Chihiro's eyes are wide as she takes in the sights around her. The grass is bright green and tickles her toes as she walks barefoot across the plains. She can see Granny's house in the distance, small and sweet just the way she remembers it. She pauses, closing her eyes, as the summer wind blows her hair. She takes in a deep breath, the smell of cherry blossoms fragrant and blooming.
"Sen?" Kaonashi asks, grabbing her shirt sleeve in his hand.
She blinks up at him, cheeks turning bright pink at the obvious concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he whispers.
She nods, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. "I'm nervous, I guess," she replies.
He grabs her hand, lacing their fingers together and smiling in his soft, gentle-natured way. "Don't worry, Sen. Granny's missed you, too. She'll keep us safe for now."
She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Alright, Chihiro. You can do this. You have to. For Haku. He needs you. She reaches for the doorknob and the wood is warm to the touch. "Granny? It's me, Chih- Sen!" she calls out, entering into a dark lit room. A flickering candle is the only source of light, and Chihiro squints against the darkness. Kaonashi lights the lamp and Chihiro screams.
Blood covers the walls, morbidly staining the cheery and brightly painted wood. The loom where her friends had made her hair ribbon lies broken and splintered, the thread in a tangled heap of disarray. Chihiro falls to her knees, a strangled cry ripping itself from her lips as she hits the ground with a thud. She grips her hair in hands, shaking her head back and forth in horror as her eyes search for Zeniba. "Granny? Granny!" she screams, praying she'll answer.
She looks at Kaonashi with wide, tearfilled eyes, heart racing beneath her chest. "What's happening?" she whispers, voice small and full of fear.
He shakes his head, confusion clouding his gaze. "I- " He falls to the ground gripping his throat, eyes bulging. "Ahhh, ahhh."
"Kaonashi? Kaonashi!" Chihiro screams his name, hands trembling as she scrambles over him, slipping in the copious amounts of blood on the floor. "No, please, you have to be okay!"
His face somehow grows even paler, turning a sickly shade of grey as he gasps for breath. "Somethings... wrong here," he manages to get out.
She grabs hold of him, lifting him to his feet. "Then we have to get you out of here." She struggles to drag her friend to the door, a heavy weight suddenly weighing her down, trying to force her back to her knees. She bites her lip, refusing to give up as she continues to tug and pull until they reach the door. Her foot goes to cross the threshold when it slams shut and an evil laughter echos in the room. "No!" she shouts, dropping Kaonashi and tugging at the door. It doesn't budge no matter how hard she pulls. She leans her forehead against it, tears falling down her cheeks. She can hear Kaonashi still gasping for breath behind her. Everything seems hopeless as she rests against Zeniba's door, a dark weight on her shoulders.
Chihiro...
She spins around, eyes wide, trying to find who had whispered her name. "Haku? Haku, are you here?" She shakes her head, still crying. "Oh, Haku, I'm so scared. What do I do?" She looks around and sees a window, bright red blood staining its surface and casting an eerie red glow on the ground. She frowns, looking around the room for a heavy object. Grabbing a piece of the splintered loom, she marches over to the window, jaw set in a hard line. "Don't worry, Kaonashi. I'll get us out of here." She swings with all her might, shattering the glass. It sprays outward and she grins, knocking out the bits that remained on the bottom part of the window. She runs back to grab Kaonashi, heart still pounding. "Come on, you have to help me. I can't lift your weight on my own, okay?"
He nods, gripping her shoulder with his hand, breath coming in ragged pants. Slowly, they make their way over to the window. She bends low, linking her fingers together as he places a slippered foot against her palms. With a hefty grunt, she struggles to push her friend up and out the window, legs shaking under his weight. With a final "oomph" she hears him tumble to the grass. She looks over, and frowns to see him covered in tiny cuts from the shattered glass on the ground. He gives her a weak smile, though, breath coming normally.
She breathes a sigh of relief. "You're going to be okay," she whispers, before pulling herself on the window and falling out into Kaonashi's waiting arms.
"Sen?" he asks, cradling her in his grasp, brows furrowed as he looks down at her. His body is warm as he holds her and she can feel her cheeks heating up in response.
She shifts, motioning for him to put her down. "I'm fine," she mumbles, glancing back at the house as her feet touch the grass. "But what about Granny? Do you think she's okay?"
Kaonashi lifts his gaze to look toward the horizon before letting out a soft sigh. "I don't know."
And that's the only answer either of them have. We're all alone now. How are we going to save Haku without Granny?
Unfettered rage pulses through Yubaba's body, boiling hot under her skin. She paces her opulent office, fire pouring from her mouth, which is opened in a snarl. "You may have one last time, Sen, but you won't defeat me so easily this time." She glances over at Bôh's now empty room and her rage doubles as she screams. Her bouncing green heads flinch at the sound and she throws her bucket of gold pieces at the wall, heart thundering like a rampaging bull.
That filthy human had taken everything from her. "Come to the bathhouse, Sen. I'm waiting for you." She whispers the words, but the magic behind them is loud and fierce, like a freight train blaring in dead silence.
Haku lets out a sigh, his wrists sore and bleeding from the chafing of the hard metal chains. His stomach rumbles, hunger tearing at his senses. As hopelessness overwhelms him, his eyes flutter close. In his dreams, he can see her again. Her smile is like the sun, beautiful and strong. In his dreams, he holds her, watches her eat onigiri again, only this time she's smiling instead of crying. Her skin is soft as a flower petal against his fingertips, a blissful dream he can never have.
The dungeon is dark and lonely and he whispers her name again, a broken prayer lost to night.
Chihiro walks with Kaonashi along the broken, rusted railroad tracks. Vines twist in and out of the metal ties. "How long ago did the train stop running?" Chihiro asks, shivering in the sun's dying light.
Kaonashi looks straight ahead, unblinking. "I'm not sure. It seems like it's always been this way."
Did Lin ever ride the train, escape the bathhouse? She wonders, but the question dies before she can utter it. She's too afraid the answer might be "no." She rubs her hands up and down her arms, a coldness sinking into her skin. I want to go home. But she can't. She never can. She's here forever now, whether or not she saves Haku. Her mind drifts to him, remembering the way his hands felt so warm in hers as they fell from the sky, hearts linked by an unexplainable bond. She falters as her heart skips a beat, tears falling from her large brown eyes again. She drops to her knees, covering her face with her hands.
A warm hand rests on her back, rubbing in small circles. "Sen?" Kaonashi murmurs, voice hesitant.
"Oh, Kaonashi. What if we can't save Haku? I'm so scared something terrible's happened to him," she explains through her tears.
His arms wrap around her in a tender embrace as he whispers into her hair. "We'll find a way, Sen. Because you want to, we'll find a way."
She clings to him as she cries, fear and exhaustion taking over. His arms are warm and comforting, holding her tightly in his grasp. Her murmurs reassuring words in to her ear as they sit there together in the tall grasses, a tangle of legs and limbs. His lips press the softest of kisses to the top of her head. She sniffs, pulling back and wiping the tears from her face. "Kaonashi, you're so kind to comfort me like this."
He just smiles, touching her cheek with his hand as they sit, barely a breath apart. "We should find somewhere to camp for the night, before the water comes in," he replies.
She nods, returning his smile. "Yes, you're right. I can't sit here crying all night, or we'll never save Haku."
His smile slips a little at her words before forming again. "Right. Come on, Sen." He rises to his feet and reaches for her hand. "Let's save Haku."