Spirited Away 2: The Return of Chihiro | ✓

KAO

"How did you get here?" She asked me as we sat down on the train. "To being a spirit, I mean."

I just stared at her blankly. I had never been able to tell anyone my story, and now that I have the opportunity, I didn't know where to start, especially here with Chihiro. Would she judge me because of what happened in my human life? As the cart shook and moved forward, I took a deep breath and begun. 

"It all started in Louisiana 1938, Mardi Gras. Some buddies of mine went in disguises; I went as a ghost. The mask and cloak I have? All of it, from that night. We got really drunk when we got there, and after seeing girls flashing for beads, we completely lost it, including me. I was literally like a whole other person. I was such a horny bastard! 

"Well, my friends ditched me, and my drunken sexual self was alone in one of the largest festivals in America. I was walking around near the Mississippi River when I tripped over some rocks and fell in. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't swim, so I drowned. A terrible death, really. 

"When I opened my eyes, I was in the mask and in front of glowing figures I couldn't make out. I tried to take off the mask, but it was stuck on my face. My hands were translucent, and my body was the cloak I was in before I died. I tried to ask what was going on, but all that came out were soft moans. The figures in front of me explained that I was now a spirit, a faceless spirit, since they couldn't identify me. And.. that was it."

I looked up at Chihiro. Her face was filled with shock and fear, but also sorrow. I had never seen that before on her. 

"What?" I questioned, running my fingers through my hair. "You're judging me, aren't you?"

She shook her head. 

"No," she said. "I just... I feel so sorry for you. You've been through so much, and for such a long time, you've been mute and misunderstood."

"Yeah, it was hard," I admitted, giving her a smile, "but you, Chihiro, when you came along, you gave me hope. You saw through me. You didn't see the monster that I was. You didn't see No-Face. You saw.."

"Kao," she finished. "I saw Kao."

For the first time in a long time, I felt a heartbeat inside my chest. Not just a heartbeat: a spark. Chihiro made me feel happy, something I hadn't been since I was an actual human. Right now, I wished I was an actual human. Because if I was, I'd be happy, and I wouldn't be alone. I'd be with the person I love: Chihiro Ogino.

The train came to a stop, and I stood from my sitting as the doors opened. 

"Where are we going?" She asked, seeming confused.

I extended a hand out to her, and she took it.

"You'll see," I said, escorting her off the train.