Dream Catcher: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away; all rights go to Hayao Miyazaki and associates.

Summary: Since she was ten, Chihiro has been plagued with nightmares about mistakenly entering another world filled with strange creatures and a fearsome dragon. After suffering for ten years, she has lost all hope of recovery, until a renowned psychologist specializing in hypnotherapy is invited to conduct a talk in her university. And he just might be her last shot at removing her nightmares for good.

A/N: Hey guys, surprise! I'm back with another Spirited Away story! This was inspired by a picture of a dream catcher (the one I'm using as a cover for this story) and adapted by the idea of "dreams" in my most recently published one-shot for Spirited Away.

Hope you enjoy it (:


Chihiro trudged out of the entrance of the university with her bag pack slung over her shoulder. Her hands were full with her files and study materials she had brought along with her to revise for her test the next day. It was already nearly eleven at night and her fatigue was quickly catching up with her. Her rented apartment was only a ten-minute walk away, but her legs felt like they were about to buckle and collapse on her anytime now. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to turn down Takashi's offer for a ride home, but she knew that he needed ample rest seeing as how he hadn't been sleeping much for the past few days because he had been scrambling to finish revising.

The road was rather quiet, with only faint sounds of engines growling in the distance. The evening breeze blew against her small frame, and the brunette shivered a little, hugging her books closer to her chest in an attempt to keep warmer. She made a mental note to bring her hoodie with her next time instead of her thin cardigan.

Soon, the apartment building came into view, and a long sigh escaped her chapped lips. She climbed up the stairs to the second floor and walked down the dimly lit corridor before quietly unlocking her door and heading in. With a huff, she dropped her bag down on the floor, kicked off her shoes and dumped her books down on the small table in the middle of the room.

Chihiro made a quick job of showering, brushing her teeth and changing into her pajamas. She needed to sleep so she could focus the next day. The woman plopped onto her messy futon, and almost immediately, her heavy eyelids fell. But she couldn't sleep, not yet.

She opened her eyes and turned to look at the bottle of sleeping pills standing on the modest dresser next to her futon. Dread filled her immediately, but she knew she had no choice but to take them, if she wanted to have enough sustained sleep for tonight.

Wearily, she reached over and swallowed two capsules. After drinking some water, she switched off the lights and lay on her bed again. "Sweet dreams to me," she muttered, and in a matter of seconds she drifted off into unconsciousness.


She was trapped in darkness. All her eyes could see was black.

Everywhere she turned, black, black and more black.

Agonized screams and howls ricocheted off the walls of the confined space she was in and rang painfully in her ears, making her flinch with every sudden sound they made. She heard cackling, like that of witches, and in her head she could already picture two of them leering at her with narrow eyes over their sharp, pointed noses, their blood-stained claw-like nails outstretched towards her as they plotted how best to cook her alive in their bubbling cauldron.

The thought sent chills down her spine and she squeezed her eyes shut for a while to inhale deeply and compose herself. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be scaring herself. She needed to find a way out as soon as possible. Swallowing thickly, she reached her hands out, hoping to see where the walls were, and to her relief, she found that the walls weren't too far apart, which meant she wouldn't get lost as easily. From the way the sounds were reverberating so loudly off the walls of the contained space she was in, it seemed she was trapped in a tunnel, so all she needed to do was walk all the way to the end and there would be an exit.

She just prayed she wouldn't walk into a dead end; she would hate having to stay any moment longer in this nightmare.

So she walked, sloshing her way through the muddied floor. Slimy things were clinging to her legs and she tried her best not to imagine what those things could be, and instead focused on searching for any source of light at the end of the tunnel. She presumed she was going in the right direction because the terrifying sounds were getting louder and louder, and for a moment she paused to wonder if she should be going that way, because it seemed as if she might be walking straight towards her end, but then decided she may as well take her chances, since paranoia was already clinging onto her like a shadow and all she wanted was to get out of there.

Her head was beginning to pound with a migraine when her eyes fell on a very faint white light up ahead. Immediately, her chest swelled with hope and she began running towards the light, relieved to see it growing bigger and bigger.

When she finally took her first step out onto the grassy meadow outside, a wide grin formed on her lips. She was finally free.

It was foolish of her to think that this would be over so quickly, however.

Just then, the ground began to shake, causing her to stumble. Then she noticed with alarm that the place was beginning to flood. Water was magically seeping out of the ground and covering the entire meadow at an incredible pace. Soon, the water level was already up to her knees, and Chihiro knew she had to search for a safe place she could possibly swim to, but the area was empty; no island, no buildings in sight. The cave was most definitely not an option; she would drown there faster than if she attempted to stay afloat out here.

So she began dog paddling aimlessly and watched as she left the ground along with the water level that was quickly soaring up to the height of skyscrapers. Something caught in her throat; if she had acrophobia, it was starting to get to her.

Just then, she felt something slimy wrapping around her ankles and a weight tugging on her feet, and the next thing she knew, she was being violently dragged down into the treacherous waters below. She looked down, only to find that there were black, worm-like slimy creatures wrapping their bodies around her ankles and feet, pulling her downward. She attempted to kick them away and swim upwards, but they were too strong despite their tiny bodies.

Panic seized her; she was losing air fast. She let out a few more bubbles of air, trying to hold on for as long as possible. Her lungs were burning for air she looked up towards the water surface that just seemed so impossible to reach in time.

'Help! Anybody! Please! Help me!' she all but screamed in her mind, praying that someone, or something would come to her rescue.

Then she saw it: a sleek, white creature coming towards her in the distance. It looked like it a white cloud streak dancing in the waters, and relief flooded her as she found that it was coming for her. She was saved!

As it drew closer, she squinted her eyes to see what it could be. She noticed that it had two horns sticking out of its head, and sea green fur lined its scaly body. Its eyes were blood red, and it came to a stop in front of her, so that she was facing its snout. Her blood ran cold as terror seized her. She knew this creature. She had seen it too many times before.

Her heart was hammering against her ribcage with such force she supposed it was only a matter of time before it jumped out of her completely. She knew she had to find some way to escape, yet she couldn't find any strength to move as she stared helplessly at it, paralyzed by fear.

If there was going to be a good plot twist this time, it had better come quickly before she died of a heart attack.

The beast's nose twitched slightly, as if sniffing her out to see if she was fresh enough to eat. It inched closer, and she would have screamed if it wouldn't mean losing all the air that she had left, although drowning seemed like a more viable option for her right now. It slowly opened its jaws, giving her a full view of its gleaming, razor sharp teeth. Blood was dripping from them, and there were several remains on its tongue—human remains. She didn't dare to steal anything more than a glance at the dismembered parts lying there.

'This is it,' she thought, as it came closer and closer. Its mouth closed in around her and then she felt its teeth pierce through her flesh—

Chihiro jerked up from her bed so she was sitting upright, before she collapsed onto it again, her body trembling all the while. Cold sweat lined her upper lip and forehead, and she felt sick. She weakly tried to get up, but a wave of dizziness caused her to fall back down onto her bed. She tried to take in deep breaths to help calm down, which helped slightly to clear her disoriented mind. And then with trembling fingers, she clumsily pulled the bottom drawer of her dresser open and fumbled around in it for her bottle of blue Klonopin pills. She pushed the cover open and hurriedly popped two into her mouth before gulping down some water. She took a few more minutes to focus on her breathing, and soon the nausea began to subside and her body became still — relatively, at least.

Chihiro was about to get up and wash her face when her phone rang. She picked it up. "H-Hello?"

"Hey, Chihiro?" It was Takashi. "Just calling to check that you're awake. I'll be coming over in about fifteen minutes, okay? You can take your time. We're still early."

She turned to check her clock. It was seven-thirty. Their test was in an hour, so they had plenty of time. "Okay, thanks Takashi. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can just come in."

"Okay. See you in a bit." He hung up, and she put her phone down on the bed.

Wordlessly, the brunette got up and headed into the bathroom to freshen up. She brushed her teeth and washed her face quickly, trying to clear her head. There was no point in dwelling on a nightmare; she had a test to prepare for.

She changed into a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt before pulling a black hoodie over, and then went to boil some water. She was about to reach for her notes for some last minute revision when she heard a knock on the door. "You awake?" Takashi asked from outside.

"Yeah, I am. Just a minute." Chihiro padded across the room and swiftly unlocked and opened the door. "You're early," she remarked, stepping aside to let him enter.

He closed the door behind him, taking off his shoes and putting them neatly by the side. "Wow, looks like a hurricane did your bed a number," he commented, gesturing towards a dent in the wooden headboard. Chihiro went over to examine it, confused how that had happened. It was only when Takashi pointed out a bruise on her elbow that she realized it hurt.

Groaning inwardly, she decided she would apply ointment later when she got back. "Well, at least I made it out alive," was her rather humorless reply as she went to check on the kettle and fish for Milo packets she had thrown into the cabinet. She would have to buy more soon.

"Was it especially bad tonight?"

"Well, I took sleeping pills."

"Oh."

Chihiro was tearing open one of the packets when she felt Takashi nudge her. "I'll do it."

"Huh? I can do this just fine."

"Your hands are still shaking. You'll end up scalding yourself if you're not careful." He was right. He sent her a pointed look, and then she sighed, complying and throwing away the now empty packet. "Thanks," she said.

"Go do your breathing exercises over there. I'll be quick," Takashi said, before shooing her away from the counter in the direction of the small dining table at the other end of the room.

"Oh, what would I do without you?" she sighed, smiling to herself as she heard a snort come from him.

"Don't get cheeky with me now, Chihiro. I'm seriously worried that you managed to bruise yourself in your sleep. The last time you did that was when you were... fifteen."

"How do you keep track of this stuff? Even I don't remember that clearly," Chihiro remarked.

He shrugged. "I've known you since we were ten. Plus," he added quite smugly, "I have a good memory, unlike you. That's why I ace my tests and you don't."

Chihiro rolled her eyes. "I hope you scald your tongue," she muttered when he came over with two steaming hot cups of Milo.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Of course it was."

"Shut up and drink your stuff. We need to leave," she shot back, though she couldn't help the smile that crept up her face.

Takashi was the closest friend she had for most of her life. She had met Takashi in their second year of elementary school when they became classmates, and ever since then, they had become inseparable, quite literally. By pure coincidence that they attended the same middle school and high school after that, and now, university. They were taking identical courses too; both of them were majoring in psychology, and studying in the faculty of arts and social sciences in their university. Takashi was an aspiring psychologist-cum-sociologist, while Chihiro had made her choice based on her interests; she didn't know what she wanted to be in the future exactly. Perhaps a teacher in a high school would do.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Takashi asked, raising an eyebrow as he peered at her over the top of his cup as he sipped on his hot drink.

She shook her head. "It was nothing; I've had much worse."

"Did you get a panic attack this morning?" He pointed to the blue Klonopin pills scattered on her bed. She had forgotten to cap the bottle, evidently.

"Yeah, but it was mild."

"No it wasn't. You were still shaking when I got here," he replied with a frown. "Stop being so dismissive about these things. It only makes me more worried."

"It's not as if you wouldn't stop worrying," she retorted, taking a sip of her drink. "Besides, it's been like this for ten years already; I'm already used to it."

Takashi was probably the only person who knew about her nightly problems, aside from her parents, although even her parents didn't know the details. Chihiro never wanted them to worry, so Takashi was the only person she could turn to for comfort and help. He was like an older brother to her despite them being of the same age, and although he could be a little long-winded and worry excessively over minor issues, she knew that it was his way of caring for her and watching over her.

"You say that every time..." he sighed. "I know you're tough, but even tough people could do with some help sometimes. Do you need me to buy you a huge teddy bear or something big enough you can hug to sleep every night so you'll feel less scared?"

Chihiro rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the grin forming on her face. "You already gave me two. That's more than enough."

"But you left them both at home."

"They were too big to bring here."

"Exactly. We should get you another one to stay here with you. It could be a personal bodyguard."

"Why buy one when I already have you?" she chuckled.

"No way. I'm already your chauffeur, don't expect me to be your teddy bear too. I don't think I can handle any of your kicking in bed."

"I don't kick," she argued.

"Yes, you do."

"It was only one time, during that sleepover. You can't hold it against me forever. That's not fair."

"Chihiro, you weren't the one who ended up with a bleeding nose in the middle of the night."

"I said I was sorry that time."

"You did... while laughing right in front of me."

Chihiro laughed, deciding defending herself would only dig a deeper grave for herself. She gulped down the last of the contents of her cup and then rinsed it in the sink. "Can we go yet?"

He nodded, quickly finishing up his hot drink too. "Yeah, let's go."

They arrived at the university in less than five minutes, with thirty minutes to spare before the test started. There were students everywhere with their faces buried into their books and doing some last minute cramming. The pair both went to the mess hall to grab a few sandwiches for breakfast and then they quickly went to the lecture hall for their test.


"That was easier than I thought it would be," Takashi commented with a smug grin as they exited the hall.

Chihiro nodded in agreement as she heaved a sigh of relief. "That's one less thing to worry about then. We can enjoy the weekend now."

"Yeah," he grinned, stretching his back contentedly. "Oh right, are you interested in attending that talk?" The man pointed to a poster on a pillar as they walked by it. Chihiro stopped and went to take a closer look. Apparently, the university had invited a renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Ko, who specialized in hypnotherapy to come down and hold a sharing session with the psychology students. "I saw it before but I forgot to ask you about it. It's this Sunday. Do you want to go? It's not like we have any more upcoming tests anyway. Maybe you could talk to him about your sleeping problems too."

Chihiro thought about it for a moment. Their syllabus had hardly covered anything about hypnotherapy, other than a few brief mentions of it. She had come across it as well, when she was searching for possible treatments for sleep disorders, but had never dared to go for one since she wasn't sure how the treatments were like. The websites all said hypnotherapy was safe, but she wasn't ready to render herself totally defenseless in front of someone she hardly knew and a person who could potentially take advantage of her in some way.

Although, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to find out more. She could always think about it further after learning more from an expert. "I think I'm free this Sunday," she said.

"Awesome," Takashi replied with a grin. "Sunday it is, then."

Chihiro stole a fleeting glance at the poster once more as they began to walk away.

Dr. Ko, huh… Hopefully he'll have some answers for me.


A/N: That's the end of the first chapter. (: I hope you like it so far. I'd really appreciate it if you took a couple of seconds to type in a short review to tell me what you thought about it! Thanks for reading and goodbye!