Chapter 2
Chihiro left class, confused about the two new students who had just enrolled. There was something about them that did not belong. For one, the boy had his hair all up and spiky in a way that made her wonder if his head weighed an extra five or six kilos. He also wore goggles, an odd choice in fashion that had once been more suitable in the United States than here in Japan. And the girl's hair was just too off, and she wore that odd cape with a bright hair pin.
More than their outer look, if Chihiro squinted at them, they had a very different outline to them. Of course if she squinted at anything it obscured the image, but this felt so off!
But most telling of all was that these stranger had breached all acceptable protocol and had approached her, asking if they could talk after school, alone.
Chihiro felt apprehensive, but scared. When she was younger she had experienced an odd day during his family's move to this town. She couldn't fully remember it, or explain why, but something about that move had erased many of her fears. She was known in her school as a girl with great resolve, pride, and something akin to fearlessness. Meeting with two new weirdos wasn't as offsetting as it would have been to her peers.
They met in a space beside the school. The boy, Tai, was lounging against the wall. Soa stood sweet and serene, hands clasped in front.
"Hey there, Chihiro," Tai said as she came up.
That was very forward. It took her off guard.
"Please forgive him," Sora said with a bow. "He's just impatient."
"Time is of the essence!"
"You wouldn't know the meaning of that word if Izzy hadn't told you," Sora snapped at Tai. He just laughed it off.
"I'm sorry, but I was under the impression that you wanted to talk with me," Chihiro said tersely.
"Yes. Yes we were," Sora said, jumping back to her sweet self very quickly. "We are new here and are looking for someone who can help us find something. When we were moving here, we were told that there was a really cool place in the woods down the mountains. A kind of tunnel."
A chill went down Chihiro's spine. The day she had moved here.
"Yes, I suppose there is," she said cautiously.
"Well, we don't have homework today," Tai said. "We were hoping you could show us around! We'd really like to check it out!"
Chihiro was about to say no, but then she felt something odd. There was a memory waiting for her down that hill. Honestly, she found herself looking that way down from her house often. But she had never managed to muster up a good enough of an excuse to take a day down there. Her life with her family, friends, and school kept her plenty busy, And she was now job hunting, too.
Now two new classmen offered the perfect excuse. When would she find another such opportunity? She wasn't sure, so she decided to accept their invitation.
"Alright, I'll take you down there," Chihiro replied. "Let's just grab some drinks and snacks first."
Tai and Sora looked very relieved and they happily followed her. They located a vending machine and they bought some sustenance. They then made their way down the hill to the dense woods. As they wandered through the trees, Chihiro took in all of the small, stone shrines to the spirits of the forest. The feeling here was one of familiarity and homeliness.
Tai and Sora ended up being pleasant travel partners. Despite his earlier rudeness, Tai was very personable and kind teen. Sora was cute and talked the most of the trio. She told Chihiro of where they had come and she asked lots of questions. It was a nice hike, and Chihiro lost a lot of her trepidation. However, it returned in full swing when they came to the tunnel.
Waiting for them lounging against the lichen covered stonework was a man in a mysteriously swirling and worn cloak. His hood was high and pulled low over his face. There was a grin visible under the hood and he waved at them.
"Tai! Sora! Good, good, you all came!"
"Wait! Was is this about," Chihiro asked, suddenly tense and backing away from her classmates.
"I told you we should have explained ourselves more," Sora lamented.
"It would have done little good," the man said. "Telling anyone that a world of spirits awaited them and they don't remember would make anyone question your sanity."
He pushed himself away from the wall and walked forward, saying, "But Chihiro, you feel drawn here, don't you? No more than when you look at that gleaming band that holds up your hair."
Chihiro right hand flew to her ponytail, where a bright, shining band held up her hair. She had had this memento ever since she moved here. She couldn't remember where she had got it form, but she cherished it dearly. And true to the stranger's words, it made her glance down the hill more often than anything else.
"Who are you," she stammered.
"Someone who wants to reunite you with some dearly beloved friends," he answered, his grin still affixed.
"Stay away!"
The stranger stopped exactly where he was. It was almost like he froze in mid-step. His grin widened. He then motioned to the others.
"Sora, Tai, thank you for your assistance. How about you call out to Agumon and Biyomon on your devices, if all else goes south." The stranger then turned his attention back to her. "Chihiro, I can fully appreciate any trepidation you right now feel. Three strangers surround you in a forest. And yet, you still feel calm. And behind me you feel a pull towards something familiar."
"Who are you," Chihiro asked.
"I get that a lot," the man smiled. "Bob. My name is Bob."
The word tasted strange on her tongue. It was clearly not Japanese, but English. "Bob?"
"Yeah, it's funny name. At least, I find it funny, so I claim it!"
"You are insane," Chihiro said sharply.
The man paused for a long moment and then moved to the side of the trail. Chihiro noticed that behind him stood a fat, smiling statue. Bob pointed towards the mouth of the tunnel.
"I am insane. But there is Truth out there. Specifically through there. Chihiro, none of us will follow you, this is your journey to make, if you want. But here's something I want to give as a challenge, if you will." His grin slackened and he became more serious. "If you find long lost friends beyond that tunnel, you will regain all of your memories, and this time, they will not be taken from you. I will give you that power over the world of spirits!
"And, if you do find long lost friends beyond this gateway, then I would like to borrow your hair tie for a brief moment. I promise I will return it when you return. And, if everything is not as I have said, if there is nothing waiting for you beyond this tunnel, then we three will turn ourselves into the authorities."
This was all clearly nuts. Chihiro did not trust any of them. But then the wind rose and she felt pulled, no draw into the tunnel. Chihiro gasped.
Her feet began moving, and she left Sora, Tai, and Bob behind. She heard Sora protest, but Bob cut her off. Chihiro began walking faster. This was crazy, but she had taken a chance. These three were trying to make her dance to the pull of some creepy strings, but maybe there was a way out this way. More important, she was being drawn to this tunnel.
She darted past the statue and plunged into the darkness.
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The sun was almost entirely set when she emerged from the tunnel. And this time, her memories stayed. How could she have forgotten in the first place? Granny, No Face, Kamaji, and of course, Haku. The world of the spirits was still perilous to someone who was human and alive, but she had found Haku quickly. It was as if he had always been waiting for her. He had flown her around. They retraced the steps of her adventure.
Tears stung her eyes as the fresh and the old happy memories bubbled within her.
"I take it from the expression on your face that you found what you had lost," Bob said.
Chihiro whirled about and saw the man leaning against the wall where he had before. She took a step back, instinctively. He was alone now. Tai and Sora were nowhere to be seen.
"Why are you still here," she asked.
"Because, a deal is a deal," he said with slow deliberateness.
He held out his hand.
"Why do you want to see my hair tie?"
Bob retracted his hand and contemplated her for a moment. Chihiro shivered as she was certain that his eyes flashed red for a brief second. He sighed and started to explain.
"That band is woven with the good will and magic of your friends. It was a labor of love and it represents your connection to them. It represents love. And it it a literal connection to a world beyond that of the simply living. It is a powerful artifact and a personal one. It is one of a kind."
Chihiro's hand moved to her ponytail.
"I won't destroy it," Bob said with some exasperation in his voice. "I only want one strand of its thread. Given willingly, if possible."
Chihiro sighed and began undoing her band. "I have no idea what this is all about. I don't want to know."
"That's probably for the best," Bob replied, drawing closer.
Chihiro held up her hair tie to him, but he did not take it. Instead, he gingerly pinched the hair above it with two fingers. It was like he was plucking a hair only he could see. In a small flash of purple light, Chihiro saw one strand from her precious memento wriggle free from the rest of the band. Bob held his other hand open, and it landed in his palm.
He withdrew and then took out from within the folds of his cloak something that wrapped up. Both hands were suddenly wreathed in red lightning. The purple strand grew in length and writhed like a snake. Bob clapped his hands together and there was a roll of thunder.
As electricity continue to visibly course through and around Bob, he spoke again, "Unfortunately, I think that the business that brings me this way will be known in both of your worlds soon enough. This is a war unlike any you could ever imagine. And there is some real irony in saying that! But this! This will take me one step closer to victory!
"Trust me, Chihiro! If the Guardians knew what I was doing, they would turn all their ire against me and kill me! But I will dare to break every rule to see this war through. That is why my order was created! Even death itself will break before me!"
The lightning about his person discharged and flew into the sky. Clouds above became illuminated and grew in size and darkness. The woods became silent. Everything became quiet. And now, there was no doubt about it, there was a red light to his eyes.
Bob threw her a flashlight to her, and spoke one last time to her. "Be safe as you go back to your house. You can return here any time now. They will be waiting for you. And the last gift I give you is this: wholeness. Something I don't have."
He sprouted great, bat-like wings. And with one, furious beat, he took off into the air.
Chihiro was left all alone. Mechanically, she put her hair back up and replaced the band. It felt like she was reattaching a part of herself. And that was a small comfort. The happiness she had just experienced was entirely eclipsed by what she had seen. What she had heard.
She retrieved the flashlight from the ground. After turning it on she made her way shakily back up the hill. And the darkness deepened.