Spirited Away-The Promise of a Dragon
Chihiro sighed and gazed out her window at the darkened street below. Studying mythology was interesting work, and she would not change that for the world, but sometimes it made her sad.
It has been seven years, seven long years since she had seen Haku, who had saved her life. She smiled and recalled a myth, from what culture she couldn't recall, that on saving someone's life that person belonged to you. If that were the case, they belonged to each other.
It was hard to date other boys; in the rare cases she accepted invitations. Always she searched for long dark hair and unusual green eyes. The dragon kindness. No-one seemed to shape up. But she could not doubt herself- Haku has promised they would be together. She knew she didn't want anyone else- though there was a growing nagging at the back of her mind.
How long do I wait? How do I know it was real?
Stretching, she finally put down her pen to reflect on the past. To renew the feelings, the truth, her story.
***
Since she had come to her new home after meeting him a drastic change had come over her. She had screamed and eventually cried as she tried to convince her parents that she had seen the spirit world and that she had saved them- it was real.
Worried, her parents had looked at each other, a little helpless. What do they do with their stubborn and illogical daughter? Chihiro had finally given up and gone to bed, still crying. Falling into a deep sleep when she had no more tears she dreamed he had come to her, from afar. Twisting toward her in Dragon form, and she stood upon the edge of a cliff. He appeared in his human form before her and took her hands in his. He was radiating warmth.
"Chihiro, don't cry." He said. "I'm real. I won't leave you. I promised."
"Haku. My parents did not believe me. I don't want to doubt."
"A promise of a dragon is a powerful oath, Chihiro. One day you will learn how powerful."
Before he could explain any more his head turned sharply away but his grip on her own hands tightened.
"I must go." He said hurriedly. "Chihiro, one day. I won't forget you." His eyes said don't forget me.
He brought her close to him with a fierce tug though their clasped hands separated their bodies. His head was bowed toward hers and his eyes were closed, and she looked up at him wide-eyed, not recognizing the hurried farewell.
The moment passed and swiftly he pushed her away and disintegrated into scales, regaining his dragon shape off the edge of the cliff. The large green eyes were sad. As if she had hit the ground, she woke up. Her eyes were dry now, but she felt a terrible sadness weighing her down.
...
The next morning she had come down the stairs and bowed to her parents sitting at the breakfast table, and asked their forgiveness for the way she had acted the previous night. Her mother dropped the cup she had been holding and her father's mouth hung open, in shock. A piece of food hung out. Their clingy daughter had grown up overnight. Hastily recovering, her father coughed and said, "Chihiro, everything is fine." Her mother agreed, still in shock.
***
Occasionally she gave in to bouts of depression that worried her parents, but usually within a few days she was back to her usual self. That was now a much more mature girl- unusually serious, even, entering her twelfth year.
Some years passed, and she reached her seventeenth year. Though she had dreamed of him again it was ever less frequently, as though he were far away, and always he had to leave quickly. She came to realise she remembered more, saw him clearer when she wore her sparkling hair tie her spirit friends had made for her. Sometimes he did not speak, though she tried to speak to him, separated by a veil. She had not worn the hair tie that night. She could not forget the last time he had come to her, never- for the first time, crushing her body to his before quickly turning and disintegrating into his white scales again. She had not had time to react, only breathe in the scent of his hair before he whirled round. She had woken with an idiotic smile on her face.
Completing high school, her friends asked her what she wanted to do. "I will study mythology" she had replied with certainty, without even thinking. Those that truly knew her were not surprised. In the right mood, she would weave for them a fantastic tale of the spirit realm, describing the God's bath house and an evil witch, and her first henchman with a handsome face, who turned out to be the kind hero. At this point her eyes would go soft and dreamy, and sometimes she would not continue her story. Her friends did not know that at this point she came to ponder what he had said to her-
The promise of a dragon. She still had not found out.
***
For her research, or so people assumed, Chihiro traveled to a famous, ancient festival of Light that celebrated Earth's connection with the spirit world (for the good of humans).
Legend had it that lost loves would reappear to their faithful partners, and with bated breath she waited on the banks of the dark river with the friendly people of the township. The sun set.
She bowed her head and looked sadly at the running river. Then, a flash of white caught her eye. As she was about to dismiss it in her mind as a flash of dying sun she saw it twist as if it were a... dragon, playing under the water happily as if in air. Falling to her knees with a cry, looking down, peering into the water a face suddenly appeared.
The townspeople rushed over to the girl who had fainted dead away.
But it was not Haku. It was the long-bodied river God, the most powerful God she encountered in the bath house.
***
"My Daughter," he said. His wrinkled, wizened face looked at her with affection.
She was stunned. Gaping at him, she was silent.
"You do not remember anything of your past lives in your new form- I will tell you, little one, that in one hundred cycles of your various lives he has found you, one way or another. Though I forbid him, he came to you still in your dreams, where you are connected with your true home. That Zeniba, she is the most foresighted of us all- as her twin sister, Yubaba, is the most blind. That hair tie" -she was wearing it- "blinded me to Haku's visits to you for a time. She always loved you best, your Granny."
"F-father? How is that possible? What about my parents?"
"You were a goddess yourself, once." He explained. "Becoming spoilt and conceited, I punished you with human form. Unwittingly I punished also Haku, and after he had been driven from his home too. He has always loved you, my daughter. I realized this, but you were already human form- now you had to see this for yourself, to look beyond your own selfishness. You passed my test at the Bath house of Yubaba- you saved him when he needed you most. You saved your parents, so they could continue to raise you in safety. Until you were ready to come home."
She spotted the white dragon again, twisting in intricate circles, now radiating happy impatience. She reached out to him.
"Do you love Haku? Can you live for him and not only yourself? Can you take your place with our family again?"
"Yes, I do, I will!" she sang out to him, still on her knees but crying now. It was so right.
"But what about my human parents?" She added after moments' thought.
The river God looked glad. "You have learned my little one. For compassion's sake, you may appear in their dreams. Comfort them, because you are happy and home. Come, Haku, she awaits you" he called.
***
The townspeople checked the girls pulse. It was rapid but strong, though it seemed to be getting fainter. The doctor had been called for.
How had she not noticed? In the times she dreamed of him that he had aged as she did when they were parted- it was just natural. But here he was, head and shoulders above the water, longer, dark hair splayed out behind him, grinning as she had never seen him do. How many times he must have grown with her, trying to get her home.
"I promised I would always find you. That we could be together one day." That was the promise of a Dragon. That he should follow her until she could retake her own true form.
Rising out of the water, he held his hand out to her. She held out her own but her knees felt heavy. In pulling herself up against the resistance, she found she left her body behind.
"Don't be afraid, it is only your human body."
He comforted her from her shock. But she was not dead- she was home. She ran to cradle the river God's face in her hands. Pressing her own against it, she said
"Thank you. For helping me save him, for giving me the opportunity to see what I had." Turning back to Haku, holding out his hand again for her to take it, out of the corner of her eye she saw the river God, dissolving into his powerful water home, grinning as she set her hand in his.
***
"Why was I not 'home' at Yubaba's? Aside from the obvious, she's got a hideous... personality" She questioned him. He laughed at her comment about Yubaba.
"How did you get away?" she asked him. He stopped laughing and she regretted asking.
"I quit my apprenticeship, like I said. She didn't take to kindly to that, but you gave me my true name! She had no power anymore, though she tried to hurt me" he shook his head at the remembrance of her frustration and wasted magic on him.
"But now you are here. And you were not home at Yubaba's because you were human." She drew closer to him.
"I was joining the spirit world then." She persisted. She wrinkled her brow. "And I stank of human." She added.
"As I said, you were joining that world as a human. I tried to get you away!"
She recalled his shock upon seeing her, the brusque way he told her to "be off!" For her own good. Before she could apologize he continued;
"You would have disappeared, but now you are in your true form you will not." She looked down.
"But I have my seventeen-year-old human... outline?" She commented, outline, for lack of a better word...
"Which you will keep. Or grow, should you wish it. The rest you will remember very soon." He said mysteriously.
Questions sated for now, they sank onto the water together.
"Get on my back" He directed.
She tipped her head at him, smiling.
"I have ridden a dragon before."
Feeling the water flow around her she remembered twisting through it as if it were air, and wind along her back...
***
"Kohaku!" She cried. Letting go of his horns, he writhed around to face her, in time to see her joyfully shed her scales and take her own beautiful dragon form. He cried out with joy that she remembered.
Twisting against him, she rested her big cheek against his and they cried together, for years and lifetimes lost and love found. Finally pulling away, she asked him;
"But where will we live? The Kohaku River is gone."
"Did you think you did not have your own? The Chihiro River runs still. I told you, I would find you and bring you home!"
Her eyes flew wide open.
"You did not know you were named for the Chihiro River?"
"I did not!" She said. To cover her mistake, she chided him jokingly.
"But Haku, I found you first. I fell into you as a small child."
"I suppose you did." He said musingly. Then his green eyes flashed and he twisted around her and pulled her close to him.
"But I have you now."
As they journeyed up waterways and dragon lines they kept looking sideways at each other and brushing tails, as if checking it were real.
***
Chihiro's parents stood together, in a large field overlooking a magical pool within a clear-flowing river, that one they had named her for her eyes. Blossoms swirled around them and a sweet scent was on the air. It was a dream within a dream- they saw their daughter come toward them, from the water itself.
"Mother! Father!" She cried out to them. They had never seen her so perfectly radiant.
"Do not worry about me" she continued, approaching them. "I am home, and happy. Don't worry about me! I wish you happiness the rest of your lives. I will watch over you!" As she turned back to the water, her hair tie shone purple. A white dragon reared out of the pool and as the blossoms swirled around. Shimmering blue and white scales mingled with the blossoms, and a light blue dragon joined the white in the sparkling water. The peaceful scene faded from her parent's minds.
Her parents awoke hand in hand. The telephone was ringing. Looking at each other, as if they knew their unusual dream was real.
"...your daughter, Chihiro? I am sorry..." said the voice of the other line.
They nodded to each other, dumbly.