Woohoo! I am exuberant! I like, just went to youth group for the first time in like, forever! Still typing on the laptop, but I'm slowly getting used to it! I still don't like the Microsoft program though. It's just annoying.
Um, by the way, I OWN NOTHING!!! I don't own, I PWN.
---pwnith---
Chihiro sat on the ground in the boiler room for a while, barely listening to the comforting words Kin and Kamaji sent her way. She wanted to get up and follow Haku up to the top suite, but her legs were frozen in their crouched position. She remembered when Haku had cast a spell on her to unfreeze her legs once after he had given her a bit of food so that she wouldn't disappear. His hands had hovered above her legs, whispering secret, magic words under his breath. She missed those times, really. She hadn't been concerned for other people's safety, only hers and those closest to her. Even if it was selfish, it kept things a lot less complicated. But now…
She was in love. There was no doubt about it, she was madly, deeply, passionately in love. And it was causing her more problems than she could count.
Chihiro felt a tear slip out of her chocolate brown eyes, running down her pale face only to drop onto her already damp clothes. Lin tutted softly, and then left the room to get the small girl a pair of dry clothes. Kamaji's little dust balls came out to comfort her, making their little noises and climbing over her feet in an attempt to get close to her face. One of the little soot balls actually got as far as her knee before she picked it up gently and nuzzled it, getting a little smudge of black soot on her face in the process.
"You really shouldn't worry, Chihiro," Kamaji said as he took a sip of the cold tea Lin had brought him several hours earlier. "Haku is a big boy, he is well able to take care of himself. Besides, Haku has the advantage of being a spirit, while Kosuke is an ordinary human."
"Kosuke is a human, like me?" Chihiro asked, shocked. "Haku didn't tell me that! But if Kosuke is only a human, then why are all the spirits taking orders from him and stuff? Are they more powerful than he is?"
"Well," Kamaji began, "it seems Kosuke has his own little secrets. No one's been able to confirm it, but there are small rumors that he has a spell protecting him in one way or another. Remember the spell Zeniba put on her golden seal? It's just about the same spell, with a few minor changes to adjust the protection to that of a person's life, instead of just a valuable object."
"Oh, I see," Chihiro said. Her head was spinning from all of the day's events. Lin chose the next moment to reappear with a bundle of clothes in her arms.
"Here, Chihiro change into these, before you catch a cold. Then Haku'd really have my head!" Lin laughed nervously as she handed the clothes to Chihiro. Chihiro accepted the small bundle and cuddled the cloth as though it was relieve her of some of her stress.
"Hey Lin," Chihiro asked softly, "did anyone notice Haku when he left to go up to the top suites?"
Lin thought a moment before responding. "No, I don't think so. Nobody was saying anything, so I guess he just slipped by unnoticed." The brunette shrugged casually, and then beckoned for Chihiro to follow her. "Come on, really. Change into the clothes and then we'll check up on the rumors to see if anyone caught a glance of him."
Chihiro suddenly felt her anger rising, and she dropped the clothes as though they might burn her. "What? So you are only going to listen around? You aren't going to help him at all? For all we know he could be up there with Kosuke standing over him ready to deal the final blow!" Chihiro broke out into more tears, and she pushed past Lin. "I'm going to help him, whether you like it or not!"
"Chihiro, no!" Lin yelled, but it was too late. The girl was already running up the first flight of stairs, sprinting as fast as she could to get to the love of her life. Chihiro didn't even look behind her to see if Lin was following her, and she completely ignored the shocked workers as she ran by them, not caring if she helped to dump over a load of trays in her haste. All that mattered was that she get to that damned elevator!
"What do you think you're doing?" an angry voice asked as the owner of the voice reached out to grab Chihiro by the arm. Chihiro cried out and wrestled away from the strong grip, stumbling a bit as her legs tangled in an attempt to keep moving forward. Then she was off again, rushing past spirits and workers that made attempts to stop her. Most of the sprits there were cheering her on, and a few got in the way of workers so that Chihiro could pass without difficulty. Reaching the elevator, Chihiro was glad to see that a few of the spirits had guarded it, making sure that she wouldn't have to wait to ascend into the upper floors.
Jumping into the elevator, Chihiro thanked the spirits and pushed the lever to go up. The spirits waved as she disappeared out of their sight. Chihiro sank to the floor of the elevator, giving her legs a chance to rest and remove the lactic acid from her muscles. She had been on the lowest floor, so it would take a few minutes for the slow elevator to reach the top floor. A few minutes that – in Chihiro's eyes – she didn't have. Hideous images ran through her mind: images of what she might find when she located Haku and Kosuke.
Finally, the elevator jolted to a stop. Chihiro jumped up and ran out of the open doors, and into the corridor fancily decorated with gold and multicolored trim and paint. Chihiro ignored the creepy statues lined up along the walls, and the portraits that hadn't been in the hallway the last time she had visited the floor. She proceeded more carefully now, glad she wasn't wearing any shoes. Her small feet ran over the carpet, muffling any sound she made. Now that she was so close, she could hear a conversation being held. Ha! "Conversation" made it sound civilized. Chihiro could hear two males' voices shouting back and forth, occasionally quieting down to take on a haunting, mocking, tone of voice.
Following the voices, Chihiro was led through several open doors, and down dozens of hallways. She began to wonder if she wasn't just going in circles, but finally a light caught her eye in the poorly lit corridor. Stepping out of the beam off light, Chihiro walked even more carefully, and when she got to the light, she found it was really the light coming from inside an open doorway. Peeking behind the door, Chihiro was terrified at what she saw.
Haku was backed up against a wall, and Kosuke had his hand right at the boy's throat. Chihiro could only see Kosuke's back, but she could tell he was portly, with chubby, short legs and a balding head. Chihiro's shaking form hit the open door slightly, and the betraying slab of wood squeaked, opening a few more inches. Both males turned to look at her, and Chihiro felt her silent sobs earn their voices.
"H-Hak-ku," she sobbed, hands clasped at her heart, back bent and eyes closed so that she didn't have to see the scene before her.
"Chihiro," Haku said softly, able to speak because Kosuke's grip on his throat had lessened considerably. Kosuke turned abruptly and studied the sobbing girl in the doorway.
"I take it this is your lover, Haku," the portly man asked, acting much more civilized than he had been moments before.
"Yes, and you will not touch her," Haku said, stepping forward. "Chihiro's being here was not intended, and if any harm comes to her, I'll make sure you pay for it. Whether you are the cause or not, what you have been doing to the workers of the bathhouse is unforgivable. Even the spirits are enjoying their stays less and less."
"That's not my fault!" Kosuke snapped. "If the workers don't do their jobs, I have to punish them. It's my job as their boss."
"Yes, but I can find two things wrong with your explanation. One: the workers are doing a fine job, and they have no need to be punished. Two: you aren't their boss! Boh is the real heir to the bathhouse, you're just some cheap imitation! A poser!"
Chihiro heard the loud slap and started crying louder. Her tears ran down her face and dripped off, pooling on the cool tiles underneath her. Kosuke seemed to be annoyed by her crying, because he turned away from Haku, who was on the floor holding his cheek, and reprimanded her.
"You shut up, you filthy wench! I don't know how the likes of you got into this refined bathhouse, but I can assure you it'll never happen again." Kosuke made a move to walk towards Chihiro, but Haku's words rang out, loud and clear.
"Touch her and they won't be able to identify your remains." Haku was still on the ground, and he glared at Kosuke's back from his vantage point. Haku's left cheek was a sharp pink color, contrasting his black hair and normally pale skin. Despite Haku's threats, however, Kosuke kept walking. When he reached Chihiro, he pulled her up by her ponytail, causing a cry of pain to escape from the girl's lips.
"Kosuke! Let her go!" another voice yelled from the same doorway Chihiro had just entered through. Haku's gaze shifted and his eyes widened.
"A-Akit-to?" Chihiro, pain temporarily forgotten. Her eyes widened at the sight of her fellow classmate. "Where's Yuri?" she asked weakly, not really wanting to hear the answer.
"Chihiro!" Akito shouted, not really answering the girl's question. Switching tones for a more dramatic affect, Akito growled, "Let go of her Kosuke. She's mine to deal with. Go take care of the dragon boy." Akito nodded towards Haku, and Chihiro's eyes widened. She flung herself at Akito, kicking and punching him until Kosuke grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms behind her back and pulling her too far away to effectively kick anyone, including himself.
"No! I won't let you hurt Haku! You can't hurt him! I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU HURT HIM!" Everyone in the room was shocked by the amount of hatred and contempt in Chihiro's voice, but she wasn't done quite yet.
"You all are worried about others, telling them to stay away so that they won't get hurt. But you aren't thinking! What if you never come back again? If the other person was there…they'd see you, even if was your last living moments. They'd be there for you, so that you didn't have to be alone. Or they would celebrate with you if the whole goal of the "mission" was completed. You'd think people would keep their loved ones close, never knowing…spending each moment with each other, and cherishing each moment. You never know when your loved one might be lost…so you have to cherish…every…second…"
Chihiro collapsed, probably exhausted from the day's activities. Kosuke caught her and lowered her gently to the ground, and everyone else realized how awkward the silence was in the room.
"She's right, as usual," Akito said. "Loved ones should always stay close to each other." Addressing Haku, he asked, "I take it you wanted her to stay out of harm's way?" Haku nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, you have a lot to learn about Chihiro. She doesn't take nonsense from anyone, and if she loves that person, her determination is doubled."
"I know that," Haku said quietly, watching Chihiro's form breathe slowly, "I just didn't want to accept it. It would be so much easier to not have to think about her safety constantly, but I just can't help it."
Akito shrugged. "Eh, you're obviously in love with her." Haku tried to send the boy a withering look, but he soon sighed and his face contorted back to one filled with concern. Akito chuckled, and walked forward to put a comforting hand on Haku's shoulder. "Don't worry, even if my dad says he'll do something, it rarely happens."
Haku's eyes widened, and he looked at Kosuke. "Kosuke's your father?" he asked incredulously. Kosuke sneered back at Haku, taking a chance to put in his two cents.
"I may be his biological father, but I absolutely will not acknowledge him as my son," Kosuke said, folding his chubby arms over his even fatter chest. Akito sighed and rubbed the back of his head, letting go of Haku's shoulder.
"Well, this is quite a mess we're in," Haku said quietly. Chihiro was laying unconscious on the floor right in front of Kosuke, Akito was Kosuke's son, meaning he'd probably side with him in a fight, and Haku had no clue how to get Chihiro out of harm's way and at the same time claim the bathhouse as independent from this tyranny.
"Chihiro! Haku! Chihiro, where the heck are you?" Haku sighed, an angel in the form of an annoying bathhouse worker.
"Lin, we're in here," Haku shouted, and a moment later the woman appeared in the same doorway Chihiro had.
"Oh my gosh, what happened to Chihiro?" Lin asked, eyeing the small girl on the floor and then the ring of men around her.
"I'll explain later, just come and get her," Haku said patiently. Kosuke blinked and then put a foot on Chihiro's stomach, threatening to step on her.
"Come any closer and I'll make sure this girl needs surgery in the morning!" the older man threatened, stopping Lin in her tracks.
"Kosuke," Akito began carefully, "let the worker girl take Chihiro away. Once she's away, Haku will be able to fight properly. Until then, however, Haku will not fight, and you will not be able to show him your awesome powers." Kosuke seemed to think for a moment, and then decided that Akito had some reasoning in him. Lowering his foot back onto plain ground, Kosuke grunted, signaling Lin to rush forward and pick up Chihiro. Haku watched with sadness in his eyes as his love was carried away, probably back to Kamaji's boiler room.
Akito watched and waited, and when he guessed both girls were at the elevator by then, he turned to face the other males in the room. "Alright then," he said. "Let's get this started, shall we?"
---fight---
So? How was it? Please review to tell me how it was! I think this might be the shortest chapter, but I can't really tell. I think I'm notorious for short chapters and complicated plots. Oh yeah, how many of you were surprised about the whole Kosuke/Akito thing? That's the main reason I slipped to you guys that they were both OC (I think I actually told you Akito was the OC, but left out Kosuke. My bad!) and that both had an important role. Yeah, like I said, my bad.
So, please review! We're only a chapter or two from the end of the story, so I'm exuberant! After this I can work on my other stories!
