NEW CHAPTER. DID YOU MISS ME?
THE TIME YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, IM GOING TO START INTRODUCING THE REUNION NOW. THEY'RE DONE BEING APART.
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I DON'T OWN SPIRETED AWAY.
CHAPTER TEN
"Morigawa, did you finish your homework?"
Morigawa looked up from her place in the garden, spread out on her stomach with a text book laid out lazily in front of her. "Yes Grandmother" she said absently, turning the page.
"Mother, leave Mori-chan alone. Let her play if she wants to" Chihiro called from her seat on the patio as she looked up from her own homework. But although Chihiro often fretted, Morigawa actually enjoyed studying. Because it was all she knew. Since she was little it was her idea of fun.
Kaori sighed and held her hands on her waist "Really Chihiro, you're spoiling her. That child needs some direction."
Chihiro looked up "My child has enough direction" she said as Kaori huffed and went back inside. Chihiro watched her for a moment before setting aside her book and following her inside. She needed to have some words with her mother anyway.
She found Kaori at the sink washing the dishes. Chihiro leant on the wall. "Mother, about the thing we were discussing last week?"
"What thing dear?"
"Don't pretend to be stupid mother" Chihiro rolled her eyes "You know what I'm talking about."
Kaori laughed as she dried her hands on a tea-towel "Oh dear, you're not still going on about that. Moving out on your own?"
"I think it's time mother" Chihiro insisted "Morigawa is already five years old, I have a stable job and a place at university. Morigawa is old enough to take care of her own basic needs. I think we need to set out on our own."
"And where will you live" Kaori said crossing her arms, drumming her finger nails on her bicep.
"I'll rent an apartment or something. I'm not saying now or next week. Just, soon. Maybe. I don't know, it's definitely part of the plan; I'm just letting you know Mother. This will be good for Morigawa."
"What would be best for Morigawa is for her to stay here, where she can be helped on her way in life. A talent like hers comes once every 1000 years, it's a waste to let it shrivel up and die like that. If she stays with you, you'll ruin her; pull her out of all her scholarships. I know you Chihiro."
"Maybe I will pull her out! And like I've always wanted, put her in a school filled with kids her age. But you wanted to send her away to a boarding school in Tokyo, so I settled for this." Chihiro said glaring "This is why we have to move! Morigawa is my daughter, she's five years old! She deserves a childhood. I hate what you're doing to her. Her idea of fun is a textbook because that's all she knows. She can already read at a high school level, do complicated mathematics, play seven different instruments, what more do you want her to do! I know she's lonely, she wants friends. But she pretends not to, because she thinks it'll hurt me. Me! I'm her mother, I'm supposed to be protecting her from hurt, not the other way around."
"Chihiro, don't be such a drama queen." And then Kaori sighed "When did you get so wilful and spoilt? This all started when you were ten, and we moved. I thought moving back would make things better, then you went and got…"
Chihiro smiled "What mother, pregnant? Believe me, it wasn't my fault. And you're so quick to say it was a bad thing right after arguing about what a special girl Mori is. And actually mother, moving back then was the best and worst thing you could have ever done for me"
And then Chihiro turned and walked away. She hated arguing with her mother, because she never listened. It was a waste of breath and energy.
For two years since Morigawa took that IQ test, her mother became a work Mongol. Chihiro did love her mother, but there were many times where she felt she would have made a rather fine feudal lord.
Passing the glass patio she glanced out to see Morigawa tapping the window "Mama, Mama!"
"Yes Darling?"
"Can I go out to play?" she asked.
Chihiro smiled "Sure. You know, you're spending more and more time outside these days. Where are you going? Not too far I hope?"
"No" she chimed "Just down to the river"
Chihiro's blood froze. "The…river? W-what river would you mean?"
Morigawa tipped her head to the side innocently "The Kohaku River mama, why do you ask?"
Chihiro didn't know what to say.
"Mama, you're all pale!"
Morigawa's frightened voice woke her up from her trance.
"S-sorry, I was just thinking" she smiled "You know, I used to spend a lot of time at that river."
"Really!" Morigawa looked surprised "Why?"
This time Chihiro's smile was nostalgic as she said softly "I was waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone? Who?"
Chihiro looked up towards the sky and remained quiet for a time before finally admitting "Someone I… loved very much?"
"Loved? You don't love him anymore?"
Chihiro was silent. Then she grinned and ruffled Morigawa's hair "That's a lot of questions for one afternoon. Run along and have fun. Comeback before the sun starts setting ok?" Chihiro was used to Morigawa going out. She didn't know why though. Most parents would feel agonised with worry if their children went out for as long as Morigawa did. But somehow, Chihiro never worried, she just had a feeling that Morigawa would be safe.
"Kay" Morigawa cried "Bye Mama." And scampered off out the back garden door.
Chihiro sank into the bench behind her sighing. "The Kohaku river, huh?"
Chihiro felt angry with herself. When she was younger and still idealistic, she would go to that river, the one that was restored. Chihiro had been so happy when she found out. She thought, 'Kohaku must be happy now' 'He's sure to come for me now' and so she waited. Of course he didn't come. After so many years, she told herself that she wouldn't pine over him anymore, and yet just hearing that name made her heart beat so fast, as she yearned to see him. It was times like this when she would suddenly wake up and realise in the deepest part of her heart that though she tried to pretend to be strong, she still loved him.
She clutched her heart and whispered "Kohaku"
No she couldn't let herself be weak, not for Morigawa. He probably forgot their promise, as a river spirit he was probably so old. A promise or a confession of love, they were probably nothing to a River God like him. She was nothing, and she was stupid for letting herself become so worked up.
Yet…
"Kohaku!" just for a little, while her mother and Morigawa was out and she was along, just a little, it might be ok to cry. Just a little. "Kohaku."
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"Haku-san!"
Kohaku opened his eyes. He was lying on his back on the banks of his river. From the corner of his eye he saw a child racing towards him. Then he realised who it was and smiled "Morigawa, why am I not surprised you came today? Are you following me?"
She was dressed casually with her long brown hair in pigtails as she giggled childishly "No I'm not, we just keep meeting. Kinda like fate, huh? Maybe we were destined to be friends?"
Children were cute. This was something Haku had recently decided. Which was strange because he usually thought nothing of children, especially human children. Yet something about this Child felt Comfortable. On second thought, it was only Morigawa that was cute.
"Can I sit there too?" she asked, biting her lip.
"Do as you wish" he said and she yipped and lay back beside him.
"What are you doing?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I'm giving the River my Chi Energy?"
She blinked and turned her head to him "Huh? How do you do that?"
"I simply lie here and channel it through the ground and into the river. It's very simple. And as for why I do it, it's because it's my duty."
"Your duty?"
"Yes." He smiled. She was being rather talkative today, usually she silently dipped her feet in the river or read a book on the sunny banks or recently she would practice for her choir performance with him as a mock judgmental audience. It had been the first time Kohaku had 'played' in many…many years. At first he thought he wouldn't remember how, and then it came so naturally.
"Haku-san, you're not human, are you?"
That question of hers surprised him. For a moment, Kohaku didn't know what to say. "No, I'm not" he finally said, deciding to be honest, since lying to an intelligent child seemed a stupid thing to do.
Morigawa grinned "I knew it. There's just something about you that's different. You're not human. No human has a presence like yours."
He opened on eye curiously "Oh? What kind of presence?"
"Well…it's like…like…calm and peaceful and…" she struggled to come up with an answer before suddenly light flooded her eyes "I know! Haku-san is like the river. You're really calm and level but then you can get sly and smart. You have a powerful and important presence that you just can't ignore, but it's not overpowering or anything, it's like…graceful I suppose and…yeah…"
Kohaku blinked and stared at her before saying finally "You are a very perceptive little girl, you know that." Really, of all things to compare a river spirit to, she chose a river without any prompting, just from his personality. Very perceptive.
She smiled gleefully "Thanks, Mama says that too." Sitting up, Morigawa stretched out catlike "Hay, Haku-san?"
"Hm?"
"Can I try doing that too, give the river energy I mean?"
Kohaku opened his eyes and sat up suddenly "What, why?"
She shrugged "I don't actually know, I just…feel I should" she laughed "Then again, I do spend a lot of time here, I should give something back. And I might not be able to do it?"
Kohaku looked at her. It was rare a human to be selfless. But Morigawa often surprised him. He really wasn't supposed to be saying this, but for some reason he didn't care.
"Not most humans can do this. Human energy is very base; it's a little difficult for most to give it away. But some with extra psychic abilities find they can to an extent. Why not?" he took her hands and tipped it in the water"I do this instinctively, so I'm not exactly sure how to instruct a person in how it happens but…" Kohaku trailed off as he realised what was happening.
A steady stream of energy was being directed towards the river…no…the river was pulling the energy from her. After a few moments he cut the connection off forcefully "Stop. Doing this for too long will exhaust you."
Morigawa blinked "Huh? Was I doing it, I feel fine?" she said a little confused.
Kohaku couldn't understand, she didn't realise it? And how was she able to provide so much energy for so long without being tired, especially with that child's body.
"Hm" he laughed "I've heard of some humans having very nature in-tune energies. It seems you are one of them."
"Really" she cried "Is that a good thing?"
"In this case it is" he said lying back down "The river accepted you easily, I think it likes you. Your welcome to try again when you want, just make sure I'm with you. Don't do this on your own."
"Yey!" she smiled joyfully
But Kohaku was uneasy. To think a human had such compatible river energy, the coincidence was too great. Perhaps she was right, perhaps it was fate.
He glanced over at her. Morigawa was too mature for a child of her human years, and too beautiful. When you looked at her like this, calmly on the river bank, she looked older; there was something in her eyes and her manner that showed her adult soul. And something about her made him a little protective, it was as if he wished she could stay a child a little longer. Perhaps it had to do with that niggling feeling in back of his mind that screamed how familiar she was, yet for the life of hi Kohaku could place it.
But she knew he wasn't human from his manner alone.
Something in the air changed, Kohaku looked up and sniffed "Smells like rain" "Smells like rain" two voiced chimed.
Morigawa rubbed her eyes "Oh you think so too Haku-san? Autumns coming!"
'Morigawa, who are you?'
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Meanwhile in the town high school, a very pretty girl with long black hair sat on the piano with her legs crossed and her short skirt riding up her thighs in the school music room, surrounded by guys.
"Why did you all us here Mei-chan"
Mei looked up at her fans; there were always perks to being pretty.
She'd just found out that the solo was given to that little brat of a genius Ogino.
Mei hated Ogino Morigawa. Little Bastard.
Before she came here, Mei was the smartest, most beautiful, most popular girl in the school. All the teachers clamoured to teach her, the one most likely to get a scholarship to Tokyo Uni, there wasn't anything she couldn't get away with, musically inclined with the voice of an angel, everyone's favourite. Then that brat transferred and everything changed.
The whole world became about that genius five-year old. Intelligent, sporty and she played more instruments than Mei. Even as a five year old everyone was constantly gushing about how pretty she was or would be when she grew up with those foreign eyes. Teachers didn't care about her anymore, everything was 'Ogino-san this' and 'Ogino-san that'.
Before when Mei kicked up a fuss in the music room everyone would beg her to reconsider, now so easily its 'never mind, at least we have Ogino-san' and Mei was sick of it!
The bullying that brat had been experiencing up till now was child's play. Like cutting her shoes on a hot day, stealing her things and dumping them in the bin, leaving her to clean up the classroom all on her own. Mei had just been going easy on her because she was a child. But now, Mei was annoyed.
She smiled maliciously "Boys, there's someone I want you to deal with. If possible, I want permanent damage."
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