A spirit called empathy

By KK

Rated – Mature

Chapter two – Dreams come true

The worlds had shifted and an unaware fifteen year old girl groaned from underneath a pile of kaleidoscopic quilts her hand roaming for the simple black digital alarm clock at her bedside on the floor. She groaned again as an abrupt knock came at her door her hand coming back from under the blankets to wave the knocker away.

"Get up Chihiro or your going to be late!" Her mother pleaded through the door although it had been five years since they had the crazy move to the new house it seemed as though five years had passed overnight. Yuko knocked once more before giving up and going down the kitchen to start on breakfast. Chihiro's inner clock seemed to be off since they experienced- No it was best not to think on it.

The brunette crawled off her futon her hair in disarray and her teal pajamas twisted around her body rather uncomfortably. She was never very fond of PJ's but the alternative idea of a night gown seemed just as uncomfortable. She sat on the floor staring at nothing trying to get her wits about her, as the haze of sleep left her she started to pull herself up to the floor. Suddenly she sprung to action glancing out her opened window no the Giant with the huge trumpet was gone. She realized that she had an important job to do, or so she believed dreams can often been interpreted in different ways. Was it a dream? It seemed real enough, but with the way her mind carried on who knew. Two years ago she swore she saw a grubby potato like figure place a beautiful necklace around her neck, the necklace stayed but the potato was never to be seen again. No it couldn't have been a dream. She glanced down at her paint covered hands then over at the canvas next to her window; she had painted a picture of her Dragon. His hair now long and tangled laying on a bed of ice covered in animal skins. Sometimes she would feel emotions, stare at the canvas and an image seemed to appear for her to paint. She had been painting way past midnight when her window slowly opened and a rather beat up horn slipped through. She glanced over to the window and to her astonishment was a very large man. He had very few hairs on his egg shaped head, very large ears, and was modestly dressed in a brown leather vest and a pair of well worn trousers.

"You is still awake." He seemed very put out with his statement.

"I am." Chihiro confirmed feeling a little odd about having a giant at her window but perhaps after seeing the Radish spirit she was a little immune to things she had seen in her life so far.

The giant sighed switching his weight from one foot to the glass jars from a satchel on his shoulder clinked with each shift.

"Is you thinking you be sleeping soon?" He asked hopefully

Chihiro looked at him with suspsion giving him a once over he seemed harmless only carrying a satchel over loaded with glass jars and a horn in his other hand.

"I suppose." She replied her eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"I wait then." He answered and sat down immediately on the ground in wait.

Chihiro finished her painting quickly before shutting off her lights and settling into bed, the last thing she remembered was the old beat up horn pushing through her window once more and a soft sound following it.

She pulled on her blue school uniform quickly before glancing into her mirror her hair looked as though she had been attacked with a crimp iron and a can of aqua-net. Taking her brush she pulled it through her hair she smiled as the brown locks tamed themselves nicely something she figured she had picked up some magic from the Spirit world and wasn't about to knock it. Pulling her hair into a neat ponytail she walked downstairs to greet her father and mother in the kitchen. She pulled a teal ribbon from her blazer pocket and tied it neatly around her wrist having a bit of trouble tying it on herself. Her mother glanced up at her with a small smile on her face she pulled her daughters wrist up to her and tied the ribbon carefully for her, Yuko was very proud and astonished at her daughter's appearance. Her fifteen year old daughter stood at 5'9 in height, her straight brown hair naturally highlighted with bronze, and her daughters brown eyes seemed shot with green. Her appearance seemed to change drastically after their time loss, somehow the Ogino family lost three months when they first moved here going down the old monastery road. Akira never wanted to speak of it so it was never mentioned between the three of them, but that didn't stop the town from talking about the beautiful odd Ogino girl.

Chihiro sat down at the table next to her father who seemed buried under a thick newspaper she accepted her breakfast from her mother who handed her a plate of cheese omelet and rice.

"Chihiro how many times have I told you to make sure you wash your hands after your done painting!" Yuko scolded pointing to Chihiro's hand that still had spots of green and white on her hands. "Look at your hands!"

Chihiro glanced back at her hands and tried in vain to rub the oil paint off of them before giving up and digging into her breakfast instead.

"You were painting until real late again weren't you, your in a really good school now Chihiro you need to pay attention to your studies."

Chihiro nodded absently and continued to eat. She knew her mother's opinion of her artistry and decided not to listen shortly after. Once she showed her mother a picture of the bathhouse that she painted and her mother told her that people were always telling her how wonderful of an artist Chihiro was but she didn't get it. Chihiro's father was much more supportive and bought her new supplies often.

"Don't worry honey Chihiro is practically a straight A student, she can take time to paint if she wants to. As long as she keeps up her studies she can paint all she wants." Akira defended Chihiro before winking at her from across the newspaper.

"You're spoiling her Akira." Yuko warned before brushing a stray hair that escaped from Chihiro's ponytail. "Chihiro you've had this ponytail holder for years, why don't you use any of the others I've bought you this one must be getting old by now."

Chihiro pulled her hair out and brushed it back into a ponytail once more making sure to get any other stray locks of hair.

"This is my lucky ponytail holder, besides it's in perfect condition." Chihiro responded.

Yuko sighed with defeat there were two things her daughter was never seen with out her pink glittery ponytail holder and a thin chained necklace that seemed to have two very small leaves intertwined with an outline of crystallized amethyst. These two things she never remembered giving to her little girl, and she was almost positive her husband didn't either. She watched as her husband stood and straightened his suit and tie. Chihiro stuffed the remaining food into her mouth hurriedly; Yuko couldn't stop her self from making a noise of distaste.

"Honestly Chi you must eat more ladylike you know, we aren't animals." Yuko fussed over her daughter's dark blue blazer.

Chihiro smiled at her mother fondly before nodding to her father that she was ready. Akira kissed his wife on the lips before turning to leave through the door, Chihiro make a noise of being sick which only caused her father to chuckle.

"Come on Chi you have a train to Tokyo that you can't miss." Akira stated and led her out of the house and to his car.

Chihiro couldn't help but snicker when the batty old neighbor was watching her over the hedge.

"Chi." Her father reprimanded his eyebrow raised at her behavior towards their neighbor.

"Hello Mrs. Imoto how are your two Siamese cats today?" Chihiro smiled serenely and glanced over at the woman's house. "Your cat suuki is getting into the cream in your larder again."

The woman gave her an alarmed look and ran into her house calling her cats name angrily. Akira chuckled and got into the car waiting for Chihiro to get in before turning it on and driving out of the driveway.

"Chi you need to quit doing that, she already eavesdrops on us enough. Honestly how do you really know when ever her cats are into mischief anyway?" Akira chuckled his daughter was very unusual ever since their disappearance years ago.

Chihiro went from being a sullen spoiled ten year old to being a very obedient and mature child. She also had a very unnatural sense of intuition that was so unnerving at first but after the years her abilities increased and he learned to embrace her differences from other teenagers.

"I'm sorry dad I know you don't like me to torture Mrs. Imoto she's just so fun to tease. It's not my fault that her cats broadcast their thoughts loud and clear when they are getting into trouble." Chihiro answered leaning back in her father's car driving down the hill from their neighborhood.

She glanced over to the woods; she had combed the entire area looking for the red plaster building that had acted as a portal to the spirit world. It didn't seem to be anywhere; in fact the old shrine road was over run with weeds and broken stone as though there hadn't been even a cart in its tracks for decades.

"You're telling me that you can hear animal's thoughts?" Akira asked keeping his eyes on the road in deep concentration.

"Not exactly more like their emotions; I have to really concentrate to hear their thoughts." Chihiro answered timidly, she could sense her father's unease and thought desperately of ways to change the subject. "Hey dad is it alright if Lilly comes over tonight? We have a major test coming up in our intro to Physics class."

Akira took a few moments before being able to switch his thoughts from ESP to high school science tests.

"Sure as long as she has permission from her parents." Akira answered and continued to the train station.

They parted their ways when they entered the train station waving goodbye her father went to one terminal and she went to another. She stood at the platform waiting for her train while picking at the paint on her fingers. A child giggled as he ran up and down the cement platform running in between her legs causing Chihiro to temporarily loose her balance.

"Yuki stop it right this minute! Yuki!" His mother called running after her young son, she ran up to her son gripping his arm tightly in her grasp. "Do not run away from me again."

The Little boy instantly began to cry not only was his fun of exploring cut short but his mother looked angry enough to raise the dead.

Chihiro caught the little boy's eyes wishing there was a way to explain to him that running in such a crowded place was dangerous and that his mother was only concerned. The child instantly stopped crying and hugged his upset mom. Chihiro looked away the sudden change in the child's behavior surprised her and tried to convince herself that it was just a coincidence. She let out a breath of relief as the train stopped at the platform and she hastily got on finding her usual seat. She was very uncomfortable as the eyes of the little boy continued to watch her pick at the paint and look out the window. Two stops down the road she was happy to scoot over for her friend Lily.

"Chi! Hey how was the weekend?" Lily asked giving Chihiro a hug.

"Good I got another painting done." Chihiro answered glancing back at the little boy who was now happily going through a picture book with his mother.

"Another of Haku? Chi your artwork is amazing I can't wait to see it." Lily responded enthusiastically.

"Lil I need you to do a favor for me." Chihiro pleaded wanting to get the task she had to do done right away.

"Oh no I know where this goes." Lily slumped her shoulders.

Chihiro pulled a piece of paper from her mother's stationary and filled out an excuse for the next two periods, she did an amazing job on her mother's signature.

"Chi what's up? You've never done anything like this before." Lil asked her eyebrows went crooked with concern.

"I had a dream last night Lil, I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do all I know is that I need to get to Kohaku River Apartments. Please cover for me, I have a feeling it's very important." Chihiro watched her friend take the note fold it carefully and then put it into her blazer pocket.

"Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that your stories are true Chi, but all I know is that when I look into your eyes I see nothing but truth inside of them." Lily sighed before standing up to let Chihiro out. "Well this is your stop I suggest that you go before I decide to stop you."

Chihiro smiled and hugged her friend tight before stepping through her isle and off the train. This would be the beginning of things not making sense Chihiro decided as she walked off the tiny platform and onto the neat cement walkway. Running across the street she started her four block walk to the apartment complex not far away.

The apartment complex was large full of very expensive gray stone walls and fancy iron railing for the patios and stairways. She walked around the complex finding the wooded area next to it. Water bubbled out from the ground in several places as though the ground was weeping with the world of cement less that a few feet away.

"Here it goes." Chihiro whispered to herself, she rose her arms up toward the sky and closed her eyes in concentration. She thought of the water she once lost her pink shoe in, how fast and wide the river had once been. She peaked through her closed eyelids and saw no change. Sighing she slid her hands back once more to her sides there was no way she had the power to do what her dream made her believe was possible.

She sat in a huff on a boulder surrounded by trees and closed her eyes once more. It was no use she was nothing more than a human, what could she have possibly been thinking by coming here believing that she could raise a cement filled river. There was no way she could help Haku, even when he had no one else able to help him. Haku she missed him so much just saying his name in her mind made her heart do flip flops, no matter how much she didn't want to dwell on thoughts of the river spirit. His face lingered in her dreams and she wanted to believe what he said was true that one day they would meet again. She shivered as her toes felt icy water pushing through her black and white sneakers.

"No way!" Chihiro hooted as she watched a creek building slowly around the boulder she was sitting on.

She pulled her feet away from the side and sat Indian style on the boulder and closed her eyes once more. She thought of Haku as the beautiful pearl and teal dragon thrashing madly his jaws full of blood. She remembered the trust she put in him as she reached deep inside his mouth dropping half of the gift from the river spirit she took care of in the bathhouse. Haku seemed so sick and he vomited up the golden seal that seemed to be tearing him up inside. The sound of water could be heard now and increased her confidence that maybe she was capable of helping him after all. Raising her hands up she stood upon the boulder concentrating on the rise of the water beneath her feet. The wind whipped up around her causing her hair from her ponytail to flow with the breeze. The river rose up with her summons it was now seven feet across and building feeling her work was done she jumped across the rising stream and onto firm ground.

Kneeling down she let the cold refreshing water fill her hands, it seemed to heat up around her hands lovingly.

"Haku run free, I love you." She whispered the ribbon on her wrist pulled free and gathered speed with the current.

She smiled before turning around and walking back through the apartment complex and to the train station. Glancing up at her watch she was astonished the time, she had a half an hour to get back to school. Her mediation hadn't seemed to be an hour and a half to her.

The train ride to school was uneventful yet as she got closer to the school's main office she felt more and more anxious and Chihiro realized as she got older one thing was a definite thing she needed to trust her instincts.

She walked through the double doors of her school and attempted to creep past the main office.

"Chihiro Ogino!" Chihiro froze at the sharp voice than carried from the main office entrance.

She turned around to face the attendance secretary Ms. Almond, she was a severe looking lady with her hair pulled into a tight bun, her sallow skin tight across her face and her brown eyes were flat glimmering with malice.

"Yes Ms. Almond." Chihiro answered attempting to put if anything a comfortable grimace on her face.

"Please come into my office Chihiro, we are wondering where you've been for the past two hours myself and your mother included." Ms. Almond practically growled with her drawl.

Mildly terrified she walked past Ms. Almond and into the attendance office where her disappointed mother sat in a chair by the desk. Chihiro sighed she realized if it was her father she could have explained everything, but how could she tell her mother that she was just following instructions from a dream.

"Ms. Almond! Ms. Almond you have a call, your daughter says it's an emergency!" The school secretary called through the intercom.

"I'll be back Mrs. Ogino." Ms. Almond ignored Chihiro entirely as she waltzed from her office. When she closed the door behind her Chihiro's mother immediately rounded on to her.

"Where have you been Chihiro? When I received the call I was worried sick. ..Your not doing something weird again are you." Yuko asked looking carefully at her daughter noticing her daughters saddle shoes were soaking wet.

"I had something I had to do mom, I'm sorry." Chihiro couldn't look in her mother's eyes she hated seeing her mother disappointed.

"Is this something to do with that boy you always paint the green haired one?" Yuko asked not trying to hide her concern. "Chi if this continues I'm afraid I'll have no other choice but to-"

"To what! Send me off?" Chihiro's voice sharpened. "have I not done everything you've ever wanted me to do?"

"You'll stop drawing that boy Chihiro, your on the verge of being delusional and that's not healthy. He's just in your imagination!" Yuko told her daughter poking her finger directly into Chihiro's chest. The pain she felt immediately afterwards was terrible she felt as though her heart had dropped into her stomach. Chihiro froze in her seat much to her mother's surprise, Chihiro's unique eyes filled with tears though her body seemed to loose the ability to move. She fell uncontrollably to the floor her body seizing entirely.

The sound of crying filled her ears a cry to painful she could help but cringe, at first she glanced at her mother but only found her mother's angry face. It sounded like Ms. Almond, as Chihiro came to this realization the door opened slowly and the secretary appeared in the crack in the door.

"I'm sorry Ms. Almond has been notified of a family emergency and can not finish this meeting-What's going on!" The secretary started running to the Ogino mother and daughter.

"Chihiro! Chihiro baby are you okay." Yuko asked pushing away the furniture as she knelt before her daughter. "I don't know! She's having some kind of seizure!"

Her vision seemed to blur over as the rest of her senses deadened all she could feel is others emotions her mother was frightened, the secretary was confused, someone was deeply concerned for Mrs. Almond, and Mrs. Almond herself who was currently crying so badly she seemed to be hyperventilating. The feelings broadened to the point where she could not concentrate on whose emotions were whose. Darkness edged her vision and her stomach churned with nausea and then she felt the darkness take over completely, she was gone.

Waking up to bright lights in a white room was not the most pleasing experience she had in her life, her mother sat beside her nursing a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup.

She opened up her mouth to speak but found that her throat was dry and very sore as though she hadn't hand something to drink in a very long time. Her mother looked up at Chihiro and smiled her eyes showed signs of stress and puffiness that could only be from crying.

"You're up! You've been asleep for sometime." Yuko stated she didn't know what to say to her daughter, no matter how hard she tried Chihiro did so many things that she did not understand. "I'll go get your father, he's outside taking to one of the nurses I'm sure he would like to see you and know your awake."

Chihiro watched her mother stand up rather abruptly and pace herself so that she did not look to be rushing out of the room. Then Chihiro was alone she glanced around the hospital room what she experienced was new and confusing. It felt as though she had experienced an emotional overload but the emotion wasn't her own. Lost in thought she barely noticed that her father came into her room before he was sitting beside her.

"Well Chi I'd have to say you having epilepsy is new the funny thing is that so far what tests they could do while you were out claim that you don't have it." Akira smiled although inside she felt the rising concern and fear. "I don't really know what to say Chi your mother is distraught she thinks that her yelling at you in the attendance advisor's office caused you to have the fit, she's beside herself with guilt."

"I feel as though I've been hit in the head with a hammer." Chihiro managed to get out hoarsely. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Only a few hours you seemed almost dead to the world, you barely moved." He glanced at his daughter as she lay pale against the white sheets. "They're going to run some tests on you tomorrow Chi; I think you may be in the hospital for a couple of days. When you get home we will discuss your actions today."

"Yes sir." Chihiro answered softly she knew that no matter what her father wasn't going to budge this time.

The next morning a staving Chihiro was lead into the Ct-scan room she had to fast with a minimal amount of water since midnight, she had never paid attention to how much she had for a water intake. The sheets on the vinyl covered bench they put her on were a comfort as though they had been taken directly out of the dryer. She snuggled as much as she could into the warmed sheets being told several times as the bench slid into a noisy white tube to be still as they took photo graphs of her brain.

Many other tests followed all negative whatever had caused Chihiro Ogino to have a seizure was unfound. Epilepsy was ruled out and Chihiro after being hospitalized for a week was sent home. She would have to come in for check ups and random testing to see if she was still doing alright, much to Chihiro's annoyance her driver's license was taken away for six months, though she rarely drove anywhere anyway.

The ride home was silent her father cracking jokes to lighten the mood was lost upon her mother and herself. Her mother had not spoke to her since they met in the attendance officer's office. She didn't pause when they entered their driveway and immediately opened the car door before her father turned off the ignition. Opening the door to their house she ran up the stairs to her bedroom and fell at the entrance. All the canvases were gone; she couldn't find a trace of a tube of paint or a paintbrush. They had emptied her room of anything she used for her artwork. Instead of an easel and boxes upon boxes of paint tubes their was a large full bookshelf.

"Chihiro." Her father's voice faltered she could feel the guilt emanating from the both of them and just knew.

"Why?" She whispered staring forward into her bedroom that now had no trace of her dragon.

"Chi it's for the best. Your mother and I discussed it and she thinks you have an unhealthy obsession." Akira answered sadly he didn't like to see his daughter so upset.

"And what do you think?" She asked sniffing and trying to blink the tears from her eyes.

He knelt down and pulled Chihiro up from the floor and looked at her directly in her eyes.

"I think you're very talented Chi and that you have reasons for what you do even if we don't understand it." He sighed pulling her into her room he sat her down on her chair.

"Then why is everything gone?" She asked.

Akira looked at his bewildered daughter helplessly, he had tried to fight for her he really did, but his daughter's differences were lost upon Yuko and she would not back down.

"Your mother and I had a huge fight, unfortunately she won." He answered sadly and patted his daughter on the head trying to comfort her.

Lily watched sadly as her best friend floated through her classes and gazed longingly in the direction of the art classes she was forced to drop. She decided enough was enough when Chihiro had stopped talking almost all together.

"Chi! Enough is enough alright!" Lily told her frustratingly. "Look I know it's not much but here." Lily produced a small brown paper bag.

Chi opened it half heartedly and found herself loving her best friend even more than she did before. Inside the paper bag was a small pocket size sketch pad and a package of colored pencils. Her eyes flooded with fresh tears and she pulled Lily into a huge embrace.

"Oh no Chi you were supposed to be happy about it, not cry again!" Lily moaned in frustration.

"Thank you Lily you're the most amazing friend!" Chi answered happily feeling thankful that one way or another her art work would continue whether her mother liked it or not.