Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away.
Chapter 2: Lost In a Familiar World
After Chihiro finished work, she hung up her apron, put her hair up in the hair elastic Zeniba had given her, and decided, once again, to try and get through to the spirit world. She walked out to the long hallway and slowly walked down it, something here was wrong. The place seemed… different to Chihiro. Once at the place where the field should be, she noticed rocky ground instead of grass. She stepped onto the rocky ground, leaving the long hallway, and as she did, she felt a sense of purity and cleanliness over whelm her. Chihiro was in the spirit world. She smiled and looked around. She was indeed in the spirit world but she was in a different place. The entrance had brought her to a different part of the spirit world! Chihiro gasped. She could be thousands of miles from the bathhouse. How was she supposed to find it? Should she go back?
Chihiro decided to walk onwards. She knew if she walked back to her world, she may not be able to come back again for many long years. Chihiro walked across the rocky ground for hours until she came to a forest. Chihiro thought about going around but decided she might find fruit in the forest and she'd need it. She was going to start to disappear shortly. Chihiro walked forward until she found a tall tree that had yellow pears growing on the top of it. It was a good thing she found it because her hands were now see-through. She grabbed the tree firmly and began to climb up it. She hung onto a branch while she reached above her and picked a large ripe pear. Chihiro took a bite and then another till she had devoured the entire pear. She was no longer see through which made a great relief flood over Chihiro.
After grabbing several more pears for later on, she began to walk forward again. Eventually it got too dark to see, so she curled up at the bottom of a tree and fell asleep. That night, she dreamt that she was lost in the spirit world and she couldn't find Haku. She ran deeper through the spirit world in her dreams until she found the bathhouse, only the bathhouse was dark and gloomy. Spider webs and dust covered the building and there was no one inside. Chihiro ran up to Haku's room hopping to find him. And she did find him. He was lying on his bed looking just like he always had except his skin was a ghastly pale-blue color and he was freezing cold. Chihiro screamed. Haku was dead!
Chihiro woke at the bottom of the tree gasping. "What a nightmare!" Chihiro whispered to herself. She ate a pear before heading out once more through the endless forest. Chihiro began to wonder if she'd ever find the bathhouse. Who knew how big the spirit world was? Chihiro knew that if she managed to find train tracks, she would be able to find the bathhouse.
Chihiro found a river sometime the next day during the afternoon. She knelt by it and took a long drink before jumping in. Chihiro swam around for a few minutes until she decided to walk onwards. She was getting hungry but she only had two pears left and she would need to save it for when she started to disappear.
When it started to get dark, Chihiro found a small cave that she could sleep in. She walked inside and lay down in the cave, hopping that the nightmares would stop. But they wouldn't stop. Chihiro ran towards Haku who was lying on his bed dead. But as she got closer to him, he started to change into his dragon form. Haku, now full dragon, woke up from what Chihiro thought was death, and lunged at her. As he sank his teeth into her arm, she screamed "I love you Haku!"
Chihiro woke up crying in a dark space. Right, she had fallen asleep in a cave. Chihiro crawled out of the cave, whipped off her tears and ate a pear. She continued walking on the lookout for food, the bathhouse or train tracks.
She'd been here in the spirit world for two entire days already and she was beginning to grow weaker at lack of nutrition. Chihiro was only capable of traveling four hours at a time before taking a rest. As Chihiro was about to settle in for another night, she heard a train in the distance. A train! Chihiro grabbed her last pear and ran at top speed to the source of the sound. She emerged through some trees and in front of her were a train tracks! Chihiro couldn't sleep now. She followed the train tracks in direction of the bathhouse and continued to walk along them till sunrise.
She'd past over two train stops the entire night and now realized she was only hours away from the bathhouse but Chihiro had to stop and sleep. It may be sunny outside but Chihiro had no issue falling asleep next to the tracks. That morning, Chihiro had another nightmare about Haku, except she couldn't remember it when she woke up.
Chihiro trudged onward during the night, since she slept all day. It took the entire night because of how tired and week she was, but she eventually made it to the bathhouse bridge at dawn. Everyone would be asleep by now. Chihiro herself was tired, so she ate her pear and fell asleep, leaning against the bridge's railing. That day, she didn't have any dreams because of how out-of-rest she was.
She woke up around late evening to the feel of someone shaking her awake. It was a toad employee. "Human! You need to leave!" ordered the frog.
Chihiro stared at the frog angrily before saying "I've spent days trying to get here and now that I am here, I must speak with Haku. Where is he?"
"How dare you speak to me like that? And how would you, a human, know who master Haku was?" the toad demanded. Chihiro was getting annoyed. Of course, none of them would recognize her because she was grown up.
"I know him because I am Chihiro, also once known as Sen!" Chihiro yelled, louder than intended. The toad stared at her for a few seconds before he smiled.
"Sen is back! Everyone Sen is back!" yelled the toad. Employees of Yubaba began swarming around Chihiro. She didn't like all this attention; she needed to speak with Haku. She stood up and looked around. Haku and Lin weren't in the crowd.
"Please call me Chihiro! Where is Haku? I need to speak with him immediately!" Chihiro called out.
The toad said "Haku is up in his chamber resting, he will be overjoyed to see you but you should let him sleep. You should go see Yubaba."
"Thank you," Chihiro said. She walked into the bathhouse and into the elevator. Chihiro wasn't surprised that she still knew her way around the bathhouse. She pulled the lever down and the elevator went up. Once she was on Yubaba's floor, she walked over to the door and was about to open it when she heard a voice say "My, you sure have grown! But you still haven't learned to knock!" Chihiro looked down at the door knocker. Oh yes, that cursed door knocker.
Chihiro sighed and opened the door. She walked through opening the many doors until she got to Yubaba's office. Everything still looked the exact same. Even Yubaba looked the same. "Yes, what do you want?" Yubaba looked up at Chihiro and gasped. "Sen, I was wondering when I would see you again."
"Hello Yubaba. I was wondering the same thing," Chihiro smiled and said "I was wondering if I could have my job back. I intend on staying in this world."
"And what makes you think I want you back?" Yubaba challenged. Chihiro should have guessed that Yubaba would be difficult. 'Stay strong Chihiro," she told herself.
"Please Yubaba. Remember with the river spirit? I helped you make so much money."
"Ah, but don't you remember the No-Face incident? Who is to say that that won't happen again?"
"But this time I am here to stay so I can take the time to learn about this world." Chihiro hopped Yubaba wouldn't be difficult.
"Fine, you can have your job back but this is the last time I am ever giving you a job. If you get out of your contract once more, you cannot have another job. Are we clear?"
"Certainly and will I be still known as Sen?"
"Yes. Now sign your real name here," said Yubaba giving Chihiro a pen and her contract. Chihiro knelt down and secretly tore a small corner of the contract off and wrote on it, 'my name is Chihiro Ogino.' Then she slipped the corner piece of paper in her pocket before writing her name on the contract and handing it to Yubaba. "You can go room with Lin. You start work tomorrow," said Yubaba, looking at some papers on her desk.
"Thank you Yubaba," Chihiro bowed and left the room. She pulled out the sheet of paper in her pocket and read it aloud "My name is Chihiro Ogino." She had to make sure she remembered that. Chihiro took the elevator to the women's quarters where Lin and her roomed together with other women 11 years ago. Gratefully Lin and the others were just getting out of bed. Chihiro walked in the room and all the women stared at her.
"Who are you?" asked Lin. Chihiro had thought Lin might recognize her but she didn't.
"Oh Lin. I am hurt; do you honestly not remember me?" Chihiro asked with a fake expression of hurt on her face.
Lin gasped, "Chihiro?"
"Hey Li-," Chihiro was cut off as Lin scooped her up into a giant bear hug. Chihiro returned the hug warmly. Lin released.
"Chihiro, you look wonderful! Grown into a fine young lady, wait till Haku sees you! What have you been up to lately?"
"Nothing much in the human world but I can say I am back and I am here to stay."
Lin's mouth dropped open before she said "You're staying? Does that mean you signed a contract with Yubaba?" Chihiro nodded and Lin added "Wow. It is so great to have you back! Might it have something to do with a certain dragon?"
Chihiro blushed as she said "Yah. A little bit."
Lin tossed Chihiro some employee clothes and Chihiro quickly changed into it and stuck the paper with her name on it in her pocket.
"Uh … Lin, could you take me to him? I don't know where he is." Lin nodded and motioned for Chihiro to follow. As Chihiro and Lin were in the elevator going up, Chihiro asked "So has things changed since I left?"
"No. Everything is the same except Yubaba is a little nicer and Haku now isn't enslaved by her," replied Lin. Wow. Yubaba has gotten nicer?
Once the elevator stopped, Lin led Chihiro to two tall doors. "He is in there. Have fun," Lin snickered before she left, leaving Chihiro only meters away from the boy she had missed for eleven years. Would he still look like the boy I left so long ago, or did he allow himself to age? Chihiro finally built up the courage and knocked on the door.
"Come in," said a familiar voice. It sounded depressed but it was his; Haku. Chihiro opened the door a little bit and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. Haku lay on his bed starring at the ceiling. When the door shut, he looked over. He sat up immediately. "Chihiro?" he asked, a smile creeping to his lips.
"Yah, hello Haku," Chihiro said. She couldn't believe it. Here she was, finally seeing the guy of whom she missed and loved after eleven years. Haku stood up and walked over to her. He stood in front of her and smiled brightly, in which Chihiro returned. Haku had indeed allowed himself to age. He looked Chihiro's age and was very handsome.
"You look beautiful," Haku said. Chihiro blushed deep pink.
"And you look handsome. I have to say I was expecting the kid I left eleven years ago but I'm glad you're more my age," Chihiro calmly said. "I suppose I should mention, I signed another contact with Yubaba and I am here to stay."
"What? What about your family and friends? How could you throw away your future?" Chihiro was surprised. She thought Haku would be happy, not angry.
"I don't speak to my parents very often and I don't have any friends. I know this is what I want. Believe me; I have had eleven years to think about it." Haku didn't argue but Chihiro could tell he didn't like the idea of Chihiro leaving behind her possible future. "Haku, are you alright?"
"Yes, it is just I can't believe this is the life you want. Why?"
"Look Haku, ever since I left eleven years ago, I never reconnected with my world. I grew distant from my family and other people. I never made friends or spoke with my parents. I felt like I was in the wrong world. Do you know how many times I cried and regretted ever leaving this world? Every night. Every day I tried get back to this world through the entrance but I never could. And I need to ask you something. Was I just some silly human child that you couldn't wait to get rid of?" Haku's face was a face of hurt. He looked at Chihiro with sympathy.
"No! I never thought of you like that. I've missed you every day since you left." Haku pulled Chihiro into a hug, which she returned.
"That is a relief to hear. Now, I must go. I am exhausted because that entrance to this world sent me to the middle of nowhere. I spent four entire days trying to find this place." Haku looked at Chihiro sadly before she left and went back to the women's quarters. No one was there; they were all working. Chihiro laid out some bedding and blankets for herself before curling up in a ball and drifting into an uneasy sleep full of nightmares.