SPIRITED AGAIN

Hello!

Answers to hidden characters:

White wolf= wolf from Princess Mononoke

Wild looking woman= San from Princess Mononoke

Warrior Male= Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke

Woman with grey hair streaked with red, with odd looking whistle= Nausciaa from Nausciaa and the Valley Of the Wind

Woman In Priestess Outfit= Kikyo from Inuyasha

Woman with Auburn Hair and Green Eyes= Lily Potter from the Harry Potter series

Man with Brown Eyes and Black Hair: James Potter from Harry Potter Series

15 year old son of the two mentioned above (not in the realms of dead, just mentioned)= Harry Potter from Harry Potter series

Responses to reviews will now be at the END of the story, since I start typing these around the day after I type up the last one.

Disclaimer: (Stupid disclaimer!) I D-O N-O-T O-W-N Spirited Away or Totoro or Nausciaa or Harry Potter or Inuyasha or Princess Mononoke characters. *gasps for breath*

Requests: I would like SANGO-INUYASHA-LOVER to read this story and REVIEW it! I would like TBPeppy to update her story! (Yes, I am updating at an amazing rate, I know it must be hard to keep up! Boy, it must be annoying!) And I want RidingGirl to update Worth Fighting For! (So does Mari.)

News Break: I discovered what POV stands for in fanfiction! Point Of View! It hit me as I was in the shower. Go figure.

Did You Know That: Adding -baba to the end of a name is like a term of saying 'granny' or 'grandmother' or 'old woman'. So Yu-baba and Zeniba share a bond (that you can't normally discover in the English version). They might not be (as you obviously think in the English version of Spirited Away) sisters, but in fact, two sides of the same person. Almost like her businesslike side and her granmotherly side. Freaky, neh?

Dictionary: In this chapter Haku says 'Oh kami.' Kami are the spirits that are believed in the Shinto religion. I got tired of 'oh gods', to tell you the truth.

Okay, response to ONE review, because I just HAVE to answer this one!

RidingGirl: "Great Job?" does this mean it's FINALLY long enough!!??!!

SPIRITED AGAIN CHAPTER #7

Chihiro looked around at the village settings around her. ~Hmm? Oh, I must have fallen asleep. But, weren't we on the elevator? Oh jeez, how embarrassing!~

Suddenly a stunning young girl appeared from the bush. She was slim, with glossy raven black hair, ivory skin, and dressed in a rich maroon kimono, with a gold obi (belt) and orange chopsticks pinned through the knot of hair. She was defiantly pretty, and would grow to be a very beautiful adult. "Mamma?" she cried. "Mamma I'm back!" A joyful greeting emerged from the largest hut, urging the playful, little girl to come inside, and greet her mother.

The setting blurred abruptly, and changed to the bathhouse. The same girl, except maybe three years older, stood outside the grand doors, sobbing quietly. "Mamma." She whispered. Suddenly her fists clenched, and the tears suddenly stopped. "It's all because of him, isn't it Mother?" she said the last word hatefully, almost mockingly. "You spent all your time with me, until that THING came along. Then suddenly you've decided that I must go to a CONVENT to learn my 'ladylike behaviour'." The girl, around fourteen, now, suddenly looked- different. Less innocent. Suddenly angry and disturbed. Chihiro shivered. She could not see the girl's face. Why could she not see the girl's face?

Chihiro watched on as this girl arrived in the convent. She locked herself up in her room, refusing to eat with the rest of the women. She was bent over books, reading, always reading. Her long hair was soon knotted and unkept, her kimono dusty. This was not the same girl that had once watched the golly-wolly-pods (what Mei called Tadpoles in Totoro) swim, and run amongst the bulrushes. Her body was rigid with obsession.

She pulled one graceful hand out of her sleeves to turn the page of the text, and Chihiro gasped. The dainty hand was topped with claws. Sharp, deadly and long, they looked like they could cause damage upon contact. "Yes." Hissed the woman's voice, harsh and rough from lack of use. "It is almost time."

Suddenly, something cold touched Chihiro's head, lessening the throbbing pain she had tried to zone out, and had been ignoring until now. A cooling touch brushed her bruised temple, the cause for her blackout. ~Little fool,~ a warm voice said on the brink of hearing. The compassionate voice continued, layered with worry, as a gentle hand brushed hair off her forehead. ~You almost got yourself killed! I could feel it, you know. Feel the darkness of the dead. Even now your hands are cold. Please Chihir- Sen. Don't die on me!~

Chihiro struggled with the dream. Suddenly, she felt drawn in, like it was all a trap. The dream was to lull her into unsuspecting comfort, so she would be unprepared when death came. Chihiro began to tremble with anger. She fuelled herself with her anger battling harder to reach that, soft, warm voice. She began to gasp with the effort, coughing weakly. Warm lapses of fatigue lapsed over her, and her eyes drooped, and her body sagged. She bolted upwards suddenly. ~TO SLEEP IS TO DIE!!!!!!~ she screamed in her head. And with that phrase pounding in her skull, she fought her way towards the light.

Haku looked on at the woman lying in front of him. The particular room they were in was deserted, and rarely used. He watched hopelessly as Chihiro's breathing shallowed and became uneven. He had tended to the wound on her head, what could it be? Unless-?

"Oh kami." He murmured, as his cool, healing fingers brushed the bruise on her temple. "Chihiro- please-"

Chihiro stirred, moaning and coughing weakly. Haku breathed a sigh of relief. He brushed her stray hair off her forehead gently, tucking it behind her ear. Then her breathing began to slow, and became weak. Haku's face paled. "Chihiro, don't give up! Don't you see? To sleep is to die! Please-" He brushed a hand against her soft cheek, a tear sliding down his.

Suddenly Chihiro's eyelids fluttered, and she laid a soft hand upon Haku's. "I'm back." She whispered.

Chihiro's eyelids were heavy, but they slowly became lighter. She sat up, fighting off light waves of dizziness. "What-what happened?" she questioned Haku as he swiftly brought over a cup of tea. "Here, drink this." His voice was calm, but inside, he was crying with happiness, surprised and joyful to see Chihiro awake.

Chihiro gingerly took the drink in trembling hands and smelled it. The scent of peppermint wafted up her nose. ~It can't be that bad~ she thought, and took a sip.

Haku hid a smile behind his hand as Chihiro quickly swallowed the mess, making a horrible face. He had learned, from the sensai that taught him healing, that patients would more readily drink medicine if it didn't smell badly. The strong scent of peppermint was the only one he could have used in this case because, even though the medicine was good and would cure quickly, it still STUNK.

Chihiro took huge gulps of water, letting the rancid taste wash off her tongue. True, it did work, but it was GROSS. "Haku," she said calmly, "You are a bad man."

Haku grinned, and then asked her "So, what happened in there?'

Chihiro filled him in. When she came to the parts when violence was used against her, Haku tensed, green eyes snapping. Chihiro ended her tale and waited for Haku's verdict. When he didn't answer, Chihiro began asking questions.

"Haku, what do you think happened to.." she trailed off. She still couldn't say their names. She felt as if only Haku would have let her go, she would have been able to save them both. Haku put a hand on her shoulder, and looked directly into Chihiro's nut brown eyes. "Chihiro, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to save them. You would have met the same fate that befell them." As if suddenly realizing what he was doing, he snatched his arm from Chihiro's shoulder and didn't meet her eyes, preferring to look out the window instead. Chihiro's eyebrows furrowed questionably, but she made no comment on this behaviour, though she mentally thought ~What's gotten into him?~ She instead voiced. "But what HAS befallen them? And is it possible to save them."

Haku sighed. "I don't know if you can save them or not or what happened to them. But if they are.." he, in turn, trailed off, knowing the effect the word he was going to say would have a devastating effect on Chihiro. Nevertheless, Chihiro looked down at the floor, mumbling. "I told them to leave when it was getting dark. It is my fault. I should have encouraged them more." Suddenly, her head shot up. "They CAN'T be dead!" she said suddenly and joyfully. Haku turned to look at her questionably. "I met their mother Umiko, in the realms of the dead. She told me to give a message to her daughters. A mother would know if her children appeared in the realms of the dead! They're still alive somewhere!"

Haku nodded smiling, inside remembering the pain he had felt when he thought he had lost her, forever. That grip around his heart, the knot in his throat would forever haunt his memories. "Chihiro, in private, I'm going to use your real name, so you don't forget who you are, all right?" Chihiro nodded. "Yep, that's fine with me. But the weird thing is-"

"What?"

Chihiro continued, half talking to herself. "But who was that woman controlling Akanboo?"

Haku's head shot up. "Someone was controlling Akanboo?" Chihiro nodded affirmation. "And I had a dream, when I was unconscious, about a girl, growing envious and cruel because-"

Something registered in Chihiro's brain. She then murmured: "-because her mother had had a son and was paying no more attention to her elder daughter. Could it be that."

"Akanboo's sister? Possibly. Yu-baba lived in a common village before she moved here and became owner of this bathhouse, and I her servant." Chihiro clenched her fists at this, attempting to contain her anger. She hated Yu- baba for doing this to Haku, but he continued talking, so she listened. "She might've been born then. Indeed, I have heard Yu-baba's older servants talk about someone called Kimiko. They would always speak of her playfulness and beauty."

Chihiro's eyes widened at this, and she jumped at this. "YES! That's her!!! The girl in my dream!" She shuddered, remembering those claws. She informed Haku of this. She suddenly remembered how they resembled a snake's fangs. "I-I think they're poisonous. But I don't know what the venom does." Haku's eyebrows rose. "Poisonous? Are you sure? Well, we'll look for Satsuki and Mei, and find you a job, as soon as you're fully healed." He gently put pressure on Chihiro's shoulder, making her lie down. She struggled against him. "No! I'm fine, let's go now!"

But her struggling became weaker, and she lay down. Her eyelids became heavy with sleep, but she kept herself awake. Haku smiled warmly at her. "I told you that you needed rest. Always trust a healer."

Chihiro reached up a hand and gently brushed the bruise on Haku's cheek from where she had hit him. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "I don't know what came over me."

Haku smiled in return. "Don't worry; I forgive you. I could never stay mad at you for long."

Chihiro smiled weakly. Haku smoothed the hair from her forehead. He looked at her. "Kami, Chihiro. I was so worried. I thought you were going to leave me." His voice was hoarse and rough, choked with emotion.

Chihiro looked at him. "Don't worry Haku. I will never leave you." Her eyes closed as she drifted off.

Haku smiled. "Sleep well, Chihiro." He said softly, as he kissed her forehead.

YAY! Another chapter up. I would like to thank porifra for the romantic suggestion for saying I was worried about you. THANKS!

Ember; Glad you like it.

Silent H: The woman in red is Kikyo. Thank you for saying that you liked ma chappie!

Porifra: Yes Haku is connected to Chihiro and could feel her pain. Sailor Serenity: Oh THAT'S Boa. I didn't know he had a name. WELL in ma fict is name's Akanboo. Thanx for reviewing!

TBPeppy: War of the Fanficts! You're ON! Glad to see you update!

Not such a bad cliffie in this chapter. See ya! Jose