Author's Note: Much of this chapter is purely transitional. Some of it was boring to write; I hope it's not boring to read. This is the longest chapter I've written, so I hope that appeals to you all.
Another Note: The song that Lin sings at the end of this chapter is the theme song of Spirited Away: "Itsumo Nano Demo." So if you want to envision it in your head, just think of that song.

Sakura Friendship
Chapter Nine

In the human world, evening descended on a small house in Japan. The house was occupied but silent. Two people sat at a table, on either side of a phone.

"Stay at home," the police chief had told them. "We will call you if we get any news of your daughter."

So they had remained, waiting, by the phone.

It started to ring.

Both Yuko and Akio lunged at it, but Yuko snatched it up first.

"Hello?" she said into the reciever.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Ogino?"

She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. "Yes," she said.

"My name is Mr. Yamashita. I'm Chihiro's teacher."

Yuko quickly motioned for her husband to pick up another phone so he could listen in.

"You... you were there when it happened, weren't you?" she asked tremulously.

"Yes."

"What exactly happened? No one will tell us anything!"

So he told them. They believed him. But it was too late.

Two years passed before they gave up hope of ever seeing their daughter again.

-------------------------------

Chihiro padded softly along the hallways in the upper floors of the bath house. From this vantage point she could see the whole of the bath house laid out before her. Several floors below, all varieties of strange-shaped spirits talked, ate, and bathed in the tubs. But their lively noise barely reached Chihiro's ears. Up here it was quiet. Few spirits wanted a room this high, so close to where the river god lurked. Chihiro found this area peaceful, as long as the ancient dragon didn't show up.

A soft swishing sound and a *thump* behind her made Chihiro turn and look back. It was the river god, curled around a post, staring at her balefully.

"You think there's going to be any funny business up here, huh?" he asked snidely.

"Just patrolling the halls, sir," she said. "As I'm told."

"There's no use for you to be up here," he said. "Get back downstairs."

Like a robot, Chihiro turned to the elevator. As she waited for it, the river god growled briefly, then disappeared upstairs. Chihiro sighed in relief and got into the elevator.

This life actually wasn't all that bad, she thought as she went down a few levels. She had a cruel overseer, of course, and she was a slave... but if she'd had her freedom, this wasn't a bad place to work. She was constantly meeting new and interesting people, learning new things every day, and becoming more skilled at negotiation with the customers. She had lost the desire to go home to the human world, and the only desire left was the one to be free. Her home was here now, after all.

As Chihiro passed over the bridge connecting the north and south wings, movement caught her eyes. Keru was coming out of a side doorway ahead of her. He hadn't seen her.

A twinge in Chihiro's arm made her suddenly shout in alarm, "Keru! What are you doing? I can see you!"

Before either of them could react, Chihiro's arm lifted, and bright red light shot from her fingertips. The spell struck Keru full in the face. He flew into the air and crashed into a wall, head-first. Chihiro quickly ran to him.

"Keru! I'm so sorry! What were you doing?"

The small green frog man sat up stiffly and rubbed his head. "I... uh... I was gonna give this to someone..." He held up a bowl of candied rice.

Chihiro sighed. The spell she had unwillingly cast on him was a subduing spell. It tossed the victim around and made them forget what they had just been doing.

"Sorry, Sen," he croaked. "I thought you were upstairs."

"I was. River-dog made me come back down." She helped him to his feet. "Better get back to work. But not for too much longer; it's almost dawn."

He gave her a brief smile and a bob of the head, then hopped away, a bit disoriented.

Chihiro continued opposite the way he'd gone and frowned. She hated how she could recognize people disobeying the river god. Constantly, she was hurting her friends. Something had to be done, and soon!

Slowly the dark early morning gave way to the pale mists just before sunrise. Guests went to their rooms for the day, and workers filtered out to the barracks where they slept. Chihiro made her way to the top floor. At the doorway to Yubaba's room(she still thought of it that way), she stopped and looked around. The ornate curtains, chiseled wood, and intricate carpet had a calming effect on her. They reminded her of comfortable grandeur that would exist if the river god were not here.

The river god... she could hear him breathing. Chihiro crept over to the door to the nursery and pulled aside the curtains, looking in. The river god had long ago dispensed of the baby toys, but he had kept the numerous cushions and pillows. He was coiled around them now, breathing deeply, asleep. Chihiro watched him. In sleep, he was not yelling, growling, or glaring. He looked peaceful.

"I hate you," Chihiro whispered to him. "I hate you."

"Go to sleep, Sen," he rumbled without moving or opening his eyes. Chihiro stiffened. She hadn't thought he would hear her. But he didn't speak again, and she backed out in Yubaba's room.

A hand lightly touched her shoulder. She turned to see Haku, with a small smile on his face. She smiled softly at him.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Morning," he whispered back. "Did you have a good night?"

"I had to bash Keru," she said mournfully, "but he was okay."

Haku shook his head sadly. "If only we could help them rebel..."

Chihiro nodded and flopped down in a massive chair by the bookshelf. Randomly picking out a book, she looked at the cover without seeing it. "But we can help. At least a little," she whispered.

Haku came over and sat down snugly next to her. Tapping on the book, he asked, "What's this?"

"I dunno." She opened it to the first page. "'Becoming Deity,'" she read. "'How To Transform From A Lowly Spirit Into A Full-Fledged God.' These spirit world books are really strange." She glanced at him with a smile. "So are the people in the spirit world."

Haku grinned and laid an arm around her, pulling her close. "You're becoming one of us," he said.

Chihiro thought on this for a moment. "Is that possible?" she asked.

"Not really," he assented, "but do you think you could fit back into your own world?'

Chihiro shook her head. "Probably not. But do I fit in here?"

"Yes," he said with conviction. "You are greatly loved here."

She looked up into his green eyes, which were intense and warm with affection. Ever so slightly, he leaned in close...

"No-Face," she said suddenly.

"What?" Haku blinked, confused.

Chihiro pointed to the door. No-Face had just entered. He looked over at them and bobbed his head, then continued over to the cold fireplace. Chihiro slid out from under Haku's arm and went over to No-Face.

He glanced at her, then methodically started to pile wood into the fireplace. Chihiro knelt down by him and started to help.

"You doing okay?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said simply.

Together, silently, they built up a good pile of wood to burn. No-Face held out his hand, and small match emerged from his palm. Chihiro took it and struck it on the side of the fireplace. It burst into flame. Quickly she lit the logs on fire before the match crumbled and turned into dust.

Slowly the fire began to warm up the chilly morning air. Haku went over to them.

"Almost time to go, Chihiro," he said.

"Are you sure he still can't come?" she asked, meaning No-Face.

"It's too risky," Haku said patiently.

Chihiro sighed. She knew what it was like to feel helpless, unable to contribute. It must be even worse for No-Face.

Haku started to roll back the heavy rug in front of the fireplace. Beneath it was a large, rectangular hole. It descended deep, deep into the bath house.

"Shall we?" Haku said to Chihiro with a smile, and held out his hand. Chihiro took it and looked at No-Face. She bowed softly to him. Then, as one, Haku and Chihiro jumped.

If Haku hadn't been there, Chihiro would have plunged to her death. But she was holding Haku's hand, and Haku could fly. He led them both through the darkness of the walls, down to where the train delievered coal, and through the high entrance to the boiler room.

Kamaji was already there, of course, as was Lin, Keru, and several more Yuna and Frogs.

"We're here," Chihiro announced as they floated gently to the floor.

"No kidding?" Lin said with a grin as she went over to hug them both. Chihiro smiled at her friend as they found a seat on Kamaji's bedroll.

"Alright, this meeting shall commence!" said Keru loudly from the ledge where Kamaji also sat. "Gosh, I wish I had a gavel. Anyway, I'd like to say that Sen's turned traitor. She bashed me into the wall tonight."

Chihiro turned a faint pink as the others laughed. She knew why they were amused - the 'bashings' used to be a more frequent occurrence, at least until they'd organized these secret meetings. They were Chihiro's idea, but she had been nervous about going until she discovered that she could do whatever the river god hadn't told her specifically not to do. He'd never said anything about secret daytime gatherings to plot against him, so Chihiro had no problem attending them.

There was one problem, though. No-Face had been ordered to swallow anyone he caught trying to hurt the river god. No one was sure that their planning counted as "hurting," and no one wanted to risk it. They were all too frightened of being eaten, so No-Face couldn't join them in the boiler room.

"Anyway," Kamaji said, "All the preparations are almost ready, right? Except for the problem of how to get in. Thw whole upper floor is sealed off from us, isn't it?"

"It'll take a while to find a way to get in," Keru said. "Do you think we could go in if we were invited?"

"Invited by who?" Lin snorted. "I'm sure the river god's just gonna say, 'Why don't you guys come up here to kill me?'"

"Do you have any better ideas, Lin?" the frog shot back.

"I suggest we find a spell that could get us in."

"Oh yeah? Where're we going to find that?"

"Well, whatever we're going to do," Chihiro said, "I want to make it fast."

"Sen, are you getting impatient?" Kamaji asked with a chuckle.

"Yes! I am!" she said in exasperation. "It's been two whole years since I came here. I'm fifteen years old! And nothing has been accomplished."

"Some things take time," Haku said soothingly. "The river god had to prepare his trap for three years. It might take that long to undo it."

Chihiro sighed. "I know... I just think things would go faster if I could help more."

"Hey." Lin plopped down in the cushions next to Chihiro. "You have been a huge help, Sen. None of us would be here if it weren't for you. Just our support would be enough, but you've given a lot more than that. Remember how you found the loophole in his rules so that we could get enough food for us from the kitchens?"

"And you organized these secret meetings." Keru hopped over to them. "You're invaluable, Sen."

She smiled at them warmly. "Thanks, guys."

"Well then," Kamaji said from the boiler seat, "what about the windows?"

The others gave him a blank look, and he laughed. "Yubaba's room. Could we get in through the windows?"

"I don't know," Sen said, and stood up. "Let's try it!"

"Right now?" Keru asked, startled.

"Yeah! Just you and me, Keru! Let's go!"

"Uh..."

"Why just you and Keru?" Lin demanded.

"'Cause I know the perfect way to get there. I snuck into Yubaba's room five years ago through her window. And Keru is smallest, easier for infiltration work." She crawled over to the sliding door and opened it. "C'mon."

"Alright... Everyone, if we're not back by nightfall, we're dead," Keru said cheerfully to the room, then followed Chihiro out.

She led him up through the empty, silent bath house and out of a window. They dropped down onto one of the roofs of the workers' barracks and followed it to the other side. The pipe that Chihiro had broken five years ago was fixed, but she was much bigger now.

"Uh, how do we get across?" Keru asked.

"Last time I ran across on that pipe. I think you can do that."

"Oh, right, but can you?"

"I dunno." Chihiro inched over to the pipe and stepped on it, slowly puttnig her weight on that foot. The pipe creaked, then dented in, dangerously weak. Chihiro jumped back.

"Um, maybe you'll have to go on ahead of me," she said.

"Alright..." Keru said nervously.

"Just go across the pipe and up the ladder. It's not too hard," she assured him.

Keru nodded and hopped defly across the pipe. It shifted slightly but didn't come loose. Chihiro watched him ascend the ladder until she could no longer see what he was doing, then sat down on the edge of the roof and looked out to the sea.

A few minutes later, Keru returned. He hopped over and sat down next to her.

"How did it go?" she asked, looking at him.

"Well, first I couldn't get the window open. But then I undid the lock with my tongue."

Chihiro blinked at this, startled, but didn't think she wanted to know how he'd managed that. Keru continued,

"The barrier was there, though. It stung my nose." He rubbed it tenderly.

Chihiro sighed. "Well, thanks for trying, Keru."

"No problem."

They sat for a few moments in silence, just watching the sea. The sun shone merrily down on the waves, making them sparkle.

"So, are you and Lin getting along yet?" Chihiro asked conversationally.

"Oh, that weasel," Keru said with a familiarity that was almost fondness. "She's the most stubborn, pigheaded spirit I've ever seen. And she's constantly making fun of me." He paused, and his tone grew gentle. "But... I would die for her."

Chihiro laughed, delighted. "Well that's a step in the right direction, I guess. Does she know that you would do that?"

"Nah." Keru shook his head. "It would just make her head swell up even more."

"Either that or it would soften her up." She glanced at him meaningfully. "Too bad that you're a frog and she's a weasel. Otherwise..."

Keru shrugged. "I guess. It doesn't bother me that much. What about you, though? Are you and Haku..." He left it hanging.

Chihiro put on an expression of innocence. "Are me and Haku what?"

"You know, have you..."

"Have we what?"

Keru look up at her, incredulous. "Have you two even kissed yet?"

Chihiro half-smiled. "I'm afraid not."

"What? Why not? What in the world are you waiting for?"

She laughed at his indignant expression. "I don't really know." She grew more serious. "I... I love Haku, and I think he knows that, but whenever we come close to kissing... all I can think about is..."

"Is what?" Keru looked up at her earnestly.

"...No-Face."

"What? That monster??" He stared at her, shocked.

"He's not a monster!" Chihiro said sharply.

"Yes he is! He eats people! He's eaten me twice!"

"I know, but he's not... he's not bad.."

"Yes he is! Why in the world would you care about a pitiless creature like him??"

"He's not pitiless!" Chihiro stared Keru down mercilessly. "He cares! I've seen it in his eyes! He doesn't want to eat anyone!"

"Okay, alright, okay, I believe you." Keru held up his hands in surrender to escape the fire in her eyes. "I... I just don't really understand, but you do whatever you want to, Sen."

Chihiro took a moment to calm down, then sighed in exasperation at herself. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Hey, it's okay." He hopped to his feet. "We should get back before they start to worry."

Chihiro nodded, and they went inside.

As they entered the sliding door to the darkened boiler room, Lin was singing quietly. The atmosphere was heavy and peaceful. Yuna and Frogs were gathered around Lin on cushions, listening to her song. Some were even asleep.

She had a beautiful singing voice. It was soft and soothing. Chihiro and Keru quietly moved over to where Haku lay, trying not to interrupt. Lin kept singing as Chihiro lay down next to Haku, and he silently put an arm around her.

Keru nestled his way into Chihiro's arms and curled up there. Chihiro looked at him. He was watching Lin with a soft expression in his eyes.

"Ikiteiru fushigi shindeiku fushigi
hana mo kaze mo machi mo minnaonaji
yondeiru muneno dokoka okude
itsumo nando demo yumewo egakou."*

Lulled by Lin's voice and content in Haku's embrace, Chihiro slowly fell asleep.

______________________

*(Translation:
Living; strange, dying; strange
Flower, wind, city: they're all the same
Calling out from deep within the heart
I'm always with you, in my dreams.)