Wind blew through the grass, making green waves rippled across the endless field. Chihiro grinned, breathing deep of the fresh, living smells. It was exactly as she saw in her memories. The dilapidated houses, the overgrown paths, the random statues scattered in the field matched her memory perfectly. After all, the sight had been burned into her mind for all eternity as a child.
"I guess there are some places where time has no hold." Chihiro smiled to herself. The building in whose shadow she stood groaned, the tall clock towering above her moaning as the wind blew around it.
Just as it did then.
She jumped from one boulder to the next, making her way up the broad stone steps, entering a world she'd survived, and one that had taught her to live.
The streets of the town were quite, and good smells drifted through the still air. Chihiro grinned, her memories gaining strength as she wandered along the paved walks. Passing by the restaurant that had started all the adventures, the woman stopped a minute, smelling and thinking. But she continued on, letting her feet carry her up the steps at the end of the street, pausing at the base of the city clock as she had as a child. Then she was there. Chihiro stood at the head of the bridge, the massive bathhouse on the other side. The boiler pipes still belched smoke; the run-off waterfall still steamed, the train far below still rattled the windows as it passed by. Chihiro turned her head, watching as the sun slowly sank to the horizon. His voice played through her mind, his words reminding her she might have escaped, and never even known him.
It's almost night. You have to get across the river before the sun sets
Then the sun vanished, twilight appeared, and the city behind her began glowing as lanterns and lamps were lit, and shops began opening. She could see, from this height, the ferry coming from the distant glowing city across the water. Vague, dark, wavering shapes appeared in the shops, and out of the ground, walking and moving in the streets. Chihiro was not afraid this time. Her parents were safe, in their blue house at the end of the row. She'd left as a young adult, making her way in the world as an environmental activist. i She never forgot the poor river spirit she'd helped, so full of pollution he'd turned into a stink spirit /i But she'd never forgotten the boy, the river spirit who had lost his home. He'd promised they'd meet again, but somehow she knew he would never really be able to leave this world until another home had been found. She fought her heart out, her hardest for him, and at long last she could help him fulfill the promise. She had something for him now.
A long crowd of spirits was moving down the street; some turned off to eat, some stopped to talk to old friends. But there was still a good number who passed by Chihiro as she moved out of the way, bowing respectfully. She knew she was standing in front of a garden gate, but when Chihiro looked down and realized she was standing i in /i the gate, she gasped, looking around wildly. The nearest bush had berries growing on it, and she picked a few, throwing them into her mouth before it became very difficult to eat solid, real food.
You have to eat something from this world, or else you'll disappear
she listened to his voice as she watched her body become solid once more. She sighed, leaning against the gate as a solid, whole human girl.
That was close. I nearly ruined everything by forgetting Haku's words. But again he's saved me. Dear, dear Haku ...
"Welcome, welcome. Please, make yourselves at home. Come on in, welcome, enjoy yourselves." The familiar greetings from the staff made Chihiro smile once more, as she stepped out into the crowd of spirits and began walking across the bridge. She resisted the urge to hold her breath, wondering if she did, would the spell take affect automatically or if it was one of Haku's attempts to protect her. Her cheeks still burned with shame slightly at remembered she i had /i taken a breath. But that was in the past, and she moved with confidant ease over the wood bridge. Moving to the outer edge of the crowd, she could see a small frog in a kimono jumping up and down at the other side of the bridge. As she neared him, the frog stopped and stared, but she smiled, bowing slightly, and his eyes bulged.
"S-Sen! You're back?!" she nodded slightly, smiling a little, and put a finger to her lips to indicate secrecy. Chihiro knelt down, whispering "Go find Lin, and tell her to meet me in the boiler room. I have to say hello to an old friend." The frog grinned, and leapt away as Chihiro ducked through the small door on her left, leading into the side gardens. As she made her way quietly through, Chihiro thought about when she and Haku knelt there, hiding from the staff and when he placed his hand on her forehead, showing her the way to the boiler room and Komaji. Her cheeks blossomed slightly, and her face heated up but she still continued on. She couldn't wait to see the long-armed, many-armed boiler man again.
"After all, he is the one who helped me get a job."
