The Pink Shoe

Chapter 1: Packaged Innocence

"I think I can manage," Chihiro assured softly into the receiver before hanging up the blue device.

Her slender frame was leaning against her new blue car—which had four wheel drive capability, as her father had so casually bragged about during the purchase. The entire area welcomed a green forest on either side of the dirt road that led to a four-story apartment complex, the same one in which her brown eyes were inspecting. It was quite massive; yet still a bucolic setting, which had only thirty apartments. The top of the facility was where management resided, and the bottom floor was the bathhouse area. Chihiro's apartment was on the third floor.

Flickering her gaze towards the boxes she'd stuffed in the backseat of her car, she pressed her lips tightly in a small line. It would be a difficult trip to endure with all those items alone, but she was prepared.

The wind that suddenly picked up blew her long brown hair in wild directions, and she was quick to pull the worn hair tie, which had been gifted to her by Zeniba, off her right wrist to bind her hair in a comforting ponytail. It had always been her signature style growing up, and she felt like her childhood self whenever she wore it as such.

After gathering a small cardboard box out of her car, Chihiro shut the door and locked her vehicle. There weren't many cars in the area, and there wasn't even proper parking. It resembled more of a dated version of what Japanese apartments looked like, and her father had given her an earful for picking such an awful first place to live, but she was set on living here, although she wasn't sure why…

Chihiro's small brown shoes were heard clicking over the dirty, rocky terrain as she walked towards the complex. She was thankful that she was wearing a simple, comfortable green shirt and some pink shorts with all the climbing she was about to do—not that she usually wore anything special to begin with. "Okay," she told herself, keeping her cellphone clutched tightly in her left hand while she balanced the small box under her right armpit. "Here we go…" Nothing like a pep talk to get some work done.

It took Chihiro less than a minute to climb the first set of brown stairs, where she noticed that the walls were white and the doors were red. It was after she had reached the top and gazed down that a sudden memory of her running down the stairs in a terrified panic while she screamed for her life invaded her thoughts.

She remembered bits and pieces—being forced to run the rest of the way after one of the treads had broken and she slammed into the wall… "The boiler room," she whispered absently. She recalled during that time, that someone told her to go there and meet someone named… "Kamaji…?"

"Yes?" an elderly man asked to her left.

Startled, she shrieked and turned, dropping her phone and box.

Quick hands caught each item and handed them to her. The incredibly skinny man was bald and he was wearing round dark glasses to cover his eyes. His mouth was hidden behind the large grey mustache he sported, and he was wearing a black shirt and green pants. Chihiro literally had to stretch her neck to get a good view of him and as she gawked, her eyes remained wide.

"T-thank you, sir!" she shouted quickly, feeling foolish as she took the items. She bowed her head. "I should've been more careful…"

Instead of replying, Kamaji scrutinized her.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Chihiro pressed her lips together. "Um… excuse me," she said, sidestepping him.

"Forgive me," he said as she began to pace up the next flight of stairs. "But you remind me of my granddaughter."

This news caused Chihiro's worried steps to halt on the third step and she turned. "Your… granddaughter?" She never had the opportunity of meeting her grandparents since they'd died before she was born, but she had seen plenty of pictures. Even though the man in front of her didn't match their descriptions, he still felt so familiar to her. She could also picture him with a few extra limbs, and a brown mustache instead of the grey one he sported, but she shook the peculiar thoughts away.

"Yes," Kamaji replied absently. Although he had no eyebrows, the skin in which they should've resided furrowed, and creases formed on his aged, wrinkled skin. He had a woebegone expression lingering around his face. "She would've been about your age..."

Chihiro couldn't help the frown that formed on her lips, or the way her eyes shined with a bit more mindfulness. He looks so sad… "I'm sorry to hear that." She truly was. The sympathies were heavily projecting in her voice. "I'm Chihiro."

The way he gasped and raised his shoulders—the surprising motion of his inclined head—it was almost if he recognized her… almost. But soon the familiarity escaped him and he simply smiled. "The name's Kamaji." He touched his chest before replying, "I work in the boiler room."

"Oh!" Chihiro said, smiling. "There's a bathhouse on the first floor. The granny who leased me said she owns it." She hadn't meant to call the old woman… granny; it had just slipped out, almost as if it were commonplace. "And she agreed that I could work here to pay my rent until I found myself another job." She'd been struggling to find a job in the major she chose since she graduated six months ago, and her search had been disheartening. Finding a summer job was out of the question now that most of the teenagers were on summer break and willing to do cheaper labor. It was fate when her mother suggested that she call the random advertisement sent to their home.

Kamaji chuckled, nodding. "Well, you're free to use the facilities any time you'd like, although I'm sure by the end of your first day working, you'd rather soak in your own bathtub in your apartment." Each apartment was equipped with its own bathing area, kitchen area, and lounge area for all of its occupants.

"I'll probably stick to my own bath," she replied with a brief nod. She started work in three days. "But thank you for the offer."

"You're very welcome." With that said, he paced off down the stairs. "Take care."

A pleasant smile appeared on Chihiro's lips. "You too, Kamaji!" As she turned to resume her climb up the next flight of stairs, she accidentally bumped into a woman with long, tied brown hair, who wore a pink cleaning outfit. Her lips were stained red, and her brown eyes were narrowed into peevish slits.

"Hey!" the woman replied. She used her index finger to poke Chihiro in the chest. "Watch where you're going!"

"S-sorry!" Chihiro said as the woman hurried by. Have we met before…? Chihiro took a step down, lifting her left hand. "W-wait!" She fumbled her phone, but caught it quickly.

The woman paused, one hand on her right hip as she spared Chihiro a petulant glance. "What?" She was carrying what appeared to be a large red bento box in a white bag in her free hand.

"Do I… do I know you?" Chihiro asked hesitantly. She seemed to recognize the woman, but she wasn't quite sure from where… "Lin?"

A sharp brow rose and the woman grunted. "…I don't think so, kid." Although she began pacing off, she was pretty sure she'd met the girl before, too. How does she know my name…? Maybe this is the one Yubaba was talking about—the girl working to pay her way around here…

Chihiro was no kid, not anymore, but she felt as if she were certainly acting like one today. She just felt so… young, like her ten-year-old self. Maybe it was due to her finally living alone—stripping away the last of her childhood innocence and doing everything by herself. This wasn't like college, where she relied on a roommate whenever she'd get lonely, and her parents to send her money if she ever ran out of funds to eat. No, she was in the real world all on her own, making ends meet all on her own without the help from anyone. At only twenty-one years old, she was certainly terrified of that aspect, but also proud of herself. Eleven years ago, she would've never thought she'd standing here with any courage to take the next step into adulthood at all. If she had the opportunity, Chihiro would tell her younger self that everything would be all right and try to stay a child for as long as she could. It seemed as if time had slipped away and every memory she had—particularly at age ten—was swarming her thoughts the more she metaphorically peeled off her innocence.

Mom and dad said I could always return home if I want, Chihiro reminded herself, but something about the advertisement in the mail prompted her to move out. It had been specifically addressed to her, as if the sender knew she'd say yes…

It took her another five minutes to reach the third floor and find her apartment number, but once she had, she stuffed her left hand in her pocket and fished for her set of keys. "I'm sure they were here," she told herself distractedly.

When a random hand poked her shoulder, she knew a bathroom break was needed. She turned to her right as she shrieked and saw a brown haired man wearing a white mask, who was dressed in black pants and a matching long sleeve shirt... in the middle of July. I hope all the neighbors aren't like this, she thought. When she saw that he had extended his right hand, and lightly jiggled her set of silver keys in it, she smiled. "Oh," she said, taking them. "Thank you very much."

"Ah," the man said in a soft reply, and Chihiro waited for him to leave before daring to enter into her knew home. Once she realized he wasn't retreating from her door, she debated on whether or not she should call the police. However, Lin appearing at the end of the hall put her at ease.

"Hey, No-Face!" she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "What have I told you about scaring the attendants?!" She shooed him away with a glare, watching as he shied away and took several steps back. "Go on," she encouraged. After turning away, the man paced down the walkway, but not before sparing Chihiro another glance.

Chihiro and Lin both sighed, relaxing as the woman approached her.

Lin crossed her arms. "Sorry about that. The man's not harmful anymore; just weird." She shrugged, hitching her thumb over her shoulder. "Yubaba hasn't kicked him out yet because he's never been late on rent and he even pays in advance."

Not harmful anymore…? Chihiro asked. "I feel like I know him," she admitted. Like we were friends… Images of a dark hand offering her fools gold caused her to close her eyes until the memory subsided.

Lin scoffed, too engrossed with inspecting Chihiro's box to notice her expression. "He was on the news a few years back for allegedly eating a live frog in public, and a few pigs." She ignored Chihiro's gasp in favor of gesturing towards the item she carried. "You moving in with only one box, Sen?"

Chihiro was quick to shake her head. "The rest is in my car…" She blinked. "Wait, who's Sen?"

Lin didn't know where the name came from, either, but she rolled her shoulders. "I think it suits you. Do you mind?" She didn't understand why the girl felt like a little sister to her, nor did she question it. She'd just go with it. Chihiro's company was better than most of the company kept around the complex.

Chihiro slowly found herself shaking her head. For some reason, she felt like eleven years ago, she would have shunned the name, but because it was Lin using it, and because Chihiro was older, she felt like she could carry and control it, instead of it carrying and controlling her... Very peculiar.

After the air of awkwardness around them vanished, Lin offered to help Chihiro put her boxes into her apartment. She informed Chihiro that during the weekends, the place would be crawling with visitors who were going to use the bathhouse on the ground floor and the occupants living in the apartments sometimes used it during the weekdays.

"It's not as shabby looking as these apartments," Lin said, placing the last box down on the wooden floor of Chihiro's new home. "It's actually pretty elaborately decorated down there. Yubaba loves grand things." She dusted her hands off, eyeing the younger woman. "Do you need help unpacking…?" Lin left the sentence to trail, giving the younger a smile.

Chihiro was too busy gazing at the large, open paneled doors towards the back of the apartment to reply. Behind them led to beautiful scenery, the perfect cynosure for occupants to witness. To the right was an entryway that led to the kitchen, where a faucet was slowly dripping in the sink, and a small stove. There was a refrigerator on the opposite wall and the counters were white, matching them. To the left of the vicinity was an area used for hygiene, equipped with a sink, a bathtub, and a toilet. It was blocked with another sliding, paneled door. In the bathtub, water dripped from that faucet as well, unbeknownst to either female.

"Hey, Sen?" Lin called. When Chihiro turned to her, she asked, "Do you need help unpacking?"

"No, thank you," Chihiro said, shaking her head. She hadn't realized that her left hand was curled and touching her chest, almost as if she were afraid to be alone. It was a habit she used to do when she was younger, but stopped by the time she turned eleven… Or so she'd thought. "I think I can manage," she whispered. Déjà vu… She wasn't sure why she kept making that phrase her 'go-to' response, but she welcomed it all the same.


Later that day, as the evening was preparing to retire to make way for the night, Chihiro was still sorting through her boxes, ripping the tape off each of them. Clothes were scattered across the floor, along with books and pictures. She'd have to go into town and purchase a shelf tomorrow, but now she was keen on at least unloading everything to make sure she had whatever she needed before she went out to purchase any more necessities.

I've got to buy some toothbrushes, she mused. And toothpaste. She rummaged through another box, peeling the gray tape off prior and leaving it to stick on the floor. Soap's all here… deodorant, too. She made a mental note of everything in her head, yearning to take a bath as she grabbed the final box and opened it.

"Mom," she whined immediately at what she saw inside. All of her childhood items were carefully there and the label inside said Chihiro's Keepsakes. This was her mother's box, and the woman had several of these. After a frustrated huff, Chihiro texted her mother about the incident. It read: I think I grabbed one of your boxes from the garage and left mine.

She received a quick reply back from the woman that read: Yes, I know. I was going through your old things today and noticed my favorite box is gone. Please bring it back tomorrow, honey! And don't remove those pink shoes!

"Pink shoes?" Chihiro asked as she pocketed the device. She crossed her legs from where she sat, delving through her old toys until she dug further into the box. When her hands touched what felt like something tattered, she grabbed it and pulled it out. It was a little pink shoe, so tiny and adorable, although it was quite worn. "I remember this," she murmured. Her six-year-old self had loved this pair growing up, and she smiled at the memory of falling into a river when she was younger.

"Where's the other one?" she asked, reaching back into the box. She scoured for a good while, and she even decided to spill all of the contents out of the box when she couldn't feel the other one. "What?" Her brown eyes darted around in surprise. "It's not here…" Sighing, she held the only shoe in her hands, observing every rip and how faded the color was. "I remember…"

I remember! a boy had told her. Your little pink shoe…!

Her breath caught in her throat at the random memory and she stood, clutching the shoe in her hands. "And I remember you… I think." She felt a little scared living on her own once she noticed how quiet it was, but she knew that with the bathhouse being opened, there'd be an assemblage of people and it'd be a lively place.

"I should get some sleep," she said, pacing over to her where she'd made her bed. The sheets were white and purple, waiting for her to dive in. Her bath could wait until tomorrow; she was far too tired with the move…

Until something in the kitchen slammed to the floor—perhaps one of the dishes she'd stacked on the counter. "Wah!" She clutched the shoe out in front of her, as if that tiny little thing was the perfect defense weapon. "Wh-who's there?!" She shook her head. If someone were there, they wouldn't really answer, would they? She felt juvenile for asking such a thing, like… a child.

With a bit of mustered courage, she paced into the kitchen—well, more like inched her way by carefully scooting her bare feet across the floor until she arrived at the wooden frame and peeked her head in—only to find one of her white dishes broken. No intruder could be found, thankfully. She'd scream bloody murder if No-Face suddenly showed up, though.

The faucet was dripping and she went over to it, placing her shoe on the wooden counter. After twisting both knobs tightly, she noticed that momentarily, the drips ceased. But once she knelt to retrieve the broken glass from the floor, she heard the familiar splash of water hit the bottom of the sink.

"Must be a leak," she told herself. She needed to unwind. "Maybe a bath is a good idea…" She began to head out of the area, only to quickly turn around and reach for her shoe… "What?" It was soaking wet and the faded pink was darker in color because of it. Chihiro picked up the shoe, parting her lips as she examined the item. "Did I…?" She shook her head, hurrying to go fetch a towel from the middle area of the apartment. After searching the scattered items on the floor, she found one of her blue towels and placed the shoe on it. "I'll just leave it here so it won't stain the floor…"

Feeling spooked, she went over to the paneled door on her left, slid it open, and entered. The white bathtub was the first thing she had her eyes on, so as she walked over and twisted the silver knob, she seated herself on the edge, checking the temperature. The water gave her an uncanny sense of calm and she found herself frowning. All to quickly, she shut the water off and hurried out of the bathroom, shutting the door.

"I'll just go to bed," she whispered, too afraid of the sudden feeling she was experiencing. She hated that she was changing her mind, thinking of a time when her mother had said, "You're a woman now. You're allowed to change your mind." She groaned at the idea, still not understanding why this phrase was only directed at one gender. Her father changed his mind all the time, and she suspected that's how she received the annoying trait.

After hurrying over to the light, she flipped the switch off and scurried over to her bed, nearly tripping over all the items she'd left scattered on the floor. She had to will herself to go to sleep, and the entire night, the faucets around the house kept dripping. Unbeknownst to her, water was tranquilly roaming through every pipe connected to her apartment, while listening to her sleep—the same water that had mysteriously soaked her shoe and hidden its match.

...

A/N: I absolutely love Miyazaki films, so I thought I'd write another fanfiction for one of my favs. I'm not sure why, but the line I remembered most was the pink shoe line, so I decided to write a story based on that. I'm not sure how this will play out myself, since I did write it on a whim, but I'd love to know your opinions—the good the bad and everything in-between!

Thanks to anyone who's read this!

Much appreciation,

-AJ