Chihiro sat at the river's edge. The wind tugged playfully at her, now waist length, hair. She stared into the deep blue water. Forgotten memories trying to make themselves noticed in her mind. Memories of dreams that never happened, of people who didn't exist, and of a boy with green eyes and black hair she never met. It's been almost 10 years since the dreams began.
Over the years the river had been buried. On the land, apartments were built, but a devastating fire destroyed the apartments, leaving behind nothing but ash and the rocks placed where the river ran. Many people, reminiscing about the majestic river felt it would be best to restore the river to the way it was, brining beauty to the area surrounding it. And so the river flowed again.
The water of the Kohaku River gently brushed Chihiro's feet, the river she nearly drowned in as a child. Though she should have been afraid to fall in, she felt like she belonged there. Chihiro, the wind whispered. She turned her head, looking for the source of the whisper, but saw only the rolling fields and swaying grass, she heard the wind whisper through the trees down the river, she thought they were the source of the sound. She looked at the fields of her hometown. She was traveling the countryside, visiting old friends and relatives, even attending her old best friend Rumi's wedding. It felt good to be home. But it still didn't feel like home. She looked back to the calm waters of the river. She inched forward, slowly dipping her feet into the cool water.
"Be careful," a familiar voice whispered near her ear, "or you'll fall in again."
She turned her head sharply, looking for the owner of the voice. But saw nothing, there was no one there. She was alone.
A sigh escaped her lips. She was surprised to hear it. Why am I so disappointed? She asked herself silently. She felt like she was forgetting something important, something to do with the river. She played it off as paranoia; people already thought she was strange for being so fixated on the river. It was all she ever thought about.
She just stared, losing herself in the calm, deep blue; it had the same affect as his eyes. Whose eyes? She racked her brain for the answer, only resulting in frustration and a headache. She hated not knowing what it was.
The wind picked up, a warm breeze played against Chihiro's skin, like fingers lightly caressing her cheek. She stood slowly, ready but unwilling to leave the river's edge, she knew she had a wedding to go to, but she felt drawn to the blue water. Sighing again, she turned to leave.
As she began to amble away from the riverbank, there was a huge gust of wind. Chihiro, being caught off guard, was thrown off balance, plummeting into the river.
Her mind only registered the shock of being thrown into cold water. Though the air was very warm that day, it did nothing for the temperature of the river. Panic flooded into Chihiro, I'm going to drown! She thought.
Realizing she was touching the bottom, Chihiro pulled herself into a sitting position, brushing her hair out of her face. She stood, feeling the water run down her legs and her soaking wet white sundress clinging to her body, as if desperate to stay in place. The breeze may have been warm before but now felt freezing against Chihiro's soaked skin, she shivered.
The years have been well to Chihiro, in the years since the move, she'd grown into a very beautiful young lady, her porcelain skin was free of most scars, apart from one she never remembered getting, her soft hair was long and free of tangles, her chocolate brown eyes large and wondrous.
She sneezed. A chill settled on her skin. Chihiro climbed out of the river, she needed to dry her dress quickly if she was to be at the wedding on time, besides, she didn't want to catch a cold. She turned her back on the Kohaku River, once again.
Rumi looked so beautiful in a simple, yet elegant white dress. Chihiro smiled as her best friend found her in the crowd at the reception.
"Chihiro!" She yelled, bouquet swinging in her hand as she waved ecstatically. Chihiro waved back as Rumi was pulled away by another, to receive congratulations. Chihiro turned away; she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She thought she saw a very familiar face, but she couldn't say whom. She just brushed it off as someone she must have went to school with, but the boy's green eyes stayed burnt into her mind.
Rumi later found Chihiro sitting alone on an outside deck.
"Chihiro!" She cried as she practically tackled her friend.
"Congratulations Rumi!" Chihiro smiled at her long time best friend, the only friend who never said she was strange, or that her dreams were just that; dreams. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you!" Rumi was glowing; she looked so happy to be a bride. "I'm so glad you made it."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Chihiro replied. She'd missed her friend terribly after the move.
"So?" Rumi asked, raising her eyebrows.
"So what?" Chihiro asked, confused.
"See anyone you like?" Rumi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making Chihiro giggle, like a middle school student.
A pair of green eyes flashed through her mind. "Not really." Chihiro lied. She wasn't even sure that she'd even seen this boy; she'd always seen strange things out of the corner of her eyes.
"That's too bad." Rumi pouted. "I wanted to go to your wedding next!"
"I'm not even dating anyone and you want me to get married!" Chihiro laughed along with her friend.
"C'mon." Rumi said with a smile, "Let's go dance!"
It was nearly dawn when Chihiro woke up from a familiar dream. She dreamt of a boy with black hair and green eyes, holding her and smiling. She was young again and they were falling. But she wasn't scared, she felt safe in the arms of the boy. "You did it Chihiro, you remembered my name, my name is…" and she woke up.
Unable to fall back asleep, Chihiro decided to get up. It was still dark as she left the inn in which she was staying, the cool night air still hung around, awaiting dawn. Chihiro hugged her jacket tightly to her body and began to walk. She wasn't really thinking about where she was going, but it seemed as though her destination was predetermined.
She stood at the bank of the Kohaku River, awaiting the sunrise. She looked again into the dark waters, searching for something still left unknown. Something glittered beneath the surface. Chihiro rubbed her eyes and looked again, she only saw the water splashing against a rock. Her eyes were playing tricks on her.
The sun was just breaking the horizon, its light the color of blood. She was captivated by the color. She watched as it slowly shifted from red to lovely orange. There was a movement out of the corner of her eye.
She didn't move this time, knowing that if she did, she'd see nothing there, just like all the other times. She just stared forward at the rising sun. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing she knew why she was so drawn to this place, she felt as though she was forgetting something extremely important, but trying to remember only gave her a headache.
Chihiro, the wind whispered. She closed her eyes and blocked her ears. Why was she hearing things! Please remember.
She opened her eyes and looked around. Her eyes froze on a figure at the river's edge. It was a young man dressed in blue pants and a white tunic, his hair was the color of the night sky. His face was that of noble, high cheekbones, strong jaw, the elegant curve of his nose. He turned to her, his eyes the color of emeralds. The same eyes that plagued her dreams for all of these years.
He saw her and smiled. The smile made her heart skip a beat, he was beautiful.
He turned and ran along the river, into the trees.
"Wait!" Chihiro called, bolting after him, slipping as she ran. She needed to know who that young man was, and why she dreamt of him every night. "Come back!"
She entered the trees, searching. She saw nothing; no one else was there. "Come back." She whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. Why was she crying? She didn't even know the boy.
Chihiro, the wind whispered again. She turned, searching for the voice. Please remember, the voice begged.
"Remember what?" She called into the empty forest.
Remember, the whisper faded deeper into the woods. She followed.
"Hello?" She called. She was greeted by silence. She was alone. She turned and tried to remember her way back. She walked along a path she didn't even know was there. The only sounds were of the whispering breeze, and her footsteps along the path.
"Who are you?" She asked, mostly speaking to herself, knowing she would get no answer. Her foot caught on a root and sent her sprawling on the ground. "Ouch." She said in a sharp intake of breath. She looked up and saw the young man with the emerald eyes, worry reflected back at her. He began to back away slowly.
"Don't go!" She cried to him, he paused. Remember Chihiro, his voice whispered through the trees, she knew it was his, she'd heard it in many dreams. He began to disappear again. She tears ran down her cheeks, tears she knew meant something important was right in front of her,
"…ku…" she wept. "Haku!" The name escaped her lips and everything came flooding back. Ubaba and her enslavement, she stole Chihiro's name along with many others, No face, Lin, her parents turned into pigs, Kamaji, and Zeniba, but most of all, she remembered Haku.
The young man who, at the time was just a boy, the one who saved her in the beginning from disappearing, the one who kept her alive in the spirit world. The one who saved her life as a child. The spirit of the Kohaku River. He who said to go and never turn back until she was at the end of the tunnel.
"Chihiro." His voice whispered again. He was standing right there in front of her, eyes shining, smile splitting his face.
"Haku!" Chihiro cried as she threw herself into his arms, feeling the warmth and strength that kept her safe in her dreams all those years. His hair had grown and he was somehow older but it was still Haku. He kept his promise.
"You remember," he said with tears in his eyes.
"I always knew something was missing," she whispered into the crook of his neck where she laid her head. His arms were her salvation. She pulled away slightly and looked up into his deep emerald eyes.
"I missed you." He whispered in her ear.
He stared at her, or rather into her. It was as if he was looking into Chihiro's very soul. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. Her eyes drifted shut as the distance between the closed.
His lips brushed lightly against hers, the warmth from them spread through every fiber of her being. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her close as one kiss slid into another in a silent symphony of emotion. Chihiro knew she loved Haku, ever since he saved her from Ubaba's crow, she felt something, and that feeling only continued to grow.
They pulled apart as the perfect moment ended. Chihiro's cheeks were flushed. Kohaku stared with love in his eyes.
"I was devastated when you left." He said sadly, "I never wanted you to leave, but you didn't belong in the spirit world."
She knew what was coming, her heart sunk. He was going to say goodbye again. Tears began to form in her eyes as she imagined being separated from her river spirit again. Or worse, not even knowing who he was or what could have been. She closed her eyes and held him tightly, bracing herself for the words that came.
"I can't lose you again, Chihiro." Haku said as she looked up in surprise. "I love you." Chihiro was surprised to hear the words escape Kohaku's lips, he felt the same. "Say you'll stay with me, forever." He pleaded, holding her hands.
New tears formed in Chihiro's eyes, tears of joy, she couldn't imagine living without her river spirit.
"Of course." She said with a smile.
Kohaku's smile rivaled the brilliance of the morning sun. He took her by the hand and led her deeper into the forest, deeper than anyone's ever gone before. Back into the spirit world, her home, now and forever. Chihiro could do nothing but smile, as she was Spirited Away.