I'll return // Spirited Away

Ch. 4

Chihiro and Ami ran around quickly, gathering up as many of their classmates as they could find.
  "Chihiro.. what if we just run." Ami said, following Chihiro back to the bathhouse. "Didn't you hear the women.? We can't leave." She responded, looking at the ground, Ami nodded softly, continuing to follow Chihiro, the remaining of their classmates following behind them.

"Haku.. is that that boy with the bobbed hair.? Why does he make me feel so strange.. I've never seen him befo-.."

The cold wind blew through Chihiro's hair, she held onto the holds of a long beautiful dragon. "I remember your name.. I think it's the Kohaku River." She said, suddenly, the dragon transformed into the small bob haired boy, and they began falling, she held onto the boys hand tightly. "I remember! My name is the Kohaku River." He said, pulling Chihiro close to him, rubbing his forehead on hers.

Chihiro jumped back into reality, "Uhm.. Earth to Chihiro?" Ami said, looking up at the bathhouse that they had arrived at. "I know that 'Haku' person they mentioned.. he.. I remember him but I don't know why." Chihiro began to become frustrated, quickly being interrupted by Lin, the tall young woman from before. "Everyone follow me!" She yelled to the group of teenagers behind them. They followed her through the garden, down the narrow stair way, to the door of the boiler room, where Kamajī and herself explained the subject of the situation they were in once more.  Everyone looked terrified, their teachers had been turned into animals, they're friends were gone, it was insane. Lin led the group through the door, just like she did to Chihiro so many years ago.  She brought them to the top floor of the bathhouse, now being decorated with plants, and quilts, seeming much more inviting then Yubaba's old house.  They passed a tall black spirit with a mask for a face, giving the entire group shivers. They noticed multiple rooms dedicated to brewing potions and spells, and quilting or knitting, they also noticed a door that has a small tag on the handle that said "はく" which is the spelling for Haku.

Zeniba tapped her foot rapidly, waiting for her guests arrival, Lin led the shaking group of teenagers into her office. "There everyone is. From here on you can call me Granny." She stated right off of the bat, instantly radiating kindness.
   "The curse on this bathhouse is a strong one, I'll have to enlist you all to work it off. It'll be hard work, but you'll be able to stay here." Zeniba said, Chihiro's  mind wandered again, "Where have I heard that sentance.." she thought.  A paper appeared in the hands of the 15 teenagers, "When you sign these, you give your names away. Only the ones who have the strongest will to remember their names will be able to leave.." the old woman said, floating a quill to everyone.  "It was never supposed to be this way after she left.." She continued on, babbling for a while whilst everyone signed.
   Lin and her began telling each and everyone of them their new names, from "Mu", to "Sho", "Yui" to "Ke", everyone seemed utterly confused, but went along with it. They got to Chihiro and Ami, "The name Cin still sticks with her don't you think?" Lin asked the woman, hoping for her to get her old name. Zeniba nodded, and looked at Ami, "Mi. That will be your new name child.", "But that's such an ugly name!" Ami whined, "It's what has to be done."

Zeniba split the boys and girls up, calling in a frog to take the boys and Lin to take the girls, she was warning them one last time to remember their names when she was interrupted by the window bursting open, and a dragon crashing through it, and transforming into a young man. With his backed turned to the group he began frantically speaking with Zeniba, words like "Yubaba", "cursed", "animals", and "children", could be heard as he explained. Suddenly his shoulders rose and he turned around, he saw her, and he froze. Zeniba remembered, and flicked the boy on the shoulder, and asked him to leave. He could barely move, but was ushered out by Zeniba. Lin guided the girls down the stairs once more, taking them to their sleeping quarters and getting them clothing, unique to each one of them now.

"We can't have him interfere with Cin.. the boys in love but it will get the best of him.. and he'll put his morals, and want to protect them behind him, just so that he can have her." Zeniba said to No face, who was spinning thread quietly. "Eh.. Eh.." He grunted, somehow Zeniba could understand him. "You're right.. he has to see her somehow, we just need to keep an eye on him No face. How about this?" She began whispering to the monster, small "Eh.. Eh.."'s weaves into the chit chat.

All of the girls tucked themselves into their sleeping bags, some crying, Cin herself was shaken up.
  "Mi.. I really wanna go home.." she whispered into her friends ear, "Me too Cin.." she replied. They had already lost track of their real names.
   Mi opened up her sleeing bag and Cin got close, they comforted eachother until they fell asleep. They've known eachother for 6 years, and still seem to act like 10 year olds sometime.

A soft warm feeling touched Cin's lips, she opened her eyes and saw the boy again, laying a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm so glad I found you.." He said, kissing her again. "Me too Haku.. I wouldn't have been able to wait..".