A/N: Yes, I know I'm starting waaaay too many stories. I can barely keep up with my other updates. (I get easily interested in new things and end up forgetting abou the others). Let's face it. I'm a procrastinator. But I love Spirited Away. :3
Sorry if you find it too dramatic. I'm horrible at writing emotions. xD This is only an introductory chapter, too. The first few chapters may be a bit boring, but it gets a lot better in the others. I try, anyway
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can't remember it."
- Zeniba (Spirited Away, 2001)
.*.*.*.
CHAPTER ONE
Drenched Memories
.*.*.*.
A young girl was hunched over the window sill, her chin resting upon crossed arms.
The heavy pitter-patter of rain sounded against the shut pane, while strong winds howled outside along with the seemingly endless downpour, causing the streets to become slick, flooded. Jaded, chocolate brown eyes watched absentmindedly as tiny droplets of water trickled down the glass.
Nights were stormy for the past few days, and Chihiro often stayed up to watch it rain. She couldn't sleep.
Her finger slowly trailed over the cool surface of the window, and the girl shifted her gaze over to her hazy reflection. Large eyes stared back at her, which would have been considered pretty, had it not been for the tired, dark circles beneath them. Her expression was blank, but at the same time, it held something.
She had the face of yearning.
Though it had only been five years since her encounter in the Spirit World, Chihiro could not recall much that had happened. There were bits and pieces, but she found it too difficult to put together. However, almost every night since her departure, Chihiro would have indistinct dreams and memories.
They eventually became nightmares.
Normally, it started out peaceful. She would be standing in some beautiful fields, flowers grazing her bare toes. The breeze would blow smoothly and she would smile as she tucked back a stray hair from her eyes. Beside her would be a boy. It was the same boy each time, but Chihiro could only vaguely remember his appearance. He seemed to have dark hair that reached the end of his neck, cut precisely, and stunning emerald green eyes. But in her dreams he would usually be a dragon, and she would sit upon him as they both flew through the clouds.
Then there would be a falling feeling.
It wasn't terrifying until she would hit the water. Each time she plunged, Chihiro would feel a suffocating burn in her lungs, begging for air as she could do nothing but drown. She would try to reach out, but to no avail. And each time, she would wake up in a pool of sweat as everything turned black.
Was it all in her imagination? Even the dragon boy? She remembered his name. She remembered him promising her something. That they would meet again. Was he real? Or was she crazy?
The young brunette knew one thing was true for sure, though. Drowning as a mere child in the Kohaku River.
Even so, Chihiro couldn't help but feel more and more drawn to the river, rather than being mentally scarred and afraid like most people would expect her to be. Something saved her. She did not know what. Was it the dragon boy?
No, she was being silly. He couldn't possibly be real.
…Right?
The fifteen-year-old sighed, her head moving from the window. She wished she could just stand in the rain and wash away all of her confusion. Almost instantly, an idea appeared in her head and Chihiro bent down to unlatch the window. Grunting, she lifted pane, the sudden spray of water and gust of wind causing her to shiver.
She raised it higher and higher until it could go no more. The volume of the storm heightened and the wind entered the room, her clothes and hair swaying briskly, goosebumps appearing all over her body. But she would not stop there, no.
Chihiro grabbed the window sill, her fingers clenching so hard that her knuckled turned white, and with one swift motion, jerked her neck outside. A blast of icy air slapped against her face, which was already turning pink from the cold and her teeth chattered. She waited for her painful, pent-up feelings to ebb away, but nothing changed.
Hair dancing wildly and body shaking, Chihiro tried to keep her eyes open. She leaned out of the window further, not caring how wet she was getting.
"You promised…"
Her words were drowned out by the sounds of the rain.
"You promised!" she cried louder, her voice hanging in the air this time.
Chihiro's jaw fought to close but she would not let it. Her heart thumped violently in her chest. Meaningless tears fell from her eyes, only to be whisked away by the wind and rain. Everything, all the pain, the confusion, the longing, she had kept inside her all these years wanted out. They wanted out now and she wanted answers. The girl held it in no longer.
She screamed his name.
The dragon boy's name.
.*.*.*.
When she left the bridge, it basically erased her memories or something... I vaguely recall reading the director stating this. Or something like it. Oh, well. *shrugs*
Reviews are love!