Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away
Chihiro could never recall the memories. Not consciously, anyway. The time that they willingly came to mind was when she was riding the dragon. Her dragon.
The position she chose had come so naturally that she didn't question it at the time. Her legs had found that familiar place on each side of the magnificent creature without any discomforts.
Her hands had automatically gone to his antler like horns on the top of his head. She had grasped them in a painstakingly repetitive way from a time not long ago. Shifting her position slightly she was able to lean into him in a comfortable manner that suited her best.
Leaning her head in, she was able to catch a better view of the sky around her. She could not help but gape in awe of its beauty and light. It was very tempting to lose herself in its wonder and broadness.
Being caught up in the moment, Chihiro nearly forgot herself and let go. In response, the dragon below her steadily twisted from side to side in an attempt to bring her out of her daze.
Pulled back to the present, Chihiro absently squeezed the dragon's middle with her knees in an apologetic manner, which he easily interpreted as a 'thank you' of sorts.
Nothing existed in that moment except Chihiro and Haku - her dragon – which she had secretly dubbed him. The wind whistling in her hair marveled at her courage for flying so high in the sky and with a dragon as well.
Time seemed to standstill, and everything in Chihiro's memory seemed to fade away into the far recesses of her mind. The clouds surrounding them whisked past her at an unfathomable speed, bringing her into a daze.
The ground disappeared in front of her and Chihiro forgot everything. In that instant she didn't remember her parent's dilemma, she didn't remember the bathhouse, the creatures she encountered or the realm she was in.
It was only Chihiro and Haku, as it should be.
The air around her seemed to intensify. Chihiro looked down to Haku to see how he was managing and ask him slow down. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to notice or to be affected by the sudden change.
Then the clouds in front of her seemed to twist and morph into a different element all together. The speed they were traveling at was making her sick. She opened her mouth to ask Haku to slow down, but nothing came out. Frowning Chihiro closed to eyes. She opened her mouth to try again and everything stopped.
Not trusting herself, Chihiro kept her eyes tightly closed – even as she felt them slow down. Her mouth was still open and before she knew it, water was racing into her mouth at an alarming rate.
Her heart sped up to match her distress and Chihiro knew that it had been a mistake to try and talk. Slamming her mouth shut, Chihiro winced when she bit her own lip attempting to re - route the water out through her nose. The compulsion to faint was exhausting her. Opening her eyes she numbingly looked around for something - seeking anything familiar for comfort.
With the present situation, Chihiro wanted nothing more than to be in the arms of her mother and father. Startled, she wondered why she missed them so much all of a sudden. She felt very small then, and turned back to her task trying to ignore the child like thoughts she carried.
Seeing nothing but water, Chihiro held out her arms for balance and kicked her legs trying to use them as a motor to reach the surface. To her horror, she found herself too weak and small to do so and in that moment it dawned on her.
Her Dragon – Haku wasn't there.
Fear quenched her being. Looking below her, she found nothing. Chihiro couldn't turn her head and look for him, for the current was too strong. An overwhelming sense of abandonment and sadness filled her. Reaching the breaking point Chihiro went deathly still. She couldn't tell if she was crying, since she was under water but that didn't seem to matter.
It didn't matter that she was drowning. It didn't matter that she couldn't breath. It didn't matter that she was about to die. Giving up the fight, Chihiro allowed herself to be pulled deeper into the water by its strong current - surrendering to her fate.
Becoming very lax, the poor girl began to fade out. She distantly noticed that her arms and legs were flailing out in rhythm with the water. Darkness shadowed her vision and she didn't have the will power to fight it. Rocks on the bottom painfully scraped her skin. At that moment, Chihiro felt like she was playing a sick game as the water's abused puppet.
Then suddenly she felt him. Her arms brushed with his gills. Her legs tingled when they made contact with him 'which was a very unusual thing to feel when one is under water'. She saw silver and green flash her vision. He seemed to be everywhere.
If Chihiro had had enough strength she would have smiled, but she didn't so she watched.
In a flash of light he was around her and encircling her in layers in a protective manner. Her cuts and bruises the rocks had inflicted on her vanished. She could tell that he did not want her to die.
Very gently, he scooped her up and saddled her onto his back. Chihiro felt very safe.
Slipping slightly, she moved forward to better her position. Encircling her arms around him she fastened herself to his middle with her legs.
Once this was accomplished, she reached for his antlers for a better grip. Still trembling slightly, the dragon allowed her to inch forward for a better view of her surroundings. Leaning her head in, Chihiro opened her mouth in awe of the spectacle before her.
Then it struck her, she wasn't breathing any more. For some strange reason, she didn't need to. Whenever water entered her mouth, it seemed to go into her lungs just like air. The dragon seemed to be doing the real breathing for her, or at least that's what she thought.
Then she was on shore staring at the water, weakly hearing the shouts of her father as he ran up the bank, her mother following. Both of them were worried but Chihiro didn't care. She watched in fascination as the dragon disappeared beneath the troubled surface of the river.
Despite the fact that the most recent events happened within 45 seconds, it seemed like a life time to Chihiro. She remained on that beach for a good ten minutes after her parents had arrived smothering her with hugs and kisses and asking her silly questions like if she had found her shoe. She never suspected that the incident would lead to a nasty head cold the next day.
In a stunned gaze, Chihiro's view changed and she found herself once again flying in the sky on the back of her beloved Haku. Regaining her composure Chihiro looked down to see the train passing below them in the opposite direction. Leaning in further, Chihiro whispered.
"Haku listen, I just remembered something from a long time ago. I think it may help you…"