Choices

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or any of its characters.

Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait on the update. I guess I had Inuyasha on the brain because all my other stories including this one were suffering from my writers block except Purrfect (my Inuyasha fic)Happy Reading!

- Na

Chapter 10: This is Not Reality

Chihiro stirred from her slumber as the Spirit World sun shone through the open window, a light-chilling breeze blew through the window and across Chihiro's exposed face. With a moan she rolled over to see the laughing face of Haku.

"Mornin' Chihiro, sleep well?" asked Haku.

"Yes, I did and you?" replied Chihiro with a smile

Haku laughed, "I haven't slept long remember I work at night."

"Well than get back to bed! I'll go get breakfast," said Chihiro sitting up in the bed and moving to leave the encasement of the warm covers.

Haku's hand grabbed Chihiro's; she turned to look at him, "Chihiro you don't know where the kitchen is."

"Well I know that Rin always got my breakfast but, I still know where to go," said Chihiro with a smile, as once more she tried to leave the room.

Haku held her arm tight, "But you don't know Rin, you never left this room!" Chihiro looked surprised, "Well I guess I must have mentioned Rin and you had a dream about her."

"Blood!... Blood!... I'm Hungry!" Yelled a menacing scratchy voice, one of a starving man. You could say he was starving to death, without being able to die, because he wasn't alive either. A chant for blood rose through the air from the thousands of bloodthirsty creatures.

The sound of an electric shock was mixed with the chants, as the Damned ran, walked, jumped, hit, and stabbed into the force field that protected the faint sleeping pulse. Depending, it would take a day to break through at the very most.

The lost souls of that world, that land, stood off in the distance, with one thing they had forgotten oh so many, many years ago, hope. Yes every last one of them hoped Chihiro's force field would hold for another day, another week if need be. For they all knew that a protected living girl such as Chihiro had a knight in shinning armor somewhere. And the smallest shred of hope was left for themselves, with Chihiro and her knight, comes redemption.

Kohaku paced back and forth in front of the stone circular archway that was the entrance to Moongate city. He did not stop to study the area in its ruins yet beauty. He had not stopped to eat the food, which Zeniiba packed for him. He just paced through the city street fingering the smooth stone and waiting for the last rays of the sun to shine no more.

The sun crept at a snails pace in Kohaku's eye that night, and when the rays were seen no more, Kohaku's heart skipped, his breathing became labored. Was this the moment? At this time should he wish? Or was it only his imagination was the sun still high in the sky?

The see-through Zeniiba behind him said, "Make your wish Haku."

"I wish to go to Chihiro Ogino, please," and no sooner had those words that Kohaku had uttered was his body consumed in such a moonish glow, of the pale green, pale yellow, and white. Sounds were oblivious to Kohaku except the sounds of the tide bringing in his own words over and over again to crash on the rocks.

Without warning brimstone filled his nostrils and his eyes went to tears at the horrific smell of half dead, rotting flesh of the Damned continuing their efforts to break the force field.

"More Blood!... Blood!" raised the voices once more.

"Her knight has come," came the far off whispers.

Kohaku rushed, all though it was not to far, to Chihiro's side. He tried to awaken her but was unsuccessful; his placid screams of her name were barely heard over the roar. Kohaku quickly took off his pack from Zeniiba and searched for the bottle of water and a dry, clean cloth. In his frantic rush a few apples were thrown out of Chihiro's weakening force field. The Damned pounced on the fruit, but in their lack of interest shattered them on the rocks of the mountains.

Kohaku wet the cloth to clean off Chihiro's face, in a low whisper he pleaded, "Chihiro please wake up I need you, I love you..."

"I don't believe you told me about Rin, Haku. Did you ever tell me of Bou, Kamajii, how about Kawa no Kami, or Oshira-Sama the Daikon radish god," said Chihiro rather confused.

"No, I believe not, where did you hear such names?" asked Haku.

"I didn't just hear them I can see their faces Kohaku," replied Chihiro looking at Haku with almost pleading eyes.

Haku looked confused, "What did you call me Chihiro?"

"Your real name Kohaku," answered Chihiro confused as well.

"No, my name is Haku, you must be thinking of another."

"No! You told me Kohaku after we saw my parents at the pig pen you had forgotten your name as well as I had, because Yu-Baaba called me Sen. And later when we were flying home from Zeniiba's I remembered your name to be the kawa no Kohaku (A/N: I believe my Japanese grammar to be correct, Kohaku river), than you said your full name was Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi!"

"We have never seen your parents at the pig pen Chihiro, and I have no idea of what you speak. You must be thinking of another. Now come Chihiro sit with me," replied Haku patting the bed next to him.

Chihiro shook her head in shock and fright as she backed herself against the wall. Her body shock slightly and tears fell freely from her eyes, the huge tears she had cried once in the garden while she ate the offered food from Kohaku.

Haku stood worried for Chihiro he slowly made his way to her, "Shh... Chihiro, it's all right I'm here."

"No, No stay away! This is not reality!" yelled Chihiro as she moved to hit him away, her arms went straight through Haku.

It was not Chihiro who was disappearing but Haku and than suddenly her arms were caught in Kohaku's hand. Chihiro sat bolt upright panting, she gazed into the worried eyes of Kohaku as he squeezed the hand he had caught.

"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi?" asked Chihiro looking hopeful.

Kohaku laughed, "Come on Chihiro Ogino you never call me by my full name usually Kohaku or Haku, and I call you Chihiro or Sen."

"Oh it's really you!" cried Chihiro as she threw her arms around Kohaku, "I had a nightmare where I was with you but you were Haku and I never met Rin or Kamajii or anyone! I had held my breath the whole way across the bridge and no one knew I was at Aburaya! I was never Sen, Oh how I do prefer reality to the peace of living with you as my only friend," as a second thought Chihiro added, "No offence. Haku?"

"Yeah," replied Kohaku refusing to let go of Chihiro.

"Where are we? Who are they? And why are they screaming blood?" asked Chihiro rather frightened.

Kohaku smiled, though afterwards he had no clue why, "In the Land of Lost Souls, these people are the Damned; bloodsuckers. But don't worry Chihiro we are safe inside of this force field."

"Uhh... Kohaku, What force field?" asked Chihiro right before she screamed at the approaching walking death.

Kohaku went wide-eyed she was right the force field had broke. With lightning speed faster then any human could go Kohaku was on his feet, still holding Chihiro. Kohaku grabbed the pack and quickly looked for a place to run, with his back to the mountain Kohaku ran dragging Chihiro behind him. The water bottle and cloth lay forgotten and one of the Damned knocked over the water bottle and the cool liquid poured over the ground.

If either Kohaku or Chihiro could have spared a second to look back they would have seen that the water that spilled grew into a river and the discarded apples took to seed. But as fate would have it the light that an hour before had engulfed Kohaku engulfed him and Chihiro removing them from the place. So the two never would have see the smiles that had waited for such a long, long time as the land was balanced out and the lost souls were given a shot for redemption.

Author's Note: Another evilly short chapter am I right? Well it is also a wonderfully perfect chapter, do you not agree?

- Na