Return of Sen: Chapter 1
Hello again!!!! ::waves furiously:: Look! Look! Return of Sen has returned!! My account's been unblocked and I'm reposting the entire fic!!! ::dances::
Pegasus: And there was much rejoicing.
Spirited Away chars: ::cheer rather unenthusiastically and a few wave flags:: Yaaaaaaay.
Anyway, these reposted chapters won't have any Author's Notes, but I will be putting up the names of those of you who reviewed each chapter. So here we go... AGAIN!!
"Class, let's welcome our new student."
Chihiro sighed. So there's a new student, she thought grumpily. Big deal. She crosses her arms on her desk and put her head in them. Just another person to be my enemy. Ever since she'd come to her school, two years ago, no one had wanted to be friends with her. She couldn't understand it, but by now, she'd come to accept it.
"Give a warm welcome to-"
Someone next to Chihiro sneezed. Chihiro didn't look up.
"You can take the empty seat behind Chihiro." Chihiro rolled her closed eyes. Great. Now not only did I not hear their name, they're gonna be sitting behind me. Oh well. She didn't move as she heard footsteps walk by her and the person sit down. Suddenly, she sensed a head lean forward next to her ear.
"Chihiro! I expected a warmer welcome from you!"
Her eyes shot open. That voice... It couldn't be... could it!? Slowly, she raised her head. It sounded like a voice that she'd heard only in her dreams for two long years. Hardly breathing, she looked behind her and nearly started crying.
Haku smiled at her. "Long time no see."
"Ha....Haku!!"
"Chihiro!!"
She whipped her head back around. "Yes?"
"Pay attention to the lesson! You can talk to Kohaku after school!!" the teacher scolded.
BRIIING!!
"Finally!!" Chihiro sighed as the bell rang and the rest of the class ran out the door, along with the teacher. The clock had never seemed to go so slowly!
Haku stood next to her desk. She grinned at him, jumped up, and hugged him tightly.
"Haku... I can't believe you're here!" she cried into his shirt, tears stinging her eyes.
"It's been too long, hasn't it?" he said, holding her as she buried her face in his chest. Her tears leaked out, getting him wet. Neither of them cared.
"W-why are you here anyway?" Chihiro asked, lifting her head but still clutching him around the middle.
Haku smoothed a few loose hairs behind her ear lovingly. "We miss you."
"We?"
"Me, Lin, and Komaji." They were silent for a few minutes, just standing in the empty classroom together. Then Haku continued, "Ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"Back to the Bathhouse. Where else?"
Chihiro stared at him. "But I can't go back there! What about Yubaba? She'll turn me into a pig!!"
Haku winked. "No she won't. Yubaba's sick. Zeniba's come out from the swamp to care for her and run things. She won't turn you into a pig! Besides, I promised Lin and Komaji I wouldn't come back without you." He put a hand on her right cheek. "Please go back with me."
Chihiro blushed. Her heart was racing. She squeezed her eyes shut. Could she go back? Did Zeniba really have as much control over things as Haku made out she did? And what was this feeling burning in her heart? Could it be... No. It couldn't be.
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Alright Haku. Let's go."
The bus chugged along the highway.
"You'd better know where you're going, Haku," Chihiro reminded him. "I wasn't paying attention the first time I came through here."
"Relax, I know exactly where we're going," he assured her happily. She gave him a look, then looked out the window at all the cars. The exhaust fumes made everything look slightly blurry in the heat. It was a very hot day for October. Chihiro's skirt stuck to her legs, her sleeves to her arms.
The bus took them out of the city, and still they drove on. Chihiro glanced over at Haku. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hair clung to his scalp. As she watched him, he looked at her, smiling.
"This is it," he said.
The bus screeched to a stop. They got off, stepping onto the broken, weed- covered road. The tracks from Chihiro's parents' car could still be seen. She gazed at them, memories from that adventure flooding back more clearly than ever. She grabbed Haku by the hand, strangely nervous. He smiled, then made a noise.
"Chihiro, I just noticed..." he said. "Your hair... it's down!"
"Mm hmm. I've been wearing it down lately."
"You never wore it like that at the Bathhouse."
She blinked at him. He remembered something as insignificant as that for so long? But why? He squeezed her hand gently.
"Let's get going."
The two walked along the broken pavement silently. Chihiro watched her old friend as they went. Haku stared straight ahead the whole time, his expression stoic. She sighed to herself and looked away.
"Oh!" she cried. "There's that statue!" She smiled as she passed it, recalling how the first time she'd gone by, it had given her the creeps.
...Actually, it still did. Chihiro snuggled closer to Haku.
"Haku?"
"Yes?"
"Can you still turn into a dragon?"
Haku smirked. "How about you climb on and see?" He waited a minute for Chihiro to clamber on his back before transforming into a dragon and hurtling towards the tunnel, only a foot above the road. Chihiro giggled insanely, clinging to his horns for dear life.
In moments, they flew into the tunnel. It took no time at all to zoom through the darkness, out of the train station and into the bright field beyond. The river, almost bigger than Chihiro remembered, stretched out below them like a shimmering snake.
"Haku, has it been raining? The river isn't dry!" she shouted, confused. Being a dragon, he couldn't reply.
On he glided, above the roofs of the town, dodging random birds, until he reached the bridge to the Bathhouse. There on the bridge stood a tall brunette in pink clothes.
"Sen! Haku! You made it!!" she called happily as they touched down next to her and Haku turned back into his normal form.
"Lin!!" Chihiro gasped, dashing to her and hugging her tightly. "I missed you! How are you??"
"I'm surviving, but how are you??" Lin took a few steps back and glanced her over. Satisfied, she pulled her back and gave her an affectionate noogie. "You're certainly more grown-up-looking than you were when I last saw you!"
"Haku, Lin, can we go visit Komaji??" Chihiro asked eagerly.
"Sure thing!" Lin said.
A blast of hot air greeted the three as Haku opened the door to the boiler room.
"Komaji!" Haku called. There was a snort from inside. Chihiro ran in, laughing. She waved up at the large spider-like old man.
"Komaji, it's me!" she giggled. He looked over at her. A large smile broke out from under his mammoth mustache.
"Well now!" he grunted, pausing in his work. "If it isn't little Sen!" All of his arms reached and hugged her.
"Hey Sen, look," Lin said. Chihiro glanced in the indicated direction as the boiler man's arms pulled away. Hundreds of soot balls peeked out of holes in the wall. Slowly, they came out and piled on her, making delighted squeaks.
"Alright, alright!" Komaji said gruffly, hitting the table in front of him with a hammer. "Get back to work! You can celebrate later!!" The soot balls squeaked angrily but scuttled away to work. Haku laughed.
"We'd better find Zeniba now," he commented.
"No need, Zeniba's here," came a voice from behind the door. It slid open. Sure enough, there was Zeniba, fighting her poofy skirts as she climbed through the small door. "Drat these skirts..."
"Granny!" Chihiro cried and hugged her.
"Hello darling. It's been such a long time, hasn't it?"
Hours later, Chihiro stood outside again, leaning against the railing on the bridge. Everyone was so happy to see her! She couldn't believe it. She was actually back.
"Hey you. Sen," said cold voice behind her. She look over her shoulder. A blonde girl, a few years older than herself, glared at her. "You think you're such big stuff, don't you?" She was dressed in the pink work clothes of the Bathhouse.
"What?" Chihiro said, confused.
"You think you're so hot just because you managed to escape Yubaba, but you aren't!" She folded her arms.
Chihiro shook her head. "No I don't!" Then it hit her. This girl is human!
"Yes you do!" the girl contradicted. "And I'll kill you for it!!" She gave one last glare and dashed in the Bathhouse, leaving Chihiro stunned and confused.
This chapter's reviewers:
Suaru-chan, daggergarnet09, mooneyoukai, Raine, Shahrezad1, DarkStar, Lin, Panny-chan, SCO, Hunter, MononokeLynn, tam, Kittenofmystery, unsigned, michelle, chelsey, Rebeccaweasly98, lynnie, dj azn gyrl, Abigail Nicole, Yuko Samari, Zypher, jessica, hiyo myani, Ren, Heaven's Coin, Rebecca
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol
Hello again!!!! ::waves furiously:: Look! Look! Return of Sen has returned!! My account's been unblocked and I'm reposting the entire fic!!! ::dances::
Pegasus: And there was much rejoicing.
Spirited Away chars: ::cheer rather unenthusiastically and a few wave flags:: Yaaaaaaay.
Anyway, these reposted chapters won't have any Author's Notes, but I will be putting up the names of those of you who reviewed each chapter. So here we go... AGAIN!!
"Class, let's welcome our new student."
Chihiro sighed. So there's a new student, she thought grumpily. Big deal. She crosses her arms on her desk and put her head in them. Just another person to be my enemy. Ever since she'd come to her school, two years ago, no one had wanted to be friends with her. She couldn't understand it, but by now, she'd come to accept it.
"Give a warm welcome to-"
Someone next to Chihiro sneezed. Chihiro didn't look up.
"You can take the empty seat behind Chihiro." Chihiro rolled her closed eyes. Great. Now not only did I not hear their name, they're gonna be sitting behind me. Oh well. She didn't move as she heard footsteps walk by her and the person sit down. Suddenly, she sensed a head lean forward next to her ear.
"Chihiro! I expected a warmer welcome from you!"
Her eyes shot open. That voice... It couldn't be... could it!? Slowly, she raised her head. It sounded like a voice that she'd heard only in her dreams for two long years. Hardly breathing, she looked behind her and nearly started crying.
Haku smiled at her. "Long time no see."
"Ha....Haku!!"
"Chihiro!!"
She whipped her head back around. "Yes?"
"Pay attention to the lesson! You can talk to Kohaku after school!!" the teacher scolded.
BRIIING!!
"Finally!!" Chihiro sighed as the bell rang and the rest of the class ran out the door, along with the teacher. The clock had never seemed to go so slowly!
Haku stood next to her desk. She grinned at him, jumped up, and hugged him tightly.
"Haku... I can't believe you're here!" she cried into his shirt, tears stinging her eyes.
"It's been too long, hasn't it?" he said, holding her as she buried her face in his chest. Her tears leaked out, getting him wet. Neither of them cared.
"W-why are you here anyway?" Chihiro asked, lifting her head but still clutching him around the middle.
Haku smoothed a few loose hairs behind her ear lovingly. "We miss you."
"We?"
"Me, Lin, and Komaji." They were silent for a few minutes, just standing in the empty classroom together. Then Haku continued, "Ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"Back to the Bathhouse. Where else?"
Chihiro stared at him. "But I can't go back there! What about Yubaba? She'll turn me into a pig!!"
Haku winked. "No she won't. Yubaba's sick. Zeniba's come out from the swamp to care for her and run things. She won't turn you into a pig! Besides, I promised Lin and Komaji I wouldn't come back without you." He put a hand on her right cheek. "Please go back with me."
Chihiro blushed. Her heart was racing. She squeezed her eyes shut. Could she go back? Did Zeniba really have as much control over things as Haku made out she did? And what was this feeling burning in her heart? Could it be... No. It couldn't be.
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Alright Haku. Let's go."
The bus chugged along the highway.
"You'd better know where you're going, Haku," Chihiro reminded him. "I wasn't paying attention the first time I came through here."
"Relax, I know exactly where we're going," he assured her happily. She gave him a look, then looked out the window at all the cars. The exhaust fumes made everything look slightly blurry in the heat. It was a very hot day for October. Chihiro's skirt stuck to her legs, her sleeves to her arms.
The bus took them out of the city, and still they drove on. Chihiro glanced over at Haku. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hair clung to his scalp. As she watched him, he looked at her, smiling.
"This is it," he said.
The bus screeched to a stop. They got off, stepping onto the broken, weed- covered road. The tracks from Chihiro's parents' car could still be seen. She gazed at them, memories from that adventure flooding back more clearly than ever. She grabbed Haku by the hand, strangely nervous. He smiled, then made a noise.
"Chihiro, I just noticed..." he said. "Your hair... it's down!"
"Mm hmm. I've been wearing it down lately."
"You never wore it like that at the Bathhouse."
She blinked at him. He remembered something as insignificant as that for so long? But why? He squeezed her hand gently.
"Let's get going."
The two walked along the broken pavement silently. Chihiro watched her old friend as they went. Haku stared straight ahead the whole time, his expression stoic. She sighed to herself and looked away.
"Oh!" she cried. "There's that statue!" She smiled as she passed it, recalling how the first time she'd gone by, it had given her the creeps.
...Actually, it still did. Chihiro snuggled closer to Haku.
"Haku?"
"Yes?"
"Can you still turn into a dragon?"
Haku smirked. "How about you climb on and see?" He waited a minute for Chihiro to clamber on his back before transforming into a dragon and hurtling towards the tunnel, only a foot above the road. Chihiro giggled insanely, clinging to his horns for dear life.
In moments, they flew into the tunnel. It took no time at all to zoom through the darkness, out of the train station and into the bright field beyond. The river, almost bigger than Chihiro remembered, stretched out below them like a shimmering snake.
"Haku, has it been raining? The river isn't dry!" she shouted, confused. Being a dragon, he couldn't reply.
On he glided, above the roofs of the town, dodging random birds, until he reached the bridge to the Bathhouse. There on the bridge stood a tall brunette in pink clothes.
"Sen! Haku! You made it!!" she called happily as they touched down next to her and Haku turned back into his normal form.
"Lin!!" Chihiro gasped, dashing to her and hugging her tightly. "I missed you! How are you??"
"I'm surviving, but how are you??" Lin took a few steps back and glanced her over. Satisfied, she pulled her back and gave her an affectionate noogie. "You're certainly more grown-up-looking than you were when I last saw you!"
"Haku, Lin, can we go visit Komaji??" Chihiro asked eagerly.
"Sure thing!" Lin said.
A blast of hot air greeted the three as Haku opened the door to the boiler room.
"Komaji!" Haku called. There was a snort from inside. Chihiro ran in, laughing. She waved up at the large spider-like old man.
"Komaji, it's me!" she giggled. He looked over at her. A large smile broke out from under his mammoth mustache.
"Well now!" he grunted, pausing in his work. "If it isn't little Sen!" All of his arms reached and hugged her.
"Hey Sen, look," Lin said. Chihiro glanced in the indicated direction as the boiler man's arms pulled away. Hundreds of soot balls peeked out of holes in the wall. Slowly, they came out and piled on her, making delighted squeaks.
"Alright, alright!" Komaji said gruffly, hitting the table in front of him with a hammer. "Get back to work! You can celebrate later!!" The soot balls squeaked angrily but scuttled away to work. Haku laughed.
"We'd better find Zeniba now," he commented.
"No need, Zeniba's here," came a voice from behind the door. It slid open. Sure enough, there was Zeniba, fighting her poofy skirts as she climbed through the small door. "Drat these skirts..."
"Granny!" Chihiro cried and hugged her.
"Hello darling. It's been such a long time, hasn't it?"
Hours later, Chihiro stood outside again, leaning against the railing on the bridge. Everyone was so happy to see her! She couldn't believe it. She was actually back.
"Hey you. Sen," said cold voice behind her. She look over her shoulder. A blonde girl, a few years older than herself, glared at her. "You think you're such big stuff, don't you?" She was dressed in the pink work clothes of the Bathhouse.
"What?" Chihiro said, confused.
"You think you're so hot just because you managed to escape Yubaba, but you aren't!" She folded her arms.
Chihiro shook her head. "No I don't!" Then it hit her. This girl is human!
"Yes you do!" the girl contradicted. "And I'll kill you for it!!" She gave one last glare and dashed in the Bathhouse, leaving Chihiro stunned and confused.
This chapter's reviewers:
Suaru-chan, daggergarnet09, mooneyoukai, Raine, Shahrezad1, DarkStar, Lin, Panny-chan, SCO, Hunter, MononokeLynn, tam, Kittenofmystery, unsigned, michelle, chelsey, Rebeccaweasly98, lynnie, dj azn gyrl, Abigail Nicole, Yuko Samari, Zypher, jessica, hiyo myani, Ren, Heaven's Coin, Rebecca
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol