Decisions
"But she can leave the bathhouse without consequence. She isn't bound by the laws of this realm!"
Rin scowled, her eyes reflecting the bright fire on the hearth in Yu- baaba's office. Outside, a whirlwind of snow and ice assaulted the glass windows, howling in the night. "No way, Frog-face." She glared at the keeper of the tokens, the old frog who Sen had tricked during her first stay. "We don't even know what's out there. I'm not sending a defenseless child into the wilderness, without a map, without a guide and without a clue as to what she is doing!"
"I beg your pardon, but I am not a defenseless child." A soft voice came from the doorway. "I'm sixteen."
Rin jerked her head around to face Chihiro, who was standing quietly in the shadows. "Sen! That's. that's not what I meant." Her frustration was evident on her ageless face. She swept her long hair back, an act to occupy her nervous hands. "I meant."
"I know what you meant." Chihiro sighed, coming into the light. She nodded slightly at the frog, who bowed stiffly to her. Her hazel eyes traveled to the windows, which were being assaulted by a barrage of snow and wind. "But it's certainly not getting any better out there."
Rin sighed heavily, falling back into Yubaaba's chair. "I know, I know."
Chihiro bit her finger, gazing into the whirling snow. She felt wrong standing in the warmth, knowing that precious minutes were ticking by. She had spent the past few hours thinking and worrying, going without sleep. And she knew that no sleep could be had until she had done something about the problem at hand. She turned to the frog, who was nervously wringing his hat. "Do you have any idea what might have happened to Yu-baaba and Huku?"
"We've sent scouts out of the bathhouse to look for them. We've run out of magic to bend contracts. No one has returned." Rin folded her arms on Yu- baaba's desk, her eyes troubled.
Chihiro brought herself to ask the question that had been tormenting her for hours. "How. how do we know they aren't dead? Can spirits die?" she mused aloud.
Rin hesitated. "Death is different for spirits, Chihiro. It's difficult to explain, but let's just say that there is a point when we cease to exist. But Yu-baaba and Zeniba are still alive; we know that."
'And Haku?' The thought rang through her heart with alarm. "How?"
"If Yu-baaba died, her contracts would fail and we would be free." She said with a tinge of regret. "And she cannot exist without her sister, as much as she would have us believe otherwise. We assume that Boh is with her as well." She bit her lip, referring to Yu-baaba's colossal baby.
Chihiro walked closer to the windows, peering out into the dark, spinning snow. She could barely make out the balcony. Bursts of icy air escaped through the windowpanes, sending tiny shivers up her back. 'I knew I'd have a part in this, but I didn't think it would be alone.' She thought, trepidation filling her mind as she looked out into the blizzard. 'Oh Haku.I'd give anything to have you here right now.'
"I wouldn't think of sending you out there, Sen." Rin began.
"I'll go." The girl turned, her long braid falling over one shoulder. Her mouth was set in a thin line, but Rin could see the fear mounting behind those deep eyes.
"Absolutely not!" the older girl slammed a hand down on the desk, rising to her feet. "It's too dangerous! You have no idea what is out there. You have no magic, no powers, no Sight. You're just a."
"A what, Rin?" Anger flashed in Chihiro's eyes as she studied her friend. "A puny human? A silly child? You've been in these chambers too long, because you're beginning to sound just like Yubaba!! Those are names she used to call me!"
Rin opened her mouth to reply, but Chihiro cut her off. "You're right, I'm not bound by the laws of this realm. I'm the only one who can help Yu-baaba, Zeniba and Haku. You know what's happening; you can see the weather as well as I. The spirits have stopped crossing the river, the magic is seeping out of the bathhouse and you're all going to perish if I don't do something!" she finished, taking a deep breath. "I'm not crazy, Rin. I don't want to go out there, into that mess, "she indicated to the window. "But I have to. I don't have a choice, I'm the only one who can go."
Rin was silent; the only sound was the fire crackling on the hearth. She studied the girl before her, who stood tall against the dark windows. Her eyes belied fear, but also determination. Her fists were clenched tightly, small though they were.
Rin closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them. "Sen. you're right. I'm sorry." Her eyes fell. "I'm just worried about you. You're my friend and I don't want you to be hurt, or worse. I don't think you are weak; of all the workers I've been paired with, you were the most determined, even if you were not the strongest. I have faith in you, Sen, but I don't know what's out there. No one does."
Chihiro's fists unclenched and she felt regret at yelling at her friend. "Rin." she sighed. "You brought me here for a reason. You can't deny that."
"I know. I know I did." The older girl whispered, suddenly enveloping Chihiro in a giant bear hug. "I just wish there was some other way."
Chihiro returned the hug, thinking of all the times she had thought those exact same words. "No one does, Rin. But I can't stay here, doing nothing, when I know that my friends are in trouble."
* * *
As the blustery night grew to a close, Chihiro sat in her old spot on the balcony, staring out over the Spirit World. The edge of dawn showed on the horizon, touching on memories from Chihiro's last visit. It seemed like a million years ago that she had sat on this balcony, watching the sunrise after a long night of work. She shivered in the cold wind, looking across the frosty land. The storm had ceased, but dark, threatening clouds still loomed on the horizon.
"Hey. I swiped you a dumpling."
Chihiro looked up at surprise to see Rin holding out a fat, warm dumpling. She was grinning. "Wow, that brings back memories." Chihiro returned her smile and reached out to take the dumpling.
Rin sat down next to her, her long black hair resting behind her like a curtain. The older girl watched Chihiro with serious eyes. "So how are things, Sen?"
The teenager smiled wanly. "Rin, you can call me by my real name. It's Chihiro." Those words seemed to echo flatly over the wind-swept ice plains, reminding her of warmer, happier times.
Rin gazed out across the plains. "I know, they told me after you left. I can't help but call you Sen; it's habit. You don't mind?"
Chihiro shook her head, watching as tendrils of sunlight began to peek over the snowy land. "I'm worried about Haku, Rin. And Zeniba. Heck, I'm even worried about Yu-baaba."
"I meant with you. How are things? You've grown up so fast."
Chihiro blinked and turned to her friend. She thought back to the empty, dark house in her dark, unfriendly town, where her father stared, expressionless, at the television set. She thought of drab white roses, the kind that had covered her mother's casket, and how she still didn't understand so many things about life, about death, and everything in between. But from all these thoughts came the muted reply, "Oh. I don't know, they're okay." Her eyes fell to the wood of the balcony and she slowly traced it with her finger.
Rin studied her. "You seem different, Sen." She shrugged and looked away. "Then again, we're all different. We've had to change, and not for the best either. I'm worried about things too. The weather is getting worse, almost as if it reflects what is happening in the bathhouse."
Chihiro sighed and reached up to pull the hair tie from her long braid. She stared at it, thinking. Where are you, Granny? I've got to find you.
Long fingers raking through her hair interrupted her thoughts. "Wow, Sen, look at your hair!"
Rin was gushing behind her, unraveling Chihiro's braid. "It's grown so long! You should leave it down." Chihiro smiled and watched as a flock of birds rose from the wintry plain like a cloud of white smoke.
"But she can leave the bathhouse without consequence. She isn't bound by the laws of this realm!"
Rin scowled, her eyes reflecting the bright fire on the hearth in Yu- baaba's office. Outside, a whirlwind of snow and ice assaulted the glass windows, howling in the night. "No way, Frog-face." She glared at the keeper of the tokens, the old frog who Sen had tricked during her first stay. "We don't even know what's out there. I'm not sending a defenseless child into the wilderness, without a map, without a guide and without a clue as to what she is doing!"
"I beg your pardon, but I am not a defenseless child." A soft voice came from the doorway. "I'm sixteen."
Rin jerked her head around to face Chihiro, who was standing quietly in the shadows. "Sen! That's. that's not what I meant." Her frustration was evident on her ageless face. She swept her long hair back, an act to occupy her nervous hands. "I meant."
"I know what you meant." Chihiro sighed, coming into the light. She nodded slightly at the frog, who bowed stiffly to her. Her hazel eyes traveled to the windows, which were being assaulted by a barrage of snow and wind. "But it's certainly not getting any better out there."
Rin sighed heavily, falling back into Yubaaba's chair. "I know, I know."
Chihiro bit her finger, gazing into the whirling snow. She felt wrong standing in the warmth, knowing that precious minutes were ticking by. She had spent the past few hours thinking and worrying, going without sleep. And she knew that no sleep could be had until she had done something about the problem at hand. She turned to the frog, who was nervously wringing his hat. "Do you have any idea what might have happened to Yu-baaba and Huku?"
"We've sent scouts out of the bathhouse to look for them. We've run out of magic to bend contracts. No one has returned." Rin folded her arms on Yu- baaba's desk, her eyes troubled.
Chihiro brought herself to ask the question that had been tormenting her for hours. "How. how do we know they aren't dead? Can spirits die?" she mused aloud.
Rin hesitated. "Death is different for spirits, Chihiro. It's difficult to explain, but let's just say that there is a point when we cease to exist. But Yu-baaba and Zeniba are still alive; we know that."
'And Haku?' The thought rang through her heart with alarm. "How?"
"If Yu-baaba died, her contracts would fail and we would be free." She said with a tinge of regret. "And she cannot exist without her sister, as much as she would have us believe otherwise. We assume that Boh is with her as well." She bit her lip, referring to Yu-baaba's colossal baby.
Chihiro walked closer to the windows, peering out into the dark, spinning snow. She could barely make out the balcony. Bursts of icy air escaped through the windowpanes, sending tiny shivers up her back. 'I knew I'd have a part in this, but I didn't think it would be alone.' She thought, trepidation filling her mind as she looked out into the blizzard. 'Oh Haku.I'd give anything to have you here right now.'
"I wouldn't think of sending you out there, Sen." Rin began.
"I'll go." The girl turned, her long braid falling over one shoulder. Her mouth was set in a thin line, but Rin could see the fear mounting behind those deep eyes.
"Absolutely not!" the older girl slammed a hand down on the desk, rising to her feet. "It's too dangerous! You have no idea what is out there. You have no magic, no powers, no Sight. You're just a."
"A what, Rin?" Anger flashed in Chihiro's eyes as she studied her friend. "A puny human? A silly child? You've been in these chambers too long, because you're beginning to sound just like Yubaba!! Those are names she used to call me!"
Rin opened her mouth to reply, but Chihiro cut her off. "You're right, I'm not bound by the laws of this realm. I'm the only one who can help Yu-baaba, Zeniba and Haku. You know what's happening; you can see the weather as well as I. The spirits have stopped crossing the river, the magic is seeping out of the bathhouse and you're all going to perish if I don't do something!" she finished, taking a deep breath. "I'm not crazy, Rin. I don't want to go out there, into that mess, "she indicated to the window. "But I have to. I don't have a choice, I'm the only one who can go."
Rin was silent; the only sound was the fire crackling on the hearth. She studied the girl before her, who stood tall against the dark windows. Her eyes belied fear, but also determination. Her fists were clenched tightly, small though they were.
Rin closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them. "Sen. you're right. I'm sorry." Her eyes fell. "I'm just worried about you. You're my friend and I don't want you to be hurt, or worse. I don't think you are weak; of all the workers I've been paired with, you were the most determined, even if you were not the strongest. I have faith in you, Sen, but I don't know what's out there. No one does."
Chihiro's fists unclenched and she felt regret at yelling at her friend. "Rin." she sighed. "You brought me here for a reason. You can't deny that."
"I know. I know I did." The older girl whispered, suddenly enveloping Chihiro in a giant bear hug. "I just wish there was some other way."
Chihiro returned the hug, thinking of all the times she had thought those exact same words. "No one does, Rin. But I can't stay here, doing nothing, when I know that my friends are in trouble."
* * *
As the blustery night grew to a close, Chihiro sat in her old spot on the balcony, staring out over the Spirit World. The edge of dawn showed on the horizon, touching on memories from Chihiro's last visit. It seemed like a million years ago that she had sat on this balcony, watching the sunrise after a long night of work. She shivered in the cold wind, looking across the frosty land. The storm had ceased, but dark, threatening clouds still loomed on the horizon.
"Hey. I swiped you a dumpling."
Chihiro looked up at surprise to see Rin holding out a fat, warm dumpling. She was grinning. "Wow, that brings back memories." Chihiro returned her smile and reached out to take the dumpling.
Rin sat down next to her, her long black hair resting behind her like a curtain. The older girl watched Chihiro with serious eyes. "So how are things, Sen?"
The teenager smiled wanly. "Rin, you can call me by my real name. It's Chihiro." Those words seemed to echo flatly over the wind-swept ice plains, reminding her of warmer, happier times.
Rin gazed out across the plains. "I know, they told me after you left. I can't help but call you Sen; it's habit. You don't mind?"
Chihiro shook her head, watching as tendrils of sunlight began to peek over the snowy land. "I'm worried about Haku, Rin. And Zeniba. Heck, I'm even worried about Yu-baaba."
"I meant with you. How are things? You've grown up so fast."
Chihiro blinked and turned to her friend. She thought back to the empty, dark house in her dark, unfriendly town, where her father stared, expressionless, at the television set. She thought of drab white roses, the kind that had covered her mother's casket, and how she still didn't understand so many things about life, about death, and everything in between. But from all these thoughts came the muted reply, "Oh. I don't know, they're okay." Her eyes fell to the wood of the balcony and she slowly traced it with her finger.
Rin studied her. "You seem different, Sen." She shrugged and looked away. "Then again, we're all different. We've had to change, and not for the best either. I'm worried about things too. The weather is getting worse, almost as if it reflects what is happening in the bathhouse."
Chihiro sighed and reached up to pull the hair tie from her long braid. She stared at it, thinking. Where are you, Granny? I've got to find you.
Long fingers raking through her hair interrupted her thoughts. "Wow, Sen, look at your hair!"
Rin was gushing behind her, unraveling Chihiro's braid. "It's grown so long! You should leave it down." Chihiro smiled and watched as a flock of birds rose from the wintry plain like a cloud of white smoke.
