DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SPIRITED AWAY

Chapter 4

"Strategy"

Haku and Lin spoke momentarily, in hushed whispers. Since I had absolutely no idea what was being said, I zoned out, trying to recapture the memories that had faded from me.

Why would they just go away all of the sudden? I could remember tidbits of information about Haku and Lin and this strange realm but I could only remember hazy images.

As I tried to find a flaw within the iron barrier blocking me from the vault of memories that I possessed, I saw something flash before my unopened eyelids.

It was brief and seemed as though it wasn't supposed to be seen by me but I saw it anyway, like watching a movie.

It was long ago, when I was around the age of ten. I saw tent like structures atop an island in the middle of a body of water. There were bright lights coming from a ways out in the water. Bright, radiant lights… like from a ship….

I gasped in pain as the barrier closed again, shaking the inside of my head with agonizing force.

"Chihiro!" I heard Haku call out in surprise.

I calmed the ache in my brain as I took deep breaths. I looked up and gave him a smile.

"I remembered something," I told them in a happy whisper.

"What?!" they declared in unison.

"It was from a long time ago, it was hazy I can tell you that, but there were tents atop an island… water surrounding that island and… bright lights in the distance, on top of the water." I recalled to them.

They smiled secretly and looked sort of relieved, though not all of the worry had left their eyes.

"You know, neither one of you ever told me how you know me." I accused them.

The smiles slipped off their faces like wax and Lin immediately began stuttering again.

"Well… uh… uh…um…." She couldn't seem to come up with anything.

Haku shot her a glare that practically screamed "Shut up!". Once again, Lin's mouth closed instantly though she shot Haku a violent glare as well.

"Chihiro, we don't need to discuss this at the time; it will all be told later." Something about his tone made me think that his mind was reeling the expression: At least I hope so.

I sighed dramatically and shook my head slightly, a smile gracing my lips.

"If only I could remember you two… its right there, I know it is. It's killing me to know."

They both gave a sad smile. "Maybe in time…" Haku let his unfinished sentence hang in the air, filling me with hope.

He held out a hand to me and I took it eagerly; maybe the way his hand touched mine would help me remember… I didn't feel any flashes of memory within me as his hand touched mine.

I internally sobbed; why couldn't I remember?!

When we began to walk out of the room I had to ask, "Where are we going?"

Haku didn't turn and spoke in a whisper. "We've got to keep you somewhere where you won't be found," he didn't elaborate and I didn't ask him too. I trusted him, oddly enough, but I was a little (wayyyy more than a little) afraid of this unknown place.

When Haku, Lin, and I turned a corner a little bit a ways away from Lin's room, we stopped.

Haku took a deep breath before he turned to me, as if he expected some kind of argument.

"Okay Chihiro, I've got to cast a magic shielding spell around you so you won't be seen; if you are seen… well, let's just say it won't be good, okay?"

I nodded hesitantly; magic? What the heck?!

He noticed my expression and his lips twitched in faint amusement at my bewildered face.

"Yes, I can do magic; it exists here."

I sighed. "Okay do your magic spell thingy; I believe you but I'm trying to talk myself into why."

He sighed while Lin looked on; fighting the urge to gag at the flirtatious vibe she was feeling between the two people in front of her.

"Okay, Haku it will look suspicious if both of us are going to the same place at the same time, so I'm just going to go on to bed now." She smiled at me and hugged me one last time before heading back to her room.

"Bye," I whispered as though I was afraid I'd never see her again.

Once she was completely out of sight, Haku raised his hands in a delicate movement and placed his open palm directly in front of me. I didn't see a beam of light shoot out of it in a delicate spiraling motion but suddenly bright golden threads of light were forming a cage around me.

The threads tightened slightly and then evaporated. I looked at my palms inquisitively, as if I expected to find anything different about them.

"I will still be able to touch and see you, though nobody else will. To them it's like seeing right through you. And, if you're wondering, you can't walk through things here, even if you are a spirit and if nobody can see you. Also, if you talk, the people around you will be able to hear it. Just to be safe, don't even whisper, just stay close to me."

I nodded, "Okay, so where will I be sleeping tonight?"

"I believe the safest place will be with the boiler man, Kamajii. Rarely anybody but myself and Lin go to the boiler room plus Kamajii can keep a secret and will take good care of you. You have nothing to fear."

"You and Lin both seem so frightened though; I kind of do feel like I should fear whatever it is that you two are hiding."

He looked at me a moment, those gorgeous green eyes penetrating my very being. I didn't squirm under that stare though, I felt as though I had seen it before… from a very long time ago.

Suddenly, Haku reached out and hugged me tightly yet tenderly. He whispered reassuring words into my ears that made my heartbeat irregular for just a moment. "You need not fear anything Chihiro; I will protect you from anything and everything… I promise."

It was a simple proclamation and yet it meant so much to me. There was something within his eyes that told me there was more to it than that but I didn't ask… yet.

"Come on, we don't have much time." His pale hand encased mine as he led the way down the hallway to the unknown.

I didn't know what to expect as he carried me along the darkened corridors, but I sure didn't expect it to be completely silent. Still, I headed Haku's warning and remained quiet despite the buzzing in my ears from the unexpected, dead silence.

We walked a little further down the darkened hallways, me following the man in front of me loyally, until he finally reached a staircase.

I looked down at the ground below it and found it to be vacant. I let some of the pent- up stress within me recede.

Haku began descending the stairs and I followed him, careful to keep the same beat of his footsteps.

I was beginning to think that we would get off easy and not have anybody catch us, (well technically catch Haku, but still) but of course we couldn't get that lucky.

After we had walked about ten paces from the staircase we heard a voice a little ways away, a voice but not specific words.

Haku growled in irritation but attempted to calm himself. He looked at me and his eyes said one thing "Don't say anything."

I nodded, in a sign that said I understood.

He gave a slight nod and continued onwards, in a slightly different direction than before and at a slower pace.

Finally the person that was muttering quietly turned the corner, or should I say hopped around the corner.

It was a small, green, tired lookingfrog that could apparently talk! If I didn't know any better I would have thought in that moment that I was dreaming.

My eyes widened to their full capacity, but I dared not so much as twitch. My palm did tighten slightly on Haku's shoulder, though.

"Haku?" the frog questioned with a slight twinkle of mischief within his beady eyes. "What are you doing out so late at night?"

The frog sounded a little too happy for my liking. What was he up to?

Haku smirked faintly at the frog, which earned him quite a palpable glare from the frog.

"I was just taking an evening stroll; it clears the mind, you know. Helps sleep come more peacefully."

The spirit in front of us quirked his lips. "I'm sure it does Haku," sarcasm practically dripped from his words.

I could just imagine Haku rolling his eyes at the frog, but he remained motionless.

"You know," the frog continued acidly. "I don't understand why you're even still here at this bathhouse. Ever since Yubaba booted you from the spot of her right- hand man you have been of no use to this business."

Haku shrugged stiffly, eyes trained on the person smirking in front of us. He obviously knew something that was about to set Haku off.

"Maybe I just didn't want to leave the bathhouse because it's the only place that I have to go." Haku suggested.

The frog gave a sarcastic laugh. "OH! I'm sure that's it! Despite, your continual attempts at escape from the bathhouse I'm sure you just wished to stay for absolutely no reason at all. You have your freedom; you've had your freedom for six years Haku and you have yet to leave this bathhouse."

Once again Haku stood motionless, not saying a word. I was completely lost; freedom? Yubaba? What exactly did all this mean?

The frog continued, digging the knife in deeper. His eyes were sparkling with derisive amusement now. "I think…." He left the two words hanging for a moment, beady eyes lighting up at Haku's dangerous warning glare.

"I think…that you are waiting around… for that human girl to come back."

Haku froze. Human girl?

Haku tensed and a sadistic growl vibrated from the inside out.

The frog took the vicious snarl as a sign to continue his taunting. I hadn't known Haku very long but even I knew that continuing this conversation with him ready to explode was not the smartest thing to do.

"You're in love with her, despite what the rules say about spirit/ human relationships. I'm surprised—"

He didn't continue his taunt because, in that moment, Haku raised his hand, conjuring a string of chains and, as his hand twisted and turned gracefully, so did the chains, quickly and precisely (and probably extremely painfully) suspending the frog from the ceiling.

"Let me go!" the frog demanded.

Haku's eyes sparkled with violence. "No," the word was simple and to the point, but the power and seriousness laced within that two- letter word quieted the frog's screeching.

Haku began walking away, which was my cue to follow. Carefully I maneuvered around the frog that was swaying to and fro, throwing a tantrum.

"You—you can't just leave me here!" The frog bellowed.

Haku waved him off. "Just let them find you in the morning. They'll know it was me that did it and probably flock to my room just to thank me. Trust me; I'm doing the bathhouse a favor."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Haku laughed dangerously but didn't answer. He fell into the shadows as we turned another corridor, ignoring the repetitive shrieks and howls that came from the lobby area of the bathhouse.

Eventually the noises from the frog evaporated and it was just the two of us again, except this time the silence wasn't soothing … it was awkward. I didn't know what to make of the new information I had just received about the man that was helping me.

"Haku?..." I began uneasily.

He looked back questionably. "What is it Chihiro?" But his voice betrayed his uneasiness as well; he knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Who… who was the human girl he was talking about?"

He didn't turn but I heard his intake of breath. "She was… she was my best friend." He said simply.

"But the frog said that you were in love with her," I said persistently.

"Never mind what the frog says. He's a liar and a scam." I wasn't so dense to not notice that he was cleverly avoiding the question, but I didn't pursue it; Haku was tired enough as it was of accusations and I didn't want to get on his bad side.

As we walked onward in silence, I absorbed the dark corridors. It seemed as though something was watching us…

"Chihiro…" Haku began uncertainly.

"Yes, Haku?" I asked, hoping that he had changed his mind on the subject of telling me how this human girl was.

He sighed. "We're almost there."

I deflated, letting disappointment fill me. "Oh. Okay."

He either didn't notice my disappointment or chose not to acknowledge it. His eyes remained stationed on the area in front of us and mine continued to roam the corridors and to his gorgeous face. How did I know him? How?!

The shadows deepened in their ebony hue, merging into one, monumental pool of black before my very eyes. I instinctively tightened my grip on Haku's shoulder as I moved closer to him. However, the action did not go unnoticed by the man; his heart was swelling with hope, however faint that hope may be.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity within that vortex of nothingness, Haku and I emerged onto a balcony with stairs attached to the bathhouse leading down to another building.

"What's that?" I asked Haku.

He didn't turn to face me but continued the pathway down to the unknown room below. "That is where the boiler room is." His answer was simple, as most of his answers were.

I nodded and followed him down the stairs.

To say that these particular stairs were frightening to journey on would be a massive understatement.

No railings were positioned on the other side of the staircase, allowing the slightest misstep to lead you toward your death. I was scared senseless, almost to the point that I couldn't move. Luckily Haku was there or I'd have never so much as gone down the first step.

As we walked I made sure to keep close to him as I studied the view around me. It was truly fantastic. Although we were on the back part of the building I could oversee a sort of ocean that carried a train over its diamond waters; never had I seen such beauty in all of my life.

"It's beautiful," I found myself whispering.

My companion turned ever so slightly to gaze at the view I was complimenting. He nodded once. "Yes, it truly is. That view gave me the hope and drive I needed when I was trapped here. My only taste of freedom you might say; it kept me controlled during my imprisonment so that I wouldn't completely go insane."

I think he smiled toward the end of that statement but his back was to me so I couldn't be sure. "What about the human girl? Did she help you stay in control too?" I knew it was a sore subject to bring up but it was as though the question slipped from my tongue. I immediately snapped my mouth closed upon feeling the slight tense of his back.

"Yes," his voice was slightly strained, as if it were hard to talk about the girl that he once loved. "Yes, she was what helped me stay in control most of all. She held a kind heart and even helped me to--"He stopped, just like that.

"What? What did she help you to do?"

He seemed to be battling something within his mind as his slight hesitation evolved into a silence of five minutes. What was he hiding from me?

Finally he sighed. "Chihiro, we really don't need to talk about these matters now."

I found myself growing irritated. Why couldn't he just tell me?! What was so wrong about letting me in on this little secret?

But the more I thought about it, the more I decided that he was probably right. I sighed. "Okay, I understand."

"Thank you," his voice was sincere and gratification laced the statement.

I nodded. What was he hiding? That thought kept snaking back into my head every time I believed I was rid of it. What was he hiding from me? What kinds of secrets exist in this world?