Sorry it took longer than usual, I was sorta sick. My head was stuffy and my stomach was shot to hell. Sucks for me, right? .

The Imperfections We Weave

Chapter 9-Echo In The Emptiness

"Sen..."

"It's...Chihiro," I rectified mildly.

Rin took the time to look at me sympathetically. "Chihiro...After you left, Kohaku sort of started to go off his rocker."

The incoherence of shock had worn off, and I suddenly felt my eyes getting steadily wider.

"Then that guy, Karu, showed up. He promised Kohaku that he'd see you again, but..."

She looked down and it seemed for a minute as if she was going to tear up and burst into waterworks, which wasn't exactly normal for her.

"But what!" I asked furiously, fearing the worst.

"It's just like the bath house all over again, except it's not Yubaba this time! Kohaku sold his soul to be with you, Chihiro!" She whispered loudly.

"W-What?" I almost screamed, but was careful not to because Kohaku and Yubaba were in the next room chatting about my accommodations.

"Yeah...Karu told Kohaku that if he had his soul, he could bring you back to the Spirit World. But only if he had the soul."

"The...hole...in Mizuko's basement!" I said, overwhelmed. "It was...Karu...? He's that powerful?"

Rin's eyes lowered to the floor again.

"He's got Yubaba wrapped around his damn pinky finger, and everyone else in the Aburaya cowers in fear when he enters the room," She confirmed.

"It gets wor-" She continued, but hurriedly leaned back when footsteps could be heard. Kohaku peered through a crack in the door to where we were sitting against the marble wall.

"Chihiro, you're to sleep in my room tonight," He stated, sounding and looking embarrassed, then retreated back into Yubaba's office.

"It gets worse," Rin repeated herself, getting up jauntily and brushing herself off. "He murdered a Yuna and threatened Kamajii's life."

I covered my face with my hand, suddenly feeling faint.

"Rin...I'm not feeling so good," I told her after composing myself with much difficulty.

"I'm sure Kohaku's feeling a lot worse," She said.

Scene

It wasn't until I entered the room did it actually hit me that I would be sleeping there.

The walls were decorated with gashes that were scattered variously, and a generously sized patch placed over a supposedly generously sized hole. I didn't want to ponder on it too much; it would bring images to my mind that would keep me from sleeping for nights and nights.

Over in a far corner was a sizable, antique looking closet that Kohaku looked as if he were nearly drowning in. Finally, he pulled out a bed roll from under a pile of clothes. Most of them were women's... Another thought I'd have to come to terms with sooner or later.

He turned on his heel and laid it out practically on top of his. I wasn't about to complain, though.

"Come here, we have to get you out of those clothes-" Kohaku began.

He reached for me and, even if it was involuntary, I dodged his advance.

That must have been a very painful blow to him; I saw his face drop.

"How much did Rin tell you?" He asked, almost out of reflex it seemed.

I wondered how he figured it out so quickly, then realized this must have been something he had to deal with every single day. My eyes lowered; I couldn't stand to see the pain in his once beautiful eyes a second longer.

"All there is to tell, I suppose," I answered obediently.

He reached for me again, slowly this time, as if he were testing whether or not I would turn him away again. I let him grab hold of my upper arm and pull me against his moderately muscular chest.

"You know that I would never hurt you, right?" Kohaku inquired.

I looked up at him. His eyes were like the glassy surface of a placid lake, emotionless and guarded. I knew he would never hurt me, I had always known that.

"I know," I enlightened him.

The feel of his body against mine was nothing short of invigorating as he stroked my side gently, and I relaxed against him easily. I was besot with his oceanic smell. It made my nose tingle as I breathed it in and made my insides squirm as I breathed out.

After what seemed to me like forever, he separated me from him and gave me a playful shove in the direction of the wardrobe closet.

"As I was saying, you should change into something cleaner and dryer," He nagged like a worrisome mother.

I opened the closet doors a tad wider and squealed with delight.

"Oooh, where did you get them?" I yipped excitedly, and Kohaku laughed wholeheartedly at me.

"Leftovers," He explained. "From my last wives."

My thought process stopped, along with my breathing I think.

Then he laughed even harder, and I could breathe again.

I stomped over to him, one of the expensive-looking dresses still in hand, and gave him a firm slap on the arm.

"If I could hurt you, I would Kohaku!"

I jumped on him like a cat and tickled like my life depended on it. The only thing he could do to fight back was buck like an insane cow and grasp at his sides nonstop.

The whole room was filled with gasps for air and careless laughter.

But then he stopped laughing, which caught my attention. As did our position.

He was lying on his back, hands at my hips, and I was straddling his waist.

I felt the slight twitch his long, graceful fingers gave, and, seeing the look on his face, fought the urge to crack up again. It passed soon enough, and I let a lovelorn sigh, bending my body so that I could rest my forehead on his chest. This position wasn't exactly uncomfortable.

"I've missed you," I voiced my thoughts.

"I've missed you, too, Chihiro…" Kohaku echoed, pushing me up and off of him by my hips. "Clothes."

He nodded his head in the direction of the cabinet.

I shuffled over to it, and fumbled through the many outfits. Every single one was either sparkly or poofy or overly-extravagant in some way.

Except one, and it stood out among all the others.

It was a pale mauve in color, the mid-thigh length skirt an amethyst. It looked as if the body and skirt had been sewn together with a deep amber colored thread in the pattern of a root's growth. The material was cotton-like, very stretchy and adaptable (A/N: If you've ever played Haunting Ground, you'll probably know what I'm talking about).

I snatched it out of the closet greedily and shooed Kohaku out of the room.

This was going to be more fun that I originally thought!

Scene

I had awoken hours ago.

Something was out there crying, and sometimes even screaming. I was scared witless, even with Kohaku right beside me. I didn't know how he hadn't woken up. It wasn't just a scream, more like a shriek. It sounded simply horrific.

Finally, I gathered every ounce of bravery I had and stood up unsteadily. The blood rushed to my head, but I recovered quickly and made my way to the outside of the Aburaya, careful not to wake anyone.

As I left the bath house, a thought occurred to me. The smart thing to do would have been wake Kohaku up and force him to come outside with me, or not even go outside at all. But if it was a person…

I looked up groggily. The sky was a violet-crimson color, the sun was just setting and the bath house would soon awaken.

The piercing squawk rang through the heavy air again, sending chill bumps up and down my arms and causing the tiny hairs on my neck to rise.

It was much, much closer.

Now that I thought about it, it didn't sound human at all. I felt dread and regret burning in my stomach. But I had gone too far… I turned around and looked at the bath house longingly.

I had already passed about seven of the buildings, and it was steadily darkening. I turned into a back alley of a building to my right. A sudden cold breeze swept through the alley and against my bare feet, giving me the chills.

It was like a sequence out of a B-rated horror film.

The shriek sounded again, and I could have sworn it was right next to me, somewhere among the rooftops. There was a growl behind me, and I turned around speedily.

What the hell did I get myself into?

My heart skipped a beat; I could see the outline of some creature in the shadows. Bloody and lean, strong and arrogant, dark and mysterious.

My heartbeat increased and my breathing became erratic as the inhuman squeal was replaced by a deep-throated rumble.

I took a step back, slowly. Another. Another. I turned and bolted for the opposite end of the back alley, hearing the monster thudding after me. I emerged on the other side of the restaurant entrances and immediately saw a huge mountain of rocks and dirt lying against a rock wall.

My attention was directed to the Aburaya for only a second, suddenly ablaze with lights. I knew Kohaku would be looking for me, maybe if I could reach the top of the mound…

I sprinted towards the hill, rocks and dusk flying behind me as I climbed for my life, perhaps buying me a few more seconds to reach the top. I was halfway up it when I slipped and slid; at least half of my progress destroyed.

I felt myself becoming sick when a rather large and clammy hand wrapped around my ankle. The thing gave a lustful and perverted howl, and I cursed myself at that moment for picking a dress. Its grip tightened and I was pulled down even farther, knocking my head on a medium sized rock.

I screamed. I screamed as long and loud as I could, and heard it echo through the bitter emptiness.

The only thing I could do other than that was hope that someone would come soon.

...Infinite blackness...

Scene

End of Chapter Nine, hope you guys enjoyed it. And I also hope you review! I was so tempted in that scene where Chihiro landed on top of Haku to put: 'I felt his hands twitch and knew that he was trying to keep things from 'coming up'.' But I didn't… For you guys. 'Cuz I love you. ANYWAYS, do you think Chihiro should go home to her mother and friends, or stay with Kohaku?