FuyuKumori – Thanks for your reviews, haha.
WhiteWolf125 – Thanks for reviewing after reading, please continue to review.
LadyRainStarDragon – Thanks for reviewing, please continue to review, thanks!
Kurenhoharu – Yay, you finally reviewed, thanks! Chihiro and Haku are around… 20 I guess. But now they're arnd 30, cuz its 10 years later. Lol.
Olifantje-emma – Arent cliffhangers good? Haha.
SeaAngel – Thanks for reviewing after reading!
A/N: This chapter is set 10 years after the previous chapter, when Taiki is a little more grown up. Please review after reading.
Chapter 3 : Dream World
"Mother? Wheres father?" 10 year old Nigihayami Taiki asked his mother innocently.
"Your father is…" Chihiro replied, pausing for a while to rephrase her sentence, " Your father is, trying to keep some bad people away from the good people."
"But… Mother, father hasn't been home for 2 days already… I miss him." Taiki sighed as he lay down on his mother's lap, reaching out to hold her right hand for a source of comfort.
"I know Taiki… I know. I miss him too…" Chihiro whispered as she hugged her son tightly, "Your father will be back today, I'm sure of it."
Outside the cottage, rain fell in torrents as Haku walked through the rubble of a recently destroyed village. Destroyed by Nimokushi… Haku seethed as he raised his hands and muttered a spell to see what had happened.
"What have we done to you ?" A spirit gasped as Nimokushi held him high above the ground by the throat.
"Nothing." Nimokushi replied and crushed the spirit's neck before letting him fall to the ground, motionless.
Soon after, Nimokushi proceeded to destroy the village, leaving nothing usable or any of the spirits alive.
"Damn him…" Haku said as he clenched his fist tightly.
Stepping over the ruined gate, Haku transformed into a magnificent white dragon and disappeared into the skies, heading home.
Hearing a knock on the door, Chihiro woke up with a start, memories of 10 years ago when Nimokushi had nearly killed both her and Taiki.
"Welcome home Haku." Chihiro said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hello Chi." Haku replied as he hugged her, "Wheres Taiki?"
"Asleep. Are you tired? Go have a bath and then a good nights sleep." Chihiro said as she walked towards the bath room to fill the bathtub.
"I'll go check on Taiki." Haku said, walking to Taiki's room.
Opening the door, Haku closed it quickly, not allowing any light to fall on Taiki's face and waking him up. Walking silently towards Taiki's side, looking at his son, Haku usually felt that he was looking at a mirror image of him when he was ten and still under Yu-baba's control. Seeing a strand of his hair lying over his face, Haku delicately tucked it behind his ears before kissing him on the forehead.
"Good night Taiki." Haku said as he left the room.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the floor, grinning widely; he floated over to Taiki's side, placing a hand on his forehead and entered his dreams.
Dream World
"Greetings, Nigihayami Taiki. I am the God of Knowledge." He spoke as he drifted down among a myriad of colours.
"Where am I?" Taiki whispered as he stretched his fingers before his face, amazed at how the light particles seemed to part at his very command.
"This is the world of dreams." The God of Knowledge said softly. "This is where your forgotten memories lie – "
"Why are you here? Why am I here?" Taiki replied, cutting the God of Knowledge short.
"I am here because of destiny, your fate has been predestined and it is written that I am to be here at this moment telling you this." The God of Knowledge said with a cryptic smile on his face.
"What destiny? I am merely the son of the Lord of the Spirit World, there is nothing special about me. That's what mother said, we are all the same, even though we appear different." Taiki shouted.
"Interesting, hahaha, Ogino Chihiro has brought you up well, usually a child of a King would be spoilt, but you are an exception." He laughed loudly.
"Whats so funny?" Taiki retorted stubbornly.
"It doesn't matter, nothing matters in a time like this." The God of Knowledge said as he closed his eyes to regain his composure. "Your destiny is not to wait in this cottage and waste your life away, you must go and earn the respect of the 7 gods of the universe, and in turn they will give you power beyond your imagination. With this power, you can – "
"No!" Taiki yelled. "I don't want any power, all I want is to be with my mother and father, and that we can be happy!"
"That is not for you to decide. It is for nobody to decide… now go, I will send a spirit to guide you to meet these 7 gods, how you earn their respect will be your own problem. Goodbye and goodluck Nigihayami Taiki." He said, with a click of his fingers, Taiki fell through the ground and vanished.
Glancing at the spot where Taiki had just stood, he felt a sense of remorse and guilt of breaking up their family. Shaking his head, the God of Knowledge muttered, "This is weird, I have destroyed countless lives and yet now I am feeling guilt over this young child? Unless – "