Rain poured down, causing Chihiro to slip wherever she stepped. Will I… Will I make it? she thought, panting as she ran. Before the rain could get any worse, she wanted to reach Zeniba's house. However, it did not seem likely. Once more, she tripped, landing into the muddy path. Exhausted, she could barely lift her head. Feeling all of her energy drained, she began to close her eyes, hoping she could sleep. Before she managed to fall into a deep slumber, she heard squeaking bounces approach her. Could that be… The squeaking stopped, along with the rain. Although she could hear it, the water would no longer hit her. Opening her eyes, she found the lamp, carrying an umbrella. It bowed politely at the girl. Recognizing Chihiro, it squeaked in surprise. Jumping up and down, she realized that it recognized her. "Hey," she weakly smiled. "Hey, Mr. Lamp."

The spirit bounced up and down, squeaking as if it spoke. "Follow you?" she mumbled. Positioning her hands to sit herself up, she could only move her fingers. Her vision began to blur, the small flame inside the lamp turning into a blurry red ball of light. "I'm sorry, just a moment. I want to… to sleep before I go with… you…" Chihiro could not help but fall into the darkness. She felt calm, relaxed. She felt something wooden underneath her feet. Tapping it, she realized it was a bridge. Looking up, she heard a distant echo of a passing train. "A train," she murmured, walking towards the edge.

She caught the roaring train appearing from the tunnel, disappearing back into another tunnel. Somehow, this feels so familiar, Chihiro wondered. Stepping off of the rail, she looked down. She wore a striped green shirt, pink shorts, and yellow shoes. Could this be…?! Feeling the wind hit her cheek, she turned to her right. A young boy stared at her in disbelief, slowly approaching her. He was in a blue and white outfit, his green eyes shining in astonishment. "You shouldn't be here," he hissed. "What?" Chihiro said in bewilderment. How am I… This is from 6 years ago! Chihiro backed away, startled as to how she had got there. "Chihiro… Chihiro!" a voice urged. The scene suddenly disappeared, returning back into darkness. She felt her shoulders being shaken by someone.

Finally opening her eyes, she found Zeniba tending to her. "You're awake," she said in relief. "My lamp says he found you out in the rain," the witch explained, pouring herself a cup of tea. "You've been out for a day. Care for some?" Chihiro sat up, rubbing her head. "Yes please." Her clothes were dry, perfectly clean and warm. Realizing her kimono was taken off, her curse was visible. Attempting to hide it, she buried it into her shirt, also using her hand to cover it. "Did you-"

"I examined your arm," Zeniba interrupted, still focused in making Chihiro's tea. "That's quite a nasty curse you've gotten." The teenager trembled. Letting go of her arm, she sighed. "Does it hurt?" Zeniba suddenly asked. "Huh? Oh, sometimes," she replied awkwardly. After hearing the kettle hiss, Zeniba took it and poured hot water. After adding other ingredients, she called, "No-Face, will you give this to Chihiro?" No-Face? Chihiro thought, recognizing the black transparent spirit. "It's good to see you, No-Face," she smiled, thanking him for the tea. The spirit could only nod and reply in strange noises. As it floated away, it continued to work on something with the wheel and fabric. Chihiro tried to stand up, jumping off of the bed.

Her legs suddenly collapsed, causing her to easily fall to the ground. Good thing I wasn't holding the tea, she thought in relief. Taking her time standing up, she stumbled into a chair beside the table. Zeniba followed, sitting beside her. Taking a slice of cake, the witch hummed a little tune. She's so different from Yubaba. "So, why have you come?" Zeniba asked. "Is it because of the curse?" Chihiro nodded. "Well then, we don't have much time, do we?" Zeniba noticed. "Tell me about it from the beginning." Chihiro took a deep breath. "The Dark Fear took my brother, which led me here." As she went on about how she had gotten the curse and reunited with the bathhouse, Zeniba only replied with nods. Once she finished, Zeniba had finished her meal. "This is not good," she murmured. It was like Yubaba had said. "What am I supposed to do? Suffer while Akira is out there with the Dark Fear?"

"Of course not," Zeniba answered. Standing up, she looked around, trying to find something. While the human waited, she noticed No-Face touching up some cloth. "What's that?" she wondered. The spirit looked up at the curious Chihiro, and quickly finished sowing the cloth. He handed the cloth to her. Blinking in curiosity, she could only reply, "Thank you." When she unfolded it, she realized it was a cloak. There were delicate and pretty patterns of small pink petals at the bottom of the kimono and sleeves, the rest of it in pure red. "T-Thank you," Chihiro stammered in surprise. It even has a pouch inside, she smiled, admiring the work No-Face had done. And there's a hood.

Hearing Zeniba return, she held a long silver object. Putting it around Chihiro's neck, it was revealed to be a necklace. A small diamond was on the locket. "What is this?" she asked, staring at the diamond in wonder. "It's a kind of seal," the witch explained. "It will at least slow the process down." She became alarmed at her words. "Process?" she feared to ask. Zeniba turned back to the stove, pouring more tea for herself. "Those marks will continue to increase. Once it's finished," she stopped. "What? What will happen to me?" The witch set the kettle down quietly. Looking back at her, she finished, "You will become like the Dark Fear." The silence between them was broken when the startled masked spirit dropped a bundle of yarn.

"It's-It's alright, No-Face," Chihiro tried to assure. "Don't worry about it." Standing up, she walked towards the door. "Thank you, Zeniba," she thanked quietly. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here?" Zeniba asked in a worried tone. It seemed as though the witch was hesitant about answering Chihiro about becoming like the Dark Fear. "It's fine," Chihiro said, hiding her fright. "I have to return to the bathhouse. Thank you both." She opened the door, feeling the sun shine brightly at her face. She wore the kimono cloak No-Face had given her, racing back to the bathhouse hiding her face within the hood. I need to find Akira now, she thought determinedly. I hope he doesn't have the curse like me- Her balance was knocked away when something hit her side.

Gasping, she fell to the side. Luckily, she was able to float above the water. Sitting up to her knees and hands, she looked up to find the frog from two days ago. It frowned down at her, slowly approaching her. Chihiro tried to stand, but realized the spirit had also injected her with poison. And this time, he had brought a friend.