind left her alone after a while, she guessed the cloak was doing it's job.
After a while, Mayu didn't realise herself slipping into a sleep...
It was dark, she couldn't see anything. She couldn't even remember where she last was, the dark surrounded her, like some cloth wanting to suffocate her.
A noise, it was soft and gentle but also had a slight sharp edge to it. It was in Minor, something she learnt in her piano lessons. She was reminded of one time when her dad played a sad tune about winter smothering summer with it's giant snowflakes.
She walked towards the sound, not knowing why, not seeing anything.
''Tokada Miranaki Mayuko'' she twitched, not expecting a voice. Mayu tried to see who had spoken but the darkness did not let her.
''Don't worry... I'm not here to hurt you, in fact, I've known you for quite some time but whether you'll recognise a certain black cat or not...'' The voice was smooth like honey but not quite as sweet. Tempting but not sweet.
''Who are you? What black cat? Who is Miranaki?'' then unbidden, memories surfaced.
8 years ago, a girl had found a cat in her back yard. It was black and quite large, not as big as a panther but almost. She had saw it in the trees, the cool amber eyes looking back at her. The girl, innocent and not knowing that creatures that are abnormally large can injure, walked up to it. The beast, taken back that a girl would approach him, sat still as the little child stroked his forehead.
''Mayu!'' the voice of a girl's mother, calling frantically.
Footsteps as the parent ran out into the garden, as many mothers will do, seeing their child playing with cats as big as that, ran over to her girl. The woman whispered some frantic words and the cat's fur bristled, it hissed and disappeared into the trees, growling.
The girl not understanding, cried about her toy going away. The mother sighed with relief and took her child back in.
Mayu shook her head, she didn't know what this person was talking about. She didn't know who Miranaki was. She found she couldn't even remember what her mother had said to the cat. The words ''Shoo! Go away!'' came to her mind but somehow they didn't fit...
''I'll see you later... Miranaki''
Mayu woke with a start, she surprised herself so much, she almost fell off the dragon's back.
''I'm sorry, I must have dozed off,'' she apologised, for some reason, the dream she had was troubling...
''We're almost there,'' Haku's voiced echoed in her head. She dismissed the dream as the first ray of the sun was coming up. A dark forbidding building stood in the distance. For some reason, the sun's rays didn't touch it.
Please review! Constructive criticism is good as long as it's not rude
If there's any errors, please tell me!
Thanx for reading, Mimi xxx