Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or any of its characters.

Author Note: Happy Reading!

-Na

Part 2

Chapter 7: Reunion

Ryu walked home from school with a huge grin on her face today was the first day of summer vacation. She had actually gotten out of school a week earlier then the other schools in the area, which made the first week of summer vacation the best. Knowing she was enjoying sand and surf while others sat in sticky classrooms.

Ryu reached the little brown house that has been her home for the past seven years. She quickly walked into the house kicking her shoes off and throwing her backpack down in triumph.

"Tea is that you?" asked a female voice from the kitchen.

"Who else would it be Au'Suko at this time on a Thursday the last day of school?" replied Ryu walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table.

The black haired lady who was in her early thirties hesitated as she sat down beside Ryu, "We need to talk Tea. Mrs. Natsuki telephoned today, you remember Miki Natsuki's Aunt. Well she said that she was really worried about Miki and that she would like it if you would help him. And we could bring him back to where his parents were. She wanted to know if you would be willing to help to go to Miki's school tomorrow and help out, I guess you just need to talk to him be a friend and all."

Ryu thought about this she remembered Miki, and how he ran away from them seven years ago. But Miki was a smart boy and ran to his aunt and uncles house in the next town over. But Ryu hasn't seen, let alone spoken to Miki in the last seven years. Ryu also knew that it was now possible or theoretically to go back to the Spirit World. For a year now the force field has been switching what can go in and what can go out every week or so. And this Saturday would begin a week where humans could go to the Spirit World. The theory is that if Ryu went with a human (or spirit) then she could cross through as well. But another day of school! Well the positives out numbered the negatives. Ryu still deep in thought just nodded.

---------- Next Morning----------

Ryu walked into the biology classroom her first class of the day as well as Miki's. Ryu had no idea how Yuumi arranged for her to attend Miki's classes for the last week but she did. Ryu looked around the class in search of Miki but she didn't see him, though she did notice an empty two man desk in the middle of the far right row.

"Excuse me can I help you?" asked the teacher.

"Oh yes sorry, I'm new in this class," replied Ryu breaking out of her trance and handing the teacher a note.

The teacher rose a eyebrow and then handed Ryu a biology book, "Well welcome Ryuichi, my name is Mr. Tsuni. You can take a seat at the empty desk over there the person sitting next to you and your lab partner in Natsuki, Miki." Ryu just bowed slightly with a smile and quickly took her seat.

Ryu riffled through her backpack searching for a pen and her own Biology notebook from her school, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ryu turned around to see a smiling red headed boy with blue eyes.

"Hello I'm Hiro, aren't you starting school a little late?" asked the boy, Hiro.

Ryu laughed, "Hey I'm Ryu, no not really if I started next year I would be to late for what I'm here for."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, "And what would that be?"

----------

Miki walked into his first class and sighed, it was a Friday a great day but the day that also seemed to drag on not letting the weekend come. Miki started walking to his desk when he saw that at the seat next to his, sat a brown haired girl. Miki stopped walking his heart skipped a beat like he was seeing a ghost, the girl who's back was to him wore a blue shirt, obviously she was new and didn't have her uniform yet. Her brown hair was shoulder length and in two low pigtails. Miki shook his head it couldn't be who he thought it was, it couldn't be Ryu. Just then the girl turned around to finish retrieving stuff from her backpack. The girl's left arm lay on the desk it was adorn with a purple and white bracelet. Miki looked down at his own left wrist that sported a similar bracelet. A bracelet made on a late night with it's mate so many years ago. Miki saw what he dreaded, her eyes, her emerald green eyes, only one girl had those eyes.

"You!" yelled Miki quickly filling the space between him and the desk which Ryu sat. Ryu looked up at Miki and tried to smile, "What are you doing here! In my class, in this wor... What are you doing here!?"

Ryu tried to stay calm obviously Miki was just surprised, "Here to see you."

"What would make you think I would ever want to see you again?!" yelled Miki taking his seat next to Ryu and pulling out the Biology book.

Ryu hesitated she couldn't speak of the Spirit world here in Miki's class, "Umm... Your aunt said so"

"Yuumi? Well she was wrong! You pushed me, you separated me from my parents!" yelled Miki tears hovering in his eyes. The class bell rang.

Ryu now was very angry at Miki, "What about me? Miki do you think I want to be here in this wor...School? That day I could no longer return! Your just so spoiled little brat who doesn't realize that even if your parents weren't pigs and you stayed with them then none of you would be able to return here!"

Miki forgot that they were supposed to be in class and that his whole class was looking at him and Ryu, "Do you know what it is like for everyone to assume your parents are dead when they are something worse, pigs? To live with your aunt and uncle?!"

"Of course I do, that is my life too Miki my parent are with yours and I live with my aunt and uncle!" yelled Ryu a few stray tears sliding down her face she never expected such painful words.

"But they aren't really related to you Sakura!" spat Miki angrily.

"I can't believe you! Sakura? You never called me that, you always knew who I was. Are you that mad at me? When I came to..." Ryu spoke in a strange calm. She looked into Miki's eyes those yellow eyes they told her the truth he was furious. She could see the dragon rage in Miki's eyes, a very peculiar thing for a human.

"For What?!" Miki spat out the words each dripping with pain and hate.

Ryu looked strait into Miki's eyes and smiled a half smile, "To bring you back of course."

Miki was shocked all his rage drained from him and left gilt, and longing for the Spirit World, for his parents. Miki's eyes never once left Ryu's, until Mr. Tsuni broke their gaze.

"Hey you two! Am I going to have to move one of you, or should I just send you to the headmaster and detention after school today?" said Mr. Tsuni.

"No that wont be necessary Mr. Tsuni," replied Miki with a bow.

"Yeah sorry for postponing class sir," apologized Ryu also with a bow.

"Good. Now class open your books to page 112 and read pages 112 to 120," said Mr. Tsuni. The class complied and opened their Biology books to page 112, it was review for the test.

----------

The bell rang singling a five minute break before they started their next class. Miki quickly left the biology room, leaving Ryu behind to decode her class schedule. Ryu made her way slowly to the door looking at the small piece of paper that she didn't at all understand.

As soon as Ryu stepped out the classroom door she was embraced into a big hug. Ryu looked up at her capturer and smiled when she saw the messy dark brown haired, now tanner skinned, yellow eyed Miki.

"Did you really mean it? Are we going back?" asked Miki hopefully. He finally took a good look at Ryu, in their embrace he could tell she was still strong. Her hair was shorter only chin length something Miki thought would never happen. Ryu still wore her hair in pigtails but they were not at all childish that actually gave her a playful, sexy look, not her only feature that add to this look.

Ryu nodded, "Tomorrow. Now where is our next class?" Miki laughed and started walking down the hall Ryu at his heels. The peanut gallery was nothing less then confused to see Miki and Ryu at each other's throats one minute and hugging the next.

----------

When school was finished Miki and Ryu walked out of the school together. Miki looked at Ryu with a sly secretive smile, "So do you want to go swimming? I assume you have your bathing suit."

Ryu looked shocked one for the point that Miki knew she had her suit, and remembered how she loved to swim. Ryu also longed to go swimming, Asuko and Yoshi barely let her go, knowing that Ryu could sleep the day away on the bottom of the ocean floor. Ryu just flashed Miki a big smile, "I would love to." Ryu then thought of Miki and his fright of the water, but it was him who suggested it, so Ryu said nothing.

"We'll go to the pool, it's warm enough outside I don't think anyone will be there and you can stay underwater as long as you want, "Said Miki as they walked into a big brick building basically across from the school.

"How did you know I had my swim suit?" asked Ryu as they stepped up to the front desk.

Miki held out one finger to Ryu saying that he would tell her in a second, "Do you have your school ID? It's cheaper, and do you want to swim for one or two hours?" Ryu pulled out her wallet and followed Miki's lead and handed the man behind the desk her school ID. But before she could answer Miki's second question he told the man they would swim two hours and he paid for both of them.

As they walked towards the changing rooms Miki answered Ryu's question, "Well I figured a half river spirit who loves to swim wouldn't leave the house without a swim suit. Oh and don't worry about paying me back, its my apology for yelling at you earlier."

"Thanks, I'm sorry as well, let's just forget it," said Ryu as she walked into the girls changing room.

----------

Ryu walked out of the locker room with a discussed look on her face, she had never gone to a pool and never smelled the chlorine that was mixed in the unnatural blue water.

Ryu noticed that Miki was waiting for her on a bench on the wall, she also noticed that Miki was right and they were alone, everyone would rather to swim in a lake in the sun and not in the blue of this water. Ryu smiled at Miki and walked over towards him.

Miki smiled at Ryu she was wearing a blue and green tie-dyed bikini, "Are those your favorite colors blue and green?"

Ryu smiled actually her favorite color was yellow the color of Miki's eyes, but she wasn't about to tell him that, "Yeah, and is orange your favorite color?" Ryu countered pointing at Miki's swim trunks.

"Well actually no, I was just in a hurry this morning and couldn't find clean boxers," said Miki.

Ryu looked disgusted for a minute before she started to laugh, "Well come on then!" Ryu walked to the steps that went into the shallow end of the pool and slowly walked into the pool each step brought her deeper, each step made her skin scream for fresh water, for air. But Ryu ignored the feeling hoping it would go away. She turned around at the bottom of the steps and looked up at Miki.

Miki was looking paler then before and you could see a slight fright in his eyes. Ryu smiled and held out her hand to Miki, "Come on, don't worry. I'm here, you wont drown."

This though truthful hurt Miki's pride she was the girl, and she was younger, he should be the one saving her. Ryu realized what she had done and just smiled swimming into deeper water.

"How long after you eat must you wait before you go swimming because you know I ate fifteen minutes before we got here and I don't want to get a cramp and drown, "said Ryu as she stopped in the middle of the deep end and treaded water.

"A half hour, "replied Miki, walking around the pool towards Ryu's position in the pool. Before he finished his sentence Ryu was splashing about 'trying' to stay above water. Ryu sank under the water and didn't reemerge, "Come on Tea that's not funny!"

Ryu stayed under the water a few bubble signaling that she was no longer holding her breath rose to the surface, Hurry up Miki! This water burns my lungs! thought Ryu struggling to breath with the chlorine.

Miki suddenly got worried forgetting that Ryu could breath under water. After a hesitant minute that Miki used to gather his courage, he jumped into the water not far from Ryu. Miki swam to the bottom and grabbed a hold of Ryu's waist then he swam both of them to the surface. Ryu's mouth was open and her eyes were closed Miki swam her in to shallow water without a proper life saving grip (Miki being afraid of water never took life guarding classes).

When Miki could stand as well as Ryu (He hoped) Miki propped Ryu up, "Come on Tea wake up."

Ryu's eyes fluttered open theatrically and she smiled, "Miki you saved me, My hero!" Miki dropped Ryu she fell into the water and then quickly resurfaced kneeling so the water came up to her chin, "Hey!"

"Hey what? You disserved that! I thought you were in trouble, I thought you were going to die. And now I remember you can breath underwater!" yelled Miki and then he turned and started to walk out of the pool.

Ryu caught Miki's arm, stopping him, and turning him towards her, "Miki wait I'm sorry. But you really did save me, this water suffocates my skin, burns my lungs and stings me eyes, I was beginning to think I was really going to drown. And I really am sorry that I tricked you, but I'm grateful you came over you fear of water and saved me. Now please stay here with me in the shallow water and we'll talk and swim a little. " Miki sighed and walked out of the pool, "Hey Miki, please come back I really am sorry!"

Miki walked over to one of the bins full of pool toys and pulled out two swim noodles, "I know, but the shallow end is for babies. So we can use the noodles and relax in deeper water." Miki walked over to the pools edge dropping a purple noodle near Ryu and then continuing on foot to the deep end. Miki threw his noodle in the water and then jumped in landing on his noodle. "So Tea how are your cousins doing?"

Ryu finished swimming over to Miki and looked at him with a smile, "You mean Kawatarou, and Morio, the dragons? Well since they didn't have a river or forest of their own, about a year ago when the force field changed so that humans could leave the Spirit world and Spirits could enter, they got a job as towel boys at Aburaya. They clean up and do the laundry. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, so what is with the force field?" asked Miki.

"Oh well after you left the force field came back so that spirits could leave the spirit world and humans could enter. I am stuck on the side I stand, which was the Human world. Anyways a year ago it started to switch who could leave and who could come, about every week it switches again. Tomorrow humans can enter. We are hoping if I walk in with a human, you, then I can return," said Ryu.

"Ok, well we should be going let that skin of yours breath," replied Miki swimming to the side and pulling himself out of the pool. Ryu followed suit and they walked towards the changing rooms, placing the noodles back in their proper places.

"So what are we doing tonight?" asked Ryu before going into the changing room.

"Dreaming of tomorrow."

"Sounds great."

Author Note: Yeah well there is nothing to say so I hope you liked it and I would greatly appreciate any input. And does anyone know why I can't use the squiggly lines anymore? Merci!
-Na