Royal Task

By:~jaded image~

AN: I meant to update this 2 weeks ago…but for some unknown reason I haven't. *coughs* Anyway, I bring to you the second chapter, I hope it's better than the first - -;….

I'd like to thank these people for reviewing my oh so very badly written fic:

Lynnie6- I'm glad you liked the first chapter, hope you enjoy this chappie!

^_^- Always nice to be greeted with a smile. *smiles unnaturally big* I'm glad you liked the beginning, and what does she have to prove? Weeell, I can't quite tell you….

Fire Kitsune Goddess- Heehee, no they're not very observant are they? Well, thanks for reviewing my fic anyway, despite the lack of sanity in Chihiro's parents. ^_^

Mystic Ice- I'm glad you find this remotely interesting. It was fun talking to you online, I hope to talk to you some other time!

Ok, ONWARD EVERYBODY!

~*^*~*^*~*^*~*^*~*^*~*^*~*^*~*^*~

Chihiro woke with a start. Ugh, I just had to worst dream ever, she thought. It was so weird…stupid task…like they don't think I'm worth the throne…thank goodness it's all a dream…

But as she sat up in her large four poster bed, she saw the bundle of clothes and money sitting neatly on top of her dresser. Her pale face twisted into a frown/pout.

With a sigh and a few minutes of spouting curses, she slowly got out of bed and got dressed in a plain white shirt and dirt brown trousers.

Putting her hair in the usual ponytail, she picked up the bundle and proceeded to the kitchens where she grabbed two slices of toast. If she was going to risk her life doing god-knows-what, she might as well do it on a full stomach. She then headed toward the Main Gate (AN: Another name I ever so cleverly thought up) where she knew her family and most of the kingdom were going to see her off.

The princess shivered as she stepped out into the cold morning air, taking a deep breath she smelled rain and looked out into the vast courtyard.

The lush green grass was sleek and wet. Finally reaching the royal couple, she hugged both her parents and Kasumi. Then waving to the enormous crowd of people she didn't know, she started to climb into the carriage.

Halfway up she tripped and stubbed her toe, causing her to hiss and curse out loud. Climbing all the way in, she leaned out to have one last word with her parents.

Her father beamed at her, his mouth stretched to the limit in the widest smile she'd ever seen.

"I'm so proud of you pumpkin. I know you'll do great."

Chihiro gave a weak smile that was quite pathetic compared to the king's.

"Be careful, Chihiro. Oh, and try to stay out of trouble. And don't talk to strangers. If you see anybody that's…odd looking, walk away. Better yet, just run away. But if that stranger starts to chase you, it's ok to defend yourself. Nobody will blame you for killing somebody in self defense!"

Chihiro's eyes widened. Just what did they expect her to do on this trip?

King Akio finally interrupted for the sake of everybody else's sanity. "Now honey, you know Chihiro will do just fine. You just have fun pumpkin."

Chihiro nodded vigorously, eager to leave. The queen gave a dramatic sigh and tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, I wish there was a way for us to take a picture of this. (AN: Ah yes, it's called a camera…) It's so exciting, exhilarating, such a new experience!"

The burly king waved toward the driver, signaling him to go as his wife continued her excited rant. "Have a nice trip, sweetie!"

Chihiro rolled her eyes. They're acting like they're sending me on vacation…not a suicide mission.

The next half-hour turned out to be unbearably boring as the carriage traveled out of the Ogino Kingdom. The young girl/woman stared unseeingly at the scenery they passed.

While contemplating her 'task', the smooth paved road turned to dirt and the meadows into dense trees. The road became bumpy and the carriage was rolling unsteadily onward.

Suddenly, one of the wheels hit a particularly large rock and Chihiro was tossed ungracefully from her seat to land on her head.

"Oww…" she moaned and rubbed the offended area.

Just where in the world was she? The brunette stuck her head out the window just as the carriage hit another bump. Her head crashed into the window frame and a jarring pain jabbed through her head.

"Dammit! Ugh…I'm sure I lost what brain cells I had left in that hit." She mumbled. Today just wasn't her day.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable riding, the carriage halted in the middle of a clearing. The driver jumped off and opened her door.

"Milady…"

"Thanks."

"My pleasure." And with that he climbed back to his seat and turned the carriage around.

"Good luck, Princess Chihiro," and then he was gone.

As the coach disappeared into the trees, Chihiro sighed and thought over what happened so far.

Ok, so I turned 15 yesterday and then get kicked out this morning, having been told to complete some very heroic task I have no clue whatsoever about. I stub my toe climbing into the carriage and now it's the size of a small potato. I get banged twice in the head, thus dropping my intelligence level to that of a pig. Chihiro grimaced.

And now I'm left in the middle of a forest in who knows where. Oh yeah this is great. Maybe next I can lose all my stuff, get knocked out, and have a concussion! She smiled inwardly. She probably broke the record for the unluckiest day of all.

Giving herself a shake, she shouldered her bundle. Well, she might as well start this horrid journey. It wasn't like it could get any worse. (AN: Where have we heard THAT before?…)

She started heading in the opposite direction the carriage had gone. She had only walked a few steps when suddenly she felt her footing give way.

A second later, Chihiro found herself sitting in a puddle of mud, her trousers splattered with dark clumps. With a defeated sigh, she pulled herself to her feet and examined her condition.

Her soft leather boots were caked with mud, making her footsteps heavy and awkward. Her already dirt brown pants was splotchy and there was mud clinging to her butt.

Gingerly brushing her sore rear, she silently cursed. Dammit, what am I gonna do now? Just strip myself in the middle of nowhere and change? Shit shit shit shit….

Maybe she was jinxed.

After awhile, Chihiro finally had enough of standing around and continued heading in the direction she had been going in.

~*~*~*~*~2 hours later, still in the middle of nowhere~*~*~*~*~

The tired, dirty, and hungry princess was now walking up a fairly steep hill. Her breathing became ragged since she was use to so much exercise. She was once again cursing herself for packing so much, the bundle made her unbalanced.

She now had a tendency to lean to the left and back at the same time. To anybody watching, she might've resembled a walking tree with a human head.

~*~*~*~*~1/2 hour later…yup, still in the middle of that nowhere~*~*~*~*~

Chihiro sighed for what seemed the hundredth time since she woke up. It didn't seem like she was getting anywhere.

"Maybe I'm walking in place," she mused out loud.

Then when the bedraggled princess thought she might just faint from exhaustion, she reached the top of the hill.

Looking down, Chihiro saw what looked to be a little town with shops on either side and a dry riverbed before it. (AN: Ooh, guess where she is! Guess, GUESS!!)

Ah, civilization. Chihiro smiled with that thought. A happy sigh escaped her lips as she started down the hill.

Slipping on the wet grass in the process, she managed to tumble down the rest of the hill and land in that painful way on her head.

Unnoticed by her was a roughly made sign hammered into the ground with black letters that read, "Yubaba's Territory". On it stood an ugly bird with an old lady's head, watching her every move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I really should stop here. This was longer than the first chapter….BUT just for the heck of it. I'm gonna add a bit more.

Following the main path, Chihiro explored the little town. Oddly enough, it seemed empty. But after walking for a few minutes, she had the distinct feeling of being followed.

Shrugging it off as paranoia, the young woman marched herself into a food stand. Her mouth watered at all the delectable food in front of her.

"Hello?" she called. "Anybody here?"

Chihiro frowned. What kind of place is this? Nobody was here and she was starving.

Maybe I'll just eat and leave the money here.

As she reached for a plate and chopsticks, she once again had that disconcerting feeling of being watched. Reluctantly, her hand left the plates and she backed away from the food booth.

This place was a bit too freaky and she didn't want to risk catching something by eating foreign food.

"Smart move," a sudden voice said behind her.

Turning around, Chihiro gasped and froze in place.

AN: Ok, and this is where it will stop for now. Ooh, so who's this new mysterious person that's shown up? Hmm? Can you guess??? Well actually, it might be sorta obvious….but humor me. ^_^ Anywayz, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to email me with comments and blah and blah. And don't forget…PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Until next time,

~jaded image~