Well, here it is, the last chapter in this, the second book of the Torture
Trilogy. As a result of the couple of reviews that I got, it seemed to me
that the readers unanimously wanted the first idea, so that's what I'm
going with. And Keetra, you are basically right. I had reached an impasse
with the story, and there wasn't much action until Sky died *YAY*.
Thank you, all of my wonderful reviewers who I will name at the end of this chapter, that is, all of the reviewers who reviewed this story in particular. If you want to find the third story, keep an eye on my bio page, or the first page of the SA fics. This is bound to be a long chapter, and it will be the first chapter for quite some time in this particular series that has had what could truly be called action. Just keep reading and see exactly what I mean.
Keetra- yeah, I often insert myself into other people's stories that I enjoy, and, like you said, you can get a lot of weird stuff doing that.
Also, I was just wondering, when an author says that their fic is an AU, what exactly does that mean? Maybe I'm just completely clueless or something.
*~*
Jumari sighed deeply, then her eyes fluttered and opened. She found herself staring into the open eyes of the young man lying on the bed. Her eyes opening wider, she sat up and glared at him.
"What the hell did you think that you were doing to Sky," she demanded, the fire in her eyes growing. Realizing that at this point, his best option was just to stay quiet, Knoma said nothing.
"I mean, it was bad enough that you fought with him at every chance, but killing him? How could you? I'll have you know that I really enjoyed him."
"What it seems to me that you don't understand is that I really had NO choice in the matter. If I hadn't killed him, he'd have certainly killed me. As it was, you see that I barely made it out of this escapade with my life intact."
"So?"
Knoma didn't answer. He was to busy gaping at Jumari who was looking at him with a smirk on her face.
"Anyways, you're basically better, and the wedding for Chihiro and Haku is this afternoon, and they asked me to convey to you their desire that you be there. So I'll just leave you to find something appropriate to wear to the occasion."
"And what, pray tell, are you wearing?"
"Me?" Jumari asked incredulously. "Why do you care? I'll have you know that it's a secret. Not even the bride and groom know the outfit that I've chosen for the occasion."
Knoma looked at her, then groaned. "It had BETTER not be another one of your black dresses. Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions, not depressing ones."
"There's no need to worry about that. I think, in fact, I'm sure that you'll be very impressed with the ensemble." Jumari stood and made her way over to the door. She turned around just before reaching it and sent Knoma a glare that would have melted steel. "If you don't show up for the wedding, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands." She turned back around, opened the door, and then was gone. The door shut with a click, and Knoma fell back into the pillow, heaving a sigh. This was going to be a long day.
*~*
Chihiro hummed as she carefully braided her hair. Since it had been almost two months since she had returned to the spirit world, her hair had grown from shoulder length to almost halfway down her back. As she sat in front of the ancient vanity, she heard the door open and then close. Without turning around, she found that she knew who it was.
"Back from the torture session already?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. For some reason, they didn't go for the usual two hours," Link said, stepping closer. "Here, let me help you with that." He reached out and took her hair into his hands, deftly winding it into a perfect braid. He reached down and took a golden hair tie, one that had been made especially for the occasion by No-Face, and used it to tie the hair together. "There. A beautiful hair job for the most beautiful girl in the world. Have you decided what dress you're going to wear yet?"
"Yes, in fact, I was about to put it on now," Chihiro said, getting to her feet and walking over to the closet from which she removed a magnificent and shimmering white dress. "If you don't mind, do you think you could go get Zenniba and my mother to help me put it on?"
"Sure. Do you know where they are?"
"Well, Zenniba and Yubaba are almost certainly down in the kitchens overseeing the creation of the cake that will be used at the reception. They haven't let anyone see it yet, and if anyone so much as sets foot in the kitchens, they get chased out with fire at their heels."
"And your mother?"
"I think that she's down in the great hall making sure that no one makes any mistakes with the decorations." Link nodded and left Chihiro to her thoughts. She walked over to the seat next to the picture window in her room and sat down, gazing out over the vast sparkling white field that seemed to stretch out endlessly from the base of the tower. Snow flakes were swirling around in the wind, making the day one of the most beautiful that she had ever seen.
After a little while, a knock came on the door, and she called out for the person to enter. They did, and when she turned around, she saw her mother.
"Mom!" she exclaimed, still overwhelmed at the job Haku and Jumari had done in getting her parents into the spirit world and explaining to them where they were. From what she had been told, at first they hadn't taken too well to the idea that they had literally left the world that they had known all their life. Something like that isn't just accept right away. It takes time to warm up to the idea that you aren't even in the same world as you were a moment ago. Still, after a couple of days, they had finally gotten used to the strange comings and goings of the inhabitants of the tower, as well as to the idea that their little girl was marrying someone who, to their knowledge, they had never met before. Chihiro and Haku had decided together that they wouldn't tell them about the first visit to the spirit world, thinking that it would be giving them too much to digest at one time.
Chihiro's mother walked over to her and hugged her.
"All right dear. Now, if you stand up, we'll see if we can't get you into this dress properly." Together, they arranged it on the floor so that all Chihiro would have to do would be to step into it. She did so, and she and her mother both pulled it up over her shoulders, arranging it so that it was comfortable and rode well on her. The dress seemed to flow down off her like a cascading silver waterfall. It showed off just enough of her slender figure to be considered seemly, but not too much as to be considered indecent. Chihiro had asked Zenniba and No-Face to make one for her, and the job that they had done had easily surpassed anything that she had ever seen before. As her mother laced it up in back, Chihiro heard her sniff, and was instantly alarmed.
"What's wrong, mom?" she asked, turning around to look at her.
"It's just, you're going off and getting married, and there's nothing I can do about it. You've grown up so fast, I feel like I've missed half of your life." She smiled through her tears. "Don't worry, I'll get over it. What's important is that you're the one who's happy. As long as you love this Haku, then I suppose I have to trust your judgement. I just wish that we had had a little more time together."
Chihiro looked at her mom, feeling tears welling up in her own eyes (sorry Keetra). "Mom, it's not like once I get married, I can't visit you or be around you. I'll come back home whenever I can. I'm just taking the next step in the process of growing up. I still love you and dad, but I love Haku as well, and so I want to be with him. I promise that I won't just forget about you when I'm with him." She turned away, picking up the comb and once again taking her hair into her hands. "Do you think that I should wear it in a braid like this, or put it up, or make a ponytail or what?" She looked back at her mom, who smiled.
"I can't say I know. I've never seen you with your hair this long, but I must say, it looks wonderful when it's down. That's just my opinion, you need to do whatever you think is right."
Chihiro laughed. "Thanks a lot, mom. I should have known better than to ask your opinion about something like that. You never seem to be capable of giving me a straight answer." Her mother just smiled and walked over to the vanity, where she pulled out of a drawer a magnificent necklace.
"That lady, Jumari, told me that this was in here. She wanted you to wear it for the wedding." Chihiro looked at it in awe.
"Are they real?" she asked breathlessly. Her mother nodded.
"She assured me that each of these diamonds is indeed real, and that in our world just one would be enough to replace the backing for the currency in the ten richest countries. I guess it's some kind of tradition for witches and sorceresses to wear this necklace when they are married to remind the lucky young man that there is nothing in this world or the next that is of greater value than the young women standing in front of them." She smiled at Chihiro. "I must say, I agree with that totally."
The door opened and Zenniba entered, carrying with her a magnificent bouquet of flowers that glistened with what appeared to be dew on them.
"I just wanted to give these to you real quick before the wedding," she said. Chihiro nodded and took them, sniffing them delicately. A dreamy look crossed her face.
"They smell like heaven!" she exclaimed, looking at Zenniba. "Thank you so much!"
Chihiro's mom looked at her once again. "Now, dear, tell me a little bit about this Haku. Just what kind of a boy is he?"
"Oh, he's wonderful!" Chihiro breathed, gazing off into the distance. "He's kind, gentle, sweet, and a hopeless romantic. He's exactly the sort of person that I've always felt was just right for me."
"And how long have you known him?" she asked.
"A long, long time. We met back when I was about ten. That was the first time, and we've been friends ever since. Just recently things started getting more serious, and only a little while ago he proposed." Once again a dreamy look crossed her face. "It was the most wonderful moment of my life. I never expected it, and then all of the sudden there was the ring, and he was asking me. I was thrilled. I had hoped, but never dared to expect him to. He didn't seem like the sort of person to just up and propose without any warning."
"Do you think that he'll ever hurt you or betray you?"
"Oh, mom. You know as well as I do that we're going to have our misunderstandings in the future. There's no way for us to completely prevent that. The important thing is that we'll never let anything come between the love that we have for each other."
"Well, you sound like you're going to be very happy with him, dear. I have to get back to the hall to keep setting up decorations, so you just stay in here and keep getting ready." Her mother leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you more than you'll ever know, and just want you to be happy. Who knows. Maybe this Haku can give you that." She smiled at her daughter, then walked out of the room, leaving Chihiro alone to her thoughts.
*~*
Haku was in his room, pacing around like a caged animal. He had exchanged his normal tunic for a magnificent golden-threaded one, and he caught himself wondering what Chihiro was going to be wearing. He then realized that it didn't matter. No matter what she was wearing, she would still be the most beautiful girl in the world to his eyes. Nothing could possibly take away from her stunning beauty.
Sitting on the bed in his room were Link and Nami, who were watching him with laughter in their eyes.
"You really need to calm down Haku. You look like you're expecting the world to end at any moment." Link looked very much like he was about to burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
"Ah, shut up," Haku told him, he did, however, stop pacing and sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm just really, really nervous."
"What, and you think that that isn't natural?" asked Nami. "Listen, when me and my mate started going together, I was nervous, but you just have to learn to deal. If you let your nervousness control your actions, you'll never be with the people that you love. Shoot, we all know that Sky originally was a nervous wreck when Jumari decided that they ought to further their relationship, and look where it got him. A hundred and fifty years of wandering all throughout the spirit world, trying to find his identity. Is that what you want, rather than to be with Chihiro?"
"Of course not!" Haku exclaimed. "I'm just not sure if this is what she wants. What if she's just doing this because she wants to hurt me?"
"Listen to me, Haku," Link said. "Chihiro would never do something like that to you, simply because of the very fact that she DOES love you. I've seen it every time I look into her eyes. She loves you more than anything else in the world, and it would kill her if you were to back out now. Plus, I doubt that her parents would take to kindly to it."
Even as he said the words, the door opened and Chihiro's father walked in.
"I'm sorry to be disturbing you all, but do you think that I could have a moment alone with my future son in law?" he asked. The two young men sitting on the bed nodded and left the room, shutting the door as they went. Once outside, they pressed their ears up against the door so that they could hear what was going on.
"So, tell me a little about yourself. What exactly do you do for a living?" Chihiro's father looked at Haku intently as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from Haku, who had stood up when he had entered the room.
"Well, right now I sort of work in this bath house as the right hand man of the owner. It's good hard work, but it's fun. Not to mention that there are certain perks. Like meeting your daughter, for example."
"I don't remember Chihiro ever going to a bath house before. . ." Chihiro's father scratched his head in confusion. "Never mind. So, once you're married, you think that you can support her?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, now that she's a sorceress, it's her duty to spend the first four years after her original training wandering throughout the Spirit World helping out wherever she's needed. As her husband, and a sorcerer in my own right, it's my duty to go with her and protect her whenever I can."
"What exactly do you mean by protect?"
"Well, there are a lot of evil and wicked spirits out there, so if she's going to be safe, she needs someone she can trust to come with her and watch out for her. There used to be a time here in the spirit world where you could just walk and stay wherever you wanted with no fear of attack, but, unfortunately, those days came to an end a long time ago."
"So, you're saying that she's going to be in danger wherever she goes?" The tone in his voice was one of warning.
"Well, she'll be perfectly fine as long as she stays close to me and allows me to protect her."
Chihiro's father nodded, then rose to his feet and walked toward the door. "You'll do fine," he said, then opened it and jumped back as Link and Nami fell into the room.
"Ummmm. . . hello?" Nami said, smiling up at them sweetly. Haku clapped his head over his eyes in embarrassment. Chihiro's dad (in case you couldn't tell already, I haven't the time to bother looking for his name) stepped over them and walked out of the room.
"So, how did it go?" Link asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.
"What, couldn't you hear clearly enough?" Haku looked at him, a smile on his face.
"No, sadly enough, he kept his voice low enough that Nami's panting completely drowned it out."
"Well, he just asked me a few questions, I answered, and then he said that I'd do fine. Then he left and you two made complete and utter fools of yourselves."
"It's actually a pretty short trip for him," Nami muttered, pointing at Link, who was on him instantly.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing. So, I guess that means that he's going to let you marry Chihiro?"
"It seems that way." Haku got up and straightened his tunic. "I'm going to go see how Chihiro's doing." He made as if he was going to leave the room, only to find it blocked by Nami and Link, who then proceeded to force him back into the chair he had just left.
"Listen, there's an old legend that says it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. You don't want to curse this whole thing now, do you?" There was a twinkle in Nami's eyes as he spoke.
"Fine. Let's go down to the grand hallway and see if the archmage is here." Together they opened the door and left the room, closing it behind them.
*~*
Down in the great hall, a flurry of activity had caught the eye of a mysterious figure dressed in a black cloak. The figure was perched up on the vaulted ceiling amongst the statues, and as a result was near impossible to see from the floor. However, nothing escaped the eye of this unknown entity. Eyes filled with malice watched each and every coming and going, taking note of each of the many guests and where they were seated. Sitting in the front row, right next to the treacherous Yubaba was a magnificent apparition in a dark purple robe with a flowing golden collar and a golden belt. On her head was a glittering tiara.
Far beneath the figure, the activity had stopped and now figures of spirits were filing in. They had come from far and wide to witness the marriage of one of the most eligible bachelors in the spirit world to one of the greatest legends in history. There wasn't a single person in the Spirit world who didn't know all about how Chihiro had managed to outwit the sorceress Yubaba and escape herself, along with her parents. Now, she had grown up, but that didn't stop or stem their interest in her one bit. She was a legend, and as a result, there was going to be standing room only in the massive hall that could have easily seated five hundred. All of the spirits from the bath house were there, as well as everyone that Chihiro had met while staying with Zenniba, and many others that had simply heard of her and wanted to see her for themselves.
Once everyone had taken their seats, a tall and handsome man walked down the steps into the great hall. He bore is handsome figure well, and carried in one hand a staff with a magnificent sapphire imbedded in the tip. He wore black robes with golden symbols embroidered throughout, and wore his hair back in a long ponytail. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone; it was sharp and angular, and his eyes were a magnificent shade of blue.
He was the archmage.
As he entered, the whispers in the room died down until there was a tense and expectant silence. The archmage paused at the bottom of the stairs, then proceeded to walk swiftly down the aisle in the middle of the room to the raised platform at the opposite end. He walked up the stairs, then stopped at the top and turned around, facing the audience, who were practically holding their breaths in anticipation. He raised an arm and motioned back to the stairs he had just come from. Everyone turned around to watch as Haku, walking stiffly and just a little too fast, descended the stairs and crossed to the platform. Once he was on, the archmage once again motioned, and Link, Nami, and Knoma came out and also walked across to the platform. The moment that they were set, the archmage gestured for the organ to start playing, and it began, on it's own without anyone playing it, to play the wedding march.
First, Zenniba and Rin came down, walking slowly but with huge grins on their faces. Zenniba proceeded to snap her fingers very discreetly, and suddenly they were walking amidst a blizzard of lily petals that fluttered down from the ceiling above them. Within minutes, they too were in their spots on the platform.
At the top of the stairs, a magnificent angel in white appeared. Seeming as to be descending from the heavens to come down to earth, the figure slowly but steadily came down, taking each step as though it were the most important step ever taken in the history of the world.
In a way, it was.
No one could see the face of the stunning young woman; for her veil was covering her face, but they had no doubt that it was the very same little girl who had once, with the help of a few friends, managed to outwit Yubaba. She continued on, seeming to be borne upon the winds that kept the flower petals swirling around her, until she came to the platform, where she daintily ascended, and the music softly died down and then disappeared.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here. . ."
Through a seeming whirlwind of love and emotion, the archmage painted upon the canvas of eternity a perfect, flawless picture of the two lovers, standing before each other, with nothing else in the world mattering except for their love that they held. As he spoke, it seemed as though a spell had rested over the entire room, everyone basking in the glory that they could feel, each and every spirit remembering fondly the many times that they too had felt something like this.
Perhaps it was the fact that the two youngsters were sorcerers, or perhaps it was just that their love was more perfect than anyone else's, but had they been screaming out about their love, it could have no greater effect than the sight of the two of them standing there, holding onto each other as though if they let go, the other would vanish forever.
"Haku, do you take Chihiro to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"And do you, Chihiro, take Haku to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"Then by the power vested in me by the high council of mages for the spirit world, I now pronounce you. . ."
He never got any farther. With a mighty blast that shook the very foundations of the tower, a huge fireball came hurtling down from the ceiling. Haku grabbed Chihiro and dove off the platform, narrowly escaping the blast that consumed the archmage. As the hall filled with the screams of the spirits gathered there, a figure hurled toward the ground, stopping just short of crashing into it and hovered there, the fire licking up at it but never touching.
"Haku, I am here to bring to you divine retribution for the crimes that you have committed against the people of the land of Kanrika." Having said this, the figure, revealed by the voice to be female, raised a hand and flung another fireball at the would-be couple lying on the floor. Haku and Chihiro, acting as one, as if they knew what the other was thinking, threw up a barrier that just barely managed to deflect the blast, sending it shooting into a thick group of spirits. Suddenly, another blast, this time of bluish colored lightning struck the figure from behind, and paper birds then surrounded the figure and began to slice away at it. The robes that cloaked her fell open to reveal magnificent armor, as well as a pale white face, green eyes, and long golden hair reaching down almost to her waist. Haku noticed with a start that her ears were pointed.
"Who are you?" he demanded, but rather than wait for an answer, he transformed into a dragon and flung himself at her, only to be thrown back into a broken heap against one of the stone columns. Chihiro screamed his name and raced over to where he was lying, only to be pulled to her feet and lifted up in front of the cold and unfeeling face.
"So, you're the one that he loves so much. Well, then, I suppose that the best way to hurt him is to steal that which matters most."
She picked Chihiro up and then raced with inhuman speed to the door, throwing it open and sending one last, huge blast into the tower, then flew off high into the sky, vanishing amongst the clouds.
Yubaba staggered over to a pew and leaned against it.
{Damn you, Keetra.}
TBC
*~*
Now, to thank all my reviewers:
Sailor Helios, who has not reviewed this fic in particular- Thank you so much for putting me on your list of favorites! When someone does that, I feel really, very honored, so thanks.
FuzzyFanFicFreak- thank you so much for giving me my first real review on this story. You were the first, which is a wonderful distinction to have. However, you were by no means the last.
No Name- thanks for your review as well, it was uplifting, and whenever I didn't feel like updating, I was always able to go back to it and get encouragement, despite the shortness. Thanks again.
Sachairi- Wow, you are my second most faithful reviewer and the only one so far that took the time to check out my other fics, telling me honestly what you thought about them. Thank you so much! You made me smile when I read them, and allowed me to get that extra push that I often needed to write the next chapter. I very much look forward to each of your reviews, and I intend to check out your story, which I will review the first chance I get. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Keetra- You're at the end for a reason. Not because I think the least of your ideas, in fact, just the opposite. In fact, it's because of your faithfulness that I decided what I did about the end of the chapter. I've had that in my mind for some time now, and the voting gave me the perfect opportunity to put you in. Now, you have a major role in here, and who knows, you might just get some weird things going on! You are easily my most faithful reviewer, and I have always welcomed with open arms your comments and suggestions. You've been honest, kind, funny, and just always there, and for that, you deserve an infinite amount of thanks. Every time I update, I spend the next couple of days eagerly awaiting your feedback, if for no other reason than to get a good laugh. I must say that after reading your stories, I've come to the conclusion that you are a better writer than me, and if anything else, I will always enjoy reading each and every one of your stories an infinite number of times. Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin, and I'm so sorry that it took me this long to get this last chapter up. And yes, of course, this is a TBC. Please don't kill me. I truly believe that as long as friends, no matter how distant, stick together, the world will be a better place, and as we walk into the future, we can share the compassion that we have for one another to everyone else we meet. : )
So, that's it for Pools of Torment.
Writing always for Christ's glory:
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri
Thank you, all of my wonderful reviewers who I will name at the end of this chapter, that is, all of the reviewers who reviewed this story in particular. If you want to find the third story, keep an eye on my bio page, or the first page of the SA fics. This is bound to be a long chapter, and it will be the first chapter for quite some time in this particular series that has had what could truly be called action. Just keep reading and see exactly what I mean.
Keetra- yeah, I often insert myself into other people's stories that I enjoy, and, like you said, you can get a lot of weird stuff doing that.
Also, I was just wondering, when an author says that their fic is an AU, what exactly does that mean? Maybe I'm just completely clueless or something.
*~*
Jumari sighed deeply, then her eyes fluttered and opened. She found herself staring into the open eyes of the young man lying on the bed. Her eyes opening wider, she sat up and glared at him.
"What the hell did you think that you were doing to Sky," she demanded, the fire in her eyes growing. Realizing that at this point, his best option was just to stay quiet, Knoma said nothing.
"I mean, it was bad enough that you fought with him at every chance, but killing him? How could you? I'll have you know that I really enjoyed him."
"What it seems to me that you don't understand is that I really had NO choice in the matter. If I hadn't killed him, he'd have certainly killed me. As it was, you see that I barely made it out of this escapade with my life intact."
"So?"
Knoma didn't answer. He was to busy gaping at Jumari who was looking at him with a smirk on her face.
"Anyways, you're basically better, and the wedding for Chihiro and Haku is this afternoon, and they asked me to convey to you their desire that you be there. So I'll just leave you to find something appropriate to wear to the occasion."
"And what, pray tell, are you wearing?"
"Me?" Jumari asked incredulously. "Why do you care? I'll have you know that it's a secret. Not even the bride and groom know the outfit that I've chosen for the occasion."
Knoma looked at her, then groaned. "It had BETTER not be another one of your black dresses. Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions, not depressing ones."
"There's no need to worry about that. I think, in fact, I'm sure that you'll be very impressed with the ensemble." Jumari stood and made her way over to the door. She turned around just before reaching it and sent Knoma a glare that would have melted steel. "If you don't show up for the wedding, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands." She turned back around, opened the door, and then was gone. The door shut with a click, and Knoma fell back into the pillow, heaving a sigh. This was going to be a long day.
*~*
Chihiro hummed as she carefully braided her hair. Since it had been almost two months since she had returned to the spirit world, her hair had grown from shoulder length to almost halfway down her back. As she sat in front of the ancient vanity, she heard the door open and then close. Without turning around, she found that she knew who it was.
"Back from the torture session already?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. For some reason, they didn't go for the usual two hours," Link said, stepping closer. "Here, let me help you with that." He reached out and took her hair into his hands, deftly winding it into a perfect braid. He reached down and took a golden hair tie, one that had been made especially for the occasion by No-Face, and used it to tie the hair together. "There. A beautiful hair job for the most beautiful girl in the world. Have you decided what dress you're going to wear yet?"
"Yes, in fact, I was about to put it on now," Chihiro said, getting to her feet and walking over to the closet from which she removed a magnificent and shimmering white dress. "If you don't mind, do you think you could go get Zenniba and my mother to help me put it on?"
"Sure. Do you know where they are?"
"Well, Zenniba and Yubaba are almost certainly down in the kitchens overseeing the creation of the cake that will be used at the reception. They haven't let anyone see it yet, and if anyone so much as sets foot in the kitchens, they get chased out with fire at their heels."
"And your mother?"
"I think that she's down in the great hall making sure that no one makes any mistakes with the decorations." Link nodded and left Chihiro to her thoughts. She walked over to the seat next to the picture window in her room and sat down, gazing out over the vast sparkling white field that seemed to stretch out endlessly from the base of the tower. Snow flakes were swirling around in the wind, making the day one of the most beautiful that she had ever seen.
After a little while, a knock came on the door, and she called out for the person to enter. They did, and when she turned around, she saw her mother.
"Mom!" she exclaimed, still overwhelmed at the job Haku and Jumari had done in getting her parents into the spirit world and explaining to them where they were. From what she had been told, at first they hadn't taken too well to the idea that they had literally left the world that they had known all their life. Something like that isn't just accept right away. It takes time to warm up to the idea that you aren't even in the same world as you were a moment ago. Still, after a couple of days, they had finally gotten used to the strange comings and goings of the inhabitants of the tower, as well as to the idea that their little girl was marrying someone who, to their knowledge, they had never met before. Chihiro and Haku had decided together that they wouldn't tell them about the first visit to the spirit world, thinking that it would be giving them too much to digest at one time.
Chihiro's mother walked over to her and hugged her.
"All right dear. Now, if you stand up, we'll see if we can't get you into this dress properly." Together, they arranged it on the floor so that all Chihiro would have to do would be to step into it. She did so, and she and her mother both pulled it up over her shoulders, arranging it so that it was comfortable and rode well on her. The dress seemed to flow down off her like a cascading silver waterfall. It showed off just enough of her slender figure to be considered seemly, but not too much as to be considered indecent. Chihiro had asked Zenniba and No-Face to make one for her, and the job that they had done had easily surpassed anything that she had ever seen before. As her mother laced it up in back, Chihiro heard her sniff, and was instantly alarmed.
"What's wrong, mom?" she asked, turning around to look at her.
"It's just, you're going off and getting married, and there's nothing I can do about it. You've grown up so fast, I feel like I've missed half of your life." She smiled through her tears. "Don't worry, I'll get over it. What's important is that you're the one who's happy. As long as you love this Haku, then I suppose I have to trust your judgement. I just wish that we had had a little more time together."
Chihiro looked at her mom, feeling tears welling up in her own eyes (sorry Keetra). "Mom, it's not like once I get married, I can't visit you or be around you. I'll come back home whenever I can. I'm just taking the next step in the process of growing up. I still love you and dad, but I love Haku as well, and so I want to be with him. I promise that I won't just forget about you when I'm with him." She turned away, picking up the comb and once again taking her hair into her hands. "Do you think that I should wear it in a braid like this, or put it up, or make a ponytail or what?" She looked back at her mom, who smiled.
"I can't say I know. I've never seen you with your hair this long, but I must say, it looks wonderful when it's down. That's just my opinion, you need to do whatever you think is right."
Chihiro laughed. "Thanks a lot, mom. I should have known better than to ask your opinion about something like that. You never seem to be capable of giving me a straight answer." Her mother just smiled and walked over to the vanity, where she pulled out of a drawer a magnificent necklace.
"That lady, Jumari, told me that this was in here. She wanted you to wear it for the wedding." Chihiro looked at it in awe.
"Are they real?" she asked breathlessly. Her mother nodded.
"She assured me that each of these diamonds is indeed real, and that in our world just one would be enough to replace the backing for the currency in the ten richest countries. I guess it's some kind of tradition for witches and sorceresses to wear this necklace when they are married to remind the lucky young man that there is nothing in this world or the next that is of greater value than the young women standing in front of them." She smiled at Chihiro. "I must say, I agree with that totally."
The door opened and Zenniba entered, carrying with her a magnificent bouquet of flowers that glistened with what appeared to be dew on them.
"I just wanted to give these to you real quick before the wedding," she said. Chihiro nodded and took them, sniffing them delicately. A dreamy look crossed her face.
"They smell like heaven!" she exclaimed, looking at Zenniba. "Thank you so much!"
Chihiro's mom looked at her once again. "Now, dear, tell me a little bit about this Haku. Just what kind of a boy is he?"
"Oh, he's wonderful!" Chihiro breathed, gazing off into the distance. "He's kind, gentle, sweet, and a hopeless romantic. He's exactly the sort of person that I've always felt was just right for me."
"And how long have you known him?" she asked.
"A long, long time. We met back when I was about ten. That was the first time, and we've been friends ever since. Just recently things started getting more serious, and only a little while ago he proposed." Once again a dreamy look crossed her face. "It was the most wonderful moment of my life. I never expected it, and then all of the sudden there was the ring, and he was asking me. I was thrilled. I had hoped, but never dared to expect him to. He didn't seem like the sort of person to just up and propose without any warning."
"Do you think that he'll ever hurt you or betray you?"
"Oh, mom. You know as well as I do that we're going to have our misunderstandings in the future. There's no way for us to completely prevent that. The important thing is that we'll never let anything come between the love that we have for each other."
"Well, you sound like you're going to be very happy with him, dear. I have to get back to the hall to keep setting up decorations, so you just stay in here and keep getting ready." Her mother leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you more than you'll ever know, and just want you to be happy. Who knows. Maybe this Haku can give you that." She smiled at her daughter, then walked out of the room, leaving Chihiro alone to her thoughts.
*~*
Haku was in his room, pacing around like a caged animal. He had exchanged his normal tunic for a magnificent golden-threaded one, and he caught himself wondering what Chihiro was going to be wearing. He then realized that it didn't matter. No matter what she was wearing, she would still be the most beautiful girl in the world to his eyes. Nothing could possibly take away from her stunning beauty.
Sitting on the bed in his room were Link and Nami, who were watching him with laughter in their eyes.
"You really need to calm down Haku. You look like you're expecting the world to end at any moment." Link looked very much like he was about to burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
"Ah, shut up," Haku told him, he did, however, stop pacing and sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm just really, really nervous."
"What, and you think that that isn't natural?" asked Nami. "Listen, when me and my mate started going together, I was nervous, but you just have to learn to deal. If you let your nervousness control your actions, you'll never be with the people that you love. Shoot, we all know that Sky originally was a nervous wreck when Jumari decided that they ought to further their relationship, and look where it got him. A hundred and fifty years of wandering all throughout the spirit world, trying to find his identity. Is that what you want, rather than to be with Chihiro?"
"Of course not!" Haku exclaimed. "I'm just not sure if this is what she wants. What if she's just doing this because she wants to hurt me?"
"Listen to me, Haku," Link said. "Chihiro would never do something like that to you, simply because of the very fact that she DOES love you. I've seen it every time I look into her eyes. She loves you more than anything else in the world, and it would kill her if you were to back out now. Plus, I doubt that her parents would take to kindly to it."
Even as he said the words, the door opened and Chihiro's father walked in.
"I'm sorry to be disturbing you all, but do you think that I could have a moment alone with my future son in law?" he asked. The two young men sitting on the bed nodded and left the room, shutting the door as they went. Once outside, they pressed their ears up against the door so that they could hear what was going on.
"So, tell me a little about yourself. What exactly do you do for a living?" Chihiro's father looked at Haku intently as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from Haku, who had stood up when he had entered the room.
"Well, right now I sort of work in this bath house as the right hand man of the owner. It's good hard work, but it's fun. Not to mention that there are certain perks. Like meeting your daughter, for example."
"I don't remember Chihiro ever going to a bath house before. . ." Chihiro's father scratched his head in confusion. "Never mind. So, once you're married, you think that you can support her?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, now that she's a sorceress, it's her duty to spend the first four years after her original training wandering throughout the Spirit World helping out wherever she's needed. As her husband, and a sorcerer in my own right, it's my duty to go with her and protect her whenever I can."
"What exactly do you mean by protect?"
"Well, there are a lot of evil and wicked spirits out there, so if she's going to be safe, she needs someone she can trust to come with her and watch out for her. There used to be a time here in the spirit world where you could just walk and stay wherever you wanted with no fear of attack, but, unfortunately, those days came to an end a long time ago."
"So, you're saying that she's going to be in danger wherever she goes?" The tone in his voice was one of warning.
"Well, she'll be perfectly fine as long as she stays close to me and allows me to protect her."
Chihiro's father nodded, then rose to his feet and walked toward the door. "You'll do fine," he said, then opened it and jumped back as Link and Nami fell into the room.
"Ummmm. . . hello?" Nami said, smiling up at them sweetly. Haku clapped his head over his eyes in embarrassment. Chihiro's dad (in case you couldn't tell already, I haven't the time to bother looking for his name) stepped over them and walked out of the room.
"So, how did it go?" Link asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.
"What, couldn't you hear clearly enough?" Haku looked at him, a smile on his face.
"No, sadly enough, he kept his voice low enough that Nami's panting completely drowned it out."
"Well, he just asked me a few questions, I answered, and then he said that I'd do fine. Then he left and you two made complete and utter fools of yourselves."
"It's actually a pretty short trip for him," Nami muttered, pointing at Link, who was on him instantly.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing. So, I guess that means that he's going to let you marry Chihiro?"
"It seems that way." Haku got up and straightened his tunic. "I'm going to go see how Chihiro's doing." He made as if he was going to leave the room, only to find it blocked by Nami and Link, who then proceeded to force him back into the chair he had just left.
"Listen, there's an old legend that says it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. You don't want to curse this whole thing now, do you?" There was a twinkle in Nami's eyes as he spoke.
"Fine. Let's go down to the grand hallway and see if the archmage is here." Together they opened the door and left the room, closing it behind them.
*~*
Down in the great hall, a flurry of activity had caught the eye of a mysterious figure dressed in a black cloak. The figure was perched up on the vaulted ceiling amongst the statues, and as a result was near impossible to see from the floor. However, nothing escaped the eye of this unknown entity. Eyes filled with malice watched each and every coming and going, taking note of each of the many guests and where they were seated. Sitting in the front row, right next to the treacherous Yubaba was a magnificent apparition in a dark purple robe with a flowing golden collar and a golden belt. On her head was a glittering tiara.
Far beneath the figure, the activity had stopped and now figures of spirits were filing in. They had come from far and wide to witness the marriage of one of the most eligible bachelors in the spirit world to one of the greatest legends in history. There wasn't a single person in the Spirit world who didn't know all about how Chihiro had managed to outwit the sorceress Yubaba and escape herself, along with her parents. Now, she had grown up, but that didn't stop or stem their interest in her one bit. She was a legend, and as a result, there was going to be standing room only in the massive hall that could have easily seated five hundred. All of the spirits from the bath house were there, as well as everyone that Chihiro had met while staying with Zenniba, and many others that had simply heard of her and wanted to see her for themselves.
Once everyone had taken their seats, a tall and handsome man walked down the steps into the great hall. He bore is handsome figure well, and carried in one hand a staff with a magnificent sapphire imbedded in the tip. He wore black robes with golden symbols embroidered throughout, and wore his hair back in a long ponytail. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone; it was sharp and angular, and his eyes were a magnificent shade of blue.
He was the archmage.
As he entered, the whispers in the room died down until there was a tense and expectant silence. The archmage paused at the bottom of the stairs, then proceeded to walk swiftly down the aisle in the middle of the room to the raised platform at the opposite end. He walked up the stairs, then stopped at the top and turned around, facing the audience, who were practically holding their breaths in anticipation. He raised an arm and motioned back to the stairs he had just come from. Everyone turned around to watch as Haku, walking stiffly and just a little too fast, descended the stairs and crossed to the platform. Once he was on, the archmage once again motioned, and Link, Nami, and Knoma came out and also walked across to the platform. The moment that they were set, the archmage gestured for the organ to start playing, and it began, on it's own without anyone playing it, to play the wedding march.
First, Zenniba and Rin came down, walking slowly but with huge grins on their faces. Zenniba proceeded to snap her fingers very discreetly, and suddenly they were walking amidst a blizzard of lily petals that fluttered down from the ceiling above them. Within minutes, they too were in their spots on the platform.
At the top of the stairs, a magnificent angel in white appeared. Seeming as to be descending from the heavens to come down to earth, the figure slowly but steadily came down, taking each step as though it were the most important step ever taken in the history of the world.
In a way, it was.
No one could see the face of the stunning young woman; for her veil was covering her face, but they had no doubt that it was the very same little girl who had once, with the help of a few friends, managed to outwit Yubaba. She continued on, seeming to be borne upon the winds that kept the flower petals swirling around her, until she came to the platform, where she daintily ascended, and the music softly died down and then disappeared.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here. . ."
Through a seeming whirlwind of love and emotion, the archmage painted upon the canvas of eternity a perfect, flawless picture of the two lovers, standing before each other, with nothing else in the world mattering except for their love that they held. As he spoke, it seemed as though a spell had rested over the entire room, everyone basking in the glory that they could feel, each and every spirit remembering fondly the many times that they too had felt something like this.
Perhaps it was the fact that the two youngsters were sorcerers, or perhaps it was just that their love was more perfect than anyone else's, but had they been screaming out about their love, it could have no greater effect than the sight of the two of them standing there, holding onto each other as though if they let go, the other would vanish forever.
"Haku, do you take Chihiro to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"And do you, Chihiro, take Haku to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"Then by the power vested in me by the high council of mages for the spirit world, I now pronounce you. . ."
He never got any farther. With a mighty blast that shook the very foundations of the tower, a huge fireball came hurtling down from the ceiling. Haku grabbed Chihiro and dove off the platform, narrowly escaping the blast that consumed the archmage. As the hall filled with the screams of the spirits gathered there, a figure hurled toward the ground, stopping just short of crashing into it and hovered there, the fire licking up at it but never touching.
"Haku, I am here to bring to you divine retribution for the crimes that you have committed against the people of the land of Kanrika." Having said this, the figure, revealed by the voice to be female, raised a hand and flung another fireball at the would-be couple lying on the floor. Haku and Chihiro, acting as one, as if they knew what the other was thinking, threw up a barrier that just barely managed to deflect the blast, sending it shooting into a thick group of spirits. Suddenly, another blast, this time of bluish colored lightning struck the figure from behind, and paper birds then surrounded the figure and began to slice away at it. The robes that cloaked her fell open to reveal magnificent armor, as well as a pale white face, green eyes, and long golden hair reaching down almost to her waist. Haku noticed with a start that her ears were pointed.
"Who are you?" he demanded, but rather than wait for an answer, he transformed into a dragon and flung himself at her, only to be thrown back into a broken heap against one of the stone columns. Chihiro screamed his name and raced over to where he was lying, only to be pulled to her feet and lifted up in front of the cold and unfeeling face.
"So, you're the one that he loves so much. Well, then, I suppose that the best way to hurt him is to steal that which matters most."
She picked Chihiro up and then raced with inhuman speed to the door, throwing it open and sending one last, huge blast into the tower, then flew off high into the sky, vanishing amongst the clouds.
Yubaba staggered over to a pew and leaned against it.
{Damn you, Keetra.}
TBC
*~*
Now, to thank all my reviewers:
Sailor Helios, who has not reviewed this fic in particular- Thank you so much for putting me on your list of favorites! When someone does that, I feel really, very honored, so thanks.
FuzzyFanFicFreak- thank you so much for giving me my first real review on this story. You were the first, which is a wonderful distinction to have. However, you were by no means the last.
No Name- thanks for your review as well, it was uplifting, and whenever I didn't feel like updating, I was always able to go back to it and get encouragement, despite the shortness. Thanks again.
Sachairi- Wow, you are my second most faithful reviewer and the only one so far that took the time to check out my other fics, telling me honestly what you thought about them. Thank you so much! You made me smile when I read them, and allowed me to get that extra push that I often needed to write the next chapter. I very much look forward to each of your reviews, and I intend to check out your story, which I will review the first chance I get. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Keetra- You're at the end for a reason. Not because I think the least of your ideas, in fact, just the opposite. In fact, it's because of your faithfulness that I decided what I did about the end of the chapter. I've had that in my mind for some time now, and the voting gave me the perfect opportunity to put you in. Now, you have a major role in here, and who knows, you might just get some weird things going on! You are easily my most faithful reviewer, and I have always welcomed with open arms your comments and suggestions. You've been honest, kind, funny, and just always there, and for that, you deserve an infinite amount of thanks. Every time I update, I spend the next couple of days eagerly awaiting your feedback, if for no other reason than to get a good laugh. I must say that after reading your stories, I've come to the conclusion that you are a better writer than me, and if anything else, I will always enjoy reading each and every one of your stories an infinite number of times. Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin, and I'm so sorry that it took me this long to get this last chapter up. And yes, of course, this is a TBC. Please don't kill me. I truly believe that as long as friends, no matter how distant, stick together, the world will be a better place, and as we walk into the future, we can share the compassion that we have for one another to everyone else we meet. : )
So, that's it for Pools of Torment.
Writing always for Christ's glory:
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri