Promise of a River

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Chapter 21: Returning Home

Rain owneth not ye Spirited Away.

Note at bottom! May be important for those just beginning to read my works.


I still hadn't figured out what happened when I woke up in my room to find it and myself a complete disaster, but I knew it had something to do with Yubaba. At least I was healed though, and I would be getting out of here soon. Tomorrow, in fact.

Tomorrow was the day that I had dreamed of for so long. I would be free from that evil witch, and I would go to find my friend to keep my promise.

Nervous would have been an understatement as to how I felt. What if she didn't remember me? What if she had a boyfriend? What if all I could do was guard her, and despite being in her world, she would never see me, never rest safely inside my coils?

That was a terrifying thought.

I had been trying to pay attention to what Yubaba was telling me, but it was difficult. I kept feeling something pull at me, and wished that I had my sword on my waist right now. The constant pulling was not nearly so insistent when it was with me. It was like when I would fade, but different at the same time. It was more closely related to that intuitive flash which one receives before danger strikes.

Suddenly, things went black. When I could see and feel again, I was standing beside a channel dug deeply into the ground. Amaterasu's warm rays kissed by back, and a friendly wind kami fluttered my hair and clothes. It was peaceful here, despite the fact that 64 people were industriously buzzing about to lengthen the channel. Studying it, it reminded me of the way my river would probably have looked during a drought. Even the surrounding land looked familiar to me.

The wind stirred my clothes again, but they were not what I was accustomed to wearing. They were far more ornate, much more formal. It occurred to me that they were very much like the ones that I had worn when my river was still flowing. A sheet of night nearly as long as my arm danced past my eyes for but a moment, then swept away again to reveal the focus of the scene.

'Odd.'

The hot sun beat down on chestnut hair that billowed in a plumed dragon's tail at the back of the head. This rich hair was held in a semblance of order, no thanks to her hard work and the teasing wind, with a shimmer of purple light. The purity of snow bound her breast and creamy arms from my sight with crane's wings, and the fire of life obscured her legs in casing of flame. I tried to see her soul, but it spun so swiftly and shone so brightly during her absorbment that all I saw was white light.

I noticed a thin and weak man with hair of shining gold slowly working his way closer to her as she dug, his hand outstretched and target clear. In defense of her honor, I threw a hand-sized rock hard, grinning in satisfaction when I hit my own target. The sun glinted off of my predator's teeth, and the young man seemed to see me for but a moment, squeaking and retreating back to his own work section.

The woman in Miko garb looked up at the sun, pulled out of some reverie like she had sensed my presence. Or possibly only the coward's noise had pulled her out of her pure Shrine Maiden's meditative thoughts. At any rate, her face was averted from me, which I found highly vexing.

'Who is she?'

"Hey, lunch time everyone!"

The deep velvet of her voice was augmented by the chirping strains of a songbird as she shouted to her fellows. She seemed to be the leader of this group, and I had no idea that Miko still ran these lands. Then again, I wasn't really much when it came to paying attention to shifting human governments. Throaty bellows of approval was the group's answer to her.

The melodious laughter that welled from her throat made me think of my Chihiro, and my gaze softened. Soon, I would see her again.

"Soon."


Unnoticed, the wind kami fluttered by the young man to grab the word before it reached the Miko's ear. She had already sensed the presence of the spirit, as it is what had pulled her from the thoughts of the river that always seemed to occupy her brain. However, she still remembered nothing of her time in the Spirit World, and the time had not yet come for her to remember.

The transparent form of the wind smirked as he lifted a female digger's shorts a little higher to distract the dark dragon who insisted on disguising himself as a human. Ryu was very easy to make trip, the secret was all in how much of BlowingWind's thigh he could expose to the man.

The smirk quickly fell into a frown as he remembered seeing the river lord sacrifice himself for the child and the area. That had been the most disturbing thing he had ever witnessed, and he had seen countless crimes, slaughters and wars.

The fractured spirit that was a part of Kohakunushi had been correct though. It would be soon. Soon the girl would remember, soon the river would be given back, soon the river's lord could be healed.

Everything would start tomorrow, in fact. The wind kami had delivered that news himself from the Dragon's Council to the chosen messenger of where the man's river was to be.

A hawk circled over where a Miko and her friends sat eating, and dropped a little bomb onto the head of the Spanish man he had also seen eyeing the Miko's form. Part landed on his golden rings of curls, but most ended up in the man's cheese sandwich. With a satisfied cry, the hawk faded back into a current of wind. It had taken up a lot of energy to do that, but it was definitely worth it.

Back in Aburaya, Kohaku fell through darkness, fading back into composure, and landing on his knees in Yubaba's office. While the man finished his business with the witch, the winds at the Kohakugawa picked up.

Below a spring, in a dark cavern, a stately form faded back into existence. Vast curtains of blackest midnight hid the face from view, and the clothing on the figure threatened to waver back into mere water. Labored breath noisily cut through the pensive silence, and the trembling arms he had supported himself with gave way. The Lord hit the floor with a slap of flesh, while a broad pair of dark hands turned him onto his back.

"Nushi, you have to quit that. You won't do her any good if you kill yourself before you are healed."

"I felt him though, and he was so close. I had to try. For her."

"Well, they do say that love makes one do crazy things. But that was just stupid Nushi."

"It almost worked though. There just wasn't anything to tie us together again."

"And you used to always tell me to be patient. Go get some rest."


The sky slowly changed its robe from the bright blue and white silks of day into the dark velvets of dusk, and then night. Throughout the night time, she whirled while the workers of a certain bath house scrubbed and cleaned, the diamonds of stars sparkling from hem and hair in her dance. Night passed on, and within a few hours would give way again to cheerful silk, and a dragon laid down in his room for the last time, to catch a few hours of elusive rest. His eyes slid shut, and soon his body and soul disengaged to roam through the dream world, dreaming of a lost love.

Kohaku stood at the edge of a campground, observing the people he had seen earlier. Most seemed to share his nationality, but others . . . were most definitely foreign. Unnoticed by the campers, his emeralds sparkled out of the night, scanning for some reason as to why he was dreaming this instead of divinely moist eyes that threatened to drown him in their pools. The blanket on his arm went unnoticed as he was drawn to a figure slumped over by a fire.

Rich brown hair cascaded from the back of her head, the coloration of her clothing announcing her as the Miko from his previous vision. Obviously, the poor thing had worn herself out during her hard work day, and had fallen asleep before she could eat the dinner she had cooked. It was reproachfully charring away over the fire still.

The chuckle of a shallow stream bubbled from within his chest at the sight, even at the threshold of adulthood the woman retained a sense of childishness. Carefully, he wrapped the woman in his blanket, and carried her to a sleeping area.

"You can sleep just about anywhere can't you?"

A mumble and sigh from her were the answers. As she snuggled her face into his chest as they walked, he felt his heart begin to flutter. He knew this smell filling his nose, knew who it probably was, but he would not remember her face when he woke, he hadn't for a long time now.

Something always seemed to block it, even if he were to brush those untamed bangs out of her eyes, he would not remember the cherubic face he adored. The filters of his waking mind would deny what the soul knew as truth.

"Haku."

He laid her down on a sleeping mat that was soaked in her scent, and tucked the blanket more securely around her, before he faded into complete sleep and past the state where his soul could travel to his Heart.

By the fire, there was a hiss as tea was poured onto hot coals, and confused voices.

"Ryu, did you spike the tea?"

"No, I didn't Koji."

"Who was that man?"

"Did anybody notice he looked like 'The Apartment Ghost?' That's just creepy!"

"It's even worse than that! He was carrying my granddaughter without my permission!"

"Calm down Koji-san. He's probably just a new recruit."

"In old clothes like that? I agree with the old Priest. I don't want her carrying my woman."

"Hey, I dress in traditional garb, thank you very much young man! And I'm the eldest Ogino in her family, and I don't remember promising her to you."

"Hey, Queso, leave Koji and Chihiro alone, or I'll sic Ryuon you. It's probably just another volunteer from another Shrine."

"Are you sure you didn't spike the tea?"

"Yes!"

"Ah-ha! You admit it!"

"No! I meant I didn't spike the tea!"

"Sure, Ryu."

"We believe you, dear . . . as far as I can throw you."

"Really? Good, because you're pretty strong for a girl BlowingWind."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh-oh! Uh! 'Night honey!"

The camp erupted in yet another uproar as the Irish / Native American hurled herself across the campfire to extract her retribution. He'd gotten himself into trouble again.


Back in his room, a young dragon curled in his 'nest', trying to keep warm. He hadn't slept without a blanket for a very long time, and was going to be unhappy when he discovered it was missing in the morning.

Time passed quickly once he awoke. The messenger that knew where his river was had turned out to be Zeniba. He had even let Kaonashi work out his aggressions for winning Chihiro's heart. Apparently, Chihiro had grown up quite a lot since the last time he had truly seen her, and she was responsible for bringing it back to him. No words could describe the emotions that he felt as he flew home.

Home. That word had so many meanings for him now. Every meaning had been provided for him by the little human who had been brought to him so long ago for a blessing. He could remember that now, on a night where the stars were jewels in the sky, and man stealing down to him in secret. The same child had fallen into his river on her third birthday, then returned to him again in her tenth year. It seemed that she had always come to him, and now, he was going to her as his refuge.

He had reached the area around the spring that had fed him in his previous life. He would freely call it his past life, as he was soon to receive a new birth of sorts from the maiden. There was a very good reason that rivers never died. His was Chihiro.

There, beneath a tree, wind stirring her about slightly, was a poignant beauty. She was so familiar, and yet so different, that he didn't know rightly who it was. White snow and red flame clung tightly against the body thanks to the morning dew weighting it, revealing a slender form. The Miko looked almost like his Chihiro, but that would have been a silly thing to expect. One delicate hand held a single white rose, bringing forth a tide of jealousy within him. The other hand brought a very familiar type of onigiri to rosy lips, even the magic lacing them looking like his own.

He both wondered who would be giving his Chosen flowers, and somehow knew the answer within himself. The magic in the flower in rice was too familiar, but he wasn't sure he was ready to accept the implications.

Grey eyes held a note of question as velvet words spilled from her mouth. Obviously they were meant only for herself, but the fetching blush on her cheeks as she pondered her thoughts caused him to lean out further from behind the tree, nearly toppling him over when the tint of cherry in her scent gained a spiced note. Stomping down the response that he felt brewing within himself, he instead tried to bring back the much safer jealousy as she admitted an attraction for this mysterious gift giver.

An unidentified streak came from the right, bowling over his innocent maiden. Two teasing voices assaulted his ears, then they were graced with a fiery retort. The spice in her scent rose to a new high, addling the poor dragon's brains and making it nearly impossible to think straight until she had left, still muttering to herself about guys thinking they could just win her over with rice, flowers and music.

As she passed his hiding spot, he felt the urge to grab her, but a swift kick to Haku's groin from the ever-helpful Nigihayami within his head quickly quashed that desire. Lost in her thoughts, she paused next to the tree that he had now scrambled into in order to avoid her gaze. His breath was taken away as he watched the braid of hair that now held her rose as it swung with her denial.

"My life must be a soap opera or something."

'I don't know what a soap opera is, Chihiro. However, if it's anything like a play where too much drama and confusion are normal, then that would make two of us.'

(Whatever god she's serving, he'd better keep his hands off her.)

'Exactly.'

((He can't touch her if we get her first. We are her Guardian after all.))

'Do you realize how wrong that sounds?'

(I think it sounds just right to me.)

'That's it, I'm not talking to myself any more.'

He still didn't know how he was going to work himself back into her life, but the promise of a river was something that he had to keep. Stealthily, he followed her to where she met a strangely familiar old man. It took a while to place the scent, but when he recognized it as the Priest who had once brought his only grandchild for a blessing, the young Lord recoiled at the toll Time had taken.

The others were laughing at the old man's rants about demons, but in Kohaku, a note of panic and fear wove about a memory still buried in deep shadow.

"No, no demons carried me off, and I don't think I met a ghost."

Realizing that the two clergy members were going back to the spring, Kohaku quickly stole back as well. If they were going to do anything, he had to be there to keep his charge safe. Especially if there was a possibility of demons in the area.

As their chants grew in volume, echoing louder through the forest than what one could assume mortal throats would easily accomplish, the sword that was hidden in the large pack on his back began to emit a high steady tone, too high and pure for mortal to hear. An answering tone blended in with the chants from below the spring, and it was all he could do to not run to the chanting maid and stand before her. The polite summons and welcoming back pulled at his very soul, but fear held him back. After a while, they fell silent, surveying the pool and woods about them carefully, as if they expected something to strike them down where they stood, pop out from the spring, or crawl out from under some rock.

"Did we do the ritual wrong?"

"No, it was done right, but he's already awake. Something isn't quite right though. This feels . . . almost divided. Maybe he's sad, or hurt? It doesn't feel like he's angry, that one you can't mistake. If the river is his body, maybe he's waiting for it. Should we start opening the spring more, perhaps that will set the energy at ease?"

'So, my body is ready for my blood then. This is the perfect way to get back into her life.'

He did get back into her life, and kept his promise within the very same day of his arrival. There was just one problem, he still had to get her to remember who he really was, which he had expected anyway. What he hadn't expected was how well she could catch him off guard, or how much her scent could distract him. Unconsciously, he became addicted to the spice that would mingle with the smell of his river and her cherries when she was angry or determined. It was a trait that was inherent in all dragon kind.

Maybe that was what caused him to pull her into the spring with him after she had essentially ripped off his face and ground it into the dirt. Or maybe Haku and Nigihayami just really wanted to see her wet. At any rate, he was now on an adventure to awaken her hidden memories, and maybe even take back a lost part of himself if he was lucky.


Here is where we end 'Promise of a River,' which this chapter overlaps a tiny bit with 'Rivers Never Die.' 'Rivers Never Die' is the continuation along this line, followed by 'Rivers Keep Flowing.' An end is always a beginning, after all.

I repeat, this book in the Rivers and Promises Continuity inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is finished. To read the next book in the series, go to my bio by clicking on my pen name. There are several books in the series, and a collection of short stories to accompany them.

To be notified of when I update any of the books in this series, add me to your author alert list.

Replies

fallen-rose15 - Sorry, the book is finished, read the next in the series. You'll like it. You find the reason I ended where it did. You can thank J.R.R. Tolkien though, he ended his books in similar manner.