Chapter Nine: The Two Bracelets
Chihiro woke up the next day sweaty and screaming for Haku. Hikari groaned and tried to fall back asleep, when it was apparent that she wouldn't she opened her eyes and shouted, "Baka Chihiro, you're waking everyone up with that screaming of yours!" Rin looked at Hikari disapprovingly and walked away to make breakfast. Chihiro blushed when she realized what she was doing, and quickly decided that she would help Rin. Her emerald bracelet seemed to radiate a mysterious sapphire light and started to glow. The bracelet felt warm on her skin as if someone had touched it.
Perplexed, she gently stroked the bracelet all of the energy suddenly disappeared. She helped Rin cook breakfast, but her mind was on the bracelet. When she saw Zeniba, she decided to talk to her. "Zeniba, my bracelet started to glow and then I touched it and it stopped glowing." Chihiro told her.
"It started to glow?" Zeniba looked worried. "Then Haku must be in trouble, ether that or he was trying to contact you."
"Yes it started to glow, and what do you mean that he was trying to contact me?" Chihiro asked her friend.
"Chihiro, your bracelet is a special type of bracelet. I made one like it for Haku, only it was the color red. You see I was able to convince him to give me some of his essence to put in your bracelet. Because part of him was in the bracelet, he is connected to you whenever you put it on. The bracelet that I gave him had your blood in it."
"But how did you get my blood? I wasn't bleeding at that time."
"It was complicated you see in order to get your blood I had to injure you in some way that would cause you to bleed. Naturally, I thought about getting a knife or other sharp object and cutting you. Then I realized that you wouldn't trust me after the deed was done, so at night when you were sleeping I quietly went to your house. Keiko went with me; the door was locked to so I used a spell to open it. Then we sneaked up to your room and, using the knife that I brought with me, I cut your right hand and gathered the blood that oozed out. Before we left I healed you so you wouldn't know. I then infused Haku's bracelet with your blood, in that way you were connected to him."
"What does this have to do with the bracelets?"
Zeniba sighed, "Some magical abilities are located in one's essence, or in your case, blood. Since these are part of you since birth, if you infuse these things in an item you will infuse a portion of youself. That way whoever you are giving this particular item to will hold a portion of yourself. If you are in danger or the person that holds the item is in danger, the item has the tendency to glow. If you are in danger it will glow before summoning an element or creating a spell that will protect you in some way. If that person is in danger, it will glow to tell you. It may also teleport you to a particular place if that person is seriously injured or such unless that area is protected by a spell that will not allow a person to enter. If two people have an item that is infused with the other's blood or essence it gives them the ability to communicate with each other, no matter how far the distance or if there is a spell around the area where one of the two stays. It will glow to tell you."
"Then how come I didn't hear Haku's voice or anything?" Chihiro asked Zeniba worried.
"Whenever you touch the item when it starts to glow, it will stop glowing and the other item will flash twice. It alerts the other person that you do not wish to talk with them or do not wish to do whatever the purpose of the glow was. This can be especially helpful if an enemy approaches you." Chihiro looked at her bracelet.
"What do you do if you wish to talk to the other person?"
"Just stroke the item and ether whisper the person's name or think about that person." Chihiro nodded and walked away to help Rin prepare breakfast. Her bracelet started to glow again and she quickly suppressed a grin, and stroked it.
Chihiro watched her bracelet carefully in case it started glowing again. Hikari grumbled as she walked passed her. Rin noticed her foul mood and asked her, "What's wrong Hikari?"
Hikari's bright emerald eyes flashed angrily at Rin, "Leave me alone! It's none of your business what's bothering me!" She angrily walked outside, and slammed the door behind her. Zeniba looked at her and frowned, she could guess what was bothering her.
Rin shook her head and muttered, "She must be worried about her brothers, she's not the only one who wants to scream and tear apart the Evil One for what he has done." Chihiro sighed and decided to walk outside to talk to Hikari. Her bracelet started to glow and a voice shouted. CHIHIRO! She winced at the noise and looked around; no one seemed to be disturbed by the noise. She started to blush and quickly replied.
Haku?
Yes, deaf one. Why have you been avoiding me?
There were too many people around; I didn't want anyone to know. I am kind of busy at the moment; I was going to talk to Hikari. You kind of shouted at me before I had the chance to refuse this conversation.
You were going to talk to Hikari? She hasn't done anything crazy has she? I'm really worried about her because she's the youngest in my family and was abandoned by my parents. Yoshiro and I don't know why, so she lived most of her life alone. My brother and I are the only family that she knows about.
Abandoned by your parents? That sounds awful, why would they do such a thing?
That's what we would like to know; luckily we found her one day while I was visiting Yoshiro. She happened to be playing in the reeds near his river. When he tried to greet her she ran away. We found her swimming in a river a few miles away from his own, when we tried to make her understand that we were friends she dived underneath the river water. At that time we thought she was a human girl so Yoshiro ran to get help while I tried to contact the river spirit in charge of the river. When no one replied to my calls I thought that the river was uninhabited and dived in to try to save her. An angry dragon started attacking me when I was underwater and Yoshiro found me on the shore injured. I was barely conscious and he asked the dragon why she had attacked me. She replied by hissing and bit me several times and then did the same to Yoshiro. At that time Yoshiro happened to notice that her eyes were an emerald shade that was similar to both mine and his. When he asked her who her parents her, she replied that she didn't know because she was abandoned at birth. Yoshiro seemed pretty surprised at this as river spirits, such as myself, never abandon their children for fear of what can happen to them before they develop their powers. She then changed back into her human form, which was that of the girl we saw, and swiftly walked away. We never saw her again after that.
Then how did you know that she was your sister?
For a while we didn't; then one day I happened to see Hikari sitting on the riverbanks of my river. I asked her what she was doing there and for a while she didn't reply. Her reply shocked me though; she said that she had a brother who lived near my river and another one near Yoshiro's river. I quickly told Yoshiro the next day and we knew that she was our sister then because not many people lived near our rivers. Many of the people who lived near our rivers were seniors and such. The next day Yoshiro and I visited our parents and asked them if we had a sister named Hikari. They looked a bit shocked, and they told us that we did. We quickly decided that she should live with us but first we asked her what her name was, which she curtly replied was Hikari, and told her why we were her brothers. Ever since then we knew that she was our sister, though she never asked us who her parents were, we decided it was because she still hadn't forgiven them for abandoning her at birth.
Wow, I never knew. Well I should go talk to her, bye Haku.
Bye then Chihiro. They're dragging Yoshiro back; I guess that I'm next. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine… He was suddenly cut off by something and her bracelet faintly flashed once. She grimaced and sat next to Hikari.
"Is there something wrong Hikari?" Chihiro asked her friend.
"That's what I hate about you guys, always barging into other people's businesses!" Hikari shouted loudly. "It was bad enough that Yoshiro and Haku were always following me around whenever they could and asking me if I was hurt, but now it's just ridiculous! Just leave me alone!" Chihiro stared at her friend worried, she never heard her talk to her like that.
"I never knew that you felt that way, I should leave then."
"No it's okay; you can stay if you want to." Chihiro smiled and the two friends watched as the golden sun rose to the east, casting a rosy glow over the remaining clouds and the light blue sky. The snow felt soft and comforting underneath. As they walked back towards the house, Chihiro stared at her bracelet. It sparkled with an unseen radiance. Breakfast was especially quiet that morning; everyone was about the search that was soon to begin. As everyone walked outside, a strong gust of wind nearly knocked them off of their feet.
"The Evil One must not want us to find them." Zeniba muttered. "Oh well after this we'll have to go to the council."
"Why do we have to go to the council?" Chihiro asked curiously.
"Well there are people who would want to know about your powers and such, don't worry they'll only want to help you. You will get to meet the Dragon King and Haku, Yoshiro, and Hikari's parents, they're very important spirits." Hikari shifted uncomfortably, from what she knew about her parents she didn't want to meet them.
"How important are they?"
"You'll see." Zeniba winked and Rin smiled. Hikari shuddered at the thought; Rin noticed that she was quite uncomfortable.
"Don't worry Hikari, I am sure that they can't be that mean. It'll be fun seeing your parents."
"You don't know the pain they caused me; I don't want to see them." Rin looked at her quite confused. She must not have told them. Chihiro thought to herself.
"Chihiro, Hikari, you should transform into dragons now. Unfortunately we are expected at the council, so we can only search for clues for only a few minutes."
Chihiro and Hikari transformed into their dragon forms and waited for their friends to mount them. They soared into the air and looked around for clues. "Hurry, hurry, or we'll be late." Zeniba muttered into Chihiro's ears. Hikari soon was heard growling impatiently.
"She's right; we can't waste any more time hurry to the east. We must go to the council!" Zeniba shouted. Chihiro snorted and flew to the west, following Hikari who seemed pretty impatient. Rin looked at Hikari and frowned, why could her parents do that would cause her some much anger against them. The golden sun illuminated the dragons as they quickly flew in haste. A silvery palace could be seen in the distance as they flew as fast as they could. A pearly tear appeared at the corner of one of Chihiro's great ruby eyes as she thought about Haku and wondered if his parents knew about the fate of their son.
Hikari thoughtfully looked at the palace, according to her brothers many of her kin lived or visited the palace at least once in their lifetime. A low growl emitted from her throat, and Rin looked at her worried. Zeniba quickly told Hikari as Chihiro flew near her friend, "Do not try to take any unessacary risks Hikari. I know your story Hikari, you yourself told me the first time you visited me, do not let your anger towards your parents cloud your judgment. You never know, perhaps your parents regretted what they did to you." Hikari growled again and roared with fury, her fangs gleaming angrily in the sunlight.
"Hikari, please control yourself! Your parents will be very angry at you if you attack them! Like Zeniba said do not take any unessacary risks!" Rin pleaded with her friend. Hikari considered her words for a moment and nodded. Zeniba and Rin sighed; Chihiro looked at the giant gates of the palace in awe. Hikari shifted uncomfortably, she never asked her brothers who her parents were and quickly decided she didn't want to know. They probably abandoned her because she was too playful or otherwise too mischievous, but she was still a newborn spirit at that time.
Zeniba and Rin are right, I can't let my anger cloud my judgment. Whatever anger and hatred I felt towards my parents will have to be put aside, we are on a very important mission. Haku, I wish you were here.
Hikari thought to herself. "Halt!" A guard dragon cried as they approached the large gates, and blocked their way.
Zeniba frowned and had Chihiro fly towards the dragon, she showed them the permit that was given to her and told him, "The council wishes to see us on matters concerning the Dragon of Nature." The dragon nodded and parted so that they could enter. Chihiro and Hikari quickly flew towards the palace and transformed back into their human forms. Zeniba looked at Chihiro with slight apprehension as a young spirit led them towards the central chamber. Everyone was silent, as the entered the central chamber and the presence of the council.