Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters, locations etc in this story.

Author's Note 2: This fanfic is not intended to upset anyone in any way. The ending and content of the first chapter is entirely fictional and for enjoyment. So enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Effects of Sushi and Exhaustion

'Mom!'

Chihiro's mother was pulled from a deep sleep by her daughter's shrill voice.

'Mom!'

The brunette woman moaned and slowly opened her sapphire eyes to reveal a small girl grinning excitedly next to her.

'What?' she murmured, a little annoyed. She had been having the strangest dream, one that she recalled with uneasiness. She was certain she had experienced this fantasy before; perhaps around a year ago. She frowned as the images floated trough her mind again. Pigs, dragons, a large woman with an even more voluminous nose… What was it supposed to mean?

'When are we leaving for the festival?' Chihiro interrogated.

'What festival was that, dear?' her mother yawned widely and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The little girl by her side seemed genuinely shocked.

'The festival of the dead- don't you remember?'

As the clarity of her vision returned, Chihiro's mother noticed that her daughter was clutching a small paper boat containing a candle, that would later be sent down the river- as was tradition- to guide wandering spirits to the afterlife.

'Oh!' she leapt up, opened the ivory coloured wardrobe, and hurriedly began dressing in her favourite fuchsia hued kimono. Chihiro smiled and went to get herself ready.

Her room was small, but very cosy, with a mat of woven rushes placed in the middle of the varnished wooden floor. The double glazed window on the far side of the room looked down on an orchard, a puzzle of pink and white blossoms carpeting the springy grass below. Her bed was very low, with no space underneath, and lined with bemused looking soft toys, her favourite of which was a small turquoise dragon. She had no idea why she cherished this particular toy so much- by all logic her stuffed panda should be dearest to her, since it had been a present for her first birthday. Yet it seemed nothing could detach this blue snakelike teddy from her. She had taken it everywhere with her since she had acquired it around a year ago.

Chihiro was hugging it now as she set her paper boat gently onto her bed and lifted her pale green kimono from her chest of drawers. She could hear bells tolling faintly outside, announcing the beginning of the Festival of the Dead. Excitement shone in her liquid brown eyes. The sun was setting, and soon they would go down to the river to release their boats, laden with offerings and prayers for the spirits that still wandered the world of the living. She had attended the festival ever since she could remember, and this year was to be no different.

She wriggled into her kimono, picked up her boat and dragon and raced out of the room, only to collide with her father's solid form as she sprinted eagerly around the corner.

'Hey, watch it!' he laughed good naturedly, turning and swinging her onto his shoulders as if she were as light as a feather.

'Dad!' she giggled. 'Are we going soon?'

'Yep. Just as soon as your mother is ready.'

'Which I am.' Called a rich voice from the room on their right. \hr mother emerged gracefully, radiant in pink and white. Her face was powdered so that it appeared paler than normal, and her eyes were lined with black so they looked large and full.

Her husband raised his eyebrows and gave a low whistle. She smirked and led the way out of the front door.

'Come on, then.'

It was cold by the river. The slow toll of bells and reverent chanting filled the air, along with the ever-present gurgle of running water. A chill breeze blew, bringing with it iron grey clouds that threatened to obscure the bejewelled dusk. Incense and candles were lit everywhere, and people had already begun to release their origami boats down the swift flowing Kohaku River. The mass of glowing paper bobbing in the rapid current gave off a sense of eerie comfort, and Chihiro drew a breath of cold, piercing air into her lungs as she watched them contentedly.

'It'll be my turn soon.' She whispered.

Eventually she was able to push her way through the throng of kimono clad individuals with her father, who lit her small vanilla scented candle with his favourite lighter. He gave a secretive chuckle as he did so, and his daughter cast him a quizzical look.

'The Festival of the Dead.' He muttered ominously. 'Don't you think it's a very 'grave' situation? Ha, ha… People are just 'dying' to follow those boats.'

The little girl gasped and with an effort suppressed a burst of laughter.

'You shouldn't say things like that.' She hissed, her eyes wide. 'Who knows what could be listening?'

'Oh, don't give me that.' He scoffed. 'Everyone knows there is no real meaning to this Festival.'

Chihiro didn't answer, and turned back to the river looking troubled. She knew her father was wrong. There was something about tonight… something that she couldn't quite place, something ethereal. That was the meaning of tonight; to banish this uneasy feeling from the area until at least this time next year. She placed the candle in a niche in her boat, knelt down, and released it into the churning water.

'I'm sorry' she thought silently, hoping fervently that spirits could read her thoughts and would forgive her father for his impudence.

Chihiro watched her boat for a long time, staring as its light grew smaller and joined with others to form a massive glow, before a curve in the river swept it out of sight. She sighed dejectedly as the breeze caressed her dark hair, and began to turn to search for her mother.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark figure across the water. It was reaching out to her, and wearing a mask which hid its features. For all she could tell, it may have had No Face. She gasped and swivelled to look directly at it, but where it had been there was only a tangle of bushes. Chihiro rubbed her eyes in disbelief. She was sure she had seen something… Had she just imagined it? No. Her imagination could never create something that would frighten her so much. A vague memory of recognition stirred in her eyes, yet she could not grasp it fully.

It must just be tiredness, or something she had eaten. Chihiro frowned in thought. Yes, she had been at her Aunt Chiyo's home for the evening meal that day. It had been a terrifying ordeal; the cheerful, bustling woman would not take 'no' for an answer, and would not believe that sushi and Chihiro just did not mix. It was also this selfsame meal that had forced her mother to go for a nap before the beginning of the Festival. Yes, it was, in all likelihood, the effects of sushi and exhaustion.

Shaking her head, she ambled over to where her parents were standing; hand in hand. Her father smiled as she approached.

'Your mother and I were thinking of heading home.' He said. 'Are you coming, or do you want to stay here for a while?'

Chihiro stared up at him, face pale, eyes wide, the full meaning of what she had seen striking her. A spirit. How could her father be so cheerful when the dead were here, walking invisible among the living?

'I-' she stuttered. 'I think I'll stay and watch the boats for a while.'

She wanted to be sure.

'Okay.' Her mother ruffled her hair and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. 'But be back soon; before midnight.'

'Right.'

As her parents footsteps retreated, Chihiro sat on the bank, endeavouring desperately to recall where she had laid eyes on that apparition before. The water was calmer than it had been upriver, and there was no one around to disturb her chain of thoughts. The little girl gazed at her swaying reflection in the glassy water, all the while racking her brains.

As she stared solemnly into the shadowy depths of the Kohaku river, her image seemed to shimmer slightly, then change. Within a few moments of startled silence, she was looking at the pale illusion of a boy with chin length black hair and deep grey eyes. His lips were moving; they seemed to be forming a word:

'Sen…'

The figure reached out to her, and Chihiro found herself being pulled towards him, towards the mirror like surface of…

The river! Realisation gripped her a split second before her head was submerged, and she gulped a lungful of air before she was sent sprawling into the water with a splash. She sank like a stone and kicked frantically in a futile attempt to propel herself upwards, but she was already caught in the cruel strength of the undercurrent. Her chest prickled with the pressure of built up carbon dioxide, and her heartbeat coursed through her frail, panic-stricken body lending hr extra energy to fight the pull of the river. But it was not enough. Chihiro's eyes bulged, and her cheeks expanded with pent up air. She couldn't hold it. Anything was better than this torturous need to breathe. She parted her lips slightly, releasing several large bubbles of air which waltzed to the surface. Now why couldn't she do that?

Her reflexes took control then. Her mouth, then her trachea and lungs were filled with a rapid rush of insistent water. A moment of searing pain. Then calm. Shadows flickered before her eyes as she sank, feeling nothing in her numb, semi conscious state. She was becoming a part of the river. Thud…thud…thud…thud…th-

Then she was carried into darkness.

End of Chapter 1. Did you enjoy it? It gets happier in the next chapter! Or do you think it's all right as a oneshot? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of it! It would be much appreciated. Thanks; Clairesse.