The Other World

Chapter 13 - Tale of Two Brothers

The river was draining back into the stone fountains. Dawn was on the way. Haku stepped off the ferry platform into the water, and then he let his senses melt away, dissolving into the current. Almost all water was connected someplace, and as his awareness expanded it found some water from the spring. The water drew Haku together toward its source, and he shot from the surface of the spring into the damp air of the swamp. Birds shrieked and exploded from the trees in fright at the sudden appearance of a dragon. He pulled himself into human shape. The birds, seeing that the great white snake was gone, hovered for a while, scolding, before finally settling back into their roosts.

Haku stood in the water and waited patiently as the birds quieted and the swamp returned to its usual muted state. The doors of the house opened and Zeniba ran out to discover the cause of the commotion. He strode forward to meet her.

"Haku, what happened? What are you doing here?" she asked. Haku's face darkened. She looked at him carefully. He was older.

"He has Chihiro," Haku said. "Shika left her alone in Tokyo and he plucked her out of the crowd. We need to find her, Granny. Your spell! We need to get her back."

Zeniba looked out over the trees where the last stars still glittered as she thought. "It's too risky," Zeniba said at last. "Opening a window straight into Akuma's domain."

"We can't just leave her there!"

Zeniba shook her head. "The spell isn't good enough for this. We would see her, yes, but it can't tell us exactly where she is. And he would sense us immediately, and then we won't get another chance. We need to find her another way."

"How?" Haku asked, frustrated. "You've been trying to locate him for years with no results. The spell will let us look straight into his palace. We can find out where she is from that."

Haku. Shika's voice rang in his head.

What? snapped Haku.

My parents pulled me out of Tokyo to set me up with this girl, Kitsune. They invited her over to dinner...

I don't have the time to listen to you complain about your parents, Haku interrupted.

No, you don't understand, Shika said. She's the one who followed us into Tokyo. She can travel through the mist. She's the one who took Chihiro.

Tell me you didn't leave her alive, Haku snarled.

She apologized, Haku. She talked to Chihiro and she regrets helping him. What's wrong with you? She can tell us where Chihiro is!

How do you know you can trust her?

She's the one who brought it up. She said she's sincerely sorry. I believe her.

Don't be a fool. Letting our guard down might be exactly what she wants. Haven't you done enough harm already? Haku demanded. Stay out of this. You were supposed to keep her safe.

"What is it?" Zeniba asked, seeing the look of hostility on his face.

"Nothing," Haku said. He shook his head, and then turned to Zeniba again. "Zeniba, I won't leave her there."

Zeniba raised an eyebrow at his evasion, but let it go. "Haku, we will find her. I promise. But we can't afford to reveal our hand too soon. Right now, even if we find her, Chihiro has no way to talk to us and tell us about the situation, and we have no way to tell her about any plans we make. The risk is too big, and it won't accomplish anything."

"If we can't think of another way, we'll use the spell. But first, I need to alert the gatekeepers. Once I cast the spell, we will need to move, both to rescue Chihiro and to break the spell on the Gates. And they'll need time to prepare." She looked warningly at Haku's mutinous expression. "Don't do anything rash," she ordered. "The cause is too important. Don't try to interfere or rescue her on your own." Seeing no acquiescence in his face, she added, "If you act before we're ready, we will stop you. Even with your powers back you can't overpower more than one of us."