Well, here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters from Spirited Away. The character Toruma, who is introduced in this chapter, belongs to one of my friends. All other characters, as of now, are copywrite me, but you can use any of them, as long as you ask.
Haku awoke the next morning and rolled over, groaning as the light streaming through the window hit him full in the face. It was a beautiful morning, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky for as far as the eye could see. For a moment, he lay there, oblivious to his surroundings, then, all in an instant, the memories of the day before came racing back violently into his mind. He hurled himself up out of the bed, threw on his clothes, and dashed out the door, taking time only to grab one of the maps that he had been pouring over only the night before.
Once outside of his room, he hastened to Nami's, finding him already awake and waiting for him.
"What on earth kept you?" Nami asked, looking at Haku with disdain. "I've been waiting for you for the past half hour!"
Haku glared at him, then suddenly started with realization. "You mean to tell me that you were up? Why didn't you come and get me?" he asked, fury springing up into his eyes.
"I didn't know that you wanted me to. I mean, YOU were the one that was getting married to her and all, so I guess I just kind of figured that at the very least YOU would be someone who would want to get her back. Guess I was wrong. Never mind, lets just not waste any more time around here."
Haku nodded, and they both made their way down to the entrance hall where they found that Yubaba, Zenniba, Jumari, Rin, Kamijji and Chihiro's parents already waiting for them. Beside the well-wishers were two large packs obviously heavy-laden with items and resources that they would need during their journey.
"Yubaba will journey with you as far as Aburaya. We've talked it over, and she's agreed that if by the time you get there it's already getting dark, she will allow you both to spend the night there." Haku and Nami nodded, both shouldering their packs. Chihiro's mother stepped forward and took a pendant off her neck, placing it on Haku's.
"This was given to me by my grandmother, and her grandmother before her, and has been passed down for many generations. I was going to give it to Chihiro as a wedding gift, but I want you to carry it until you can find her." She stepped back, her eyes glistening. "Thank you so much for doing this." Haku nodded, finding himself unable to speak for fear that the already present lump in his throat would grow bigger than it already was. He turned around, and suddenly, in the same place that he had been standing only a moment before was a huge silver dragon. He turned and Nami, who also transformed, jumped up onto his back. They both took one last look at the tower, and then turned and burst out of the door with a rush of wind, Yubaba following in their wake.
"Go, both of you, and do your best to bring back the one whose presence has so effectively brought us together. Do not stop or turn back until you have either accomplished your goal or are dead. Go now, and whatever blessings I can bestow upon you be with you, and may you find protection, even if you should find yourselves at the very end of the world." Jumari turned and walked away back up to her rooms, where she sat and brooded.
"Do you really think they have a chance of succeeding?" asked Chihiro's father.
Zenniba looked at him with concern in her eyes.
"I just don't know."
A/N- All right, here's the deal. In this particular fic, I'm going to say that while he's in his dragon form, Haku is still able to communicate in some way with the spirits around him. I'm never going to specifically say in this fic whether that communication is verbal or mental, but to indicate that it is Haku speaking, I will have a sentence surrounded by single quotation mark.
Ex: 'Don't you see?'
Anyways, that's how it's going to go. Here's to hoping that this will not confuse you too much.
Flying high up in the sky, Haku and Yubaba made a direct course back towards the railroad, flying swiftly in between the mountains and over the dense forest. Although it was not cloudy, there was a strong and steady wind, and it made it rather difficult for them to fly straight. The group remained in silence, each one deep in their own thoughts that confronted their worst fears. What if Chihiro was already dead? What if they were unable to complete the quest? What would Keetra do to Chihiro if they failed? These thoughts and many others raced through their minds as they flew over the sparkling countryside.
After over and hour of flight, they found themselves flying over the tracks of the train far behind them. Racing as fast as though the hounds of hell were at their feet, they made their way down toward Aburaya, the place where the adventures had all begun.
"We should get to the bathhouse before sundown," Yubaba said as she struggled to keep up with the dragon and fox ahead of her.
'I want to make it to the first of the caverns before nightfall,' Haku replied, not changing the pace even for a second. The group once again fell into an eerie silence.
As they flew, Nami began to feel the beginnings of hunger gnawing away at his stomach. Realizing that he hadn't eaten in the past two days, he crawled up to Haku's head.
"Listen, do you think we could stop at the next town and get something to eat?" Haku gave no signs of hearing him, and Nami crawled back down and curled up, trying to ignore the ever-increasing pain in his stomach.
Far off, in a land that could only be reached through trial and tribulation, a dark man called before him his advisors and lackeys.
"Master, it was an absolute stroke of genius, telling Keetra where Haku was. There's no chance that they'll succeed in the quest, and will almost certainly die in the attempt. The plan cannot fail."
"You are a fool, Charon, if you think that the dragon will be so easily gotten rid of." A figure stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, directing his harsh words at the wizened old man next to him. "No, we must not put our hope in the odd chance that he might die on the way." The figure's voice was smooth, and almost silky, while the first voice that had spoken had a far more wheedling and nasally tone to it. In one, dark, shadowy corner of the room, two glowing eyes watched every movement that the two servants were making.
"Master, surely you will not allow this scum of the gutter to address me in this manner." Charon had turned and seemed to be appealing to the eyes that were regarding him with intent. "After all, I am from a powerful family, and he is nothing more than an urchin that you picked up off of the streets."
"Listen, you no good piece of sniveling, simpering filth. I have far more worth to our master than an animal like you."
"Never mind." The eyes blinked once, then the figure stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, and darkly handsome. His long black hair was pulled back into a braid that reached his waist, and his midnight blue robes hung off his wiry frame in folds. He was easily a head taller than any of the others in the room, and all around him was a stifling, dominating presence. "The fact remains that Haku is his father's son, and he is more than capable of completing this quest unharmed." He held up a hand, stifling the sounds of protest coming from the others in the crowded chamber. "Therefore, it is necessary for us to take certain steps to insure that he does, in fact, either die or end up under my control. We will send some of our warriors, under the command of Toruma to follow them, ambushing them at every opportunity. If we lay enough traps, they are sure to eventually fall into one of them. Now go, and see to it that everything is taken care of." The dark man returned to his chair in the corner, and his servants, after bowing low, exited the room and left him to his thoughts.
{Soon, Haku, you will be dead and my victory will be complete.}
The sun was just touching the horizon when Aburaya came into the traveler's sights. By the time they got there, it was almost certain to have disappeared. Haku was forced to admit that there was no longer any chance of them making it to the first of the caverns that he intended to check before darkness had once again claimed the land around them. By now, they were flying over the lake that surrounded the bathhouse.
"Like I said, if you both want to, you are more than welcome to spend the night at the bathhouse," Yubaba said. Haku, although his heart was against it, was forced to admit that they really had no other choice. Yubaba led the way to her rooms, and they landed inside and transformed back into their human forms.
"Haku, you and Nami can spend the night in your old rooms. You can set out first thing in the morning." Haku nodded and picked up Nami in his arms, heading out to find some food.
Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters from Spirited Away. The character Toruma, who is introduced in this chapter, belongs to one of my friends. All other characters, as of now, are copywrite me, but you can use any of them, as long as you ask.
Haku awoke the next morning and rolled over, groaning as the light streaming through the window hit him full in the face. It was a beautiful morning, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky for as far as the eye could see. For a moment, he lay there, oblivious to his surroundings, then, all in an instant, the memories of the day before came racing back violently into his mind. He hurled himself up out of the bed, threw on his clothes, and dashed out the door, taking time only to grab one of the maps that he had been pouring over only the night before.
Once outside of his room, he hastened to Nami's, finding him already awake and waiting for him.
"What on earth kept you?" Nami asked, looking at Haku with disdain. "I've been waiting for you for the past half hour!"
Haku glared at him, then suddenly started with realization. "You mean to tell me that you were up? Why didn't you come and get me?" he asked, fury springing up into his eyes.
"I didn't know that you wanted me to. I mean, YOU were the one that was getting married to her and all, so I guess I just kind of figured that at the very least YOU would be someone who would want to get her back. Guess I was wrong. Never mind, lets just not waste any more time around here."
Haku nodded, and they both made their way down to the entrance hall where they found that Yubaba, Zenniba, Jumari, Rin, Kamijji and Chihiro's parents already waiting for them. Beside the well-wishers were two large packs obviously heavy-laden with items and resources that they would need during their journey.
"Yubaba will journey with you as far as Aburaya. We've talked it over, and she's agreed that if by the time you get there it's already getting dark, she will allow you both to spend the night there." Haku and Nami nodded, both shouldering their packs. Chihiro's mother stepped forward and took a pendant off her neck, placing it on Haku's.
"This was given to me by my grandmother, and her grandmother before her, and has been passed down for many generations. I was going to give it to Chihiro as a wedding gift, but I want you to carry it until you can find her." She stepped back, her eyes glistening. "Thank you so much for doing this." Haku nodded, finding himself unable to speak for fear that the already present lump in his throat would grow bigger than it already was. He turned around, and suddenly, in the same place that he had been standing only a moment before was a huge silver dragon. He turned and Nami, who also transformed, jumped up onto his back. They both took one last look at the tower, and then turned and burst out of the door with a rush of wind, Yubaba following in their wake.
"Go, both of you, and do your best to bring back the one whose presence has so effectively brought us together. Do not stop or turn back until you have either accomplished your goal or are dead. Go now, and whatever blessings I can bestow upon you be with you, and may you find protection, even if you should find yourselves at the very end of the world." Jumari turned and walked away back up to her rooms, where she sat and brooded.
"Do you really think they have a chance of succeeding?" asked Chihiro's father.
Zenniba looked at him with concern in her eyes.
"I just don't know."
A/N- All right, here's the deal. In this particular fic, I'm going to say that while he's in his dragon form, Haku is still able to communicate in some way with the spirits around him. I'm never going to specifically say in this fic whether that communication is verbal or mental, but to indicate that it is Haku speaking, I will have a sentence surrounded by single quotation mark.
Ex: 'Don't you see?'
Anyways, that's how it's going to go. Here's to hoping that this will not confuse you too much.
Flying high up in the sky, Haku and Yubaba made a direct course back towards the railroad, flying swiftly in between the mountains and over the dense forest. Although it was not cloudy, there was a strong and steady wind, and it made it rather difficult for them to fly straight. The group remained in silence, each one deep in their own thoughts that confronted their worst fears. What if Chihiro was already dead? What if they were unable to complete the quest? What would Keetra do to Chihiro if they failed? These thoughts and many others raced through their minds as they flew over the sparkling countryside.
After over and hour of flight, they found themselves flying over the tracks of the train far behind them. Racing as fast as though the hounds of hell were at their feet, they made their way down toward Aburaya, the place where the adventures had all begun.
"We should get to the bathhouse before sundown," Yubaba said as she struggled to keep up with the dragon and fox ahead of her.
'I want to make it to the first of the caverns before nightfall,' Haku replied, not changing the pace even for a second. The group once again fell into an eerie silence.
As they flew, Nami began to feel the beginnings of hunger gnawing away at his stomach. Realizing that he hadn't eaten in the past two days, he crawled up to Haku's head.
"Listen, do you think we could stop at the next town and get something to eat?" Haku gave no signs of hearing him, and Nami crawled back down and curled up, trying to ignore the ever-increasing pain in his stomach.
Far off, in a land that could only be reached through trial and tribulation, a dark man called before him his advisors and lackeys.
"Master, it was an absolute stroke of genius, telling Keetra where Haku was. There's no chance that they'll succeed in the quest, and will almost certainly die in the attempt. The plan cannot fail."
"You are a fool, Charon, if you think that the dragon will be so easily gotten rid of." A figure stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, directing his harsh words at the wizened old man next to him. "No, we must not put our hope in the odd chance that he might die on the way." The figure's voice was smooth, and almost silky, while the first voice that had spoken had a far more wheedling and nasally tone to it. In one, dark, shadowy corner of the room, two glowing eyes watched every movement that the two servants were making.
"Master, surely you will not allow this scum of the gutter to address me in this manner." Charon had turned and seemed to be appealing to the eyes that were regarding him with intent. "After all, I am from a powerful family, and he is nothing more than an urchin that you picked up off of the streets."
"Listen, you no good piece of sniveling, simpering filth. I have far more worth to our master than an animal like you."
"Never mind." The eyes blinked once, then the figure stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, and darkly handsome. His long black hair was pulled back into a braid that reached his waist, and his midnight blue robes hung off his wiry frame in folds. He was easily a head taller than any of the others in the room, and all around him was a stifling, dominating presence. "The fact remains that Haku is his father's son, and he is more than capable of completing this quest unharmed." He held up a hand, stifling the sounds of protest coming from the others in the crowded chamber. "Therefore, it is necessary for us to take certain steps to insure that he does, in fact, either die or end up under my control. We will send some of our warriors, under the command of Toruma to follow them, ambushing them at every opportunity. If we lay enough traps, they are sure to eventually fall into one of them. Now go, and see to it that everything is taken care of." The dark man returned to his chair in the corner, and his servants, after bowing low, exited the room and left him to his thoughts.
{Soon, Haku, you will be dead and my victory will be complete.}
The sun was just touching the horizon when Aburaya came into the traveler's sights. By the time they got there, it was almost certain to have disappeared. Haku was forced to admit that there was no longer any chance of them making it to the first of the caverns that he intended to check before darkness had once again claimed the land around them. By now, they were flying over the lake that surrounded the bathhouse.
"Like I said, if you both want to, you are more than welcome to spend the night at the bathhouse," Yubaba said. Haku, although his heart was against it, was forced to admit that they really had no other choice. Yubaba led the way to her rooms, and they landed inside and transformed back into their human forms.
"Haku, you and Nami can spend the night in your old rooms. You can set out first thing in the morning." Haku nodded and picked up Nami in his arms, heading out to find some food.