Rivers Keep Flowing

Chapter 7: Willing and Unwilling

by: LadyRainStarDragon

I do not own Spirited Away. If you have not read Rivers Never Die, please do so before continuing. Promise to Protect and Underwater Savior may also help in your understanding. Yoruiki makes his first appearance in Promise of a River chapt 2.

List of characters in this story so far that actually belong to me: Ryu, BlowingWind, Ten, Tatsu, Yoruiki, Ticitl, Huetziatl.


The girls walked into the room where they were to meet their dragons, BlowingWind still mercilessly teasing Chihiro about not realizing she had been married. Lin couldn't say anything other than snicker, she had to be professional about it. Chihiro looked like she would cheerfully wear a paper bag, just so nobody could see how badly she was blushing.

Kohaku had no expression on his face. It wasn't that he had no feeling about what he had overheard, more like he had no idea what he felt. In a sense, he was hurt that she hadn't realized, as to him it had been so very obvious. On the other hand, he hadn't exactly said it plainly enough for her. Thinking back to that night and the ride that went further than either of them had been prepared for or expected, he remembered he had only said "Then be MINE!" It wasn't 'be my vessel' or even 'be my wife.' Come to think of it, he just sounded really possessive.

He also now realized that he was afraid she would reject him. He didn't want her just as a friend, or just as his link to his humans, he wanted her completely. Chihiro was supposed to be his forever, and she had SAID however he wanted her.

He met Chihiro's eyes as she drew near. The expected rejection was not there, although there was much embarrassment, chagrin and quite a bit of shock. Before, the color on her cheeks would bemuse him, today though, it seemed to be having a totally different effect on him.

And her aura was responding to it.


Chihiro had long since tuned out BlowingWind's jests and jeers, realizing she was still hyper from all the Mountain Dew and chocolate bars they had eaten this morning before Ten somehow popped into her room. Chihiro would have shot some more of her own back, but she was far too busy processing her astounding revelation.

She had been married for three years, and hadn't even known it. It was like those things that happen to you in dreams and then you just go 'Whoa' in the morning . . . and several days to come. Thinking back to the night their relationship had changed, she puzzled about what could have construed them as married. She had promised herself to him for this life and beyond, and he had agreed they would live her life one day at a time. Obviously, this had crept up on her. What else had happened?

They went for a ride, Kohaku using his magic to cloak them from any possible humans so they could have some privacy. Things had then gotten very weird. Maybe the moon over the clearing he had shown her had done something to her that night, because she remembered him refusing to sit with her in his human form. He had been embarrassed, she had had a problem, then he fixed it somehow.

She then remembered the strange glow that the pearl she was wearing had taken on, and then his words in that moonlight glen.

'Then be MINE!'

'I intend to keep you virgin for three more years.'

'Oh, my Kami! That explains the strange urge to swim in his river each night the moon is full. Two steps in a dragon bonding ritual were finished, but it hasn't been consummated. Not that I really mind, just, I wished I had realized this earlier. Dammit! He said it so plainly too!'

Something else dredged itself up from the pits of her memory then, from her grandfather's lips there had been words that had made no sense at the time, but now made complete sense.

'Nigihayami Kohakunushi, I thought we had an understanding that it would wait until she was at least done with her training!'

'Arranged! Ji-chan did make good on his old threat of an arranged marriage!'

Blood rushed back to her cheeks as she met her kami's eyes. A strange cross between uncertainty and hunger sparkled in those bottomless river-grass orbs. Muscles throughout her body clenched and unclenched, fighting the strange heavy feeling her body began to take on. It was the same odd feeling that pulled her out of her warm bed on those moon-bright nights and down to the little pool that had formed at the river's edge, always strangely warm compared to the swift river that parented it. The pearl floating from its silver strand and hidden between her breasts to be near her own heart took on the heat it did those times as well, almost searing.

A large sneeze filled the room, the sonic waves crashing the collected eardrums, a noise that could only be compared to a 747 taking off.


BlowingWind received most of the spray, standing in shock as a bit of the sprayed spittle actually made contact with her skin. Chihiro was untouched, the anti-conception charm that she wore seemingly stronger and actually repelling the mix of flying fluids. Another sneeze from Ryu had the same effect.

"Oh. My. God!"

Chihiro looked from herself to BlowingWind, Lin having been completely missed as she had been behind Chihiro.

"And you just took a bath too! But why am I dry when you got sprayed? We're wearing the same charms."

"I don't know. I'd better not be pregnant Ryu!"

As Ryu prepared for another sneeze, actually having enough warning this time to cover his nose and mouth, the women retreated from the room. After the sneeze was completed, they cautiously peeked through the door.

"You took a bath in the lavender water, didn't you?"

"Oh no, I forgot you were allergic to lavender!"

Kohakunushi, feeling extremely violated as the spray had also reached him, rose from his cushion. Tossing a quick glare at his friend that clearly said HOW violated he felt, he strode out the door, intent on washing the section of his sleeve that had been soiled.

'Now I see why Koji wanted him to chaperone. Ryu can kill a mood without even trying.'


The women both went back down to the baths, making sure their tokens were just for rose-water this time, both feeling very soiled. It was one thing making him drool after dinner, with his mouth all foamed up like a rabid dog as he drank glass after glass of water over the sink. They had quite a few pictures of that for blackmail in fact. It was totally different when he sneezed and actually got you. That was just plain gross.

The fact that BlowingWind's anti-conception charm seemed to be on the blink was also very worrisome. For the next 7 days, she would be at the point in her cycle where she would be the most likely to conceive.

"Oh NO! Where is it? The charm is gone! Take Ryu, you impatient, R-rated scaly coyote, you sneezed me pregnant! You will pay!"

As BlowingWind's cries echoed throughout the bath house, Ryu hid himself under some conveniently placed pillows. The other customers, instead of being annoyed as one would think, began placing bets on how long it would take before the boisterous human got her revenge, and what it was going to be. Kohakunushi, feeling a stress headache coming on him, went down to the boiler room to see if Kamaji had anything that would help.

Yoruiki, hearing the raging female screaming a name familiar from his youth, looked up from the account books in surprise.

"Ryu actually managed to get near a female? I've got to see this!"


Jewel pulled her hand back for another swipe across the presumptuous man's face. Nobody but herself would control who she slept with, if she ever decided she wanted anybody at all. And the whole ownership thing? Forget that, she was her own person and would not just roll over because some idiot thought capturing her equated to ownership.

It didn't even cross her mind that he was not only far older than her, but far stronger to her. Right now, she was too pissed to really think straight at all. She had lost her friends, her freedom, and her job all in one day. She wanted things to go back to the way they were.

A hard hand stopped her own, another pulling her roughly into a hold so tight she couldn't struggle. Two glowing eyes fixed on her own, boring their way past all her defenses, straight to the little part of her brain in the back of her head that had won control. She could feel him inside her head, struggling to gain dominance over the raging river that was her shell. Time was frozen to her, Jewel's world consisting only of herself and the one she raged against. Words unintelligible to herself fell out of her mouth, an unheeded and ancient prayer passed through her family for times such as these, but obviously having some meaning to the dragon she sought freedom from.

Dimly, she heard Ticitl telling her to give in, lean forward, and calm down. What she was doing was far more dangerous than she knew. As a healing spirit, it was her job to worry about the health of both.

Jewel refused to be subjugated, drawing on the determination of the women of her line. A throbbing section on the neck before her drew attention to itself, and self-defense classes flooded back through her mind.

In desperation as she could feel him drawing near to whatever point he was trying to win, she shot her head forward.

A sweet copper taste gushed into her mouth as her omnivorous human teeth sank into his neck. His grip upon her body both physically and mentally loosened, and she was able to tear herself away. The force her hands applied to his chest, knocked him down, leaving him to stare in shock for the span of one second.

Seeing him on the floor brought her back to herself. Her feet carried her out the door, and through the passages once again. Her body, starved for sunlight and fresh air, followed the currents passing by, going against them to find the exit. Finally seeing a dim light ahead, she burst through the last archway, expecting to be greeting by the overrunning jungle.

The sight of the pristine plaza teeming with snake and jaguar spirits brought her to her knees.


Huetziatl was furious at the woman before him. A mere human had the audacity to make an attempt at harm upon his body!

More than that, the boiling of her blood called to him, railing against him and issuing a challenge he found himself unable to resist. Without a master, any river would call out to any water being nearby, both challenging and inviting, and this river before him was no different. He vowed to himself that he would control her as he did his subjects and his own river.

Wrapping himself around her, he reached into her mind with his own, seeking the well of her soul, that point situated between and behind her eyes that fed the heart racing within the frail frame. She had learned of how this trick worked it seemed, and had thrown up several walls for him to either wind around or smash through.

He tried to smash through, and was almost done with the last one, when the ancient language came bubbling past her lips. Her voice was much more feral than he had heard it in their other arguments, uttering the story of one ancient woman who had mothered the O'Drake line, and the dire warning of what would happen to him if the curse upon her was left unbroken and he pursued this path. The human seemed to not know what it was she was saying, and he felt the magic filling every word, as if it was issuing from the original warrioress herself.

He felt teeth pierce him, and was aware of the blood that now filled Jewel's mouth. In shock, he let go, plummeting to the ground to land on his arse.

Huetziatl watched as his blood dripped from her mouth, some no doubt having trickled it's way down her throat without her knowledge. The rainbow of her energy field flamed around her, visible clearly to his eyes. Then, like a woman possessed, she ran, clearing in a single bound the sumptuous meal that had been spread out for them.

Instinct took him over then, chasing her through the darkness, but giving her just enough room for her to think that she would escape him. The ancient mating ceremony of his forebears had been initiated when she challenged him and filled her mouth with his blood. Already, the rain clouds were gathering outside, the magic of a dragon's fight having summoned them prepared to water the lands.

At the entrance to the city plaza, he saw her on her knees, shocked at the difference between her world and his own no doubt. Assuming his proper form, he fell upon her, scooping her up carefully in his jaws. He did not want to damage his prize, having won bride rights to her, and so soon at that. The chase had been fun, he had hoped it would last longer. Then again, he did not plan to force her either, this would be interesting as the chase would just take a different form.

And even though he had slept beside a woman to guard his priestess, he had never had a mate before.

The human's screams caused the denizens of the ancient jungle city to stare in confusion as they saw their Lord begin his climb to the temple atop his abode. The populace watched as he entered, and as he sealed the exits to prevent escape.

Deep within the bowels of the pyramid, Ticitl shook her head as she began to ready the supplies that would be needed after the ceremony. The snake-spirit had hoped her master would take the woman as his bride since she was stuck here, but she had not expected the strangeness about the woman to turn it into a battle of dominance. As she opened the door to the medicine storeroom, Ticitl wondered exactly how long the ceremony would last before the human was either mated, or had won her independence.


Quetzicoatl and Coyote were sitting in a lodge playing a bone game, while Old Woman Coyote was finishing preparing the meal they were sharing with the visiting culture-god. The cooking fire guttered and flared as Brigit, goddess of fire from the forge, water from the well, and healing joined her body with it, standing tall and frustrated on the hearth.

"Quetzi! Something's going wrong with our pair!"

"What do you mean?"

"He's taking her by force!"

"Impossible, that was outlawed amongst my offspring long ago!"

"What do we do? It has to be willing, or the curse on her will ruin the purpose!"

"We stop it and set things right."

"There will be no need to trouble yourselves."

The inhabitants of the buffalo skin covered teepee and possessed cooking fire turned to the entrance of the lodge, where a female figure stood in shadow. Long firm limbs carried her into the light, wildly blowing red hair barely restrained with green headband. Leather leggings and tunic licked over sun-bronzed skin as a spear glinted in the dancing light of the flame. Two raven feathers were tied to the oaken shaft, still and dark as the despairing death that had overcome the warrioress.

"Maeve!"

The woman bowed, dipping her spear in time.

"Greetings, goddess who blest my spear with fire from your forge and water from your well."

"Why have you not moved on? I released you from my service long ago that you might find rest."

"I can not rest as long as the curse remains on my line. There is a dragon who is to be reborn yet again who intends to guide the proper person through his own blood to right the problem. We then will both rest."

The woman turned, striding back out the flap, leaving the cultural-deities to sit and ponder her words. Coyote scratched his ear with his foot, as he was in his animal form.

"Should we tell Jehovah since he's got a stake in O'Drake as well."

A rock made acquaintance with his head. Turning, Coyote found himself looking at his irate wife.

"Think about it."

"Oh, yeah, he probably already knows."

Quetzicoatl snickered, covering it with a cough when he saw the perpetually cranky woman taking aim with another cooking stone.


Outside, an Apache male sat on a rock, waiting for the Celtic woman who had brought to him his Marie.

"SoaringHawk MountainChild, we will now go and see that your grandchild has been conceived."

A nod and the young seeming shaman was replaced with a large hawk, waiting for the esteemed grandmother to situate herself. Then, with a loud cry, he was off, back to the side of his daughter, carrying to her the connection that had been shut away from her by her mother.

A flash, and time and space folded themselves temporarily, allowing the dis-incarnated humans speedy access to their descendant.