Chihiro stepped into the dark, cold tunnel. There MUST have been a reason
that she had been brought here. She broke into a run, feeling a heavy chill
run up and down her spine. She stumbled slightly when she stopped and gazed
at the fields of long green grass. It was nearly night, and would not be
long until they started lighting the lamps in the town.
Chihiro began dashing across the field, feeling the wetness on her socks as water slowly began to rise in the river. Chihiro noticed that the lamps were lit, and that black spirits were sliding around the town. She grabbed for the stairs as the water was waist deep, and climbed up them, panting slowly as she stared at the rising river. There was no turning back now, she was sure of it, but that did not bother her. It wasn't as if she had a life back there...
She got up after a few minutes while seeing the ferry, and ran through the town, looking around. The big black blobs that were spirits seemed to not bother her, she only jumped back when one approached her. She looked around for her friends, for any sign of them. She noticed something like a clock tower, dashing towards it. She knew the bridge was supposed to be empty now, because the bathhouse was only just opening. But when she reached the top, she saw spirits crowded everywhere, and frog workers trying to push them back, away from the bridge. What was going on?
She took a deep breath, holding it, and sneaking behind a large black slithering spirit - a shadow spirit. She waited patiently as it crossed the bridge, her having no trouble as it shoved frogs and spirits aside to get through. Once it was across the bridge, she dashed around the corner to find the door, desperately pushing at it to open it without thinking. She rammed it with her shoulder and it burst open, causing her to fall through. She gasped at this, then took sharp intakes of breath. She quickly shoved the door shut, trying to make her breathing silent and quickly skittered away towards the large stairs.
Although she wasn't AS clumsy any more, she still needed to be careful on these large stairs. she noted that her arms ached as she reached down to test each step, as well as her side, which was bruised. She only stumbled once, yet made it down without slamming painfully into a wall. She almost laughed to herself, thinking if her face was imprinted on the wall at the bottom. Of course it wasn't, she thought. She grinned to herself all the way to the boiler room's door, then put on a look of determination and happiness. She yanked the door, opening it, and stepped in.
The loud noises of the boiler room and the distant squeaks of the susuwatari (sp?) ran through her ears, and she suddenly got a warm feeling inside of her. She jogged to the corner and looked around. The suswatari began to squeak uncontrollably, jumping up and down as a thin woman walked in, holding a basket and a bowl. She walked to Kamajii, who was watching her, and handed him the bowl, grabbing one on a platform near her, then walked to where the susuwatari were bouncing around crazily and grinned, bending down. She grabbed some of the sugar stars (or whatever they are) from the basket, throwing to the little soot balls, who each pushed a few away for themselves. She dumped the rest of them when she was finished, and headed for the exit, but something was standing in her way.
Chihiro had wandered out, in front of the door, waiting to be noticed by either Kamajii or Rin. Rin had a mixed expression of confusion and shock as she stared at Chihiro for a moment, then nearly tackled her in a hug, dropping the basket and bowl carelessly, allowing the bowl to shatter. Rin didn't care. She sweeped Chihiro into a tight hug, her face lit up with excitement.
"Oh, Sen, you're back! I- I mean we've missed you so much, you have no idea! Things have been TERRBILE here! Just horrible! Yubaba is acting insane and tripling our work, and just stays up there to herself, we havn't seen Haku in a month or so, and she feeds us less to top it!" She said quickly, Chihiro only catching a few parts to it.
"What? Yubaba is insane and Haku is gone?!" Chihiro said loudly, without realizing it. "What's going on, what happened on the bridge?"
Rin looked down at her, both of their bright expressions changing to worried, sad ones, Rin changing slightly angered. "Yubaba sort of...snapped, not long after you left. Things got hectic. One day, Haku just stopped showing up everywhere. No one knows what happened to him. And Yubaba won't let anyone in her office anymore. It may be partly though because Boh, 'her baby', ran away. Tonight she gave orders not to let anyone in, for she was expecting something..." Rin said thoughtfully.
Chihiro sighed slightly. "Boh ran away?" she asked, noticing that she was asking the obvious.
Rin ignored the question, continuing. "And, Sen, she keeps muttering something about you and payback...or revenge. Watch your back, I think she's got something planned." Rin said, tilting her head slightly in thought to herself, shrugging, and walking out.
After Rin had gone, Chihiro thought this over, then greeted Kamajii and began to talk to him for a while, before there was a bang from outside the door, and a shout.
Chihiro began dashing across the field, feeling the wetness on her socks as water slowly began to rise in the river. Chihiro noticed that the lamps were lit, and that black spirits were sliding around the town. She grabbed for the stairs as the water was waist deep, and climbed up them, panting slowly as she stared at the rising river. There was no turning back now, she was sure of it, but that did not bother her. It wasn't as if she had a life back there...
She got up after a few minutes while seeing the ferry, and ran through the town, looking around. The big black blobs that were spirits seemed to not bother her, she only jumped back when one approached her. She looked around for her friends, for any sign of them. She noticed something like a clock tower, dashing towards it. She knew the bridge was supposed to be empty now, because the bathhouse was only just opening. But when she reached the top, she saw spirits crowded everywhere, and frog workers trying to push them back, away from the bridge. What was going on?
She took a deep breath, holding it, and sneaking behind a large black slithering spirit - a shadow spirit. She waited patiently as it crossed the bridge, her having no trouble as it shoved frogs and spirits aside to get through. Once it was across the bridge, she dashed around the corner to find the door, desperately pushing at it to open it without thinking. She rammed it with her shoulder and it burst open, causing her to fall through. She gasped at this, then took sharp intakes of breath. She quickly shoved the door shut, trying to make her breathing silent and quickly skittered away towards the large stairs.
Although she wasn't AS clumsy any more, she still needed to be careful on these large stairs. she noted that her arms ached as she reached down to test each step, as well as her side, which was bruised. She only stumbled once, yet made it down without slamming painfully into a wall. She almost laughed to herself, thinking if her face was imprinted on the wall at the bottom. Of course it wasn't, she thought. She grinned to herself all the way to the boiler room's door, then put on a look of determination and happiness. She yanked the door, opening it, and stepped in.
The loud noises of the boiler room and the distant squeaks of the susuwatari (sp?) ran through her ears, and she suddenly got a warm feeling inside of her. She jogged to the corner and looked around. The suswatari began to squeak uncontrollably, jumping up and down as a thin woman walked in, holding a basket and a bowl. She walked to Kamajii, who was watching her, and handed him the bowl, grabbing one on a platform near her, then walked to where the susuwatari were bouncing around crazily and grinned, bending down. She grabbed some of the sugar stars (or whatever they are) from the basket, throwing to the little soot balls, who each pushed a few away for themselves. She dumped the rest of them when she was finished, and headed for the exit, but something was standing in her way.
Chihiro had wandered out, in front of the door, waiting to be noticed by either Kamajii or Rin. Rin had a mixed expression of confusion and shock as she stared at Chihiro for a moment, then nearly tackled her in a hug, dropping the basket and bowl carelessly, allowing the bowl to shatter. Rin didn't care. She sweeped Chihiro into a tight hug, her face lit up with excitement.
"Oh, Sen, you're back! I- I mean we've missed you so much, you have no idea! Things have been TERRBILE here! Just horrible! Yubaba is acting insane and tripling our work, and just stays up there to herself, we havn't seen Haku in a month or so, and she feeds us less to top it!" She said quickly, Chihiro only catching a few parts to it.
"What? Yubaba is insane and Haku is gone?!" Chihiro said loudly, without realizing it. "What's going on, what happened on the bridge?"
Rin looked down at her, both of their bright expressions changing to worried, sad ones, Rin changing slightly angered. "Yubaba sort of...snapped, not long after you left. Things got hectic. One day, Haku just stopped showing up everywhere. No one knows what happened to him. And Yubaba won't let anyone in her office anymore. It may be partly though because Boh, 'her baby', ran away. Tonight she gave orders not to let anyone in, for she was expecting something..." Rin said thoughtfully.
Chihiro sighed slightly. "Boh ran away?" she asked, noticing that she was asking the obvious.
Rin ignored the question, continuing. "And, Sen, she keeps muttering something about you and payback...or revenge. Watch your back, I think she's got something planned." Rin said, tilting her head slightly in thought to herself, shrugging, and walking out.
After Rin had gone, Chihiro thought this over, then greeted Kamajii and began to talk to him for a while, before there was a bang from outside the door, and a shout.