Disclaimer: le sigh Alas, Spirited Away does not belong to me!

You Never Really Forget

Chapter Two

Miyu leaned on her suitcase with a wicked grin. "Chihiro Ogino. Published Author. I knew you'd do it someday, darlin'. And a free trip, room and board to boot? You are my new hero."

Chihiro chuckled and tugged uneasily on her own suitcase. It was true, she was finally getting published. A first year university student- published! And here she was getting read to meet her new editor and publisher. Still, she wasn't usually this nervous, it was as though something other than the nerves from meeting her new bosses were making her feel so strange. She ran her fingers over the ponytail holder on her wrist. It was a comforting motion, rather like someone tugging on their skirt or running a hand through their hair. She took a deep calming breath and smiled at her friend. "Mm-hmm. I can't believe it." She laughed quietly and looked up at the building where she'd be staying with her friend. It looked like an apartment complex, which it had been a few years ago, but had recently been converted into a hotel. "I used to come here as a kid. You know? Back before they built these things…"

"You sound angry about it." Miyu said puzzledly, more a question then a statement. Chihiro shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I just miss it. It was a pretty neat river." That some funny flipflop came in her stomach. What was it?

"Never knew you were an environmentalist."

"I'm not! I just, people shouldn't…y'know…mess with rivers like that."

"Hey, Chihiro? Want to go sightseeing for a bit? I hear there's an old shrine over that hill down there." She motioned down one of the city streets towards a small rise in the area.

"I'm not…feeling much like sightseeing, Miyu. I'll just…take the bags up, you go on ahead, all right?" She needed time to think. Miyu looked at her quizzically and then shrugged, handing off her bag.

"Sure thing."

"Be careful, all right?"

"Cautious as can be." Miyu waved and headed off down the street, and Chihiro went inside the building, up to the fifth floor where her room was. She opened the door with a small smile and put the suitcases down on the bed, moving to look out the window. She heard the rumble of a train in the distance, which caused her to blink rapidly and look around. Where was that coming from? It got louder, and suddenly, the glass in the windows began to rattle. The sound screamed louder. Not a train! She thought. Earthquake!

The ground lurched underneath her feet, she could see the earth ripple and roll as she was thrust backwards with a crash, her head hitting hard on the wooden post of the bed, and she was out.

"Owch..." Chihiro blinked wearily awake, watching the dim rays of the sun sink slowly into the horizon. Wait- "The sun!" With a gasp, Chihiro lurched forward onto her feet, gasping as she gazed outside. The wall was gone. The entire street was gone. Cracks spread through the ground, deep and dark. The buildings were toppled and everywhere people were standing quietly up, dazed and stunned. For a minute, Chihiro stood completely still, hands over her mouth in aghast astonishment. Then she remembered. "Miyu!"

The stairs were blocked off by rubble, and there was no way the elevator would function. Not like this. Swallowing hard, Chihiro leaned out the window the hole in the wall and hesitantly swung herself out to climb down the side. The rocks scraped her arms and slid out from under her feet as she tried to put her weight on them. Her breath caught in her throat. I should go back, I should…they'll be sending rescue teams around soon, I should just wait…

No way. A sense of sudden urgency rose up in her throat and she swallowed it down and continued her treacherous way down the side of the ruined building. Miyu was out there somewhere, and she had to hurry. Her tennis shoes finally hit the ground and she fell forward with the sudden impact, scrambling quickly to her feet and running through the ruined streets towards where she'd seen Miyu heading.

"Hey! Hey, Miss! You can't go there!"

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, causing her to turn with a gasp. "But sir, my friend, she's-…I have to!"

"I'm sorry, Miss, we're not letting anyone past. A water main must have broken in the quake, the whole area's flooding. We're getting everyone out. So please, just head on back."

"But sir-"

"Now, Miss."

Chihiro bit her tongue and then nodded. The police officer's gaze softened. "And Miss, you might want to get that arm checked out, that's a might nasty scratch."

"Yessir, thanks sir." Chihiro said abruptly, turning and walking slowly back, slipping behind a large chunk of the rubble. There was just enough light left to see the officer's silhouette as he moved on. Once he had, she darted back forward, whispering a quick, sorry to the officer. She had to find Miyu. Just over that hill up there. She climbed over the hill, and her tennis shoes slipped on the wet surface, sending the girl sliding down the hill. "Ayee-oof!"

Splash!

Coughing hard, Chihiro spit the salty water out of her mouth, drenched head to toe, water rising rapidly around her wrists and legs as she knelt in the water she'd landed in.
Water?

Salt water?

This wasn't a water main break. It couldn't be. Hadn't these old apartments been built on a river? "The cracks…they must havereached an underground spring or something…" She said dazedly. "This water, it's…"

Haku, listen! I just remembered something from along time ago, I think it may help you. Once, when I was little , I dropped my shoe into a river. When I tried to get it back I fell in. I thought I'd drown but the water carried me to shore. It finally came back to me, the rivers name was the Kohaku river.

I think that was you, and your real name is… Kohaku river!

Haku, no, Kohaku. No-face, Boh, Zeniba, Yubaba, Lin, the foreman, the radish spirit. The bathhouse, the stink spirit, the train-

The sudden press of water against her stomach brought Chihiro out of the whirlwind of memories. It was rising quickly, and her head snapped up in surprise to see…a ferry? "Am I dreaming?" She asked herself breathlessly. She knew that ferry. Or at least, she'd seen one very similar to it, years ago, in an abandoned theme park by her old house. She rubbed her eyes, water swirling around her as she stood up in the rapidly rising river.

It wasn't the same ferry, but she knew it was a ferry for the spirits. And Miyu had probably gotten on it. She had to catch it before it got to the other side. And maybe, maybe if she got there…

Haku would be there, too.

A/N: Eeek! The shortness. The next chapters will be longer, no worries! But I wanted to get this up, and it looked like a good place. Haku-darling will show up in the next chapter. We're pretty much done with Miyu, she probably isn't going to show up again for a long while unless you all want her to (she isn't -dead- or anything, she just isn't going to be involved in the story). If you all have ideas, I love those! If you have critiques, well, live and learn. I like those, too. And suggestions, comments and reviews are all that inspire ickle writers like me to post more! ;) Mwahaha. How's that for shameless bribery?