Soft sunlight filtered through the morning air, slowly evaporating the softly damp dew. Birds twittered in the treetops, their songs unearthly unusual. Chihiro stirred on the cloak and moaned softly before settling back down.

Onikisu watched her intensely as he resettled his silk over-shirt on top of her. This was the girl Yubaba was so worried about? This slip of a human? He shrugged and studied her face. Though she looked almost nothing like the image the witch of the bathhouse had placed in his mind, there were some grudging similarities: the eye color, for example, and attitude. However, this girls hair was considerably lighter, a few shades redder. Her face was thinner and more elegant. Taller by at least five inches and more filled in the body, this Chihiro was almost beyond semblance of the ten-year-old who wandered into the Other World five years ago.

He shrugged, not one to question Yubaba's orders. This girl would lead him to Haku, and then he could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Or—two dragons.

Lips curled into a feral smile, he leered at the sleeping girl as the star-shaped mark on his forehead burned a dark, angry black.

"So where are you from?"

Chihiro ran forwards a few paces to catch up with her friend. "Onikisu, did you hear me?"

He started for a moment, then smiled distractedly at her. "Hmm? Sorry, what did you say? My mind ran away with me for a moment."

She smiled at him gently. "I asked where you were from."

Turning to face the distant horizon, Onikisu stopped walking for a moment to gaze into the pearly clouds. Something was coming—a storm, perhaps—but what exactly he was not yet sure. After a moment he said, "Far away from here. Where I come from there are no flat plains like these." He swept his arm out in an explanatory motion.

Slowly Chihiro turned and looked around her. Flat plains? "Um, Onikisu, this is a forest."

"I see that. But the land is flat."

"Yours isn't?"

Once again he began walking, clarifying his statement at the same time. "No, not really. At one level, it is, but not where I come from. See, my land is made mostly of… how would you say it? Very high hills. High pointy hills." At her blank look, he added, "Bearded high pointy hills."

A puzzled look crossed her face. "Mountains?"

"Ye-es," he said hesitantly, "but at the same time, not really. It is similar in appearance, but the inside is mostly hollow."

"A volcano?"

"No… not exactly." He smiled a bit at her. "See, the land is like one of your mountains, but the things on it are so different, Chihiro. Our fauna and flora are so dissimilar, it's like they come from two different universes, not merely worlds. Out animals, for example—"

"Wait a moment, Onikisu. Different worlds? Where are we? We can't be in the Spirit World?" Chihiro had stopped walking at his mention of opposing worlds. "No… We can't be. I didn't see the gate or the bridge or the bathhouse…"

Onikisu was shaking his head, tsking softly under his breath. "Chihiro, little one, does a building not have more than one entrance?"

"Yes, but a building has doors, something visible—"

He shook his head again at her naiveté. "No, osanago, that's not what I mean. What is a door, in literal sense? It is nothing more or less than a portal." His tone was soft, gentle, and patient, as if he were instructing a child. "Now, a portal may be anything, though most people think only of solid, material things. The bridge to the bathhouse is a portal to the Other World." He nodded. "But also is this wood, this river." His hand swept around again lightly. "All of this is a portal—a door, if you will."

Blinking, Chihiro looked around her. All at once she noticed the subtle changes in the woods: the leaves were turning a more bluish tint than green; the water in the river was more turquoise when viewed from the side, but still crystal clear when reflected upon from above; the clouds above seemed more solid; the birdsong became more supernatural; a rolling mist began to take form around their feet, swirling with their motions. With a shuddering sigh she closed her eyes and began walking again.

"Where are you going, Chihiro?"

"I don't know, Onikisu. I don't know where I am."

"Well, that's easy." He walked up after her, slowly closing the distance between them with his longer stride, until they were side by side. "We're on the opposite side of the Spirit World of the bathhouse you are so familiar with."

"You mean we're nowhere near Yubaba or Zeniba?"

"Nowhere even close." He shook his head and gently took her hand. "You're safe with me, Chihiro. Trust me."

She smiled a bit at him and answered very softly, "I do."

"Good."

It was some hours later when they decided to stop and make camp. The foggy mist had risen up to their knees, chilling their feet to ice. While Onikisu went out and foraged for supplies, Chihiro searched about for suitable bedding areas. On a stroke of luck she found the caves. They were set up about five feet from the ground, dry, and covered with soft, thick moss. She had to jump and cling to the edge of the ridge to haul herself up, her chin barely coming up to the floor of the caves. Inside she sat back and wrapped herself in Onikisu's cloak to ward off the chill and wait for his return.

"Chihiro? Chihiro, where are you?"

"Up here, Onikisu." Crawling over to the edge of the caves was easier said than done with numb hands and legs, but Chihiro managed. "It's dry and semi-warm. We'll be out of the fog, at least."

He handed up the food he'd gathered. While she moved it further inside, he hoisted himself up beside her and sprawled out on the moss. Plucking up an edible fruit that looked somewhat like a cherry, he closed his eyes and relaxed.

Chihiro sat with her back propped against the wall of the caves. "Onikisu?"

"Hmm?" He spit the pip of the fruit out of the cave and turned towards her without opening his eyes. "What is it, Chihiro?"

"Will you tell me of your homeland? You said it was so different…"

"It is." Sighing he tried to think of the words to explain things to her. "What would you like me to describe?"

She was quiet for a moment. He was about to open his eyes and ask if she was all right when she said softly, "The animals. You said they were different."

A small smile played across his lips. "Oh, Chihiro, the animals are so wonderful. There are birds with bodies and wings of fire and ice. Their songs are so beautiful they've been known to lull many a traveler to sleep. That person usually ends up as food for the babes. Cats are made of shadows, literally. Sleek and translucent smoky gray with bright green and amber eyes. They, however, are unusually gentle, especially with young children and babies. Lizards that breathe fire lurk around in fields."

"Dragons?"

"No, not quite. These lizards are tiny and usually bright colors. They burrow deep into the hyouden—snow, only alive—and live deep into the hollow mountains."

"What else?"

"Hmm… what else?" His eyes opened to slits, eager to see her reaction to this next bit of news. "Unicorns."

The girl blinked hard and stared at her companion. "Unicorns? Really?"

He nodded. "Chihiro, they're such beautiful creatures, unicorns. Most are powder white, but some are pastel blue, pink, and violet tinged. Why, I once ran across one that was a pure snowy white with a deep sapphire blue and silver tail and mane. Its horn was a lovely washed-out golden color." Her friend nodded again. "Indeed I did."

Chihiro sighed dreamily, her eyes adopting their customary glazed look that told everyone that her mind was wandering. "I wish I could see a unicorn…"

"Do you?" Onikisu rolled up onto his elbows and smiled at her, eyes wide open. "I could take you to my homeland some day. You could see a unicorn."

"Really?" Her smile was radiant, filling him with warmth. "You'd do that for me?"

Once more he nodded and she laughed with delight. "Thank you, Onikisu! I've always wanted to see a unicorn."

"And so you shall, little one." He smiled gently at her. "Now. Eat your supper and go to sleep."

Something was wrong… He could feel it in his bones. He needed to hurry… But he was tired, so tired… No, he couldn't rest now. If he didn't keep going, something horrible was going to happen to her… He couldn't let that happen now, not after all that had happened. But he was so tired…