Disclaimers Notice: The only thing I own is the way in which I chose to use the characters and setting (oh, and a few of my own creations...)

Authors Beginning Note: Nothing to say as of yet.

Shout it outs!

Aharah Musici-I'm glad to hear it!

Meyojojo-Well, I did need some more Kohaku...

Velf-I'm glad I wrote about the bad guys then(can't have you readers completely forgetting the bad guys, ne?) Hopefully there is more to come as well!

Shitza-Does this qualify as soon enough?

Chapter 25
To be Fevered and Converse with a near dead guy

Chihiro's P.O.V.-

uuuu...why am I moving...I think I'm gonna hurl...my...my head...it hurts...my ears are ringing...

"Kohaku, why am I moving?" I felt it stop and I lay down on my back, my eyes still closed.

"That's better."

"Wake up." Why is he talking so weird...he's never echoed before...I know...he must have just gotten back from a trip...wasn't he sick...it must be that...

"Remind me, where did you go again? You got the flu right?" I felt my tongue slur out.

"I am not the one you seek child. I am of an entirely different identity."

"Kohaku, you're not making sense." I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't.

"Kohaku, why won't my eyes open?" I heard a hitch in breathing.

"I'm going to pour something onto your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just trust me." I nodded. I felt something cool pour onto my eyes.

"Now close, then open them." I did and I looked. I stared at an amazing figure of white. It was a woman, in a human shape, dressed in a white dress with an ivy circlet above her head, but what caught my attention was that her lines were indefinite, there seemed to be three of her all together, that would separate with movement.

"Did you know you're glowing? Imagine that. A glowing spirit in my home. Make yourself comfortable. Now if you wouldn't mind, can you tell me where Kohaku is? I think he has a fever and I must..." I felt a cool hand on my forehead.

"No, not me. Him." But the woman shook her head and looked worried.

"Is something the matter?" She smiled kindly.

"No. I just need you to sleep."

"Sleep? But I'm wide awake." I said and she began to hum. Her tune seemed to beat with the rhythm of my body and made my eyes droop.

"Well, okay. Maybe I am a little tired, but ...I'll just take.... Only...one small... nap."

Katsu's P.O.V.-

I stood in front of the one place I knew I was not allowed. The one place forbidden to explore, either for the reason of such gruesome sights that lay behind it, or just for privacies sake, it was still forbidden to me.

Even though Aikia never mentioned it, I know it's there... I've seen him go in...He may never have told me that I'm not allowed in there...but it reeks of secrecy.... Hmm...to go or not to go...

I felt my tail twitch with curiosity and my ears strain for any sound.

On one hand...if I don't go...then I'll never know what's behind there...and nothing will happen...if I do...I might get in big trouble afterwards...or worse...hmmm...should I go...

What a stupid question.

So without glancing much at the picture, I removed it, leaning it against the wall. I didn't jump when the bricks moved like I did the first time. I almost got caught then.

Ugg...it stinks worse than...who knows what...

The air was clung with blood, anger, sorrow, and malevolence. I almost backed out, not wanting to go in, but a small glow of green light caught my attention. I took out a small dagger made of bone (so if someone were to be trying to watch me, it would make it even harder).

My body was completely taunt with nerves, my tail bristling and my ears imagining sounds that could never be there as I stepped in, swiveling to the closed brick way.

What ever I had thought would have been in here, it wasn't this.

"Well I'll be tum triggered. Look at all these crystals! There's likely more crystals here in one room than there is filth in the streets of Izkan." I said in ah, looking at the many crystals. Some were an eerie purple, and others, not even half, were a green, shooting lights out to somewhere.

My ear twitched and my body buzzed as I jumped, hearing a sound, a small light breath almost in audible.

"They weren't shootin no lights out, they was all goin in." I said, staring at the figure in the middle. A guy in pretty ruff shape, worse'n some of the thugs I've beat up in old alleyways. He was hanging, suspended by chains, hair green and messy, timbering down over his face that was dropped against his chest. His body sagged, and his breath was barely there.

Curious, I walked over and examined him even closer. His wrists were worn through from the rubbing against the chains so much, that you could see bleach white in some places. Blood dripped down his arms and sides. His clothes were torn and soiled.

A second later, a green beam of light went shootin out of him, into another crystal, and his breath stopped.

"Hey, hey you?" I said poking him in the chest when he didn't inhale.

"Are you dead? Hey! I'm talking to you!" I shouted. My voice echoed, shaking my wits and making my heart pound. Then I heard it. He breathed in again, even more slowly and painfully than before.

"Ch...ro..."

Chro...is that even a word...

"ir...chi...ro..." Hey...that sounds like...

"Hey mister, you're that guy, the one that that Chihiro girls after, ain't ya?" I said. His eyes seemed to open, and I think it was better when they were closed.

Sheesh...he's scary...and scary looking...wouldn't want to meet him in the dark...

His head barely moved up, and his hair moved away from his pale greenish face.

"You know, you must be quite something else if she's wilin to fight Aikia and who knows what else out there just to find you." A worried smile seemed to find his mouth, only to have it crack and bleed. A breath of air went out of him as his head rested against his chest again.

"Me, the only one I have like that is Master Aikia. He's a perty good guy, as long as you stay on his good side." I watched him, it seemed his body bristled, and even if it hadn't, I could still smell his anger.

"Look, don't get all angry and puffy on me. Not like I can do nothing 'bout it. As it is that Ahrima witch wants to squish me." I began to circle the guy, carefully calculating him, and seeing if there was any indication as to what he may have looked like before. Nothing much as far as I could come up with.

"I don't really see why Master Aikia and Ahrima are so interested in you. You're just a normal looking spirit to me, and not all that powerful to me. And it can't be because they're after that Chihiro girl neither, cause she's just a human. So I just don't get it." I sat down in front of him, staring at the unmoving form as if he might answer me.

"Stupid. I shouldn't have wasted my time." I got up.

"Power." He whispered and turned back to face him.

"Power, what about it?" His voice cracked on the next words, only to cause him to cough painfully. A trickle of blood ran down his mouth and drops fell to the floor. I shook my head.

"You know what, you should have known better than to get yourself in this mess to begin with. Ee gads!" I stared at him and shook my head.

I may not be no hero or Mr. Nice guy, but I'm sure not one to let some one die for no reason to think of.

"Tell you what. Next time I'll bring you some bread, water, and what ever else I can, only if you promise to tell me why you're here when you can." I listened, and his breath was in a more steady rhythm than before.

"Figures. You offer some big shot chained to the ceiling some'in good and they go all and fall asleep on ya." I said agitated and walked out, careful to replace the painting exactly as it was before, and leave no signs that I was ever there.

After all...don't want to get caught before I learn a thing or two...