Convergence – chapter 10

By turning nonetheless; I don't own the rights to Spirited Away.

Karasu opened the door and gestured for Chihiro to leave the apartment. "Stairs are at the end of the hall. Elevator isn't working, so don't bother. Go." Chihiro noted that that he sounded distracted and she wondered what was really going on. The narrow hallway outside the apartment was dark. Chihiro didn't want to go first; nevertheless, she held her head up as she walked out of her prison at a deliberately slow pace.

Her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hallway and when she passed the double doors of the elevator, she poked at the call button in hopes that the goblin had been lying. No light came on and she couldn't hear any noise within the elevator shaft. Seconds later, the apartment door slammed shut and Chihiro continued on to the stairs. They were steep and they creaked ominously as she climbed upwards.

When she finally reached the top, she blinked her eyes. A warm breeze stirred her hair and hinted that the day would be clear and sunny. Chihiro looked around before stepping out of the hatch and crossing the roof. The sky was beginning to brighten, although the sun had not yet risen, as she stood at the edge of the roof and watched the city wake up. It was a new day and this time she knew where she was going.

Karasu followed her onto the roof. His eyes were open, but they had a vacant quality to them that made Chihiro uneasy. He then proceeded to walk off in the opposite direction. He seemed to be concentrating on something, though Chihiro was just glad to have his attention focused elsewhere.

In fact it was so tranquil that she glanced over her shoulder several times to be sure that the goblin wasn't sneaking up on her. He was being unusually silent; however, the quiet time didn't last.

"Damn it," he shouted, "that bird is as subtle as a peacock." Chihiro wondered if he was talking about himself or someone else.

He continued with his ranting. "Why do I even bother to teach her anything?" The goblin stomped his foot. "It figures I wouldn't get much of a head start. Time to go," he said as he ran towards Chihiro. She sidestepped to avoid being knocked over, yet he still managed to grab her upper arm as he went by. Jumping head first off the roof, he pulled her along with him. They fell for several seconds before he opened his wings and pulled out of the nose dive to glide between the buildings. Chihiro was proud that she hadn't screamed, yet it took awhile before her stomach felt like it was back where it belonged.

The goblin continued to mutter as they made their way through the city. Chihiro did her best to ignore him by watching the shadow people on the sidewalk below her. Some were waiting for the train while others were going in and out of shops.

The sun was above the horizon now as they left the city and continued to follow the train tracks over the country side. Chihiro noticed that they were traveling quite fast, although she knew that it would be several hours before the bath house appeared in the distance. Time passed and her upper arm began to hurt. She shook her arm and asked for the goblin to hold onto her wrist, but he ignored her. He kept looking around him and behind him, making Chihiro wonder what he was up to.

Chihiro cried out as something large and white zoomed by above her. At first she thought it was Haku, but then she realized that it was Granny's paper birds and that was positively fine with her. She grinned at the goblin and said, "Now you're in trouble."

Karasu turned away from the railroad tracks and landed in a field. The paper birds swiftly doubled back to encircle them. Chihiro and the goblin now stood in the eye of a storm. The air around them hummed and there was the bewildering sense of moving while standing still. Chihiro was surprised when Karasu let go of her arm. His wings disappeared and he straightened out his clothes just as if he was expecting to meet an important dignitary for whom he wanted to look his best. Chihiro studied his forehead to see if he was starting to break out in a sweat, yet he appeared to be perfectly calm for the moment.

One bird left the circle and landed on the grass. The next moment Zeniba rose up out of the paper and became completely solid. Chihiro, astonished at first, realized that this paper bird was intact. The one she'd first seen in the bath house had been damaged.

"Granny!" Chihiro ran up and hugged her friend while being careful to avoid stepping on the paper bird that rested on the grass. Chihiro was taller now and she pressed her face into Granny's soft gray hair. Zeniba returned the hug.

"How are you, Chihiro?"

"I'm doing great, now that you're here." She pointed at Karasu. "That goblin cut off my ponytail. He's disgusting and rude. Please help me get away from him."

"Have you had a meal since you arrived?"

Chihiro smacked her hands against her own thighs in exasperation. She couldn't believe that Granny asked her a question instead of putting a spell on the goblin. "Yes… I had some soup and bread. It was good. But, Granny, can you turn him into a cockroach, or something?"

"And I see you have a pretty new dress and new shoes."

Chihiro felt a horrible tightness in her stomach which made her pull her fists to her belly. "You won't help me, will you Granny."

"I'm sorry, my dear. I can't change this situation by force or take you away from him. However, I do have one option. Please wait while I talk with Karasu. There are rules that apply to this situation and all I can do is make sure that Karasu has obeyed them. He appears to have taken care of your needs even though this abduction has surely been a hideous experience for you."

Chihiro's throat wanted to close up. Her voice sounded squeaky. "Why is Yubaba doing this to me? It isn't fair."

"I'm not sure, although I have my suspicions. Please have patience." Zeniba lifted the teen's chin with one gentle fingertip.

Chihiro nodded. Zeniba then turned to talk with Karasu. Chihiro scowled at the changes in him as he bowed courteously and answered Zeniba's questions without delay.

"Chihiro appears to be physically unharmed. I will give you twice the amount Yubaba promised you, if you turn her over to me."

Karasu seemed to consider the offer. "No," he said in a firm voice.

"Three times the amount. A very generous deal for you."

"A tempting offer, although the money wouldn't do me any good when Yubaba kills me for ruining her plans since it's unlikely that you'll be there to protect me. However, if you were to offer the golden seal in exchange for Chihiro…"

"You know that won't happen, and you wouldn't be able to wield it properly anyways."

"Yes, I know that, but I could easily sell the seal to the highest bidder who would also protect me from Yubaba. There are those who believe that you and your sister have held power in this world long enough."

"As I told Bella, I keep track of gossip from the bath house and I'm aware that tonight is Haku's last night of work. Do you know what Yubaba is planning?"

"She didn't tell me. And even if I did know, I wouldn't give you that information for free."

Chihiro perked up at the mention of Haku's name, yet once again the discussion turned to what she could only label as politics and negotiations. Why did things have to be this way when Granny had so much power? Chihiro was angry at the goblin and she was angry with the stupid rules that allowed kidnapping. Finally the disgust she felt towards both of them boiled over. She wondered what happened to the girl who had demanded a job from Yubaba. Where was the girl that had put her arm in the mouth of a dragon? It was abruptly clear to her that now was time to do something to save herself.

After making sure that her shoes were securely on her feet, she moved toward the goblin as if she was listening in on his conversation with Zeniba. She took a deep breath – then screamed. Not a high pitched, girly scream, but really a shout that came from the very core of her being. It surprised both Zeniba and Karasu, and for a second neither of them seemed capable of moving.

Her heel connected with the goblin's knee, pushing it in a direction it wasn't meant to go. He groaned, and as he collapsed to the ground, Chihiro kicked him again on the side of his head. She was about to lash out at him a third time, but never got the chance. One of his wings brushed her aside like she was a pesky fly. Paper birds hit her, stinging her skin, as she was tossed through the air. She landed on her back in the grass. Her skin now felt as if it were being burned by the paper that was stuck to her arms and legs. Even her fingertips ached as she tried to remove some of the paper birds from her arms.

Granny immediately walked over to her, helped her up and brushed off the paper that was clinging to her. "Are you alright? What did you hope to gain by attacking him? He's not some little slug you can just squash with your foot."

Chihiro's body trembled as adrenaline took over and she began to shout. "I'm tired of being treated like this… like I'm a piece of luggage to be dragged all over the place. I hate being told about rules and why it's okay to kidnap me. I want to see Haku and then I want to go home. But I can't go home, because that idiot destroyed the clothes I arrived in." She panted, trying to catch her breath.

Zeniba looked at the goblin. "Why did you destroy her clothes? Did Yubaba instruct you to do that?"

Karasu didn't answer.

"I don't have all day and neither do you." Zeniba held up the golden seal.

He rubbed the side of his head. "Give me a moment, please. My ears are still ringing." He leaned to his left side and sat down in the grass. "She's already escaped this world once. I couldn't take any chances. I want to get paid." He massaged his right knee with both hands before continuing. "Bella observed that your sister was very distracted by the recent gains in business and we used that to our advantage. We waited until the last possible moment to close the deal so we could demand more gold."

Zeniba frowned. "The golden seal confirms that what you said is true, but that doesn't help Chihiro. I also see that you've set up some very dangerous conditions. My sister isn't known for making rational decisions while under pressure."

"Let me guess," said Chihiro. "He still didn't break any rules." She was calmer now that she had vented some of the outrage that had been bottled up inside.

The goblin stood up with more than a little difficulty. He was clearly favoring the leg that she had kicked. His face was pale, and a bright red blotch marked where she had landed the second kick. Chihiro hoped it would leave a bruise. It served him right for messing with her.

He turned to look at her. "You only make me love you more when you rough me up like that, Chihiro," he said with a wink.

"Shut up," snapped Chihiro.

Zeniba looked at the seal before speaking to the goblin in a cold, steady voice. "You will stay away from my granddaughter once she is placed in Yubaba's custody."

Karasu shrugged his shoulders.

Chihiro was alarmed by the sudden intensity in Granny's voice. "Swear an oath to the golden seal that you'll leave her alone when your deal with Yubaba is complete," said the sorceress.

"No, I won't do it. She attacked me and I didn't retaliate. She even drew blood." He wiped his hand over his right eye before holding it out toward Zeniba. Blood covered his fingertips. "She could have blinded me." Chihiro realized that her shoe must have torn the skin near his eye. Doubt jabbed at her. Had she only made things worse for herself by breaking some 'rule'?

Zeniba put the golden seal away and whispered in Chihiro's ear. "He's dangerous. Please be careful."

Karasu looked up into the sky. "May I leave now? Yubaba is waiting for her and I must reach Aburaya before sunset."

Zeniba continued to speak with Chihiro. "Wear this around your wrist. It was meant to keep you from wandering back into this world, but it will give you strength and remind you that your friends are near." She placed the purple hairband around Chihiro's right wrist. "Don't let my sister push you around. She owns you, but she can't force you to do something you don't want to do. You are also her guest, so don't let her forget that." She gave Chihiro's hands a gentle squeeze as she stepped back.

"Granny, why didn't I remember being here until I was forced to return? Did the hairband do that also?"

"No, it had nothing to do with your memories, my dear. I'll be staying near the town just to let my sister know that I'm keeping an eye on her. I will see you again. You have many friends at the bath house, Chihiro, and I know that you'll be cared for. Be brave and have faith that things will work out for the best."

"Yes, Granny." Chihiro forced herself to smile as she said goodbye.

Zeniba made a sweeping gesture with her right arm and her flock rose up into the sky. Chihiro and Karasu bowed to her as she faded and sank down into the paper. The paper bird took off, blending in with the others as the flock headed in the direction of the bath house.

Karasu hobbled over and wrapped his hand around Chihiro's left wrist. "What a waste of time," he grumbled as he lifted into the air to continue traveling above the train tracks. The sun was now overhead like it might be around noon time. Chihiro stayed occupied by thinking about what she would say to her friends. She also planned to wring an explanation from Yubaba before the sun rose again tomorrow.

Eventually Chihiro saw a dark smudge on the horizon. It was the smoke from the boiler's chimney. Hours seemed to drag by before the goblin finally circled above the town. Without further delay, Karasu made a soft landing on the top floor balcony of the bath house.

Chihiro brushed her hair out of her eyes and attempted to make her self look half way presentable even though she knew that really wasn't possible after such a long journey. The doors to Yubaba's office was only a few steps away when the goblin seized the skirt of her dress and pulled her back towards him with such force that Chihiro was amazed that the dress didn't rip. His beak was almost touching her nose as he stared intently into her eyes.

"Stay close to your dragon, little bird. If I catch you alone outside the bath house after today…well, I'll let you imagine what might happen." He then let go of her skirt, took off his shoes and limped through the open double doors. Chihiro rubbed the back of her neck while she tried to shake off the chill that was crawling up her spine. After stepping out of her own shoes, she entered Aburaya.

TBC