Phantom Pains

10 DAYS LATER

Chihiro's feet were heavy as she marched down the corridors of her school, passing eclectic statues and paintings alike. She'd avoided meeting with those who ran Eva Academy. She avoided even leaving her room for more than a few minutes to visit other dorms. So as her footsteps echoed under the setting sun seeping through the windows, she felt tension rise in her chest. Pangs of emotion were bursting inside her as a dull ache was in her core, worry in the back of her mind. Chihiro wasn't ready to talk about her time in Konoha- to talk about the grief she felt in separation from those she met.

It seemed to be a vicious cycle for her. Mourn Yggdrasil while in Konoha- but then mourn Konoha when in Yggdrasil. She hated it.

She was understandably nervous as she approached a fancy, mahogany door with lion statues parked outside. The Director's. That morning she received a letter to come and see him.

His office was large, with palladian windows letting light stream in from behind where the desk sat. Statues and accolades were finely spread out, not a speck of dust. Director Clive had hair as white as snow, a royal purple suit as he stood with sat in his swivel chair. Professor Melany Lee stood besides him, closer to a dresser with a pot atop. They'd been waiting for her.

"Miss Sato, how are you?"

"I'm okay," she answered apprehensively, slowly making her way closer to the desk.

"I'm glad you're doing well," Director Clive said with a smile, "we've all been very worried. I had Kasumi visiting non-stop to know any progress we made on what was going on."

"That doesn't surprise me." Chihiro nodded, "she's barely left my side, I have to force her to go to class."

"Come sit," he smiled, his wrinkles showing.

Chihiro obliged, sitting in one of the ancient leather seats that was across from the great oak desk. She sank into the fabric as she shuffled to her comfy under their intense gazes.

"Why don't you just tell us everything," Professor Lee said softly, "would make it easier for us to understand. We tried to wait awhile before meeting with you."

"Sure," she sighed. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to start at the very beginning, and not leave anything out.

Chihiro felt vulnerable explaining everything to Professor Lee and Director Clive. She felt emotional explaining the attacks, and the attempted suicide. The way their faces morphed into sadness, pity clear as day shining in their eyes. Pity. It was all she'd felt since arriving back to school, like everyone knew something she didn't. It was a horrific feeling for her- hated being ogled at like the next big thing. The talk of town. And being the center of everyone's attention was never what Chihiro wanted.

What she did find interesting though, was how the adults reacted to the information she gathered from Akira- the Yggdrasil obsessed man in Konoha. The way their faces morphed into shock which they immediately tried to cover.

A cup of steaming tea sat on a coffee table that Professor Lee had brewed, Chihiro hadn't the stomach to touch it. It was silent asides from their whispers, leaving Chihiro out.

"Please," Chihiro begged as she found confidence to speak for herself. She didn't like how even as she strained she couldn't hear their conversation, it was frustrating, "I need answers. I was stuck in a different realm with nobody, I was scared and lucked out big time with who I met. I almost died."

The professor and director exchanged glances as if- 'the jig was finally up.'

"If we're being honest here," Professor Lee sighed, "do you remember Professor Aoi at all?"

"Sort of, but I know all about him from class." What did he have to do with any of this? From what she understood, his research she learned about was primarily in their own realm, not others. Not spirit drifting either.

"Professor Aoi was removed from academy premises and research labs across our cities after your incident all those years ago. After we were able to rescue you and your friends, we thoroughly analyzed all his work done in the lab. It was... a lot. A lot more than we knew of."

"I'll take it from here Melany," Director Clive said, "you're aware of physical and spiritual drifting?" Chihiro nodded, "nobody is able to physical drift without help, or genetic changes we'd say. It's why a quick end was put to it when the dangers were realized. That crystal you touched back then that put you in the coma... it... it was the device used to change spirit drifters into physical ones. We had no way of knowing what it would do to you years ago because we didn't know your fate- spirit drifter or keeper, or normal citizen. But now we uh, know the answer to that. But it wasn't complete, your 'transformation' so to say, it's why you have a body in two realms at once."

Chihiro frowned, "I- How did I get it back then? Become whole I mean." she supposed it all made sense, the director's explanation. There were always holes in the history of drifters and keepers, and as she pondered it... it sank in.

"We aren't sure what triggered it, but I've been trying to channel different life sources to bring your spirit back so whatever I did must have work." Professor Lee said.

"I guess it did... Why don't you teach this information? I feel like it changes a lot to know we were able to create physical drifters and not leave us wondering where that lineage went instead."

"We don't want students or researchers to try it." the director responded, "as you've now experienced, you can die in a realm that isn't your own. We'd never know or not for awhile at least."

"So what do I do? I was meant to end up there- but you know that don't you?"

"Chihiro... no one knew when it would be or who. It's only said that our realm would bleed into another because of someone evil, who we now believe to be Aoi. And that a girl from Yggdrasil would cross over to the other realm to stop it, would be you."

"So I'm just the unlucky one?" fuck fuck fuck. Her chest tightened, stomach dropped.

"We're afraid so as of right now."

"But why Professor Aoi? What does he get from this?"

"I did some digging into him when he first left the academy, going off on his alarming tangents. There's no birth records for him here, anywhere."

"What?"

"He's not from Yggdrasil..." a deep sigh left the elder man's lips, "I won't forget it, about twenty years ago. The sky grew red and wind raged, destroying plenty in its path. Spores rained down from the sky and many died. As you know," Chihiro nodded having learned about it in class, "but looking back, it wasn't what we thought it was. That was also the time a fifteen year old boy came to Eva Academy, claiming to be an orphan. Why would we deny him? No one from another realm has ever ended up here. But we figured out a few years ago, when he went missing prior to your accident that he came from the realm of the great shinobi countries."

Chihiro's eyes widened, "why? Why haven't we been told about this."

"We didn't want to cause panic."

"But as students and citizens of Yggdrasil we deserved to know that we're not invincible here."

"In hindsight, possibly. But it became more alarming as we read the material he'd been working on down in his lab you'd been in. Aoi successfully recreated how to physical drift utilizing the crystal and old books of spells. He needed the extra boosts from our technology and tomes, why the crystal reacted with you so effortlessly and not him."

"And he has chakra, probably trained as a shinobi so he'd have no issues channeling such power." Chihiro murmuered. She felt confused by all the information being thrown at her, many of her ideas of home shattering. It was then that her eyes widened, "It was him.." Chihiro felt chills down her spine, the hairs of her body standing up, goosebumps forming, "the man who tried to kill me multiple times." her chest tightened as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to picture the hooded man with the cruel smile.

"Oh my..." Melany gasped, "it would make sense."

"The whole time I knew who it was!" Chihiro squeaked, "but he clearly wants more than just trying to get home... he already is home."

Professor Lee raced to Chihiro's side to try to comfort her, wrapping an arm across her shoulders, "it'll be okay, you're safe here with us."

"No! I have to get back to Konoha. I need to warn them... I need to do something! It's why it was always meant for someone to bleed realms together, why the shinobi realm and not any of the others?"

"You don't have the knowledge or abilities to do so Miss Sato to handle any of this." the director 'tsk'd.'

"He needs to be stopped. And technically it's me being talked about." there was a soft fury building in her gut that bubbled up her chest, hot as molten lava. The reality was hitting her like a ton of bricks, this was all incredulous to her at the same time.

"Leave that to the shinobi. We don't know it's you for sure."

"But Clive, you know what the scrolls say." Professor Lee interrupted. "Who else would it be? And everything's unstable now, really she could be sent back any moment. Today or two years from now."

"What if professor Aoi is able to come back?" Chihiro was terrified of a once beloved man that was after her. Knowing it was a once trusted teacher at her academy made her stomach drop.

"I doubt he can come back, not without his lab materials which we have safely hidden away." the director said, "and we do need to get to the bottom of Miss Sato's issues. I don't like that you still a physical body in Konoha."

Chihiro nodded, agreeing that it was strange for her to be in two places at once but only awake in one. If that was so, then she believed she was still needed in Konoha, "What do I news to do?"

"Chihiro..." Melany sighed sadly, squeezing at her wrist as if telling her to stop.

"Can I see the spirit orb again?" if touching the orb during class brought her to Konoha, then certainly it would again. She hoped her teacher and the director couldn't think that far ahead.

Of course they did though.

"No dear, we can't allow you to try to return for now. We need to get your body back as we don't have a way for you to voluntarily return. It took me far too long to get your spirit to return."

"But you know how to now, right?"

"Miss Sato." director Clive said in a reprimanding tone, "we are not going there right now. Your safety is our main priority right now and we can't protect you there."

"B-but the shinobi there can, I've become good friends with a few."

"Clearly they can't since Aoi was able to control you."

"Nobody could just stop that but.. he could." Chihiro's voice grew tiny as her mind flipped over to Neji. The boy who'd been plaguing her day and night.

"He?"

"No one. Just a friend, it felt like he snapped me out of my trance using his chakra back when I..."

"I see." the director sighed, dejected as he knew eyes needed to be placed on Chihiro at all times. She was a ticking time bomb as her cheeks were flushed and feet kicking where she sat. There was a nerve wracking look in her eyes as they frowned at the floor, she was unreadable.

All Chihiro knew was that she needed to get back to the tower, needed to place her hands upon the spirit orb and go back to Konoha. Needed to see Neji as her heart ached for him.