Disclaimer-chan: I don't own Spirited Away, nor do I own Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi; if I did, this little first paragraph would be unnecessary, and if I said I did, all of Walt Disney Studios and Studio Ghibli, including the great Miyazaki Hayao-san, would sue me for everything I have. Which, considering, isn't much but you know, a girl's gotta have something to buy manga with…
Author's Notes: This is my first Sen to Chihiro no Kam…..uh. Okay, this is my first Spirited Away fic…no wait, that's not right either. Gasp! This is my first fic ever! Aah! Please go easy on me, people!
I'm writing this fanfic because I just watched this movie for the counts on fingers fourth time: once in Cantonese (which I don't speak more than five words of), once in French (which I don't speak more than two words of), once in English (which I don't speak more than….er, never mind), and finally in Japanese (no subtitles. O.O). Anyway, after screaming like a lunatic at the television for the fourth time, I realized that all my little heart wanted could be found in fanfiction ^_^ So I found this snug little Sen to Chi….um, Spirited Away section in fanfiction.net, and I decided to submit a little something! Okay! Anyway…
Reviews and criticisms are very very welcome. Flames….yeah, ok. Just watch out, cuz I've got a lot of little imaginary soot balls, and I'm not afraid of sending them after you. =)
I guess my ranting is done now. On with the little ficcy…
Never Forget
Chapter One: Promise
by Nereix
"Will we meet somewhere again?"
"Yes, surely."
"Surely?"
"Surely!"
Ogino Chihiro awoke with a start.
Haku…
Rolling onto her side, she hugged the blanket around her stomach and took a deep, shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut. The twisting feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away. She missed him. Seven whole years, and she still missed him.
You promised we'd meet. You promised.
Haku no baka!
The sudden burst of anger quieted her, and she was immediately sorry for her harsh thinking. She had no right to get mad, did she? After all, she had never gone back to that world in those last seven years. She had never gathered up the guts to. For all Chihiro knew, Haku could by lying down somewhere at that very moment, fuming exactly like she was. The thought made her chuckle a bit, and she rolled onto her back with a small smile to gaze at the ceiling, darkened with the shadows of night.
They'd meet. They had to. Because she would never forget.
"Jaa ne, Chihiro-chan!"
The school bell tolled out cheerfully into the afternoon air, signaling the end of the school day. Chihiro ran out the gate, waving back at her friends. "Un! See you tomorrow!" Out of habit, she looked around for her father's car until she remembered that it needed repairs that day. Sighing, she grudgingly started to walk.
A while later, as she wiped the back of her hand over her forehead, Chihiro thanked all her lucky stars that the school was closer to the house than it was in junior high. The sun was beating down with exceptional fervor for a spring day, and it was hot. The summer afternoons that she'd had to walk home all the way from her old school…Chihiro shook her head to clear the memory. It was just making her hotter.
To her left, the forest stretched out serenely. Chihiro paused. She hadn't gone to visit the tunnel since half a month ago; end-of-the-term school exams had kept her busy and stressed out enough to not keep her visits as frequent as they used to be.
Though it had not stopped her from missing Haku during the night.
…And the shade looked so tempting.
She walked into the forest, picking her feet along the start of the old, familiar pathway. The dense treetops offered welcome relief of the sun; sighing in contentment, she fanned the tip of her ponytail against the back of her neck. She passed the mini-shrines, and the odd rounded statue along the road; before long, she was rounding the curve that led to the long pathway to the tunnel.
There was someone else standing by the statue.
Chihiro paused, blinked in surprise; she had never seen anyone else there. She fought down a sudden and impractical surge of indignation. The place wasn't hers, it was public property. Anyone was allowed in. Still…the intruder was a boy, around her age and wearing her school's uniform. He had his back turned to her, looking up at the building, his hands by his sides; still, unmoving, with his bag by his feet.
She entered the little clearing. He didn't move. Maybe he didn't hear her?
Walking up, she tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Ano…sumimasen?"
The boy started and turned around.
Chihiro found herself staring into jade green eyes.
Her breath caught, and her chest gave a little squeeze. His hair was shorter—she hadn't recognized it from the back—but it was the same hue of black jade. His skin was still as pale as hers. And his eyes…they were the same as she remembered them. It was him. It was him.
She had to fight to get the word out of her throat.
"Haku…?"
The boy blinked.
"I'm sorry. Do I know you?"
To be continued.
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I know, I know, the idea's been used over and over…but I really wanted to write it. I did. =P And I know this is pretty short, but it's truly all my little brain can come up with right now…gomen ne…BTW, I realized when I was editing this that I used more Japanese than I should have, so I changed some stuff. But I left some because the fic just wasn't the same without it. In the future I might be using more or less, I really don't know; but if anyone is confused or anything, please let me know and I'll be sure to add a little section at the end with translations. bows Arigatou gozaimashita, minna-san! Please review!
