Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ Kohaku's Quest ❯ Kohaku's quest ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter three: Dragons are nice but foolish.

Dawn. At the Aburaya the staff cleans up the last, so the morning preparations are minimised. Several of the workers have already went asleep, tired after a long day's work. In the women's quarters lies Lin, still awake and looking at the empty space next to her. She misses her little helper who had been so eager to do a fine work and who had treated Lin respectfully. And Lin thought of this other realm, this world where the girl had come from and wondered... Down in the boiler room snorted Kamaij, lying at his workplace. It was his home and only place to be. And there he stayed, alone and hard working forever in the soot. Bu slept calmly in his pillow-mountain, holding the transformed Yu-bird in his hands. Yubaba flew on her missions alone nowadays, collecting depths and treasures by day as well as by night. Out in the water following the railroad, a young man rather yet a boy walked sweeping the water in front of him. He was walking away from the Aburaya towards the sunrise, carrying only a kitbag over his right shoulder. There were no traffic at this hour, no trains at all. The seabirds had just started to hunt for fish, calling out their yell cries repeatedly. It was a perfect, beautiful morning.

/ Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi /

I guess I could transform and fly to Zeniba's, but since I have a lot of time and this official is night-time anyway, I am going to walk at least a few kilometres. I need to repeat my plan and what to say a little more anyway. Besides, I have missed the feeling of water more that I remember. The stream who gentle touch my skin, the feeling of something...complete.

The golden sandbanks and the green grass... The rocks who interrupted the stream and coursed swivels in the flow... The crystal clear water, a bit salty but yet fresh. The joy of listening to the humans around cleaning, bathing and fishing. It's a chain were everyone involved have certain roles, and my duty is to make sure those roles stay intact. Ah, it's a pleasure to know everything's alright.

In the beginning, no one of the humans were afraid of me. I could lie on the grass watching them and they just enjoyed my company. I could swim whit the children. When I did, the parents never worried. They thought of me as a blessing and they knew I never would let anyone get hurt in my stream- unless I thought it was fair. And if so, they never blamed me. They could understand the order and the chain.

In time it changed. Human began to fear the gods, became scared of our powers. The humans who lived along my river avoided me and the tales called me creature and beast. It annoyed me, so I avoided them too. From glory to despite in a few years. I should have been prepared but I wasn't. The balance in the chain got messed up as the humans caught too many fish and dumped too much garbage in my river. I tried to keep order without frighten away the humans who still honoured me, but I didn't succeed. Every time I revealed they immediately began to hunt me. For a while my river was flooded by hunters who longed to own a few of or rather all my shells. When they founded too many corpses of the hunters, I was left alone. And in time, forgotten. By then I got fed up with it all. Mostly I laid still in the depths of the river at daytime and took a brief check at night in my human gestalt. I still cared for my river but its welfare were no longer in my hands. Humans were the only one who could affect my river now. None of my powers seemed to help. Despair and loneliness became the new order.

There's only one episode to remember in modern time;

The weight of a little girl on my neck.

Interruption:

Kohaku has left the Aburaya for good as it seems. He said farewell to Lin and Kamaij, the only friends he has in this world. It had been an emotional moment, filled with both sadness and happiness. Both Kamaij and Lin were sad about Kohaku leaving but at the same time it gave them new hope for the future. Maybe someday they wouldn't need to live in darkness indoors, but we will never know. That's another story.

It took Kohaku a whole day to walk to Zeniba. The sorceress waited for him with the Kaonashi at her side out in the yard. The two of them seemed to get along well, since Zeniba didn't suffer from the same greed as Yubaba. The Kaonashi did not need to offer anything to Zeniba to get what he wanted; she gladly gave him everything anyway.

The meeting between Kohaku and Zeniba was quite different from the one between him and Yubaba. Zeniba let Kohaku detailed tell her about what had happened and what he planned to do next. Zeniba assumed that Kohaku would ask to be her apprentice and disapproved of the idea before he even could ask, but he soothed her and guarantied that he wouldn't want to have anything with her kind of magic to do. Kohaku even made Zeniba smile by joking about what happen the last time he was near a sorceress "magical stuff". They decided that Kohaku would stay for a while, just until he figured things out.

"You need training", Zeniba often said. "You've been off duty for too long."

"But I'm not yet sure of what to do", Kohaku said.

Zeniba ogled at him, as if she knew more than him.

"You'll figure out soon enough. I hope."

This cryptically conversation came up over and over, as the days passed by. Kohaku and the Kaonashi helped Zeniba around the house; to spin, do the dishes, collect wood for the fire. If Zeniba ever used her magic powers, Kohaku didn't see it. It seemed as if she rather did things the old fashioned way. Sometimes Kohaku suspected Zeniba was only trying to keep Kohaku and the Kaonashi busy so she could get some time alone. But reasons to actions of that kind was not of importance. Kohaku practised on his abilities, once again finding out his own capacity. Transforming, flying, using magic and spells, praying in order to borrow powers or the elements... Sometimes he even felt as if he had grown stronger. And without knowing, he had. By training and working, Kohaku's appearance slowly shifted, from the one of a boy to a young man and finally into the one of an adult. But the one who's mind is fixed at other thins can't see what is in front of him. Zeniba said nothing, and the Kaonashi couldn't say anything.

Occasionally, Zeniba disappeared for hours or even days. Then Kohaku spent several hours talking to the Kaonashi about Chihiro. The Kaonashi couldn't answer, but he used the few sound he managed to make Kohaku understand when he wanted to hear more and when he disagreed with him. It was clear that Kohaku couldn't understand him the way Chihiro did. Not even Zeniba could. Kohaku spent a lot of time to solve that riddle too. And before he knew it, a whole year had passed.

/ Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi /

Nightfall. The odd trio sat around the table, having a late supper. The fire flamed, giving the place family atmosphere. The teapot went around as they polite served each other, one by one. Cookies and sandwiches lay on a plate. The Kaonashi drank and ate slowly, enjoying every bite as if it was his last. Every meal was heaven for him. Being with Zeniba, he was no longer alone or needed to starve for any reason, either if it regarded food or company. In silence they ate up the daintiness on the plate. There was a tension in the air, not uncomfortable, more like the one before a thunderstorm. Electrified.

Finally, Zeniba raised her voice. She was knitting and her eyes didn't leave her work for a minute.

"Have you decided what to do yet, dragon?"

Zeniba seldom used anyone's name. She said they could be overused, thorn and finally one had to change it. And it wasn't the first time this question popped up either but tonight Kohaku heard a new tone in Zenibas voice. The question was not made by friendly curiosity. It held a demanding, an ultimatum. Suddenly Kohaku could no longer answer by jokes or speculations. The moment of truth was here.

/ Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi /

"I must part from here and find Chihiro, that much I know. But I don't know how. I'm a master of nothing and I can therefore not pass over to her world."

"So you've realised that. Not much to brag with after a whole year, but it's something."

Zeniba seemed to speak to her needles and I seemed to speak to my cup. I've learned that people who cares a lot for each other dislike to look straight into each others eyes while talking of some difficult or sensitive subject. No wonder Chihiro were frightened of me occasionally. I knew nothing of how to act polite towards another being. But right now I got irritated by Zenibas remark. A light blush flew over my cheeks- or it would if I could blush.

"It's not easy to know what to do. I've lost several years being your sister's slave-"

"Don't blame that on me. I can't control my sisters actions."

Zenibas voice was calm, but she let the needles move a little quicker in her hands.

"Besides, you were the one who went to her, not the other way around. Now, let's leave that subject. That has nothing to do with what you want to do now! Tell me, if you find that puny human spirit, what are you going to do next?"

I had to take a moment to be sure I said the correct words. I did not want to be misunderstood in this matter. But I also knew there wasn't much to misunderstand, for I really didn't know what I wanted. When I finally answered, I murmured to the table.

"I just want to check so she's ok. She's so young yet and there are so many dangers in the world. And she had just moved and left her friends. She may be unhappy, without anyone. And she must be confused of this realm. I want to guard and guide her through the hard world- "

A sudden clirr made me look up from the table. Zeniba laid her knitting on the table and faced me.

"Sit straight and turn to me if it's me your talking with."

I obeyed her wish with pounding heart, knowing that I finally would get the help I've asked for a year ago. But by now I knew that it wouldn't come for free. I had to earn it somehow. And I already earned Zeniba a lot.

"First of all, you must know that the time here and in the girl's world isn't the same. That family was only here for a few days but in their world they had been gone for a couple of years. It has been one year here, but several in her world. So you can't say you want to go check in a young girl, `cause she isn't anymore."

Interruption:

See for yourself in the movie. Look at the wall where the tunnel is. When Chihiro walks in, the wall is clean. When they all come out, the wall is partly covered with moss and climbing plants. It takes years for that kind of plants to grow in the real world, and that part of the wall is in the real world. Grass comes and goes, but moss and climber plants doesn't.

Finish interruption.

"What?"

I got perplexed at this information. All my plans scattered to the ground, failing because my girl was no longer a girl. So, she was not eleven by now as I had believed, but elder. How much elder?

"How much elder?"

Zeniba served the Kaonashi some more tea before answering. She seemed to take a moment.

"How much elder?"

"Last time I saw her she had just turned nineteen."

I inhaled vehement. Only one year had made me loose a little of the intense feelings me and Chihiro had shared, but for her it had been nine years or more. Had she forgotten me? Had she...

"Wait a minute! Last time you saw her? You mean you have seen her several times all along? Without telling me?"

I was upset and I felt betrayed. I thought Zeniba was on my side, and yet she had hidden this important information from me. I expected her to look guilty or at least that she would be apologising, but she just picked up her knitting again and let the needles move. She seemed totally calm.

"You dragons really are stupid. Nice, but stupid."

I twitched, indeed insulted. She had no reason to say that! But before I got the chance to answer, Zeniba continued.

"One year ago, I chose not to kill you because of the plea of that young girl. I made her a special amulet to protect her and ordered you to guard her. Which you didn't, you are still here. But do you really believe that I would just ignore that girl after she left?"

Zeniba shook her gigantic head.

"Only a stupid dragon could believe that. No one with a mind slightly more facetted that the one of a three year old baby would be ignorant about a girl like her. Have you even thought about how special she really is?"

I kept my silence, knowing Zeniba would tell me anyway. It was clear this was something she had waited for me to discover myself, but I hadn't. I know Chihiro was special, but I had just thought about how special she was to me. Now I had to try to wide my perspective.

"When she came here, everybody immediately began to help her. You were the first one, but later everybody got engaged with her, workers and gods and even my sister. The one here (she nodded at the Kaonashi) was attracted to her, she made friends with that horrible creature who is my nephew... and tamed a dragon. A stupid one, but a dragon anyway."

Zeniba calmly knitted, with a firm smile over her face. The Kaonashi began to spin as he used. Everything seemed normal, like every evening we had spent together, if it weren't for the burning topic. I tried to sort out this information.

"So, what you are saying is that there is something within Chihiro that makes people want to help her?"

"It's an easy way to explain it. It's not correct, but still you understand more now that before. But I'd rather put it this way. There's something within the girl that is wanted by many. It's unspecified and therefore no one knows how to get it, but everyone knows they want it. Sometimes they are so eager to be close to her and get this something, that they even think about eating her -If you are a Kaonashi, that is. But think for yourself. What would you be prepared to do for her? In order to get this... certain something?"

What a question! I care for Chihiro, but I'm not obsessed. I mean, even if we were talking about magic strong enough to turn back time I wouldn't... It's not like I have a need to get anything from her... It would just be pleasant to feel that remarkable feeling again... And to know she's safe, that's why I really want to see her...I mean, what could a girl her age possibly demand in return? For doing the favour of being? And what would I be prepared to give? A flight on my back? No, that's been done before. A show of natural fountains, controlled by me... But it's not sure that would give me this something... A cruising through the entire sea... Anything she asked me to.

Anything.

"Anything."

I felt conquered, but Zeniba's smile grew from ear to ear. I noticed that her knitted work was almost finished, even thought she began just a few days ago. Had she been using magic? Or- a new thought came to my mind- had she been working on it in the other world?

"You have been in the other world for long times, isn't that true?"

My question made Zeniba correct the place of her glasses. It was a gesture she made when she was satisfied with something. Encouraged, I continued.

"So, lifetimes can pass in the other world while only a few years passes here."

Zeniba let her needles work.

"If I want to spend any time with Chihiro at all, I must leave immediately."

Zeniba stilled her movements and slowly looked up at me. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room felt... red. I do not know any other way to describe it. It was a warm but blue mood that captured us. Zeniba made a small gesture towards me, and a glittering light surrounded me. The light perforated my skin and went straight into my body. I gave in to the sensation without fighting and for a moment, I lost track of reality.

When I opened my eyes again I was no longer a boy, but a man. Zeniba smiled at me as a mother to a son and said:

"Now go and find that girl of yours, dear Nigihayami. You master so much more than you can imagine."

How could I know I had been a man for many months already? How could I know that Zeniba's spell wasn't transforming me at all? How could I know that the spell would be a plague for me for weeks?

The spell forced me to tell the truth whenever questioned by Chihiro.

Chapter four to follow.