Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ The Winds of Fate ❯ Reality Knocking ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away. Any perverse bastardations of the canon can be blamed solely on me.

 

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Chapter 1

 

Reality Knocking

 

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She watched the scene play out in front of her. It was as if none of the people could see her. It was always like that. The same familiar figures came into view in the familiar setting. It was a bathhouse of sorts. A brunette woman with a sharp tongue was scrubbing a tub. How did she know the woman had a sharp tongue? She wasn't sure, but she knew it to be true as she watched the woman go on with her work. A few minutes later, she rose from the tub, having finished cleaning it, and headed out into the hallway.

 

She almost ran into a young man with black hair - it almost seemed to be tinted with green as it shone under the lights; yes, his hair shone. After composing themselves, the two figures exchanged words. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she felt she knew the young man somehow. There was something about him that drew her gaze to him. There was more to him than met the eye, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She found herself unable to move her gaze from his handsome face. She never was able to do it on her own.

 

A sudden chill seemed to fill the bathhouse as an aged woman - the caretaker of the bathhouse; somehow she knew that as well - who held much more than met the eye as well sauntered into the main room. The young man and woman stopped speaking to watch the woman, as did all the other workers in the room. The woman then proceeded to speak. The young man made a face while the young woman groaned. Obviously the caretaker had brought less than wonderful news.

 

The aged woman left the room and the workers looked around at each other for a moment before scattering back to work. The young man and woman exchanged parting words before heading in opposite directions. There was work to be done yet before the guests began to arrive it seemed. And the overseer was having none of the workers slacking off.

 

Somehow she knew that was the kind of personality the overseer had. She knew she was very passionate about her business and would do anything to make a profit. She also knew the older woman was not one to be messed with. She was hiding some great power; a power she held over her workers, that much was apparent. And somehow, she knew that. She knew what the workers felt when the woman walked into the room. It felt like she had experienced the same feeling before.

 

But how did she know that?

 

Her eyes moved not of her own accord to a window. Looking out, she watched as a graceful glowing figure flew off into the night. It was a dragon. She knew the dragon. She knew its grace and its poise as it flew through the sky. It was truly a magnificent creature. And it was more free than it had ever been before.

 

But how could she know that?

 

She just did.

 

The chirping of birds assaulted Chihiro's ears as the sounds drifted through the open drapes of her bedroom window. Unable to stand the morning calls of the birds, the seventeen year old girl slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times before everything came back into focus. She sat up in bed and rested her face in her hands. She had been dreaming again. That dream. She just couldn't remember what it had been about. She just knew that it had been pleasant and that she really hadn't wanted to wake up.

 

She rolled over and looked at the clock on her bedside table. 4:47 a.m. Blinking a few more times, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed and rose. Quickly she threw on a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Her parents wouldn't be up for at least another couple of hours and then the same room would be alive with the sounds and smells of cooking food. But until then, it was peaceful.

 

Chihiro grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a large gulp before setting it back down on the counter. She then headed for the front door, pausing only to slip on her running shoes, and took off running from her front porch.

 

This was a ritual for her every morning since she was young. Since they had moved, she had always felt a strange urge to head to the same spot. When she was young, she had run her hardest to get to the spot, only to find herself winded or tripping down the forest hill. So she had taken up jogging to it each morning. She had tried not to go a few times, but she had become so worried by the end of the day that she couldn't sleep until she actually went and saw it for herself.

 

Half an hour later she arrived at her desired destination. Coming down the steep hill from her house through the forest path, she slowed down at the sight of a tunnel and a small statue guarding the entrance. She pulled up at the statue and looked at it, panting slightly from her run. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow before kneeling next to the stone figure. She touched the statue, as if to make sure that it was truly there. Satisfied that it was there for the day, she looked up at the tunnel and frowned. She still didn't know why she felt such a strong urge to come to this place every day. But something inside her always felt a little better once she saw that the statue was there, as though she needed a daily reminder.

 

With one last look for the statue and her worries abated for the day, she rose, turned, and began the arduous trek back up the hill towards her house.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

The clocks were chiming for the arrival of the six o'clock hour as Chihiro opened the front door and slipped off her running shoes. Taking in a deep breath, Chihiro headed into the kitchen and picked up her already opened bottle of water. She grabbed the bottle and headed back upstairs to get ready for the day.

 

Turning on the water in the shower, Chihiro took another deep sip of water. Sighing, she studied herself in the mirror. The seventeen year old looking back at her suddenly seemed unfamiliar to her. Who was this girl she had grown into? And when had it happened? Something about it seemed odd.

 

But she didn't have time to worry about such trivial matters as the passage of time. Stripping off her sweaty jogging clothes, she stepped into the shower and exhaled deeply as the warm water cascaded over her body. She closed her eyes and her thoughts turned to the day in front of her.

 

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Chihiro walked down the stairs for breakfast, tying her slightly damp hair back as she went. She was using the same hair tie she had gotten just after she had moved. She couldn't remember where she had gotten it, only that it was very important to her. She was amazed by the fact that it still shone brightly after nearly eight years of use. But, like her morning run, she needed to use it on a daily basis for some reason. She became agitated if she was without it for extended periods of time and couldn't explain the reason. So she had gotten used to wearing it either in her hair or on her wrist every day.

 

She entered the kitchen and was immediately greeted by the familiar smells of breakfast. Her father sat at the head of the table, reading the morning newspaper. Her parents looked up at her entrance and greeted her.

 

“Good morning, Chihiro,” from her father.

 

“Good morning, sweetie,” from her mother.

 

“Good morning,” she replied, nodding to both her parents.

 

“Have a good run?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Her mother placed a bowl of cereal and some toast in front of her and she smiled appreciatively.

 

“Do you have anything going on at school today?” her father asked. “Any tests?”

 

Chihiro shook her head. “No. It should be a normal day for once. I'm ready for all the excitement to be over.” Tests and projects had been taking up much of her time for the last few weeks and she had been really stressed out. But they were finally over.

 

“You have been very busy,” her mother said, sitting down at her place at the table.

 

“But it's all over now,” Chihiro said with a shrug. “I can get back to spending time with my friends now.”

 

“Glad to hear it,” her father said approvingly.

 

It had taken her a little while to make new friends when they had first moved, because she had kept to herself, though now Chihiro couldn't remember why that was. But by the time she had reached junior high, she had made friends and her parents couldn't have been happier. They had worried when she wasn't making friends at first, but their concern had faded as Chihiro had made more and more friends.

 

She finished up her breakfast and rose from the table. “I better get going or I'll be late for school,” she told her parents.

 

“Alright, have a good day,” her mother called after her.

 

Chihiro grabbed her bag, slipped into her shoes, and headed out the front door. She meandered down the sidewalk in the familiar route towards her high school. Along the way, she would undoubtedly meet her best friends Natsuki and Kara. They had been her first friends in junior high; they had approached her when none of the other students took any interest in the `loner girl.' They had been the impetus that had caused her to open up more to her peers and soon after meeting them, she had belonged to a full circle of friends, her wish to be alone long forgotten in her newfound happiness.

 

But despite this new joy, there was a nagging feeling that persisted in the back of Chihiro's mind; the feeling of not belonging. How she could not belong where she was was a mystery to Chihiro as she had no idea where else she could belong. When she had confided this feeling to her friends, they had teased her, saying that maybe she belonged in a fairy tale, as she was always caught doodling sketches of dragons in the margins of her papers and was often found staring out the window with a faraway look in her chocolate brown eyes. Maybe, her friends teased, she was a princess meant to be rescued by a handsome samurai only to be whisked away into a world of magic.

 

Chihiro had laughed alongside her friends, but the feeling had persisted to nag her. And she had continued to dream those mysterious dreams that always fell from her grasp like smoke on the wind.

 

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Dear Journal,

 

I dreamt again last night. I still can't remember of what, but I had that dream again. I just wish I could remember why it is such a comforting and familiar feeling dream. As always after having the dream, I woke up feeling more refreshed for the day, though my friends caught me daydreaming again during class and while we worked on homework after school. When I looked at my math assignment I found I had drawn another dragon. I don't even remember doing it, as usual. It's such a weird feeling. My friends still tease me and I try to take it in stride, but sometimes I really feel like I belong somewhere else. Where that is, I have no idea, but the feeling just won't leave me alone.

 

It makes me sad to think that I don't belong with my family and friends whom I love very much. But my feelings are just something they don't understand. Mom still says it's a phase that everyone goes through and eventually gets over. But how can I be going through a phase that has lasted for seven and some years?

 

Maybe I belong where we used to live, though my memories of all my old friends are fuzzy. I was young when we moved and I can hardly remember living there except for the pictures that I have. Somehow, I don't think that's it. But where then?

 

Anyway, all the tests and projects are finally over so I have some more time to relax with my friends. Though lately, all I've felt like doing after school is curling up with a good book - a fantasy book at that.

 

The statue was there again today. I was really relieved. I still don't know why I need to see that ugly thing everyday. My hair tie still hasn't broken. I think if it ever did, I'd cry and I have no idea why. What I would do if the statue was gone, I don't know. It seems silly to worry over a stone statue in an abandoned part of the woods, but I just can't stop thinking about it.

 

That's all for today.

 

Chihiro

 

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The same familiar figures came into view in the familiar setting. It was a bathhouse of sorts. A brunette woman with a sharp tongue was washing the floor around a large tub with several other women. They were all dressed in the same salmon-colored work outfit. They moved effortlessly across the floor with their rags and the floor shone behind them. With all of them working together, the task was soon complete. The brunette woman dropped her rag into the tub of water and wiped her brow.

 

She then maneuvered her way through the maze-like bathhouse and ended up in the kitchens. She said something to one of the cooks - a very inhuman looking creature - and was given some sort of pail. She took it and made her way through a different route of the bathhouse - one that felt very familiar. Moving through the baths and into the basement, the woman came upon a sliding door and opened it and slid into the boiler room.

 

She said something and proffered and plate and the Boiler Man took the plate in one hand and gave an empty one with another hand, his arms stretching to impossible distances - and yet, it was normal.

 

The woman blinked when a new figure came into view, sitting on the edge of the wooden floor. It was the young man with black hair that shone in the light. The woman walked over next to him and dropped some colorful candies onto the ground and small black masses - soot balls?! - swarmed around and began to eat them. She emptied the pail of the candies before setting it down and turning to speak with the young man while the soot balls squeaked in delight at their meal.

 

They spoke for awhile; the Boiler Man added something every now and then before the brunette woman jumped. She waved a hasty goodbye and sped from the boiler room as if she had somewhere she needed to be.

 

She sped through the bathhouse until she ran into a frog. The frog spoke to her and the woman made some irritated gestures before scooting around him and hurrying on her way. She started to slow when she tripped, landing on her back. Rubbing her bottom, she looked up to see the overseer of the bathhouse looking down at her. She grinned sheepishly while the elderly woman looked irritated.

 

Chihiro woke with a start. Her room was still dark; moonlight was spilling through her open curtains. She blinked and looked at her clock. 2:18 a.m. She sighed, knowing she had just had the dream again. She racked her brain, trying to remember something of what had happened and who the people were in it, but she couldn't quite grasp the memories. They felt like they were covered in oil and whenever she tried to grab them, the slipped from her grasp. It was frustrating.

 

Resigning herself to forgetting the dreams, she lay back down and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Haku, I need to speak with you!

 

The dragon blinked at the summons in his head and sighed. He rose from his sitting position in the boiler room and bade his farewell to Kamaji. He had asked Lin not to tell anyone of his return, but it figured that Yubaba would have sensed it, whether or not Lin had said anything.

 

Fine, I'm coming. But you could ask a little more politely.

 

This is important. There is no time for niceties.

 

But there is time to argue over them? This amused Haku slightly and it must have shown in his retort.

 

Just come to my office.

 

Haku blinked. Something must be up if the old witch sounded as irritated as she did. Little tended to bother her, unless it had to do with losing profit, and the bathhouse had been making record profits for the last several years - since Chihiro had been at the bathhouse. Haku felt a slight pang of sadness at this but forced it down. She was back where she belonged and was happy. He had used some of his power to track her and she seemed to be doing well. Her memories of her time at the bathhouse had faded and, while it panged the dragon that she had forgotten him, he knew it was better this way. A human had no business in the Spirit World.

 

Pushing thoughts of the human girl from his mind, Haku made his way through the maze of the bathhouse with relative ease as the crowds all made room for him as he strode quickly. The bathhouse workers knew to get out of his way when he strode as he was now. He had somewhere to be and anything to keep him from getting there would pay the price of his displeasure.

 

Even the machines seemed to work a little more fluidly when Haku was in a hurry. As Haku rode the elevator up to the top story, it rose more quickly than normal. Haku smiled to himself; being a powerful spirit did have its advantages.

 

Stepping out of the elevator once he reached his destination, the dragon made his way purposefully through the maze of hallways and doorways that led to Yubaba's office. He entered the familiar office and the elderly witch looked up at him.

 

“About time,” she grumbled.

 

Haku raised an eyebrow and she pursed her lips.

 

Sorry, she bit off telepathically.

 

“Accepted. Now what is going on?” Haku said curtly.

 

“Something is moving in the Spirit World,” the witch replied.

 

“Moving?”

 

“Something dark.”

 

Haku blinked. Now that he thought about it, there was an ominous feeling on the air. “What do you think it is?” he asked.

 

“I don't know. But I don't like it,” Yubaba said.

 

“And you think it poses a risk to the bathhouse,” Haku said. It was not a question.

 

Yubaba shrugged. “It's a definite possibility. There hasn't been a battle on these grounds in centuries, but…”

 

“But considering what this place was originally built as, it could be a target for something,” Haku finished.

 

Yubaba nodded. “Something is gathering in Spirit World. I can feel it. I'm sure you've felt it. And I'm sure even my sister has felt it. The winds are changing and there is a foul scent on the air.”

 

“The scent of evil.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What do you want to do about it?”

 

“Nothing yet. There is no proof that anything is coming. I just don't like the premonitions,” Yubaba replied. Spirits were very superstitious, witches and wizards often even more so than average spirits.

 

Haku nodded thoughtfully. “I'll take a trip and see what I can find out. If something is indeed coming, I have some sources that will know of it. I'll head out tomorrow.”

 

“How long will you be gone?”

 

“A week at most.”

 

Yubaba nodded.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

The darkest recesses of the Spirit World were the home of the foulest creatures that inhabited either of the worlds. The sky was always a foul orange color and lightning was always flashing while thunder cracked constantly. Only the most evil of spirits dared to dwell in these anarchic wastelands. Other spirits that dared to venture into these desolate parts were never seen again. Rarely enough of their bodies was left to give evidence that they had ever been there in the first place.

 

No, most spirits did not dare come near these parts. In these lands, the demons dwelt.

 

And it was in these parts that the demons now began to gather once more as they had thousands of years before. The last time the demons had gathered as they had now, a great war had torn across the Spirit World and had even stretched into the Human World. For hundreds of years, the demons and spirits had fought until the demons were driven back and exiled to their current lands.

 

Never ones to forget an old grudge, the demons began to gather once again.

 

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