Disclaimer: Spirited Away still isn't mine, neither are the characters in it.
You Never Really Forget
Chapter 4
It was still night. The sky was still dark. Chihiro knew that shouldn't be right, the sun should have come up by now, but all she could see overhead were glistening ribbons of light-filled skies, shifting and rearranging uncomfortably as though the stars themselves weren't sure where they were supposed to be hanging, and kept changing their minds.
Chihiro didn't notice them for awhile, aware only of the lights in the distant town as her feet hit the well packed dirt road, slapping loudly when they hit a patch of mud. She knew she'd been running longer than she should have been, her breath hurt and her side was beginning to pull painfully. It wasn't that she was out of shape- on the contrary, she was quite a runner in her own time. Ever since she was a child, she'd felt a vague restlessness when she was unoccupied, a quiet unease in inactivity. So she'd started running. Finally, she reached the gate of the town and stopped outside, bracing her hands on her knees as she gasped heavily, the sound of her breath echoing quietly back to her ears from the walls.
My mouth…tastes like salt. She tried summon enough water to spit, but found she was bone dry. Must…have been the river. A thought occurred and she laughed breathlessly between her gasps for air. That's one way to eat spirit food without turning into a pig. It's in my system all right…but no way am I going to gorge on a buffet of salt alone. She lifted her head finally, damp with perspiration, and finally noticed the moving stars.
It made her dizzy, to look at them, swirling and shifting and overlapping, ribbons of transparent color weaving in and out and vanishing like imaginary snakes.
Chihiro felt her stomach heave, and tore her gaze away from the sky, putting a hand on the edge of the wide, open gate to the town. The town was strung with lanterns, their lights mercifully still but for the occasional, slight sway. The distinct sound of food and grease being thrown on a hot surface began to filter to her ears, quiet, whispery voices and low, deep drums. Faint, bird-like chimes and windy instruments finally sounded louder than the sounds of her own breathing.
She let out what would have been a squeak of surprise as a bowl was suddenly shoved in her face where she not so hoarse. "Oh-um-sorry, I-" Her eyes followed the up the arm of the one holding the bowl up to the face. Not a frog. Not a slug. What then? Raccoon, perhaps. His eyes were dark around the rims, ears and top of his head hidden under a large, wide, official-looking hat. His hands, Chihiro realized, were paws.
"No need to be sorry. Never seen anyone make it to the top of this hill so fast. Take it, you look like you need it." He offered the bowl again, and Chihiro straightened at last, taking it. In a few greedy gulps, there was only a little left. The taste of salt lingered, but the nausea faded. She quickly rubbed the remaining water on her forehead, sighing as the night air cooled it quickly.
"Thank you," She said, clapping her hands and bowing her hands, bowl in hand. "Would you like me to wash it and return it to you, sir? Or-" Chihiro trailed off, unsure of what the proper way to thank him for the gift was.
The raccoon chuckled. "Oh, you've paid for it well enough over, we had a bet you'd pass out before you made it up here." He winked, and motioned to a few other raccoon-like spirits in similar hats looking appropriately dismayed, but congenial about their loss. "You just won me two tickets to the kaijou theatre in town tomorrow tonight."
"Kaijou theatre?"
The raccoon nodded and turned, pointing inside the gate of the town, past the stalls of restaurants and vendors, lit with paper lanterns, to a huge structure far out on a small but distinct hill, It looked, Chihiro thought privately, like a king on a throne, looking over a kingdom of dollhouses. Layers and layers, the massive building dominated the rest of the town, glowing like a beacon from the many strings of swaying, colored light that adorned it.
"That's it, over there. Center of the town," The raccoon said with pride, chest puffing outward. "Everyone comes to town to see it. Everyone. Well, everyone who can afford it. We get ferries filled with visitors from every corner of this world, just with people who want to attend a show." Chihiro listened, but she was so exhausted from her run that she, admittedly, wasn't quite absorbing all the information he gave her. He didn't seem to notice, continuing on. "Well then,…" The raccoon paused, clearly waiting for her to give her a name.
Chihiro licked her lips once, hesitantly. They were cracked, and still slightly salty. It stung, a little. She felt suddenly ashamed of her hesitation- it was one thing to worry about giving out her name in the Spirit World, another entirely to rudely ignore someone who'd just helped her. "Chihiro. Ogino Chihiro."
The raccoon didn't seem to notice her hesitation. "Dai." He responded, giving his name. "Captain of the guard. Well then, Chihiro, welcome to town."
"Ah, thank you." Chihiro nodded deeply to show her honest gratitude and turned to enter the town. Ferries, all the time. She paused, turning back just as Dai, too, was turning to return to his post. "Pardon, do you know, have there been…" She tried to form a question, Dai waited patiently. Chihiro swallowed and then spit it out. "Have there been any weird earthquakes around here lately?"
Dai's hand suddenly went to the side of his official uniform, eyes narrowing suddenly and suspiciously. He blew a whistle shrilly and the other raccoon guards were suddenly alert and running toward her. More were coming from around the outer corners of the gate. Chihiro had the sudden, sinking feeling she'd just made a big mistake. Dai yelled something and pointed to Chihiro and started toward her.
She turned on her heel and bolted just as his hand reached out after her and closed in on empty space. Her legs were tired and ached painfully, but she forced them to move faster, running into the town, ducking and dodging patrons and lanterns, with Dai and the others yelling and running after her.
Her chest quickly started to hurt, and she felt her bones jarring every time her foot hit the ground. Angry yells, Dai's shrill whistle and deep, deep drums of the tone. She took a misstep and tumbled forward, crashing into a white tunic and the person wearing it, who instinctively reached their arms around her.
And all she could hear was the roar of the wind.
A/N: I'm not very good with Japanese. I don't know any Japanese. At all. So I apologize if my translations are incorrect.
Kaijou: I read somewhere that this means 'of the sea' and also 'stage'. Would have fit better if it were 'of the river' but I thought it was close enough!
I know what you all are thinking. Where's Haku? Well, he is actually in this chapter. I'll be completely honest with you, I still haven't decided how to fully incorporate him into the next few chapters. I don't want to make it easy for the pair of them! Any ideas? I may or may not use them, but they may help me reach as decision.
