Shizu Michi
Hello and welcome! This is my first anime fic for this site, but I have written many others, so I'm not inexperienced. Please R & R when you're done. *Note: Yes, there will be some Chihiro/Haku, so if you don't like that, then deal.
For everyone else, have fun! I know the beginning is a bit rocky, but it flows it very soon.
^_^
Disclaimer: All this awesome stuff belongs to the very creative Hayao Miyazaki. I want Haku, but I can't have him …
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The summer breeze rolled gently through the trees and around the hills. Chihiro found it cold for this time of year. Then again, she did get a chill just being around here.
Chihiro, feeling a mysterious urge, had left her house without telling anyone, and wandered all the way down to the forest path, past the little shrines, the big rock sculptures, all the way to the dark tunnel.
She didn't know why, but lately she'd been drawn to the tunnel. She thought it was probably the fact that she missed it, or something to do with it. She quickly dismissed that thought and kept going through the trees, but a nagging remained at the back of her mind.
She had been waiting so long. Almost six months. He had told her he would be out soon, promised her. And it wasn't because he couldn't find her. No, something was wrong in the other world. She was determined to find out what.
Taking a deep breath, Chihiro squeezed her eyes shut and inched toward the tunnel entrance. She took a step in, expecting something to happen. She opened her eyes carefully …
Nothing. She let out her breath and nearly fell over. The tunnel was the same, still dark and foreboding. She gathered her courage once again and began to walk forward. It was still damp and sort of spooky. She could see the lights ahead by the train station entrance. She quickly decided it was time to get out of here and ran the rest of the way out.
She burst out of the tunnel into the open area of the station and looked around. Chill after chill swept down her spine, making her limbs shake uncontrollably. She began to get the same sickly feeling she had gotten when she first came through, but, swallowing hard, she tried reassuring herself.
After a moment of standing in the damp air of the station, she walked quickly across the stone floor, past the dripping fountain and the numerous benches, her mouth firmly shut until she reached the fresh air on the other side. There, she collapsed against the wall and took a deep breath of the air.
"What … ?"
Chihiro held her breath and stood perfectly still. She couldn't hear anything, but drawing a short breath confirmed her suspicion. She could smell something. Something cooking.
She moved away from the station and began to tread swiftly across the grassy hills towards the smell. She walked as fast as she could, making sure to keep the smell with her; for she feared that if she lost it she would never find her way out.
Stopping at the top of a hill, Chihiro slumped down and sat on the foliage, feeling drained and uneasy. She had been looking down the whole time, and when she finally looked up the sight took her breath away.
There it was : the food stands, the pathways, the unlit lights; and over towards the edge of the ensemble of little stands was the massive bath house, also home of Yubaba the witch.
The something occurred to her. She looked up at the sky. The sun was drifting on the horizon, turning the sky orangey-red, and over in the east, a dark blue.
"Oh-no …"
Chihiro jumped to her feet and sprinted down to where the river rocks where quickly being covered with water. She rushed past the stands, the scent of food killing all her senses, smoke filling in her eyes, making tears roll down her cheeks. But even with her eyes closed she could still sense where she was going, feel the space ahead.
She burst out of the narrow streets, coughing painfully. She rubbed her eyes and wiped her cheeks dry, staring at the edge of the world. Her eyes began to cloud over again with water.
Chihiro gathered herself and rushed down to the shore. What used to be green rolling hills littered with flowers was now an open sea, and coming quickly to shore was a massive ferry, strung with lights and decorations. She knew all to well what was on that ship.
Feeling panic rise up in her, she rushed behind a shrub of greenery and ducked down, unseen by any type of eyes. Except one.
Chihiro held her breath, not because she thought it would help but just because she was to scared to breath, let alone move. She began backing away slowly from the site of the disembarking spirits. A tap on the shoulder made her tip over.
"WHAA - ?!"
She fell backwards, nearly knocking over the bending figure that had startled her. She righted herself up and spun around.
That made her fall over too.
Chihiro stared up at the figure. "Ha … Haku?"
She gazed up in wonder through blurry eyes. It had to be him; the green eyes, the serious expression, the straight dark hair …
She jumped up and embraced the figure warmly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I knew I'd find you," she whispered.
But to her surprise, Haku didn't return the hug. She withdrew her arms, and, rubbing her eyes vigorously, looked at Haku closer.
Except this wasn't Haku.
It was a young girl.
Chihiro backed away in shock. Even though this wasn't Haku, the girl could certainly pass for him. She had the same shadowy green eyes, same stern set jaw, and the same hair too, except hers was longer and some of the strands were pulled in braids at the top.
She wore a grey robe that resembled a kimono, decorated with blue and green leaves. It was similar to those the ladies of the bath house wore, but not exactly. Pulled back over her head was a mask like some of the spirits were wearing. She looked at Chihiro closely.
"Chihiro?"
"Yes …?," Chihiro answered automatically.
The girl nodded. "Come with me."
"Wait!" Chihiro turned back into the fading lights of the ferry. "But … I'm not disappearing!"
The girl took her hand gently, but Chihiro felt that her grip was firm. She examined Chihiro's hands. "No, you're not. You've been here before."
It was a statement, not a question, and Chihiro said nothing to her. The girl rose abruptly. "Come with me," she said again.
"But … who are you?"
Once again, Chihiro was thoroughly ignored.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."
The girl turned her piercing gaze on Chihiro, and she suddenly greatly regretted opening her mouth.
"I suggestion you come with me," the stranger said slowly, "Unless you'd rather be turned into coal and tossed into the boiler room fire?"
Chihiro cringed at the memory of Yubaba and her numerous threats to transform one's appearance.
"I didn't think so." The girl looked at the bridge. "I assume you've crossed the bridge before?"
Chihiro nodded.
"Then come." The girl took her mask and slid it over her face. "This time you're finished for sure if you breathe."
Chihiro gulped and stood up slowly. The stranger beckoned to her and led her to the edge of the wooden bridge where the frog-like workers, lanterns in hand, were welcoming the guest.
Chihiro instinctively clung to the other girl's arm, but quickly drew away when she realized what she'd done. The girl didn't seem to notice. Either that or she didn't care.
"Take a deep breath," she whispered. Chihiro was suddenly taken back to the moment when she crossed with Haku. And this girl was so much like him … could she trust her?
As they neared the bridge, Chihiro took a deep breath and held it tight.
"Ah, welcome! Yes, welcome back! Enjoy your stay!" The voices of the employees drifted closer. The girl passed by them slowly.
"Ah, welcome back, Master Ryuki!" The welcoming committee seemed suddenly greatly excited by the presence of the girl. Chihiro looked at them nervously. Before they could be stopped by one of them, the girl lost them in a crowd of masked spirits.
Chihiro felt panic rise in her throat and let out a squeak.
"Just a little further …"
"Master Ryuki!!"
The girl stopped dead in her tracks as a figure jumped in front of her. Chihiro recognized him immediately as one of the head honchos at the bath house, the one who had been swallowed by No-Face.
"Master Ryuki! So good of you to return! Would you be staying in your usual room? Oh yes, and …"
Chihiro couldn't hold it any longer. She gasped and sucked in air frantically, revealing her appearance to everyone.
The employee stopped. "Wha … a human?! And it's …it's her! It's Sen!"
The frog was suddenly silenced and swung in the air, enveloped by a blue bubble similar to the one Chihiro had seen Haku use. The girl threw her mask back and, grabbing Chihiro by the hand, leaned forward and began running through the crowd. When she got low enough she was suddenly off the ground, gliding swiftly through the mass of spirits, Chihiro hanging desperately by a finger.
Slipping behind an unoccupied and dimly lit booth, the two of them blew through a door into the cellar, where Chihiro let go of her grip and fell against the cold stone wall.
Chihro, eyes closed and breathing heavily, was dimly aware of a candle being lit and warmth spreading over her face. When she opened her eyes she found the girl was face to face with her, candle floating between them. Her shadowed green eyes bore into Chihiro's soft brown ones. Chihiro shivered at the cold stare.
She looked away, unable to hold the gaze. Unaware to her, the eyes softened, and were filled with a great pity.
Chihiro turned her gaze around slowly to find the young girl gone. Her heart raced for a moment, thinking that she had left her here, then she saw her shadow move at the end of the room.
"You still haven't told me who you are," Chihiro whispered, her voice barely audible. But the stranger's sharp ears picked it up clearly. " I know," she said, stating the obvious. "You haven't guessed by now?"
Chihiro totally blanked on her statement; but then came back to reality. "Back there. On the bridge. They were calling you Master Ryuki."
"It's who I am," the girl said softly, digging under a cupboard for more candles. An awkward silence followed. Chihiro took the time to consider.
"What you did back at the bridge," she said finally, "I've seen magic like it before. It's similar to what Haku did when I first crossed the bridge with him. You do know him, don't you?"
The girl looked caught like a deer in headlights for a moment, but then she nodded. "Yes I knew him."
Chihiro suddenly felt a chill. "What do you mean, 'knew him'?"
The girl called Ryuki met Chihiro's gaze with sad eyes. "I haven't seen Haku in a very long time," she whispered solemnly.
"But you did know him?"
"As a friend. He taught me most of the magic I know; those tricks I used back there, for example."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"I knew that he came here sometimes, and one day he told me he was going, and … I guess he just never came back. I searched for him, but … it was useless. I'm almost positive he's here, but Yubaba's little cronies make sure I stay where they want me to. Sometimes I feel like going up to Yubaba's room and just tearing the place apart …" Chihiro watched her clench and unclench her fists and a swirling wind seemed to rise up from the ground, making her hair flow in every which way. She drew in a deep breath and continued. "… but Yubaba's too strong. I'd never make it up there. She wouldn't let me."
Chihiro sat against the wall staring up at her in wonder. So, she knew Haku as well. Maybe she could help Chihiro find him …
"Back by the shore, you mentioned my name … how did you know who I was?"
Ryuki sighed and managed a small smile for Chihiro. "I know a lot of things, Chihiro-Sen, and I pick up many things from the servants around the bath house. They mentioned a strange human named Sen who had caused a ruckus around the place and even escaped from Yubaba's vice grip, and as for your real name … I could still hear it floating on the wind."
Chihiro let the other girl's strange word flow through her mind. 'It's so weird,' Chihiro thought to herself. 'Haku has been here all along, and this girl has been searching for him … how come they never stumbled upon each other? Maybe Yubaba purposely kept them apart …' Before she could inquire some more on the subject, her thoughts were interrupted by the sliding of a door. She looked up to find Ryuki inspecting a small entranceway off to the side, hidden in the shadows.
"Now we need some place for you to stay … preferably away from the bath house … I would keep you here but I suspect someone actually does come down here once in a while, and if you're caught you're finished …" She tried pulling the door shut, but it wouldn't budge anymore. She eventually got fed up and psychically took the thing off its hinges and fitted it in the space.
Chihiro watch her curiously. She averted her gaze when Ryuki turned around, and went back to thinking about a place to stay. A thought suddenly came to her.
"Rin!" Chihiro said excitedly, remembering one of the girls at the bath house who had taken her in when no one else wanted to (actually Haku had made her take care of Chihiro but they became friends soon enough)
Ryuki turned to face her slowly and raised an eyebrow. "Rin?"
"Yes!" Chihiro said. "She's- ."
"I know who she is," Ryuki interrupted. She looked at Chihiro curiously. "Are you sure you can trust her?"
Chihiro nodded, looking Ryuki straight in the eye with a determined expression.
Ryuki snorted, defeated. "Fine." She turned to look at the door they had come from and held her hand out. It swung open. "We have to do this quickly," she whispered. "And stay in the shadows. The one who saw you earlier; I erased his memory. But if many see you, Yubaba will certainly be after you."
Chihiro swallowed hard and nodded. Ryuki leaned forward and peeked out. They were on the side of the booth; in front of them was a stone wall, and off to the left was the pathway to the main street. Chihiro gripped Ryuki tightly as they slipped out and plunged into the shadows.
Instead of using the street passages, they crawled over the stone wall and made their way around the gardens by the northern shore. It was dark there, and the lanterns were still unlit, so it was easier to move unseen. They went this way until they reached the edge of the bath house.
Chihiro moved away from Ryuki and stepped into the faint moonlight. She looked up along the walls of the temple structure, seemingly looking for something. She finally seemed to spot what she was looking for, and pointed straight up and off towards the right, in the direction of the sea.
"That's it," she said. "That's where Rin is."
Ryuki scanned the structure with expert eyes. Then she carefully made her way down the building, noting every foothold and crack in the tiles.
Chihiro looked at her, the determination fading a bit from her eyes. "But how are we going to get up there?"
Ryuki managed to look surprised. "Why, we fly, of course."
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So? Did you people like it? And just so you know, no, I don't have bad grammar, I know that females are often addressed as "Mistress" instead of "Master", but in this case it's a proper way of addressing the spirits who visit the bath house. Anyway, I find Master sounds better. Please review when you're done. I feed off your comments and criticism. It's my fuel ^_^ I know the paragraph lining isn't that good, but I'll fix it.
Ryuki: Literally means "Snowy Spirit". (I don't even know why I chose that name, but I guess it kinda fits …. You'll see what I mean later in the story.)Chapter 2 coming soon!