Twelve hours laterChihiro had a change of clothes and some food in a backpack. She was still a little wobbly, but it felt good to be up and about too. Linca helped her dress and made sure she ate.

"So," said Chihiro when she was ready. "What's this spell?"

"It's more of a super sticky, anti tiredness spell."

"A what?" Chihiro looked unconvinced.

"I'm going to make the palms of your hands go sticky when you say, "Glue," and un-sticky when you say "Unglue." That way you won't fall off the train. Also, I'm going to give your system a bit of a boost, so your muscles don't get tired as you hang on for a few hours."

"Ok," said Chihiro "Zap me." Linca placed the palm of her long-fingered pale hand on Chihiro's head.

"I call on the powers of my heart place to perform my will. Gift this mortal with the ability I wish to bestow." There was a flash and Chihiro stumbled, she felt no different. Linca smiled gleefully.

"Try it out," She invited. Chihiro grabbed Lincas hand and said "glue." She tried to pull her hand away. She couldn't it was as if her hand was fused to Lincas. Linca leaned back, Chihiro did the same. Her hand was still stuck fast.

"Ok I'm impressed, Unglue!" she said, her hand immediately slipped out of Lincas. She would have fallen backwards if Linca had not grabbed her.

"Just don't forget the commands. It would be embarrassing if you were stuck to that train for the next two days."

Chihiro laughed but was cut short by a shout of,

"What's going on here?" Rin stood at the door, arms folded. She marched into the room and waved a finger at Linca.

"I told Haku that leaving you in charge was a bad idea! A sprite-like you has no sense. Chihiro should not even be out of bed yet." The finger turned on Chihiro.

"And you, who have been at death's door all week, should not even be standing up yet. Now I find you dressed and geared up to go on some sort of trip, without even telling me or Kamaji! Obviously, humans get dimmer as they get older." Chihiro felt very guilty. It was like being told off by your big sister.

"I have to go Rin," she said simply. "I can't go back and I won't." Rin sighed,

"We all just want to see you safe... You're mortal and so fragile. It was her that brought you back." She said glowering at Linca. "You did not stumble in here again, and though we are glad to see you, you should go back."

Chihiro folded her arms. Now it was time to defend her little sister and put a few things straight.

"Rin I know your looking out for me but you really don't know what's right for me. I do and Linca does too. She saw how bad things were for me in the human world. How I hated myself and my life. In the week I've been here, I may have been sick, but I've had such a sense of freedom and belonging. I'm not prepared to give that up! Linca has done me a great favour and acted as a true friend. As for being fragile, yes I'm mortal, yes I can die more easily than you can, yes I will die in 60 years or so. However, I am strong, I am clever and I have a temper to match yours at times. I am going on a short trip, not far, I promise I won't be irresponsible and do something stupid, like getting killed." Rin raised her eyebrows.

"What about Haku? He will be livid when he finds out you've gone."

"Linca thought I should leave him a note, I'm not going to now because you can tell him I've gone. I don't expect you to lie for me Rin." A look of relief crossed the spirit woman's face.

"Good because I was not looking forward to the hours of torture," Muttered Rin. Chihiro laughed.

"Oh come on! He's not THAT bad." Rin and Linca looked at each other, Linca winced.

"He's very powerful," she mumbled. Chihiro could not believe she was hearing this.

"Oh really?" she grinned, "Don't tell me you two are afraid of him." Rin looked a bit sheepish and murmured.

"A little, you've seen what he's become, how casually he can wield his magic. Imagine what he can do when he concentrates."

"He sent me in disguise to the human world to look out for you." Said Linca, "that requires tremendous power!"

"If you had any sense, you would not be going against his wishes." Rin wrung her hands.

"Oh for goodness sake! You two are treating him like some evil overlord, just because he could possibly create chaos."

"You should be careful of him though." Rin seemed really worried, Chihiro sighed.

"I'd be the first to admit he is different. But his power does not bother me, I still see some of the boy I knew in him and I've come to think of him this way. A river has the potential to cause great damage when it floods, even kills. But I'm not going to worry about that on a sunny summer's day.

"OOO!" said Linca slightly mocking, "that was deep girl!" Chihiro smiled at them both.

"He's a good person, but he's getting in my way. So I'm off to have a little adventure of my own." She hugged Rin and then Linca.

"Tell him I was in good health when I left and that I'll be back in a week or so." Rin sighed,

"He isn't going to listen you know, he'll come after you."

"I'd expect nothing less of him." She said with a wistful smile.

She shouldered her pack and left the two spirits in the room. As she closed the door she heard Rin laying into Linca.

"Of all the stupid ideas to put in her head! It was very irresponsible of you..." She chuckled to herself as she walked down the corridor.

"Whose idea was this again?" Thought Chihiro as she stood on the platform. Two shadow spirits drifted back and forth on the platform. They still gave her the creeps. The train came pounding along the track and as it slowed, Chihiro jumped from the platform and ran up alongside the track a bit. As it passed her she ran after it and as it stopped she grabbed onto the shunters and hauled herself onto the rear fender. She got herself as comfortable as she could before putting her hands on the fender and whispering "glue." Just as she did the train moved off.

"Here we go," she mumbled, "This is either a stroke of genius on Lincas part or a really stupid thing to do." The train gathered speed and she felt the pull on her arms, but she did not move. The vibration of the train travelled up her body; she knew that after hours of this she would really ache. She looked around the rolling grasslands which were now streaking by in a green blur. She shivered, the day was cool and the wind created by the train was cold. She looked up when she felt a drop of water fall on her head. Storm clouds were gathering and threatening to engulf the sun.

"Wonderful," she thought, "I'm going to be really uncomfortable in about an hour." She was right.

About three hours later she was about to give up. She felt weak and sick. It was not as if the journey was boring and interestingly some of the places they had stopped at seemed not to exist fully in this world. Platforms were transparent or disappeared altogether when the train left them.

The rain, pouring down for the last few hours, was stained brown. Chihiro was soaked to the skin and cold, so cold. Her hands, stuck to the fender, were looking a bit blue. She had stopped shivering long ago. She suspected Lincas anti-tiredness spell had worn off.

"Okay, its official," she mumbled, "this was stupid."

The train approached swamp bottom. Chihiro was numb by now, and her thoughts seemed to have slowed to a crawl. But the train was not slowing down. Chihiro realised that with no one at the platform, and no one on the train wanting to go there; the train was not going to stop. Chihiro swore in a way that would make Linca blush, and muttered.

"Unglue," her hands came away and she found that after many hours in the same position, they had ceased up. It was agony but she forced her hands to form fists. She looked up and jumped.

She hit the tracks hard, but rolled and struggled to her feet with only a few cuts and bruises. She ached all over, and she suspected that the Sallow-Hale had left her weaker than she had admitted. Still, she was here. A little way off she could see the moss covered platform clock. She saw movement on the platform.

"No-face!" She called and hobbled up to the dark and shadowy masked spirit. The spirit was holding something, a blanket. He drifted over and placed it about her shoulders. Was it just her? Or did the mask seem to have a slight smile on it?

"It's good to see you again!" she exclaimed hugging him; it was a bit like hugging wet cloth stuffed with jelly.

"Uh," came the reply.

"I'm glad to see you've stayed, you must be happy here."

"Uh, uh," two firm nods. He put a hand on her back and guided her down the path.

She walked a little way and then said.

"How can you be pushing me, and yet the rain passes straight through you?

"Uh, uh, uh, uh." A strange sound, the No-Face equivalent of a laugh? She looked up at the mask; yep she was sure he was smiling. Presently they came to the cottage. Chihiro was not surprised to find that her blanket was still bone dry. Zeniba waited at the door. Yubaba's twin was completely identical to her in every way. They even dressed in the same frilly blue gowns, and styled their white hair in high buns. The only difference in Zeniba was in the softness of the plate-sized eyes and the aura of kindness the witch possessed.

"Oh, Chihiro!" She cooed taking the wet girl in her arms. "Oh my poor dear girl, come in, come in." She sat her down in a comfy chair at the table. Chihiro began to shiver.

"Now what would you like to drink? After a warm drink, straight to bed with you. We will talk more in the morning. So what will it be mmm? Tea? Or something stronger now you are all grown up?" Shivering Chihiro smiled to herself.

"You would not happen to have any coffee would you Granny?"

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