Chihiro had forgotten the thrill of flying with Haku. She remembered the flying of course, but the memory of the sheer exhilaration had faded. She saw the world in miniature, the flat plain seemed to extend forever except to the west, where purple mountains rose out of the flat land like jagged teeth. The wind whistled around her pushing her hair out of her face and streaming it behind her. Haku looked almost silver in the morning sun. It was hard to believe that this creature of myth was the handsome man she had been arguing with a few moments before. However, something in his dragon form reminded her strongly of his human-like one. Maybe it was the eyes, or his graceful movements in this form were echoed in his human one. Whatever it was, all she knew at that moment was the joy.

She let go of his horns and put out her arms, as if flying herself. Just then Haku dropped beneath her. She gave a little yelp and grasped his horns again.

"You spoilsport," she accused, "you get to do this all the time!" he then dove and her stomach seemed to migrate to her mouth and she nearly lost Grannies breakfast. He pulled a number of gut-wrenching turns; it was like being on a roller coaster.

"All right!" She laughed, "you win, I'll sit properly." He returned to a more even flight, his tail streaming behind him. Chihiro sat for a while admiring the view. She found that her eyelids were starting to drop. She was still tired from being so ill she realised. She shifted down his back and wrapped her arms around his horns and rested her head on her hands.

"I'm just going to take a little nap." She yawned and was asleep almost immediately. Haku flew on and gave a low growl of satisfaction.

"Chihiro?" A voice was calling her name. She was so tired; all she wanted to do was sleep. "Chihiro?" Someone was shaking her.

"Just five more minutes," She mumbled and snuggled into her pillow. Someone gave a surprised laugh. "This pillow isn't very comfortable." She thought, "it's quite hard and it's warm." Her eyes snapped open, what she saw made her wish she was still asleep. He had transformed back to his human form while she was asleep. He was holding her in both arms, one around her shoulders and the other under her knees. She had been nuzzling his chest. He looked down at her still chuckling.

"Well hello sleepy," he said. Chihiro wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

"Hello," she said sheepishly, "you can put me down now." He did so, still smiling, eyes full of mischief. Obviously, he was enjoying her discomfort. To add to her embarrassment they were not alone.

Rin came over from the shadows of Haku's office next door. She looked the girl up and down.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," replied Chihiro. Not satisfied with this Rin placed a hand on her head.

"Mmm, no temperature, open your mouth," Chihiro did so. "Tongue nice and pink, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Rin I'm fine!"

"You were at death's door two days ago! In the mood he went out after you I'm sure he was a little too rough, now answer me!"

"Three," said Chihiro.

"Okay," Rin stepped back and turned to Haku. "Her room is ready, as you requested. Also, Linca has just regained consciousness." Chihiro felt cold, her heart froze. Haku winced under her questioning gaze.

"What did you do to her Haku?" she asked very quietly.

"Nothing permanent," he replied lamely. Rin folded her arms.

"He forcibly read her mind to get your location when she would not tell him. She fought against him and used all her strength. She's been unconscious for a whole day." Chihiro's mouth hung open. She could not think what to say. At that moment the long silent voice, not heard since she had left the human world, made its presence felt.

"Now, now, this world is different to yours. The morals are not the same..."

"Screw that!" she thought, forcing the voice away.

She walked up to him, stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.

"It's a good job you're a friend of mine, if you weren't I would scratch your eyes out!" She put her heels back on the floor. He went to say something, but she put a finger to his lips. "Don't do anything like that again. There's no excuse and you know it. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."

She walked away from him and stopped beside Rin.

"I'm very disappointed in you Haku," she said. "I thought you were a kind spirit, but now I think you're just as bad as the witch down the hall." She walked out the door. Rin stayed for a moment longer.

"I hope you're proud of yourself!" Was all she said and followed Chihiro out of the room. Haku groaned and slumped in his chair. If only he hadn't lost his temper.

"She hates me," he mumbled.

Chihiro stalked down the hall ranting as she went.

"How could he? How dare he...he's...he's...I don't even have a word for what he is, in any language!"

Rin sighed, "he's a dragon, what do you expect?"

"But he's so nice to me most of the time," protested Chihiro.

"To you yes, the rest of us tread on eggshells"

"Oh come on Rin, he's had ample opportunity to do something horrible to you. How many times have you yelled at him and he's just taken it?"

"True," replied Rin. They were both silent for a moment.

"In all fairness, Linca was shouting at him. I'm not going to repeat what she said." Rin smiled.

"Poor Linca," sighed Chihiro, "She really has no tact sometimes. When will she learn to keep her mouth shut?"

"She's alright; he did not really hurt her. She just refused to give in."

"Sounds like her," muttered Chihiro.

They were now on the floor below Haku and Yubaba's quarters.

"I put her in your room," said Rin and opened a dark hardwood door. The room was light and airy. On the living room wall was painted a mural of a cherry tree in blossom. The rest of the room was a cream colour. Through the glass doors at the end of the room was a small balcony. To the right was a screen which Rin slid back. The bedroom was a hazy blue. There was a large double bed, (which Chihiro was grateful for, not being used to the floor.) On the bed was Linca.

"Chi!" She said sitting up, "You're okay!"

"I'm fine," Chihiro replied. Linca's face was drawn and grey instead of the normal pale bluish of her complexion.

"That bloody dragon!" moaned Linca weakly, "I think my brains have fallen out my ear!"

Chihiro winced.

"Sorry Linca, this is all my fault." Chihiro perched herself on the bed.

"Nonsense!" replied the spirit. "It was my idea, remember?" Chihiro smiled.

"Yes, I remember."

Rin looked at them both. "Well, I'm going to get some tea for the two of you. I suggest, Sen, that you get changed, you're barely decent." Rin regarded her nightgown with disapproval. "There are clothes in the cupboard." Rin left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Chihiro sighed.

"Now that we are all alone, why don't you tell me your story?"

Linca gave her a crooked smile.

"Okay, you got me," she rolled her eyes; at least Chihiro thought she did, it was difficult to tell with them being all one colour. "I was, am, a land spirit. That is a spirit of a certain area of land. Now, this can be a few trees, or a whole mountain. We are responsible for keeping the energies balanced in our areas and charged with their protection. Even if we have an entire town on us, we still have a job to do." She tugged at a strand of white hair as she spoke.

"I was the spirit of a few acres of farmland outside a town called Pripyat in what is now Ukraine. There was one family that owned the land there. I'd known them for generations; they even made gifts for me at Yuletide, and left them in the woods for me. They also gave me many offerings of vodka for which I was very grateful, and I made an extra effort to keep the land fertile for them." She grinned at Chihiro, "I even corrupted a few of their younger sons."

"Is that possible?" asked Chihiro interested, in spite of herself.

"Oh yes," replied Linca. "What do you think we take on a human form for? Congress between spirit and human was not all that uncommon until the last few centuries. Now humans don't tend to believe in us, to begin with, let alone want a night of supernatural passion. Many spirits shun all contact with humans now, it's a shame."

Chihiro shook her head at Lincas brazenness.

"Anyway, I'm minding my own business one day, eyeing up the local water spirit, who was really hot! Then it happened."

"What?" asked Chihiro.

"I don't know," replied Linca. "There was a big flash of light and then there was so much energy flowing around the place I thought I was going mad! I was forced to leave and though I tried to return many times, this strange energy forced me back. In the end, I had to take permanent corporal form and separate myself from my home. I made my way to this world. I was one of the lost, I wandered for quite some time before stumbling on this place. Luckily I met tall, green and handsome first. He soon had me cleaning tubs but without the name stealing. After about three months he came to me with a proposal."

"To find me?" said Chihiro.

"That's right," said Linca. "I missed humans and he wanted to find you. He put a spell on me to make me look human and transported me to roughly where he thought you were." Linca shook her head. "The power he must have used to pull that off, I did not think it was possible!"

She shook herself, white eyes refocusing on Chihiro who was still listening with rapt attention. "So after a bit of detective work, I found out you were at university. So I went there, and after some carefully applied magic, I became the new Russian exchange student. I befriended you and followed you around. I never actually went to lectures, unless you came too, and after a month I realised something."

Chihiro raised her eyebrows, questioning.

"That you were a wonderful person and a real friend."

Chihiro felt a lump in her throat; she was touched by Lincas words.

"But also, that you were desperately unhappy, and ever so slightly crazy."

Chihiro laughed.

"So I set about trying to help you, just as the lizard asked me too. That's what Scott was all about, but even that did not work. So I made up my mind to take you back. The borders are open for a few weeks before the solstice, that's how you got through last time. With all the movement between the worlds at this time of the year the borders are permanently open, they have to be."

"You planned to bring me all along?" asked Chihiro.

"Yes, I hoped everything would be okay once we got here. Well, after I did a bit of flying to warn his majesty that you were here at Yubaba's pleasure. When he came back I thought we were home free."

"Wait a minute, did you say you flew?" Chihiro's eyes widened, she was beginning to she Linca in a whole new light.

"Yes," Linca replied. "Haku is not the only one to have two corporal forms. Mines only an owl, not as imposing as his scaly-ness but it works for me."

Linca stretched and yawned.

"So what did he do when he caught up with you?" she asked feigning disinterest in her light breezy tone.

"It's okay now Linca, we've come to an understanding, sort of."

Lincas white eyes fixed on her.

"What did you do to get him to change his mind?" she asked.

"Nothing you would have done, just yelled at him."

"I tried that, it did not work," grumbled Linca.

Chihiro chuckled.

"Well according to Rin I'm a special case, as far as Haku is concerned." Then her face darkened. "He should not have done this to you."

Linca waved her hand.

"Ah, I'll live and I was rather rude to him."

"That's no excuse, he should not throw his power around like that." Linca yawned again.

"Well, maybe he's learned his lesson, because if know you I'll bet you told him you were not happy about it." Chihiro shifted on the bed slightly embarrassed.

"I told him I'd scratch his eyes out."

Linca laughed so hard Chihiro could not help laughing too.

"Oh, that's funny!" Linca gasped. When the giggles died down, Chihiro thought about what Linca had told her and frowned.

"Where did you say you were from again?" she asked.

"Pripyat, a small town, you've probably never heard of it."

"But I'm sure I have, the name is familiar..." Chihiro racked her brain, and then it hit her.

"Chernobyl!"

Linca looked blankly at her.

"In the 80's there was a core meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Russia, well it was Russia then. The whole town of Pripyat and the land for miles around had to be evacuated. The area is radioactive and that no one can go back there, that seems to include you too."

Linca plucked at her blankets and frowned.

"That was the bright light?" Chihiro nodded. Linca glowered at the blankets and swore.

"Stupid idiots," she whispered, "The damage they must have done to my home!" She turned to Chihiro and gave her a fierce look. "No disrespect Chi but humans are bastards."

"I agree," murmured Chihiro. "We are thick, stupid and destructive."

"But cute in your own way." Lincas voice wobbled.

Chihiro looked at her sympathetically but decided to keep the banter going.

"I know," she said. "It's just a pity we smell so bad."

Linca laughed, the laugh turned to dry sobs, which in turn became inconsolable weeping.

Chihiro held her, waiting for the tears to stop.

"I want to go home!" Linca wailed. Chihiro rocked her gently.

"I know exactly how you feel," she murmured.

(art credit- Jessica) 

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