A/N: Hi all! Yet another fanfic born of writer's block! I really ought to be working on my primary Cowboy Bebop fic, "Damn It Ed!" but instead I've been writing little one shots like this and finishing fics I abandoned! Yes, you heard me, this is a ONE-SHOT. There will be no second chapter, so deal. If you want to read more, read my other fictions.
(Insert shameless plug for the fiction of Discordia the Goddess of Irony here) Just read it, it's good. I beta-read it myself! Many thanks to my own wonderful beta-reader and grammar Nazi, the abovementioned Discordia. My spell/grammar checker pales in comparison.
Anywho, read, enjoy, and review. Especially that enjoy part. All flames will be met with an author clad only in fire wielding a katana. And that isn't a pretty sight folks. On with the show!
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Chihiro's summer passed uneventfully after her return from...from wherever it was. She had taken to simply calling it The Bath House, although she knew that it was only part of a place much grander than a simple resort for tired and worn-out spirits. She and her family unpacked and settled in to their new house just as any family would. As a surprise her father had given her a room with a beautiful arched box seat window facing south so the warm light of the sun would always shine into her room. It overlooked the small town, and gave her a wonderful view of the forest and mountains beyond. She would sit and look wistfully at the forest and remember the great verdant plain, and the turquoise sea that seemed to go on forever, or about her friends, Lin, Kimage, No-Face, and Zeneba. Once in a while she even wondered what Yu Baba was up to. But most of all she thought of Haku.
No, she corrected herself. The Kohaku River. That's his real name. Haku is what Yu Baba made of him. He is and always will be the Kohaku River, and no one, not even Yu Baba can take that away from him now.
She smiled at the thought of her beloved friend, and pictured the way he smiled after she was finally able to give him back his name, and his free will. Her mother's voice brought her out of her reverie.
"Chihiro! It's time to go!"
Chihiro got up and picked up her backpack, then straightened her uniform before walking to the door. Today was her first day at her new school. Before leaving her room she stopped to put her hair up in the shining pink band her friends had made for her to give her strength. It was the only physical reminder she had of her fantastic journey, and she refused to tie her hair in anything else now.
She closed the door to her room behind her, and went downstairs to her waiting parents. Her mother smiled at her and picked up her car keys. "Hurry up, Chihiro. We don't want you to be late for your first day of school."
"Yes, mom," she responded, and headed for the door. Chihiro's parents were beginning to notice that their daughter had changed over the past few weeks. She no longer whined as much, and seemed full of self-confidence, without fear of new and different things. They attributed it to simply growing up as any child would do, and mentally patted themselves on the back for raising such a well-adjusted daughter.
She gave her father a kiss and a hug before heading outside with her mother. They got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, bound for Chihiro's new school.
"First day at a new place, Chihiro," said her mother, "are you nervous?"
"A little," she responded, and stared blankly out of the window, lost in her own thoughts. I hope they like me, she thought, I hope I find new friends.
"Everything will be fine, honey. Everyone's a bit scared when they go someplace new, but in the end they're usually always happy they went. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends. You'll fit in just as well as you did back home."
Chihiro smiled at her mother and watched the houses pass by as they drove. They reminded her of the little houses they passed on her father's little 'detour'. Looking back, she could hardly believe she had been so scared of a pile of stone boxes when there were much more frightening things in the world. Like being lost in a strange world and nearly forgetting who you are.
A few minutes later they pulled up in front of the school. Chihiro unbuckled her seat belt and kissed her mother goodbye. "Have a good day, Chihiro!" her mother called after her as she got out of the car. The car pulled away and Chihiro stepped slowly up the steps to the large but friendly building before her. Unlike her old school, which was in the heart of a large city, this building was surrounded by trees and plants, and has several small class gardens in the front, as well as a large playground and field area in the back.
Maybe I will make some friends, she thought. This place doesn't seem so bad.
Several groups of girls clustered together, talking excitedly about what they did over the summer. A few cast glances at Chihiro as she passed, but most paid no more attention than that and turned back to their friends. She continued her solitary march until she reached her new classroom. Only the teacher was there with her, as the first bell had not yet rung.
She walked up to the teacher's desk and asked, "Are you Ms. Kadowaki?"
The kindly young woman smiled and answered, "Yes, and you must be Chihiro. Welcome to my class and to this town, I hope you have a very good year with us!"
Just then the first bell rang, and a flood of students swept Chihiro to a seat near the window. Most barely even noticed she was there. After everyone took their seats, Ms. Kadowaki introduced Chihiro to the class and told them all to welcome her. Some turned to her and smiled in welcome before the teacher began the day's lesson.
A few minutes before class ended, after an uneventful day, there was a knock at the door. Ms. Kadowaki rose to answer it, and opened the door. Chihiro looked up from her textbook as she heard a familiar voice at the door.
"I'm very sorry I wasn't here at the beginning of the day. An emergency came up and my mother needed me at home while she took care of some business. I just wanted to come down and apologize."
"Oh, that's alright. You must be our second new student this year. I certainly hope everything is alright!"
"Everything is fine; it was just a problem with the movers. Thank you for your concern."
Ms. Kadowaki ushered the young man into the room and called the attention of the class.
"I know this is a bit late in the day for introductions, but this is our second new student this year, Kohaku."
Chihiro's heart almost stopped and she stared intently at the new boy. He looked exactly like the Kohaku she knew from the Bath House, had the same voice, only he was here in 20th century Japan. But that can't be! Kohaku lives in the world of the spirits! How can he be here? This just can't be!
But in her heart she wished it was true. With her emotional immaturity born of youth and naiveté she couldn't exactly place the feeling his absence left in her, but she felt it nonetheless. It was as if a piece of her were missing, locked away in a secret place that can only be released by the very force that put it there in the first place. The boy sat down in an available seat across the room. He briefly met her eyes before facing forward, and in them she saw recognition and perhaps even a bit of desperation. He was, after all, an ancient river spirit, and was capable of such emotional depth.
She could not take her eyes off of him for the remainder of the class. As far as she knew, she and Kohaku had parted ways weeks ago when she returned to her world. How could he have come to this world? I suppose it's possible, she thought, I went to his world, didn't I? Maybe it can work both ways. Maybe he broke through the barrier, too. Please, please let it be him. I know it's probably not possible, but still, I want it to be true. Anything is possible, right?
Though the end of class bell shook the thoughts from her head, she could not bring herself to take her eyes off of him and leave the room. After a few minutes only she and the boy were left in the room. He turned in his seat to face her, and she froze, unable to speak or even move. He simply smiled softly and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hi."
It WAS him! Only he looked at her like that, with a fondness that can only come with the rare alchemy of age-old wisdom and childlike innocence. She leapt from her seat and ran to embrace him in a tight hug. He calmly wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture.
"I knew it was you! It had to be you!" she said as she released him and stepped back to look him over, still unsure of whether he was real or not.
"I told you we'd see each other again," he said, and grinned, something Chihiro had never seen the usually cool young man do.
"But how? How can you really be here?" asked the exasperated girl. She had no idea how any of this could be possible. But then again, she had never thought a trip to the realm of the spirits to be possible, either.
"I had a little talk with Yu Baba. I 'convinced' her to let me live in this world now that she has no control over me. You allowed for that by giving me my name back. She was too afraid of me to refuse. She arranged it so that I could come here, and gave me a family as well as a past so that I could live like you do. The old bat is pretty powerful, especially when she deigns to work with Zeneba. Very ancient, very intensive magic. I asked her to help keep Yu Baba in line now that I'm not there. Even though they gave me a complete human life, I got to keep my memories." He smiled softly at her, and whispered abashedly, "But even if I had to give them up, I could never forget you."
"So you ARE real! This isn't just a dream!"
He chuckled to himself. "Yes, Chihiro, this is real. I'm human now, one hundred percent. Now we don't ever have to be apart."
She wrapped her arms around him again and laughed, "Now we can be friends forever!"
She released him and quickly picked up her things. The two walked out of the empty classroom together, beaming with newfound joy. As they opened the door into the sunlight, Kohaku said to her, "We always were."
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Fini. Yes, that's the end. No more chapters. So don't ask. Besides, I haven't had a whole heck of a lot of new ideas lately. My dismal update speed should be a good indication. Anywho, please review! I LIVE for reviews!
(Spike walks in)
Spike: Oh, that's enough. Are you ever going to pay attention to me again?
Sagan Fox: Of course. You know you're the only man for me, Spike Spiegel.
(Vash walks in)
Vash: Hey! You said I was the only man in your life!
Sagan Fox: (Sweat-drops) Eh...there is a perfectly rational explanation for this....
Spike: You! (Draws his gun) Have you been seeing Sagan behind my back?
Vash: YAAAAH! Not again! MOMMY! (Scampers away and hides behind Sagan)
Spike: You chicken! Hiding behind a woman!
Sagan: Spike, play nice. And YOU! Who are you calling mommy? (Light bulb switches on over her head) I know how to solve this! (Points) You two, strip naked and come with me. I'll have EarFetishGirl bring the leashes, Discordia bring the cattle prods, and GutterAngel set up the Jello pit...