Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ Where I Belong ❯ Explination ( Chapter 2 )

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Disclaimer- I don't own Spirited Away Miyazaki does.

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Last time—

Rin looked like she'd be going into shock if she'd been human. “S-sen? Wha- H- how?” Intelligent conversation seemed to be beyond Rin's capability at the moment but she ran to join in the hug clearly ecstatic to see her friend who'd been like a sister to her.

Now—

Words were impossible at the moment. Chihiro felt herself start to cry with happiness and realized she wasn't the only one with tears falling down her face. Rin finally seemed to recover slightly because she formed several sentences. “Sen what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy you're here.. But the gate isn't open. I don't know if we can get you back to the human world again!” Rin was out of breath by the time she stopped speaking and was shocked when the tiny human began laughing somewhat bitterly.

“You don't have to worry about getting me home Rin. I'm here to stay this time.” It's not as if I have anywhere else I could go. Chihiro thought as she stopped laughing.

“Wait…what do you mean you're staying? You're human you don't belong in the spirit world” Kamaji had apparently recovered as the question came from him.

“I'm not going back. There isn't anything for me in that world anymore. I have no reason to stay.” Chihiro looked dead calm as she said this all emotion gone from her face. The change shocked both her friends for a moment and Chihiro suppressed the flood of miserable feelings that threatened to make her cry.

“B-but Sen it's your home! What about your parents and friends? You can't just leave them they would worry!” Kamaji sounded as if he was convincing himself she had to go rather than convincing her. He obviously wanted her to stay. Chihiro was about to attempt a calm explanation of how her parents died and she had no friends but any restraint she had on her tears fell away and she began to sob.

Her hopeless sobbed explanations were not understood and after the hundredth time her friends told her to calm down that it would be okay she snapped and began to shout. “I don't have parents they died and it's all my fault!” Her guilt regarding ignoring her strange feelings came through as she blamed herself. After the outburst she began to cry again and with her slightly shocked and very confused friends comforting her she fell into a very uncomfortable but needed sleep.

Hours later Chihiro woke up to the methodic sounds of Kamaji at work. Rin was nowhere in sight and Chihiro blushed as she remembered her outrageous behavior earlier. She sent herself a mental note to apologize when she got a chance. “Kamaji?” her voice was small and unsure. What if her was angry?

“I see you're up. Are you feeling better?” He looked at her concern lacing her features and she decided to ask for his forgiveness before she began to cry again.

“I'm okay. Kamaji, I'm really sorry about earlier. It's just that I… I can't believe they're gone.” Silent tears dripped down her face yet again.

“When Rin comes would you mind telling us why and how you're here?” Kamaji's question was just that a question. He wasn't going to demand anything from her if she didn't want to give and explanation he wouldn't make her. She was positive Rin would be more than a little more forceful. Just as she was about to answer the woman her thoughts had been on climbed through the door.

“Sen you're awake. That's good. Yubabaa is throwing a fit. She can feel a new presence in the bathhouse but she can't tell who or what it is. Oh! Hey why don't you smell like a human?”

“I don't know that goes along with the warning feelings I got in the human world, the fact that I didn't get a single scratch in the killing car crash, how I got through a sealed gate to the spirit world, and why I haven't gone see-through even though I haven't eaten anything. By the way I want to apolagize for my behavior earlier. I was distraught.” She hung her head in shame.

“Well I don't know anything about magics so you'll have t ask Yubabaa when you see her but how about that talk I asked you about?” Kamaji reminded her that she owed them an expination.

“Okay well I'm just going to sum it up. When I went back to the human world I didn't make any friends. I wanted to come back so much and I missed you guys so much that I wasn't interested in befriending the other kids. I started taking traditional fecing lessons and was practically obsessed with walking in the woods where the gate is in my world. Then a year passed like that and yesterday my parents were killed in a car crash that didn't even mark me. I'd had a bad feeling all day but I ignored it. If I'd listened to my instincts nothing would have happened. It's all my fault,” Chihiro chocked a sob and forced herself to continue after a deep breath. “I woke up in the hospital and once I ran away I ended up in frount of the gate so I came here.” She was tetering on the edge of another breakdown but she controlled herself and waited for the spirits who were like a sister and grandfather to her to respond.

“Sen I'm so sorry for your loss and I swear if we'd known the human world would have been so bad for you we wouldn't have let you go!” now Rin was crying hopelessly and Chihiro started to comfort her.

“Sen you're welcome to stay with us we'll be your family.” Kamaji looked at Chihiro with a sad smile and she hugged him whispering “Thank you Grampa”

“Hey I wanna be in your family too!” Rin laughed and joined the hug.

“I've always wanted a sister. You two sure you can be family with the human?” Chihiro surprised herself by smiling with joy. The spirits had always been like family to her but it would be nice to actually call them that.

“Oh!” Rin screeched, “For spirit's sake I forgot! Chihiro we need to get you a job I'll take you to see Yubabaa! Come on!” with that Rin literally dragged her from the room. The gesture was much less graceful than when Kohaku had dragged her through the garden her first time here. That was like flying this… well this was like dragging. Thinking of Kohaku the question passed her lips before she thought about it.

“Hey Rin where's Kohaku?” The second it came out she cringed Rin was smirking. Not a good sign. Smirk equals teasing.

“Oh asking about lover boy are we? Well I hate to tell you this but he literally flew off a few hours before you got here. Something about a dam being gone and coming to visit the next water solstice. When I asked the forman he said the dragon finally got his river back. I have no idea how that happened but-“ Chihiro cut her off slightly smiling.

“I know”

“You now what?” Rin was confused with the self-satisfied smile playing across her little sister's mouth. Happiness was the last reaction she thought her teasing would get.

“I know how he go his river back.” She was grinning like a fool by this time and they had just gotten to the top of the stairs when Rin grabbed her arm to hopefully get a better answer out of her.

“How would you know? You've been in the human world for a year. Did Kamaji tell you something I didn't hear? Spill it already!” Rin was even more confused as Chihiro started to laugh slightly.

“I would hope I know how he got his river back given I'm responsible for it. I would hate to go through all that preservation paperwork only to forget I got the Kohaku river restored.” She laughed harder as Rin's mouth dropped open.

“Wait- you restored his river?” Rin couldn't take it in how could the little human do anything so monumental?

“I got the town to preserve the river and take down all the apartments and dams. Well what else was I supposed to do? I didn't have social life.” Rin was still staring at her so she said “um… shouldn't I be getting to Yubabaa's?”

“Oh yeah! Yubabaa. Let's go.” They would talk about this later Rin was sure of it.

They made the rest of the trip to the top floor in silence and Rin flashed her a thumbs up when she left the elevator to knock on the door remembering not to use the annoying door knocker that would no doubt yell at her. The familiar sensation of the door flinging open and being dragged inside to the office by the magical hand ended as she was dumped in front of the little old hag that was Yubabaa.

“Chihiro?!” Yubabaa was clearly shocked and it was a full minuet aster Chihiro nodded in confirmation that Yubabaa could speak again. “What are you doing here? You realize I could stick you in the pig pen right now!”

“I'd like a job please.” She had on her emotionless mask as she spoke. The spirit no longer scared her but she needed this job so she had to remain respectful.

“You know I have to hire you but I'll make sure you can't leave this time you are aware of this am I correct.” Yubabaa snapped clearly agitated.

“I plan to stay here so do I have the job?” Chihiro wanted to leave the office as soon as possible.

“Yes you have the job. Your name is Sen again, you'll work with Rin and on top of that you will accompany Bou to his aunt's house once a week.”

Chihiro signed the contract that appeared in front of her and smiled. “Thank you!” she said as she left to find Rin. This would be great! Work was going to be hard but she had toughened up since her last visit here and she was excited to Bou again. She'd missed him too. There was no one working given it was daylight so Chihiro, Sen once agin, ran towards the room she'd once shared with Rin only to run head on into her as she rounded the corner.

Afetr Rin whispered a profanity and glared at Sen she asked, “so how'd it go?”

“Great! I'm working with you and I get to go to Zeniba's with bou once a week. This will be great!”

“Work tonight wont be great uneless you come get some sleep. There's a mat out for you in the corner by the balcony. I'll wake you up fpr our shift tonight. Sweet dreams little sister!” With that Rin laid down and Chihiro found her mat. Seconds after she lied down sleep claimed her.

 

Next Chapter—

Chihiro begins work and gets back into a routine. Warning Ch 3 will have a time jump.