With each step she took, it was followed by a rhythmic crunching of the gravel. A familiar forest surrounded her becoming less familiar as tree after tree is removed. Taking a quick glance around, Chihiro took in her surroundings as the construction crew demolished the sacred forest. Chihiro felt a lump in her throat as she watched the men remove the wilderness which seemed to have a special place in her heart, but why? Chihiro usually walked along the trails of the forest, always ending at the same destination; an abandoned train station. Despite her heart longing to pass through the other side, the tunnel was barricaded by a cement wall. The city decided to destroy the forest to make room for more houses to be built. Looking around at each tree and taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Chihiro reached the end; the train station. 'Why would someone want to take this down?' Chihiro thought to herself as she examined the mystical historic building, placing her hand along the cold barrier before her. The wind seemed to pull her towards where the entrance once was. Chihiro's heart skipped a beat as she heard rustling in the bushes and quickly turned around to find a small golden statue laying on the dirt path. In a slow motion, Chihiro approached the statue. She picked the statue up, brushed away the dirt and examined it.
"A frog?" She questioned to herself. Chihiro shrugged and tucked the small statue in her pocket and went on her way back home.
Opening her door, she was welcomed by her mother cooking a nice meal.
"Welcome home," she greeted Chihiro with a smile. Chihiro smiled back and greeted her, looking over to see what her mother was cooking.
"I see that you walked the trail again. You don't even take a break on your birthday," Yumiko sneered as she examined Chihiro's dirtied clothes. The gears began to to turn in Chihiro's head and she remembered. It was her 17th birthday.
"You might want to clean yourself. We have company coming over. You have some clean clothes in the dryer. Oh, and happy birthday, Chihiro" Yumiko said with a smile. Chihiro bowed and ran to the bathroom. She leaped in the shower and was met with shock as the cold water hit her pale skin. Chihiro let out a yelp as she backed away from the water and turned the knob to raise the temperature. The dirt began to wash away and Chihiro began to daydream. The water seemed to sooth her as she was lost in thought. She felt a familiar sadness wash over her as she realized the trail would soon be replaced with housing. She shook the thought from her head and ended her shower. Now was not the time to be sad. It was her birthday. Chihiro stepped out of the bathroom and left little puddles of water on the hard wood floor as she walked to the dryer and grabbed a light grey sweater and black torn jeans. She strapped on a pair of black sandals and left her hair down for once. Putting her dirtied clothes in the hamper, she remembered the golden statue in her pocket. She dug it out and placed it on her nightstand and went into the living room to greet guests. As she shut her door, the statue beamed in the sunlight.
OoOoO
"Happy birthday, Chihiro," Haku whispered as he pressed his back against the blocked tunnel.
Please comment and tell me if I should continue. I would love the support :) This is my second try at a fanfic story so tell me how I did :) thank you for reading and the support!