Author's Note ~ Oh my goodness...* Hides under her desk * I am so sorry that I took...uh...four months...to update...I'm so sorry! Really, I really, really, am! ( But here's a new chapter anyway, and I hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter Nine ~ Starting Out in the Wrong Direction

"Chihiro! "

Chihiro wrinkled up her nose and glared at Rin, who was smiling at her. It was dark out, and she and Hiromi had not yet adjusted to the nightly working hours.

"What? " She murmured groggily.

Rin extended a hand, pulling Chihiro up into a sitting position. "Yu-Baaba thinks she knows where your Kohaku is! "

Chihiro yawned, smiling. "He's not MY Kohaku. " She said. "At least not yet." She added as an afterthought, grinning.

Rin laughed and handed her some clothing. "Right. Well, Yu-Baaba knows for a fact that he's gone to the mortal realm to look for you, but she's been trying to pinpoint his exact location lately. We think she's hit gold at last. " She said, helping Chihiro to dress.

Chihiro nodded. "Thanks, Rin. I'll go and see her now. "

Rin winked and left. Chihiro smiled and looked around for her shoes. Hiromi was still sleeping, her hair falling all over her face. She looked like an angel, peaceful and serene. Chihiro wondered if her inner thoughts were as peaceful as she looked. Smiling at her own thoughts, she realized, for the first time how calm she felt. In fact, she was the calmest she had been since she got here.

Working her way up to Yu-Baaba's room was no easy task. All the Yuna and the Aogaeru made it a point to greet her cheerfully. Three of the Yuna insisted on her having some breakfast before letting her go. Chihiro shook her head and smiled at their kindness. It was pretty much a cruel irony, since when she first arrived; they had scorned her for being a human. Chihiro laughed as she got out of the elevator, heading for Yu-Baaba's home.

As she opened the large double doors and stepped into the room, a cool chill swept past her, and for some reason or another, she felt her hair standing up.

"Yu-Baaba? " She called tentatively.

No answer. Chihiro walked deeper into the house, taking each step slowly. No one seemed to be in.

"Yu-Baaba? " She called again.

And yet again, there was no answer. In fact, other than the three ' Kashira ' who bounced about, the whole place seemed to be empty. Chihiro walked into baby Bou's room, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend.

The room was cool and calm, and a little bejeweled music box played a soft lullaby, presumably to lull the baby to sleep. But the only problem was, there was no baby. Chihiro dared herself to venture deeper into the room, to see if Bou was really missing, or just hidden under a large stack of pillows.

"Nope...no baby here..." Chihiro muttered under her breath as she pulled the pillows apart.

Searching around the house, she found that there was entirely no one, other than the mentioned ' Kashira ' around. Chihiro shrugged and sat down on an armchair to wait for Yu-Baaba.

Ten seconds later, the fireplace in which a warm, comforting fire was crackling merrily erupted into enormous flames of red and blue. The fire then twisted itself into a tight knot that formed an arch across the room out of the window. In a matter of seconds, the bright blue sky outside turned a sickly red. Chihiro watched all this open-mouthed, gaping at the supernatural sight.

Half a moment later, Chihiro felt someone grab her arm, pulling her through the tunnel exit in which she and Kohaku had once fell through. Shrieking in shock, Chihiro barely had time to glimpse the sight that was unfolding in front of her eyes. But what she did see, she feared.

Standing on the floor was Ching's murderer, the dark haired, dark eyed, goddess of earth, Ling Wu.

~*~

Chihiro looked around her and her company. Around twenty of the bathhouse's workers, Rin, Kamajii, Yu-Baaba, Zeniiba, Bou, Hiromi and Yun were seated around her. Her head was processing the tale that had just been told, but she still had trouble accepting it.

Ling Wu had taken over Aburaya.

She had challenged Yu-Baaba to a battle. Yu-Baaba, not being one to back down from a challenge accepted. Half way through their major battle, baby Bou walked in accidentally. Ling Wu had taken the opportunity to curse the baby. A baby!

Chihiro seethed with anger. Not only did this so-called-goddess kill one of her best friends, she had also threatened the life of another of her friends, and a baby, at that.

Of course, as baby Bou's life seeped out gradually, Yu-Baaba made a deal with Ling Wu. She would get Aburaya if she let Bou live. Ling Wu had agreed, and Yu-Baaba and Bou fled. They had just managed to save Chihiro before Ling-Wu claimed her life as well. The others had fled from Aburaya, Rin in the lead with Hiromi in tow.

Chihiro let out a most unladylike growl and kicked the sand beneath her feet. They were all actually sitting in a small clearing in the woods outside Aburaya. Yun sighed and hid her face in her hands. Try as she would to challenge Ling Wu, Yun was powerless against this goddess. Ling-Wu was of a higher rank, and any challenges against her meant instant death. Chihiro felt an instant warming towards her.

"So what do we do now? " Rin voiced the question that was undoubtedly on all their minds.

Yu-Baaba sighed. "I suggest we go to the human world. We can find Kohaku there – And then we can figure some things out. "

Chihiro looked at the older woman. Her heart, although in great despair, leaped at the sound of that plan. A smile, the first she smiled since Aburaya's change of ownership, appeared on her face, and a minute later, the crowd of twenty-eight marched out of the woods towards the gateway between the two worlds.

~*~

Author's Note ~ Well, this is it. Please, please, please leave me a review! Okay? Thanks! Oh, I would be very grateful if all of you who want me to start an update-mailing list to leave your e-mail so I can tell you when I have a new chapter. It's so much easier that way! So...I'll go and write some more now, and once again, I am so sorry for taking such a long time!

Thanks to every single darling who ever reviewed this fic, I love you all!