Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or any of its characters.
Author's Note: It might have taken me a while to post the last chapter, but at least it was posted with this chapter. Happy Reading! ~Na
Chapter 18: Memory
The sun had already kissed the horizon, when Sen walked out of Aburaya. She was surprised to see the sky all orange and pink, had it really taken this long for dinner?
Sen ran to the edge where the field should have been, to where her last flashback that only involved her and Kohaku had been. She was disappointed to see the water that seemed to stretched on for almost forever, she could see the far side , but could never get to it.
Disappointed Sen quickly walked back through the empty streets, she was going to the garden, and if that failed to help her remember why she had seen such things she would go to the boiler room.
Sen stopped right before she stepped on the bridge, although she wasn't sure why. She took a deep breath and continued to walk on, restraining from breathing. As soon as her foot touched the bridge a memory came flooding back. Sen was clinging to Kohaku as they walked across the bridge, then a frog, a garden and the steep stairs that made her slam her face in the wall. The memories really flashed in her mind to fast to decipher them all. They continued on, Kamajii in the boiler, and the Susuwatari, Rin and the fried newt, then the elevator with Oshira-Sama, then she was in Yu-Baaba's room. She wrote something down on a piece of paper and it flew to Yu-Baaba, but she couldn't read what it had said. Sen just figured it was her name, Sen, but it looked to long to just be Sen. Then Kohaku came in and Sen had said her name was, 'Chi...Sen' the end a little solemn.
Sen looked around she had been so caught up in the pictures of the past that played in her mind, she hadn't realized she was even still walking, or that after she stepped off the bridge she was breathing and no longer holding her breath. Sen stood in the garden in the same spot that Kohaku had given her, her clothes back.
Sen reached out a hand and took the imaginary clothes, that she had really taken back when she was ten. Laying on top of the clothes was her farewell card, Sen squinted to read the card out of her memory, she couldn't. All she could read, all that was written on her imaginary card was, 'Chihiro'.
"Chihiro..." Chihiro said, her head whipped up brushing away her imaginary clothes and card, they were no longer needed. Chihiro ran into Aburaya and directly to Kohaku's room.
Chihiro whipped opened the door, the light sliver fell on a figure in the bed. Kohaku had cried so much it wore him out the light didn't even stir him from his sad induced sleep. Was it really his turn to sleep in the bed? Though Chihiro, she couldn't remember though it wasn't the worst thing to forget. He either slept in the bed to let Chihiro think she won and he would sleep in his bed. Or he did it to make her mad, but the logic in that she didn't see. But that was not what mattered.
Chihiro softly closed the door and walked over to the bed. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see that Kohaku slept on his back right arm above his head and left arm across his stomach. Chihiro quietly slipped under the covers next to him, she picked up his left hand in her right.
Kohaku didn't wake up, Chihiro whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry. I love you Haku." Kohaku still didn't wake up. Chihiro laid down still holding Kohaku's hand.
Chihiro closed her eyes, a small thought of fear entered her mind, fear for her own life. In Kohaku's sleep he gripped Chihiro's hand ever so slightly, the fear was gone. Chihiro thought as she drifted off to sleep, When was the last time I feared for my own life? She thought about her own question. Ten I must have been ten, before I moved was the last time I cared about what happened to me. After I moved I only cared about my parents and Kohaku. Ten was the beginning of all of this,... no four was the beginning, it just didn't take shape till I was ten. And seventeen is when I fear my life again when I have nothing to fear, no hand I'll have to let go. I wish this happened when I was four, or at least ten.
Chihiro was asleep, it might have been pointless thinking but that was all it was the pointless thinking before sleep, the thinking of a normal girl with nothing else to worry about except the hand that held hers.
----------
Rin slowly opened the door to Kohaku's room it was time for Chihiro to go to work and most likely Kohaku as well. The light from the door shined on two bodies lying in the bed, the light bothered neither. Rin closed the door and walked to Yu-Baaba's.
Rin returned to Kohaku's room, about an hour later. Just like the first time the light from the door shined on the two sleeping on the bed and stirred neither. Rin laid a note on the small dinning table, and left.
----------
Kohaku woke up to the sound of someone dropping a few empty trays outside of his door. Kohaku didn't recognize the sound in his half sleep, his eyes slightly hurt from crying the night before. Kohaku brought his right arm down slowly it had fallen asleep, in the position he had it in. his right arm lower to the bed but didn't touch the sheets instead it touched long brown hair and another arm. Kohaku woke up completely and blink in surprise that he hadn't realized as soon as he woke up that Chihiro laid next to him, or felt her fingers interlocked with his.
Kohaku sat up, and let go of Chihiro's hand. Chihiro grunted half asleep and preceded to take a hold of Kohaku's hand once more. Chihiro patted Kohaku's stomach a few times before she woke up. Chihiro propped herself up with her left elbow and looked at Kohaku.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said such things to you. I love you Haku," Chihiro said with tired eyes and a weary smile, but they were pure and Kohoku could see that she truly meant it.
"Don't worry about it, all that matters now is, your well," Kohaku smiled and brushed some of Chihiro's brown hair out of her face.
Chihiro smiled, "But I could use some more sleep." Chihiro flopped down on her stomach, her right hand went once more for Kohaku's hand.
Kohaku held Chihiro's hand and laid back down, "Me too." They closed their eyes to go back to sleep. Many running feet noisily passed the door.
Kohaku and Chihiro both sat up quickly, "Work!"
They scrambled out of the bed, "What time is it?" asked Chihiro fixing up her hair in the same old ponytail.
"I don't know, why didn't Rin wake us up?" Kohaku replied quickly making the bed. They both went to the door. Chihiro was still fiddling with her hair she tilted her head, "Are you ready?" asked Kohaku he knew that the second they stepped out of the door someone would tell them that Yu- Baaba wanted to see them.
"...Yeah...Wait, what is that?" said Chihiro pointing to a piece of paper on the dinning table.
Kohaku quickly walked to the table and picked up the note, he read, "Sen and Haku you two were so peacefully sleeping I didn't want to wake you up. Don't worry about work and don't worry about me. I decided I was going to leave today, and I knew if I waited for you two to wake up then I most likely wouldn't get out the door. So good-bye I'll miss both of you and I promise I'll visit someday. While I was in Yu-Baaba's she inquired after Haku, I told her, 'Sen had a relapse, and Haku is taking care of her.' Well Yu-Baaba said it was ok and that you two weren't allowed a vacation or something like that. Well anyways I suggest that Sen you don't leave the room today and Haku very seldom if at all. I'm glad that your better Sen, I'll be seeing you. Love, Rin."
As Kohaku had read Chihiro had walked closer and read the end of the letter to herself over Kohaku's shoulder, "Good-Bye Rin."
Kohaku turned around and hugged Chihiro, "I love you Chihiro."
Chihiro leaned forward and gave him a small kiss, "And I love you Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."
Kohaku gave Chihiro a funny look at the sound of his full name. Chihiro laughed, Kohaku kissed her.
Author's Note: It might have taken me a while to post the last chapter, but at least it was posted with this chapter. Happy Reading! ~Na
Chapter 18: Memory
The sun had already kissed the horizon, when Sen walked out of Aburaya. She was surprised to see the sky all orange and pink, had it really taken this long for dinner?
Sen ran to the edge where the field should have been, to where her last flashback that only involved her and Kohaku had been. She was disappointed to see the water that seemed to stretched on for almost forever, she could see the far side , but could never get to it.
Disappointed Sen quickly walked back through the empty streets, she was going to the garden, and if that failed to help her remember why she had seen such things she would go to the boiler room.
Sen stopped right before she stepped on the bridge, although she wasn't sure why. She took a deep breath and continued to walk on, restraining from breathing. As soon as her foot touched the bridge a memory came flooding back. Sen was clinging to Kohaku as they walked across the bridge, then a frog, a garden and the steep stairs that made her slam her face in the wall. The memories really flashed in her mind to fast to decipher them all. They continued on, Kamajii in the boiler, and the Susuwatari, Rin and the fried newt, then the elevator with Oshira-Sama, then she was in Yu-Baaba's room. She wrote something down on a piece of paper and it flew to Yu-Baaba, but she couldn't read what it had said. Sen just figured it was her name, Sen, but it looked to long to just be Sen. Then Kohaku came in and Sen had said her name was, 'Chi...Sen' the end a little solemn.
Sen looked around she had been so caught up in the pictures of the past that played in her mind, she hadn't realized she was even still walking, or that after she stepped off the bridge she was breathing and no longer holding her breath. Sen stood in the garden in the same spot that Kohaku had given her, her clothes back.
Sen reached out a hand and took the imaginary clothes, that she had really taken back when she was ten. Laying on top of the clothes was her farewell card, Sen squinted to read the card out of her memory, she couldn't. All she could read, all that was written on her imaginary card was, 'Chihiro'.
"Chihiro..." Chihiro said, her head whipped up brushing away her imaginary clothes and card, they were no longer needed. Chihiro ran into Aburaya and directly to Kohaku's room.
Chihiro whipped opened the door, the light sliver fell on a figure in the bed. Kohaku had cried so much it wore him out the light didn't even stir him from his sad induced sleep. Was it really his turn to sleep in the bed? Though Chihiro, she couldn't remember though it wasn't the worst thing to forget. He either slept in the bed to let Chihiro think she won and he would sleep in his bed. Or he did it to make her mad, but the logic in that she didn't see. But that was not what mattered.
Chihiro softly closed the door and walked over to the bed. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see that Kohaku slept on his back right arm above his head and left arm across his stomach. Chihiro quietly slipped under the covers next to him, she picked up his left hand in her right.
Kohaku didn't wake up, Chihiro whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry. I love you Haku." Kohaku still didn't wake up. Chihiro laid down still holding Kohaku's hand.
Chihiro closed her eyes, a small thought of fear entered her mind, fear for her own life. In Kohaku's sleep he gripped Chihiro's hand ever so slightly, the fear was gone. Chihiro thought as she drifted off to sleep, When was the last time I feared for my own life? She thought about her own question. Ten I must have been ten, before I moved was the last time I cared about what happened to me. After I moved I only cared about my parents and Kohaku. Ten was the beginning of all of this,... no four was the beginning, it just didn't take shape till I was ten. And seventeen is when I fear my life again when I have nothing to fear, no hand I'll have to let go. I wish this happened when I was four, or at least ten.
Chihiro was asleep, it might have been pointless thinking but that was all it was the pointless thinking before sleep, the thinking of a normal girl with nothing else to worry about except the hand that held hers.
----------
Rin slowly opened the door to Kohaku's room it was time for Chihiro to go to work and most likely Kohaku as well. The light from the door shined on two bodies lying in the bed, the light bothered neither. Rin closed the door and walked to Yu-Baaba's.
Rin returned to Kohaku's room, about an hour later. Just like the first time the light from the door shined on the two sleeping on the bed and stirred neither. Rin laid a note on the small dinning table, and left.
----------
Kohaku woke up to the sound of someone dropping a few empty trays outside of his door. Kohaku didn't recognize the sound in his half sleep, his eyes slightly hurt from crying the night before. Kohaku brought his right arm down slowly it had fallen asleep, in the position he had it in. his right arm lower to the bed but didn't touch the sheets instead it touched long brown hair and another arm. Kohaku woke up completely and blink in surprise that he hadn't realized as soon as he woke up that Chihiro laid next to him, or felt her fingers interlocked with his.
Kohaku sat up, and let go of Chihiro's hand. Chihiro grunted half asleep and preceded to take a hold of Kohaku's hand once more. Chihiro patted Kohaku's stomach a few times before she woke up. Chihiro propped herself up with her left elbow and looked at Kohaku.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said such things to you. I love you Haku," Chihiro said with tired eyes and a weary smile, but they were pure and Kohoku could see that she truly meant it.
"Don't worry about it, all that matters now is, your well," Kohaku smiled and brushed some of Chihiro's brown hair out of her face.
Chihiro smiled, "But I could use some more sleep." Chihiro flopped down on her stomach, her right hand went once more for Kohaku's hand.
Kohaku held Chihiro's hand and laid back down, "Me too." They closed their eyes to go back to sleep. Many running feet noisily passed the door.
Kohaku and Chihiro both sat up quickly, "Work!"
They scrambled out of the bed, "What time is it?" asked Chihiro fixing up her hair in the same old ponytail.
"I don't know, why didn't Rin wake us up?" Kohaku replied quickly making the bed. They both went to the door. Chihiro was still fiddling with her hair she tilted her head, "Are you ready?" asked Kohaku he knew that the second they stepped out of the door someone would tell them that Yu- Baaba wanted to see them.
"...Yeah...Wait, what is that?" said Chihiro pointing to a piece of paper on the dinning table.
Kohaku quickly walked to the table and picked up the note, he read, "Sen and Haku you two were so peacefully sleeping I didn't want to wake you up. Don't worry about work and don't worry about me. I decided I was going to leave today, and I knew if I waited for you two to wake up then I most likely wouldn't get out the door. So good-bye I'll miss both of you and I promise I'll visit someday. While I was in Yu-Baaba's she inquired after Haku, I told her, 'Sen had a relapse, and Haku is taking care of her.' Well Yu-Baaba said it was ok and that you two weren't allowed a vacation or something like that. Well anyways I suggest that Sen you don't leave the room today and Haku very seldom if at all. I'm glad that your better Sen, I'll be seeing you. Love, Rin."
As Kohaku had read Chihiro had walked closer and read the end of the letter to herself over Kohaku's shoulder, "Good-Bye Rin."
Kohaku turned around and hugged Chihiro, "I love you Chihiro."
Chihiro leaned forward and gave him a small kiss, "And I love you Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."
Kohaku gave Chihiro a funny look at the sound of his full name. Chihiro laughed, Kohaku kissed her.
