It had been so long... so long ago. Chihiro was now a beautiful 23 year old girl, getting married and moving into her soon to be husband's house. What had happened before... it had only been a dream. A magical, impossible dream. Her parents had taken her to counseling, only one week after arrival to their knew house where Chihiro had come to realize.. it had all been a dream, some dream that was too good to be true. And with a firm dose of reality underway, Chihiro was on her way to a happy and completely normal lifestyle.

Through the years of teenage toil and adolescent feelings, she managed to be snagged by Jiro Susayaki, the perfect guy for any girl. He was caring, and headed on a path that made sure their future was headed on a straight and steady path. And through it all, Chihiro had finally forgotten all of her dreams and memories. Every magical moment, every mystical creature had been completely erased... or at least... that's what she'd thought.

"Chihiro!" Jiro called.

Chihiro looked over at him and smiled. His grin was so perfect... Everything about him was perfect in every way. But, everytime she saw him, something twanged in her heart. Not in the good way that it was described by all of her friends.. but it was the way... as if she were terribly wrong.. like she was making a mistake bigger than she realized.

"Hey," Jiro said, coming up to her, "The pond's been put in. You... Do you want to name it?"

Chihiro smiled widely and got up. There was no way she was making a mistake. He was just...

"Yeah!" Chihiro said, getting up and taking his hand, "Let's go."

There was a flash, a couple of pigs in her mind. Chihiro blinked and cleared her throat. Jiro only smiled and took her over to the small pond. Another flash. A magnificent white dragon, with piercing eyes. Chihiro started to shake. Jiro only smiled and looked at her, only to frown.

"Something wrong? Did you not want a pond or-"

Chihiro grabbed onto Jiro's arm to shush him and she looked into the water. Flashback, a black spirit, thin and tall, from a monster, and back. Nanny and Ubaba, the giant baby turned into a mouse, her parents turned to pigs, scary spirits, water spirits... water...

"Kohaku.." Chihiro said quietly.

"W-what?" Jiro asked.

"I'm naming it.. Kohaku River."

Everything was still. The wind blew lightly through the trees at once, making Chihiro's head turn in the direction of the old bathhouse.

Jiro cleared his throat. "Maybe we should go inside.. Get unpacked and stuff." Jiro took Chihiro's hand lightly and gave her a small tug in the house's direction with a small smile.

Chihiro was phased the rest of the afternoon. Many thoughts ran through her head. How did she forget? How could she have forgotten. Chihiro reached up into her hair and pulled out her ponytail, her thoughts reeling. The hairtie... it was real! All of this had to be real! And Kohaku had to be in the pond, he just had to be! She had named it for him!

Chihiro climbed out of the bed and quietly crept outside, to the pond. She knelt down to see herself in the surface. She had changed... so much. Almost too much. But, Kohaku never aged.. he was eternal. Chihiro reached to the pond and lightly skimmed across the surface. She felt something glide beneath her finger tips,

She gasped and pulled her hand back before reaching down again. She sighed lightly and realized it was a grass carp... probably put in by Jiro to make sure there was no scum.

Chihiro bit her lip. Something was wrong here. How was it, after so long, that Kohaku had never come back? He had promised... he had promised that they'd see each other once again. But here she was, 23 and about to get married to..

"Hey... Kohaku." Chihiro said, a little unsure of herself, "I don't know if you're actually here.." Chihiro cleared her throat and looked around before looking back down. "Look, you promised me.. okay? So, you can't be mad if I say that I'm..."

Chihiro looked around, "Engaged."

As if on cue the wind started to blow around her. It was strong.. and hurt. Chihiro stood up before yelling out and trying to grab onto something... anything. But, there was nothing there, and she fell, straight into the pond.

The pond was surprisingly clear, and calming. She didn't mind that she didn't know how to swim, if Kohaku willed it, she would be consumed by it. But, there was something wrong with this picture. The water... it was... vacant. There was nothing.. He wasn't here, he wasn't here!

Chihiro started to struggle with all of her might to get to the top of the pond. She kicked and tried to swim, but she ran out of air. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe! She started to scream, but nobody could hear.. alas... not even Kohaku. Chihiro's eyes produced one last tear as she started to sink deeper and deeper than even seemed possible.

She sank, and sank, never feeling the bottom. But, it was a peaceful way down. She didn't have to breathe anymore.. it was just... peaceful. Easy.

Chihiro woke up, sitting up quickly and looking around. It was a ship, a golden ship. She looked around, spotting the festive lights and watching as the faces all around her materialized. Chihiro coughed lightly and watched their curious faces flood with happiness.

"Thank goodness you're awake." One of them said.

Chihiro smiled lightly and scratched her head. "Uhm... where.."

"You're dead." One of them said with a small, sad smile, "But we're headed somewhere to make you feel a whole lot better."

"Really?" Chihiro said, "Where?"

They all looked at each other strangely. Had she not heard them? They had told her straight out. Poor child, she must've been in denial.

"The bathhouse, dear." One had the courage to say.

Chihiro smiled, and they all went off. But then, she frowned. Why weren't they strange, like the last time? They had all been masks, and giant birds and radishes... Were they all really just normal? Was this something that only dead people could see? Was every creature.. or spirit... normal?

Chihiro shook her head. None of this added up. She must be dreaming! The last time she was here, things had changed so much! Was this what they all looked like behind the shadow? Did that mean she was nothing but a mere shadow anymore? Is this how everybody else had seen them?

Chihiro stood up, keeping herself composed. She had changed, since that day. She was 23 now... and that was how she would stay. She would be mature about this, and hopefully, hopefully, she would live this down. Chihiro smirked to herself. Maybe those hadn't been the correct choice of words. And as she saw the shoreline of the river come into view, she took a deep, empty breath. What would be in store? What would she be going through?

There was a second splash into the water, and a figure dived down deep, grabbing Chihiro's body and swimming her to the top. He pulled her out quickly and administered CPR, making her cough out of the water. "Chihiro! Chihiro! Wake up Chihiro!"

Jiro came out of the back of the house and saw the man with Chihiro. "Hey! Hey! Who in the hell are you! You get away from my fiance!"

The man growled..