Spirited Away: Fate Unraveled

Chapter 2: A Road to Somewhere

Chihiro turned into the small road that supposedly led to her house. It looked very unused. Trees were creeping in from either side. Weeds and some flowers disguised most of the road. As she drove down, she noticed some small shrines nestled at the bases of many trees. Soon enough, she noticed that the road was also very bumpy. Something seemed very familiar about this road... Then, FLASH! Her mother telling Chihiro to sit down. FLASH! A bumpy road through a forest. FLASH! A stone statue in the middle of the road, covered in moss. FLASH! Walking through a dark tunnel with her parents...

Chihiro's speed increased with every flashback. Branches whipped around the car as it bolted through like a cannon ball, leaving many little pieces strewn everywhere in a leafy mess. Chihiro didn't notice a thing. FLASH! Telling her parents not to go. FLASH! A grassy field with a small creek. FLASH! Empty restaurants... And most shocking and horrifying of all... FLASH! A purple sphere encasing the car, her parent's screams, a shrill cackle in the distance. Chihiro blocked that one out; she didn't WANT to remember the crash. The feeling of helplessness that had always been a part of her had been cruelly shoved in her face in that so called 'accident'. Chihiro shut her eyes and blocked out everything. She didn't even notice that she was nearing a dead end. Chihiro was closing in on the strange, mossy statue. Too late did she even think about pressing on the brake. She rammed into the statue and blacked out.
-----

When Chihiro returned to consciousness her sight was very fuzzy. Around her, she could make out the ruins of the front of her car, shards of glass, and a whole lot of blood. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and very slowly looked down. Her eyes focused, and she observed that a very large, very sharp piece of glass had embedded itself in her gut. She had many cuts and scrapes all over her body, though not as serious, including a long, nasty gash going from her cheek to her temple. Everything that could bleed bled profusely. Chihiro had already lost a lot of blood. Panic filled her mind. 

Clutching her side, she staggered out of the car and finally noticed the tunnel in front of her. There was no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel. I can look for help in there, she thought. Her vision was already starting to blur again. She slowly crawled into the tunnel. But, she couldn't get very far. She had made it to the middle of the tunnel, and started seeing a bit of light at the end- or maybe it was just her addled mind- when she collapsed. I'm not going to make it out of this alive...

-----

"CHIHIRO! Blood... so much blood... she's nearby!" Haku had woken up screaming bloody murder. Rin and a few other servants rushed into the room. Haku had already changed into dragon form and rushed off to the tunnel entrance.

"What's the nutcase up to this time?" Rin muttered to herself. "That's gonna be the... let me see... once before dinner, again about a week ago... 4th time this month that he's gone to the spirit tunnel..."

Everyone at the bathhouse missed Sen- or as she was also called, Chihiro—even Yubaba. And though everyone understood how Kohaku felt, they knew it was impossible for Chihiro to come back.
-

"Chihiro! CHIHIRO!" Haku called as he ran into the spirit entrance and found Chihiro, lying facedown in a large pool of blood. He ran and knelt next to her. "Oh no... too much blood. I've got to get you to Komajii." He slowly and carefully picked up Chihiro and started going to Komaji's boiler room at full sprint.
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"He's been gone too long," Yubaba snorted. "Probably staring at the flowers again. Someone go check on him."
"Ma'am, before he left, the young master had been screaming about blood and... Lady Chihiro," a servant who was present said meekly.

"Of course. The poor boy's obsessed. Rin, go check on him."

"Why do I had to be the kid's baby sitter?!" Rin said annoyed.

"It's because I told you to. Now budge off! Go on!" Yubaba said more sternly. And once everyone had left she added quietly, "Besides, you and Haku were the closest ones to Chihiro."

-----

Haku was trying to reach Komaji's boiler room as fast as he could. But, with Chihiro unconscious in his arms, he couldn't go into dragon form. The fastest way was through the village, like last time. 'Haha,' he thought grimly, 'I'm running through the streets trying to save her life... again.' As he was running, Haku noticed a negative aura around Chihiro. 'Shit, she's entered the border between here and the world of the dead. I was like that when I had Zeniba's curse on me. I can't let her cross...'

Haku shifted Chihiro a little and freed one hand. He touched his middle and forefinger to Chihiro's forehead, and immediately saw into her dreaming mind. Chihiro was huddled in the darkness. She looked like how Haku had found her when she was first in the spirit world. The only difference was that she was a bit older and her aura had become a very dark shade of maroon. It was a sign that a person was nearing death. Her eyes widened in shock when Haku appeared.

"Eeep! It's you! You're that person I always draw! Who are you and why are you in my pictures?!" Now it was Haku's turn to be shocked. Chihiro didn't remember him!

"Uhh..." For a moment, words seemed to leave him. What was he supposed to say? This was just like last time! He went closer and knelt in front of Chihiro and whispered, "Chihiro, you really don't remember me?"

"I don't know if I know you! I mean, I think I know you. But I don't!" Thoughts were running through Chihiro's mind as fast as racecars at the Grand Prix. This boy looks exactly like my pictures! Why is it so dark? Why does he know my name? Where am I anyway? A dream?

"Chihiro, don't be afraid. I only want to help you."

Chihiro was fighting the urge to burst into tears and scream "no, no, no!" but decided that that course of action would not be pragmatic in her situation. And this boy looked like he genuinely wanted to help her.

"Uhmmm," she said, a little lost for words. The boy also seemed a bit awkward too. "So, hi. My name is Chihiro... but you already knew that. What's your name?"

End Chapter 2