Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ Spirited Love ❯ Lost Hope ( Chapter 1 )

CHAPTER ONE: LOST HOPE

 

Chihiro struggled against the ropes that tied her wrists behind her but finally quit when her struggles began to make the ropes burn. She raised her eyes to the scene before her seeing a stage like platform a chair in the middle of it with a crowd in front of it. She watched as another slave was brought to sit in the chair as the crowd started to yell out numbers. She scanned the crowd looking at the greedy faces of the things that wanted the slave that was in question. Her eyes stopped when they landed on a clearing in the crowd with one man standing in the middle of it. She in hailed a quick breath when she realized that the man looked like an older version of her beloved Kohaku but it couldn't be him he would be over one hundred years old. Her mind started to race as she remembered hearing her captors talk of Haku, the prince. Chihiro figured that the man had to be Haku and not Kohaku but one of descendents. Chihiro remembered the men talking in admiration of how cold and cruel Haku could be and she quickly turned her eyes back to the slave up for auction. She couldn't believe that someone as loving as her Kohaku could have such a mean descendent but if he allowed little alone attended these horrid auctions than maybe some of the rumors were true.

 

Chihiro snapped out of thought as she was roughly pushed forward in line a man asking for her name and she blurted out Sen. Her eyes had widened when she had heard that name come from her lips but then she thought that maybe it was best to be called Sen at least for now. She could hear the crowd roar as the bidding closed for the slave in front of her making her shake all over. She was pushed once again forward but as she was led up the stairs the man in front of her came to a quick stop almost making her hit his back. She raised her head to see why he had stopped and then followed his gaze back to the clearing in the crowd she made contact with a pair of bright green eyes and quickly lowered her gaze staring at the ground. She was shoved back down the stairs hearing the crowd disappointment behind her. She kept her eyes on the ground and gave a slight jump when she heard a man say

"No not that one the prince asked specially for her to be sold to the castle. No I don't know why he just did is all. Go and set her over there and a servant from the castle will be here to get her shortly." She heard some grumbling and was lead over to a small wooden bench were she gladly took a seat. Her head swam with thoughts but quickly quieted them down deciding that the prince probably just needed another servant and from the looks of the other slaves she seemed the healthiest out of all of them.

 

Sen (Chihiro is now going to be called Sen) sat on the hard bench her wrists still tied behind her back, she started to wonder what the castle looked like. She had never seen it before since the spirit worlds head quarters used to be the bath house but that was around 100 years ago and a lot had changed in this world since then. She wondered how she could be so stupid as to forget the time difference between the worlds but then all she really bothered to remember was Kohaku and his promise ten years ago. She started to silently cry not wanting anyone to hear her as she thought of Kohaku and how much she had grown to love him. Her stomach gave a small growl and she blushed lightly she hadn't had anything to eat for hours the last thing she had was a small berry to keep her from disappearing and that was it she had figured she would eat after she found Kohaku but she had been captured and when she remembered the time difference it had been too late. She had tried to reason with her captors but only got some laughs and a rough slap telling her to shut up.

 

Sen was brought back from her thoughts when she noticed that the crowd had quieted down and were starting to break up. She only looked up when a pair of slim legs stood in front of her. Her gaze followed the legs to see a small girl who couldn't be more than fourteen. The girl had a smile on her face as she quickly spoke to the men saying she was there to get the girl. Sen was relieved when she felt her ropes cut and rubbed the wrist of one arm. The girl turned back to Sen Saying

"My name is Leona but you can call me Lee. Please follow me and I will lead you to the castle were you along with me and some others will be working, please try and keep up." and with that Lee started to lead Sen away from the stage and through the crowds. Sen hurried to follow the small girls pace tripping along the way and was relieved when the shops finally gave away to a large bridge not unlike the one in front of the bath house but this one led to a large stone castle.

 

Lee walked over the bridge giving a small wave to the guards at the door. She turned just after the bridge and led the way around the castle and to a small wooden door. She turned to Sen and explained that she should use this door because it was the servant's entrance and to never go through the large gates that was not allowed. Sen nodded a quick yes blurting out that her name was Sen. Lee gave a small warm smile nodding and opening the door into a large kitchen. Sen didn't know why but she seemed to be like a lost kid in front of Lee. She focused her eyes thinking I am lost this isn't the world I used to know even Kohaku is now Haku not the same person or supposedly the same attitude but they looked similar.

 

Sen looked around the busy kitchen in awe there was so much going on at once. She snapped out of her daze when Lee laid a hand on her arm motioning for her to follow. Sen gave one last look around the kitchen and followed Lee out the large wooden door. They came out on the other side into a large stone hallway that seemed some what empty to Sen as her footsteps and Lee's echoed as they started to walk. They soon came to the far side of the castle Sen had felt like she had been walking forever but made no complaint. They walked down a set of stairs and went through the hall Sen noticed that the halls seemed smaller down there. She almost bumped into Lee when she stopped in front of a door. Lee turned to Sen a small smile on her face as she opened the door letting Sen enter first.

 

The room was small with two beds one on each side of the room. Lee explained that she and Sen were to share a room. Sen turned to Lee giving her a smile glad that it was Lee that she had to share a room with and not some stranger. Lee smiled back and reached into a trunk handing Sen a plain grey dress like her own. Sen gave a small thank you holding the dress. Lee said that since she didn't have one of her own yet she would let Sen borrow hers and then continued saying that since it was so late that she wasn't expected to work that night but to be ready to work the next day she then excused herself and returned to whatever work she had left for the night.

 

Sen looked one more time around the room setting noticing that one of the beds was unmade with a set of sheets on it she guessed that it must be hers. She sat at the edge of the bed staring at the dress in her hands she finally set it to the side and got up to make her bed. When she had finished she once again sat on the edge of the bed she didn't know when the tears had started to flow but soon started to sob into her hands. She would never get to see Kohaku and that hurt her more than the thought of her new life in the spirit world. She finally let her hands fall when there were no more tears left to come all her hopes all her dreams were shattered and her world had been filled with grief. She wiped her tears on her arm and sat there in a daze when she thought that if indeed Kohaku was dead than they had to have buried him somewhere.

 

Her eyes focused at that thought and she stood determined to find were she left the room walking till she came to the stairs and traveled out of the castle by way of the kitchen once again. When she stepped out the door her eyes were drawn to a garden out behind the castle and for some reason she turned and headed toward it. She walked her head lowered her eyes on the ground for a long time and soon the flowers gave way to a gravel path. She only raised her eyes when she was greeted by an iron fence she almost gasped when she saw that she had come to a cemetery without even trying to. She gave a weak smile thinking that perhaps Kohaku's spirit had somehow led her there.

 

Sen opened the rusty gate leaving it open as she made her way to the center were a large headstone of a dragon seemed to be she decided that it had to be at least somewhere near the statue. When she was met with the statue the only thing written below it was the name KOHAKU. She couldn't take it anymore she fell to her knees laying herself on top of the cold dirt above where her beloved now rested she sobbed on her arms not even caring when it started to rain. Her quiet voice asking

"Why? Why didn't you keep your promise?" She lay there in the rain on the now muddy grave wanting to die, wanting to join her love but she knew that if she did do that Kohaku would be angry when she did finally meet him. He would be mad that she had so carelessly taken her life when he had worked so hard to get it back for her.

 

And after a while the rain stopped and she laid there still caked in mud the tears no longer coming but the sobs still shook her shoulders. And before long exhausted she passed out no longer caring, all her life all she had ever wanted was to be with Kohaku again and that was no longer possible she would not take her life but she could no longer live it either. She was lonely those past ten years making no friends and her teachers constantly meeting with her parents telling them about the silly stories she preferred to write instead of doing her school work. She hadn't cared because she always remembered Kohaku's promise to her and that he would one day come for her and bring her back to the spirit world where she did belong she just had to wait.

 

And she had waited ten long years and when she could barley remember Kohaku's face she had found herself in front of the tunnel. She had stood there still waiting but finally her face set she entered the tunnel deciding that if he wouldn't come to her than she would find him. When she once again entered the spirit world it had changed and finally she remembered how the first time she had been there for what seemed a month but it had only been three days in the human world. She wanted to hit herself for forgetting such an important thing but she still held hope that Kohaku would be there waiting for her in the bath house thinking that he would never break his promise to her, she took a small berry from a near by bush quickly eating it so that she wouldn't disappear before she could see him. So she had made her way to where the bath house had once stood holding her breath as she crossed the bridge she didn't think anything about it being so quiet because it was still day but when she went to open the door she noticed how the paint had started to peal away and the door was rotting. She gave it a small push jumping back when it fell off of its hinges in a cloud of dust.

 

She had peaked inside not really seeing anything in the darkness so she took a step inside listening for the sound of the boiler but hearing none. Her tears had started then as she gave out a weak cry for Kohaku reminding him of his promise to her and when no reply had come she had dragged her feet to the over grown garden setting down where she had once been placed by her beloved Kohaku. That is were the slave traders had found her in the very place where Kohaku had kept her safely hidden from harm they had grabbed her, tying her hands and knocking her out.

 

Sen now lying passed out on the muddy ground gave a little laugh in her sleep at how ironic it had been. She felt something nudging her side but no longer cared her hopes had finally come to an end at the site of Kohaku's name in stone and there was no way to deny that he had left her. She gave a small grown as she felt a swift kick to her side but she didn't have the strength to open her eyes and see what it was and besides her mind was shattered her heart turned black and she no longer cared what happened to her all she could do was moan Kohaku's name giving away to the blackness once again.