Rivers Never Die

by LadyRainStarDragon

Chapter 4: Returns?

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away. There are some original characters in this and other stories I write. Corrected and expanded version, ffnet edition will remain in PG-13 format, R-rated for the uncut scene in chapter 19 will remain on affnet.

On with the story.

Zips off on broom-o-doom.


Kaonashi had stopped laughing. Haku hadn't moved at all for 10 minutes now. So, he did what any self-respecting no-face would do in this case. He poked him, hard, with a pointy stick. There was no response. He got a skillet down and smacked him with that, but there was no response. Here, Kaonashi saw his chance to extract a little revenge for being more attractive to Sen than he was. Up went the teapot, into a very convenient location with hot tea still in it. Kaonashi didn't have the heart to dump it though, and Zeniba looked like she was getting ready to stop him. Down went the teapot, nestling gently onto its tile trivet. "Ah, ah ah ah!" In other words, what's wrong with him?

"Apparently, the fact that our little Chihiro is an environmental activist was a big shock to him."

A choking noise filled the room when air tried to force itself into his lungs, and Kohaku finally managed to swallow the tea he had been holding in his mouth the whole time. The others noticed a faint smile on his lips as he tucked an imaginary stray hair back with the rest of his shoulder-length locks.

"Actually, it explains several strange dreams that I've been having lately. And Kaonashi, I know what you were going to do." Kaonashi just tried to look innocent. "...Right, you forget I've been dealing with Lin plotting to get me for nine years now. Well, I'd better get going."

"Haku, be careful. Since the river is being revived, the part of you that most likely stayed with it is much stronger. Since he has been dissociated from the main part of you for so long, he may want to be the dominant personality, or to not heal at all. He may want Chihiro all to himself."

"I see, thank you. I shall be on my way now."

Back in the air, Kohaku had much to think about on his way to the human world, since he couldn't remember how to just phase from one to the other and needed to get to a gate. 'Another voice to rattle around in my head. Nice. I don't remember any of the other rivers having this kind of problem. Maybe I keep to myself too much. Then again, mingling usually got me into trouble too.'

Of course, Haku had to pipe up with his thoughts about what the other part could do if he wanted to, resulting in a mental head smack. Kohaku vowed to take a vacation as soon as possible after getting everything settled down. Somewhere in the back of his mind Nigihayami wondered just how he got into this mental state in the first place and what would make everybody else just shut up. He also wondered if there were a way to control an adolescent self's hormones to bring some resemblance of internal sanity.

Finally, he got to the thin area between worlds wovenaround the sacred spring that used to feed his river. He would watch what he could without causing too much of a ruckus. He figured that after night had fallen would probably be a better time to become visible in the human world. As he landed, he didn't notice a pair of jade eyes watching him, or hear a softly muttered comment covered by trickling water.

"It's about time. Time is running out."

He was much too occupied with a small form sitting silently beneath the old tree. Someone who looked so much like Chihiro, but older. A red and white shrine maiden's garb clung close to her body, already damp with the morning's dew. He didn't remember any shrines nearby, so he wondered what would bring a shrine maiden out this far. She also wore the hair tie that he had admired that night when retrieving her from Zeniba, so he knew it had to be her. 'Just when did she start wearing normal clothes I wonder, that last time I saw her was with those odd Western clothes.' His eyes widened slightly when he noticed she was thoughtfully eating the special rice balls he often made for people who would need their strength. Chihiro was contemplating the single white rose in her hand.

'Where did those come from?'

"Why did he give me a rose? And why was he so darn familiar?" She took her hair down, and braided the rose into it, securing the end with her favorite hair tie. Lightly tracing the card now that her hands were free, she continued. "He acted like he was waiting here for me. Such a sad smile, I wonder if I'll see him again. Gods! When did I start talking to myself. It's not like I expect the grass to just up and answer me or anything. And to top it off, I've got those dratted butterflies in my stomach that BlowingWind says signal attraction. I don't have time for this." She prepared to stand up, but was instead tackled to the ground by a flying something.

"Chihiro! Don't wander off like that again. When Ryu and I woke up, you were no where near camp! The whole team's been looking for you, and the old priest was going off about demons kidnaping the girl he wanted for the river shrine." A swift whack on the head followed the short tirade, and Chihiro pegged her assailant as none other than BlowingWind.

"And what's this about somebody giving you a flower and food? You could have at least told me you had a boyfriend. I could have teased you mercilessly about it." Ryu casually picked up the card that had fallen to the ground and scanned it. "No name as to who it's from, just welcoming you back to his home. Feels like you're being courted or something. It's rather old and expensive paper. I'll go beat him up for you, and that'll do it. You shouldn't be going to strange people's homes, no telling what could happen. What kind of person would live out here anyway?"

BlowingWind snorted. "I could have said the same about where I met you, Ryu."

Chihiro looked at him dryly while dusting herself off. "Oh yes, I'm just going to throw myself at the first mysterious man luring me to the spring we're working at today. I'd do anything for rice balls, music and flowers. So nice to know that I can't be trusted to go meditate by myself since SOMEBODY was so kind as to wake me up before dawn with a bucket of water. Nice shirt by the way." Apparently, she was still miffed about her wake-up call.

Ryu had apparently thrown on the same shirt he was wearing last night. Now that BlowingWind's attention was drawn to it, she actually read it. Her face promptly became an interesting shade of red, just before she let out a bellow of rage. "You perverted scaly coyote! How dare you!" Ryu had one second's head start on her, and ran for all he was worth. Maybe if he got back to camp before her he would live, or at least be able to get somebody to put him in a body bag after she dismembered him. Oh well, it was worth it, she was cute when angry.

Chihiro watched the exchange in amazement. "My life must be a soap opera or something." In the shadows, Kohaku just blinked and tried to make some sense of what he had just seen and wondered if all her friends here were crazy or violent. Tailing Chihiro as she started walking back to camp he wondered just what was going on. Zeniba said nothing about Chihiro working in a shrine, and for some reason, he felt a little jealous.

'Whatever god she's serving, he'd better keep his hands off her. Just who would be giving her a rose?'

When she reached the camp, an old man in white tunic and blue hakama ran over to her and wrapped her in his arms. His grey hair, pulled into a tight topknot, bounced with each step.

"I was so worried about you. Were you carried off by a demon? You could have been eaten alive, or you might have woken up the river god early. There could have been a rapist out there, or you could have gotten lost. Don't forget that there's a ghost about either! You haven't been able to tap into any spiritual powers, so anything evil could have gotten you!"

The other people from the camp rolled their eyes, most not believing in spiritual powers, ghosts, demons, or other boogie-woogies. Of course, they hadn't come up with an explanation for what they saw last night either, as Ryu steadfastly maintained he didn't spike the tea.

Chihiro looked at the old man in utter confusion. Wasn't her job just supposed to be a supporting role at the shrine when she took it? There weren't really that many real demons or spirits left anymore, so most people thought they were just stories. And why would she have any spiritual powers anyway, she was just a normal person. Who even believed in that stuff anymore? If she remembered her history and folklore right, Nobunaga supposedly wiped them all out all over Japan, along with a fair amount of Buddhists. Time to hit the history books again for a refresher. The rapist fear she could understand though.

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

"Then just where were you?"

Chihiro pointed. "That way, over by the spring. See, I wasn't really all that far off."

Of course, Ryu wasn't done making her day a living hell. He started getting that evil look to his face that always signaled he was going to be a pain that day, and Chihiro noticed he did kind of look like a dragon. One of those mischievous ones. She then shook that off and chalked it up to the strange day she was having.

"She met a guy over there."

"I would like to have a word with you later about it, Grandfather."

The old man merely nodded. "Carry on."

Everyone had eaten, so the work day began with preparation. Chihiro very carefully checked anything that she was going to use to be certain Ryu hadn't done anything with it. She left her equipment in the care of BlowingWind and then toddled off with the old priest to assist in the ceremony that he intended to perform.

Waking the river god seemed a little pointless to her, but she didn't know why. All she knew was that she felt like she was being watched from both sides. The priest seemed to feel it too. It didn't feel threatening, but still a little weird.

"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."

Chihiro waited, she knew her grandfather well. There was always more. Kind of like when he kept insisting she help out with the shrine, hence the priestess training since when she was little. There were worse ways to spend summers for little kids though, so she figured it was a good thing the year after she had moved to that place her parents had taken her. She tried not to think of life in that town. Rumors had gone around about family involvement in witchcraft when they had disappeared for three weeks. Definitely good to be home, even if it was a little weird with grandfather at times.

"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?"

Chihiro wasn't sure if she believed in spirits, but that strange experience when she was a kid was enough to remind her there was more to life than what you see. After all, she should have been drowned that day long ago, and instead something had brought her to shore.

"We'll call the others and start then, ok Grandfather?"

"Sure. The news crew should be here soon anyway to get footage of you moving the first rock out."

"Grandfather! I thought you said I wouldn't have to do any interviews or go on camera anymore!"

Chihiro and her grandfather went after the others. Koji was at a loss. Ryu had mentioned something about Chihiro meeting a man. Chihiro had mentioned about not thinking she had met a ghost. He would have to get out of her what they did and what he looked like, perhaps it had really been the god. Then he spied the rose in her hair and wondered who knew her well enough to give her a flower like that.

Two sets of jade eyes watched them walk away. Both sets looked sad, but only one set was able to follow.

Slipping from behind a tree, Nushi watched the owner of the other pair go after the shrine maiden. He hoped that she would be able to save him the way he had once saved her. Now if he could only figure out how he was supposed to become whole again.

'Wow, what a great guardian I am, getting fragmented anyway. Well, at least the boy will be able to keep an eye on her when I can't.'

He then re-entered the spring to wait. He would need to help the spring spirit keep the flow minimal until the spring was cleared out of all the rocks filling it. Then the extra water being channeled into the underground river could go where it was supposed to. No sense in washing all of those people away.

Kohaku hadn't even noticed Nushi. He was too busy figuring out a way to reenter Chihiro's life without causing some kind of panic. It sounded like they were going to be clearing out the spring. Maybe he could help out with that. As his body became visible once more, he decided he would volunteer to help with this team she was part of.