Fire crackled and glowed, warming the three travelers. Chihiro fell asleep, her head resting on Haku's shoulder. Akira was shivering beside him, trying to warm his hands.
Glancing at the teenagers, he frowned when he caught the spirit holding his sister's hand. "Haku, what's your relationship with my sister?" Surprised at the sudden question, he looked up at the night sky, determining his answer.
Startled, Akira blushed. Avoiding his eyes, the boy stammered, "How are you so straight forward about this?" Haku smiled warmly at the curious boy. "When you grow older you'll find the courage to."
"So, were you scared to admit it? You've confessed to my sis, haven't you?" Haku chuckled. "Easy with the questions. You'll find out soon enough when you find someone special. Go to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."
The boy nodded, snuggling beside Haku. After a while, Akira had slid down, leaning against his arm. Chihiro opened one eye, seeing if the coast was clear. Glancing at the spirit, he was still awake.
Giving a sly smile, she squeezed his hand tighter. "You'll find out soon enough when you find someone special," she whispered.
Realizing she was still awake, he lightly blushed. "So you heard," he mumbled in embarrassment. "Yeah, so?" Chihiro sat up, pushing Haku on his side. Confused, he realized, she was pushing his head onto her lap.
"You should have a chance to rest too," she insisted. "You can't run forever, Haku." Giving a sigh, the young dragon could not protest. He remained on her lap while Akira fell to his sister's side.
The once human girl looked up at the night sky, gazing at the tiny stars that glittered in the dark. She too began to drift into sleep.
The sunlight shined over him, causing him to awaken. Rubbing his sea green eyes, he noticed nothing but grass was underneath him. Sitting up, only Akira laid sleeping beside him.
With the fire gone, so was Chihiro. "Chihiro?" he called out. Standing up, he began his search. "Akira, wake up," he shook the sleeping boy's shoulder. He woke up, his hair spiked up and his eyes drowsy.
"Let's go find your sister," he encouraged, picking him up to his feet. Calling out her name, they anxiously searched for the girl. "Where'd she go?" Haku muttered. Could it have been the curse? "Hey, sis! She's over there?" Akira noticed, pointing to the direction.
Frowning, Haku swiftly brought the boy with him to the cliff. Chihiro stood in her kimono-human clothes, staring at the vast sea. "Oh, hey," the girl greeted. Realizing their glares, she tried to avoid their gaze.
"I-I just wanted to go ahead and scout for the direction we're supposed to go," she quietly squeaked. Haku sighed, patting her head.
Akira took note of this, thinking of what the teenager had told him last night. "Well, we're here now," the spirit sighed. "Any leads?"
Chihiro nodded. "I caught a strange scent, but it leads into the water. Akira finally realized where they were, glancing down at the crashing waves. Giving an alarmed squeal, he cowered behind the two.
"What's with you?" Haku frowned. "He's afraid of the water," Chihiro explained. "Ever since I nearly drowned in your river and he fell into the school pool, he always had this fear."
Kneeling beside Akira, Haku placed his hand on him. "I'm not going down there," he pouted, crossing his arms and planting himself where he was. Haku shrugged. "That's your decision. But don't you want to save Chihiro?"
Akira opened one eye at him. "I can't protect her on my own," he continued. "I guess we have no choice but to risk it, Chihiro. Let's go." Hesitating, the girl began to speak, but was cut off when picked her up.
"W-Wait a minute! You're not saying your really g-going down there?" Akira gulped. Glancing back, Haku nodded. "Anyways, you're not going to drown. You have me remember?" The boy swallowed.
"Take my hand," Haku encouraged. Taking it, he muttered a few words that neither siblings could interpret. For a moment, the boy glowed.
Giving a thumbs up, Haku held Chihiro tighter. Pushing her closely to his face, he whispered softly, "You ready?" Taking a deep breath while trying not to blush, she nodded.
While dragging a panicking Akira down the cliff, the three began their descent into the sea. As they heard Akira's excitement shouting in the air, Chihiro thought this would be the time. Touching his cheek, she moved his eyes towards her.
Chihiro? he thought. She finally got close enough when they splashed into the water. Akira cringed in fear, curling himself into a ball. He was still clutching Haku's hand, tightening it as they sunk deeper.
The two teenagers finally released each other, noticing each other's blushing faces. As Chihiro looked away in embarrassment, Haku cleared his throat. Turning towards Akira, he insisted, "Open your eyes and breathe. There's nothing to worry."
"Yeah, you told me that when you pushed me off the cliff!" he snapped back. Blinking, he looked at his hands and touched his throat. "I… I can breathe! And see? And swim?" Chihiro rolled her eyes.
Swimming away, the three searched for a clue. "Can you smell anything, Haku?" Chihiro asked. He shook his head. "What about you, Akira-"
The little boy was nowhere to be seen. Alarmed, Chihiro looked around. "Akira?" she called out with an edge in her voice. "Sis! Haku! Come look at this!" a faint voice shouted out. Following the voice, they swam their way to Akira.
"Stop roaming around!" Chihiro snapped. "This is just like the time when we went to the mall-"
He pointed to the rock he was examining. Ancient carvings were engraved onto the rock, creating an ominous design. Haku swam closely, reading the markings. "It could be Daichi," he thought. Using his powers, he tried to open the rock. A massive force of water crashed into the rock.
"Nothing's working," Akira grumbled. Chihiro swam towards the teenager. Grabbing his hand, she smiled. "Let's do it together," she said determinedly. Nodding, they focused their attack on the ancient rock.
Blinking, Chihiro's little brother swam away, awaiting their combined attack. The force of water reappeared, this time with a flaming black fire surrounding it. The blast blew sand everywhere, bubbles blocking their view.
"Did it work?" the boy wondered. Watching as the smoke drifted away, the rock was still perfect as it was before. "That is one tough rock," he thought. Swimming towards it, Chihiro touched the rough surface.
What does it say? she wondered, touching the deep lines. Curiously, she tried to use her power to translate the markings. Nothing. It's just… lines… Wait… The lines suddenly began to glow, moving around to translate for her. "Chihiro?" Haku narrowed his eyes. "What do you see?"
The ancient markings finally translated for the girl. "Bestow the blood of a mortal."
I'm thinking of making another story of Shugo Chara. Anyone interested?