Unseen Company

A Spirited Away fanfic by Rabid Lola

A/N: This happens years after the movie. It's actually up to you how many years…suffice to say that Chihiro is a teenager. Hayao Miyazaki owns Spirited Away and all its characters. I only own Eiko and her third eye.

…---…

Chihiro never thought that the things that happened to her were not that ordinary.

She hadstrange luck with loose change, for instance. A ten-yen coin in the street, a couple more in an old coat pocket—things like that.

She never seemed to get lost. Several times she almost had, like that time on a school trip when she and her friends had separated from the group while hiking, but she always found her way. It was instinct, she said, and she thought no more of it.

Things often turned up, too, when she needed them. She'd spot a bright clump of flowers (that wasn't there before) while she tried to think of how to decorate her mother's gift, or discover something in a store just when she needed it. Birds would perch at her window, singing when she was sad—once, it even rained when she didn't feel well enough to play outdoor sports with a friend.

She never really thought that these things weren't that ordinary.

"It's nice of you to let them hang around you so much," an offhand voice said.

Chihiro looked up, confused. "Excuse me?"

The girl in front of her was new this year. A little odd, some classmates had whispered derisively behind her back. Chihiro ignored them, deciding to make her own opinion. She, more than anyone, knew that things were never really as they seemed. So, Eiko had become her friend—they even walked home together, and hung out often. She was normal, to Chihiro, if with the tendency to be quiet and spaced-out. Chihiro never noticed anything odd.

Though, that out-of-the-blue question seemed so.

"What do you mean, Eiko-san?"

Eiko seemed surprised. "You mean, you don't know they're there? But they seem to know you so well, like they've already met you, even if they're spirits and you're not."

Chihiro felt her heart give a funny little jolt. "What…what do you mean?"

"Well, they hang around you a lot." Eiko gestured to a spot slightly behind Chihiro. The girl turned her head, and she saw nothing… "Like I said, they seem to know you well."

A slight chill crept up Chihiro's back—this was creepy, but, she couldn't resist… "Who are 'they'?"

Eiko looked thoughtful. "Well, I've only known you for a few months, but you've got more spirits hanging around you that anyone I've ever seen before. Sometimes, there's this big, black thing, with a white mask-like face." She shuddered. "It scared me, first. I didn't want to go near you. But it was kind to you. I see it drop coins in your way, sometimes, when we go home. You never wondered why we keep finding loose change?"

Chihiro's hand tightened around her pencil. "No." Now that she thought about it… "Anyone else?"

"Sometimes, there's this gigantic kid—he looks like he's four or five years old. He just follows you around, basically. He seems to like being near you. He tries to talk to you a lot.

"There's this old lady, too." Eiko frowned. "She's shaped weirdly. But then again, that's normal for spirits like them. She's squat and has a huge head, but she looks at you with the fondness of a grandmother. If ever she appears, she usually stays with the black thing."

Eiko giggled slightly. "Once, there was a woman—a sharp-looking one, with long brown hair. She kept arguing with this guy with many arms. I think she was telling him why he couldn't leave a gift on your table. But then the boy suddenly told them to go back, because they'd be missed if they stayed away too long."

"The boy…" it slipped out of Chihiro's mouth, nearly involuntarily.

Eiko tilted her head, then nodded. "Yes, the boy." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you don't feel him. He's with you every single day. In fact, he was sitting in the desk beside you the first day, but he stood and let me take it. I think he knows that I can see…" Eiko made a flapping gesture with her hand, and shrugged. "He looks nice." She grinned a little. "He scowled like anything, though, when Tokuma-kun tried to ask you out on a date."

Chihiro's mouth was dry. "Eiko—these people have been around me all the time?"

Eiko nodded. "Well, yes." She looked at the other, a little alarmed. "Chihiro, are you all right? You look pale…"

Chihiro stood, and Eiko stepped back. But the former only smiled, a strained sort of smile. "I'm all right…but excuse me for a while? I'm going to the bathroom. Tell sensei when he comes in."

Eiko stared after her as she bolted out the door of the classroom.

Once in the bathroom, she shut and locked the door, leaning against it and breathing heavily. She was silent for a while, and then she spoke up, almost experimentally. "You mean…you've been here, all the time?"

There was silence, still. Chihiro slumped to the ground, disappointment and something sharper swamping her. She'd been hoping…she missed them, so much…

And then, the lights went off. Daylight filtered in, a little, but the room was still dim. Sufficiently dim for her to see three figures—one a tall boy, who looked strangely ageless, the other a huge, towering black mass with a white mask face, and the other an even more gigantic child.

"It took you really long, Chihiro," the child said, a little reproachfully. "We thought you'd never know we were here."

She stretched out a hand, not noticing the breathless sort of sob she let out. "Boh...No-Face…" She stopped. "Haku."

No-Face made his familiar soft, happy sounds, nodding up and down; Haku smiled, a little ruefully, and placed his palm lightly against hers. She only felt the barest brush of coolness… "I can't really touch you, you know."

She shook her head. "That's okay." At least, you're here…! She looked up, and smiled at No-Face. "How long? Since I left? That was years ago!"

Haku nodded. "Nearly immediately after you left."

"Haku was selfish," Boh complained. "He only told us a few months after."

Haku sent a little glare in the child's direction, and No-Face let out something that could have been a laugh.

Chihiro smiled, and Haku returned it. "It did take you long. But at least, now that you know we're here, you can see us anytime you want. And you'll be able to see Lin and Kamaji, and Zeniba, too."

Chihiro felt wet at the corner of her eyes. "No wonder, so many times, it was like…" her breath caught, and the tears finally slipped down her cheeks. "I missed you…missed you all! I miss the spirit world…"

"Chihiro, don't cry! Why are you crying?" Boh asked, his voice escalating as his confusion grew. "If you cry, I'll cry too! Chihiro!"

"Don't you dare," Haku said sternly, while No-Face shook his head vigorously. "Yubaba might think we're not treating you well."

"Yubaba…how did you let her release you, Haku?" Chihiro asked shakily, trying to stop her crying.

Haku turned to her, and seemed a little…embarrassed. "Er…aside from the fact that I knew my name…Boh helped."

"So you really should be nice to me all the time, Haku," Boh said stubbornly.

Chihiro laughed and brushed her tears away, and thought she felt Haku's hands helping her. "Get back to your classes," he said mock-sternly. "The sensei will mark you late."

"But what if you…"

"Chihi-ro." She nearly felt him push her aside, trying to make her open the door. "We're not going to disappear. Eiko told you she sees us around you all the time. And you can see us if you want to." His voice softened. "We'll never be able to cross into your world, though. And if you come to ours, you may never be released."

She took his insubstantial hand and closed hers around it, and reached for Boh's, and then No-Face's, too. "It's okay. At least, I know you're here." She flashed a bright smile. "Bring Lin and Kamaji later. Zeniba, too."

"If we can pull them away from work," Haku grinned. He lowered his voice conspiringly. "We're actually trying to find Lin and Kamaji's real names, too."

Chihiro smiled, and let go of their hands. "You do that. I'll talk to you again, later." Slowly, reluctantly, but with a little more happiness than before, she switched on the light and opened the door. Looking behind her, she couldn't see anyone…but she seemed to feel a reassuring brush on her shoulder.

She understood, and ran to class.

…---…

After that day, people remarked on how much happier Chihiro looked. She'd always been amiable, but now she positively glowed. What had happened?

Hearing these questions, and watching Chihiro reunite with old friends—Eiko would smile.

..-EnD-..

For the record, something like this happened to my friend's sister. Slightly odd stuff would happen in their office, like figurines from one table ending up on another, stuff moving around—once, an officemate remarked to my friend's sister that it was nice of her to let the children hang around her. She was like, "What kids?" And she was told that a whole bunch of them followed her wherever she went. Unlike Chihiro…she asked the person not to tell her, next time. Hehehe.