First of all, i do not own anything in this story, except the story. none of the characters or things. Thanks.
One rainy day, the spirit was exempt of his duties due to fever, for the third day in a row, and stayed in his room. A somber mood filled the small Japanese styled room. He opened the door and
stepped out onto his balcony. Almost expecting to see the 'paper birds', as she had called them, he gazed out into the grey sky and blue shimmering ocean. The rain felt good on his face. The
combination of the falling rain and sea salt smell must've been the reason for the lazy, somber mood. The wind was blowing slightly, and was brushing his shoulder lenght hair to the side. Everything
was much quieter without her. Her effect on everyone in the bath house was still effervescent, even after three or four years; he was losing count. His fever was making everything worse. He needed
to touch something of hers; maybe it'd make him feel better. So, with that in his mind, he stood and walked to the large chest in his room.
Amongst the many things inside the chest, there were several letters with girlish handwriting addressed to himself and a small, very soft cloth bundle.
He picked it up with shaking hands and began unwrap it, already knowing what was cradled inside. Once he opened it, he grinned, tears in his eyes. 'I knew I still had it.' In his hands sat a small pink
tennis shoe.
The girl sat on her rug, letters littering the floor around her. They were all written in the same handwriting, which was neat and boyish. She looked out the window, into the rain, which was already
making puddles in her yard, near the shrine. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. The letters on the floor were all on white paper, except for one, which was bright red. This one, she picked up and
put in her over-the-shoulder bag. She looked sad, no, that's not the right word. More like 'worried'. She stood from the floor and yelled out to her mother, "Mom! I'm going out!" Her mother
replied in a stressed, busy voice,"Take care, Chihiro!" And with that, she headed out the door, into the rain. In one hand, she held the stack of letters. 'I hope I'm not too late... ohhhh I hope I'm not
too late...'
"Haku? Are you feeling any better?" Yubaba said, entering the room where the boy had been lying around most of the day with yet another tray of food that she knew he wouldn't eat. He was lying on
the floor, holding the shoe. "Go away... I'm fine..." He said with a sigh and sat up. "Now, Haku", Yubaba said in a motherly concerned voice. "You need to eat. You haven't eaten in three days." He
simply looked out the window and said, "Not hungry." She noticed how pink his cheeks were. "Haku, stop being so stubborn! She wouldn't be happy to see you like this!" At this, tears came to his
eyes, but he brushed them away. "...gimme the food..." He said, in a voice so different than the one from a few years ago. 'Oh, Chihiro, please hurry...' She thought to herself 'He's miserable...'
