Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ Spirited Within ❯ All for love ( Chapter 9 )

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Crashing through the open window of Yubaba's office, Haku collapsed on the thick ruby red carpet that blanketed the otherwise hard stone floor. As soon as his long body hit the ground, the bleeding dragon felt himself slip into a form of unconsciousness. He could still hear what was going on, but his body refused to move. He was paralyzed.

Yubaba's office was unusually quiet. The fire in the white stone fireplace behind Haku was out. Yubaba's empty mahogany desk sat undisturbed in front of him. The curtains, when he twitched his ears to listen, were the only sounds in the room as they rustled back and forth in the ongoing breeze.

On and on, the seal's rampaging tore into his poor organs as though trying to dig its way out. No longer having the energy to cough, Haku just let the blood pour out of his half-opened mouth like copper liquid. Trails streaked along the once beautifully patterned carpet, soiling its fibers.

He laid there for a long time, listening to sounds around him. Where was Yubaba? Why wasn't she here? Haku had trusted that she would be able to rid him of this stupid seal that ate his insides. But… if she wasn't here… Without her help, Haku knew he wouldn't last long. The seal was killing him. And once he was gone, he'd become a lost spirit, just as Yubaba predicted. He would join his tree brothers in Yubaba's dark forgotten chamber.

And Chihiro---his sweet Chihiro would be unprotected and vulnerable to any of Yubaba's tricks. She would never get home and leave this horrible place. What would happen to her if she got stuck here? Would she become as corrupted as everyone else in this tainted bathhouse?

Dizziness began to overtake his brain as Haku felt himself sink into a sort of dream. For how detailed and real it seemed, it could have been a vision.

He was back in the gravely pathway that winded its way through the gardens. He and Chihiro were underneath the huge flowery shrub that was lined with soft grass. She was wearing her pink worker clothes crouched in her fetal position. With his arm around her shoulders, Haku was right beside her just as he had been when he had been comforting her as she wept for her parents. Her bright mystical eyes gazed into his calmly as though she was waiting patiently for something. What she could possibly want was a mystery to Haku. He stared back into her glistening orbs as though hoping he would be able to read her expectations from them. Just touching her soft shoulders awoke the inexplicable emotion once again. He welcomed them and let the warmth sooth a foreign ache inside.

“There was something you wanted to tell me.” Chihiro said encouragingly, giving him her breathtaking smile.

“What did I want to tell you?” Haku asked her, hoping that he could remember. She tilted her head smiling her beautiful smile, and her bangs swished across her forehead with the breeze.

“I don't know.” She answered in her soft tones. “I just had a feeling you wanted to get something off your chest. You said something completely different than what you really feel inside.”

“When?” Haku asked her. Her smile widened, crinkling her round face.

“We were here. Don't you remember?” She answered gesturing all around them. “This exact same place at this exact same time. I think that you didn't know what to say before because you didn't understand, but if you concentrate hard enough, you will begin to realize the truth.”

“Truth?” Haku asked, breaking his eye contact with her in his confusion. “You're speaking in riddles. There isn't anything to figure out.”

“Isn't there? Look at me, Haku.”

Obediently, Haku turned his dark green eyes right back onto her angelic face and his heart sped up a mile.

Suddenly, as if a light had been lit in his mind, he understood what it all meant. He knew what the warmth was. He knew why Chihiro affected him so much. He knew why his heart had just sped up without him doing anything strenuously active. He knew why he felt such strange urges to protect her and take care of her. Just looking at her made him feel more alive than ever. How could he not have known it before?

“I am…in lo---”

Bam!

Haku was jolted from his dream and suddenly brought back to his painful reality. His ailments of the ever excruciating seal came back in full force. Realizing his wind had knocked into the glass window; Haku knew that it had done it to keep him alert and to help him not loose consciousness. But it frustrated Haku to loose maybe his last moments with Chihiro. He would die here waiting for Yubaba to come.

Anger began to seam through him slowly. The wounded dragon became frustrated at his situation. He was unable to move. His angel was in danger. And he had to wait for Yubaba to save his life. Was he really that weak? Could he really be that insufficient? He asked himself these questions and they burned his mind with irritation.

`Yubaba would have kicked me off the carpet already if she were here.' Haku thought bitterly. `I hope I've at least stained it good by now.'

He could hear his wind at the window snorting in anxiety, still afraid to go into the bathhouse, but at the same time worried about its injured master. If it wanted to worry about him, why couldn't it come to where he was?

Just the fact that it refused to come, even now at this crucial life or death moment, made Haku enraged at it.

`Will you get over your fear and help your friend who is dying? Or will you just whirl around outside the window like an idiot? If you're not going to come in then you might as well go away! You can't even do that much for me! You're scared even now to help even when there is nothing to fear!' His wind became silent, listening to Haku rant.

Its silence made Haku even madder.

`Never mind, you can't help me anyways. You haven't really helped me at all! I never needed you! Go away! I don't want you here! Go away!' He barked loudly.

He heard his wind whistle loudly in protest.

`I said, `Go away!'' Haku hollered. `Leave this place! I don't want to see you again!'

Twitching his ears to the window, Haku listened as his wind retreated from the window and, like a fluttering butterfly; zip quietly off into the sky.

Forcing himself to give an irritated sigh even though it hurt his ribs to do so, Haku cursed silently. Trying again to lift himself with nonworking muscles, the bleeding dragon cracked his struggling eyes slightly apart and gazed blearily at his surroundings with blurry vision.

The carpet he was laying on was covered in his blood, soaking it up hungrily. Haku knew if he could, he would be smirking. It would take everything Yubaba had to get this stain out. He had made his mark in her life.

Literally.

To his unwanted surprise, Yubaba's other henchmen, the green heads, suddenly appeared through the door that led to the hallway. Great. While he was on his death-carpet, his only company was going to be the three most annoying creatures that resided in the spirit world. Slowly, he began to regret the words he had said to his wind. At least it would have made his passing more tolerable than these three.

Grunting with their low voices, the heads bounced to the window that Haku had just fallen through. He was astonished they didn't start messing with him. He thought for sure they would at least knock him around a little.

Twitching his sharp ears once again to the window, he heard the distant sound of wings flapping. They weren't normal though. It sounded more like cloth than feathers. Now he knew why the heads had some into the office.

Yubaba had returned.

“What is all this mess? I leave for only a few hours and when I come back there is blood everywhere on my balcony! It will stain the wood!” No doubt, it was Yubaba's voice that resonated from outside the room. Haku felt relief wash over him. And along with the relief; Haku finally let go of what consciousness remained and let his mind fade into the black.

It was as though he was only slightly aware of what was happening. He could faintly hear Yubaba's growling voice, but none of the words she spoke. Syllables and other words were mashed into a confusing language Haku didn't understand.

He became lost in the sea of black that clouded his mind. He didn't even realize it when the head started shoving him backwards with their wide green faces.

Time went by as seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. He didn't know really what it was that he was swimming through. Only that he was lost. Voices swirled all around him, but he couldn't understand any of it. He was too tired to reach out. Too tired to keep going.

There was no light in his mind--- He was falling--- Falling in darkness---

A small voice broke through almost as clear as glass. It was very faint, but he could still make out most of the words.

“Haku… he's…good person.”

He began to smell something. Something familiar. It was everywhere. Though it hurt his chest to expand too much, he breathed it in deeply. It was a wonderful smell of flowers and soap… somewhat like the herbal formula that the bathhouse gave to its biggest customers. But there was something intermixed with it. It had a hint of… human? It slightly stung his nostrils as he filled his lungs with the sweet scent. Slowly, he began crawl from the darkness

`This smell--- I love this smell.' Haku thought drowsily. Breathing in deeply again, Haku was suddenly aware that there were small arms about his neck. `What…?'

“No! You can't!” … that voice… he knew that voice… it was…

Loud slamming vibrated the floor, shaking Haku instantly awake. Eyes opening with forgotten vigor, Haku studied the scene in a matter of moments.

Chihiro was holding him. Her arms were loosely draped around his ugly bleeding head.

She was protecting him. A young human girl was protecting him.

She wasn't looking at him, but at a see-through Zeniba who had leaned extremely close to Chihiro's face.

`You get away from her!' Haku growled and all eyes turned on him.

Leaping up with sheer will to shield his precious angel, Haku whipped up his long pointed tail. Spotting one of the papers that had chased him through the air, Haku slashed at it with his hard sharp scales. The paper was ripped to shreds.

“Ow. Paper cut.” He could hardly hear Zeniba's cry in the haze his mind had become. Steadily, he lost his balance and fell backwards. He didn't even hear Chihiro's scream as his whole world, once again, faded to black.

Like before, he was unaware how much time was passing. A minute? An hour? Every cell in his body was screaming in pain. He sensed something was wrong, but he was too exhausted to try. Too exhausted for anything. Everything inside him was burning with a raw unbending fire.

Suddenly, he felt small loving hands feel their way up his head and small sturdy legs wrap around his back. He knew who it was. Chihiro was with him. A small explosion erupted in Haku as the warm petite hand closed itself onto one of his horns.

Thrown back, the injured dragon couldn't feel his pains anymore.

He was in water---

He was home---

Familiar reeds and small plants greeted him as he swished his long body, trying to entertain the young child on his back. Her wide amazed eyes made his snout curl in laughter. He had found her in his river, the poor thing, and she needed to be saved…

---Now entrusted to protect this girl, Haku felt a fire flame spread throughout his chest. He would protect this girl till his dying day…

---He wanted her to know he would always protect her…

---Chihiro was safe forever…

---`Please be safe, my dear friend.'…

--- He knew why he felt such strange urges to protect her and take care of her…

---“I am…in lo---”

Powerful energy surged through Haku as memories, forgotten long ago or recently aspired, past and possibly future, swirled together in an unwavering force. He knew what he had to do. He would protect her, as he had promised. He didn't need his eyes or his ears. The small hand on his head would guide his direction. His love would lead him to wherever was safe for her.

Blindly traveling through the large dark chamber, Haku rode the airstreams until he entered a tunnel to his left. It was extremely narrow, so for the sake of the precious angel riding with him, Haku scraped off more of his scales against the hard rough wall.

Turning a sharp corner to the right, Haku saw light shine red through his eyelids. Opening them slightly, he saw something that made his stomach clench in fear.

A huge fan was blocking the tunnel.

It was swirling dangerously fast. Knowing there was nothing stopping him, Haku increased to full speed towards the treacherous propeller.

CRASH!

They were in the boiler room.

Chihiro screamed as she slipped off his back and, thankfully, sailed into Kamaji's quick arms. Haku ended up with most of the debris on top of him as he crashed hard into the many drawers that made up the wall. The long dragon used what was left of his strength to slide himself carefully off the wall face first onto the solid wooden floor. The fire in his body came back full force, and Haku clenched his eyes and teeth against the wave of writhing pain that washed over him.

“Haku!”

He heard her scream his name and tried to lift himself to see her properly. She jumped from Kamaji's perch and ran to his blood covered face. Her face was shining with so much worry. Refusing to roar in his pain, Haku growled as more blood splattered onto the floor.

She said something else, but it was lost to him. Slowly, his legs began to give out. Everything was starting to fade into a hazy mist.

`No...' Haku said weakly and delirious. `I have… to tell you… something… Chihiro.'

She couldn't understand him. Her foggy features displayed nothing but concern. She called to him again and her words were faint. There was a roaring in his ears that started to mute all sound. He couldn't tell her. He'd never be able to tell her…

Eyes rolling to his head, the crumpled dragon collapsed to the floor and was once again falling into blackness.

“Haku, don't give up…”

He could hardly hear her. She was talking to Kamaji, but their voices were starting to get intermingled with each other. It took him a while to realize Chihiro was starting to pull on his lips.

Then he heard clearly as a bell, “Come on, Haku. Open your mouth.”

`I don't… want to… I'm too… tired.' Haku tried to reply back. But she continually attempted to open his mouth. Finally, he, with her help, lifted his snout open just a little. Apparently it was enough because the next thing Haku knew, Chihiro had shoved her arm down his throat.

`Whoa!' Haku cried, now fully awake, `what do you think you're doing!'

Haku felt something small drop into the back of his throat and felt her arms clam down his jaw.

“Now swallow!” Well, it was too late for that. He had already swallowed it once it had dropped. The little whatever-it-was churned his insides more than the seal.

`I'm going to throw up!' Haku roared and with that, the bleeding dragon shot out a brown covered gooey blob.

All his energy was spent. Haku had nothing left to give. As blackness overcame him once again, he welcomed it with open arms.