Distant Dream
Disclaimer: Do not own any characters of Spirited Away
Authors Note: It had been ages since I wrote fanfiction and recently after just watching Spirited Away, I had immediately fell in love with the characters and the story line. I would really love to see Chihiro and Haku together again and I came up with this story. It will be purely all Japanese settings in my fic and I might come up with Japanese terms sometimes.
In the Japanese Culture, they believe in Spirits and Gods that exists everywhere in this world. The roam freely in our world as well not only in the after world. People do not see them but they see us. Only those who are special with the believe they are born with the third eye can see those Spirits. So this fic will be based on that believe.
Chapter 1: The Wind
It was a beautiful spring afternoon. The flowers were blooming and Cherry Blossoms were everywhere. Asuwa Koto Gakko (Asuwa High School) was famous for their Cherry Blossoms trees that bloom beautifully along the school backyard. The last bell for the school to end had rung ages ago and students were on their way to their extra activities after school. The school track field was already filled with students warming up for their practice. Soccer and baseball practice had already started. Some students were just lazing around the back yard Cherry Blossom viewing.
Up the school building on the second floor in one of the empty art class was a senior high school student sitting next to an open window. The white curtains were flapping in the wind. She had a canvas placed in front of her as she painted on it quietly. Sound of cheering students below can be heard softly above but it didn't bother her. The wind was amazing as it caressed her face and blowing her hair that she tied into a ponytail with a glittering purple hair tie.
Ogino Chihiro was in her final year in Senior High School. It had been eight years since that day she was caught up in the weirdest adventure of her life. She had never seen anyone from that realm ever again since she left that place. Neither did she ever talk about it. Even now that memory was like a dream that she wondered if it ever happened. The only proof that it did happened was the glittering purple hair tie she always used to tie her hair.
She dabbed another colour on the pallet she held in one hand. The gentle spring breeze blew again and she stalled in her movements. She turned towards the window and looked out the beautiful blue horizon and smiled slightly. The wind had always reminded her of someone special to her. The fresh smell the cold breeze everything about it reminds her of him. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again. Finally she turned back to her canvas and resume painting.
Her hands move over the canvas fluently and elegantly. There was a gentle look in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. The background of the canvas was painted as the beautiful bright sky. In the middle of it was the silver dragon with emerald eyes and green mane. He was flying free in the sky. Chihiro painted his freedom. She had prayed hard every single day that he had finally fought for his freedom. It doesn't matter that they never met again but it was important that he got want he wanted. She will understand that even he couldn't keep his promise to meet again. She will be happy as long as he is.
"Nighayami Kohaku Nushi," Chihiro whispered his name as she dabbed on the colours onto the canvas. "How are you doing?"
Suddenly the classroom door slid opened with a loud crash disturbing the solitude and quiet atmosphere. A boy her age stood by the door looking disheveled. He was taking deep breaths as he looked over at Chihiro. She only stared at him wide eye at his sudden intrusion. He slides the door shut again with a bang and walked over to her in wide hurried strides. Chihiro remained seated unmoving as she continued to stare at him. Even he looked intimidating Chihiro did not make any attempt to run away.
"Hide me quick!" The boy exclaimed as he dived for a huge white cloth covering a clay work behind Chihiro. "Don't say I'm here!"
As soon as he disappeared into the white cloth the door slide opened again. A rather angry looking sensei looked in and saw Chihiro still on her seat with a brush held midway in one hand and the other the colour pallet. She blinked when she saw the sensei by the door and remained silent as the he scanned the room.
"Ogino-san, did Matsumoto-kun come by?" He asked her.
She shook her head slightly still staring wide eyes.
"Damn… where did he go." He whispered under his breath before he left shutting the door behind him.
Chihiro turned back to her canvas and resumed painting like nothing had happened.
"Geez, can't he take a joke?" The boy flung away the white cloth and appeared.
"Hello Eiji." Chihiro greeted him nonchalantly.
It had always been the same since she met Matsumoto Eiji back at elementary school after she moved to this prefecture. Their first meeting was exactly like this one. She was cleaning the classroom when he came bursting into the class looking for a place to hide. They had been friends since.
Eiji stood up and peered over Chihiro's shoulder to see what she had painted. When he saw that it was the dragon again he sighed rather evidently.
"This again?" Eiji remarked. "Do you even realize that this whole classroom is filled with all the kind of weird creatures you drew?"
Chihiro was like the only member in the art club in school. The art teacher had always praised her for her talent in drawing and her great imagination. Not knowing that every creature she drew and everything she created in the entire room was moments of her pass when she was trapped in the spirit realm. Chihiro didn't mind. She love drawing them and she love drawing.
"I like drawing Eiji, if you didn't notice even you knew me for eight years." Chihiro retorted. "Besides this dragon had won first prize at the High School Art Award last year."
"Ya, you should try to paint something real for once." Eiji mumbled rather unhappily.
"Real?" Chihiro raised and eyebrow and turned to him.
"Like me," Eiji gave her a suggestion in a suave smile.
Chihiro stared at him with her eyes growing so big Eiji wondered if they might fall out of her sockets. Then the moment of silent was broken by Chihiro beautiful laughter. Eiji sulked when she started laughing. He was actually serious but he knew Chihiro thought he was joking. She had always been a friend since she moved to town. He wasn't the cutest kid in elementary school and most of the time the class misfit. But Chihiro never saw him that way. However, everything changed when he grew up. He became really handsome and became the most popular boy in school among the girls. Even the girls were always flirting around him; he never got serious with anyone.
"You want to model for me?" Chihiro asked after she stopped laughing. She was wiping the tears away from her eyes because she laughed so hard. "You always never seemed to be interested in my drawings. So I never thought you will want to model for me."
"What makes you think I'm not interested?" Eiji looked rather surprised. "Anyways, how can I be interested when all you do is draw that dragon most of the time and all this other weirdo!"
"Eiji, I drew a portrait of you before." Chihiro smiled and stood up from the stool. "You really weren't interested when I told you then."
"What?" Eiji frowned slightly. "When…?"
"Maybe it wasn't the right time when I told you." Chihiro walked over to a closed canvas. She remembered that he was actually having an intimate time with some random girl when she turned up and the girl ran away. That might had made him frustrated. "It was a portrait I drew last year."
She pulled the cloth away from the canvas and Eiji's eyes widened. He was playing the piano. He remembered that time; the music club had begged him to perform at the school festival on stage last year. He always hated to play the piano because the boys back in elementary school had always teased him. There was a time he stopped but something Chihiro told him made him continued to play. When the school Music Club found out how well he plays the piano they begged him to perform. After that day he became even more popular among the girls.
He remembered that day when he was so upset when Chihiro found him hiding in the playground inside a tunnel. "I love Eiji's music." Chihiro told him. That innocent and simple remark had warmed his heart till this day and he never forgot those words. He then continued with his piano lesson in secret. He barely plays for anyone except for Chihiro sometimes. He couldn't believe that Chihiro captured this moment he was playing on stage.
"I can see why all the girls go crazy over you when they saw you that day." Chihiro smiled softly at the canvas. "You look amazing."
Eiji remained silent as he studied the portrait. It was really well drawn and painted. His features the way his fingers were placed on the piano, his pose and everything were captured so vividly. She really did have the talent in drawing. She can draw anything not only fantasy. Unaware by Chihiro, Eiji sneak a peek over her. She was a beautiful girl. Her brown hair tied in a simple ponytail with a glittering purple tie. Her lips were pink. Her skin fair and looked so soft with a slight tint of pink around her cheeks and slight freckles around her nose that made her rather cute too. She was slim in a way she looked rather dainty and sweet. Her posture was always great even when she sat before her canvas; she had her back really straight and elegant. The most amazing of all were her great sparkling brown eyes that always shone with kindness and wonderment.
"That makes me the oddball whenever I'm next to you." Chihiro sighed. "I wonder if the boys really think I am ugly or something."
"Why would you say that?" Eiji asked.
She had no idea how beautiful she was.
"I am going to be eighteen soon!" Chihiro cried frustrated turning away from his portrait. "I had never been on the a date before nor had anyone confess to me!"
"Oh…" Eiji mumbled. "You never confess to anyone before too." He then pointed out.
It was true that Chihiro had never spoke about boys and never showed any sign she like anyone in school. She was always by herself most of the time. She does hang out with the girls in class but after school, she will be cooped up here in this art room.
"I don't know…" Chihiro sighed softly and went back her seat by the window. She looked out to the horizon again. "How does it really feel to like someone?"
Chihiro had no idea at all. She was only ten when she met Haku the spirit dragon who was her savior and everything to her. At that time, she did felt that he was special to her in the whole world because he was there protecting her. Was that called love like what Kamaji-san kept saying? Or was it because Haku was the only one she could trust at that time. She hadn't seen him for eight years and the feeling that she felt for Haku didn't go away but it felt distant. Is it because of this feeling for Haku didn't disappear she couldn't come to like any boys in school?
"You got to be kidding me?" Eiji was shocked. All their lives as friends they never talked about their love life. It was the first time he actually heard Chihiro talked about love and the first thing she said was she didn't know how to?
Chihiro turned back to Eiji who looked shock, she giggled softly.
"Don't be so surprise Eiji, I'm sure I will find someone I really like one day."
He didn't look convinced and quickly looked away to hide the disappointment in his face. He wouldn't want Chihiro to notice. For years it had always been a one sided love. He loves Chihiro, but he couldn't tell her that, he knows Chihiro only treated him as a friend and there was something about Chihiro that also told him that she did have someone she cared about in a special way but she wasn't going to reveal it. The boys in school totally fall for Chihiro because she was kind and gentle. She was hardworking and helpful. Not to mention beautiful too.
For eight years he had grown up next to Chihiro. Watch how beautiful she had become. How boys got attracted to her attractive and mysterious ways. How he made sure that no boys got to her. No one can get near her except him. Her lack of interest in boys had made it easier for him too and he was glad about that. He turned back to her quietly.
She had resume painting on the canvas again with that gentle look in her eyes when she looked at that dragon. It seemed like Chihiro had fallen in love with her own painting. Eiji took a deep breath. It wasn't the first time he caught her looking at her own painting that way. Though he did notice this expression always appears when she was painting that dragon. That was so weird to Eiji and he couldn't help wondering why. There must be a reason why Chihiro was so attached to that painting.
"Chihiro, will you be alright by yourself today?" Eiji asked, most of the time they walk home together but even so that Chihiro always like to stop by the old shrine in town and told Eiji to leave her there. "The Music Club is bugging me to help them with a music recital this weekend."
"I will be fine Eiji." Chihiro smiled slightly at him. "I will see you in school tomorrow?"
"Yeah…" Eiji mumbled heading towards the door and left her alone in the class again. The reason why he had always walked her home was that no other boys in school could or have the chance to ask her out. He hope today when he wasn't around Chihiro will not be targeted on.
The classroom was once again quiet after Eiji left and Chihiro continued with her painting.
"That boy should learn manners." A small muffled voice can be heard in the air. "I can't believe you are friends with him for so many years Chihiro."
"He is nice when you get to know him Hokori-san." Chihiro replied without looking away from the canvas. "Besides he was the first friend I ever made when I move here."
That voice scoffed and slowly around the room a small wind blew around. It wasn't the clear and clean fresh wind from outside, but the dust in the room that swirled around to form a human figure. It stood before Chihiro next to her canvas. It was the dust spirit that stayed for many years in this empty art room. Chihiro found him when she first used the room three years ago.
"You are drawing him again." Hokori said looking over at the canvas.
"I only remembered him when he was still at this age." Chihiro said. "I am sure he is much bigger now. It had been eight years."
"I hear he roams around looking for a right place." Hokori said thoughtfully. "Rumours flies quickly among the spirit world."
"As long as he has his freedom it is fine." Chihiro smiled. "He belongs in the sky flying freely."
The wind then blew through the window and Hokori stayed silent for a moment.
"Oh, a message just came." Hokori told Chihiro after the wind subsided. "The spirits from the shrine are asking for you."
"Really?" Chihiro looked out the window wonderingly. "That's strange they never called for me before. But I hadn't visited for almost a month since school had been really busy preparing us for university examination. Well, since I am called for, I guess I will get going."
"Well, stay out of trouble young lady."
"I will." Chihiro waved at the dust spirit and was out of the class.
That was Chihiro's secret. She had told no one, not her parents, not even Eiji about what she had discovered after she left that tunnel. She developed the ability to see spirits even in her own world. There were tree spirits, water spirits, fire spirits and the earth spirit, even spirits in animal forms. Sometimes she came across bad spirits as well but because of the hair tie that was given to her by Zeniba she managed to stay save. It had been eight years after all and seeing spirits had been like a normal thing to her now. Even the bad one came by she knew what to do and how to avoid them.
Chihiro ran most of her way to the old shrine. She didn't visit the shrine for almost a month because the teachers in school had given them so many homework and tests even on the first month of school. Since it was their final year in high school the teachers were strict and wanted to make sure the students were able to at least graduate. The shrine was place on top of a lonely hill with grey crooked cemented stairs leading its way up to it. Chihiro ran most of her way up the stairs without difficulty. After all she had climbed those stairs for eight years. When she reached the red archway at the top landing, she stalled when she saw an unusual occurrence around the shrine.
The shrine was strangely rowdy that day. Usually the spirits remained quiet and silent until her arrival. But today, they were already up and moving around the shrine excitedly. Chihiro was rather bewildered at this new situation.
"Chihiro is here!" One of the spirits cried. "You are late!"
"I came as quickly as possible after the message was delivered." Chihiro was actually gasping for breath a little for she did run as fast as she could. "What is all these commotion about?"
"Did you remember we were getting the old lake at the back of the shrine to flourish with water again?" The shrine spirit told her. "That lake that falls over to the other side of the this hill like a waterfall to the bottom of the river below?"
"Yes, I heard from the priest here that it had been dried up years ago," Chihiro replied.
"It had been years we had made the water spirit to provide us with help to replenish the lake." The spirit explained. "It had been a wishing lake for centuries since this shrine was built. People of this town come here to make their wish until it dried up. Now finally the lake is awakened again!"
"Oh?" Chihiro looked rather wide-eyed at his explanation.
"Now we have a new master and host for the lake." He continued when Chihiro didn't give him the reaction he was waiting for. "Don't you get it?"
Chihiro blinked rather blankly and a gust of wind around the shrine picked up. It shook the hinges of the sliding doors of the shrine. The trees blew rather drastically. The leaves that lay on the ground flew up and around Chihiro. She looked up with anticipation. It didn't take long for her to recognize the sign of the wind. She knew that wind. Not only that wind but that smell too. Her feet started to make a move towards the lake behind the shrine. Her eyes remained wide with surprise as she took a few slow steps forward. Then gradually she picked up speed and then began running to her destination.
When the lake came to view Chihiro stopped a few feet away and before her eyes was the very dragon she drew every single day. The silver dragon with green mane looked bigger now. But those emerald eyes were still the same staring straight at her. She gasped at the sight. A few seconds ticked by as she stared at the silver dragon before a smile broke her shocked features and she made a dash towards him.
"Haku!" She cried and hugged his head. "You are here!"
Haku closed his eyes when Chihiro hugged him. He had waited for this very day to be reunited again and finally he was here, as a new host and master of this lake. The Shrine priest had allowed him to stay like the rest of the other spirits of the shrine had welcomed him. They knew who he was because of Chihiro. Once again Chihiro had helped him and this time to gain a new home since his old river was lost.
"I finally made it Chihiro." Haku had changed himself to his human form. He wanted to touch her. It had been eight long years. He wrapped his arms around Chihiro small framed and Chihiro had her arms around his neck this time. "I got my freedom from Yubaba after I broke my contract. But I didn't have a place to stay until I found this shrine you always visited. It was a dried lake and it took some time to get it to flourish again. I'm sorry it took so long."
"It's ok," Chihiro shook her head buried on his chest. Haku had grown taller. The last time when she was ten he was almost the same height as she was. "I'm just glad I got to see you again. I miss you so much."
"I miss you too." Haku whispered his face buried on top of Chihiro's head. "You are the one that actually got me this far."
The spirits around the shrine was gathering around behind trees and bushes watching them. They sighed with happiness to see that their beloved Chihiro had found the one special to her again.
To be continued...
Meaning of name:
Hokori- dust
Author's note: I hope everyone enjoyed reading the first chapter as much as I wrote it :) Do review to let me know if I should continue with the fic.
