Author: Brandi Vincent

Disclaimer: I own my plot and my own writing, but as you can obviously see, this is fanfiction. Is there profit being made? No. Is this being published? No. I don't own any of the character's or settings despite the ones I made up with my own creative imagination. Yea, I know, I'm good.

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"Give up," Chane requested simply, crouched to the dirt ground over his long, leather whip. This river spirit was so easy set and relaxed, while Haku was having a much more difficult time. He wasn't even allowed to transform into his dragon form, which defeat's the purpose of fighting. Taking the form of the sixteen year old boy Chane was instead of a dragon was just the same as he would've fought, and it would have for Haku, if Chane wasn't such a hard opponent.

"Never," Haku hissed, voice rough and painful as he quivered from the blood loss. He was not so easily persuaded.

"This kingdom will be mine with in hours, and you will either be dead or defeated. Do not tempt me to push you over the edge, because have no doubt I will. The bathhouse, the rivers, the town, everything will be mine. Yubaba died for one reason and one reason only: she was never fit to rule our world's lands. I'll push you out of this city, this world, and what will you have then? You'll be a freak and no one will accept you. I ask you one last time, give up," Chane persisted, eyes cold and ready to lash out and drop that one last crimson line of blood down Haku's naked chest.

"If you're done lecturing me," Haku began, clutching his identical leather whip firmly in his bruised hand, ready to whip it into the air, "No." With all his might he slashed the long leather line across Chane's bare neck, drawing blood and a cough or two from his mouth. He quickly wrapped the whip around Chane hastily, catching him off guard, and yanked him to the ground. "Yubaba didn't die, fool. If you truly believe those rumors you are far more gullible than I would have thought." He forcefully dragged Chane by the throat across the dirt floor, scratching up his chest and face. He tried to lash at Haku with his whip, but it was entangled around his legs. Pulling it only stricted his numbed thighs and calves further.

"She only owned the bathhouse, not our lands, but she waltzed around with enough power to keep us in line. Now that our towns are evolving, she tried running those too, transforming the ones who didn't abide to her rules into the pigs she thought rightfully were. Well now those days are over, and you're not fit to run my new kingdom," he pulled Chane to his bare feet swiftly with the leather whip still entwined around his neck, strangling him. "I don't want to have to kill you," he stated, arm held high holding his end of the whip, "But you've pushed me over the edge." He smiled, giving the whip that last yank, and heard a disturbing fall of the wind pipe give, breaking Chane's last breath. Distastefully, he unwrapped his whip's rope from Chane, throwing it to the dirt as the sun beat down on his pale chest.

"What have you done?" Lin shrieked , jumping over the barrier and into the humid battle ring. "You can't kill a river spirit! You know how rare those are? And you can't kill Chane! He's the sorcerer of our hemisphere!"

"I know certainly well all the extents of a river spirit," Haku replied, coiling up his whip and throwing it back to the dust. "He'll recover. That's the thing with spirits, we don't die that easily."

"You used to," Lin pointed out, putting both hands onto her hips.

"I was youg then. With in time we heal faster," he spat, towering over Chane's sweating form. "And we can live with out this rat. He's all for power, none for decensy. His will may be strong, but I'm stronger." He began walking away, leaving his nemisis to bake under the heat and heal.

"What a big ego you've got there," Lin scoffed as he passed by her. He cringed, turning to her before she could see movement.

"Don't test me," he warned, voice shrill with anger. "I could've killed Chane, but I do have some sense. You'd think I'd be doing the world a favor of ridding him. I own the city now, end of discussion," he turned back around facing the town's bewildered faces. He was now the most powerful spirit with in their world's limits, as far as the rolling hills whispered. It felt good.

"What happened to you?" She shrieked, following his lead, "What's made you so damn touchy?"

"Nothing's changed," he snapped, "I've just had little time on my hands, that's all."

"You don't own these lands, you simply control it. Defeating the head council member doesn't make you any less of a coward," Lin pointed out bravely. She had never really liked Haku, much less respected him, but lately he's been more than his average dose of annoying.

"All of the same, there is no one left to put this corrupted government back into place, and I'm determined to out throw Yubaba forever. She no longer has a place here. And all of the pigs in the pen houses are freed to be whatever shape they first took. Everything, and I mean everything, should be reported to me before handled with. I want no more of this pig nonsense. Magic should be used sensibly and civilized," Haku replied, hopping over the cement barrier and into the crowd. They all stood back to form a nice, neat path for him to get through down the road. About to retreat to his chamber, Lin stopped him before he could take his first step.

"What about Sen?" She asked, desparate to persuade his stubborn exterrior.

He froze, not even allowing himself to turn to look at her. After he caught his breath back, he answered, "What about?"

"What about?" Lin shrieked, walking across the dirt battledome. "You promised her and yourself you'd return to her! You promised yourself that once all of this shit cleared, you'd call to her and whatever!"

"You are ever so poetic, Lin," Haku replied as she stepped up to him at the cleared path.

"But you lied, didn't you? And you thought I don't listen. You lied to yourself! What I remember last was you were trying to pry free of Yubaba's clutches, not reinforce a whole new society of civilized spirits! Trying to run things around here now, huh? What happened that night you talked to Yubaba? She ask you to over throw her place of power and make things bright and shiny?" Lin was staring Haku dead in the face, and he wouldn't even look at her. He lashed out his power to the civilians around and they started running out of the area, silently and orderly. "What now? Afraid they'd hear something too personal?"

"I did break free of her, don't you understand?" He finally met her cold eyes, standing his ground. "But I couldn't leave, I couldn't. Not how she was running things. I couldn't bear another innocent girl forgetting her name and having her parents torn away from her, I couldn't. I had to stay, and I did, and now things are...better. Yea, they're much better, I have and will do a great job. No more innocent lives taken away."

"Then why won't you go see her?" Lin asked carefully, losing her exasperation.

"I am," he replied steadily, turning back to the path ahead, "Tonight. It has to be tonight. I can't go another day without her." With that said, he went on walking his way with only his baggy blue pants on, airing around his legs. Lin looked back to Chane, writhing and squirming to sit up. His hands groped the dirt as he lifted himself up, glaring back at Haku's way. The hatred was so raw it burned with the heat, and Lin knew Haku could feel it. Chane was not going down without another fight, she could tell.

This will be just oh-so fun, she thought, Oh, goody.

Chihiro sat next to Jiro, sweat beading down her forehead in steady lines as she tried focusing on the teacher as he droned on about how wonderful fungi was and its many opponents. Frankly, she could care less. The only fungi she was concerned with at the moment was the patch growing with in the hours in her old attic. One day she just found it as she was snooping around, and as soon as she saw it, she backed away and never went up into the attic again. Eighth hour, thankfully, was the last hour until Summer break began. Shouldn't they throw some party so all of them would forget her again and do their own thing as she read? Why were they still studying how important fungi was? Mr. Newton wasn't quite grasping the concept of 'last day of school'.

"He's making fungus out to be the second best natural resource," Jiro muttered to her, obviously to her, since it was only a two student science table.

"All too true," she groaned, folding her hands on the table as she laid her chin on her laced fingers. "Only five more minutes and we're free."

"Yea, speaking of which," Jiro whispered, leaning closer into her, "What're you doing this weekend? I was hoping we could see a movie or something."

Okay, he's making it seem like we already go out or something, Chihiro thought. She's been very anti-social to, well, everyone since she started school six years ago, and although she's been decent, polite, well-mannered and such, she always turned guys down when they asked for a date or for anyone that mattered to go anywhere. She enjoyed her peace and quiet, but that wasn't half of it. She still truly believed Haku would come back for her, but now that thought was beginning to wilt. Six years and not even a decent visit. Sure, he's indured her dreams several times before, none quite too neat or pretty, but it was still a dream. None of it was real, like she had thought many times before about Haku. Maybe he wasn't real, maybe it was all really a dream? But that didn't make much sense either. She still visited that small ugly statue often, and it had remained there for all the while.

"Sure, that'd be great," her lips spoke but her heart didn't. What had I just said? She thought in disbelief, mentally slapping herself for speaking such words. Somewhere inside of her told her to get over Haku and find someone else, someone better, who'd keep their promise. That ugly thought might have been true. Maybe she should get over her first love. He certainly didn't seem like he cared for her anymore, so why should she?

"Perfect," Jiro replied in bewilderment, "How's tonight for you?"

Bad, Chihiro thought. "Great," she spoke instead. "What time?"

"Anytime's good. How about eight?" He asked, Mr. Newton oblivious to the conversation.

Horrible. "Sounds great," Chihiro smiled. What have I gotten myself into? The bell rang, breaking their conversation as well as Mr. Newton's, the classes chairs clanging on top of the black table tops as Chihiro and Jiro sat up.

"Have a nice summer break," Mr. Newton droned, pulling his glasses further up the ridge of his nose. Chihiro and Jiro were the last to get out, their seats being in the back of the class and all. Once they reached the door, Chihiro gave Jiro her number like an idiot, and they parted, Chihiro heading across the hall where her locker was. The teachers were all standing out in the middle of the halls now, directly in front of their classes, bidding their students good-bye. She opened up her locker quickly, almost forgetting the combination, and thought that would be the last time she would ever have to open up that small wretched locker again. The only thing she needed was her drawing of Haku she drew earlier that year since back packs were long from needed, and slammed it closed.

Review, she thought, leaving the building in a hurry, still managing to bow graciously at her old teachers, Jiro asks you out. The one boy every girl's after asks you out, the one boy who you could care less for asks you out, and you said yes. You're not even really friends with him! You just sit next to him in a few classes due to his last name! I also can't believe that the cutest guy in your grade asked you out, but that's besides the point. Point is, this is your first date ever. You idiot. And why am I referring to myself as the third person here?

She raced across the street with only her feet to carry her, since she didn't have a car yet. But she could care less, cars are pollutants to the society anyway. As she scurried down the street past former class mates, one thought carried across her mind: Haku. After it all, she still loved him, and she hated it. She hated his coaxing voice, the way he can catch her with his eyes, and all through these past six years she could remember it all. She remembered him, and that said something. What had she done? What if he comes back for her?

Get over yourself, something said inside of her. You're pathetic! Get over him and move on, he's not coming back. He hasn't for six years, what makes today different?

The other side of her finally agreed. She hated Haku now. Hated him for never coming back, hated him for letting her never let him go, hated the fact she still loved him. I hate him, she thought hoarsely, and continued down the street on her way home.

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Author's Note: Okay, so I was listening to NIN the whole time I was writing this, big deal. I guess that's why I called it Hurt. Please, whatever you do, don't start asking questions that will most likely be answered later. I HATE it when people do that. I mean you can question it but not be all like, "HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!? I DON'T GET IT!!!" Seriously, I've had people do that to me before, so don't test my patience please. Well, hey, if you liked it, then you're a good person! If you didn't, you're smarter than I thought! No, I kid.