✔️Spirited Away by The Light

Chapter 28- Under a Cedar Tree

"What do you think lies ahead?" His arm was wrapped around my neck, stroking my head, running a finger up and down my muzzle.
"Death."
"I can certainly agree with that." He sighs, his head pressing back against the rock. His hair had grown longer these past couple months, falling loosely around his shoulders, it had gained a shaggy end.
"But you do know, Y/N. . . I love you with everything I am." I smiled, pressing my head to his stomach.
"I know, and I love you."
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, humming a gentle tune as we watched the rest of the snow fall down and settle. We would have to leave soon, already the fire was beginning to sputter out of life. I wished I could go back to Kiseki. Hold her, take care of her. Instead I was in these mountains with only my claws and my lover by my side.
All though, Haku made for a vicious weapon.
The universe returns the energy you out into it. Now, I could only hope that optimism would be my saving grace.

The snow is settling around us. It's finding it's place and the fires ashes are blowing into the wind. "I think it's time, love." He stood up, stretching and peering out over the white ground. "We best be going. Things aren't getting better by waiting here." Haku kicks some snow over the fire. Stretching, I crawl out from beneath the overhang. Surely I stood out like a sore thumb against this white tundra, my fur looked like a blood stain for heavens sake! It did not seem to bother Haku though, he was checking the katanas were still strapped to his back before hopping onto my back. In his pocket, was the little locket Kiseki had returned with. Whether it was Aku who had given the Aita so willingly, despite her fight to keep it, or she'd been framed. It was all a mystery. But now we would unlock the Rokku with the Aita. Rokku is only a protection spell, which was keeping what we was taking our spirits safe.
Haku pointed to a grey smoke rising from beneath a cedar tree on the Little Mountain. "There." He didn't have to say anything else before I was bounding down the mountainside. The snow was loose, but it was easy to hop from rock to rock. My legs were aching from all of the jumping, but the smoke never went from beneath the cedar tree. I slid down into the crevasse between Mother and Little One. Now making my way up the side of Little One was a little harder. It had a straight cliff face, I had to balance on two legs quite a bit. But we did make it to it's slope, where I lowered myself to a crawl and we so slowly made our way to that great cedar tree.

"That tree isn't on fire, I see no flames. It's definitely the entrance." Haku rubbed a hand slowly over my neck as we reached the tree. I lay on my stomach as he leaned over. He pushed some of the branches over to reveal a grate. Thick iron bars that protected  a long pipe of metal. "Some sort of chimney?" He looks at me, but I didn't smell any wood burning from the smoke.
"No. That's exhaust fumes."
"Some sort of vent?"
"Exactly."

He points at the bars, "Think you can burn through them?" I peered at the vent, the snow and cedar leaves covering our bodies were the only things keeping us hidden.
"Probably."
I form a magma liquid in my mouth, steam billowing from my nose as I let it drool to the bars. Haku takes a step back, covering his nose from the smell of burning metal. The magma seeped through the iron with ease and opened a gap wide enough for us to fit through. But as humans. Haku noticed the same thing, turning to i strap the bags and pack them beneath the snow. I returned to human, Haku handing me the katana. I went first, the bars were still hot - so by gripping them, they seared and cooled down to a subtle warmth. Nodding my head down to the vent. I began sliding my way in, falling flat and in a crossroads of pipe ways. Haku was waiting for me to move so he could follow. I moved towards the left, the smoke filling my nose. He slid down, landing softly and reaching for my hand. He nods towards where the smoke is coming from. "That's out best bet." He whispers. The pair of us fly through the pipe, Haku leading and travelling quickly through the smoke, I only noticed he was blocking us from its fumes when we stopped right above another vent. He was deflecting the black smog.
The pair of us peered through it, trying to discern the black figures and moving blobs from each other. A blue hue came from the left corner, a hulking mass huffing and choking on itself. Clinking metal and turning gears came from it, but the most disturbing-
the muffled screams.

The smoke began to disperse, clearing the room through the various vents.
"Ma'am. It's time for the next spirit."
A woman was sitting in a throne of iron and scraps of metal. Her arms over laden with wires and her head strapped back. Her body was only beginning to appear, literally. Her torso looked solid, yet her skin was a sickly grey. White irises stared at nothing and from the waist down, she was nothing but a- a shadow.
That's Akujo!
"Bring them in! I can already feel the power returning." She sat back, her grin broadening as a screaming toad spirit was dragged in, one of our chefs-
Before I could move they had thrown him into a furnace type contraption. It's mouth shut closed and the smoke began again. That blue light pulsates, right above the door. That must be the Rokku, protecting whatever was powering that machine.

"Has anyone seen any sign of the dragons?" Akujo hums through the vibrations of power seeping through the wires and to her skin.
"No sign, Miss." Aku is now standing in front of her, but at a distance. Some blubbering creature was dancing around the chair.
"Keep an eye out for them! Those rats know nothing but justice-"
"Of course Ma'am... Fool." The creature turned following Aku out of the room.

I look at Haku, pleading that we do something to help them. Anything! He shook his head slowly, he was hurt over seeing one of his employees murdered so effortlessly. The machine sputtered, coming to an end as the power was drained from it. Akujo hollered for another spirit, but this next one wasn't coming easy.
"Let go of me you rats! Y/N and Haku will tear you to shreds-" They had Lin. It was Lin. They were dragging her to the furnace.

Without a second thought, I burned my way through the bars, shifting to a dragon the moment I hit the rocky floor and bounding towards my friend. How dare they try to kill her.

A/N

Will you save Lin in time? How is Kiseki doing back with Zeniba?

What does Akujo plan on doing? Will she reach her full power before you can stop her?

cookies and cream,

-AA

(unedited)