Chapter 5-

It's not the water...

Disclaimer- No, it's not the water. And Spirited Away is not mine. CRAP.

She was sitting on the bench staring at the water as he walked up. Just sitting there. Staring. Then she looked at him, tilting her head to one side as she spoke. "It's not the water."

He blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"It's not the water. I've been down to the edge, I went wading in it. It's not the water. In fact, the water feels nice... It's warm and gentle. It doesn't scare me. It makes me feel...safe."

Of all the things that he might have been expecting to hear, this most defiantly was not one of them. His bag dropped to the ground with a soft 'thunk' as he sat down on the hard wooden bench beside her. She wasn't lying to him. Her shoes and socks were still stacked neatly on the ground, and the cuffs of her pants, despite being rolled up, were most defiantly wet and stained with river mud. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and regarded the river in front of him.

If it was not the river that was...then what?

"Is there anything else that you can remember? Anything else related to these dreams that might have been a real place? One around here or close by that you might have visited?"

Chihiro thought about it, staring off into space, face pinched in concentration. "Well, I remember dad taking a wrong turn the day we moved out here, and us ending up at the entrance of some old, abandoned theme park. We went for a walk through the park, and the wind must have really picked up while we were in there, because when we came out, the car was all covered in leaves and junk, and the inside was a mess because dad went and left the windows down. Probably the reason that I remember all of it so clearly though is because dad and mom went and had a big blowup with the movers over it all."

A smile appeared on her lips, the first one that had graced them in ages, as she recalled that day. "The movers swore that we had been gone for three weeks, and since they lost their copy of the key and we never showed they had confiscated all our things to pay the bill. In reality, we had only been gone for the afternoon, and couldn't have been more than an hour behind them. Lord have mercy, wasn't that a fiasco!"

He laughed right along with her. "I don't suppose you remember where this place was, do you?"

She chewed on her lip thoughtfully and gave him an odd look. "Not really. That was almost seven years ago. Why?"

Tanner shrugged. "Oh, nothing much really. I just thought that anyplace you all could manage to kill an entire afternoon in must be pretty interesting, especially if it was as decrepit as you claim. Just thought it would be interesting to see...Maybe even pack a picnic lunch and spend the afternoon there again. Eh?"

Chihiro laughed, and laughed some more as something occurred to her. Always before she had thought of Tanner in context of how attractive he was not. But really, when one bothered to look beyond what was on the surface, he was a great guy. Funny and smart, if not all that handsome, a great listener, and a great person to have on your side when you were trying to work out a difficult problem. Maybe spending more time with him wouldn't be as bad as she had first thought, especially since Masuzu was defiantly beyond her reach, in light of her recent actions.

"Maybe, that actually doesn't sound too bad. Though I was telling you the truth when I told you that I honestly do not remember where on earth the place is. But if I do remember, I just might take you up on that offer. How's that sound?"

He grinned in reply. "You can take me up on that offer any time you like, whether you remember or not. But do try. I think it would be a lot of fun. And it just might have something to do with all those night mares you were having."

"Were having? You know, you're right. I actually slept last night, and most of today, for that matter. It was so nice, and I think my parents are glad too." Then she glanced up at the sky and leapt to her feet. "Oh, dangit! I need to get home. I told mom and dad that I would be home by five, and its got to be getting close. See you tomorrow at school!"

"If you still don't feel up to it, don't come!" The American called after her retreating back , allowing himself a smile as he glanced at his watch. It was four fifty five. There was no way that she was going to make it. But he had not wanted to spoil her good mood so quickly.

Later that night, Chihiro woke up screaming.

They were back.

And even worse than before.

Ohhh.. snick I love stopping like that. Anyway, sorry about the huge break between updates. My works hours have been absolutly insane as of late. Hopefully that is changing, but we'll see!