Silver scales flashed in the moonlight, a dragon flew above the sea as graceful as the wind before dissolving into the form of a young boy with green eyes and a gentle smile.
Will we meet again sometime?
I'm sure we will.
Promise?
Promise. Now go, and don't look back…….
Wind blew softly in the warm night and something small and light brushed against Chihiro's cheek. Her eyes flew open as she grabbed for the object, excitement warring with hope as she sat up and examined what she'd found. Her hopes died as almost immediately she identified it as nothing more than a dried old leaf.
"I suppose that's all I can expect to find when I fall asleep under a tree in the middle of nowhere." she sighed, "It doesn't stop me from dreaming though. The sky looks just like the night we met." A tear collected in her eye as she remembered the events of her trip to the Spirit World eight years ago, but impatiently she brushed it away. "He said we'd definitely meet again," she whispered, "I know he'll come back somehow."
Getting up she brushed off her skirt which had bits of grass stuck to it and looked out over the wide river on whose bank she'd sat down to think, and to dream. It wasn't Haku's river, that was back in the town she and her parents left when they moved here. This river ran down from the mountains, through the small town they now lived in and then flowed onward towards the sea. It wasn't Haku's river but it helped, sometimes. She could sit on its banks and listen to the water rushing past her and imagine she was sitting on the balcony of Yubaba's bathhouse, watching the train go by below her. She'd dream of Haku in his dragon form, fighting off Zaniba's paper birds and then flying with him back to Yubaba's after she'd gone to Zaniba's to try and save his life.
She'd only been ten then and hadn't recognised the feelings that grew in her heart but she knew now that she'd fallen in love with Haku. He was the spirit of the Kohaku river who had saved her life when she was very small, and then saved it again when she'd become trapped in the Spirit World. Even after eight years she still believed he'd keep his promise and find her again, the sparkling purple hairtie that her friends had woven for her proved that it really had all happened and kept her hopes alive when she began to doubt.
Stretching and yawning Chihiro flicked her ponytail over her shoulder –it now reached just above her waist –and fumbled around for her shoes which she'd taken off to dip her feet in the cool water in the heat of the afternoon. It was a testament to her half-asleep state that she forgot she'd left them on the edge of the riverbank and felt all around the base of the tree before remembering this and blearily stumbling over to where they were tucked under her jacket and socks above the swirling waters.
It was a week before the end of the school year, exams were over and all that was left was to wait for the results to come back. Chihiro was fairly confident of her marks; she'd studied hard and found none of the questions especially difficult to answer. Nevertheless she still felt the anxiety all students who wait for exam results feel and nothing seemed to help except for her visits to the river and her walks through the forest near the tunnel that lead to the train station and the way to the Spirit World.
It was while walking through the forest one day that she'd discovered the river and from then on it became her favourite place to come, mainly because it let her get as close to Haku as she would ever get now that she'd left the Spirit World.
It was several days later, after her dream by the river that it happened. She'd volunteered to be a parent helper for a trip that the local intermediate school had planned. The talented art students who had an extra specialist class every week were being rewarded for their hard work and being taken out to sketch the local flora and fauna –with parent supervision of course. Her group consisted of three students, a boy Takumi and two girls Saya and Chika who despite their age could draw better than many 'professional' artists Chihiro had ever seen.
Interestingly the place the school had chosen to go was the very river Chihiro often visited, although much further down river than the spot she visited. The place they went was much closer to the school and the town and for that Chihiro was very grateful, it would have been horrible to have 'her' place overrun by strangers, artists or no. Thankfully none of the children showed the slightest inclination to explore upstream and were all seemingly content to sketch the wildlife and forest in and around the spot the adults had chosen.
Chihiro watched with parental interest and the beginnings of mild concern as her group wandered slightly closer to the riverbank than she would have liked. Heading over she called them away but her voice fell on deaf ears as they spotted something much more interesting than a parents' voice in the water. Pointing and talking excitedly with each other they paid her no heed until she was literally on top of them. Gently taking the two girls arms she starting pulling them back from the edge, knowing the boy would follow them if she could get the other two away.
Somewhere high up in the mountains, winter's last storm rained down its fury on the land below before giving up the ghost and dissipating in the face of Spring and the coming Summers warmth. Rain fell and snow melted, running down into the streams and rivers below. Little rivulets grew into small canals that collected left over storm debris and gained momentum as they flowed down towards the sea. By the time it reached the art class near the town the small storm surge had become a waist high wall of water that raced towards them and washed everything not nailed down into its murky waters.
Chihiro had enough time to throw the girls and herself out of danger before the wave hit. Unfortunately Takumi was not so quick and with horror she and the girls turned to see the wave hit him full force and sweep him off his feet and into the river. Chihiro didn't stop to think about what she was doing, she released Saya and Chika and then kicked off her shoes before throwing herself into the water after Takumi who was being carried swiftly downriver
The water was filled with sticks, branches and leaves that beat against Chihiro as she struggled to swim towards Takumi several metres away. A good swimmer and fast thinker, he'd found a largish branch to cling to and was valiantly attempting to swim towards the bank while keeping himself afloat. Chihiro reached him and joined in the fight to shore, kicking with all her might as they were carried further and further downstream.
In a matter of minutes they'd reached the town and were swept under bridges and down canals specially designed to turn floods such as this away from important buildings and fields. It was at one such bridge that Chihiro spotted a dock with several boats tied to it. Angling towards it she failed to catch a hold on the first boat but managed to snag the anchor rope of the second. Holding fast she got Takumi to climb past her and use the rope to scramble onto the boat and then the dock. She was about to follow suit when a particularly large piece of wood slammed into her legs. Shocked by the sudden pain her grip momentarily slipped and that was all the river needed. It sucked her back into the main current and Takumi watched helplessly as she swiftly vanished from view.
Outside the town the river narrowed and as a result ran much faster. Chihiro managed to keep her head above the water but was fighting a losing battle against the chilling cold. A set of rapids loomed up in front of her and she was swept around rocks and boulders before going over a small waterfall. The fall was short but the weight of the water pressed her into the murky bottom of the river, disorientating her so that she couldn't tell which way was up or down. Her lungs started burning as time ticked by and she couldn't reach the surface.
Suddenly she felt warm water flowing around her; it felt familiar somehow as if she'd experienced this very sensation before. The warmth wrapped around her entire body and then despite the pressure that had kept her trapped beneath the waves lifted her up to the surface and then held her there as she coughed up everything she'd inadvertently swallowed. As she coughed and spat out what seemed like half the river she was aware of being carried into shallow water and then lifted out of the water completely. The warm water drained away to be replaced by a set of strong arms that held her tightly and carried her up onto the bank, supporting her as she dispelled the last of the water from her lungs.
"There you go Chihiro, get it all out." A hand patted her back comfortingly as she gasped for breath and something warm was draped about her shoulders. "It's just as well I was in a hurry to see you Chihiro and took a shortcut across the forest otherwise I might not have seen you at all……"
Reality faded in and out for Chihiro as she tried to comprehend what had just happened to her. The voice she heard speaking her name even now seemed so familiar, it woke memories in her that had long since grown blurred and distant despite her efforts at keeping them close. Reality faded into blackness one last time but as it did her addled mind made a single clear connection. It's Haku! Then the darkness wrapped its velvet shrouds around her and reality faded into dreams of silver scales and green eyes.
~*~
Haku saw Chihiro fall forwards and caught her shoulders before she hit the ground. Gathering her gently into his arms he rose to his feet and began the long walk back to town.
~*~
Even as Chihiro had dived in after Takumi, the rest of the adults had sprung into action calling the emergency services and advising them of the situation. Police and Firefighters were immediately sent out and the rest of the children were brought back to school to be picked up and cared for by their parents and families. When Takumi was found at the dock shortly after the search parties started he was suffering only from small cuts and bruises and a chill, he was still admitted to the hospital overnight to be safe but everyone was assured this was just a precautionary measure. Hopes rose for Chihiro's rescue after Takumi was found but as the hours passed and still nothing was heard those hopes began to wane again.
By this time the whole town was aware of what had happened to Chihiro and many people went to her parent's house to wait with them and give their support while the rest joined the search teams. Dawn had come and gone and still nothing, everyone was still being positive and hopes were still relatively high but everyone was starting to think the worst.
Suddenly the phone started ringing. Chihiro's mother leapt to the phone and picked it up, fearing the worst only to be wonderfully disappointed. At 8 o'clock in the morning Chihiro was found by a search party not far from the town wrapped in a blanket like garment and being carried by a young man who told police he'd been walking since he found her the previous afternoon.
Everyone immediately drove, rode or carpooled to the hospital where the two had been taken as soon as a vehicle was called. Chihiro was suffering from a slight case of hypothermia and her body had been badly bruised, especially her legs but aside from that she was fine. The young man who had saved her introduced himself as Haku and had suffered no injuries, claiming he'd been walking along the riverbank when he spotted Chihiro washed up on the shore.
The police and townsfolk were all very thankful for his help and mightily impressed by his endurance and strength –carrying someone for as long and as far as he had was nothing to be sneezed at, especially since Chihiro had not only been injured but unconsciousness for the entirety of the journey. Her parents offered him their spare room for as long as he wished to stay as a way of thanking him for saving their daughter. Everything was swiftly arranged and Haku was soon dressed in clean and dry clothes, fed a hot meal and would have been put to bed if he hadn't politely requested to be allowed to stay with Chihiro.
Her parents were a bit surprised by the request but saw no harm in it, after all if he'd just carried her unknown numbers of kilometres to safety they supposed he had the right to remain with her until she was well again, or at least until she woke up.
~*~
It was a long vigil and soon both of Chihiro's parents had fallen asleep but Haku remained awake, waiting for the moment when she would open her eyes. He didn't have to wait for too long, soon after her parent's had gone to sleep her deep even breaths changed their rhythm, becoming faster and shallower and then her eyes fluttered open.
Haku slid his chair over to her side, careful not to wake her parents before gently taking the hand she held out to him.
"Haku." She sighed, "You came back!" a tear leaked out of her eye, sliding down her cheek. He wiped it away before smiling and gently tapping her on the forehead with his fist. "What made you think I wouldn't?"
"You were gone for so long, I began to think you'd forgotten about me." More tears rose but she blinked them back, "I tried to remember, I wrote it all down and drew pictures but the memories faded anyway. I thought that if I couldn't remember you then for sure you'd forgotten about me. It's been eight years after all."
Haku shook his head and clasped her hand even tighter, "Of course I wouldn't forget about you Chihiro!" He whispered fiercely, "how could I? You saved my life, found my name and freed me from Yubaba. You gave me a reason to start living again. It only took me this long to reach you because time flows differently in the Spirit World and I had to get Zeniba, Boh and No-Face to help me first."
He reached up with one hand and pulled off the tie that kept his now much longer hair in a ponytail. He held it up for Chihiro to see and she gasped as she recognised it, "But that's my hairtie!"
Haku smiled, "No it's not your hairtie, yours is on that table by the bed, but it's as close as I could get to you while I was in the Spirit World. Zeniba, No Face and Boh made it for me when they realised how long it would take to open the gate between our worlds." He grimaced, "Getting out from under Yubaba's thumb was just the beginning, I had a lot to remember and relearn before I could return to the Human world as the Spirit of the Kohaku River."
"But you're here now." Chiriro held up their joined hands, "How can I touch you if you're a still a spirit."
"Because in this world spirits can take physical form if they want to. It doesn't happen often because humans don't believe in spirits anymore so there's no point. I couldn't do it at first because I forgot how when I lost my name. When you found my name again I started to remember who I was but I didn't remember everything for a long time and I couldn't come here until I did. Zeniba helped me where she could but most of it was up to me."
Haku held her hand up to her cheek and stared solemly at Chihiro, "Can you forgive me for taking so long to remember?"
Chihiro shook her head, tears falling from her eyes despite her attempts to keep them back. "Haku, it doesn't matter how long you took. You came back." A smile so full of joy it hurt lit up her face "You came back, you kept your promise even after I gave up hoping you would."
Wiping the tears from her cheeks Haku drew her to him in a gentle hug, careful of her injuries. "Baka, how could I not keep my promise, I love you."
Chihiro sighed in his arms, "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that." she whispered.
"And what about you?"
"Chihiro gently pushed him away and straightened so she could look him in the eye. "I've loved you since the day you saved me on the riverbank in the Spirit World. When you kept me from disappearing, when you helped me in the Bath-house, every moment that you were with me I felt safe. No one has ever made me feel like that except you."
She pulled him close again, "Promise you'll stay with me." She buried her face in his shirt, "I want to be with you forever."
"Of course." A mischievous grin replaced the serious expression, "Actually I've already made arrangements to stay in town, at least for a while."
Chihiro's eyes lit up "Then you can stay with me?" she asked, hope burning like a flame in her eyes.
"Yes," then Haku grinned, "As a matter of fact your parents are letting me stay in the spare room at your house as a way of saying thanks for saving you."
Chihiro threw her arms around Haku, laughing in her joy with tears of happiness running down her face. "Haku! Haku! Haku!" she cried, unable to express her joy in any other way.
Her parents chose this moment to finally wake up and were astonished to see their daughter acting so strangely, and with a young man she hadn't even met before. Haku was hugging Chihiro just as tightly as she was hugging him which just added to the confusion. The nurse on duty came in to see what all the fuss was about and finally ordered everyone out rather than try and sort out what was going on. Haku kissed Chihiro gently on the check and she clung to his hand before the nurse made her let go. "Promise you'll come back?" she called as he turned to leave.
He touched his hair tie and smiled, "I Promise." Then he and her parents left to go home and get some sleep. "I suggest you do the same." The nurse told her and she guiltily lay back down on the bed under her stern gaze and slowly drifted off back to sleep.