Recalling the Spirit

Disclaimer: I don't own Miyazaki characters. I only own, (so far) Yuki, The Mysterious Hooded Character, Tamiko, and Akira (and all original Spirited again characters). I also do not own any Irish myths or anything.

Chapter #2

Tamiko sunk beneath the icy water. ~Help!~ she cried weakly, mentally. The water swirled around her. She had had nightmares of this, drowning. Her chief fear. She drifted, spiralling downwards, lifting up on ghostly looking hand towards the surface. She knew she was doomed. She gave up the will to life, and just drifted there, loosing consciousness.

Tamiko felt a splash in the water behind her, but paid it no attention. She was too far gone. She was going to die...

Strong arms lifted her up, towards the surface. As her head broke through the water, she gulped in a gasp of air, hardly believing it. How did she...?

She was slowly carried towards shore. She weakly crawled up the stone stairs, and lay on the grassy plain gasping for breath. She was extremely cold; her whole body shook. But that didn't seem too important now. SHE WAS ALIVE!

"Are you okay?"

A blurred face, with wet matted hair, came into her vision. Hands trembling, she wiped her eyes of water, and looked up at the person who had spooked her out earlier.

"Yeah." She croaked.

The auburn haired boy nodded, then briskly went about setting up a fire. The sun was to set soon, as the rays lost their vigour.

Tamiko sat up, shaking from the cold. Her nails and lips were blue, her teeth chattered. She drew herself up by the fire. "So. Who are you?"

The boy looked up at her, concerned. "You're cold. Here." He said, tossing her his jacket, which he had left on shore, while jumping into the lake.

"Thanks." She then raised her eyebrows.

"Don't try to sidetrack me. I'm stubborn. Who are you?"

The boy rolled his eyes, a trace of a knowing smile on his lips. "I'm Akira."

The girl opened her mouth again. Akira cut in swiftly. "I know. I'm part Irish, part Japanese. My mother, she was Irish, she..." he stopped painfully, unwilling to share this with a new acquaintance. Tamiko heard the sadness in his voice, and intervened. "I'm Tamiko. Great to meet you and all that, but where are we?" she questioned, looking around.

"Looks like..." Akira shook his head unbelievingly. "Like a sidhe (pronounced shee) mound."

"A she? Is this like a woman cult thing?"

Akira looked at her, confused, and than laughed. Tamiko raised her eyebrows. "What?" she demanded.

Akira wiped his eyes. He forced out his reply in between gasps. "Sidhe means," he broke out laughing again.

Tamiko looked VERY confused. "It must be a culture thing."

She shook her head in disgust. Her parents were gone. She had to find out why. She didn't need help. She couldn't trust anyone, anyway. She stood up in one graceful, swift movement, and took off his jacket. "Thank you." She said coldly, and walked off. Knowing, deep in her heart, that she was being stubborn. Too stubborn.

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Chihiro awoke, moaning. "What..." she asked blurrily, as she looked around.

Then the recent events struck her.

She looked around at her surroundings. She took in the dark closet, the overturned desk, the crumpled up pieces of paper. "The...the office...?" she said, disbelievingly, groggily. She attempted to stand, but collapsed, too frail to move.

Sudden clarity sprang upon her. She whirled her head. She thought she would never see this place again! But, something was wrong, twisted. "MEI!" she looked for her friend of old. Something was..wrong. It was like, so long ago, when she and Haku had...

Chihiro's eyes widened, and she struggled forcefully against the emotional and physical bonds. "HAKU!!!!!!!!!"

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The sun sent its final pink rays spreading across the sky...

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Tamiko walked up the wooden steps, through a deserted market, and to an odd bridge. It was guarded on the other end by a frog-like stone, resting on the grass.

She sneezed. ~Stupid water.~ she sniffled mentally. She began to shake. ~So...cold...~

Suddenly, lights from the so-called 'abandoned' buildings, shone brightly.

Tamiko looked around, confused. "What's going...?"

Shadows formed and moved, going from market to market, moving soundlessly. Instinct took over Tamiko, and she wildly threw herself into a dark corner, eyes wide, as she looked around her. Suddenly, a hand laid itself on her shoulder...

Tamiko froze, stifled a scream, and turned...

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OOOOO! EVIL Cliff hanger. I know the chapters are short as of now, but they will be getting longer. It's like I said before, it's HARD getting a story off the ground! If you've read Spirited Again, you will notice the chapters start short, then get longer... and LONGER...

That will happen eventually in this story to. Very soon, in fact.

DICTIONARY

Sidhe (Old Irish): Faerie

Old Irish is barely ever spoken anymore, in Ireland. Most speak English. Makes you wonder how Akira learned it...