It feels like forever since the last time I posted, but I promise you I'm not dead yet. The kitten is finally (insert many praises heavenward) sleeping through the night and has overcome the pneumonia despite all odds. The creature has now preoccupied its non-sleeping hours with attempting to follow me everywhere around the house when I am home. You guys are up to 12 out of 15 votes for the poll. I have decided to post the first chapters for two of the stories that I proposed and see if that changes any votes/gains you any more votes. These start ups WILL NOT be part of the double chapter release deal since it will be difficult enough for me to write two chapters for this story and my Ouran story within a reasonable amount of time. As always I send my love and thanks for your patience and unending awesomeness. Next chapter is where the fun begins... *insert maniacal laughter while stroking hand-sized complaining kitten*
Chapter 26:
"You're a sight for sore eyes." Chihiro startled as thick furry arms wrapped her in a bear hug from behind. Recognizing the familiar brown fur, she felt her lips tug into its first smile in days.
"What are you doing here Okita?" It had been at least three days since Chihiro was placed on isolation, two days since she had last seen Lin, and two hours since the latest messenger had stopped by. Guests were now regularly streaming into the bathhouse with gusto each morning and tents were beginning to be set up on the river itself. Yui begged her pardon for needing to run to the infirmary for a short visit, but promised her that the wards she had erected around the practice room were more than enough to keep her protected and hidden. No one should have been able to get in and yet there Okita was, smirking at her.
"I just finished my morning therapy at the infirmary and thought I'd stop in for a visit. How's it going?" The annoyed groan that came in response made his smirk shift into a smile. "Oh come on Chihiro. You already have the dance memorized. What more is there to it?"
"The dance isn't the problem," Chihiro rebuked as she took a glance around for the missing crane. She should be back any moment and Chihiro didn't want her finding out that Okita had gotten inside. Believing them to be alone, she confided in the tanuki. "Yui has had me on lock down ever since that unbearable fish arrived. I don't mind practicing, but this is absolutely ridiculous. She won't let me go anywhere other than this room and Haku's flat. Kami knows what's happening to Lin in my place. I hope someone turns that fish into a sushi roll. Plus, I haven't seen Hikaru in days. He probably thinks I abandoned him."
"He definitely misses you that's for sure. He sent me over here to check on you," Okita replied with a reassuring smile. Releasing a sigh, Chihiro walked over and sat down gracefully on a cushion.
"I feel guilty for all of the trouble I've caused, but at the same time I wish I could just escape for a few hours. I'd apologize to Hikaru for leaving him like that the other day and to Lin for taking one step out of that kitchen."
"Well I don't think I could manage Lin, but I could get you a few hours with Hikaru." Chihiro's eyes brightened at the opportunity and as she opened her mouth to ask how, the door slid open. The tired crane startled at the surprise of Okita's presence in the room. Chihiro hurriedly got to her feet.
"How did you get in here," Yui started as the anger seeped into her voice. The room was supposed to be safe yet an unexpected guest was present. Was her magic really that weak? "The building is under ward protection right now…"
Okita smirked back at Chihiro and leaned over to whisper quickly in her ear, "Read it when you are alone tonight." Shooting her a saucy wink, he disappeared into thin air and the small slip of paper that had been laying where he was standing crumbled into indiscernible ash. Huffing with annoyance, Yui magically swept up the ash and deposited it in the waste bin.
"I'm not sure what that troublemaker told you, but you should be weary of him. Kami knows what sort of nonsense he might try to play now that he's gained his freedom." Giving her uncommitted hmph Chihiro walked into the center of the floor and began practicing again. The small weight of whatever Okita had slipped into her pocket when he was whispering gave her something to look forward to.
It was late evening when Chihiro finally got back to her room and prepared for bed. Getting under the covers, she finally opened the small envelope that had been a deadweight in her pocket for the entirety of the afternoon. Raising an eyebrow at the small packet of black powder within, she lifted out the note beside it.
"Dear Chihiro, I hope you are doing well since the last time we spoke. Yui has given me another day before I can leave the infirmary so Okita has agreed to slip this note to you and one of the powders he uses for work. When you are alone tonight, pour the powder out in a line and inhale it before lying down to sleep. Make sure to not let any of it get airborne unless you want others joining us. –Hikaru"
Eyeing the black powder suspiciously, Chihiro wondered if trusting the tanuki was ever a good idea and if this would actually help her visit Hikaru. It reminded her of gun powder and the idea of snorting anything was outright revolting. He was probably have a good laugh about this somewhere. Pouring the powder out on the nightstand, she used the envelope to form a tentative line. Frowning at it, Chihiro considered if this was really the best idea; she definitely had her doubts. Putting her concerns aside, she rolled up the small note and hurriedly took the powder in. Instantly Chihiro's vision began to blur and she felt the paper fall out of her hand. Moving her hand in front of her face she realized that she was already having troubles moving her fingers. Falling back onto the bed, her arm numbly flopped out to the side and she kept breathing quickly through her mouth as her nose burned from the powder. Chihiro's eyes slid shut and she felt sweat forming on her brow as the warmth in her nose spread quickly about her body. Unconsciousness swooped in to take her quickly.
As Chihiro opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself surrounded by darkness. The sensation of warmth was gone and in fact, she might argue that wherever she was it was fairly cool. Usually when she went to bed in her room she was fairly hot from the blankets, her pajamas, and the nearby fire. Wondering how she was cold, Chihiro glanced down to see what she was wearing. Her eyes grew wide at the navy blue nightgown that clung to her and yet seemed to flow gently to an unseen current. Some of the shimmering fabric went down her arms in a delicate twisting pattern before encircling her middle fingers. A single dark ribbon wound firmly beneath her breasts, supporting them upward against the modest sweetheart cut of the dress.
"I'm happy to see you arrived safely." Clutching a hand to her chest and spinning about, she relaxed at the sight of Hikaru. He seemed to separate from the darkness with his pale human features. Bringing his hand up, a shawl appeared bundled up within his grasp. Taking his offering with a muttered thanks, she used it to wrap up her bare shoulders. "Though I have to say that I'm a bit surprised you formed me as a human."
"What do you mean? Where are we," Chihiro asked as she noted the darkness seeming to brighten in some areas.
"We are wherever you want us to be or rather wherever Okita will allow us to exist." The confused look on Chihiro's face told him all that he needed to know about the situation. "So you trusted Okita enough to take the powder, but didn't ask questions about what would happen?"
"He didn't exactly have any time to tell me." Nodding his head in understanding, Hikaru glanced down at their bare feet. The ground seemed to be solidifying into a soft pebble beach, but the surrounding darkness had yet to form completely into their environment.
"The powder you took is a specific kind of tanuki ash. When inhaled, the intended victims fall unconscious and mentally enter into a world of the tanuki's creation for a set period of time. It's very useful for extracting information from the Tainted and for distracting enemies."
"So you are telling me that Okita has us under some sort of shared hallucination?"
"In a way, though I made him promise to give us as much control over the situation as he possibly could. Anything we say in here will remain privately between you and me that much I know for sure." The darkness seemed to part like rolling fog revealing a peaceful blue lake lapping at the pebbles a few steps away from them. A weak afternoon sun peaked out from behind the clouds and the air seemed like a temperate fall day. A gnarled old tree breached the seemingly unending beach front and from it, one large branch protruded over the water with an old swing dangling from it.
"This place…," Chihiro murmured as she felt a wave of nostalgia sweep over her. Stepping towards the tree unconsciously, she remembered the only camping trip that her father had ever taken her on when she was small. He had procured an old canvas army tent that lacked a floor and had convinced her mother to let them go for a week to a small lake in the backwoods of Kyushu. It had rained nearly the entire time they were there, soaking the canvas tent and causing their air mattresses to float in the puddles. Her father managed to find the only poison oak in a five kilometer radius on the second day and she had sprawled out in the mud from turning too roughly in her sleep on several occasions. One might argue that the entire experience was a terrible blot upon her memory, but she looked back at it with fondness. Despite all of the mishaps, it was time they had spent bonding together and that was all that mattered to her.
It was on the last day that she discovered an old tree with a swing upon the lake shore. Begging her father to push her on it, Chihiro had gone running along the pebbly shore until she had reached the wooden plank threaded with knotted ropes. Grumbling about how he wasn't sure if this was the best idea, he gave her a few pushes to get her started. On the third push, the swing had broken, sending her into the water with a huge splash. When she broke the surface and looked back at her father, the two of them had started laughing uncontrollably. After everything that had happened, it seemed ironic and hilarious that not a single thing had gone right that trip.
"You know this place," Hikaru asked tentatively as he noticed her eyes focus on the tree and return to reality.
"Yes. I came here once as a child." Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Hikaru, but his eyes still lingered on the tree. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that the other day. We never got to finish our talk."
"Think nothing of it. Shall we take a walk and see what we find?" Her eyes darted back to the swing and she smiled. Chihiro's sense of humor demanded that she request Hikaru get on the swing instead and that she would give him a push. However it seemed cruel to put an unsuspecting fox on a questionably secure swing. Perhaps in this reality the swing would not break.
"I would like that immensely."
The pebbles crunched underneath their bare feet as they slowly walked side by side towards the tree in the distance. Glancing up at her, Hikaru tried to bring up the courage he needed to say what he wanted to say. For her part, Chihiro admired the colorful pebbles and looked out over the lake. She was just happy being beside him and that he had forgiven her.
"Yui visited me today. She said that I can't leave the infirmary for another day, but after that I'm free to leave. I will leave the infirmary the morning after next." Chihiro looked over at Hikaru. His eyes were downturned and his body seemed to move heavily with each step. What should be joyous news seemed to trouble him greatly.
"That's wonderful news, Hikaru! I'll see if I can stop by that morning to see you off before practice. Did she find a solution for your missing memory or are you going to figure it out after you leave? Where will you go after this?" She was torn between happiness that he would be well enough to vacate the infirmary and sadness that he would be leaving her soon.
"I don't know to be honest. Without my memory, I probably won't be able to access my magic if I find trouble on my way back North." Bending over to grasp a few white pebbles, Chihiro tried to skip them across the water unsuccessfully. Under normal circumstances she would have had no trouble skipping them, but part of her was admittedly disappointed that he would be leaving soon. She would miss him. Taking in the way the corners of her lips were downturned in concern, Hikaru read her emotions easily. Retrieving a hand full of stones, Hikaru tossed one elegantly making it skip five times before disappearing into the depths of the lake. "Would you like me to stay here with you?"
"I want you to go wherever will make you happiest. Besides, don't you think it would be selfish of me to ask you to stay only for me to leave a few weeks later," Chihiro babbled as she half-heartedly threw another rock, "I'm returning to the human world Hikaru and soon I won't remember you."
"I could go with you." He said it so simply that Chihiro's mouth gaped open in surprise for a moment before she could quickly shut it. "We could go back to your world together and forget all about this stupid war. I wouldn't need my memories back. We could create a whole new beginning. You could go back to whatever job it is that you were doing before you were stolen from your world and I would find a job that makes me happy.-"
"Why would you do all of that for me," Chihiro asked. The stones in her hand were forgotten as she dropped them to the ground and faced Hikaru. Keeping his face calm, he swung out another skipping stone upon the water. This was his moment. He should be completely honest with her and put all of his feelings out there, but what if she didn't feel the same way? Hikaru knew she had something going on with Haku, but it seemed apparent that her feelings for him weren't returned. Was now really the best time? His courage failed him when he noticed her serious expression. Changing directions, Hikaru tried for a different approach.
"My time should have ended in that hot miserable basement weeks ago, but you brought me back from the darkness and gave me another shot at life. You make me happy and I have enjoyed our time together. I want to spend the remainder of my days by your side if you will allow me to… Chihiro, please make a contract with me." Hikaru threw his last stone and turned to face her in all seriousness. It was all or nothing now. "I promise to be by your side and protect you from evil, no matter the world, until the day you no longer want me. In return, I only ask for your companionship and patience."
Hikaru offered out his right arm and waited for her to take it. All she had to do was verbally agree to his terms aloud and grasp his arm, magic would do the rest. Chihiro looked at his hand in heavy consideration. Contracts were no laughing matter in the Spirit World, her previous experience here taught her that, but she saw no harm in his offer. Still, her gut was telling her that he was offering her more than he was saying aloud.
"Hikaru, wouldn't our friendship change if we make a contract? Can't we just stay the way we are?"
"Nothing will change between us if we form a contract. You are simply giving me a purpose to remaining in the bathhouse." Hikaru knew he was outright lying. If she accepted his proposal, everything would change. They would be bound magically and he would belong to her. If she felt any strong emotion such as fear or anger, he would be able to feel it and in the worst case scenario, send his magic to her for her protection. He really should have phrased the contract so that she would belong to him as well, but it was too late to change the offer. What was done, was done.
"But this decision affects after I leave the bathhouse as well. It's not a decision to be taken lightly. It would change both of our lives." Hikaru felt his heart drop at her hesitation to accept. Perhaps they weren't as close as he had hoped. "I want to take you up on this and say yes, but can you give me some time to think about it? I want to make sure I'm making the right decision first."
Nodding his head, he let his arm drop to his side. All hope was not lost yet, at least she was considering his offer. She would come around in time and when he was free of the infirmary, he could spend his time wooing her to his proposal. Trying to break the underlying tension between them, Hikaru smiled at her and pointed at the now much closer tree. "Now that that's out of the way, care to swing?"
Seating herself down on the familiar wooden plank, she was surprised to see Hikaru pause before pushing. Examining the ropes on either side, he frowned and uttered a few things under his breath.
"Is there a problem?"
"The knots seemed a bit weak. I just hope they hold, that's all. Wouldn't want you falling into the water." Nodding her head in understanding, she felt his warm hands press against her in a gentle push. Swinging forward out over the water, Chihiro began the pendulum motion. After she was good and flying, Hikaru stood back and sat down on the beach as he tried to calm his still roiling heart. He watched the way her dress flowed with the air and how her feet pumped through the air trying to defy gravity itself. The remaining lengths of ribbon not tied up into a bow dragged behind her. His favorite part was the way she grasped the ropes and arched her back as if to push for more from life itself.
Chihiro frowned as she thought about the disappointed look that had passed over Hikaru's face before he had smiled earlier. Had she made the right decision in asking for more time? Surely this wasn't a matter to be rushed. Her thoughts were interrupted as the swing broke and she began flying towards the water. Instead of the rush of cool water sweeping her under, she was surprised to feel firm warm flesh taking the blunt force of her fall. Jolted to a halt, she found herself caught in Hikaru's arms. He looked down at her with a concerned smirk.
"Why does it always seem that you have an affinity for water?" Rolling her eyes at his comment, she looked down to see what he was standing on. Her eyebrows arched in surprise as she saw they were standing on a solid piece of ice and similar footprint sized ice cubes stood making a tentative line from where he had been seated before. Hikaru ignored it all as he continued to focus completely on her. "I mean really, I swear if there is a patch of water between here and the edge of the world, you would find your way into it. Are you secretly part mermaid or something?"
"No, I'm not," Chihiro laughed as he began walking back towards shore, "If anything it seems you are part ice woman, care to share how you froze the water?"
"I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about," Hikaru mocked as he set her down on the beach and smirked at her. Turning to point out the ice cubes to him, she was surprised to find them missing. Hikaru smiled even larger at her outright shock. "Perhaps it was all in your imagination, sweetheart."