The Never-Ending Story
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything of Spirited Away. And that's that )
How many more days till the day we finally meet again?
How many more days till the day your promise is finally made true?
How many more days till the day when they will believe that my supposed story is not fiction?
And how many days will it be until the day when I wait no more…
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The pain was hurting badly, not to the extent of searing, but certainly enough to keep her nerves cringing under her skin. Her fingers desperately clung onto the sheets on her bed while she tried to keep her mind on happier things, such as maybe when this "torture" would cease to be. It was useless to scream, even more useless to try to fight against this pain because somewhere deep within, she knew that it was for her own good, but again she could not help feeling as though she was just a step away from Death's door.
Another exaggeration, she chided herself inwardly and took another sharp intake of breath when cold metal brushed against her skin. Ouch, that hurts! She wanted to jump up and slam something on the man's head and knock him out cold but logically, it was quite impossible.
"And…there you go! All nice and pretty again, Miss Ogino!" He smiled his best kindly smile at Chihiro Ogino who was finding difficulty in resisting an ill-mannered scowl at the cheery middle-aged man donned in a dentist coat. She reached for a cup of water and rinsed her mouth, watching the bits of leftover blood spilling onto the white surface of her machine. Her mouth felt funny but she decided that she would not complain and simply get used to it, lest her parents decide to take her back for another visit.
"Dchats zhuone?"
"Um, pardon?" Dr. Tanaka turned from the sink after washing his hands and peered at Chihiro through his thickly rimmed glasses, an act which made her feel highly uncomfortable. She spat out the mouthful of water and repeated her question.
"That's done?" She wiped her mouth with a tissue paper provided and proceeded to get off the chair. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the blinding light above the chair and she flinched slightly.
Dr. Tanaka laughed heartily and patted Chihiro on the shoulder, his gesture feeling more like a shove because he simply was a man too big and with too much strength sometimes. "Unless you want to come back here, and I assure you I would not mind a single bit, Chihiro darling."
No way, that hurt too much! Chihiro managed to smile weakly at the man, still finding it weird to have nothing in her mouth after years of that torturous braces. Again, another of my parents' idea of a perfect lady, she mused desperately. Right.
She turned to leave, grateful to leave the dentist once and for all when a deep voice casually called her back. "Hey Miss Ogino, what happened to your story?"
"Story?"
"The one which you used to tell me when I first saw you for your teeth, I think it's Kamikakushi, isn't it?"
"Oh, that." Chihiro hesitated to continue, fearing that she would once again be told off for fabricating nonsense as her parents would always say about her daydreams and wild fantasies. It does not exist, her mother would say. You're ridiculous, her father would then remark sternly and she would find herself more than often storming out of the room to hide the tears streaming down her cheeks. She told Dr. Tanaka once about it when he was small, and while he did not joke about it, he did not seem to take it seriously either.
"Um, why?"
"Oh, nothing, it's just that I think that you should always keep believing in it because if you don't, then hardly anyone else will."
A sudden surge of gratitude washed through Chihiro even as she stood there, face impassive due to the numbness she was feeling in her mouth but the slight curving of her lips told him otherwise. Indeed, in her heart, the Kamikakushi was a never-ending story.
-----
"I'm home." The oak doors opened to admit a nineteen year old young lady decked in jeans and a purple sweatshirt, her shoulder long hair tied up into a tiny ponytail.
Mrs. Ogino peeked out from the kitchens and smiled at her daughter while mixing the cake batter in a pot. "Lovely, you're just in time for dinner dear."
"Oh ok." She took off her brown coat and hung it up on the racks. A wafting scent of mutton stew caught her nose almost immediately and her feet hurried to enter the kitchen where indeed, a feast fit for many awaited her. "Wow, what's the occasion today?" Chihiro asked teasingly while trying out a mouthful of fruit salad.
Mrs. Ogino laid down the pot and while reaching out for a measuring cup, replied secretively to her precious daughter. "Well, look outside and see who's there."
Chihiro made a face at her mother who pretended to look angry even though she could not help but laugh a little at the weird look her daughter was portraying. She wiped the little bits of sauce off her lips and practically ran out of the kitchen to have a good look at the surprise her mother had somewhat planned for her.
And it certainly was one big surprise.
"Takumi-san!" Chihiro gasped when the familiar athletic build of her family friend came into view. "What brings you here today?" She hastened to give a little bow to the teenager who so happened to be the No.1 Hot Guy of the Year as ranked by her classmates, and while she had little interest in him in that manner, she had to admit that it was definitely an understatement.
"Your mother invited me over for dinner, so here I am!" Takumi smiled warmly, brushing away a few strands of dark hair from his forehead while he replied. "Surprised?"
"I sure am." Chihiro laughed at the way he was trying to act mysterious but the way his gaze was somehow transfixed on her made her laughter die away almost instataneously. She hastily tore her eyes away from his dark brown ones and busied herself by clearing the piles of magazines and food wrappers on the sofa. "Um, where's Uncle Satou? And Aunt Satou, didn't they come along?"
Takumi bent down to help with the clearing, occasionally sneaking peeks at Chihiro through the corner of his eye and made Chihiro even more self conscious of herself. "Oh yeah, they're upstairs now with Uncle Ogino. I came down because I wanted to help your mother, but she shooed me out so, yeah…"
"Oh…listen, do you want a drink? I'll get one." She rose to offer and insisted on getting him one even after Takumi attempted to refuse. Seeing that she was downright adamant about getting him one, he finally gave in to a glass of orangeade. Chihiro smiled and with a promise to be back as quickly as possible, ran back into the kitchen where her mother was starting to wash the oily pots and pans which had been previously used to prepare the dinner dishes. She took a steadying breath and while opening the refridgerator to take out a bottle of orangeade, finally mustered enough courage to broach the subject. Again.
"You invited Takumi, didn't you?" She asked flatly while pouring the juice into a glass which she had previously filled with ice. There was a slight pause and she could feel her mother contemplating a perfect answer, it was a nervous moment, possibly even awkward but she had enough patience so she waited.
"Yes, it was his whole family anyway…"
"So is this another meet the in-laws kind of gathering then?" Chihiro suddenly whirled around and stared at her mother straight, unable to contain the hurt and confusion in her gaze. But realising then how rude her outburst must have sounded, she muttered a "sorry" and turned to take out the glass when her mother suddenly spoke.
"It's for your own good Chihiro, Takumi is a good boy!"
"I know he is, that's why I can't agree to go out with him even though you must have tried matchmaking us for, I dunno, years!" Chihiro turned back to face her mother once more, this time with hurt showing in her eyes. "I'm not good enough for him…"
Mrs. Ogino slammed the tap shut firmly and walked towards her daughter. "You're good enough for the Satous and I'm perfectly fine with that! I mean, look at your social circle, it's just the same old people since secondary school and you hardly socialise with the rest of your standard! You weren't like that before…before…"
"Before we moved?" She finished coldly for her mother. "Then you might have realised that before we moved, I was more worthy of your trust isn't it?"
Silence, then dawning on Mrs. Ogino's part. "I see…it's still because of that rubbish Kamikakushi-"
"IT'S NOT RUBBISH, MOTHER!"
"Stop yelling like that to me, young lady, you and I both know that you simply have an overactive imagination which ought to be gone by now! I have had enough of you lying about that weird place! Things about me eating what's not mine, not paying for food, turned into a PIG! Gosh, Chihiro, I am sick and tired of all your nonsense!"
"Mother!" And she felt a tight slap across her face. There was a shattering of glass heard and orangeade spilled out from it, the tinkling of glass similar to Chihiro's heart shattering into a million pieces. The juice simply spread on more and more.
Chihiro fought hard against the tears now welling up in her eyes. She knew that she should not have been rude to her mother, but the way she spoke of Kamikakushi, the way she insisted that her daughter was a liar and nothing more…Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.
LIAR.
"Oh…Chihiro, I didn't…I…"
The kitchen doors flew open and Takumi appeared at the doorway along with his parents and Mr. Ogino, all looking ashen-faced and shocked by what had happened. For a moment, nobody could find the correct words to say of the mess and nobody wanted to be the first to say something either.
Chihiro could not take it any longer, she needed a breather from this most unfortunate event caused by two wrong parties. With a barely audible "sorry, excuse me", she shoved past the still figures of her father and Takumi and tore down the hallway towards the oak doors of the Chihiro residence. She did not even bother to take her coat even though it was nearing nightfall outdoors and the chilly winds were whipping against her trembling body. She slipped into the closest pair of boots she could get and without tying up the laces, moved numbly down the driveway.
To where? She had no idea. She did not hate her mother, she understood how she must feel towards her daughter's anti-socialness, she knew that she had her best interests at heart. But maybe she would never know how much Kamikakushi had meant to Chihiro Ogino.
It was that very place which taught Chihiro what it meant to grow up, and how to do that. It was that very place which brought new meaning to the word "love" and the concept of true relationships without deceit or lies. There, Chihiro Ogino fought the many dangers, overcome the many obstacles, it was like growing up in 3 days except that the process would forever be a story to those who even bothered to listen. To those who did not, it was just a figment of a hyperactive imagination and they certainly could not care less, having more interest in perhaps sending her off to a mental instituition.
But she would not cry, she could not let herself cry because that would be the same as saying goodbye to that wonderful world of memories and love. She suddenly recalled what Dr. Tanaka had said to her then.
Believe in it, Chihiro. If you don't, hardly anyone else will.
Chihiro wrapped her arms around her body, feeling her teeth start to chatter in the chilly air and the sky ahead was slowly darkening. Nightfall was approaching and she was feeling so alone. She was walking downhill, but to where? She had no idea. Her mind was in a whirl and not capable of any logical thoughts. Sure there were ideas, but they were just too much of fantasies than possibilities. I mean, Chihiro mused silently. There is this possibility of going back to Kamikakushi…
No. You can't do that. Think about it, you have tried to return so many times before but everytime at the end of that tunnel would just be a normal abandoned theme park with nothing as magical as even a speck of glowing dust! What makes you think that this time, it would work?
But…well, I think that I am pretty desperate now…Chihiro stopped in her tracks and looked up ahead of her. There the tunnel lay, within a walk of 5 minutes or so. It was dark yet inviting, mysterious yet tempting…if she succeeded, another adventure of a lifetime would await, and of course, the familiar faces of Rin, Kamaji, Bou, Zeniba…and of course, Kohaku.
Kohaku. She bit her lips, thinking deeply and weighing out the pros and cons of trying to get back into the world once more. But it seemed that the pros seemed to outweigh the cons almost at once and she would really do anything to get out of the bitter cold and who knows what other monsters which roam the earth at night? Chihiro snickered at that childish thought but her feet had already begun to lead the way towards the tunnel. She should be afraid, apprehensive or even a coward as to turn back and run for home; yet another part of her was daring herself to move on, to be brave and maybe even, to grow up again.
-----
Okay, maybe it is not a good idea after all. Chihiro stood at the end of the tunnel, facing the similar slopes and rivers except that unlike the greenery she often saw, they were now dark and bathed in moonlight. Other than that, she was certainly not feeling any magic.
Disappointed, Chihiro climbed up the slopes to a rock and sat on it, commanding a view which overlooked what would have been the sea of lights of the Kamikakushi. A breeze blew against her and she rubbed her hands instinctively to create whatever warmth she could. Maybe she should just go home, her subconscious began to suggest but her legs were too tired to even budge an inch at that moment. Not that Chihiro was particularly disappointed with them, instead she found herself silently glad about it.
It was getting darker and the temperature was dropping slowly. Chihiro did nothing but sit there and thought about what had happened here as if it were a lifetime away. A lifetime only she remembered, but it's getting surprisingly cold in here, she could not help feeling. To the extent of being eerie, eerily cold…
And she did not know why herself but she suddenly found the strength to jump aside as her instincts had warned her then. A split second later, a bolt of energy pierced at the position where she had been a minute ago and split the rock into halves within the blink of an eye. Chihiro gulped and thanking her sixth sense, scrambled to her feet after catching a glimpse of her would-be attacker.
A two-headed freak which did not resemble anything on her Biology textbook but she certainly did not want to stay and take a picture of it when it unleashed yet another energy bolt at her, burning the shrub just beside her foot.
"Oh, sorry." She said hastily to the shrub before leaping across the river and making a mad rush towards whatever lay in front. But the more surprising thing was definitely not her unknown foe, but the very fact that Kamikakushi seemed to be transforming before her eyes. Lights lit up brilliantly, music began to sound, flags were raised and flown in the air, and it suddenly hit her that she was a human stranded in the magical realm with no food to save her.
"Crap." Chihiro jumped over yet another rock and landing on one foot, nearly lost her balance. Quickly, she turned down another row of stalls, hoping that nothing would catch her yet unless it proved to be friendlier than the shadowy figure now tearing down the street, bent on taking her life.
She reached an intersection, still gasping for breath but unwilling to stop because the unfortunate stool beside her was now ablaze. She swallowed hard and turned right on another mad dash towards the bridge towards the bathhouse. Maybe Rin would be there, I mean, she had to be there! Chihiro thought frantically and leapt to her left once again to avoid another bolt of energy. The ground was now charred badly and she could barely imagine what her foot would look like all black.
Mother definitely would not be pleased. Chihiro's eyes lit up when the familiar bridge came in sight, almost beckoning her to run on towards safety. But when she saw the scene before the bridge, her heart stopped immediately. Not the positive kind when you see a guy you have a fanatic crush on, but rather the negative one when something as bad as the sky falling happens.
Chihiro skidded to a halt, past caring whether Mr. Evil Bolts had caught up or not. In her eyes, there was only him, Kohaku and only Kohaku. She really did not want to see the girl he was holding hands with, did not want to see the smile he had, the laughter they shared, the way he gazed into her hazel coloured eyes and the way she gazed into his green ones.
Or the bolt which flew past her ear and landed just centimetres away from where the pair stood, and that caught Kohaku's attention finally because instantly, he looked up in fury only to see Chihiro staring in confusion at him and the monster now right above her head, getting ready to fling at her the final blow.
Chihiro jerked her head upwards and could barely stop her screams when something hard hit her on the forehead and she lapsed into a world of quiet darkness.
A world without Kohaku.