Seven Years Later

Chapter 6: Reunited

Mina couldn't believe her eyes, she had finally found Sen. She had prepared and searched for more than seven days and finally, Chihiro was there in front of her.

Chihiro looked so different yet so similar to the picture Yubaba had given Mina. Whilst her face was still round like how a child's would be and the dash of pink tainting her cheeks gave her life, her once thick brown hair had darkened and was almost to her mid-back. The girl's eyes looked kind rather than clueless and slightly scared, like she had more experience in life under her belt but she looked bored. Bored with her life in the human world with slight bags under her eyes probably from studying so much at school as per Japanese customs. She was also a lot taller and had started to develop into an adult.

Despite this, Mina still thought that Chihiro's appearance highlighted how different human and spirit life really was. She admired Chihiro, both for her feats in the Spirit World and her life as a human.

"U-um! Chihiro, right?" Mina asked cautiously, almost like she was imagining the figure standing in front of her on that slippery rock.
The teen nodded, "Yeah. And you are?" she asked politely.
"M-Mina! It's a long story so I'll give you the short version and fill you in if you agree but dont freak out or anything!"
"Agree to what? And dont worry, if I can survive being seventeen, I'm sure I wont be surprised by anything at this point!" Chihiro chuckled, brushing a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. She patted beside her, beckoning Mina to sit next to her.

The black haired girl did as so and began to explain her story in a hurry, "So basically! I'm from the Spirit World! I'm a human like you but work in the bathhouse and you're basically a legend passed down that I constantly hear about. So seven years after you left, which was about a week ago, I decided to talk to Haku about you and I got the idea to bring you back for a small while because everyone missed you! I went on a search for like seven days and now that you're here in front of me, I have to convince you to come back because I'm sure Haku would kill me if I kidnapped you against your will!"

Chihiro stared at Mina, speechless for a few moments, "...so basically... You're a spirit sent to get me back to the Spirit World?" Mina nodded, "And am I supposed to work there? Is there a hidden catch?"
"Nope! No work, no contact needed, just come back to visit! You see, everyone missed you so much that they were all getting bummed out and stopped doing work efficiently. Plus, i kinda wanted to meet the person I've idolised...That's were I come in to bring you back! So please?"

Chihiro thought about it for a moment, "To be honest, I've been worried about Haku and Lin. How are they?"
"You dont have to worry about them, Chihiro! Haku is still working at the bathhouse and over the years, I've kept my eyes on him and Lin... well shes back. Everyone really wants to see you so let's go already!" Mina smiled, pulling Chihiro up by the hands.
Chihiro smiled back and nodded, "Let's!"

Mina celebrated to herself in her head as she led Chihiro in the tunnel and they soon emerged into the fields of the Spirit World. It was more overgrown than Chihiro remembered, the grass becoming so tall it would reach her knees and the river separating the World from its exit had more water than when she was 10. Luckily, Chihiro was tall enough to hop across easily and help her companion across due to her size.

Mina grabbed the back of the brunette's hand and placed something in it, snapping her out of her thoughts, "Eat this so you dont fade away. It's just a berry that Haku gave to me. I've already eaten mine since I'm human now until I go back to Yubaba and get my contract back..." Chihiro nodded, quickly downing the bitter berry as best as she could.

"Let's go see your old friends, Chihiro. Hold your breath, we're going to see Yubaba."

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