Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away, but I do own Sora, Keiko, Ryo Tanaka, Ms. Kiyotaka, the Shadow Demons, and the plot. Do not use them without my permission. This disclaimer applies to all the chapters I write for this story.

AN: Well, I'm back and got right back to work! Well, not TLP, but a new story I just got up a month ago. I'm co-authoring with the great Y Sunshine, instead of x blue belle x because Rachel just doesn't feel up to it. Put your hands together for Y!!! –claps- Please go check it out, it's got great potential. It's on my account, and it's called Träumerei. Have fun reading it! I would absolutely love to answer any questions, so please send in any questions you've got. Responses will be at the end of the chapter.

.: .The Lost Princess.: .

CHAPTER ELEVEN--'HER TRUE COLORS'

by: Cecile Li

Recap.

Heading up the regal oak stairs, Chihiro called back her thanks. Pausing outside Keiko's mahogany door, she decided to surprise Keiko. Pushing open the heavy door, she leaped in, yelling SURPRISE!

But the one who ended up surprised was her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blood was everywhere.

All over her neat blue blouse with the pretty snowflake on it, blotching the beautiful material beyond repair. All over her dark jeans, melting into the gloom. All over that pale wrist, running down her arm like rivers of blood, reaching its ocean, pooling in Keiko's lap.

Looking at her wrist passively, Keiko smiled a bit, drawing little pictures on her ashen arm, frowning as they were washed away by new bouts of blood. Aware of new movements in the room, Keiko tilted her head confusedly. As Keiko turned to look at her with those cold eyes, Chihiro screamed, her eyes widening, staring, fixated at the spurting wrist.

"KEIKO!!! KEIKO!!!" Chihiro screamed again and again.

Keiko smiled at her, her eyes odd with a surprisingly calm light, waving her hand at Chihiro. "Hi, Chihiro!" The razor in her hand, splattered with bright red blood, slipped from her hand. "Oops." She giggled, bending down to get it. As Chihiro came forward, she narrowed her eyes, "No! Don't come near me!" Eyes turning glassy, she staggered toward Chihiro, her mouth in a perfect O.

And then she collapsed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.- Hours later....

What was this? This feeling....almost like helplessness. This huge heavy feeling...like she was stuck in a cloud, evaporating fast, but not able to get out.

It was so hazy, she couldn't move. She was lost in a dream.

Oh, her head hurt. Was this Heaven? Or Hell?

Just that phrase brought back the memories.

—Flashback—

Oh, the blood was so pretty, such a rich shade of red. It could be paint, used in magnificent paintings. It would be a masterpiece.

"KEIKO!!! KEIKO!!!" Someone who was screaming, rather persistently.

She frowned. Who would be bothering her at this time? For a split moment, Keiko felt proud. She had cut exactly where she wanted to, the vein about an inch under her palm, the two connecting veins that spelled the letter H.

It was Chihiro, Keiko was sure of it. Oh well, she was dying anyway. Might as well be nice to her. Turning around, she felt her eyes go blank. "Hi, Chihiro! Oops." Damn it. That knife was always slipping. It might have been all that blood coating her hand. She giggled. Of course it was. Then that bitch came toward her. Oh, Chihiro was so concerned. Of course she was, she was perfect. Everyone loved her. Everyone, including Ryo. "No! Don't come near me!" I won't let them be together. I won't let them!!

As she fell into the abyss of darkness, she thought one last thought. What did that H stand for? Heaven or Hell?

—End Flashback—

Keiko opened her eyes slowly. Whiteness flooded her sight. Stuffy, confining whiteness, the whiteness of hospitals. She saw huge square windows, curtains drawn, light flooding in. She felt a tap on her wrist and the hardness of the hospital cot. And sitting together in the very center....

Keiko looked away.

"....I'm worried about her, Ryo."

"Don't worry, Chihiro. She'll be alright."

"But why did she cut her wrist?"

"I don't know, Chihiro. Maybe she was depressed."

"No it can't be that." Keiko heard her get up. "I'm going to get a coke. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks. I'll stay and watch Keiko."

Keiko didn't want to talk to any of them, so she closed her eyes and feigned unconsciousness. Oh, she was so angry! At what, she didn't know. Ryo, Chihiro, life. Hearing an unexpected noise, she stopped herself from jumping.

Ryo was laughing to himself. Not like that-was-really-funny, but I-am-your- evil-dictator-bow-down-to-me laugh. "You see, Ryo? This is how much poison and evil I can afflict on your life." He spoke so softly, Keiko had to strain to hear the words. What on earth was he talking about? And why was he referring to himself in the third person? "Stop fighting and I'll stop hurting her."

Suddenly, the door swept open and a very pissed Ms. Sora Kizuka walked in. "Ryo?" She smiled abruptly, all traces of anger gone from her beautiful innocent face. "You can go join Chihiro now, I'll stay and watch my prize pupil." She smiled even wider as she noticed Ryo didn't move a bit. "Go on, now."

Backing out, Ryo stared at her intently, not saying a word. Keiko still closed her eyes, pretending to be unconscious still. She heard Ms. Kizuka's harsh breathing, irregular and uneven. She walked swiftly across the room, standing over Keiko. Ms. Kizuka's breathing quickened, almost as if she was panting.

Hyperventilating, Keiko diagnosed, stifling the urge to wrinkle her nose. But what for? I'm her 'prize pupil' as she says. I only attended one class!

"Kanna." Ms. Kizuka said, her voice full of contempt and loathing, "Kanna, can you remember me?" Ms. Kizuka smiled hatefully, "It's Sora Kasama, you foolish girl." Reaching out a hand, she brushed Keiko's hair out of her face. "You should have stayed dead, you bitch. But of course, PRINCESS Shiroi Kanna, the white princess, won. Again."

Smiling triumphantly and laughing maniacally, her dark hair falling out of her clip, she looked psychotic. And maybe she was.

Keiko was more frightened than she had ever been. What was Ms. Kizuka, no, Sora Kasama saying? Something about a princess and her dying. What—

And then Keiko felt someone fiddle with a wrist. As she snapped open her eyes, her tap was pulled out. Sora saw those striking blue eyes stare up at her and her mouth opening into a scream, but Sora grabbed her neck and squeezed.

No...no no no no no....

—Flashback—

She slipped through the dense forest, not caring whether the sharp branches she herself so carefully eluded, scratched the infant in her arms. Reaching the river at last, she dangled the wailing baby over the river's edge. Sora frowned in concentration, trying to remember the sign she had seen about 5 minutes ago. What was the river's name? Kokuno...no...Kohano....no...it was Kohaku River wasn't it? Tilting her head back, she laughed ironically. Kohaku River. It was the same name as her fiancé. Well, let Kanna die in the river with the same name as her beloved prince. They looked so happy together. Kanna and her prince were so in love with each other. Every time Sora saw them, her heart burned with spiritless jealousy. Maybe...maybe she was wrong the whole time. Maybe...maybe they deserved each other, those two wholesome spirits. Maybe... No. There were no maybes, only an infant in her hands, awaiting death. Sora dropped her then, dropped her into the icy chasm of hell. And then those weeping round blue irises stared up at her, begging her to stop. And she never listened.

—End Flashback—

Blue eyes? Blue?

They weren't blue...they were-

Sora felt the shock enter her body and her arms went limp as she fell into a faint.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chihiro walked to the soda machine, pushing in 5 coins and pressing Pepsi. As the can rolled out, Ryo came up behind her. Bending down to get the can, Ryo tapped her lightly on her back. Chihiro screamed, jumping up, holding the measly can of Pepsi in front of her as a defense. She lowered the can when she saw it was Ryo. Her frown deepened as she cracked open the can of pop. "What do you want, Ryo?"

Ryo was obviously pissed off, but he smiled tightly at his fiancée. "Let's get going Chihiro. I'll take you home."

Chihiro sniffed indignantly. "You may not care about Keiko but I do!" Forgetting she was holding a can of carbonated Pepsi, she pointed a finger accusingly in Ryo's face. "You've never cared about Keiko's feelings! You always ignored her, you jerk!"

A strange look entered Ryo's confused face. For a second, Chihiro could have sworn she saw a helpless look begging her with Ryo's green eyes. But that second passed quickly and Ryo's face was filled with compassion.

Chihiro involuntarily took a step back, backing into the soda machine, emitting squeaks and squawks. "Ryo? What just happened?"

"Come now, Chihiro, you know you didn't mean that. I care just as much about Keiko as you." His voice was earnest, looking grave.

Chihiro was again filled with rage as splashed her Pepsi into Ryo's bewildered face, shrieking, "You fucking bastard!" Throwing the now empty can at Ryo's Pepsi covered head, she stomped back to Keiko's room, only to find a Sora slumped over a very red and unconscious Keiko.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chihiro shivered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I don't know." She whispered fearfully, her face traumatic. Her eyes were strangely out of focus, and she trembled. "I just found them together."

The doctor pursed his lips impatiently. "We're getting nowhere, Ms. Ogino. Are you aware that although Ms. Kizuka (whom we have no hospital records for), just fainted, Ms. Keiko Dobashi has suffered," He looked one more time at his blank clipboard (just used for show), "a severe lack of oxygen. We still don't know what damages to her brain there are, but we need to know, for police purposes of course," He faked a phony smile,, "who did this to Ms. Dobashi. Her mother is very worried." He glanced at the unmarked paper once again, raising his eyebrows, "I understand that Ms Keiko was...adopted?"

Chihiro's lips trembled as she tried to speak. "Adopted? I-I never knew that!" Growing more angry, she grabbed the doctor's clipboard, pulling it toward her. "What's that you got that tells you all that?!" Gaping disgustedly at the clipboard and at the stuttering doctor, she yelled, "It's blank, you--!!!"

"S-security!!! Security!!" The doctor finally stammered out. "Security!"

Chihiro flung the clipboard at the balding doctor, and stormed out the room, filled with rage. Calm down, Chihiro, she told herself, breathing deeply, Being angry won't help Keiko or Sora. You have to find out what happened. She stood still for awhile, and then headed toward Sora's room. Pushing the door open gently, she quietly walked in.

"Sora?" The dragon woman lay on the stark white hospital cot, eyes staring up at the equally white ceiling. "Sora?" Chihiro walked over to Sora, reaching out a hand to touch her.

Sora's head turned then, her heavenly blue eyes bulging out. Her long fingernails captured Chihiro's slender wrist, grasping it tightly. Chihiro watched in horror as Sora's angelic eyes slowly turned red, fiery red, her grip on Chihiro's wrist steadily increasing.

"Sora?!?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: So....lots of surprises, huh? How'd you like it?

I really cannot put anymore in this chapter, I have to leave the library at Northwestern in 1 minute, so I hope you like it!

I would absolutely love to answer any questions, so please send in any questions you've got. If you're bored while I'm gone at camp (again....-groan-), go read Träumerei, on my account. Its got great potential (like I said) and it's currently my favorite story, although it might lose its place to TLP.

And the best review goes to.....

YSUNSHINE!!! -coughs- yeah, I really want to describe the beautiful blood and guts of harikari! And people cutting wrists give you nightmares! It was you who made the idea of cutting wrists in the outline! I really got to work on subtle and detail, but I think I improved A LOT since Chapter 1. Hey! I was brain-dead when I wrote the chapter with the Shadow Demons in it! Nothing could come to my mind so I had to pick a name and upload the chapter! Japanese names??? –sweatdrops- That's a secret involved with the wonderful search engine Google! Oops, I gave it away didn't I? I just love the name Koji and Ryo so I named people in my precious TLP it. Really, I love my baby TLP. WAH IT'S GOING TO GROW UP!!!! –sniff- Hmm...I think this is long enough as it is. Keep on writing Y!

Thanks to:

Yana5 (glad you liked this chapter!), athena (believe me, I wish Chihiro was TLP too! Maybe you'll get some hints in this chapter?....), Erkith (I'm guessing brown. It is brown isn't it? Uh-oh. I'm in trouble!), Fire Kitsune Goddess (What? I'm hoping that it didn't mean you're confused!! –crosses fingers-), Lady Zymergy (Yay! Thanks. I won't make Keiko die...at least not suddenly. I hope. –cackles evilly. You all don't hate Keiko do you? I'll update as soon as possible! I just adore this little ficcy.), Ukchana (I certainly hope you guys are guessing the right ones! Yes, that's a bit too lucky, I guess. I hope they get together in the end. Even I don't know the end yet, but don't worry, my crazy mind will make up the end eventually and I hope it's satisfactory!). Kuroi Kitty (ha, of course I will! I could never abandon TLP now.), heebiejeebie (I love the name! I'll update ASAP, possibly in a week!), moezy-chan (Yay, she is! I'll have her back in the Spirit World next chapter or the next chapter after the next chapter.), Pika 569 ( I'll write as fast as I can! I hope I can get the next chapter up in a week.), Velf (Yes, it's so confusing! That's probably the reason why I'm doing a reconstruction after I finish writing the story. Interesting name, by the way!), and last of all Y Sunshine (but you already got your response didn't you?! –blows raspberry-).

I love you guys so much! You don't know how it makes my day when I check my email and I see reviews in my inbox!

Much Love from: Cecile