Aftermath (five years later…)
A Fanfic about Spirited Away
Written By: ZimXGir
Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away…although I do own Pernaki and Yuiki and Chihiro's spirit self 'Chiro'.
Chapter Fourteen: Kohaku Learns
A/N: Well I'm excited! My birthday is coming up soon! September 8th! And since ya'll are so kind and patient I'll have a special surprise for ya'll! Since it's a Saturday (my birthday is this year), I'll post two chapters! Or at least as many as it takes to get chapter 19 posted! Since I'll be turning 19 I think it will be a great idea. Don't you?
ZimXGir: -dances with Pernaki-
Pernaki: -face red from all Sake birthday toasts-
Chihiro: o.o; it's not her bir-
ZimXGir: ; let him have his fun.
Yubaba: Ahem? -crosses arms and taps foot-
ZimXGir: O.O;; Nevermind!
Pernaki: -catches sight of Yubaba- Oh shit….0.0! ZimXGir Chapter NOW!
ZimXGir: -saves Pernaki's ass by starting the Chapter which Yubaba has been waiting for-
Pernaki: -sneeks back to his post-
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Chapter 14: Kohaku Learns
"Lin?" Chiro asked.
"Haku's….um….down by the pig pen last I heard. But that was before noon." Lin shrugged.
"Oh."
Lin looked as if she wanted to say something but didn't. Instead Yuiki popped her head in.
"Madam Chiro? Oh! Good you're awake! Yubaba wanted to see how you were doing!" her smile and voice dripped with false sweetness.
Lin rolled her eyes, but Yuiki didn't see. But Chiro did and she stifled a grin.
"Um…I'm fine Yuiki, you can tell Yubaba not to worry!" Chiro met Yuiki's smile with her own fake sweetness, for some reason she didn't trust this girl.
"Oh. Good."
Lin rolled her eyes again but this time Yuiki did see and her smile cracked a bit.
"Lin" Yuiki said through clutched teeth. "So nice of you to cater to our beloved guests' every wish!" She smiled a false smile that suggested that she was thinking of some very choice words for her.
Chiro smiled, despite the look on Yuiki face and shot Lin a warning look as Lin opened her mouth to protest or something to Yuiki.
Yuiki bowed and began to turn when Lin asked "Hey Yuiki YOU'D know where Haku is right? Where is he?"
That stopped her right in her tracks. "I'm sorry?"
"Madam Chiro here is looking to have a word with him about something…you know where he is?"
Chiro smiled but her smile wasn't met as Yuiki answered. "Why…it's almost 7:30p he should be making his rounds. Or still asleep…that silly goose was up all night….erm….day taking care of the pigs' blood." At her last word she shot Chiro a look that wasn't her own, it was as if her body was there but those eyes were not even hers. Not even human…..well as much human as a spirit servant can get.
Chiro opened her mouth to say something but just then a bird with the body of a hawk or raven and the head of Yubaba swooped in and landed on top of the dresser beside Yuiki and the door. A note was held in one of its claws. It looked from one female to the next finally stopping its gaze on Chiro. It gave her a look of remembrance or something that would suggest that it was trying to remember where it recognized her from. With no luck the bird's head shook as if to whip away the thought and then looked to Lin and half hopped half walked over to her as soon as its claws hit the floor when it lightly jumped off the dresser.
All three women watched the bird go, questions filling each one of their heads. Lin bent down and scooped up the letter; unrolling it as the other two watched the bird hop onto Chiro's bed and looked longingly at the half eaten breakfast.
"You may have some if you wish." Chiro smiled as she spoke to the bird.
A squawk was all the bird replied with before snacking on one of the pieces of sushi.
Lin's eyes flew over the words written. Nodding every once in a while, until she was done and let out a great sigh and an "Ok."
Yuiki and Chiro both asked at the same time "What is it?"
They looked at each other as if they had just noticed one another.
Lin looked at them and cleared her throat. "Um….nothing important." She smiled and made her way to the door. Passing Yuiki and Chiro as she did so, she waved over her shoulder and was gone. Soon it was Yuiki's turn to leave and she bowed before leaving. The bird stayed but only until Chiro sat down did it look up at her. A moment later it got up flapped its wings once or twice and then made its way out the window, leaving Chiro alone with her thoughts.
"Where are you Haku?"
……
The final bell rang at 3:00p, to signify that classes were over. All the students, with new found energy, left their seats and began their slow walk home. None of which took any notice of the new student walking up the only dirt road as the paved street continued its way up the hill. No one seemed to even care that, that road lead to no house, just an entrance. But as the student passed the little stone houses a sigh could be heard and he stopped. At least it could have been heard by anyone of the chatting students if only they were close enough to him.
He looked down at him feet and thought, then turning he continued up the hill with the rest of the pack of students. Only he was the only one that was not chatting or gossiping.
……
Pernaki walked out of his house yawning. Someone or something had been just outside his door. And it was his job to make sure no more humans walked right into the spirit world. Rubbing his eye he looked around but nothing caught his eye until the group of teenage students where half way up the hill from him.
"Haku?"
……
The group of students began to disperse as they one by one disappeared into house after house, until only Kohaku and one other student, female, remained. The girl was pretty, and an athlete it seemed, tall, but she held herself awkwardly, as if she didn't want anyone to know that she was there.
The girl's mouth opened and closed many times until she and he were coming up on her house. She glanced at him and her cheeks pinkened. She was almost a full head taller than him, but she had the air of a short scared little girl about her. She muttered a "See you tomorrow" then hurried up the walkway and into her own house.
Kohaku followed her only a short time with his eyes. He had much bigger things on his mind then a tall girl with a crush. He kept his eyes on the left side of the street, looking from one house to the next. Finally he was at the end of the street, before it curved and connected into a cold-a-sack. There stood the little blue house. Even though he was heading towards the house, for some reason he felt as if he was being pulled to it. As if it was calling to him.
"What secrets do you hold for me?" whispered Kohaku. As he neared the front door his ears picked up on some movement from within. Quickly he ducked in a bush by a side window, peering in he caught sight of Chihiro's parents; they looked as if they were arguing.
……
"But what if she has run away? To look for that boy again?" her father heatedly asked.
"So what if she has? It does NOT matter to me! She could be dead for all we know! And here I find you thinking up ways of punishing Chihiro when she comes home!" her mother had tears in her eyes and dried ones upon her cheeks, telling that she had been doing nothing but crying since Chihiro's disappearance.
Their voices rose and fell over the course of the next two and a half hours, until both parents were tired and their voices a little hoarse. Finally they both sat down to eat, but they had forgotten to go grocery shopping since Chihiro left. So there wasn't much, just enough to call a sad meal. At 6p they finally began to make their way into their room, both exhausted from arguing and worrying.
That's when Kohaku made his move. He climbed up a tree to a window on the second floor. The most welcoming window he had ever visited and he visited this window quit often enough. Looking in he could see that the room was as it was the last night that he had watched her sleep, only a few days before he would hear of her disappearance. How angry and saddened he had been that day when he had found out. He couldn't - wouldn't believe it until he saw it himself. His eyes even bore tears as he had looked in on an empty bed. He taped the glass softly and the window sprang open. Kohaku slid in and quietly walked over to Chihiro's bed. Sighing he sat down upon it, looking around taking everything in, as if this was going to be the last time he'd ever get this chance again. He picked up one of Chihiro's favorite dolls that she had gotten at the carnival when it was in town. It was a plushy of a white dragon, that she named 'Haku'. Under the dragon was a small pink book with a lock. Kohaku raised an eyebrow and picked the lock. The pink book fell open to the front title page "Chihiro's Diary." It only took him an instant to find out that the diary had been started right after she had come back from the spirit world.
He sat there in silence, reading, until the sun was but just a glow in the distance. He tore his eyes away from the written words of Chihiro and glared at the setting sun. Knowing very well that the bathhouse would soon be open, the water heated and the baths drawn. He set the dragon plushy back down onto the pillow and made his way to the window pocketing the diary and slowly changing into a dragon himself as he went. The window shut tight and locked as the last bit of his tail made it through the window.
……
"Haku's late!" Yubaba glared as she made her way from Boh's room to her desk. He was never late, unless there was something very important to worry about. And Yubaba knew she had not given him an order or anything of that nature. So she was curious.
There was a rap on the door and Yubaba looked at the door with curiosity. "Enter."
The door stayed silent and unmoved.
"I said enter!"
Still the door did not move.
"I said enter you ungrateful little…" Yubaba started as she stormed over to the door and flung it open to see nothing. Curiously she looked from left to right to the left again before she looked down. An eyebrow rose as her eyes fell upon a small package.
"What is this?"
……
Chiro sighed and walked around in her room a few minutes after her dishes were taken down to the kitchen by another servant. She was bored and wanted out. But she knew someone would follow her on Yubaba's order or something. So she cast her eyes at the window. Nearing it she hummed a little tune, in hopes that the clouds that had caught her before and flew her around would come to her aid once more.
She opened the window and took in a deep breath before balancing on the window seal and falling forward with her eyes closed. Her eyes stayed closed until she felt something soft and fluffy under her. Upon opening her eyes she saw that the pink cloud had caught her once again. And only with five feet to the ground, gulping Chiro tried not to think about what could have happened to her if the pink cloud didn't catch her in time, shaking her head as if that would help keep the thoughts away.
She didn't know where she should go since she was going to spend the night outside the bathhouse walls. She took a deep breath smelling something odd. Flying higher she caught sight of a spirit coming towards the bridge. "Stink spirit" she told herself as she watched the mild chaos down below her. She grinned as she watched Yubaba running around like a chicken with her head cut off.
Chiro was remembering the time that she was given the job of taking care of that stink spirit who was actually a rich and powerful water spirit that's river had been over-run with pollution. She smiled at the thought and cringed at the memory her nose had of the stench.
She cast her eyes towards the pig pen and pondered if Haku would return there. Funny enough her cloud must have had the same idea because it began to head that way. She started to panic a little incase she wasn't allowed over there like she had been the last time she was there. Though then she was a servant, NOT the spirit of the clouds. Her eyes flashed across the sky and then the ground searching for Haku….but he couldn't be found. So she shrugged and just quickly thought out her story if anyone had found her in there.
As she landed just outside the pens doorway she decided that her story would consist of her says "I just never got to see a real pig up close!" She thought that since she was the 'cloud spirit' that this would be understandable since she was in the clouds all the time.
The air still had a strong smell of blood in the air. Her nose wrinkled as she stepped inside quietly. The whole pen was softly illuminated with lights up above. She walked over to the closest pen and saw that it held a single piglet. 'Chihiro', as she was called, was busy playing with a little rubber red ball. Snorting and laughing as little pigs do. It wasn't until Chiro was inside the pen with him did she relies that Chiro was even there.
"Oink!" came the surprised piglet.
Chiro giggled which made the little piglet blush, that is if piglets could blush. She pushed the ball over to her and smiled. Chiro took the hint and tossed it towards the other end of the pen. 'Chihiro' dashed over there and bounced and snorted as she brought it back to her. They did this over and over until there was a noise and they both looked up.
"Oh it's you!"
……
Lin hurried down the hallway to the final elevator that led down to Kamaji's boiler room. She was too much in a hurry that she didn't even notice the female servant that was following her.
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A/N (part two): Well this is great isn't it? I mean me actually having time and the equipment to type everything up! –Excited- Um… Ahem Anyways…I hope you all are enjoying the Fanfic! I still have NO idea how I'm going to finish this off! TOO MANY IDEAS!!! Ha, ha. Well I thought you guys might like to know that this is exactly 100 words more whole chapter then the last one! Good bye everyone! 3
