Spirited Again Chapter #13

This story is weaving its' way towards the end. There will be an epilogue, after what might seem like the last chapter, just telling you.

Disclaimer: **In a rather bored, repetitive tone** I do not own any characters in this story save Masako, Nile, Kimiko and Umiko.

You might have noticed that No-face is only mentioned once in this story. I'm saving him for the sequel.

Chapter #13

Chihiro looked sideways at Mei. The girl was pale, though she stood tall. Nile, expecting the worst, transformed. She noticed the pained look in Haku's expression as he saw her take her spirit form. She shrugged apologetically, and Haku shrugged in return, as if to say: 'It's my decision.' Lin stood proud and strong, a mysterious shadow overcoming her features, making her look more mature. Chihiro looked around silently, nodded, and creaked open the doors.

All the other doors opened in chronological order, showing the wide hallway that led to the office. Silently, each thinking their own thoughts, the group filed into the hall, and began their journey down the mirrored channel. As Chihiro looked at the mirror, farthest from her, she saw the reflection of Haku, but the one in the mirror was the white of death, bleeding heavily, dying slowly...

"Look straight ahead! DON'T look at the mirrors!!!" snapped Lin, rather hastily, though still poised.

But of course everyone looks if you tell them not to. Mei began to cry softly. Nile went pale, while a flicker of emotional pain tore across Haku's face. Chihiro closed her eyes, clutching her head, but the memory of the picture was still clear. She moved over beside Haku, to assure herself he was all right. Tears sprung from her eyes, and, as she looked up at Haku, and he down at her, she saw that he was crying, too.

Nile shouted, with her eyes closed: "Who has yellow?" Mei raised her two circlets of yarn. "I have yellow AND blue!" "Put the blue away. Yellow represents joy. RELEASE Its POWER!!!!!!!!" Mei shrugged, and shouted back: "HOW!!!" Nile, still squeezing her eyes tightly shut, replied, "YOU have to figure it out! I DON'T KNOW!!!!!" Mei, screwed up her eyes. The memory of seeing Totoro again sprung into her mind, the pure happiness of that moment. She lifted the circlet above her head, weaving it between her fingers. "TOTORO!!!!!!"

A blinding flash bolted. Everyone closed his or her eyes against the sheer brightness. When it left, the mirrors, all of them, had shattered. Broken pieces of glass lay on the ground, crunching under their feet as they continued onwards.

Slowly but surely, they went, warily. Nothing else happened, however, and they ventured to talk. "Yu-baba's dead." Haku informed Chihiro. Chihiro raised her eyebrows. "She got some illness, and died three years ago." Mei bit her lip. "That's the time..." Lin patted her shoulder. "...Mamma...passed away..." she sobbed. They continued on.

Finally they reached the huge door, covered fancily, with patterns and designs. Lin walked forward purposely, and pushed it open.

Kimiko, her hood drawn up, was leaning over a picture frame, sobbing quietly, shoulders shaking. Nile strode forward, while making a cat's- cradle with the green piece of yarn in her hand. "KIMIKO!!!!!!!!"

The hooded figure, raised herself from herself, swayed, and stood. The voice that emerged from under the hood was punctuated by sobs, and her voice had lost its' enchanting beauty, and sounded plain. "What do you want? Go away. Leave me alone."

Nile was infuriated. "YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!!!!!!!!" Kimiko turned her head away. "Not purposely. I was told by a hooded female that the drinks were for two people who had helped her, and I was to give them to them. I swear I didn't know what they would do." Nile collapsed. This was too much. Would she ever find her parents' murderer?

But that's another story.

Sitting on the floor, she created a cat's cradle with her yarn, and pulled it taught. Her eyes blazed and she shouted out, in a barking tone: "Gaea, here my plea! EARTH!" a shuddering went through the room. Haku grabbed Chihiro to stop her from falling down the deep gap that had split the wooden floor. Branches wove their way around Kimiko's legs, trapping her. Nile was perched precariously on the edge, the pupils in her eyes gone, replaced by a glowing green light. "Just in case." The voice came from far off, intertwined with what sounded like a mature, wild voice. (Yes, I know I'm mixing up different kinds of spirits and gods and everything. Gaea is Mother Nature, or the greek goddess of nature.)

Nile nodded for the next person to enter. Chihiro walked forward stubbornly. She could feel a presence beside her. She looked, to see Haku striding beside her. Chihiro smiled. She wasn't alone. "Kimiko." She said in a strong accusing tone. "You attempted to kill me twice. You almost killed my...that is...Haku, by trying to murder me. Why?"

"You've been slowly draining my powers. I've never seen anyone do that before. You reversed my spell."

Chihiro looked at Haku, remembering their huge fight, when he had just stood at the side when she was being attacked...

"A controlling spell."

Haku looked at her, surprised.

Kimiko struggled, her wooden bonds tightening, and her tones, too, became accusing and harsh. "You...human!" she spat out the word, as though she was swearing. "I was trying to save other spirits from the same fate that befell my Mother." Silvery tears splattered against the oak branches. She freed a hand, and pointed it at Chihiro. "YOU carried that disease from the human world. YOU gave it to my mother. She was one of the few spirits never to interact with a human. She had no time to build up a defence. YOU KILLED HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chihiro turned pale. She looked around. Mei looked at her, confused. Nile didn't hear as she was keeping the spell in place. Lin looked as though she had understood it wasn't Chihiro's fault. Chihiro looked around. Haku had taken two steps back, staring at her with wide green eyes. For the first time in ages, Chihiro felt isolated, deserted, alone. She turned away, from everyone, from everything, from the world, hiding the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

Haku stepped forward. He longed to comfort Chihiro, but he knew that now was not the time. "You've disrupted millions of lives. You almost killed me. Do you have no family that you care about? Mei's lost her sister. Don't you understand?"

Kimiko turned her head away. "Masako, my sister." It sounded as if each word she said pained her. "She.disappeared. Mamma and her fought, and Mother finally took her name and she...just vanished." Mei ran forward. "Don't you understand?" she pleaded. "My sis means everything to me. I just want her back..." she lost her composure, and began to cry.

Lin stepped forward. Kimiko turned her hooded face to her and screamed. "And what do YOU want! As if this isn't enough, what charges do you want to lay against me!!!!!!!!"

"What kind of way is that to speak to your sister?"

Everyone froze in shock. Lin took the purple yarn, and throwing it over her head, she said "Birthright."

Lin was suddenly dressed in an elegant kimono, hair put up with chopsticks. Her face seemed...different..and so was her stature. "MASAKO!!!!!!!!!" Kimiko cried, joyfully. Lin nodded.

Mei stood up, breathing in a ragged breath. "AND WHAT ABOUT MY SISTER!!!!!!!!! WHAT ABOUT SATSUKI?!?!? WHO ARE YOU TO ACT LIKE THIS!?!?! WHO ARE YOU?!?!?"

Kimiko, slowly raised her free hand, and drew back her hood. Light brown hair showed, and chestnut brown eyes. Mei stared at the face, the one with the dash of freckles under her eyes and a scar on one side of her cheek. Mei remembered when she had gotten a scar remarkably like that when she had run too quickly in the forest, playing hide-and-go seek with Satsuki and had tripped and fell, hitting her head on a rock...

"I am you."

Mei and Kimiko looked at each other for a long moment. Mei could feel it, a small trembling of magic at her fingertips. How it was to be a spirit. Once she accepted the fact, the magic overwhelmed her. It, it was too much. The magic, since she was no spirit, was supplying itself with her life force. Mei fainted. Kimiko could see the blue yarn poking out of her mirror image's pocket. "Blue, for sorrow. That one belongs to me." Kimiko hung her head.

"I admit it. The illness affected me too. But I wasn't ready to die, not yet. The only was I could survive was...to gain force from another. If I lived off my double, she would have died, causing me to die as well. I needed someone strong; someone who I KNEW had defeated the disease."

Chihiro turned. Her voice was empty, and her stature had lost its glow. She didn't care anymore.

"Me, right?" she said, her voice emotionless.

Concern flitted across Haku's face. ~Chihiro.~ he thought. ~Just, please, you aren't alone!~

Kimiko nodded. "But then it went terribly wrong. You began taking some of my power." Chihiro nodded in return, her eyes blank and emotionless. (Like Sesshomaru's)

Kimiko smiled. "I have lived long past my time. I will let go. But first.." with the remaining dregs of her power, she summoned Akanboo and Satsuki. Kimiko was obviously dying now, slowly. "I free these two, from their bonds." Satsuki's eyes returned their normal hue, and she looked around.

Kimiko's eyes looked glazed but she still talked calmly. "Please, leave now. I wish to speak with my," she smiled faintly. "Family."

Nile finally looked up. "Does this mean Mei will die?" Kimiko shook her head. "I've detached myself from her. We are no longer connected. Now go."

They trouped out of the room, Mei crying quietly. Chihiro stiff and detached from the real world. They walked across the hall of mirrors and out.

Satsuki was still looking around oddly. "What's going on?"

Mei nodded. "We need to talk, alone." The two sisters went out of the hall and down the corridor.

Nile nodded. "I..really need some rest..yarn REALLY...tires...me...out..." she walked a few paces, and fell asleep on the carpet. That left Chihiro and Haku. "Come." Haku motioned, pointing at another hallway.

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This is NOT the end! 2 MORE CHAPTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1