Spirited Away: Another Day in Paradise
A Fanfic by Viral Inque
Authors Note: My first Spirited Away fic. Well, one of my first in general. Any feedback, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated. More chapters coming soon. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2: The Thick Of It

Rin had no desire to walk another step, so they sat in the tall, soft grass, waiting for nightfall and the boat that would transport them comfortably to the other side to arrive. Rin picked at blades of grass, tossing them into the air indifferently, watching them flutter along the breeze. Chihiro wondered what the inside of the boat might be like. If it was anything like the train she had taken a year ago, it would be something to marvel at.

"Tell me about everything that's been going on," Chihiro said as she absentmindedly pulled out her ponytail and tied it back using the ribbon she had gotten from Zeniiba. She looked at it curiously and wondered if she had noticed she had been using it all along.

"Jeez, will you relax," Rin said, rolling her eyes, "You'll be able to see everyone soon enough." She looked over at Chihiro, who was fussing with her hair again without realizing it and tapping her feet nervously, a pleading look on her face. "Oh, fine," she finally said.

Rin told Chihiro everything she could think of that would interest her as they watch the sun slowly make it way to the horizon. Like how a couple of months ago an actual Stink Spirit had come to the bathhouse and they had spent two weeks trying to get rid of the awful stench that it left behind. No-face had come by to visit recently too, roaming the grounds waiting for someone to let him in, or more likely waiting to see Chihiro. He had cause a panic throughout the entire bathhouse until Yu-Baaba had made him leave. Haku spent more time inside the bathhouse these days, no longer going off on long missions for Yu-Baaba. Rin pointed out that he was considerably more pleasant on an everyday basis too.

Chihiro enjoyed hearing all the stories and got even more excited at the thought of seeing her friends, if that was at all possible. She could barely contain herself as the first night stars started to appear in the darkening sky and the last rays of sunlight slowly faded. The ground started to swell, and puddles starting forming in little valleys. As they sat watching, the field filled with water as if it were seeping out from beneath the ground. Higher and higher it rose, until there was a river where the field had been, the water reaching to just in front of them.

"Isn't that neat?" Rin mused.

"Yeah," Chihiro replied, dumbfounded.

To their right, as mysteriously as the river had appeared, the enormous paddleboat of the spirits rose out of the water. The boat created small waves as it came up that crashed into Chihiro and Rin's feet. A plank dropped from the boat onto the grass. As Chihiro and Rin made their way to it, spirits of every shape and size started materializing out of the darkness, making their way onto the boat.

As they walked along the deck of the boat, Chihiro noticed that it was primarily comprised of large rooms lined with row after row of seats. There was one central room on each level, which was both the biggest room, as well as being the area where most of the spirits were migrating. Venders offered trays heaped with rich smelling foods to the spirits as they passed by. As the spirits sat down, women from the bathhouse offer them pillows and blankets.

Rin pointed to two empty seats in a corner and they sat down. They watched patiently as the bustle of spirits boarding the boat continued for several more minutes. Finally, with a jerk, the boat started across the river.

Chihiro could feel all the spirits around her staring at her intently. Occasionally, a bathhouse girl would walk by and give them a dirty look for being able to relax while they had to bust their asses working. Rin had a few choice words for a few of them. Chihiro felt the color rush to her face, and felling suddenly uncomfortable with all the eyes fixed upon her, occupied herself with examining her sneakers.

In no time at all, it seemed, the boat came to a stop on the other end of the river, rocking deeply as it ran aground. Chihiro and Rin disembarked much the same way as they had gotten on, following the throngs of lively characters onto solid ground.

"How about something to eat?" Rin asked, stopping to stretch when they were out of the way of traffic.

"Okay," Chihiro answered, and they made there way into town.

Chihiro's senses went into overload as they got to the many food shops of the town. The smells of all the different foods were incredibly overpowering, as well as enticing. A collective roar flowed through the air, full of pleasant conversation and the clanging of cutlery, plates, and glasses being used. Chihiro cringed as they walked pass the booth where her parents had been turned into pigs a year ago.

They kept on walking until they came to a lonely booth that was adorned with fish heads hanging from the ceiling. The smell of the place reflected the decor. Not surprisingly, there were very few spirits lingering around the booth. An old frog with a long gray beard stood behind the counter, waving a fan across his face. He looked at Chihiro and Rin suspiciously as they approached the booth.

"Hmm, Rin, what brings you here?" the old frog mumbled.

"Shimo, you crazy old coot," Rin said abrasively, but in a conversational tone, "When the hell are you getting rid of all this damn fish. It reeks for half a mile in any direction."

"I'll get rid of them on your wedding day," Shimo replied dryly, letting out a raspy chuckle, "You bitter, loveless, harpie."

"It's good to see you, old man. I don't get to come down this way too much anymore," Rin said, sitting down on the stool nearest to her. Chihiro shrugged and took a seat next to her.

"Good to see you too, Rin. Don't get too much company. Maybe its time to get rid of all these goddamn fish heads," Shimo replied, and let out another sickly laugh, that sounded more like a cough, at his own cleverness. Shimo looked at Chihiro as if he had just noticed she was sitting there and gestured at her with his head.

"Who's that?" he asked Rin.

"Oh, sorry. This is Chihiro," she replied, patting Chihiro on the back, "You've heard of her. She used to be Sen, but she got her freedom and went home. Chihiro, this is Shimo, a useless old man if you'll ever see one."

Chihiro waved timidly and tired not to laugh, not sure if Rin's introduction was supposed to be a joke.

"Useless," Shimo croaked, sounding very much like a frog, "And I'm to assume you expect a handout after that kind of reception."

"If you don't mind," Rin answered with a smile.

"Hold on," Shimo said, and walked gingerly towards the back of the booth and disappeared behind a burgundy colored curtain.

"Shimo's okay," Rin said, leaning in close to Chihiro, "If you ever need anything, especially food, he'll help you out. Just don't get into a conversation about fishing, or you'll be here for days hearing him go on and on."

Chihiro stifled a laugh as Shimo reemerged from behind the curtain, holding two bundles wrapped in napkins.

"I put in a little extra for you," he said with a wink as he handed Chihiro one of the bundles, which was steaming hot, "On account of the fact you helped Haku remember his name, and took some of the wind out of Yu- Baaba's sails."

"Thanks," Chihiro said, and bowed politely.

"Yeah, thanks, Shimo, as always," Rin said, putting her nose to her bundle and sniffing it hungrily.

"Sure, sure," he said, waving their thanks away, "Now get out of here before someone sees you.

"Come on," Rin said, grabbing Chihiro by the arm. They ducked behind the booth, went down a steep dirt path and came to a field of wheat. Rin led them into the rows of towering plants, and stopped as soon as they were safely out of sight.

"Yu-Baaba would, of course, kill us if she caught us eating the food of the spirits," Rin whispered, and Chihiro's heart started racing, "But we should be alright here. We just got to keep moving. If we get back too late, Yu-Baaba will assume we were up to something."

So they walked slowly towards the bathhouse and ate their food under the cover of the tall wheat plants. Chihiro couldn't have begun to explain how delicious the food was if she had wanted to. Every bite sent a rush of flavor into her mouth, making her tongue tingle. She was halfway through eating a piece of shrimp as big as her fist when she began choking.

Rin ran back to her and pounded on her back until she started breathing again in long spasms. "What happened?" she cried.

"This is the food of the spirits," Chihiro cried, her whole body shaking, "Aren't we going to turn into pigs?"

"Don't you think I would have thought of that already," Rin whined, annoyed, "It's fine. Trust me. There are ways around that kind of thing if you know to look. Let's go." As they began moving again, Rin looked over her shoulder, smiling wide, "It's good, isn't it?"

"Delicious," Chihiro said, through a mouthful of shrimp.

They continued down the field, the bathhouse looming closer. Chihiro tried to eat as fast as she could, getting more and more nervous the closer they got to the bathhouse. She found a roasted newt mixed in with her food. She didn't want it, but since it was a widely sought after delicacy in this world, she had the presence of mind to wrap it in a napkin and put it in her pocket. When they reached the end of the field they stopped and shoveled whatever food they had left down their throats. Chihiro took a couple of meat buns and some rolls, wrapped them neatly into napkins, and stuffed them as inconspicuously as possible into her pockets for later.

When they were clear to move out of the shadow of the field, they crossed another field till they reached an embankment that led onto a walkway, and soon they were facing the bridge to the bathhouse. Swarms of spirits pressed along the bridge, to the other side where hundreds of bathhouse workers could be seen waiting to greet them. Instinctively, Chihiro took a deep breath and held it as they reached the foot of the bridge.

"Stop that," Rin scolded, "You're a guest now, sort of. No need to try to hide."

About halfway across the bridge, a pathway cleared so that Chihiro caught a glimpse of Haku waiting on the other side. She thought that if she didn't get across the bridge to him soon, she'd just burst. Soon enough, they were close enough that she could see him smiling at her every time the crowd parted long enough for their eyes to meet. As soon as she had a direct line to him, she covered the last of the distance at a sprint and embraced Haku, nearly knocking them both over.

"Haku, I missed you so much," Chihiro whispered, hugging Haku so hard her arms started to hurt from the effort.

"And I, you," Haku replied. After a moment, he pulled her away, a more somber look on his face, "We'll have time to catch up later, but Yu- Baaba asked that you go to see her as soon as you arrive."

"Oh no," Rin yelled from behind them, walking up to Haku and pointing an accusing finger at his face, "You make sure Yu-Baaba doesn't harass Chihiro while she's here."

"Don't worry, Rin," Haku said, putting up a hand defensively, "It's alright. She only wants to see her, nothing more."

Just the same, Chihiro found Haku's words less then comforting and looked up at the top floor of the bathhouse with a sense of foreboding.