Rivers Never Die

by LadyRainStarDragon

Chapter 16: Merging and a Celestial Pearl?

I don't own Spirited Away or any brand names that may pop up. There is no excuse for BlowingWind, Ryu, Ten or Haku's lost spirit piece. That's all me.

Now, on with the story. I'm escaping while I can.


"Are you - me?"

"Well, so good to finally get the two of you in the same room at last! Now I know why our parents only did one egg per clutch. I trust that Chihiro knows what to do?"

Ryu snickered, he had read The Real Fairy Tales a couple months ago and sat in on one of her folklore classes, and now constantly thought about how the curses were really broken. It took a little more than a kiss! A kiss doesn't generally wake somebody up, but THAT, well it would work a lot better. BlowingWind elbowed his ribs hard, causing confused stares at the two of them.

"You don't want to know, really!"

Unfortunately for Chihiro, Ten seemed to have picked up on Ryu's thoughtwave. "Well, we'll just leave you to it then." He then ushered the other two out of the room with him. This left Chihiro, Kohaku and Nushi alone in the room. Chihiro stepped a bit away from them, blushing at Ryu's innuendo, and glad that Kohaku had not had a change to read her old folklore books from college yet. Kohaku, however, wanted to know what he meant.

"Just what was he talking about?" Kohaku was confused, but something about what Ten said just wasn't sitting right with him.

Nushi looked exasperated, pointedly not looking directly at Chihiro for the obvious reasons. That low neckline really flustered him for some odd reason, though he knew it shouldn't since he'd watched over her as a baby even.

"You don't want to know, and neither do I."

During the exchange between the two parts of the river God, Chihiro had been digging out and unwrapping the silver dragon statue. Placing this on a natural little altar, she began with a cleansing method that she had been taught. It was more for her own peace of mind than anything else really. Bowing her head, she spoke up.

"The two of you are supposed to go into the statue. I don't know what happens next, just that it is where you are supposed to go."

Nushi looked troubled. "What happens to you? Will you be alright out by yourself?" Kohaku nodded his head in agreement with Nushi's question. After Greed's little escapade, he didn't want to leave her unguarded.

"It doesn't matter, I'm not letting you fade from existence. You are too important." 'To me, and for everyone.'

Doubtfully, Kohaku and Nushi extended their hands to touch the statue. The separated spirits looked like they expected it to bite or something equally painful. Chihiro would have laughed at that if this wasn't such a serious moment. Finally, their hands made contact with the cold metal, and a flash of light filled the room. When the light returned to normal, they were gone. However, so was Chihiro, having been pulled in as well by the connection that Nyuuhakushoku had forged to the weaker portion of the River Lord.


'Bright.'

That was the only thought going through both Kohaku and Nushi's minds at the moment.

'Way too bright.'

One thought a moment was pretty slow thinking, especially for a dragon, used to lightening thoughts and seemingly endless riddling sessions with either oneself or others. After a while, the young dragons were able to see their surroundings. A simple wood room greeted their eyes, graced with a window and door facing a small, swift-flowing river. Green grass spanned the distance between the hut and the river, Nature's lush woodland carpet. The only furnishings were the silver dragon, and a small chest in the corner. Nushi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the smells from cooking fires upwind.

"It's been long since I have been here."

"Where is this place?"

Nushi regarded his innocence with cool eyes. "I guess you don't remember. This is the original river shrine, where the farmers and fishers made offerings for safety, prosperity, and anything else they associated with water and river. Apparently, the memory of a more peaceful and wholesome time has been stored in this, our symbol."

At this time, a blue and white water Priestess entered with a simple bowl of rice. Bowing low, she placed it before the statue. She looked very much like Chihiro, but also not, as if she perhaps were one of the Ogino ancestors.

"For you my Lord Kohaku, the fisher family with the ill child sends this as thanks for bringing the child health again."

After she had meditated for a little, she rose and left gracefully. Kohaku felt a stab in his heart, like he should know who she had been.

"So, how are we supposed to merge. If we don't, this will have terrible implications for Chihiro."

Nushi nodded. "Who knows if our replacement will be benign to the humans, or even have what is required to deal with the mosquitoes in this area, as they still carry some of the hardier viruses. With the destruction of the river, there was more standing water for quite a while. Several years later, Ten had relayed to me that it was thought the medical research center had accidentally release some dangerous viruses around the time of the last flood The sudden boom in the mosquito population coupled with the corresponding drop in the frog population was a disaster for many of the children, including our little Chihiro's friend Lily."

He then began to look even more uncomfortable.

"Some dragons do still love the taste of human flesh. As the Miko, well, she would be alone with him or her often."

"That didn't really answer my question."

"The idea that I have I would rather save as the very last resort."

"And that would be?"

Nushi blushed a little, then tossed the ball back into Kohaku's court. "Do you have any ideas?"

"The last time something like this happened to me, I had to sign a contract."

Nushi brightened considerably. "That is much better than my idea, much more honor to it. You wouldn't happen to have a copy of it with you for a reference, would you?"

"I don't think so - " With a poof, Kohaku had actually been proven wrong, as the contract suddenly materialized into Nushi's hand. Nushi stared incredulously at his hand.

"I don't suppose you have our Celestial Pearl either?" This time, nothing happened. Nushi shook his head. "It was worth a try. I'd hoped maybe this split would have been a good enough loophole to escape that kitsune's curse."

Carefully unrolling it, Nushi read the contract. It seemed something really traumatic had happened to Kohaku to merit this contract that he now held. At the bottom, he noticed one last space left open. Something niggled at the back of his mind to sign it. Reaching into his robes, he withdrew his chop and a little ink. Taking a seat on the wooden floor, he prepared to place his seal alongside the Hiragana of the others. After a moment's hesitation, his chop was placed.

Nothing spectacular happened. Nothing happened at all. In fact, both Kohaku and Nushi let out disappointed breaths that they hadn't even known they were holding.

"That was anti-climactic."

Kohaku snorted, a reaction he didn't normally subscribe to when in his human shape. Nushi raised his eyebrow and lifted one corner of his lips in acknowledgment. It seemed that they were back to square one. At that time, a rattle sounded as the bamboo covering the door was pushed aside.


"Bring her in here."

The Priestess from before entered, holding the curtain open for those following her. A thin futon was brought in and laid out near the chest, waiting for whomever was being brought to the Priestess for treatment. Then a giant of a man, rough, dark and earthy as his sun-kissed field, brought in a much smaller, more delicate blue and white bundle. This bundle was laid gently on the mattress, and as a small amount of flesh was exposed to view as a weak moan came from the young lady the bundle was revealed to be. Slightly mussed brown hair provided a nest for a rose and pair of coiled dragons. Though she was spotlessly clean, it could be seen that whatever she had gone through was very painful.

"What is she Priestess Ogino? Is she some water spirit here to cause harm and mischief?"

"I do not think so. Surely if she were, Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama would have already dispatched her. Instead, yonder maiden is covered in symbols marking her as sacred and set aside for him."

"Why does she have such an unworldly look about her then if she is merely human?"

"I know not. Ye say she was found by the river?"

"Aye. She was on the bank. I was fishing, having switched work with my brother for the day, and suddenly she was just ... there!"

"I see. Fetch my husband quickly while I check her body for hidden wounds."

The villager left with due haste after bowing to the Priestess and the image of the River God. After the curtain fell shut once more, the Priestess opened the young maiden's kimono and carefully checked her body, not noticing the two halves of the River God gazing out the window, fighting the urge to inspect her themselves and instead listening to what was happening behind them.

"Who are ye, girl to have appeared so suddenly? Why are ye unconscious so when I see no injury to sustain ye in such a state?" The middle-aged Priestess closed the maiden's kimono and secured it once again. Hearing the sound of knots being tied, the divided deity turned about once more.

The curtain was held aside once more as a middle-aged man walking with the gate of his Master's river and garbed in the serene white and blue robes of the River Shrine entered. "Wife?"

"She has no injuries husband. This is out of my field. I am but trained in the use of herbs and simple charms. Perhaps your spiritual powers may be able to help in my stead?"

The Priest surveyed the girl carefully. What he saw was a maiden consecrated to the river God Nigihayami Kohakunushi, pure and virgin as the snow of the dragon's father's mountain. He did not know how that could be, as none of the village maidens up or down the river had been consecrated thus for a generation, and had always been sent home unsoiled, yet still with a gift. The young maiden before him seemed to glow both pink and white, from a point somewhere within the region of her heart. Pure, waiting, and alone, his Lord's energy connected with her, and yet staking no more than his protection. The rose in her hair was white as snow or the water-dragon's scales and short fur, the two leaves on either side of the blossom a peculiar shade of green that matched his mane. A token of respect, protection, and maybe even love. There was no spell to break. Nothing for him to do.

"There is nothing I can do wife. This is something that only our Kami himself or perhaps this strange maiden can break." The Priest looked up at the Kami "This may also be how you can heal yourself, Lord. I see that ye are held divided by something, ye must remember that as the rock divides a stream, on the other side it always comes back to itself."

Kohaku and Nushi were taken aback. They had not realized that they could be seen, as they had been ignored by the Priestess and the villager. As one, they nodded their heads and the Priestess and Priest took leave.

"Perhaps this whole thing has to do with traumatic events in our life. What is the most traumatic event that you can remember? Mine is the loss of our river."

"When I found Chihiro was risking her life for me in Aburaya."

Nushi seemed a bit surprised at this. Why would Chihiro need to risk her own life for him? It was probably one of the things he would know after the merging. "Anything else?"

Kohaku frowned, not liking having admitted to messing up on his guardianship of his friend, even to himself. He had told the truth though. "After that at or about the same severity was the loss of the river."

"Does it have to do with this then? Her father was one of the ones that destroyed the river, all for a measly paycheck to satisfy his wife's desires. I do not know if any thought had been given to the children's play areas. Perhaps we both have issues with that this must be worked out."

"Perhaps. Her father did help with the restoration though. Has he not then atoned for his mistake?"

"That depends. Can we get past our misgivings about the man, even if only for Chihiro's sake? Perhaps, if it had not been for her father, she never would have seen us be injured in her protection."

The light from Chihiro grew brighter. At the same time, her breathing grew even.

"I can. Humans make mistakes, just like Gods, Spirits, Demons and Monsters all do at times. We are no different."

"We promised long ago to protect and provide. We can't drop the promise, which was even given to Chihiro, just because one member of the family unknowingly injured us."

The aura around Chihiro had now formed a solid sphere around her, which was a translucent white and pink that could be seen through. The Maiden was as a gateway to the Heavens, shining through her self, opening and beckoning her Lord home. Her eyes were still closed, and her arms were reaching for them, even though they could not penetrate the pearly shell.

"Chihiro is the Pearl?"

"The Heart of the River. Is Chihiro it or does she merely possess it?"

The air around her was thick, fighting against them as if it had a consciousness of its own. With each inch they pushed forward, it seemed as if they had been pushed back two. A sense of urgency accompanied the push.

Arms reached out toward them, but at the same time seemed to repel them. Were they fighting against the air, or someone's fears? The nearer they came to Chihiro, the harder the fight became, almost as if it was her fears they strove to cut through.

As one, they reached for her, hoping to hold her and soften whatever blow was going to come to her. They fell through the barrier, and deep into the Pearl. As they fell, they began to feel fuzzy, like they were fading away to nothing with each inch closer they came to her. Indeed, they were becoming more see-through as they went, but an over-arching need to be there drove them on further, disregarding themselves as her soul span and danced, enticing and tantalizing with its sweet promises. Moments stretched on like years and lost their meaning, time stretching and thickening with each micron that they came nearer to the Gateway.

Images formed around them, replaying what they thought to be experiences not their own. Smiling children surrounded them on a play yard, including the owner of the memories in their fun. An adult approached and knelt by a little girl, summoning her to a meeting with the principal. The child's parents collected her and left the room, getting into a car.
Things blurred and that same little girl was in a different school uniform in a hospital room with another little girl. Beeping filled the room. The two girls leaned together, having what appeared a last few words. The child closed her eyes then, smiling, and the beeping became a drone. The child left in the world of the living bent over the form of her friend, and cried.

Later, the child was seen in the garb of a miko, bent over a scroll reading as a priest watched and helped her with questions. At night alone, the same child was crying before a small altar in her room, with a dead bird held to her breast.

The child was shuttled between two homes as she grew slowly leaving behind a mother who fought to keep her child with her, instead of disappearing into the Great Beyond. It was becoming clear who the child was, a younger Chihiro dealing with the effects of watching a friend die, then not having her beliefs accepted by her mother. She was different, and obviously knew it, although she didn't let it affect her in a visible way.

There were many people now in a room, or at least leaving it. A small group was discussing something now. Chihiro seemed to be explaining about something.

Then the river was before them, and they watched as it was dug out. The girl in red and white seemed to be there whenever she could. Machinery was now being taken away, and she was kneeling by the bank, staring blindly into the empty channel. A younger BlowingWind came into view, putting her hand on the miko's shoulder.

"This river is the only thing I have left besides grandfather that I have a real connection too. Mom refuses to accept what I am doing with my life, and Dad just seems to feel guilty about something. I love them, but don't feel the connection I used to BlowingWind. I haven't since I was 10, after the three weeks that we mysteriously disappeared. This river is my guiding light."

"Then we'll do it by hand if we have to. We'll get your river back. We should call a meeting of your grandfathers to figure out what can be done and where to get the workers."

"Grandfathers? I've only got one."

"Tribal elders." BlowingWind looked like she was struggling to get her point across, and having difficulty with the language.

"Oh. I get it now. A community meeting."

The images disappeared then. Instead, everything was dark and cold. Loneliness filled the unseen space. A woman, glowing a soft pink was slowly coming out of the darkness.

"How can I find what I left behind, if I don't even know what it is? Why do I always feel so alone?"

"You'll never be alone again Chihiro. We promise you."

As they grasped their prize, consciousness escaped them. Form escaped them. Their being merely wrapped around the young maiden, entwining around her, stamping and marking her forever as they lightly blended with her surface energies. The waters carefully formed a shell about the young woman, never once entering the numerous openings into her body, not yet invited into the Maiden's Core.


A flash of light brought the villagers and the Shrine attendants running. No trace was found of the mysterious maiden. The Priest was also pleased to find that there was no trace of the division in his deity anymore, and that once again, it slumbered.

"It seems that the Bride has been accepted."

"Aye, husband. No trace of the maiden exists in this time anymore."

"And what, dear wife, makes ye so sure she was not from our time?"

"Not even a geisha would wear such a revealing kimono."


Chihiro and Kohaku awoke on the floor of the meeting chamber. While in her state of unconsciousness wherever she had been, she had felt a strange longing and emptiness. It had been partially filled, but she longed for more of . . . something. Something was missing that she wished to feel again, to feel more of, to merge with. But what? Chihiro felt very weak, and was considering drifting back into the world of dreams hoping to find the answer once more when, yet again, a cold river dumped on her head.

"Ryu you ass! Do you have any idea how awful it is to wake up to cold water in the face?" Chihiro was up, entire body taut and perked with the cold, and once more had whacked him with a bucket. BlowingWind was laughing at the picture of Ryu as a donkey and overjoyed Chihiro was alright. Judging by the size of the lump growing on Ryu's cranium, she was more than alright.

Getting a hold on herself, BlowingWind looked over at Nushi. Or was it Kohaku? The only occupants that they had found were Chihiro on him. They guessed that the merging had taken place, but weren't sure. With as many times as she had caught Kohaku looking at the girl with lust when she wasn't looking, it could also have been possible they had fought, and this was the victor. So they had watched over them waiting for any signs of fading of the River god.

Chihiro finally finished beating up Ryu. He would be feeling it for a few days.

"Where's Kohaku?"

Her friend pointed and Chihiro looked to where the young man lay. Waist length hair fanned out around his finely chiseled features. A lithe frame was hidden beneath the clothing that Nushi had worn. She couldn't tell if it was Kohaku or Nushi, since she didn't know what to expect in the realm of looks. A groan issued from his throat and he sat up, both hands gripping his head. Tired eyes opened and scanned the room. "Chihiro?" As his eyes lit upon her, they dropped the tiredness and brimmed with joy and relief. "I thought I had lost you."

"Kohaku? Nushi?"

"Whichever you wish to call me. I can remember everything now, from when I was new until this present time Chihiro! You did it!"

"Kohaku!" Chihiro had hurled herself at him, nearly bowling him over. This put his face very near her exposed neck. He enjoyed it greatly, even if he wasn't sure if he should. It had been something he had often fantasized about during his time in the bath house waiting for the end of his contract. In fact, he was quite sure he shouldn't enjoy it right now, they had spectators.

Ryu made kissy noises in the background. Surprisingly, he got away with it this time. BlowingWind was too caught up in the moment to do anything to stop him, Chihiro was too busy squeezing the life out of Kohaku, Kohaku was too busy controlling himself, and Ten was rolling on the floor laughing at Kohaku's blush. It seemed to Ten that Kohaku was having a very hard time not paying attention to what was pressing against him. Suddenly, Kohakunushi remembered what Nushi's idea had been, and was very glad that the books had been wrong.

"Well Kohakunushi, it seems that you scared your girlfriend."

Kohakunushi shot a glare at Ten. He had a good idea what Ten was thinking about, and was getting very tired of it. He was definitely going to get Ten a girlfriend, so he would just leave him alone.

A messenger ran into the room, to deliver his news, and was very surprised by the chaos. This happened every time Ten had female guests. He loved the aspect of fertility spirit a bit too much. "My Lord, I hate to interrupt your festivities, but they must head for the surface soon. The Miko's grandfather has news that must be relayed by himself as soon as possible."

Chihiro immediately stood up and backed away from Kohaku. "It's either really good news, or really bad news."

Ten nodded. "I am sorry that the festivities must be cut so short, perhaps we can meet another time. I would very much like to see for myself this new Shrine." Turning to Nigihayami Kohakunushi and wagging his finger in a way only old friends can get away with, he continued. "Take good care of her. If she get's hurt, I get to tell her all the embarrassing stories I know about you. Then again, I don't need to threaten, we all know how possessive you can be, eh?"

The trip to the surface was much quicker than the trip down, even with the heavy statue. The ladies found that their kimono adapted nicely to being under the scuba suits, so they figured that they were magic. Magic kimono were sometimes heard about in legends, but to get to own one? That was one expensive gift, even though the girls still didn't know what warranted the expense.


Not the end of the story yet! Still have to get the river running you know.