Sightless Love (cont.)

By: Keetra

Keetra: Took me longer than I thought to write this! O.O So much stuff came up! I had wanted this out the day after I posted the prologue! Oh well, please forgive me! Since is giving a big deal on people doing responses to reviews, I can't respond to them in depth, but I can thank you with all my heart for reviewing! Thank you so much!

Also, a friend brought up a question I think you all should hear the answer to in case you wonder this as well. She asked 'If Chihiro's parents were so low on funds, why didn't they just get her a seeing-eye dog or a blind stick thing. That would've been cheaper than a human companion." While true, this did not fulfill what Chihiro needed. 1) someone to lead her around. 2) someone to assist her in school, 3) someone to get her to school, 4) a general companion to open up to in her hard times. Also, she does have one of those walking stick things, she just doesn't use it. She used it until Talya came then stopped because she didn't need it. Talya was always there. So, yes, I have an in story reason and explanation for Talya. : P

Disclaimer: I own only Talya, so far. I'll claim my copyrights to the others that I make when they are introduced. I do not give spoilers when I am awake, and, right now, I'm awake (tough luck for you who love spoilers). Miyazaki's wonderful characters belong to him and Ghibli only and I would never want to take them anyway; he does a better job with them than I do :P. I LOVE YOU MIYAZAKI!

----Finding the Way ----
"Chihiro!" a female voice echoed up the closed stairway. "Chihiro? Are you awake?"

"Yes, mother! I am now!" Chihiro called back as she threw the covers off herself and moved to sit at the edge of the bed. She knew her mom was sending Talya upstairs. Chihiro soon heard the soft knocks coming down the hall and smiled. Talya was the only one in the house who lightly knocked on the wall as she walked, letting Chihiro know she was there. Chihiro doubted her parents knew Talya did that, for they were often not home because of their work and many meetings and gatherings. Even after eight years, they still did not know how to be comfortable around a blind person.

The knocking reached her door and Chihiro heard the knob turn.

"Good morning, Chihiro!" Talya's cheery voice reached her ears and Chihiro smiled. Talya was the only person she knew that loved mornings as she did.

"Is it a lovely morning, Talya?" Chihiro asked, as she did every morning.

"Yep! And this one's especially lovely!" Talya said. Chihiro heard the window slide along the frame, letting the sounds and breezes of the outside world blow lightly around her face.

"Why's that?" Chihiro asked, her head following Talya's footsteps as Talya went to open the other window.

"You silly, have you forgotten already? Seniors get out early today! We go in for about three hours to run another graduation rehearsal, get our grades, and then we go home. And-"

"And graduation is tonight!" Chihiro exclaimed excitedly as it all came back to her.

"You said it before I could, you thief! Stealing the words from my mouth..." Talya tickles her from behind surprising Chihiro, who had not heard her move. The two instantly were immersed in a world of laughter as they fought to both give and avoid tickles. Talya gasped as she looked at the clock.

"Shit, we're gonna be late!" Talya jumped off the bed, ran over to the closet and grabbed the clothes she had picked out the night before. Chihiro smiled as Talya quickly helped her to dress.

In record time, they were both downstairs, backpack strapped to Chihiro's back, just in case the teachers gave them last minute papers they forgot to hand back.

"Ready to go, Mistress of the Night?" Talya asked, using the nickname she had given Chihiro when they were kids. Chihiro did not have to see the smile on Talya's face to know that her friend was wearing one identical to her own.

"Only if you are, Fearless Leader." She replied, using Talya's nickname as well as she tightened her grip on Talya's left elbow.

"Time to show the world out beauty."

With that, Chihiro heard Talya turn the knob and the door squeak upon its old hinges. Chihiro turned her head back and yelled into the house.

"Mom! Dad! We're leaving for school! Don't forget, we'll be home early today! And graduation's tonight! You promised you'd both be there!" Silence met this announcement. Chihiro had not really expected a reply, but she could always hope.

"Oh, they left already. Your dad was gone before you woke up and your mom left soon after sending me up." Talya told her in an apologetic tone.

"What!" Chihiro replied in mock-anger. The fact her parents had left already did not surprise her at all. Actually, it brought her relief to know they were not ignoring her. "Now who's the thief? You made me waste my breath on people that weren't even there!"

"Yeah… payback's a bitch, aint it?" Talya teased, earning herself a playful slap from Chihiro. "Alright, enough stalling, time to go!" Talya squealed making Chihiro wince.

"Alright, alright, if it's choosing between going to school or becoming deaf and blind, I'll choose school!"

The two friends laughed as they walked out, closed the door, and Talya led her to the driveway where Talya's all-too-familiar motorcycle was parked. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Chihiro's parents to agree on getting the bike, but they knew Chihiro had loved them since she saw one before losing her sight and they finally gave in to the begging, though with a few rules. They never regretted it, for Chihiro was absolutely in heaven every time she rode with Talya.

"Alright," Talya commented as she helped Chihiro on before straddling the bike in front of me. "Lookout world, here we come!" Chihiro's face glowed with glee as Talya started up the bike. Her smile wavered when Talya did not move for a whole minute. "Hey, Chihiro, how do you drive this thing?" Talya asked with a sheepish voice.

"What!" Chihiro reacted in shock.

"Just kidding!" with that, Talya popped the bike, making Chihiro squeal as they tore off towards the school.

Graduation (yes, I'm skipping ahead.)

Chihiro listened closely as the school principal's voice boomed through the speakers that surrounded the graduating class. By how far apart they were, Chihiro could guess how many people were in the room of students and guests combined. The cheers confirmed her guess as each student got their diploma from their counselors and posed for the camera Chihiro heard, but did not see. She returned her thoughts to the principal as his talk moved to her introduction.

"This last speaker is being brought up for several reasons. Many of you may know her by name. Others will know her from seeing her being led through the halls, or maybe you helped her in some way. She is your class valedictorian and the most qualified to speak on the subject given to all valedictorians. I am pleased to bring up Ms Chihiro Ogino."

She heard the seniors reluctantly clap as Talya lightly moved Chihiro's hand to her elbow and led her a few feet ahead and slightly to the right. She can hear Talya adjust the mike to her height on the podium she now knew was in front of her.

"Go get 'em girl." Talya whispers as she steps to the side. Chihiro sends a smile to the side, hoping Talya sees it, then faces where she assumes the senior class to be, in front of the podium.

"Hello, my classmates, as well as family, friends and significant others." Chihiro spoke the mike she assumed was still there as her hand brushed over the brail speech Talya had laid on the podium for her. "I know this graduation has been long, and boring, and you really don't want to hear another speaker. However, I promise, if you listen, I'll keep it short." She takes a deep breath, then continues:

"Our principal, Mr. Olsara, asked me to speak about overcoming obstacles. The ability to get through difficulties instead of letting them stop your life. This ability comes from the heart, and it is in the heart of every living being. You have this ability, or you would not be in this room, with your tassels turned, ready to face the next step in life.

"When I moved here, I had to overcome a large obstacle, lack of sight. No one said it would be easy to do. In fact, it was one of the most difficult moments of my life. I was frightened, scared, and felt my world collapsing around me. But I was shown courage in my friend, Talya. I was shown that it's not your ability to see that determines where you go in life. It's the courage to overcome obstacles that will make you successful and you can, whether you're blind, deaf, lame, fat, have a learning disability and even if you have a drug addiction. You obstacle may not be this obvious, but you can make them just as hard to overcome with your mind. Winners find ways; it's time for us to go down ours. Thank you."

The seniors clapped in the background as Talya helped Chihiro back into her chair. The principal's voice was soon heard again.

"Thank you, Chihiro." The principal paused then continued. "Class of 2005, you are about to overcome and obstacle. Though not difficult, it is certainly critical to your life. So, I ask you to remove your caps and look to the person next to you with a smile." There was a pause as he waited for the students to do this. Chihiro turned to Talya, who she knew had a face mirroring her own, yet again. "You are High School Seniors no more. You are now graduates. Congratulations Class of 2005!"

The now graduates gave an excited yell and Chihiro knew that the hats, whose tassels had been proudly turned earlier, were currently flying through the air. Tears streamed from Chihiro's sightless eyes as she felt the aura that radiated pure happiness and joy from the graduates and guests alike.

The obstacle of High School had been overcome.

The Ride Home

Chihiro felt more on top of the world than ever before as she rode behind Talya back to home. The well wishes and other formalities seemed to be over too soon and now they were flying down the road with all high school problems in the past, for only the records of their grades as evidence of their presence there.

After a little while, Chihiro became puzzled. Talya was not taking the usual turns that led to her house and the ride was taking much longer. Her suspicions were confirmed when the ride became very bumpy and she heard rocks crunch beneath the tires.

"Talya? Where are we going?" Chihiro asked, trying to place the location by the turns and distance between them.

"It's a surprise, Chihiro. Don't worry, you'll be safe," Talya replied secretively.

"But we're only allowed to ride on the asphalt! Mom will be mad when she finds out," Chihiro worried aloud, making Talya laugh softly.

"It'll be alright," Talya assured her, "She more or less gave me permission by asking me to take you someplace you would enjoy going. Plus, this is my graduation present to you, Chihiro, so I doubt she'll mind." In a voice Chihiro could barely hear, Talya murmured, "or will ever find out…."

Chihiro relaxed a bit and concentrated on moving in sync with Talya, though she tightened her grip slightly on Talya's waist because of all the bumps. Chihiro flinched as a branch caught her on the shoulder.

"Hang on, we're almost there," Talya called back to her. "Keep your head down, there's a lot of low hanging branches here."

Chihiro followed Talya's advice and, a few minutes later, Talya brought the bike to a slow stop.

"Okay, walking from here, sadly; but first, I wanna show you something," Talya said s she slipped off the bike.

She helped Chihiro off and led her a few steps forward. Talya took Chihiro's hand from her elbow and laid in on a rock surface before her. Confused, Chihiro put her other hand on the surface and moved both hands across it, knowing there was something there she was supposed to find. She let out a soft gasp as she felt the outline of a shape of an upside-down crescent with another one not very far to the right of it of identical size.

Like a pair of closed eyes, Chihiro thought as her hands wandered more, searching down from the crescents. A little more exploration revealed another crescent, this one wide like a mouth. A face? A face carved into a rock, how strange. I've seen that before though. There were faces carved on the rocks when my parents got lost and, Chihiro stops this train of thought and runs her hands more eagerly over the three crescents, her mind forming the picture of what her eyes would see through her hands. The eyes and mouth she felt before her were scarily similar to the features on that eerie rock from her childhood. She had to make sure; there was no reason to jump to conclusions over finding another rock with a face carved in it now, was there? She let her hands guide her to the opposite side of the rock from the eerie face. There, as expected, she found another set of three crescents that were identical to the ones found earlier. She knew then that she was feeling the very same rock that had stood outside the entrance to the Spirit World from her childhood. The Spirit World where her Kohaku existed.

"But it can't be…" Chihiro said quietly as she let go of the rock, turned at and angle that was not quite directly away from it, but one that, if it truly was the entrance to the Spirit World, would connect her to the wall beside the tunnel entrance. Her steps were shaky and staggered, like a child learning how to walk, but they covered the distance they needed to cover so that her hands could touch plaster that made the illusion of a brick building. She edged along the wall. Foot by foot to the right, feeling all the grooves and niches that were overlooked before. Then she reached the corner that opened to the tunnel. Once again, Chihiro let go of her grip on reality and trusted her mind. She released the wall and took the few steps that she knew would bring her to the center of the tunnel entrance, the spot where she had stood eight years ago as a child, clutching fearfully to her mother. She stood, in a trance, until she felt the all-too-familiar wind flow around her ankles, luring her into the world beyond, calling her to be with it.

It was then that truth overwhelmed Chihiro that this was not her imagination, or a dream. She knew she really WAS in front of the entrance where she had lost her ability to see the world around her. She WAS in front of the entrance that led to her childhood love, her only love.

Chihiro jumped as a hand lightly touched her right shoulder.

"Sorry," Talya's voice whispered softly in her right ear.

Chihiro wrapped her arms around Talya's shoulders tightly and cried in happiness at her beautiful gift.

"Don't be," Chihiro whispered back, as though words spoken louder would break the illusion and she'd be back at home. Sensing this, the wind pulled harder at her ankles, urging her to believe this was not a dream, that she truly needed to enter into its world. Chihiro believed, for when she dreamed, she could see the entrance with her eyes. The wind relaxed in happiness, but continued to pull at Chihiro, not giving up its persistence. Chihiro asked it to be patient a moment longer, she had one more thing to say, "Thank you, Talya. Oh, thank you so very much!"

They stayed in this embrace for what seemed ages. They would have stayed longer if the wind had not become impatient once more, and pulled with more urgency than before. Chihiro almost laughed aloud at its impatience, for she knew the wind was the Spirit World calling her back into its dangerous embrace. Chihiro took a step back and wiped her tear-sore eyes with one hand, keeping the other on Talya's shoulder. Talya took that hand and brought it to her elbow in the guiding position.

"Shall we go in?" Talya asked as if she already knew the answer, so it must have been a shock to her when Chihiro gave a gasp of surprise at this question.

"You're coming with me?" Chihiro blurted out in her surprise.

Talya laughed at this question. "Yeah, you silly! I didn't spend five years looking for this place to go 'Well, I found it. Have fun. See ya later! Send me a postcard, please!' Pssssssssh. No way. You couldn't keep me from going with you even if it meant I had to die to get there. So, like I said before, shall we go in?"

Chihiro nodded and tightened her grip on Talya's elbow.

"Yeah, let's go." She said in the calmest voice she could as she struggled to keep the happy tears from overflowing down her cheeks yet again.

The two friends let the wind guide them into the tunnel they both knew. The one that was kept real by Chihiro's heart, and it was her heart that had brought them there. Her heart, their strong friendship, and a promise that would soon be fulfilled.

End of Chapter

Keetra: woo hoo! It's typed! I am happy. Anyway, scene set-up chapter, like always from those of you that have never read my fanfictions before and don't know how I start stories (AKA: slowly) slaps other personality that adds the AKAs (AKA smiles sheepishly) meh…. Anyway…

Thank you to pixie-loves-night, Kuroi Kitty, amanda, and Gwion; new reviewers who decided to give this very slow poster a shot (I hope you cam back!)

SPECIAL thank you to my returning reviewers Saotoshi (you crazy as usual girl, lol. And this was not a one shot! That was not the end! Please read the rest! T.T) and Splotchikens (I love you okaa-sama! hugs and kisses, ignoring odd looks from the readers and I already talked to you. Lol!) And KomiKitty, I know you are getting around to this story soon and will be expecting your review because I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! NEVER FORGET THAT! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Also, whoever 1penhead is…. Putting my story on your favorites list and not reviewing… jeesh… only I am allowed to do that! . Anyway, I hope that means you came back and read this one.

Anyway, I have the next two chapters written on paper already so just be patient as I slowly type them out between running a business, work, and my many, many road trips. I promise to get them out as fast as I can… though that never says much. ;

Tootles! Review as always please!