Once upon a time in a village nestled up to a river as it swiftly ran its course down a mountain side, there lived a rather ordinary young woman to whom mysterious things kept happening.
Chihiro squinted as she brought the shirt she was repairing closer to her face. The room she was sitting in was quite dark, perhaps not the best conditions to sew in but that also made it the coolest room in the house. She gently ran her fingers along the fabric, feeling the rough, jagged edges of the tear. There'd be no easy way to fix the hole in this shirt. The young woman made a rather exasperated sound as she turned to her brother, the owner of the torn shirt. "Haruki, how in the world did..." The question died on her lips. Haruki was sprawled out on the floor fast asleep while clutching his toy ball close. Chihiro sighed, then smiled fondly. Haruki was quite adorable while sleeping. As quietly as possible, she set aside her work then went and dug through the closet on the other side of the room. She quickly returned and carefully slipped a pillow under the young boy's head. Satisfied that she hadn't disturbed him, she picked her work back up along with a scrap of fabric to patch the tear.
The young woman's work was interrupted next by the sound of the door sliding open, she looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway. "Ah, here you are Chihiro," Mrs. Ogino said softly, "Mrs. Hashimoto has come for a visit, come help me entertain her."
"Yes mother," Chihiro replied just as softly. She was careful not to wake her sleeping brother as she set aside her work again and quietly left the room, Mrs. Ogino was just as careful as she quietly shut the room's door behind them.
It didn't take long for Chihiro and her mother to put together a very nice afternoon tea, which Chihiro carried into the sitting room and laid out for their guest. "Thank you, Chihiro dear," Mrs. Hashimoto said as she accepted the cup of tea and admired the offered snacks. "These are all quite lovely." As Chihiro settled down on the far side of the table, Mrs. Hashimoto turned her attention to Mrs. Ogino. "And how have you been doing since..." The older woman trailed off, as if afraid mentioning the subject would open the wound afresh.
"I still miss my mother dearly," Mrs. Ogino replied. "But life moves on and I'm far too busy to feel sorry for myself."
Mrs. Hashimoto gently patted Mrs. Ogino's hand in quiet sympathy, then took another sip of tea before changing the subject. "Have you heard? Lady Tachibana has purchased a great deal of white silk. Several bolts of it, as the rumors go. I also hear she has put out a call for seamstresses to come help work it over."
"No, I hadn't heard," Mrs. Ogino said in surprise. "Do you suppose Lord and Lady Tachibana have finally found a suitable suitor for Miss Tomiko?"
"It certainly seems that way, what else could all that white fabric be for but a wedding?"
"I wonder if it has anything to do with that traveling monk they took in recently."
"Do you think he's the suitor?" Mrs. Hashimoto asked in astonishment.
"Not unless it was a love match. You said Lady Tachibana is calling for seamstresses?"
"Yes, though I heard it third hand so I can't be sure how true that is. But Hiromi said the Lady is anxious to have the wedding kimono finished as quickly as possible, and I think she would know." Mrs. Hashimoto paused to sip her tea as Mrs. Ogino nodded in agreement. "Strangely enough, none of the town's artisans have been commissioned to finish a wedding trousseau."
"That is odd," Mrs. Ogino agreed. "Is it possible the Lord and Lady have sent to a larger city for the rest of Miss Tomiko's trousseau? Or maybe the rumors are false?"
"Who knows? Only time will tell. Oh, speaking of weddings, Haruna is simply beside herself. She was so looking forward to her son's wedding, but she fears having it at the same as Miss Tomiko. She doesn't want to offend Lady Tachibana," Mrs. Hashimoto added in a confidential tone while Mrs. Ogino murmured her agreement. "So of course she feels they have to put it off. And just when everything was finally falling into place, too."
"Autumn is a much better time to be married, delaying the ceremony a little will do them no harm."
"I quite agree, but you know how anxious Haruna is to have the ceremony done with. She wants her son safely married before they have any more... complications." Both women chuckled over Mrs. Hashimoto's word choice, the match between the two youths had certainly given everyone involved a head ache. Chihiro had been told by Mrs. Ishikawa's own daughter that her brother had threatened to elope with his beloved if their parents couldn't come to an agreeable arrangement.
The pair of women continued with their chat, talking over all the interesting events that happened in their tiny town while Chihiro retreated to the kitchen to make more tea. "I wonder if Miss Tomiko is really marrying the traveling monk," she said to herself as she gathered more snacks. "I hope she'll be happy, whoever she's marrying. And if it is the monk I suppose he won't be traveling any more."
It wasn't until that evening that the Oginos found out how much of the gossip was true. Mr. Ogino came home from the Tachibana mansion and put at least two of the rumors to rest, "Lady Tachibana has purchased quite a lot of white silk, and she is anxious to have it made up into a wedding kimono as quickly as possible. In fact, Lord Tachibana has asked if you would come to the mansion and help with the embroidery."
"I couldn't," Mrs. Ogino answered in surprise. "Who would take care of the house or Haruki or make you dinner or... or..." Mrs. Ogino waved a hand in exasperation, too astonished and indignant to keep going.
"I know my dear," Mr. Ogino soothed. "I made the excuses already and Lord Tachibana was very understanding. But perhaps Chihiro could be of use to Lady Tachibana, surely you could spare her for a week or two. Lord Tachibana mentioned her specifically when I said you couldn't, and they are particularly anxious to have the wedding at the beginning of the month."
"I suppose I could do without Chihiro until then, if it will make Lord and Lady Tachibana happy."
"Oh Father, is Miss Tomiko really going to marry that wandering monk staying with the Lord and Lady? Is it a love match? Does she seem happy?" Chihiro clung to her father's hand, ready to pepper him with more questions.
"Who cares? I wanna know what Father did today! Did you catch any criminals? Did you have to kill them?" Haruki grabbed Mr. Ogino's other hand and tugged on it, asking more questions with gruesome delight.
"Why don't we sit down to dinner and I'll tell everyone everything, alright?" Haruki whooped and raced to the table at their father's suggestion. Once everyone was seated and dinner served Mr. Ogino talked about his day between bites. "No stray crooks or rogues today, Haruki. We had a very quiet, peaceful day, though I heard in the next town over there was nearly a riot over water shortages."
Chihiro shuddered, it was hard enough for them to get by even living next to a river. She couldn't imagine what it was like for anyone living without such a convenient water source. Mrs. Ogino didn't seem to want to hear about water shortages either, "You never told us of Miss Tomiko's groom, darling."
"Lord Tachibana never mentioned the groom, just that Lady Tachibana was working on a wedding kimono and needed help to have it finished by the first."
Both Mrs. Ogino and Chihiro wilted a little, they both had been so eager to hear all the details. Mrs. Ogino cheered right back up, turning to her daughter with a bright smile. "Chihiro, you're sure to hear more about it while helping to make the kimono! Make sure you bring home every scrap of news you hear."
Chihiro smiled and nodded, "Of course, Mother."
The next morning Mrs. Ogino was fussing over Chihiro's clothes. Family pride dictated she be immaculate while in the Tachibana's home and Mrs. Ogino was going to make sure family pride was appeased. Chihiro resisted the urge to roll her eyes, surely she'd be covered in dust head to toe in the short walk to the mansion. Unfortunately the young woman didn't take her mother's preparedness into account, she found herself being finished off with a thin coat thrown over her clothes and a scarf tied about her head.
"Mother," she cried in protest. "I'll faint of heat exhaustion before even getting there!"
"Nonsense, it's a short walk and you will have your father's arm to lean on should you feel faint. Besides, it' still early and cool outside. And I won't have my own daughter arriving at any lord's mansion in anything less than perfect condition," Chihiro opened her mouth but her mother cut her off. "Even if she is only going to help sew some seams." Chihiro's mouth snapped shut, her protest countered even before she could utter it.
There was a knock at the door, "Are you ready yet? It's time we were going."
"Yes, we are ready," Mrs. Ogino replied. She opened the door to find Mr. Ogino standing impatiently in the doorway, Haruki was running back and forth further down the hallway with Mr. Ogino's helmet wobbling on his head.
"You both look lovely," Mr. Ogino said, then gave his wife a goodbye kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Ogino blushed happily before sending them on their way. Haruki reluctantly handed over his father's helmet, then stood next to their mother as they both waved goodbye.
Chihiro smiled and waved back, but seeing all the withered and dying shrubs and trees outside their home made the smile fall right off her face. She turned to her father and said quite lightly, "You'd think Mother was sending me away for a long journey instead of five minutes walk up a hill."
"She'll probably be lonely without you, you know."
"Yes, I know... but I'll be sure to bring home some juicy gossip to make it all worthwhile."
"What a considerate daughter you are," Mr. Ogino laughed. Chihiro laughed with him, but choked on the dust they had kicked up while walking. "I was thinking of digging up all the old trees around the house," Mr. Ogino said once Chihiro's coughing fit died down, as a way to change the subject. "It won't do for one of Lord Tachibana's retainers to have such a miserable looking home. Perhaps fill the yard with river stones, what do you think?"
Chihiro glanced at the river, barely visible between buildings, then quickly looked ahead again. For some reason it always pained her to see how low and dirty the river had become recently, though river rocks were certainly much easier to get at now. "If it makes you happy, Father, I'm sure it'll look quite pretty. You could make a pattern out of them."
"A pattern, I like it. How lucky I am to have such a clever daughter." Mr. Ogino smiled down at his daughter, who blushed and smiled back at his praise. Even if he was just being indulgent.
Then they were walking through the gates to the Tachibana mansion, beautiful and pristine as always. The trees and flowering plants inside the protective walls were lush and upright, the fragrance of them already a heady perfume even in the cool of the morning. They must be overpowering in the heat of the day, Chihiro thought to herself. Mr. Ogino took Chihiro along a path made of large, smooth stones around to the side of the mansion and dropped her off at one of the servant entrances.
"Ah, the daughter of the famous Mr. Ogino, we're quite honored," said the older woman who greeted her. "Here, let me take your things." Chihiro obediently unwound the scarf about her hair and pulled off her overcoat, glad to have one less layer since the sun was already warming up the air around them. Her things were handed over to a silent lower servant, who bowed his way out of the room. "Now, follow me. We have a work room set aside just for the wedding preparations. Oh, the kimono is so lovely already, though it's just barely begun." The woman led Chihiro into the mansion, taking her back into the inner rooms set aside for the every day work needed to keep a mansion running. "Here we are, you'll be working with Mrs. Akiyama. Mrs Akiyama, here is Miss Ogino to help you with the embroidery."
"Oh, the Ogino girl! I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise," Chihiro replied, bowing politely to the older woman. Behind Mrs. Akiyama she noticed several other girls around her age lined up along one of the bolts of white fabric. She was happy to see she wouldn't have to spend the entire day sitting with women her mother's age, especially as she already knew most of the girls.
"Now, before we begin I have a question to ask and I want an honest answer," said Mrs. Akiyama, snapping Chihiro's attention back to her. "How are you at sewing?"
"I can make even, straight stitches, though I'm not so fast as Mother and need a pattern to work off of."
"Confident in yourself, yet modest, I see your parents raised you well. I think you'll prove to be very helpful, everyone has to work off the same pattern or the kimono would be a mess of too many patterns, and I'd take a turtle who could do things right the first time over a hare that has to take out and start over her work ten times." Mrs. Akiyama nodded her head emphatically, as if her saying so made a statement undeniable truth. Chihiro smiled to herself, this woman was simply delightful to be around and she hoped working with her stayed delightful. "Now, you sit here between Kokoro and Hanae," the older woman placed Chihiro between a pair of familiar girls who smiled at Chihiro as they scooted to either side. "Here are the needles and thread, and the pattern is a bit complicated so make sure you pay attention." Mrs. Akiyama explained the pattern to Chihiro, then moved off to check the other girls' work.
"So what have you heard about Miss Tomiko's betrothed?" Chihiro asked as she started making stitches.
"Nothing yet," replied Kokoro petulantly, a frown pulled low on her thin face.
"We've only just arrived ourselves, hopefully we'll hear more about it once everyone gets into a rhythm," Hanae added.
"In the meantime, did you hear about Hiro Ishikawa and Etsuko's wedding being pushed back?" Kokoro asked with a smile.
"Oh yes," several girls replied.
"Mrs. Ishikawa is fretting about it in the most awful way," added someone from further down the bolt. Chihiro wasn't sure who since she kept her eyes on her work.
"I heard that too, from Kiku. She says her brother was a bit upset about the delay, but then he said it'd give Etsuko's family a change to make her a proper trousseau and he cheered right back up."
"Have any idea what they've prepared so far?"
A very thorough discussion of Etsuko's trousseau followed, before the girls meandered onto other subjects. Mrs. Akiyama was continually walking around them, checking to make sure no one strayed from the pattern. When the work was running smoothly she was quite willing to join in on the chatter and add her own gossip to the mix. And yet, for all that Chihiro never heard anything more about Miss Tomiko nor her upcoming nuptials.
"Nothing at all?" asked Mrs. Ogino that evening as Chihiro told her about her day while helping her clean up after dinner.
"Strange, isn't it? We talked about every little thing that has happened recently, and I'm sure even some that haven't, but no one knows anything about Tomiko aside from the kimono we're all working on."
"It is strange," Mrs. Ogino agreed. "Perhaps we shall hear more as the wedding draws closer, certainly we'll know more after the wedding if nothing else. Either way, I'm glad your first day went well and I'm proud of you for doing good work."
Chihiro smiled and shyly thanked her mother for the compliment.
Okay, this AU is based on a manhwa I read the first volume of a very, very long time ago. I liked the premise but the story got dragged out for way too long so I never really got into it. But the premise has haunted me ever since, and then I realized it made a lovely premise for a Spirited Away AU. I want this to piece to have a modern fairy tale feel so it's going to be rather quick and short. Modern fairytale in that it's a fairytale told with modern morals and sensibilities, not a modern AU of a traditional fairytale. Because of this there are some intentional anachronisms and I've kept some things, such as the exact era or setting, rather vague to give it that once-upon-a-time feel. I could write an essay about all the stuff I looked up and learned while researching for this fic. Heck, I could write an essay on all the stuff I tried to look up but couldn't find.
Anyway, thank you for reading this and I hope you'll stick around for the ending!