Seven Years Later

Chapter 5 - Her Idol

The cheers and chatter of the women working echoed through the bathhouse with word of Lin's return. The girls had missed the worker so the news was spread quickly to the point that the entire bathhouse was celebrating within half an hour. Lin was hiding out in Mina and the girls' shared room so she kept out of the radar of a most likely fuming mad Yubaba.

The girls' had gathered around a small foldable table in the middle of the room with some sitting on the balcony. A few of the women had put together some funds to buy a few bottles of sake, even with Mina, the youngest girl, giving her own funds despite not being able to drink any. Discussions of Lin's adventures followed by laughter and sometimes shock and admiration filled the room in a loud bustle.

Since Mina couldnt partake in any of the drunken banter of the women, she volunteered to keep watch outside the room for Yubaba. Her job was to basically watch out for Yubaba or Haku and cause a distraction loud enough for the girls in the room to hopefully hear and hide Lin in a cupboard or a compartment or something. Thankfully, not much happened apart from when Haku tried to enter to which Mina basically had to fall down a set of stairs to distract him. She was unscathed thanks to him catching her half way down, if not obtaining a few bruises and aches here and there.

Later, Mina was delightfully surprised when Chiei and Miyaki awarded her efforts with food that was snuck from the kitchen.

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Later in the night, after all the lights were snuffed in the city, Lin sat beside a slightly bashed up Mina and an amused Miyaki on the balcony.

"You've got quite the bravery to throw yourself down the stairs to help me, Mina," Lin said as she lay on her side, her elbow propping her head up in the palm of her hand.
"Dont be encouraging her, Lin! Next thing you know, she'll be throwing herself in the sea trying to follow you!" Miyaki remarked
Lin laughed, "I mean she already has!"
"Mina?! Why dont you tell me these things?"

Mina rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "Are you my mom now?"
"I'll turn into Yubaba if you dont stop!" Miyaki exclaimed as she threw her arms around her small buddy in a hug.
"What? Scary and probably a raging monster right now?" Lin asked, looking up at the duo who was trying to keep their laughs under control.

"Oh oh! You'll never guess what I'm gonna do tomorrow night, Miki! I'm going to go into the human world and find Sen! Yubaba let me temporarily be free from my contract to find her!"
Miyaki's eyes burst open in shock, "No way!" She intertwined her hands in Mina's as she bounced on her knees in excitement, "You're lying! Theres no way! All I told you to do was talk to Haku about Sen!"

"Wow, it seems everyone shes talked to about this acts as if shes just died and been reborn!" Lin added, "I'll admit even I did!"
"So what's your plan, Mina?"
"Well I'm gonna take something for us to eat so we dont disappear by night and then I'll go find her. Once I do, I'm taking her straight to Yubaba and Haku then here. I guess I'll improvise along the way too..."
"Sounds like a plan," Lin chuckled.

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The very next night, Mina set off, asking Haku to accompany her to talk. She wore the clothes she arrived to the world in years ago, a simple lilac sweater and shorts and grey trainers. She felt like a different person. She was slightly scared of how society in the human world may have changed over the few years she was gone. She was scared her past would find her and drag her back into the human world. She was scared she wouldn't be able to find Chihiro at all.

Walking in daylight, a nervous Mina walked with Haku towards the steps leading to the tunnel into the human world.

"Are you happy you could finally see her again?" Mina asked to which her escort nodded simply, "I'm excited to meet her finally. Lin will be happy to see her too!"

"Speaking of Lin, are you okay? You did fall down the stairs yesterday," Haku asked, looking blankly in front of him.

"Correction! Almost fell down the stairs," Mina chuckled, "You did catch me before i could! It seems we have a theme of me almost getting hurt and you saving me from most certain injury!"

Haku nodded, finally turning to Mina, "Hold out your hand," he said simply. She did as told obediently. He dropped two berries into her small, slightly quivering hand.

"What's this for?"
"When you come back. So you dont fade away. Knowing you, you would most likely grab any berry and probably get poisoned."
"Oh thanks!"

Haku sighed, "Please be careful. There's always a possibility that you wont be able to return and you'll get trapped."
Mina shook her head in response, "I swear we wont. And if I do? Then I'll figure something out. If I cant, come save me like you always seem to do," she smiled.

He sighed once more, "I'll be waiting. Please hurry."
"Dont you worry! You're gonna be the first person I'm gonna bring her to."

Then she ran off into the tunnel, waving back to him.

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Squinting her eyes in the dim lighting of the woodlands she emerged into, she passed a statue, the one specifically used to protect the entrance to the Spirit World. A rush of pure adrenaline, fear and excitement filled her body as she began to run, calling out Chihiro's name. She had only one shot, two weeks, no second chances before she has to return, empty handed or not. She hoped for the latter as otherwise, she would've gotten everyone hyped up for nothing.

"CHIHIRO?! CHIHIRO! ARE YOU THERE, CHIHIRO?!" Mina called out. If this girl was anywhere in the woods, it wouldve been easy to hear the pigtailed girl with her high pitched screaming.

"IF YOU'RE THERE CHIHIRO, MEET ME AT THE SPIRIT WORLD'S ENTRANCE AT MIDNIGHT! I'LL BE WAITING!" she continued to yell.

Mina would continue to search the forest until midnight, when she went back to the entrance. She went to sleep disappointed beside the statue, awaking the next day with a new bough of energy and confidence.

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Five days and five nights passed as Mina became more desperate. She would search the neighbourhood outside the woods until around midday to the evening and then would run around the forest again, screaming to hopefully find the person she wanted to see just once.

"CHIHIRO?!" she would scream everyday, "ARE YOU THERE?!"

Eventually, she became bored, desperate. She called out one last time, "IM SICK OF THIS, CHIHIRO! EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR US TO RETURN, FOR YOU TO RETURN. PLEASE JUST MEET ME AT THE ENTRANCE..." before sitting on a large, damp stone in frustration.

Suddenly... rustling...

Mina's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard it. It was close by.

Rustle, rustle.

So close.

Rustle, rustle.

Maybe it was her, finally!

Rustle, rustle.

Jumping from her spot, Mina ran towards the sounds, making sharp turns, cutting through trees and bushes and jumping over tree roots. She was almost there. It was so close.

Then

Silence.

It was quiet for a whole few minutes, Mina unmoving, still. Then she screamed out in rage, "STOP PLAYING WITH MY EMOTIONS! IM EXHAUSTED! JUST FIND ME ALREADY!" Defeated, she trudged back to the entrance.

But someone stood on the stone Mina slept on. She couldnt see who it was due to the dim lighting of the night but soon she heard the kind, childlike voice of the shadowy figure.

"I'm here, miss."

"...C-Chihiro...?"