Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ The Winds of Fate ❯ Battles Fought ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away.

 

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Chapter 4

 

Battles Fought

 

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Haku pursed his lips and Lin stitched up a wound on his upper arm. He looked out the window in an attempt to keep his mind off the needle that was threading painfully in and out of his flesh, but the sight that met his eyes only served to irritate him further.

 

The demon force that had appeared on their horizon must have been one that he had found the tracks of while searching the area a few weeks prior. He was kicking himself, still wondering how he could have found the tracks of a small army and yet not find the army itself. But when they had seen the approaching force, Haku had immediately assembled all able-bodied workers in the bathhouse and had armed them.

 

Those who worked in the bathhouse had also been trained in combat in case of, well, a situation like now. There was a level below the basement that served as an armory for the trained warriors/bathhouse attendants. The weapons had been dusty when Lin had gone down to check them at Haku's earlier request, but with a little dusting and sharpening, the weapons had been ready soon enough.

 

The dragon sighed. There had been casualties on both sides after the first clash. The demons that attacked were ruthless in battle and took no prisoners. They seemed determined to take down the bathhouse so their path into the human world would be cleared. And that meant the defenders had to be just as brutal to keep the demons from reaching their goal. They could not be allowed to get into the human world, no matter the cost.

 

The battle had lasted the better part of a day. The army had shown up with the rising sun at their backs and the battle had only ended with the setting sun on the bathhouse's back. By the time the sun had set below the horizon, the once peaceful landscape that surrounded the bathhouse for miles had turned into a bloodstained battlefield. The train had tried to run through it - unaware of the battle when it had set out - and had been violently thrown from the tracks upon approaching. All the guests in the bathhouse had been evacuated to the basement to keep them away from the battle.

 

So, not only did Haku have to deal with the fact that they were being attacked by the demons of lore; he had casualties on his side to worry about as well as the patrons of the bathhouse. Yubaba was going to have to find some way to get them out of the spa without gaining the attention of the demons; but Haku was going to leave that to her, as paying customers were her responsibility.

 

Finally Lin stepped back and pronounced Haku's wound treated. Normally he could have healed it on his own, but he had exhausted much of his strength during the battle, doing his best to help hold up a barrier around the barrier with Yubaba while he battled on the front lines, commanding his coworkers.

 

“Haku?” Lin asked quietly. The river spirit blinked and looked up at his friend. Her clothes were ripped and blood stained the fabric in multiple locations. He looked at her in concern but she shook her head. “I'm fine. I only have a few flesh wounds. The rest is their blood.” She frowned as she looked back at him. “You look exhausted.”

 

“I'm fine,” he replied, making to stand up but a wave of dizziness hit him and Lin was forced to help him slowly sit back down. “Maybe I used up more of my power than I originally thought,” he said, blinking against a wave of exhaustion.

 

“Don't push yourself too far, Haku. We need you.”

 

“That's exactly why I need to push myself,” Haku retorted stubbornly. “There is so much to do or we'll all be killed.”

 

“You won't do us any good if you are dead on your feet. You'll most likely just get yourself killed and then where will we be?” Lin countered, not to be outmatched.

 

Haku, suddenly feeling too tired to argue, just looked at the brunette, mouth agape. “Lin…”

 

“Take a nap and then we'll get to business. Right now we need to deal with the wounded and damage anyway, and in your condition there is little you'd be able to do anyway. Get your strength back and mind alert and then come back and talk to me, General Haku.”

 

The dragon shook his head, recognizing the sensibility of Lin's argument. “All right, you win. I'll get some rest.”

 

The female spirit helped Haku to his feet and he nodded his thanks and she gave him a welcomed shoulder to lean on in his energy-spent state. Once they reached the door, Haku turned to her. “I'll just make my way to the closest guest room. I can get there on my own.”

 

Lin appraised the dragon for several long moments before nodding. “Okay.”

 

Haku slowly made his way down the hall towards the guest rooms, aware of Lin's eyes on his back, making sure he got to a room safely. He smiled to himself. She was like a mother hen sometimes. After what seemed like an eternity to Haku's weary and wounded body, the dragon made it to a room. He fumbled with the door knob before finally getting it open and he practically fell into the room. Closing the door behind him, Haku pulled his tunic over his head and ungracefully fell onto the bed, leaving the cloth on the floor. He was sure he was going to lie there, unable to fall asleep despite his physical exhaustion, and yet, he didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.

 

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Haku slowly opened his eyes and found himself in an uncomfortable position. He was upright and shackled to a stone wall by the wrists and ankles. His wrists were by his head and the shackles were made of solid steel. Strangely, Haku found himself unable to access his power. It was like he was reaching into a well with a bucket with a hole in it.

 

He heard a low rumbling laughter and his head jerked upright to find the source. When he found no one and the laughter continued, the dragon felt a wave of irritation wash over him.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Nigihayami Kohakunushi, welcome,” a deep voice echoed through the cell as the laughter stopped. Yet no one appeared.

 

“What's going on? Where am I?” Haku demanded.

 

“Between the world of the living and the realm of dreams,” the voice replied.

 

Haku blinked. What exactly did that mean? A sudden flash of bright blue light temporarily blinded the dragon and when his vision finally cleared again, an old spirit stood in the middle of the cell, his head cocked to the side as he studied the captive spirit.

 

“Who are you?” the river spirit repeated.

 

“I am the keeper of this space.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“It means, young spirit,” Haku bristled slightly at being called young, for he had lived much longer than many spirits that still dwelt in the spirit world, “that I guard the barriers between the subconscious and conscious worlds. I make sure there is balance.”

 

“Balance?”

 

“Yes. Balance in the conscious world means there can be balance in the subconscious world and vice versa,” the old man replied.

 

Haku frowned. “I'm not sure I follow.”

 

“When both humans and spirits fall asleep, their minds drift into the world of dreams. It is a place of endless possibility where subconscious and conscious intertwine and become one in the same. It a place of sanctuary for the mind.”

 

“So what happens if there is conflict in the waking world?” Haku asked slowly.

 

“The world of dreams will cease to exist without the proper balance.”

 

“And what will that do to the waking world?”

 

The old man's face turned grave. “Without the sanctuary of the world of dreams, the minds of living beings would be thrown into a purgatory of sorts where they can find no refuge from their droll day to day existences. And without such a refuge, lives become meaningless as people lose their dreams and aspirations. And the opening arises for dark powers to take control.”

 

Haku blinked.

 

“Rarely do such chaotic times come, but that is why we create the prophecies.”

 

“You create prophecies?” the dragon asked in surprise.

 

“Yes. We create them and they float around the dream world and those more sensitive will pick up on them and share them upon waking; or those extremely sensitive will pick up on them while they are awake and fall into a trance. They speak of what must go on in order for the world to remain stable.”

 

“So in effect, they are open-ended prophecies?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So what does that have to do with me?” Haku demanded finally.

 

“The prophecy that you uncovered,” the old man replied, “involves you directly.”

 

Haku stared unblinkingly at the old man. “What?”

 

“And I think you know of the woman it speaks of as well; the reincarnation of the priestess. She is the ones the demons are after and she is the only one who can stop them.”

 

“They will come and soon they will realize you are part of the prophecy and then you will need her. The whole world will.”

 

Haku shut his eyes against the onslaught of information. It was becoming too much for him to process at once. But if what the old man was saying was true…

 

“I don't want to bring her back into this,” the dragon whispered finally. “She's happy.”

 

“Do you know that for a fact?”

 

Haku looked back up at the man tensely. “I've seen her.”

 

“Perhaps, but I've seen her dreams as they float around in this world; yours too, river spirit. Those with great destinies are easier to find in the subconscious realm,” the elder guardian replied.

 

“So you brought me here so that I might bring her back to the spirit world?” Haku asked after a pregnant pause.

 

“In effect, yes. But upon waking, you won't remember any of this.”

 

“Then what was the point?”

 

“You'll remember when the time comes, dragon,” the old man replied assuredly. “But there is no need to burden yourself with such problems while you have battles to fight.”

 

“When the time comes…”

 

Haku jerked upright in bed, breath coming in ragged gasps. He frowned. What had he been dreaming about that would wake him up in such an irritated fashion? He shook his head but was unable to remember. Blinking, he quickly took in his surroundings, and noticed that it was close to daybreak. Why hadn't Lin woken him up? The sun had just gone down when he had fallen asleep. There was so much work to be done; he couldn't afford just to laze around like that. Something was itching at the back of his mind but he just couldn't quite reach it. What had he been dreaming about?

 

Shaking his head, Haku tried to put it from his mind. Instead he took stock of himself. He felt refreshed and much of his power seemed to have returned while he slept. He pushed himself out of bed and stretched out and smiled satisfactorily when his body no longer ached like it had before. Grabbing the tunic he had dropped onto the floor before falling asleep, he pulled it over his head in one motion as he made his way out the door.

 

Stepping out into the hall, he paused, trying to decide which way to go to find Lin to find out what had gone on while he slept. A loud noise and the sound of a woman yelling in frustration made Haku smile slightly as he knew which way to go to find the yuna.

 

Walking into what normally served as the dining hall for guests, Haku found Lin arguing with… Zeniba? When had she gotten here? Both women turned at his arrival and the argument immediately subsided. Haku made his way up to the two women, feeling a bit unsure of what was happening.

 

 

“Haku, did you rest?” Lin asked, eyeing the dragon up and down as if to make sure he was still in one piece.

 

“Yes and I feel much better.”

 

Lin nodded satisfactorily. “Good, now you might actually be of some use.”

 

“When did you get here, Zeniba?” Haku asked, turning to the witch.

 

“A few hours ago,” she replied. “I Saw all the commotion and immediately came.”

 

“Have you seen Yubaba?”

 

The witch pursed her lips. “Yes, I saw my sister. She was in a foul mood as usual and wasn't especially welcoming. I think she thinks I want credit for helping to defend her precious bathhouse so I can have something else to hold over her head.” Of course, Yubaba was still sore about the fact that Boh liked to spend so much time with his aunt.

 

“Where are Boh and No Face?” Haku asked, changing the subject.

 

“Down with the bathhouse patrons, trying to make them comfortable while we figure out how to get them out of here,” Zeniba answered.

 

“I see.” Haku turned back to Lin. “What have I missed?”

 

Lin put her hands on her hips with a frown. “We were just finishing tending to the wounded when Zeniba arrived. Yubaba of course made a big fuss when Boh was with her and they had a big argument over bringing him here.” Haku raised an eyebrow at the elderly witch and she purposefully looked away. “They finally got that settled but it distracted us long enough that we haven't managed to make much headway on property damage.”

 

“How many did we lose?” Haku asked quietly.

 

Lin closed her eyes and sighed before turning to look back at the dragon. “One-hundred and eight-two dead, one-hundred and four wounded.”

 

Haku felt like he had just been punched in the gut. The numbers of spirits in the bathhouse was not unlimited, so such numbers hurt them. “So many,” he whispered.

 

“The wounded have been treated, but we lost a large number in this battle,” Lin replied.

 

“I need to speak with Yubaba. I want you two to come with me,” Haku said after a moment.

 

“What?” Lin asked in surprise. “Why?”

 

“I've already spoken with my sister,” Zeniba added irritably. “That's about as much as you can ask from me.”

 

Haku fixed the two women with level stares. “This is important.”

 

Finally they relented and followed Haku up to Yubaba's office. The dragon opened the ornate office door without knocking and walked in to see the bathhouse owner standing at the window looking out over the demon camp that had been set up just outside of range from the bathhouse. The witch turned and looked like she was about to explode on whoever intruded but stopped when she saw who it was.

 

“What is it, Haku?” the witch asked instead. “And why did you bring them?”

 

“We need a plan, Yubaba,” the river spirit replied. “And the sooner the better.”

 

“Oh?” Yubaba asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “And what do you suggest?”

 

“First we need to get all the innocent guests out. That has to be our first priority.”

 

“I agree,” Zeniba piped up. Yubaba glared at her sister, but the more kindly witch ignored her bitter sister. “The sooner we can get them out, the sooner we can start planning for a real battle.”

 

“Okay fine,” Yubaba relented. “How can we get such a large group out without them being a target for the demons?”

 

“That is why we're here,” Haku replied. “Now let's think.”

 

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It wasn't until two weeks - and several skirmishes - later that they were able to put their plan to help the guests escape. On the back balcony of Yubaba's office, the group of patrons had gathered. Yubaba, Zeniba, and Haku stood inside the office waiting. Lin was in the front of the building with a small force, acting as not only a watch for the group in the office, but as the daily guard so the siege force would not think anything amiss.

 

“Are you ready?” Zeniba asked the gathered group.

 

“We've been ready since this whole nasty affair began,” one vivacious spirit snapped irritably.

 

“We apologize for this taking so long,” Haku replied smoothly, “but if we tried to get you out immediately, the enemy would have been expecting it and would have tried to kill you. There is a good chance that by waiting, they may have even forgotten there were guests in the bathhouse when their attack began. This is just a precaution to keep you safe.”

 

The irritated spirit seemed to be unable to find anything to argue with in Haku's logic, so said nothing. The other spirits seemed alarmed to hear they might have been targets.

 

“How do we know we'll be any safer now?” another spirit asked.

 

Haku smiled grimly. “I'll be following you through their range, so if they want to get to you, they'll have to get through me first. I'll protect you all with my life.”

 

This seemed to reassure the spirits and they settled down. Haku nodded to Zeniba and Yubaba and the two witches began chanting under their breath and forming a series of complicated hand signs in unison. A large bubble began to form around the gathered group of patrons and with the last hand sign made by the witch sisters, the bubble began to rise into the air. As the bubble left the balcony, patrons inside, Haku stepped out into the deck and, with one final look for Zeniba and Yubaba, transformed into his dragon form and took to the air after the bubble. He flew up next to them and noticed the looks to dread on some of their faces.

 

Don't worry, he communicated, you won't fall.

 

“Won't they be able to see us?” someone asked.

 

No, part of their spell is keeping this bubble invisible from prying eyes.

 

“Then won't they see you?” another demanded.

 

Not if I don't want them to, Haku replied with a wolfish grin. In truth, Zeniba and Yubaba were also trying to keep him concealed as well as the bubble. His coming along with them was just a safety precaution. Haku didn't have the ability to become invisible, but they didn't need to know that.

 

The flight went smoothly over the demon camp, though many of the patrons hugged each other for support as they passed over the archaic, war-like creatures. Haku followed them over the camp and into the closest city, which took several hours of flight. The town had been made aware of the patron's imminent arrival and had made preparations to accept them and help them to get home. Haku thanked the mayor of the city for his help and made sure all of the guests were given proper accommodations before leaving once more. With that task taken care of, they could now focus on the problem of the siege.

 

Haku, is it done? Yubaba's voice rang through the dragon's head soon after he had taken off once more.

 

Yes, I'm on my way back.

 

Good. Zeniba will hold the invisibility spell until you get back. I'm going to see to the latest damage done to the outer perimeter with Lin. Let me know when you've arrived.

 

Okay.

 

The flight from the town was uneventful, which gave Haku a chance to think about what to do next. He was worried about the numbers of spirits fit to fight in the bathhouse. A few of the guests had volunteered to stay and fight, but the number was not nearly high enough to make up for the casualties they had suffered so far. And compared to the numbers the demons had at their disposal, the bathhouse spirits were seriously outnumbered. But numbers didn't always win wars; tactics did.

 

A sudden arrow flying right in front of Haku's dragon snout caused him to almost fall out of the air in surprise. He looked down to see that he was over the demon camp and a large number of warriors seemed to be looking at him.

 

Oh crap. But how can they see me?

 

Opening his senses, he felt a large amount of magic being released from somewhere in the center of the camp. He looked toward the area and noticed a knot of demons surrounded by guards; they must be blocking Zeniba's spell keeping him invisible. That was not good. Haku flew up to gain some altitude but among the clouds he lost sight of the bathhouse. He was forced to fly under the clouds and in sight of the demons. He should be out of range of their arrows, though.

 

Haku growled in pain when he felt a sharp intense pain hit his tail. He looked back and saw blood on his silver scales. Looking back down, the gathered knot of magic using demons were looking directly at him. His eyes widened in shock when a large group of shining arrows flew at him. Unable to avoid them all despite some near impossible mid-air acrobatics, Haku roared in pain as his skin was pierced in several locations. He realized that the arrows were barbed so pulling them out would cause an even more intense pain and could be fatal.

 

They must be using magic to increase the range of their arrows, Haku realized painfully. Damnit. I have to get back to the bathhouse.

 

Another wave of magically enhanced arrows flew at the dragon and despite his speed in the air, he took an arrow to the underside of his belly and shoulder joint. The pain was hellish. He could feel himself losing blood as his vision spun.

 

Haku! he vaguely heard Zeniba call out in his mind.

 

This…is…bad. I can't get… out of their… range, he replied weakly.

 

Damnit, Haku, stay conscious! I'll get you out of there, the witch called urgently. He thought he might have heard her calling for Yubaba to help her.

 

Blackness was seeping in on the edge of his vision, but even in his weakened state he knew if he fell now he would die; even if he was somehow able to survive, he would land in the demon camp and it would all be over anyway.

 

I'm really… in trouble…

 

“They will come and soon they will realize you are part of the prophecy and then you will need her. The whole world will.”

 

“You'll remember when the time comes, dragon,” the old man replied assuredly. “But there is no need to burden yourself with such problems while you have battles to fight.”

 

Haku stiffened as the memories of the dream came back to him in a flash, though he felt consciousness slipping away from him.

 

“Chihiro…”

 

Chihiro… I need you.

 

Then everything went black.

 

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Chihiro jerked upright in her bed, sweaty and panting. Her eyes were wide as the scene replayed in her mind.

 

“Haku!”