Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this small tale... especially for the one who is weary with waiting. A grateful bow is made to Hayao Miyazaki for his many wonderful films, especially Spirited Away.
Chapter 4: Familiar Footsteps
"Come with me?"
Kodama slipped to her side. "My place is here, but... there are ways." She dropped a small pine cone into Chihiro's hand. "Keep this close, and I will be as well."
"Where will I find him?"
"Take this road into my wood... straight on until I tell you to turn."
With a nod, Chihiro hurried towards the forest; at the verge, she turned to wave, but the tree spirit had disappeared. In spite of the heat, her skin prickled with gooseflesh. Will he recognize me? Excitement drove her forward until she was running down the dusty track.
"Here! This is a good place!"
Chihiro stumbled to a halt. "Kodama?"
"Who else?" her guide replied with a touch of sarcasm. "Down into that gully, then seaward."
She plucked the pine cone from her pocket and inspected it more closely. "Can you see me?"
"Well enough to know you're dawdling," snapped Kodama.
"Oh! Right!" Wasting no more time, Chihiro waded through a tangle of ferns and scrabbled down a steep slope, to stand on the wide, rock-strewn bed of what was once a proud river. Haku, I'm coming!
In a cave by the sea, a dragon roused slightly. Has the rain finally come? A faraway patter called to him, stirring his hopes for respite and release, but the air was hot and dry, as parched as his soul. No, there will be no storm this day. He listened distantly, trying to place the stuttering rhythm that echoed from somewhere upstream. Is someone skipping stones? Ah... how foolish... for that you need water.
Resignedly, he drifted, but at the last moment, he realized that he knew the sound. Footsteps... coming closer. His final, fleeting thought was one of desperate anticipation. Perhaps at long last, his heart was returning to him.
End Note: This chapter was written for the Live Journal community fanfic(underscore)bakeoff and their Secret Ingredient for March 2010—Tangle. Posted on March 23, 2010. 300 words.