The Wind Is Quiet , When You Are Gone .

Chapter 10

                            The Sun Loved The Moon So Much,                                                                                                She Died Every Night,                                                                                        To Let Him Breathe  

 The melodic birdsong drifted through the open window along with a breeze that caused the draping curtains to bellow softly. The sun illuminated the burgundy room and caused the two sleeping figures to stir slightly. The peace was disturbed by the bubbly Dahlia storming through the door. She stopped momentarily when she saw the twi in bed together and then carried on. "We need to get you dressed and ready for later. Today is a huge day." Chihiro sat up giggly and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. Her head turned to Haruko whilst her cheeks turned blush red. Haruko looked up at her and laughed, the room was so tall the laugh bounced off the walls. He sounded hollow and pained as he stood and walked to the door. He looked back at her with his eyes drowning in love, sadness, mirroring Chihiro's own.

Chihiro started getting dressed in misery . Dahlia helped her out in putting on the beautiful gown. The dress was pure white and shimmered in the young sun. The dress was nothing like she had ever liked or imagined her wedding dress. Then again, she had never dreamed she would marry an evil stranger. Not that she had much time to imagine weddings before but the last few weeks with Haruko had inspired plenty of unintentionally romantic daydreams.

But then something disturbed her thoughts. A loud, cold knock on the door. And a wave of icy air drove over her slim body. The door then flew open, revealing a thundery Goyo carrying a bow and quiver of silver arrows. "Where is he?" he boomed angrily, his fury filled eyes scanning the room thoroughly. Then Dahlia ran in, her tiny body trembling with rage as she marched up to Goyo and pushed him, "How dare you come in here and ruin your brides wedding day? There is nobody here except us and you have much more important things to be doing, like I don't know, maybe getting ready for your wedding."                                                                                                                     " It is my castle and I can do what I desire," Goyo fought back but he sounded unsure as he spoke. He seemed almost scared. As if the five-foot one lady had earned his respect. She simply cocked an eyebrow and he stormed out again as quickly as he came.

Chihiro let out a deep breathe she didn't know she had been holding. Her hands shook from the shock of what had happened. How could she be marrying such a monster? Suddenly her fear and anger soothed. A light breeze of warm air entered the room. And right after the light breeze, a shadow. Someone she knew from before. She once more felt the soothing feeling of the calmness and peace that shadow was revealing. She found herself standing at the window looking out at the tropical paradise. Then a familiar, striking green appeared in the corner of her vision. Ukipae. The gentle giant circled before landing gracefully. He caught her eyes from across the clearing. His glass eyes reflected the large forest that grew between them. He made his way silently towards her, his eyes stayed concentrated on Chihiro's stressed out blue eyes. He slowly stepped toward her, looking around carefully, making sure that they were alone.

Chihiro clicked the window open farther. She tried to greet him but the words caught in her throat and she felt tears pricking at her eyes. Next thing she knew, she was hugging Ukipae's neck and crying gently. Ukipae shook her off. Chihiro was offended by this but didn't say a word, instead she stood back and wiped her tears. Ukipae looked up and in his deep, calm voice he told her, "Princess, you cannot cry on this day. You need to stand up to your fears." Chihiro met his supportive gaze and her resolve strengthened. She nodded firmly to assure Ukipae and herself that she was ready. Then he nudged her softly with his head and opened his eyes.              "I will always protect you, my Princess," he assured her, "just as you are protecting me and the rest of this world by doing this.". Then he gazed off to the sky and left her there. She heard his fading voice in the distance, "You look beautiful, My Princess." She stood in the window waiting for something to happen. 

The clouds started to cover the bright sun that shone down at her, and as they did, the door opened and Dahlia, bubbly as usual, walked in. She held many bags in her arms and she tutted as she wiped away the tears from Chihiro's eyes, "You shouldn't make your eyes any worse than they already are after your late night." Chihiro laughed quietly and sat still as Chihiro prepared herself for the day that would change her life.

Next thing she knew she was watching her sparkling shoes hit the tiles as she walked towards the ball room. She was so afraid of what she was about to do that she didn't notice that she bumped into something. It was taller and wider than Chihiro. She knew the feeling it was diffusing. She moved her eyes to meet its glare. Haruko.

"The time has come," he said with a poker face. Chihiro nodded, her resolve still strong, and stood up tall to face him. "We have to say goodbye now I have to take care of the people I love and you must protect this world. I'm sure there will be a day that we will stand together again but for now, all I can say is good luck," Haruko spoke softly, his voice betraying his stoic demeanour, with a lilt of regret. Then Dahlia coughed gently from behind. She carried one of the many bouquets of flowers that had been arranged, and her lilac bridesmaid dress hugged her tiny frame. Haruko smiled at her impatience and pulled her into a friendly hug, "And you, my old friend, keep yourself out of trouble. I won't be here to get you out of it this time." Dahlia's annoyed face gave way to a sad smile as they pulled apart, "I promise I'll take care of her, now go!"