Chapter 24: Thunder

The piece of the past unexpectedly came up to the surface like a lightning flash. A gasp of heartsick as Chihiro tried to swallow her distorted reality, this somehow made Haku feeling weak. Ji-In's puppets' commotion around him began to suffocate him. The dragon swirled, creating some space within the crowd, and finally he roared as he cast out a spell. Fire emerged all over his body and gushed around burning the puppets. This way he could finally get away, he leapt out of the crowd. Now his eyes captured the scene where his lover was standing.

Haku realized, this was the moment of silence after the lightning where the thunder awaits to rumble. She was there, standing on the beginning of the bridge. She was facing nothing but an empty street in front of them. Ji-In was not there. Nobody with a figure of her father was to be found. Not a single living thing moving and facing her. She was there, all alone.

The dragon howled.It's a trick! Ji-In put an illusion on Chihiro, damn it! he said to himself. He must wake her up. But she even couldn't hear him roaring, he couldn't do it in his dragon form. He couldn't bethe thunder. He wouldn'tbethe thunder. Chihiro needed to be woken up gently. So he shifted into his human form as he was still floating in the air, then he flew to her and landed carefully in front of her. Chihiro was still petrified with an empty look on her eyes. She could not see Haku in front of her, she couldn't sense his presence. Haku gulped as he saw her getting pale and started to shed a tear. He did not know what Ji-In was showing to her in his illusion; it could be the worst. And whatever it was, he must set her free now. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently.

In Chihiro's eyes, the figure of his late dad was so close right in front of her, about to embrace her. She was ready to cave in and surrender into his arms, but it never happened. Suddenly she got the view in front of her twisted and something made her body shake. The next thing she knew, Haku was there holding her.

"Chihiro, wake up!" he snapped.

She blinked. She was so confused, she looked at him for a second. She thought it was her dad, but then it's her dragon? She ignored him and then looked away around her, trying to find the figure of her father.

Haku shook his head, she was still lost. "Chihiro," he called again. He held her face and gently moved her head, making her look at him. "Hey, it's me," he said again carefully.

Chihiro reached his hand on her face and the light came back to her eyes. She let out a shallow breath. "Haku…" she said weakly.

Haku nodded. "I'm here," he said, he locked his eyes on hers, making sure that he got her back.

Chihiro burst into tears. "Haku!" she whined. She immediately melted down into his arms. "Haku! My- my.. D-dad…" she stammered.

Haku held her tight. "No, no. Chihiro-"

"He was here! Alive!" she cried out loud.

"No, Chihiro, listen to me-"

"Where is he now!?" she shouted. She began to cry uncontrollably. "J-Ji.. Ji-In was… D-dad?" she questioned her distorted reality.

She was trembling in his arms. Haku hugged her tighter and tried to soothe her. "Chihiro, look at me," he commanded as he could feel their connection was back.

Chihiro looked up to him. "That was not real," he said carefully. "Whatwesaw was not real," he repeated.

Chihiro shook her head, she did not understand. "What do you mean..?"

"It's a trick," Haku stated. "It was an illusion. Ji-In tricked you with his illusion… of your dad…" he explained.

Chihiro looked at him in disbelief, or it was her refusing to believe. Haku did understand that this was so unbelievable, so he let her take a moment to let it sink in. As all the consciousness gathered back into her, she bawled and buried herself back in his arms.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Haku whispered. That was all that he could say. He held her while he rubbed her back trying to calm her down. He kissed her head so many times.

Haku was actually devastated. This was the worst emotional pain he felt. Ji-In was pure evil. He would not forgive him for hurting the love of his life in such a way. He would have no mercy on him. He would find him and kill him. Even if Ji-In somehow managed to get away that day, Haku swore he would not rest until the day he could finally take that cursed spirit's breath away.

Chihiro stopped crying. She moved out of his arms. "This is not over," she said coldly.

Haku wiped her tears. He nodded his head. "Our enemy is still here somewhere. He could have breached into the bathhouse," he said cautiously.

Chihiro balled her fist, if that happened, then it was her fault that she stupidly fell into Ji-In's illusion trap and failed to protect everyone. "Then we have to find him," she demanded.

The dragon agreed. He held her hand. Now Chihiro turned around, about to lead their way to cross over the bridge, but a sudden impaling pain in her chest stopped her. She shrieked and grasped her cloth on her chest while she looked down to it only to find nothing actually impaled her. So she turned back around, and that was it.

The thunder.

Held upon in front of her eyes, the dagger given by Zeniba which was also the same dagger used to stab the witch to death, now it transpierced through her dragon's chest on the exact region of where his heart was. Haku looked shocked, he could only freeze as his blood spurted and started to stain his clothes. It all happened too fast, Chihiro saw Ji-In was behind her lover, giving her a sinister smirk- though she couldn't believe her eyesight for now; before he withdrew the dagger out of Haku's back and vanished out into thin air. Haku staggered and couldn't fight the gravity that was dragging him down. Chihiro caught him into her arms right before his knees touched the ground.

"Chihiro..." he said weakly as she laid him down.

"N-no no no no no, noo! This could not happen!" she said with her chaotic raspy voice. She brought her hand to the wound on his chest trying to stop the bleeding, her other hand rubbing her eyes as they were full of tears and she couldn't see clearly. "Haku, stay with me!" she cried.

Haku reached her hand on his chest. He was gasping for air as it was getting hard for him to breathe. Chihiro leaned closer and stared him in the eyes. "Haku, listen to me," she said carefully. "Remember about that spell to save a dragon? Now, I need you to tell me the incantation meanings," she commanded.

Haku made a thin smile and slightly shook his head. Chihiro winced her eyes. "My Love, you promised! Now is the time!" she yelled while her tears streamed down her face even more.

The dragon gulped and moved his lips trying to say a word. "...Balance," he said finally, half whispering.

Her crying erupted. She shook her head angrily. Haku knew very well that at this time it was impossible for her to get a balanced control of her strength and emotion. But how could he still think about such a thing right now?

"I don't care about damn balance!" she shouted to him. Now she held him close. "We're running out of time. Tell me the meanings, now!" she ordered desperately.

Haku had no choice. Chihiro nodded as he was trying to say something. But it was too hard for him, as he had lost a lot of blood, and it started to feel suffocating. So he used the remaining strength in his body to reach and hold his lover's face, and transferred the incantation meanings through a glance on her brown eyes.

Chihiro blinked several times that now she understood the incantation meanings though it wasn't put in words. "Okay, alright. Haku, stay awake, I will save you," she said quickly.

Haku shed a tear while caressing his lover's face. Now Chihiro closed her eyes and brought both of her hands to Haku's chest trying to center her focus on it. "Sira ir kula ir, sira eri ku eri, sira atma ku atma, sira uri kula uri, kadi yaku abdi!" she cast out the spell. She could feel a beyond powerful force vining all through her body, reaching her hands and fingertips on his chest, but then it receded as soon as it slipped out of her body. Haku's hand slumped off of her cheek. Chihiro opened her eyes.

"No no no noo, no, Haku!" she squealedin horror. "Haku, stay with me! Open your eyes!" she cried.

Chihiro shook her head, she could not give in. Maybe she wasn't focused enough, so she tried again. "Sira ir kula ir, sira eri ku eri, sira atma ku atma, sira uri kula uri, kadi yaku abdi... KADI YAKU ABDI!" she shouted once again to cast out the incantation.

Chihiro screeched to herself as there was no such powerful force vining in her body, not even a spark of force in the slightest. She shook her head over and over. "No..! NOOO...!" she howled. She leaned down closer facing her dragon. His eyes were closed. She held his face and caressed it, the color on his pale skin started to dim. She couldn't feel his breath, the warmth started to leave his body.

"Haku, no..!" She cried.

"Haku, don't leave me!" she yelled.

"HAKU, WAKE UP!" she shouted and she shook his body, hoping her lover would respond.

But there was only silence and the cold wind blew. It felt like the time had stopped for her now.

"Kohaku..." she called him one last time.

Chihiro brushed her thumb over his lip and then she kissed him. His thin lips that used to be full of warmth. His lips that used to be firm in harmony with her lips. His lips that used to be so loving, that could do both soothing and driving her soul crazy at once. Now they were cold. They were loose. They were exanimate. Chihiro had to pull herself away. Her heart was now full of death. No such place for life. No such place for hope. Now she could only cry and watch Haku's dead body on her side.

The puppets and illusion master turned up there all along, just a few steps behind the broken-hearted girl. Ji-In was there, ruthlessly watching them. One out of three, he said to himself. The boy named Haku, who turned out to be a dragon, was involved in causing all the troubles that put his daughter, Mikayo, in such a muddle. He wondered about his daughter's condition right now, has she awakened yet? If it happened to be Mikayo has her heart hurt by this dragon boy, she has nothing to worry about anymore because her father has avenged it onto the dragon's literal heart. A heart for a heart.That was easy. And he gladly did that for her daughter.

And the girl named Cihiro, a fake illegal spirit that was once just a human, who turned out to be the dragon's mate, surely was involved in this too; as Mikayo also mentioned her name. Despite all the chaos, had he acknowledged her existence without having anything to do with Mikayo, Ji-In would have killed her without hesitation. Anyone who trespasses the law of nature gave him an absolute disgust and he thought he had the right to punish them. But killing her was too merciful. He found it better to let her live, but in pain, sorrow, and darkness. That should torture her to death eventually.

Ji-In smirked. This is for you, Mikayo,he said to himself. With that he turned around, walked away leaving them and now began to cross over the bridge. Now, where is this Yubaba?

From all of the places in the bathhouse, just why Yubaba had to pull Lin and land her on the furthest indoor part of the building. Now the daughter of the God of War had to make her way through the crowds of her troops, the witch's employees.

"Darn it!" Lin cursed. "You mean to hold me back here, Yubaba?" she said angrily to the two-headed-witch pendant while she took it out of her shirt. But the witch did not respond. "Yubaba?" Lin called again, and still there was no sign that the witch was listening.

Lin grouched, she considered that the witch meant to do it. Lin had her eyes open wide and scanned through the crowds searching for the figure of Chihiro, or Haku, and also Q, while she kept moving trying to get out from the bathhouse and back to the battlefield. She swore if anything bad happens to Chihiro, she could not forgive herself and will actually blame Yubaba for not letting her to protect her sister. Now she finally reached the door where everyone was still lined up out there and she found the gray haired fortune teller was there in front of them, facing the bridge.

Q took some steps forward as he saw Ji-In was on the bridge, walking closer to the bathhouse. He let out a heavy breath. There he is, he said to himself. He took out his sword and forcefully stuck it to the ground in front of him.

"Yubaba, get ready for the next phase," he said to the witch through the pendant.

Yubaba answered him, "How terrible this one could be?"

Q shook his head slowly, though Yubaba couldn't see that. "Honestly, I don't know,"

Yubaba was actually trying her best to not let out her rage as it would ruin everything. She could only stand there and watched in anger as one of her best employees, who was also used to be her apprentice, was being killed. And the poor girl on his side was broken, yet she must fulfil her destiny. It had to be this way, as the fortune teller had told.

"Say, when to start?"Yubaba asked.

Meanwhile, the broken girl could no longer cry. She had drained all her tears. She was mourning. She was grieving. She was angry. She was disappointed and cursed Mother Nature. After all she had been through, after all she had given as she tried to be a believer, everything and everyone she loved was taken away from her. Leaving her all alone. What were these so-called sacrifices? She was sulking. She was in pain. She was suffering. Her own soul was aching, while her mate's soul will still be there within her, but she couldn't bear how devastating it was to feel Haku's presence slowly fading away, departed. Her heart felt so heavy although now it was hollow. Her body was all numb and as strengthless as could be. She had lost her mind. She was now the depiction of anything contradictory to what is called balance. But one thing that she knew, Mother Nature let her be an orphan. Mother Nature let her back into this spirit world. Mother Nature let her become a dragon's mate. Mother Nature let her have magic inside her. Mother Nature let it be this way. If indeed she was the one wanted all along, why didn't they just take her life already?

"I say it's better to start now, Yubaba," Q answered.

"Are you sure? Because I will be out of contact this time as I start to do my part," Yubaba asked once again making sure that Q made the right decision.

Chihiro clenched her fists. Now she gathered all that was left in her. All her power. All her energy. Her pain. Her sadness. Her anger. Her despair. Her will. She let agony raged inside her, she let it burnt to the core. Mother Nature wanted it to be this way, so let it be.

Q's azure eyes glowed. Now. Destruction.

Q gripped his sword on the ground. "Yes, Yubaba, now," he commanded.

"Well then, I wish us good luck," Yubaba said finally, and with that she went out of contact.

Q nodded. "Good luck," he said. He closed his eyes and focused on the sword in his hands. He aimed all of his power into the sword, until the azure diamond on top of its handle glowed. A soon as it happened, a barrier burst out from within, expanded and spread all around into a dome shielding the bathhouse.

Ji-In sneered, he thought it was funny that they put on a barrier. That would be useless. He enjoyed that every step closer to the end of the bridge could make his enemy frightened.

Chihiro, on the other side, had clotted all her rage. Her blood running up to her head, her body was boiling. She wailed, she was ready to explode.

"Chihiro!" a girl shouted.

Q broke his focus. He opened his eyes, turned to his left where the girl's voice came from, and found Lin running, breached through his barrier and headed to the bridge.

"LIN, NO!" Q shouted immediately. But Lin couldn't hear him as somehow the wind suddenly blew harshly. "Damn it!" he grunted. He had to withdraw his sword and that canceled his barrier. This way he had to make a bigger barrier dome and now he came to get Lin.

"Lin, what are you doing!?" he cried as he caught her hand.

Lin turned to him. "Let me go! Let me save Chihiro!" she yelled and tried to pull her hand back.

Q fastened his grip. "You can't! It's too dangerous!"

"Ugh! What are you talking about!?" Lin yelled again furiously.

Chihiro shut her eyes. Take it, Mother Nature. Then she screamed on top of her lungs.

The scream startled the fortune teller. Within her scream, she let out that clotting rage which manifested into a massive wave explosion. There was no time for Q to explain to the stubborn Lin. So he pulled her, moved sharp and stuck his sword on the ground. The barrier dome appeared and made it on time to shield the bathhouse, just before Chihiro's explosion wave reached them. Q held Lin tight in his arm and turned his back to shield them as the wave crashed upon the barrier. The wave didn't get through them but they could still feel the ground shaking and the air blown away.

Chihiro's rage was grave, that the wave explosion destroyed everything around her. A few meters of radius got impacted, except Haku's body that was on her side. The bridge collapsed and so Ji-In was blown away. Some shops, huts, and other buildings in the town got wrecked. Some plantations and gardens were disarrayed. Her wave lasted a moment, until she had no more. She stopped screaming as her voice shattered at the end and she was out of breath. As soon as her rage tailed off, she sighed and lost consciousness.

Q opened his eyes once the wave had passed and gone. He let Lin out from his arms while he looked around checking that everyone and everything was okay. Then he turned back to Lin.

"THAT was the danger I was talking about," he said to her carefully. Lin was speechless and could only look at him. "Now tell me how were you going to survive out there?" Q asked.

Lin gulped. "Well, thank you," she said shortly. And then she looked away, back to the view outside the bathhouse. She was pretty shocked to see the chaos, until she spotted Chihiro and Haku laid down on the ground on the land across from them.

"Chihiro! Haku!" she cried and immediately moved to get to them. Q swiftly stopped her. "No, you are NOT going there," he said firmly.

Lin groused. "We have to save them!" she shouted. Q shook his head, though he could bear with her because Lin wasn't a part of the real plan, which only him and Yubaba knew, so she had no idea. "Not yet," he said again with a higher tone.

Meanwhile those two were still arguing, Ji-In who survived from Chihiro's rage explosion, showed up from the bottom of the gap where the bridge was. He flew up and landed on the ground where Chihiro and Haku were. He found the girl lying prone on top of the deceased dragon boy.

"That's it? Now you're dead too?" Ji-In said while inspecting. He used his foot to overturn the girl's body. He saw her eyes closed and she wasn't breathing. He grinned. "Pathetic." With that he turned around, went to the edge of the gap and leapt. Easily, he made it across and landed on the side of the bathhouse.

Lin was fed up, now it was clear that Q was with Yubaba, plotting something without her. "YOU! AND YUBABA! STOP BEING ON MY WAY AND LET ME SAVE THEM!" Lin ran amuck. Now she was rebelling while Q got overwhelmed dealing with her. While so, Q realized that Ji-In was there already and could strike them anytime.

Q withheld her fist when she was about to punch him. He grunted that he had no choice. So he reached his palm onto her head abruptly. "SLEEP!" he casted a sleeping spell on her. Lin instantly dozed off and he caught her into his arms. Q turned to the troops behind them. "Guys, I need your help with her," he said.

Some of the employees rushed to help him and carried Lin back into the bathhouse. I'm sorry, Lin. You may kill me later, he said to himself. Then he turned back to his sword and prepared himself to face their enemy.

Ji-In was only a few steps away from Q's barrier out there. He went closer with a deadly smile on his face. "What a shame. I was actually enjoying the drama," Ji-In started.

Q made a forced laugh, which he was actually scared of the enemy's figure but he covered it. "Sorry, we are closed," he said. "You are not welcome here," he said again coldly.

"Well, well. The playtime is over," Ji-In said before he looked down on the fortune teller. "Now, where is Yubaba?" Ji-In asked in a murderous voice.

Q put on a serious face. "You wanna see the old witch? You gotta get through me first," he said confidently.

Now Ji-In laughed. Then he got his hand touching the barrier, sparks of electricity appeared as he tried to breach through. "What a pretty barrier you got," he said.

Q didn't move, but the next thing he knew was Ji-In's hand went through the barrier and straight to strangling him on his neck. "Pretty, but useless," Ji-In said again.

Q could hardly breathe, Ji-In choked him so hard and he lifted him, the fortune teller's feet no longer touched the ground. "Get me Yubaba. Now." Ji-In ordered.

Q was trying hard to break free. He was so close to losing it but then it was perfect timing that he saw a cluster of pink-purplish clouds in the dark sky, coming towards them rapidly. "B-be...hind.. you!" Q said with great effort.

"Impressive. Are you still trying to play with me?" Ji-In said mocking.

Q held up his hand and pointed something far behind Ji-In. The enemy finally followed him and looked to where it was. Then Ji-In's expression was changed and Q could hear him slightly gasping. Whoever or whatever that was, that successfully made Ji-In forget about his quest and let Q go off his grip. As Q fell to the ground, Ji-In turned around to take a good look on that appealing force between the dark sky.

"Mikayo...?"

and yes, you guys can kill me later (sorry...)/

*James Birdsong - OMG YOU'RE STILL HERE? I SHED A HAPPY TEAR OH GOD. tysm buddy ;")

also I'm getting some private message from you guys.. you guys are so sweeet ;") I can't- AAARRGHHHH

damn damn damn damn, is all I could say for this chapter. WISH ME LUCK AND THAT I CAN BE STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTINUE :'

anyways, always keen to hear from you. thank you.

-Love, MoiNami.