Chihiro jogged through the red building. When she got to the other
side, she found everything just as she remembered. The same green rolling
hills led to the same river, the same weird buildings, and the same stone
stepps. It was like she had been here yesterday.
She walked more slowely across the grassy hills. The sunlight was cheerfull enough, but to her it was grey and bleary. The sun had begun to set. When she reached the stone stepps, she paused to look at it. The sky had turned red, like it too had been defiled. After a moment, Chihiro continued at a jog through the streets and up to the bathhouse.
She saw with relief that Kamaji had lit the boilers. With no further ado, she went across the bridge. She passed the garden where Kohaku left her, and made her way to the back entrance, just like she did before. She could almost imagin her parents in the pig pen (and she didn't altogether dislike the idea). It was when she reached the stairs, however, that the main difference of these two jorneys became apparant. Instead of the wildly uncontrolled descent of last time, she went at a jogging pace, jumping over the broken stair.
When she reached the door at the bottom, she went through to the boiler room. There was Kamaji, working and yelling at the sootballs, who were stoking the fires. "K-Kamaji?" Chihiro asked uncertaintly. He looked up.
"Sen! It's good to see you! What are you doing here?" He said.
"D-do you know, um, where Haku is?" Chihiro asked.
"He left right after you. I can send a message to him if you like," Kamaji replied.
"Um, yes please. Can I please wait here?" Chihiro said.
"Of course," Kamaji said. "Why don't you eat this roasted newt while you wait? You're starting to get transparent." He held out said newt and Chihiro took it with a forboding look. She stuck it hesitantly into her mouth and chewed. She got a very tasty surprize. The meat was tender and tasted slightly salty. Kamaji, in the meantime, left to send the letter. Chihiro sat down to wait. Kamaji came back in and said, "He'll be here in a while." He went back to his work.
The sootballs soon started crowding around Chihiro, squeaking and chattering. "You sootballs get back to work!" Kamaji yelled, to which they started angrily screeching. "You want to turn back into soot? Now, GET BACK TO WORK!" Slowely, they complied.
Chihiro dozed off untill Kohaku arrived, about half an hour later. "Chihiro?" He asked, and she dove into his arms and started crying. "What's wrong? What's happened?" He asked as he tried to comfort her.
"Th-that teacher!" she sobbed. "He-he-but I deserved it! I w-wasn't paying a-attention like I sh-should have been! It was h-horrible!" Chihiro said a lot more, but it wasn't particularly understandable through her sobbing.
"What did he do to you?" Kohaku asked. By now, he was very worried and totally bewildered.
"He-he-" Chihiro swallowed a lump in her throat. "He raped me." There was a very shoked silence that followed. Kohaku hugged Chihiro tighter.
"That WASN'T your fault! He just wants you to think that so you won't tell anyone!" he said.
"But he told my parents right after school and they agreed with it!" Chihiro sobbed in reply.
"Oh, Chihiro, no one deserves that! If he raped you, I wouldn't put it past him to lie to your parents." Kohaku said.
"But I didn't pay attention in class like I should and I was sometimes rude to him! He was punishing me for it, so I deserved it!" Chihiro answered. Kohaku's eyes teared over as he listened to Chihiro repremanding herself. How could anyone have done a thing like this? Hate grew in his heart, and he swore to himself that he'd bring that teacher to justice.
She walked more slowely across the grassy hills. The sunlight was cheerfull enough, but to her it was grey and bleary. The sun had begun to set. When she reached the stone stepps, she paused to look at it. The sky had turned red, like it too had been defiled. After a moment, Chihiro continued at a jog through the streets and up to the bathhouse.
She saw with relief that Kamaji had lit the boilers. With no further ado, she went across the bridge. She passed the garden where Kohaku left her, and made her way to the back entrance, just like she did before. She could almost imagin her parents in the pig pen (and she didn't altogether dislike the idea). It was when she reached the stairs, however, that the main difference of these two jorneys became apparant. Instead of the wildly uncontrolled descent of last time, she went at a jogging pace, jumping over the broken stair.
When she reached the door at the bottom, she went through to the boiler room. There was Kamaji, working and yelling at the sootballs, who were stoking the fires. "K-Kamaji?" Chihiro asked uncertaintly. He looked up.
"Sen! It's good to see you! What are you doing here?" He said.
"D-do you know, um, where Haku is?" Chihiro asked.
"He left right after you. I can send a message to him if you like," Kamaji replied.
"Um, yes please. Can I please wait here?" Chihiro said.
"Of course," Kamaji said. "Why don't you eat this roasted newt while you wait? You're starting to get transparent." He held out said newt and Chihiro took it with a forboding look. She stuck it hesitantly into her mouth and chewed. She got a very tasty surprize. The meat was tender and tasted slightly salty. Kamaji, in the meantime, left to send the letter. Chihiro sat down to wait. Kamaji came back in and said, "He'll be here in a while." He went back to his work.
The sootballs soon started crowding around Chihiro, squeaking and chattering. "You sootballs get back to work!" Kamaji yelled, to which they started angrily screeching. "You want to turn back into soot? Now, GET BACK TO WORK!" Slowely, they complied.
Chihiro dozed off untill Kohaku arrived, about half an hour later. "Chihiro?" He asked, and she dove into his arms and started crying. "What's wrong? What's happened?" He asked as he tried to comfort her.
"Th-that teacher!" she sobbed. "He-he-but I deserved it! I w-wasn't paying a-attention like I sh-should have been! It was h-horrible!" Chihiro said a lot more, but it wasn't particularly understandable through her sobbing.
"What did he do to you?" Kohaku asked. By now, he was very worried and totally bewildered.
"He-he-" Chihiro swallowed a lump in her throat. "He raped me." There was a very shoked silence that followed. Kohaku hugged Chihiro tighter.
"That WASN'T your fault! He just wants you to think that so you won't tell anyone!" he said.
"But he told my parents right after school and they agreed with it!" Chihiro sobbed in reply.
"Oh, Chihiro, no one deserves that! If he raped you, I wouldn't put it past him to lie to your parents." Kohaku said.
"But I didn't pay attention in class like I should and I was sometimes rude to him! He was punishing me for it, so I deserved it!" Chihiro answered. Kohaku's eyes teared over as he listened to Chihiro repremanding herself. How could anyone have done a thing like this? Hate grew in his heart, and he swore to himself that he'd bring that teacher to justice.