"Maps! And supplies! And warm clothes!"

The bathhouse was churning with busy servants, all preparing items for Chihiro's journey. The servant girls were rushing about, gathering the warmest bits of clothing for the teeanger. "No no, way too big."

"No, she's taller than you, buffoon!"

"Any warm boots?"

"I've got some!"

Chihiro stood in the main hall, surrounded by several frogs and Rin. A large table had been brought up and maps had been laid out upon it.

"I had no idea the Spirit Realm was this big!" Chihiro bit back a gulp of surprise as she looked over the large pieces of parchment, faintly colored to denote water and land masses. "Where are we?"

The frog pointed to a small dot towards the top of one of the maps. "That's us. You'll see the train tracks, heading south. When Yu-baaba left, she flew off to the east." Chihiro studied the map. On the eastern part of map where the frog worker pointed, the land came to a halting end. A great ocean, larger than the one that had appeared after the long days and nights of rain during her previous visit, spanned beyond the limits of the parchment.

"She flew to the ocean?"

The frog shrugged. "We don't know. I can't see any reason for her to go to the sea."

"What are these?" Chihiro pointed to a series of marks on the land near the ocean.

"Those are the Cliffs of Lost Souls. No one here has ever seen them, but there is rumor that they are littered with the graves of spirits whose shrines have been destroyed." Chihiro shivered, staring at the map, thinking back to the small stone houses that lay, forgotten, on the side of the road that lead to the amusement park.

On the other side of the hall, Rin was supervising the preparation of Chihiro's rations. She frowned, well aware that if the weather didn't turn soon, they would all be running out of food in the Bathhouse.

"Rin." A voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned, "Oh, Kamajii. I was hoping you would come up."

Kamajii pulled Rin aside with one of his long, spidery arms. "What have you told her?" he spoke quietly, his bespectacled eyes intent upon her.

"I've told her everything." The young woman leaned against the wooden wall, her arms crossed, eyes never quite meeting his.

"Everything?" he pressed.

"Oh Kamajii, leave it. I've told her what she needs to know. She's going, isn't she?" Rin's voice held a degree of cautious hope. "We have a chance."

"But at what cost? Surely you should tell her what Haku told you."

Rin stabbed furiously at Kamajii with a finger. "Leave it, Kamajii. I'm warning you, leave it alone." Her eyes glinted with unspoken warning. "Or do you want to be the one to tell her, to break her heart like that?"

"I only think it might be wise." he mumbled, turning away.

"It might not be true, anyway." Rin offered lamely.

* * *

Chihiro watched silently as the workers gathered her supplies together, racing around the kitchen and storerooms for items to stuff into the small pack.

"Is that my granddaughter?" A kind voice caused her to turn.

"Kamajii!" in all the haste and concern, she had forgotten about the old boiler man. Guilt edging into her consciousness, Chihiro wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you. Things happened so quickly."

Kamajii nodded. "No need for apologies, Chihiro. I understand." He glanced at Rin, who turned quickly and busied herself with a package of rice balls. ""They seem to have things under control here. Why don't you come down to the boiler room? I have something to give you." The teenager was glad to oblige, leaving the shouting and arguing behind her to descend into the depths of the bathhouse with the old boiler man.

The tiny soot balls chirped with joy upon seeing her duck through the small servants' entry to the boiler room. They rushed towards her and she sat on the edge of the wooden platform, delighted to feel the soft tickling of the soot balls against her bare feet. As she looked around, she saw that the great copper boilers, usually hissing and glowing with heat, were cold and unused. No steam roared from the furnaces. The room was dark and cold.

"They've missed you." Kamajii remarked with a smile, settling into his seat.

Chihiro grinned. "I've missed everyone, Kamajii. It's nice to be back. even though things are so different." Her smile faded and her eyes grew distant as she thought of the journey ahead of her. "Oh Kamajii, I'm so worried." She looked up at him, her eyes brave but lip trembling. The boiler man sighed deeply. "I don't like this plan one bit, Chihiro. I must admit."

Chihiro stood, facing Kamajii. "There's no other way." She spoke quietly, but firmly. "You know there isn't."

He studied her quietly. "You've really grown up. Haku. he would have been so happy to see you."

Chihiro's stomach flipped. 'They talk about him as if he is dead.' she cut herself off from pursuing that thought any further. "I wish he was here." She admitted, twirling her long braid with her hand thoughtfully. "He would know what to do."

"He missed you very much, Chihiro. He was a different person after you gave him his name back. Much more enjoyable to be around." The boiler man smiled. "Now about the items I have for you." Kamaji reached his long arm over to a drawer on the top of the shelves. He fumbled around inside for a moment, his dark glasses masking the look on his face. Finally, he produced a pair of bracelets, which shone brightly in the fire of the boilers.

Chihiro took a step closer, the soot balls crowding around her feet, murmuring softly. The bracelets looked small in Kamaji's great hand, but they glinted dangerously. They were covered in strange symbols, which glowed with the deep red of many tiny rubies. A gasp escaped Chihiro's mouth as she looked at them, her eyes filled with wonder.

"Oh Kamaji..they're beautiful." She breathed.

"Beautiful, but dangerous." Kamaji's hand closed over them briefly and his dark glasses reflected the dim light of the lamp. "It's funny, I can't remember how I came to hold them. They've been in that top drawer for ages now, left here by the previous occupant."

Chihiro's mind whirled. 'Previous occupant? How long ago was that?'

"They hold a power, my child. The story goes: there was once a young sorceress, very powerful, who lived in the Spirit Realm. She created the bracelets in order to give her great powers. She used these powers for good and for evil, until finally one outweighed the other."

Chihiro felt as though she were doing a word puzzle in school. She knew what Kamaji was saying, yet couldn't quite grasp the whole idea. "Will these help me to find Yubaaba?" she asked, hope filling her voice.

"They may." Kamaji looked away. "And they may not. I am afraid, more afraid than I have been in a long time, Chihiro. I cannot see the future and by giving you these bracelets, I fear that I may upset what has already become unbalanced."

"Kamaji, I must find Yubaba. I must free Zeniba and save Haku." her eyes fell to the dirt floor, where the sootballs were whispering in sympathy. "There is no one else to do this. I am willing to take the consequence of the bracelets, but if there is a chance, even the slightest of chances that the bracelets will help, then I am willing to take it."

She held out her hands, her dark eyes steady upon Kamaji's glasses. He faltered, the bracelets clinking with excitement in his hand, and then reached out and put them into her open palms.

As they fell into her hand, she felt their weight against her skin. Her mouth set in a determined line, she clipped them around her wrists, first one and then the other. As the gold bands encircled her arms, she felt a strange rush of warmth bathe her from head to toe. And as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone; and she was standing in the cold, silent boiler room with Kamajii.

"Thank you, Kamajii." She gave her 'grandfather' a tight hug.

"Don't thank me." He shook his head, his voice gravelly with emotion. "But promise me that you will be careful, little Chihiro."

"I promise."

* * *

When she returned to the main hall, she found the Bathhouse workers silently gathered around the table where the map was. Her bag was packed, a warm winter coat draped over it, and the map rolled and placed in a water- tight pouch.

Chihiro took a deep breath as she approached the waiting frogs and workers. She bit her lip, her heart thumping in her chest. 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' She thought, her hands brushing over the warm coat and the pack. 'I must be insane.'

"Everything is ready, Sen." Rin hesitated, her eyes strangely bright. "You can leave tomorrow. or the next day if you want."

Chihiro looked at the hopeful faces around her, faces that were already growing gaunt from the food rationing and the long, cold nights. "No." she shook her head lightly. "I'll go now. Thank you everyone." She bowed to them and they returned her bow.

Rin looked surprised. "Now? But."

Chihiro smiled weakly as she pulled the big coat on, surprised at its weight. She shouldered the pack and took a deep breath. "The sooner I leave, the sooner l'll find Haku and Granny and Yu-baaba."

They silently escorted her to the bottom of the Bathhouse, where Kamajii and the soot-balls joined her. Rin opened a door adjacent to Kamajii's boiler room to reveal a set of stairs which lead to outside, into the snow. As she stepped out of the door, her boots crunched in the sparkling snow. The sun had made a rare appearance, turning the Spirit World a brilliant white.

She turned to Rin, Kamajii and the workers, a brave smile on her lips. "Don't worry, everyone. I'll be back before you can say 'bath token'!"

She quickly hugged Kamajii once more, trying to ignore the glistening tear she saw slip past the dark spectacles. Turning to Rin, she hugged her old partner and good friend once more.

Rin's voice hitched as she whispered, "You'd better come back, you little clutz."

Chihiro adjusted the straps on her knapsack and started out across the snowy, white plains towards the train tracks, heading East. The frog- workers had given her an old compass, which she held tightly inside her coat pocket. As she reached the ice-covered train tracks, she turned to look back at the Bathhouse once more. Her friends were still there, silent and watching, and she waved one last time.

She was their last hope. And as she slipped across the icy tracks, a cruel wind freezing her ears, she had never felt quite so lonely in all her life.