DISCLAIMER: The flashback scene written in italics is word for word from the American version of the movie Spirited Away. I do not own it and I did not come up with it, I only thought it was necessary as Chihiro (or Sen) begins to recover more of her memories. That scene is alllllll Hayao Miyazaki's. :)
When she finally came to, Sen opened her eyes to see a small green frog staring down at her surrounded by the warm colors of dusk. She was desperately trying to remember what happened, but before she could put the pieces together, the frog spoke again.
"Are you alright?"
"Gahh!" Sen shouted, jumping up and shoving herself away from the talking frog. Now she remembered why she fainted.
"Please, Sen. Calm down," The frog said. "Don't you remember me?"
She furrowed her brow as she pulled her legs into her chest, "I think I would remember a talking frog wearing a jinbei shirt."
He laughed a high-pitched, nasally laugh as he hopped closer to her, "I can't say I'm surprised. After all, you haven't seen me for 13 years. And even then we only met a few times."
"13…" Sen calculated. "You're saying I met you when I was 10? But how can that be? I don't remember… much from when I was that age."
"And didn't you ever think that was strange? That you had memories before you were 10 and after, but not so much in between? Didn't you wonder where it all went?" The frog titled his head as he questioned her. "Didn't you ever want to know why?"
Sen felt those elusive things tugging at the edges of her consciousness again. She did wonder all those things and she desperately wanted to know why she lost such a large portion of her memories. She wanted it all.
But something about this frog was setting alarm bells off in her head.
"Who are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
The frog stood and bowed majestically, "I am Aogaeru, servant of the Bath House of the Spirits."
"S… spirits?" She repeated. "Like ghosts?"
He shook his head, "No, no. Spirits are just… well, the beings of the Spirit world; much like humans are the beings of this world. There are good one and bad ones as well, just like humans. And we servants of the Bath House make it our job to replenish the spirits who are weary or weak."
Sen took this all in, "Okay… so let's say I believe you. How did we meet then?"
Aogaeru shook his head again, "Ah, Sen I'm sure you are full of questions, but I'm not allowed to answer them." At the disappointment and sadness that crossed Sen's face, the frog added very quickly, "But I know someone who can."
Her head snapped up, "Really? Who?!"
A sinister expression flashed across the frog spirit's green face, "Yubaba, the witch who rules the Bath House."
Sen hesitated, frightened by the devilish look that overtook the small frog's face when he spoke the name of the woman who could help her.
As quickly as his face changed, it changed right back again. He smiled, "She is very powerful, so she might be able to lift whatever spell was put on you. Then you would have your memories back."
"Wait a second. You think someone put a spell on me to take away my memories?"
He shrugged, "Only Yubaba could say for sure. But if I had to guess, I would say so."
Sen's shoulders slumped, overwhelmed by all the new information she was getting, "I don't understand. Why would someone...? What did I ever…? How did they…?"
Aogaeru hopped over to her and put his hands on her knee, "I can take you to Yubaba. She is kind and generous, never turning down someone in need. She is the only spirit powerful enough to help you find the answers you're looking for."
Sen's sadness quickly turned to anger. Someone had taken away her memories. Someone knew why she was the way she was now. Someone made her this way. And she definitely intended to find out who.
"Aogaeru, take me to Yubaba," she said with a firm determination. "If she's the only one who can help me, then I want to meet her."
He smiled wickedly, "She will be pleased to see you again."
...
High above the ground, among the green canopy that the Momiji and Matsu trees provided, flew a bird with the body of a crow and the head of an old woman. It glided slowly through the nighttime air as it followed Sen and Aogaeru. The bird circled lower, ensuring it didn't lose the two traveling companions as they walked through the forest. She had been following the two for miles now, growing more and more vigilant as they came closer to the Spirit Gate. Aogaeru had finally done his job.
The bird blinked twice, opening a channel through which her master could see into the human world. In this state, her eyes acted as her master's eyes.
"So, he finally found her," an old woman with a gravelly voice said in the bird's head as she looked down. "Perfect. I can't wait to see the look on Haku's face when she comes walking through our doors again."
The bird made a soft cawing sound, low enough that the two below her would not hear.
Her master paused, hearing the sound she made, "Do not toy with me, Yu-bird. I've waited for this for 13 years."
Yu-bird cawed softly again.
Her master took a long drag on a cigarette, "No memories of this place, you say? Well, well that certainly is something new. Aogaeru had his suspicions about that."
Once again, she cawed.
There was a long chuckle, "No, no Yu-bird. The fact that little Chihiro doesn't remember anything of this place is all the better. I will crush Haku with this. I will manipulate that little brat's feeble mind until she hates Haku and it will tear him apart. And then, when I have taken everything from him, I will make her my apprentice and she can do with Haku whatever she wishes. That will teach him to make a fool out of me in front of my Bath House and to steal what is mine. She was my best worker, after all."
Yu-bird then felt the channel to her master close behind her eyes.
...
After walking through what seemed like miles of forest, Aogaeru finally stopped in front of a large tunnel. In the moonlight, Sen could see that the red paint was peeling and chipping away, and vines were growing up the sides. Directly in the middle of the entrance was a small, egg-shaped statue of a creature that was smiling at all who approached. There was not a sound other than the forest for miles.
"Beyond this tunnel is the Spirit world," the frog told her. "Are you ready?"
She took a deep breath, readying herself to answer him. But before she could, something deeply buried within the recesses of her mind flashed before her eyes.
10 year-old Chihiro and her parents were standing in front of the red tunnel, her father admiring the peeling red paint boldly.
"This building's not old, it's fake," he said, running his hands across the paint. "These stones are just made of plaster."
The wind howled through the tunnel and pushed at Chihiro's back as if to usher her inside.
"The wind's pulling us in," she said.
"What is it?" Her mother asked.
"Come on, let's go in. I wanna see what's on the other side," her father suggested excitedly.
"I'm not going," Chihiro whined. "It gives me the creeps."
He looked down at her, smiling, "Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Chihiro. Let's just take a look."
Her mother was unconvinced, "The movers will get to our house before we do."
"It's alright. They've got the keys. They can start without us."
"…Alright, just a quick look."
Chihiro clinged to her father's arm, "Forget it. I'm not going!" She darted back to the car. "Come on, you guys. Let's get out of here."
Her father smiled like he always did, "Come on honey. It'll be fun."
"I'm not going!" She shouted again.
"Chihiro, just wait in the car then," her mother said.
"But mom!" Chihiro cried as her parents began walking down the tunnel. She stood there alone for a brief moment before changing her mind. "Wait for me!"
She held tightly to her mother's arm when her father turned to them, "Everybody watch your step."
"Chihiro, don't cling like that. You'll make me trip."
The three of them made their way down the tunnel until they came out into an old room filled with benches and water fountains.
"What is this place?" Chihiro asked.
Her mother put a hand to her ear as there was rumbling in the distance, "Oh, do you hear that?"
"It sounds like a train!" Her 10 year-old voice chimed.
"We must be near a train station."
Her father began walking again, "Come on, let's go check it out."
When they emerged from the plaster building, they were at the edge of a beautiful rolling green meadow, with grass so high it almost covered the numerous egg-shaped statues that matched the one at the front of the tunnel. In the distance, they could see a cluster of buildings like a small town.
"What are those weird buildings?" Chihiro asked.
"I knew it. It's an abandoned theme park. See?" He gestured above them, towards the uppermost part of the building they had just come out of, which was topped with a large pagoda-like clock. "They built them everywhere in the early '90s. Then the economy went bad and they all went bankrupt. This must be one of them."
Her parents began to walk toward the cluster of buildings when Chihiro panicked again, "Where are you going? You said just a quick look! Now let's go back!" When they ignored her, she yelled again. "Hey!"
The wind whipped leaves at Chihiro's back, once again ushering her further into the meadow.
"Sen! Sen!" Something small was smacking her kneecap. "Sen! Are you alright?"
Sen blinked a few times before remembering where she was. She looked down to see the frog staring up at her in confusion. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, Aogaeru I just… I think I just had a memory from my first time here."
His eyes widened, almost enough to look concerned, "You did?"
She nodded, "I came through this tunnel with my parents. On the other side there's a large green meadow… and a cluster of buildings in the distance. …That's all I remembered, though."
He tugged on her ankle anxiously, "Well then, it looks like we brought you to the right place! Now let's get go before the Spirit Gate closes again. I wouldn't want you to miss your chance to see Yubaba!"
Sen's racing heart slowed itself as she followed Aogaeru through the red tunnel. Something about this place just felt right.
She was home.