Disclaimer: I do NOT own Spirited Away or any of the characters (Except the cat). If I owned Spirited away, Haku would have kissed Chihiro.
My name is Chihiro. To my friends, I am known as Sen. But where I was at the moment, I was Chihiro. I would always be Chihiro here, whether I liked it or not.
After I left the spirit world, things changed a lot. My parents were admitted into an insane asylum when they finally started to remember what had went on that week. I began to see lost spirits, wanting into the spirit world, everywhere I went. Some looked like No-face, others like Lin, and still more like the people on the train. And Haku haunted my every living moment. Plagued my thoughts. Dominated my dreams. Before I had graduated from school, I had made very few friends. I was distant from people, lost in thought. Always the girl sitting in the corner during break with her head buried in a book about spirits, or dragons, or a sketchbook, drawing Haku. Again and again and again.
After I'd graduated, I went back to live at the house near the spirit gate. I was thirteen or fourteen when my parents were admitted into the asylum, so I had to go live near the Kohaku river with my aunt. But after I turned sixteen, I took my parents car and went to live back at the house on top of the hill. Every weekend I spent a few hours at the spirit gate, painting it. I circled around it time and time again, but there was nothing. It was just an old plaster gate. There was no opening at all.
I lived off of the money I'd made from my paintings. Mostly the ones of the spirit world, since they were the most realistic, even if some of them were a little frightening. The only people who ever spoke to me, and rarely, at that, were the art collectors. My cat spoke to me all the time, but she didn't count because usually what she wanted was food.
On a very drab evening about six or seven years after we'd moved to the town near the spirit gate, I was sketching an outline of a dragon I was so sure was Haku. I smiled as I drew, thinking over what I'd done the previous day.
I remembered taking off my shoes and socks, and dipping my feet gently into the river. I swung my legs absentmindedly. The water rippled around my feet and continued on its way, running down the path it had cut out centuries earlier, on its way to the ocean. Anyone who had stumbled upon me would have thought I was crazy.
"Hey, Haku," I whispered, smiling as the sun overhead beamed down warmth on everything below. Me, Haku's river, the grass, the earth. "I miss you."
I laid back and looked at the fluffy white clouds in the air. It fely good to get away from all the chaos lately. I wondered if I'd ever see Haku again. The last memory of Haku rang through my head.
"Will we meet again sometime?"
"Sure we will."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now, GO! And don't look back!"
I smiled at the memory of Haku's voice. His voice always made me smile. The world was silent except for the soft noise of the laughing, bubbling river that hurried to the ocean.
I stayed until it got dark, talking to the river. Talking to Haku. Then, when it got cold, I took my feet out of the river, bade goodbye to the river and went back to my car. Drove home. When I got out of the car and was putting my key into the lock, I heard the wind whisper through the trees.
"Sen..."
I finished the sketch and stared at it. It looked breathtakingly like Haku. I didn't touch it, put down my pencil, and then went into the kitchen to get something to eat. I made some sushi, and gave a little fish to the cat, who purred gratefully and rubbed against my legs. Wanting more. I threw away the used chopsticks and went up to my room, closing the door behind me. I picked up the book I had been reading earlier and continued it.
A man from the hunting party- a younger man, by the looks of it, walked out of the closet cave and came over to me. His eyes were dark and hard. "Come," He grunted. He started to walked away. I stayed where I was. What was he trying to do? Kill me? Take me to Rebel prison? He pivoted and looked back at me. "Are you hungry?" He asked, "Or do people not eat anymore?"
I opened my mouth to reply but the man just repeated, "Come."
I got up from the ground and followed him into the cave. It was warmer here, and lighter, though the entrance was dark. There was a curve in the path and a huge fire suddenly danced in the middle of what looked like a gathering hall. There were mixed, quiet conversations around the room, and people coming and leaving from different tunnels.
"Sit," The man ordered. I sat. "Not there," the man sighed, pointing to the ground next to the wall. "There." I sat next to the wall. "Stay." The man went off down one of the corridors and came back with a bowl of something warm.
Is it poisoned? I almost asked, but reminded myself not to, in case they hadn't come up with a good way to kill me yet.
"Eat," the man ordered. I scarfed down the food, which turned out to be a stew, and handed the man back the bowl.
"Thank you," I said meekly.
"Another time," the man replied, getting up and walking off down another corridor. I didn't move, didn't want the Rebels to see me, know I was there, laugh at me and act uncivilized. So I just stared into the dancing flames of the fire and fell asleep.
I woke up in the darkness. The fire was gone. No one was in the room. I got up and suddenly thought, I could escape if they're all asleep. I stumbled down the dark corridor to the entrance.
The moon bathed everything outside in silver light. Every blade of grass had a small, dark shadow. I hoped the night sentries were asleep, then stepped out into the clearing.
Nothing. No one warned me to go back. There was no one. I crossed the clearing quickly, then looked back to see if any one had followed me. No one.
I turned around and almost screamed. I would have if the man hadn't put his hand over my mouth.
"Going somewhere?" He asked. His dark eyes were almost amused. I shook my head. Not now, anyway.
"You should be sleeping," The man continued. "Or do you sleep better in the trees?" He took me back into the cave. Instead of leaving me in the gathering hall, he led me down the opposite corridor. He was taking me to rebel prison. He had to be. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see what horrors awaited me just yet. He took his hand off my mouth.
"Moon," The man hissed. I opened my eyes and a torch was lit. an older man wrapped in fleece blankets sighed and blinked sleepily.
"Night, I TOLD you NOT to bring outsiders into our camp. We have enough mouths to feed as it is. What are you going to do with HER?" Moon replied.
"She ran into one of our hunting parties!"
"You were on the path?"
"Well...yes, but-"
"Do you know what would have happened if one of the Lords strolled into you on the path? They would have taken you in to be interrogated so they could-"
A sound from downstairs made me jump and I put my book down.
It sounded like someone trying to get through the living room.
I walked to my door, shaking. Scared. "H-Hello?" I asked carefully. "I-is anyone there?" I walked down the stairs and turned on the light, armed with the book I had just been reading. My cat meowed at me from over on the couch, where one of my easels had been pushed over.
"Great," I mumbled. "Thank you, Zjinn. Just what I needed." I picked up the easel and went back upstairs. I shut my door and decided to just sleep.
Outside, I did not notice a pair of familiar green eyes belonging to a familiar boy with black hair watching me from the trees, wondering whether or not it was a good time to reveal himself to me.
Do you like it? This is my first time doing something like this so please review!
Much appreciated!