It is I, Jjah-Jjah! I have indeed updated, aren't you proud?!
*Silence*
Er. Yeah... Anyway, moving on. We're finally in Spirit World! Now things really start to get crackin'! Perhaps we'll see Kohaku soon! Or not... Then again: Buahahahahahahahahaha! There, a good evil laugh solves everything... Let's get on to my splendiferous reviewers! For those who *didn't* review, I know where you live...
dragonmaster01: *grins* here's the next chapter, thanks!
koolkatlily: Thank you!
Angel Of Joy: *blushes* Thanks!
Alright. That's that. Disclaimer time.
Disclaimer: I'm too tired to resist the lawyers right now, so I'll just admit that Miyazki-san owned Spirited Away... A shocker, huh? *ZAP* Oh god! My eyes! My eyes!
Erm, yea. Lets R&R shall we?
*********** Chapter 3 ***********
"So, where exactly is this 'friend' of yours?" The otter turned her pale gaze to the human astride her back.
"Umm. At Yubaba's bathhouse, I guess..."
The otter jerked around at an impossible angle, to shove her face into the startled young woman's.
"Yubaba?! Aburaya? That woman's straight out of hell; who is this stupid friend of yours anyway?!"
"His name is... Haku..."
"And he works for Yubaba?"
"Well, last time I checked..."
Roku stared at her for a moment, incredulously, before turning around and muttering curses under her breath and swimming forward.
"So. Are you taking me to the Aburaya?"
"No."
"No? But I have to get to Haku!!!" The shrill tone her voice took, echoed over the water and caused Roku to cringe.
"Look, this Haku would be where Yubaba is, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, Yubaba isn't at her bathhouse right now."
Chihiro's brow wrinkled. "She's not?"
"No. Every twenty years or so, there's this big Spirit World event, thing that everybody goes to. It's basically a bunch of races down the Toshi River. The ones who place highest in the races go on to Kawa no Toshi, and compete for the grand prize."
"Kawa no Toshi? The City of Rivers?"
"Yep. Kawa no Toshi is where all the rivers of the human world are reflected. Some big head honcho over there hosts the races."
"And Yubaba is at the races?"
"Aburaya sponsors a top contestant every time. She gets the lion's share of the profits from the gambling..."
"So she'll definitely be there..." Chihiro finished.
Roku nodded. "This is a tributary to the Toshi. I'll take you to where the first race is being held. From there, you're on your own..."
"But.." Chihiro protested.
"But nothing!!! I have much more important things to do, other than baby-sitting a little human while she goes wandering all over creation looking for her boyfriend!!!"
"He's not my boyfriend!!!!" Chihiro yelled, and it echoed over the water.
**********************
Leaf-green eyes snapped open. She was coming. He sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?
He reached a bird-like claw around and experimentally tried to scratch at the paper o-fuda seal plastered between his shoulder blades. He growled in frustration and pain as he scraped the edge of the raw area. No matter how hard he tried, he could never quite reach it.
"Why hello Haku! Fancy meeting you here..."
He jerked around, his eyes narrowing into predatory slits. He bared white fangs set in black gums and let out a hate-filled snarl. Yubaba clattered over to stand only a few inches from the bars, grinned, and let out a plume of poisonous smoke from her cigarette towards the dragon. He pulled his head back, to get away from the noxious smell, banging his head against the roof of the cage in the process. Yubaba cackled, clearly amused.
"I told you I would tear you to pieces, but this is much more fun, isn't it?"
He would have said something, but he couldn't. All that came out was a disgusted dragonish hiss. She had put him in this cage. It was only a few years ago, considering time meant nothing to a spirit, but it seemed like an eternity. Long ago he had outgrown it, but Yubaba gave no indication of changing him to a new one. He had to stay coiled up just to fit. He often banged his head. His neck, his back, and his tail: everything ached horribly. He was in nearly constant pain. The only time he wasn't was when he dreamed. He dreamed of the time out of the cage, of flying above the clouds with the wind in his mane, of free-falling from those clouds with a girl, and the blissful feeling of that same girl embracing him when she found that he was alive.
Chihiro.
If only she remembered him.
"The races start tomorrow. Too bad you're so rebellious; you'd make a good horse."
Even if he could have spoken, he wouldn't have dignified it with an answer. Instead he held his head up high and fixed the witch with a cool glare of indifference.
Yubaba chuckled venomously. "Don't get fresh with me dragon boy." Her red-clawed digits closed convulsively over a bar and moved, spider- like, in a mesmerizing pattern. "No spirit can remove that charm from you, and as long as you're sealed in your dragon form, you'll be a source of endless amusement for me! Too bad that little human isn't here to help you, hmm? But she doesn't even remember Spirit World and all the trouble she caused, much less a worthless snake like you..." She left the sentence hanging, like a dead rat on a string... Then she smiled a cracked, wide smile and left as abruptly as she had came.
He waited till he was sure she had left, and then collapsed in exhaustion. She seemed to take some weird pleasure in tormenting him every chance she got... He knew that it would end so; he just hadn't known it would take this course. From the moment he made the bargain freeing Chihiro and her parents, he knew his life was forfeit. Yubaba's threats were not one's to be taken lightly.
He had held the girl's hand and promised her that they would meet again, that everything would be all right, all the while knowing that it was a lie. A complete lie. He had known, that as in all of the rare instances when a human wandered into Spirit World, that she would forget everything that happened once she returned to her own world. He had known that Yubaba would never allow him to just walk away after his betrayal, never let him go...
So here he lay, in the wheeled cage of Yubaba's "beloved pet" that she took with her wherever she went. Everyone seemed to take such great delight in seeing a mighty dragon caged. It was humiliating.
Now she had taken him to the races. The races that ended at Kawa no Toshi... Likely Yubaba did not know of the extra sting that that added onto his pain. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. This was his name and it was all he remembered. He remembered rescuing Chihiro; just at he remembered every detail about Chihiro, but other than that... Nothing. No matter how hard he tried he could not remember any place that he could go to. Yubaba had held onto that past-less aspect of him and never let go. He knew, for Chihiro had told him, that his river was no more. He bowed his head.
What was a river spirit without a river?
He was a homeless wraith without a name.
He was what Yubaba had named him and nothing more.
Haku.
**********************
Chihiro hummed under her breath, nearly completely zoned out. Cool water streamed past her lower legs and she watched them pass fish swimming far below. Roku swam on like a snake, pausing every now and then to sniff the air for scents or glide around a stand of reeds.
"Roku?"
"Hmm?"
"What species of otter are you?"
"Smooth coat. Why?"
"Just wondering."
The girl shifted slightly and ran her fingers through her guide's thick glossy fur. Her heart felt heavy, like a stone in her chest. She was surprised that the weight of it had not pulled her to the bottom of the river and kept her there. Once she found Kohaku, what would she do? She would tell him about his river coming back, but how and what then? She smiled bitterly at herself.
'I could just walk right up to him and say, "Hi! Remember me? I'm that annoying kid you used to know. I know it's kind of odd that I've just randomly appeared, but just so you know, your river's come back, even though it was drained and filled in. Isn't that nice?"'
She barked a silent laugh and shook her head. Would he even care? She snappishly berated herself. Scratch that, would he even care about *her*? What would his reaction be to her return? It was more than likely, he would be happy enough to hear about his river, but....
'There you go again, Chihiro!' She yelled inwardly. 'You know it wouldn't work out! You were *ten* for Kami's sake, he would never feel anything for a ten-year-old!'
The little voice in her head reiterated the fact that she was no longer ten years old, but she told it to shut up, so it went off to find more meddlesome things to do...
But it raised some questions... 'Would I, could I, be attractive to him?' She blushed and pushed away the question as soon as it formed. It was a pointless and stupid question...
Chihiro was one of those girls that guys could talk to, but never had any interest in. She didn't know whether or not she was pretty. No had ever told her that she was, but she assumed that she was pretty plain. As far as she was concerned, she looked about the same as she had when she was a child: raggedy hair in a ponytail, gray eyes, a scrawny body, and no breasts... She admitted to herself that this probably wasn't so, but you can only look at yourself for so long before you become numb to any change... She looked down at her reflection in the water and shattered it with her hand.
Just forget about it. She had never been kissed, never been out on a date, and she probably never would. Ah well, she was antisocial anyway and men were idiots, it was ok with her. She could just look forward to living in a scary dilapidated house, all alone save for a plethora of cats, with nothing to look forward to but sitting on her porch all day and throwing rocks at passing children. She could get used to that... She stared off into space.
But sometimes... The loneliness...
"We're here!"
Chihiro snapped to attention and looked around. They were coming up on a shore strewn with color... Involuntarily, she gaped in wonder. It *was* Spirit World! It really was! A rainbow of wagons and trailers were scattered everywhere, and the spirits they had come with were numerous. She could see a structure further down river. Figures in boats were decorating it with banners.
'That must be where the race starts.' Chihiro mused.
"Ok. Shove off."
"Wait a minute! You said you'd take me to where Yubaba is!"
"This *is* where Yubaba is."
"I don't see her anywhere..."
Roku glared at her, "Feh. You're going to take me to my word, aren't you?" Chihiro smiled innocently, and the otter increased the intensity of her glare.
"Please?" Chihiro breathed, "At least wait until I spot Haku..."
Roku groaned, but swam along the shore, careful to hide among the reeds.
"Just look for the gaudiest trailer in the whole pack, ok?"
Chihiro nodded. Yubaba's tastes would certainly make her easy to spot. They eased further down the bank, looking intently, till they nearly reached the end of the caravan. A pink and blue trailer sparkled in the light, the golden ugly bird crest contrasting sharply. They looked at the frothy pink curtain peeking out of one open window and looked at one another.
"Want to bet that's it?"
Roku moved closer to the bank and inched ever so slowly along it. Chihiro scoured all around for any glimpse of familiarity, finding none, till the rear of the trailer came into view. Chihiro's heartbeat stopped...
Set up behind Yubaba's trailer, was what looked like a gigantic birdcage, but what was in it, was not a bird. It was a dragon.
It was *her* dragon.
"That's him!!!" She whispered excitedly.
Roku peeked over the reeds and froze. Her eyes widened.
"*That's* your Haku?!"
Chihiro could only nod in affirmation. There he was! So close, yet so far away. He was coiled up like a magnificent silver ribbon; he held up his head, his neck arched like a swan's. He was bigger than when she'd last seen him, but none the less beautiful.
Why was he in a cage?
"Kami have mercy." Roku muttered under her breath.
"What?" Chihiro asked, glancing down.
"Oh nothing. Just pondering on how I nearly brought down my own destruction."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Listen, if we're gonna rescue Haku, we're gonna have to get started right now."
Chihiro did a double take. "Wait a minute, *now* you're gonna help me?"
"Yep. Hold on." With that Roku shot off back the way they had came. Chihiro grabbed a hank of fur to keep her balance, and then looked longingly over her shoulder towards Haku, only to see him disappear.
"Hey! Where are we going?"
"Don't worry. You can ogle you boy friend later. Right now we've got to get to registration."
"Do what?"
"If you want to get close enough to help him, what better excuse than entering the race?"
Chichiro inwardly hesitated. Could she just enter the race with Yubaba around? Would she be recognized?
"Roku? Do we have to? I'm afraid Yubaba might recognize me."
"Yubaba knows you?"
Chihiro grinned nervously. "Oh yes indeed."
"How exactly?"
"Well... I worked for her for a little while, when I was a kid, when I kinda randomly found Spirit world... I was ten years old."
"Ten? You're all grown up now surely she won't recognize you! But... I see your point... I have an idea! Hold on."
Before Chihiro could hardly react, Roku had dived and was speeding along the riverbed. Chihiro convulsively held her breath, unsure as to whether or not the candy was still working. They popped out of the water a few moments later, far enough downstream to be away from the activities and out of sight. The otter swam over to a conveniently placed dock and allowed Chihiro time to scramble off before she leapt onto it as well. The wind stirred her wet hair as Chihiro straightened and felt her joints pop. She grimaced, and then shivered.
"Cold?" Roku questioned, shaking herself off. Chihiro nodded and the otter took off her pouch and tossed it to the human. "Eat a red one. It'll warm you up."
Hesitantly, Chihiro complied, and pulled an oval red candy from the pouch she put it in her mouth, and then very nearly coughed it up. She went into a five-minute hacking fit, turned red as a tomato, and slowly recovered. She growled and turned to face Roku, who appeared to have found a very interesting bush.
"That thing was frikken hot!!!"
"Yes, but you're dry now, aren't you?"
Chihiro looked down and realized, amazed, that it was so. "How?"
"My candies are just special. You know that it doesn't really matter that something is impossible. Everything is possible if you look at it in the right way."
Chihiro blinked at the sudden sage-like change in her guide, but shrugged it off when the otter started moving with long waddling strides off the dock and down a path that led to the festivities.
"Hey, what are we doing?" Chihiro called, and then ran to catch up, putting the pouch around her neck.
"There's a little town right near the races, I need to go to the telegraph office. We need to get registered for the race too, before it's too late."
"What exactly is the point of entering the race? I know to get close to Haku, but can't we just follow the festivities?"
"We could, but once the race gets to a certain point, spectators aren't allowed to continue. Besides, we'll be able to move around a lot more freely."
"Ok. I guess that makes sense."
As they moved closer to the festivities, however, Chihiro began to get noticeably more nervous. Her thought drifted back to when she first entered Spirit World.
"Roku! What if they smell that I'm human and refuse to let me enter the race? Or more importantly, what if they eat me?"
"My candy and the water have pretty much gotten rid of your smell. If they give you any trouble, just tell them you have a flesh-eating disease, and they'll leave you alone."
"What do you mean, if they give *me* any trouble? Won't you be there?"
"Telegraph office, remember? You'll have to register us yourself. I'll be back as soon as I can. Use this for the entrance fee." She lifted up another pouch, this one significantly smaller, and placed it in Chihiro's hand.
"Uhh.. Ok..." They stopped as they reached the edge of the grounds when a small group of colorful bird-like spirits running past blocked their way. Chihiro surveyed her surroundings. There were spirits of all kinds everywhere. She spotted a large yellow banner with the word "registration" written on it. She started forward.
"See you Roku!" She called, steeling her nerves. Roku blinked, then nodded and started off towards a small cluster of buildings down the road.
Chihiro walked determinedly towards the registration booth. No one seemed to have noticed that she was out of place yet. There was a line, so she got in it and tried to look normal. She inwardly laughed at herself. She felt just as she had back then, when she had first met Kamaji and had stood trembling, for a long while before she summoned enough courage to address him. Now at least, she had enough time just standing in line to work up that same courage. Someone stepped into line behind her and then the line moved forward slightly. Self consciously, she fiddled with her hair for a moment before pausing, and slowly taking it down. Her hairstyle was a danger in that it might trigger some recognition, her hair tie even more so... She slipped the purple tie onto her wrist and began fiddling with the strap of her bag.
As the line moved forward, she noted the spirit running the registration. He was short, and something about his shape made her think that he was an amphibian, but not a frog. She had seen enough frogs at the bathhouse to know that that wasn't it. Perhaps a salamander, she mused. The pale red speckles all over him seemed to support her assumption. When she finally got up there, she'd have to check for a tail.
Nearly half-an-hour later she was still in line. Apparently, the idiot in front of her had forgotten something or other and he was making a big fuss over it. Chihiro sighed and squirmed nervously. She had hoped to get this done quickly. She figured that the less time she spent in line, in close proximity to the spirits, the less likely they were to smell she was human. It was the amazing diversity among the spirits that she credited to her not being found out thus far. Anyone looking at her might think that she was just a really weird looking spirit from far away, and what little human smell she still possessed was probably being drowned out by all the other smells. She was still nervous though. If anything, she somehow craved the comfort of the dragon boy. Knowing that he was near only made her want to run to go see him, but she knew that she couldn't. Not yet.
Absently, she noticed that her feet here going numb. 'If I stand here much longer, I'll scream.' Chihiro thought to herself. She was next, but it didn't seem like next would come anytime soon. 'I've never heard anyone talk for so long without taking a breath!' She looked the hulking antlered spirit in front of her in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. 'I guess I'm lucky that the races start tomorrow, otherwise I'd never get registered in time!'
It was then that the ever-famous concept of cosmic humor took over...
A chubby, short little spirit pushed his way through the crowd, trailing what looked like posters behind him.
"Akaji-san! Akaji-san!"
The alleged salamander looked tersely from trying to placate the problematic spirit and fixed the approaching spirit with a glare. "What is it, Kando?"
Chihiro noted the newcomer with interest. Unlike Akaji, Kando appeared to be some kind of fish, maybe a koi. Her attention immediately shifted when she heard what he was saying.
"Akakji-san, they moved up the races! I heard it from the top; the first race is going to be held today instead of tomorrow!"
"What?!" The salamander yelled, getting up so quickly that he knocked over his chair. "Why would they do that? Why on such short notice?"
"I don't know, sir, but I heard something about how these grounds have to be used for something else tomorrow!"
"Hell, this is a fine kettle of fish! At what time are the races supposed to start now?"
"Umm... In half an hour..."
"HALF AN HOUR??!!" Akaji bellowed. "How am I supposed to be prepared for that?" He looked back at the spirit who as still complaining to some of his cringing assistants. "Just how am I supposed to deal with this?!"
Chihiro watched with an air of suppressed panic. 'If I don't get registered, I won't be able to get in the race! I don't have enough time for this!!!' She looked at the huge ranting spirit in front of her and took a deep breath...
"Excuse me, sir."
The spirit stopped talking, and the spirits at the register desk fixed her with an astonished look. Slowly, he turned around, arranging his bulk so that he towered over her. He looked at her with a serious expression on his fanged face. She could have sworn she had seen a similar kind of creature at the bathhouse. She stood there for a moment trying to keep her anxiety under control and was surprised at how easy it was. This spirit was no Kaonashi.
"Excuse me, sir," she began again, her confidence growing, "but I was just wondering what it was you lost. You see, I really need to get registered for the race, so I'd like to help you in any way I can."
The spirit just stood there for a moment, his expression unchanged, looking at her.
Then he said, "Recipe."
"Your recipe?" Chihiro tried not to raise an eyebrow.
He nodded.
"Why do you need a recipe for a race?"
The spirit blinked at her, then tilted his head slightly to the side. "This not registry for cooking contest?"
"Nooo." Chihiro corrected. "This is the registry for the race, see?" She pointed to the banner over the booth and he turned his head to look at it. Then he turned back around and scratched his head with one hairy appendage. He was still for a moment, then broke out into a goofy smile.
"Ha, ha, ha! Guess at wrong booth! Thank you!" With that, he moved out of line and walked off...
Chihiro smiled to herself and moved forward; all the spirits at the table sighed in relief.
"Oh Kami, I never thought we'd get him to leave!" One groaned.
"Thank you!" Another added.
"That was it?!" Akaji ranted, "He was at the wrong booth all the time?! Why didn't anyone catch that?!"
"Ahem." Chihiro interrupted. "I'd like to register for the race, please."
Akaji huffed, and went back into registrar mode. He looked her up and down, and then raised a brow.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't look like you have enough money, you'll have to pay a late fee you know, and you probably won't have enough time anyway..."
"Please, sir. I've come a really long way to be in this race."
'Congratulations Chihiro, you've just won the understatement of the year award!' she thought to herself.
"I think I have enough money..." Actually, she wasn't too sure. No one had ever said anything about a late fee, so she wasn't sure that Roku had given her enough. She opened the small pouch and emptied its contents onto the table. Six small, round objects fell out and rolled across the table's surface. Akaji stopped one with a slightly webbed hand, brought it up close to his face for inspection and gasped.
"It it not enough?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.
"These are high-quality river pearls..." He said, and at her questioning look, continued, "It's more that enough. You sign here." He shoved a book and a pen in her direction and pointed to the correct section.
Chihiro hesitated, wary of writing her name down on anything... Perhaps she should put an alias... She decidedly put down the first thing that same to mind: Sen... Then, realizing she should probably put down a last name as well, she added Ryu: dragon.
"Is that all?" She asked, looking up.
"No." Akaji answered. "You need to write down the name of your mount, too."
"My mount?"
"Oh come on. You aren't planning to swim the race yourself are you? Put down the name of your mount."
It was then that she felt something soft and warm against her neck. She looked, and saw that Roku had draped herself like a furry boa around her neck. The now normal sized otter gave a cheerful wave.
"Roku." Chihiro said the name as she wrote it down.
"Good. Now here are your numbers." He handed her a pair of numbered strips of cloth. "Now you know where the race is? You'd better hurry, Ryu- san, you only have a few minutes!"
"Thank you!" Chirhiro called as Roku pinched her and she went racing towards the starting line like a madwoman.
She could only hope that she wasn't too late.
* * *
*
*
*
*
*
Whoo-hooo! I finished. Sorry about the cliffy, but I'm doing a cliffy experiment to see if it motivates me to update faster, and this fic's the guinea pig! Adieu! JJ
*Silence*
Er. Yeah... Anyway, moving on. We're finally in Spirit World! Now things really start to get crackin'! Perhaps we'll see Kohaku soon! Or not... Then again: Buahahahahahahahahaha! There, a good evil laugh solves everything... Let's get on to my splendiferous reviewers! For those who *didn't* review, I know where you live...
dragonmaster01: *grins* here's the next chapter, thanks!
koolkatlily: Thank you!
Angel Of Joy: *blushes* Thanks!
Alright. That's that. Disclaimer time.
Disclaimer: I'm too tired to resist the lawyers right now, so I'll just admit that Miyazki-san owned Spirited Away... A shocker, huh? *ZAP* Oh god! My eyes! My eyes!
Erm, yea. Lets R&R shall we?
*********** Chapter 3 ***********
"So, where exactly is this 'friend' of yours?" The otter turned her pale gaze to the human astride her back.
"Umm. At Yubaba's bathhouse, I guess..."
The otter jerked around at an impossible angle, to shove her face into the startled young woman's.
"Yubaba?! Aburaya? That woman's straight out of hell; who is this stupid friend of yours anyway?!"
"His name is... Haku..."
"And he works for Yubaba?"
"Well, last time I checked..."
Roku stared at her for a moment, incredulously, before turning around and muttering curses under her breath and swimming forward.
"So. Are you taking me to the Aburaya?"
"No."
"No? But I have to get to Haku!!!" The shrill tone her voice took, echoed over the water and caused Roku to cringe.
"Look, this Haku would be where Yubaba is, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, Yubaba isn't at her bathhouse right now."
Chihiro's brow wrinkled. "She's not?"
"No. Every twenty years or so, there's this big Spirit World event, thing that everybody goes to. It's basically a bunch of races down the Toshi River. The ones who place highest in the races go on to Kawa no Toshi, and compete for the grand prize."
"Kawa no Toshi? The City of Rivers?"
"Yep. Kawa no Toshi is where all the rivers of the human world are reflected. Some big head honcho over there hosts the races."
"And Yubaba is at the races?"
"Aburaya sponsors a top contestant every time. She gets the lion's share of the profits from the gambling..."
"So she'll definitely be there..." Chihiro finished.
Roku nodded. "This is a tributary to the Toshi. I'll take you to where the first race is being held. From there, you're on your own..."
"But.." Chihiro protested.
"But nothing!!! I have much more important things to do, other than baby-sitting a little human while she goes wandering all over creation looking for her boyfriend!!!"
"He's not my boyfriend!!!!" Chihiro yelled, and it echoed over the water.
**********************
Leaf-green eyes snapped open. She was coming. He sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?
He reached a bird-like claw around and experimentally tried to scratch at the paper o-fuda seal plastered between his shoulder blades. He growled in frustration and pain as he scraped the edge of the raw area. No matter how hard he tried, he could never quite reach it.
"Why hello Haku! Fancy meeting you here..."
He jerked around, his eyes narrowing into predatory slits. He bared white fangs set in black gums and let out a hate-filled snarl. Yubaba clattered over to stand only a few inches from the bars, grinned, and let out a plume of poisonous smoke from her cigarette towards the dragon. He pulled his head back, to get away from the noxious smell, banging his head against the roof of the cage in the process. Yubaba cackled, clearly amused.
"I told you I would tear you to pieces, but this is much more fun, isn't it?"
He would have said something, but he couldn't. All that came out was a disgusted dragonish hiss. She had put him in this cage. It was only a few years ago, considering time meant nothing to a spirit, but it seemed like an eternity. Long ago he had outgrown it, but Yubaba gave no indication of changing him to a new one. He had to stay coiled up just to fit. He often banged his head. His neck, his back, and his tail: everything ached horribly. He was in nearly constant pain. The only time he wasn't was when he dreamed. He dreamed of the time out of the cage, of flying above the clouds with the wind in his mane, of free-falling from those clouds with a girl, and the blissful feeling of that same girl embracing him when she found that he was alive.
Chihiro.
If only she remembered him.
"The races start tomorrow. Too bad you're so rebellious; you'd make a good horse."
Even if he could have spoken, he wouldn't have dignified it with an answer. Instead he held his head up high and fixed the witch with a cool glare of indifference.
Yubaba chuckled venomously. "Don't get fresh with me dragon boy." Her red-clawed digits closed convulsively over a bar and moved, spider- like, in a mesmerizing pattern. "No spirit can remove that charm from you, and as long as you're sealed in your dragon form, you'll be a source of endless amusement for me! Too bad that little human isn't here to help you, hmm? But she doesn't even remember Spirit World and all the trouble she caused, much less a worthless snake like you..." She left the sentence hanging, like a dead rat on a string... Then she smiled a cracked, wide smile and left as abruptly as she had came.
He waited till he was sure she had left, and then collapsed in exhaustion. She seemed to take some weird pleasure in tormenting him every chance she got... He knew that it would end so; he just hadn't known it would take this course. From the moment he made the bargain freeing Chihiro and her parents, he knew his life was forfeit. Yubaba's threats were not one's to be taken lightly.
He had held the girl's hand and promised her that they would meet again, that everything would be all right, all the while knowing that it was a lie. A complete lie. He had known, that as in all of the rare instances when a human wandered into Spirit World, that she would forget everything that happened once she returned to her own world. He had known that Yubaba would never allow him to just walk away after his betrayal, never let him go...
So here he lay, in the wheeled cage of Yubaba's "beloved pet" that she took with her wherever she went. Everyone seemed to take such great delight in seeing a mighty dragon caged. It was humiliating.
Now she had taken him to the races. The races that ended at Kawa no Toshi... Likely Yubaba did not know of the extra sting that that added onto his pain. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. This was his name and it was all he remembered. He remembered rescuing Chihiro; just at he remembered every detail about Chihiro, but other than that... Nothing. No matter how hard he tried he could not remember any place that he could go to. Yubaba had held onto that past-less aspect of him and never let go. He knew, for Chihiro had told him, that his river was no more. He bowed his head.
What was a river spirit without a river?
He was a homeless wraith without a name.
He was what Yubaba had named him and nothing more.
Haku.
**********************
Chihiro hummed under her breath, nearly completely zoned out. Cool water streamed past her lower legs and she watched them pass fish swimming far below. Roku swam on like a snake, pausing every now and then to sniff the air for scents or glide around a stand of reeds.
"Roku?"
"Hmm?"
"What species of otter are you?"
"Smooth coat. Why?"
"Just wondering."
The girl shifted slightly and ran her fingers through her guide's thick glossy fur. Her heart felt heavy, like a stone in her chest. She was surprised that the weight of it had not pulled her to the bottom of the river and kept her there. Once she found Kohaku, what would she do? She would tell him about his river coming back, but how and what then? She smiled bitterly at herself.
'I could just walk right up to him and say, "Hi! Remember me? I'm that annoying kid you used to know. I know it's kind of odd that I've just randomly appeared, but just so you know, your river's come back, even though it was drained and filled in. Isn't that nice?"'
She barked a silent laugh and shook her head. Would he even care? She snappishly berated herself. Scratch that, would he even care about *her*? What would his reaction be to her return? It was more than likely, he would be happy enough to hear about his river, but....
'There you go again, Chihiro!' She yelled inwardly. 'You know it wouldn't work out! You were *ten* for Kami's sake, he would never feel anything for a ten-year-old!'
The little voice in her head reiterated the fact that she was no longer ten years old, but she told it to shut up, so it went off to find more meddlesome things to do...
But it raised some questions... 'Would I, could I, be attractive to him?' She blushed and pushed away the question as soon as it formed. It was a pointless and stupid question...
Chihiro was one of those girls that guys could talk to, but never had any interest in. She didn't know whether or not she was pretty. No had ever told her that she was, but she assumed that she was pretty plain. As far as she was concerned, she looked about the same as she had when she was a child: raggedy hair in a ponytail, gray eyes, a scrawny body, and no breasts... She admitted to herself that this probably wasn't so, but you can only look at yourself for so long before you become numb to any change... She looked down at her reflection in the water and shattered it with her hand.
Just forget about it. She had never been kissed, never been out on a date, and she probably never would. Ah well, she was antisocial anyway and men were idiots, it was ok with her. She could just look forward to living in a scary dilapidated house, all alone save for a plethora of cats, with nothing to look forward to but sitting on her porch all day and throwing rocks at passing children. She could get used to that... She stared off into space.
But sometimes... The loneliness...
"We're here!"
Chihiro snapped to attention and looked around. They were coming up on a shore strewn with color... Involuntarily, she gaped in wonder. It *was* Spirit World! It really was! A rainbow of wagons and trailers were scattered everywhere, and the spirits they had come with were numerous. She could see a structure further down river. Figures in boats were decorating it with banners.
'That must be where the race starts.' Chihiro mused.
"Ok. Shove off."
"Wait a minute! You said you'd take me to where Yubaba is!"
"This *is* where Yubaba is."
"I don't see her anywhere..."
Roku glared at her, "Feh. You're going to take me to my word, aren't you?" Chihiro smiled innocently, and the otter increased the intensity of her glare.
"Please?" Chihiro breathed, "At least wait until I spot Haku..."
Roku groaned, but swam along the shore, careful to hide among the reeds.
"Just look for the gaudiest trailer in the whole pack, ok?"
Chihiro nodded. Yubaba's tastes would certainly make her easy to spot. They eased further down the bank, looking intently, till they nearly reached the end of the caravan. A pink and blue trailer sparkled in the light, the golden ugly bird crest contrasting sharply. They looked at the frothy pink curtain peeking out of one open window and looked at one another.
"Want to bet that's it?"
Roku moved closer to the bank and inched ever so slowly along it. Chihiro scoured all around for any glimpse of familiarity, finding none, till the rear of the trailer came into view. Chihiro's heartbeat stopped...
Set up behind Yubaba's trailer, was what looked like a gigantic birdcage, but what was in it, was not a bird. It was a dragon.
It was *her* dragon.
"That's him!!!" She whispered excitedly.
Roku peeked over the reeds and froze. Her eyes widened.
"*That's* your Haku?!"
Chihiro could only nod in affirmation. There he was! So close, yet so far away. He was coiled up like a magnificent silver ribbon; he held up his head, his neck arched like a swan's. He was bigger than when she'd last seen him, but none the less beautiful.
Why was he in a cage?
"Kami have mercy." Roku muttered under her breath.
"What?" Chihiro asked, glancing down.
"Oh nothing. Just pondering on how I nearly brought down my own destruction."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Listen, if we're gonna rescue Haku, we're gonna have to get started right now."
Chihiro did a double take. "Wait a minute, *now* you're gonna help me?"
"Yep. Hold on." With that Roku shot off back the way they had came. Chihiro grabbed a hank of fur to keep her balance, and then looked longingly over her shoulder towards Haku, only to see him disappear.
"Hey! Where are we going?"
"Don't worry. You can ogle you boy friend later. Right now we've got to get to registration."
"Do what?"
"If you want to get close enough to help him, what better excuse than entering the race?"
Chichiro inwardly hesitated. Could she just enter the race with Yubaba around? Would she be recognized?
"Roku? Do we have to? I'm afraid Yubaba might recognize me."
"Yubaba knows you?"
Chihiro grinned nervously. "Oh yes indeed."
"How exactly?"
"Well... I worked for her for a little while, when I was a kid, when I kinda randomly found Spirit world... I was ten years old."
"Ten? You're all grown up now surely she won't recognize you! But... I see your point... I have an idea! Hold on."
Before Chihiro could hardly react, Roku had dived and was speeding along the riverbed. Chihiro convulsively held her breath, unsure as to whether or not the candy was still working. They popped out of the water a few moments later, far enough downstream to be away from the activities and out of sight. The otter swam over to a conveniently placed dock and allowed Chihiro time to scramble off before she leapt onto it as well. The wind stirred her wet hair as Chihiro straightened and felt her joints pop. She grimaced, and then shivered.
"Cold?" Roku questioned, shaking herself off. Chihiro nodded and the otter took off her pouch and tossed it to the human. "Eat a red one. It'll warm you up."
Hesitantly, Chihiro complied, and pulled an oval red candy from the pouch she put it in her mouth, and then very nearly coughed it up. She went into a five-minute hacking fit, turned red as a tomato, and slowly recovered. She growled and turned to face Roku, who appeared to have found a very interesting bush.
"That thing was frikken hot!!!"
"Yes, but you're dry now, aren't you?"
Chihiro looked down and realized, amazed, that it was so. "How?"
"My candies are just special. You know that it doesn't really matter that something is impossible. Everything is possible if you look at it in the right way."
Chihiro blinked at the sudden sage-like change in her guide, but shrugged it off when the otter started moving with long waddling strides off the dock and down a path that led to the festivities.
"Hey, what are we doing?" Chihiro called, and then ran to catch up, putting the pouch around her neck.
"There's a little town right near the races, I need to go to the telegraph office. We need to get registered for the race too, before it's too late."
"What exactly is the point of entering the race? I know to get close to Haku, but can't we just follow the festivities?"
"We could, but once the race gets to a certain point, spectators aren't allowed to continue. Besides, we'll be able to move around a lot more freely."
"Ok. I guess that makes sense."
As they moved closer to the festivities, however, Chihiro began to get noticeably more nervous. Her thought drifted back to when she first entered Spirit World.
"Roku! What if they smell that I'm human and refuse to let me enter the race? Or more importantly, what if they eat me?"
"My candy and the water have pretty much gotten rid of your smell. If they give you any trouble, just tell them you have a flesh-eating disease, and they'll leave you alone."
"What do you mean, if they give *me* any trouble? Won't you be there?"
"Telegraph office, remember? You'll have to register us yourself. I'll be back as soon as I can. Use this for the entrance fee." She lifted up another pouch, this one significantly smaller, and placed it in Chihiro's hand.
"Uhh.. Ok..." They stopped as they reached the edge of the grounds when a small group of colorful bird-like spirits running past blocked their way. Chihiro surveyed her surroundings. There were spirits of all kinds everywhere. She spotted a large yellow banner with the word "registration" written on it. She started forward.
"See you Roku!" She called, steeling her nerves. Roku blinked, then nodded and started off towards a small cluster of buildings down the road.
Chihiro walked determinedly towards the registration booth. No one seemed to have noticed that she was out of place yet. There was a line, so she got in it and tried to look normal. She inwardly laughed at herself. She felt just as she had back then, when she had first met Kamaji and had stood trembling, for a long while before she summoned enough courage to address him. Now at least, she had enough time just standing in line to work up that same courage. Someone stepped into line behind her and then the line moved forward slightly. Self consciously, she fiddled with her hair for a moment before pausing, and slowly taking it down. Her hairstyle was a danger in that it might trigger some recognition, her hair tie even more so... She slipped the purple tie onto her wrist and began fiddling with the strap of her bag.
As the line moved forward, she noted the spirit running the registration. He was short, and something about his shape made her think that he was an amphibian, but not a frog. She had seen enough frogs at the bathhouse to know that that wasn't it. Perhaps a salamander, she mused. The pale red speckles all over him seemed to support her assumption. When she finally got up there, she'd have to check for a tail.
Nearly half-an-hour later she was still in line. Apparently, the idiot in front of her had forgotten something or other and he was making a big fuss over it. Chihiro sighed and squirmed nervously. She had hoped to get this done quickly. She figured that the less time she spent in line, in close proximity to the spirits, the less likely they were to smell she was human. It was the amazing diversity among the spirits that she credited to her not being found out thus far. Anyone looking at her might think that she was just a really weird looking spirit from far away, and what little human smell she still possessed was probably being drowned out by all the other smells. She was still nervous though. If anything, she somehow craved the comfort of the dragon boy. Knowing that he was near only made her want to run to go see him, but she knew that she couldn't. Not yet.
Absently, she noticed that her feet here going numb. 'If I stand here much longer, I'll scream.' Chihiro thought to herself. She was next, but it didn't seem like next would come anytime soon. 'I've never heard anyone talk for so long without taking a breath!' She looked the hulking antlered spirit in front of her in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. 'I guess I'm lucky that the races start tomorrow, otherwise I'd never get registered in time!'
It was then that the ever-famous concept of cosmic humor took over...
A chubby, short little spirit pushed his way through the crowd, trailing what looked like posters behind him.
"Akaji-san! Akaji-san!"
The alleged salamander looked tersely from trying to placate the problematic spirit and fixed the approaching spirit with a glare. "What is it, Kando?"
Chihiro noted the newcomer with interest. Unlike Akaji, Kando appeared to be some kind of fish, maybe a koi. Her attention immediately shifted when she heard what he was saying.
"Akakji-san, they moved up the races! I heard it from the top; the first race is going to be held today instead of tomorrow!"
"What?!" The salamander yelled, getting up so quickly that he knocked over his chair. "Why would they do that? Why on such short notice?"
"I don't know, sir, but I heard something about how these grounds have to be used for something else tomorrow!"
"Hell, this is a fine kettle of fish! At what time are the races supposed to start now?"
"Umm... In half an hour..."
"HALF AN HOUR??!!" Akaji bellowed. "How am I supposed to be prepared for that?" He looked back at the spirit who as still complaining to some of his cringing assistants. "Just how am I supposed to deal with this?!"
Chihiro watched with an air of suppressed panic. 'If I don't get registered, I won't be able to get in the race! I don't have enough time for this!!!' She looked at the huge ranting spirit in front of her and took a deep breath...
"Excuse me, sir."
The spirit stopped talking, and the spirits at the register desk fixed her with an astonished look. Slowly, he turned around, arranging his bulk so that he towered over her. He looked at her with a serious expression on his fanged face. She could have sworn she had seen a similar kind of creature at the bathhouse. She stood there for a moment trying to keep her anxiety under control and was surprised at how easy it was. This spirit was no Kaonashi.
"Excuse me, sir," she began again, her confidence growing, "but I was just wondering what it was you lost. You see, I really need to get registered for the race, so I'd like to help you in any way I can."
The spirit just stood there for a moment, his expression unchanged, looking at her.
Then he said, "Recipe."
"Your recipe?" Chihiro tried not to raise an eyebrow.
He nodded.
"Why do you need a recipe for a race?"
The spirit blinked at her, then tilted his head slightly to the side. "This not registry for cooking contest?"
"Nooo." Chihiro corrected. "This is the registry for the race, see?" She pointed to the banner over the booth and he turned his head to look at it. Then he turned back around and scratched his head with one hairy appendage. He was still for a moment, then broke out into a goofy smile.
"Ha, ha, ha! Guess at wrong booth! Thank you!" With that, he moved out of line and walked off...
Chihiro smiled to herself and moved forward; all the spirits at the table sighed in relief.
"Oh Kami, I never thought we'd get him to leave!" One groaned.
"Thank you!" Another added.
"That was it?!" Akaji ranted, "He was at the wrong booth all the time?! Why didn't anyone catch that?!"
"Ahem." Chihiro interrupted. "I'd like to register for the race, please."
Akaji huffed, and went back into registrar mode. He looked her up and down, and then raised a brow.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't look like you have enough money, you'll have to pay a late fee you know, and you probably won't have enough time anyway..."
"Please, sir. I've come a really long way to be in this race."
'Congratulations Chihiro, you've just won the understatement of the year award!' she thought to herself.
"I think I have enough money..." Actually, she wasn't too sure. No one had ever said anything about a late fee, so she wasn't sure that Roku had given her enough. She opened the small pouch and emptied its contents onto the table. Six small, round objects fell out and rolled across the table's surface. Akaji stopped one with a slightly webbed hand, brought it up close to his face for inspection and gasped.
"It it not enough?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.
"These are high-quality river pearls..." He said, and at her questioning look, continued, "It's more that enough. You sign here." He shoved a book and a pen in her direction and pointed to the correct section.
Chihiro hesitated, wary of writing her name down on anything... Perhaps she should put an alias... She decidedly put down the first thing that same to mind: Sen... Then, realizing she should probably put down a last name as well, she added Ryu: dragon.
"Is that all?" She asked, looking up.
"No." Akaji answered. "You need to write down the name of your mount, too."
"My mount?"
"Oh come on. You aren't planning to swim the race yourself are you? Put down the name of your mount."
It was then that she felt something soft and warm against her neck. She looked, and saw that Roku had draped herself like a furry boa around her neck. The now normal sized otter gave a cheerful wave.
"Roku." Chihiro said the name as she wrote it down.
"Good. Now here are your numbers." He handed her a pair of numbered strips of cloth. "Now you know where the race is? You'd better hurry, Ryu- san, you only have a few minutes!"
"Thank you!" Chirhiro called as Roku pinched her and she went racing towards the starting line like a madwoman.
She could only hope that she wasn't too late.
* * *
*
*
*
*
*
Whoo-hooo! I finished. Sorry about the cliffy, but I'm doing a cliffy experiment to see if it motivates me to update faster, and this fic's the guinea pig! Adieu! JJ