A Different Current
Chapter 3: Hare-brained Scheme
By: T. Huddleston-Garcia (LadyRainStarDragon)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Spirited Away, even though this is an alternate universe for the story.

It's been a while for this story. I've been working on my BlowingWind/Ryu story for fictionpress. I had originally intended to work on a chapter for Rivers, but ended up finding Current spilling out of my trusty ballpoint.

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Emeralds sparked against green malachite across the black laquered desk as the woman's red hair seethed silently in a tangled mass. Ten long years of ferocious arguments with her father as his developments became increasingly meddlesome in both the world of the spirits and the world of the humans had sharpened her temper into a fine sword. Unfortunately, her father had developed the shield and armor of stubbornness long ago.

"Father, I don't think that putting a shopping mall in such a small town is such a good idea. Besides, isn't that particular town the one that sprang up near the portal to Aburaya? The kamitachi do not need any more human interference than they already have."

"Tsukaimono, how many times do I have to tell you the borders are uncrossable by ordinary humans. Few people these days observe the ritual purity needed to cross through the gateways into our world of origin, much less to approach a shrine without offending the spirits enough to hide away. Add in the fact that the new development will be miles away from the entrance and the resort for the kamigumi will be quite safe."

Tsukaimono leaned further over her father's drafting desk, losing all pretense of humanity. Somewhere between her two primary shapes, her rich fur bristled beneath a pine green powersuit as she restrained the urge to throttle her father for bringing the highly esteemed nature spirits so very close to trouble. For so long they had tended the humans as loyal servants of Oinari. Sometimes, she wondered if the strain of their positions had driven her four-tailed father out of his mind.

"I suppose you want our best foreman on task."

"Of course my daughter, Ogino always seems to get the men to function at their peak capacity."

The kitsune could not argue with that fact. He displayed a childish enthusiasm for his job that inspired the other workers of Good Fortune Construction. The shrine keeper's son had a passion for building and a completely different outlook from the guardian spirit that had watched over the Ogino family since long before her own long life. Indeed, Tsukaimono knew well that Akio Ogino believed in Kami and Youkai affecting the lives of humanity no more than he believed the moon was a giant pearl.

"I still don't think it is a good idea Father. Mark my words, one of these days one of your plans is going to come back and haunt you with all the passion of a murdered noble."

"Then it is a good thing that I am Company President and own more shares that you do. You may be three hundred odd years old Daughter, but I am still you father and you will speak to me with respect."

Tsukaimono caught herself then, playing the argument back in her own mind. It was true, she was being rather disrespectful to one of the Youkai who was responsible for her birth. Ever since the local river project had begun she had harboured great resentment to her father. His desperate plan had very nearly cost one influential local spirit his life, given a local girl a concussion and minor amnesia for a while, and had caused her a great deal of public relations repar with environmentalists. What was worse was that her allegiance was no longer to those of her own kind, but instead to a river dragon.

"As you wish Father. Gomen ne."

Bowing curtly as she settled more fully back into her human shape, the fox felt dirty and ill at ease. She was in dire need of purification, and there was only one place that was local to her that had what was needed.

"You may go now Daughter."

Straightening, Tsukaimono left her father's office, shoulders set and head held high. To receive purification was risky for one such as her, yet she could no longer live with herself.

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A verdant carpet of emerald green sprawled beneath his zori and his elegant ancient kimono puddle around him as he carelessly leaned against the torii in his priest's garden. A river of white pebbles wound through the meditation space, highlighting the bonsai also sharing space on the same island of grass. The red of the symbolic gateway was a vivid reminder of the lifeblood present in one form or another in each creature.

Gentle breezes fanned his face as the local wind kami for once attended to his duties and directed local weather patterns. He could hear the murmurs of his hereditary priesthood as they talked in the vegetable garden. The surging of the blood in their veins and the soft drumming of their hearts was not capable of hiding from his sensitive ears. The mere thought of leaving this sanctum did not cross his mind. After all, everything happens in due time, so why should he worry?

I due time, Chihiro meekly came around the corner resplendent in the maiden's kimono that he had left for her. Kohakunushi was proud of how she had grown under his care, but he could not escape the terrible feeling that soon his little human would be undergoing a very dangerous initiation. His questions were when would the test be, where would it be, and would she be internally awake enough to succeed. As she smiled nervously at him, a stray thought wafted to the surface of his mind.

"Have I been too indulgent?"

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Blue eyes opened on the white room surrounding her. It was her favorite color, pure and bright, often making her think of the snow on the Sacred Mountain of Fukutake. After Lily got out of bed and brushed her flowing sun rays, the teenager hurriedly pulled on her favorite dress. A simple seafoam white frock, it was overlaid and gathered with a lacy pinafore. Several other like it waited in her closet, but this one was special. It was in this one that she had recently received her first kiss from a boy. The promise of a future filled with love and joy lay before her young feet. First though, she had to finish growing up.

"I think I'll go visit Ogino-jisan today. Maybe he'll tell me another story and I'll be inspired to paint another picture."

Grinning, Lily grabbed her simple white bag where her sketchbook and artist's pencils lurked, waiting patiently to be unleashed. Visiting Ji-san on the weekend had the added advantage of giving her some time with Chihiro. Lily was in A class, but as Chihiro devoted so much of her time to training with her grandfather she had been moved down to B class last year. Lily thought it odd to give such devotion to a shrine that was unofficial, but Chihiro was a little odd anyway. The again, so was the man that she sometimes saw leaving Jisan's and the old man had joked that it was the kawakami she most likely had caught glimpses of. Lily wasn't sure if she believed it, but if man could walk on the moon, then why not? At any rate, the legends were certainly giving her art career a young start. Perhaps she would become a great manga artist someday.

Thundering down the stairs like the monsoons of the rainy season, she danced her way out of the house.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad. I'm on my way to see Ogino-jisan."

Running through the grasses to the river, the wind played with her, twining the fulsome leaves of summer into a whirlwind around her, slacking off as she then followed it to her favorite reservoir of inspiration.

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The wind returned to eavesdrop on the water dragon and his little miko, but was disappointed by the lack of reaction when the girl's blood-scent reached him. It soothed the dragon, reassuring him that he would have more human companions to ease the burden of his long life. The wind spirit had never understood the desire to protect such a frail creature, preferring instead the blustery temperament of other winds. To each their own though.

"Good morning Haku. Thank you for the gifts."

"You are welcome Little One. I trust you are ready to begin today's training."

"Yes Haku."

The child's wide and innocent eyes gazed up at him adoringly as she seated herself near his feet, belying the woman she would now be considered in the times his heart was still suck in. She was like a little chick in the way she had always followed him, and for a moment he wondered what it would have been like to have a nestful of hatchling to care for. It was quickly squelched though, as the tiny family could oddly enough be considered as his children. A nod dismissed Koji back to his chores, and the old grandfather obeyed, even though Kohakunushi knew Koji was curious.

"Prepare yourself, I will test the strength of your aura."

He gave her a moment to prepare herself, and then sought to overlay her will with his own. It was an easy thing for spirits to do, a minor possession, but he was still disappointed with the ease in which he had re-opened the eyes that had been shut in concentration. She gathered a little resistance for a moment, but it was clear that she had not yet accessed that part of herself that should have repelled his control. Clearly, he would need to teach her how to better protect herself for when she was not with him. Even the most spiritually undeveloped human was capable of bending others to their will given enough determination.

"Chihiro, clasp your hands together, leaving a space between for your tama to reside, right on life. Shake the tama gently up and down and chant Sarutahiko no OO Kami until I say otherwise."

She did as he said, though it was obvious she had no idea where thes would lead. Satisfied she was doing it correctly, he directed her onward.

"Place your palms together now and we will chant these norito together. Remember what we are doing, as it is said this gyoo can bring one back even from the land of the dead."

Carefully, he lead her through Oo Harahi no Kotoba, Tokuso no Harae no Kotoba, Hi Fu Mi, Mikusa no Oo Harahi, and the Tokusa no Kandakara prayers, glad that she already seemed to know how to intone these properly. Perhaps Koji had already worked with his little Chihiro on this, but this was obviously something that she needed badly to practice with. Reverently, he himself performed Nirei Nihakushu Ippai, the two bows, one clap, and another bow meant to show respect for Sarutahiko and all the other kami the prayers were addressed to. He sat in silent meditation for a moment with Chihiro, then gave another bow which was followed by his human as well. The rest of the Chinkon gyoohoo was easily flowed through, the kami finding for himself great restoration in the ancient meditative practice. He could feel his young charge slipping into alignment within herself, and the subtle strengthening that would be enhanced through daily practice.

"I want you to focus on these for a while Chihiro, I would prefer you to do these than to make me more offerings, at least for a while."

"But if I make no offerings, how will I show my appreciation for all that you do?"

"For me, your growth is all the offering I need."

A presence made itself known at the edge of what he considered his shrine grounds. A desperate fluttering being, the song of the soul was discordant in its conflicting emotions. The demon woman was not one who was here to cause trouble though, crying instead for help out into the tapestry of nature. Currently, the fox was asking Koji if she could come in for advice and cleansing, which meant that shortly he would be called upon. A considerable amount of time had passed by in Chihiro's training, the flow of time warping around them slightly as the barriers between the human and spirit realms had thinned during their practice.

"It's worse than bad Koji. It's the worst idea he has had since you-know-what."

Tsukaimono's hisses had now raised in volume enough so that even Chihiro could hear her in the garden sanctuary. They weren't even hisses anymore, but outright howls as Koji led her into his home and attempted to quiet her down. The traumatic events of her entire third year had been forgotten by the human, and Kohakunushi thought that the episodic amnesia was probably far kinder than having her recall the inugami that had been so close to ending her young life. Chihiro had nightmare often enough to have caused him to procure the services of a baku on a regular basis.

"Haku, what is this you-know-what that you and Ji-san refer to so often?"

Sometimes, her innocence was very burdensome, such as now when she asked the question with her wide and curious eyes, waiting to drink in every drop of information. It was rather creepy to see a 14 year old like that. Not even in his youth could he remember such a sheltered child.

"I don't think you are ready to know yet Little One."

Chihiro was following him toward the house, not like it mattered much as far as her practices went. Tsukaimono was still venting loudly enough to be heard from outside, making it impossible even for him to focus. As long as he had been aquainted with the kisune-onna through brief encounters and the gossip that a river inescapably hears, he had known she was not a woman he particularly wanted to have mad at him; lowly Youkai or not. He winced as a particularly jicy string of expletive exploded out of the door he had only opened a crack, slamming it again to protect Chihiro from the force of the words.

"Chihiro! Ohayo!"

The bright voice of another young girl heralded the arrival of Chihiro's best friend Lily, another girl that he had watched with interest. The gods of luck seemed to have been with him enough to at least send this distraction.

"Why don't you take your break with Lily. You could have a nice picnic upriver a bit. I am sure that school has kept the both of you so busy that you have not been able to spend much time together."

"That would be nice, but I don't have any food. Can we skip rocks, or will that be too distracting right now?"

Haku had to smile, remembering when Chihiro had been skipping rocks and startled him out of a nap a few years ago. She teased him about it from time to time, amused that even a river needed rest every once in a while. Shaking his head good-naturedly, he pulled out a small packet from his robes and gently nudged her toward her friend who was eying him rather critically.

"Go have fun with you own kind Chihiro."

Chihiro laughed and gave him a hug before bounding away to Lily, chiming in her melodious voice as she ran.

"Ohayo Lily! Sayonara Haku!"

A younger and far more possessive part of him stirred as she sang that, confusing the young river god. It was like he was watching himself, and somehow he realized that his half-forgotten aramitama was awakening once more after the healing sleep he had willingly undergone after his latest battle. As Kohakunushi truned once more to go into the humble home, his aramitama mocked him with his last words to his Living Treasure.

"Go have fun with your own kind Chihiro."

Tsukaimono had calmed down considerably after her last outburst, now occupied with shredding a paper napkin into tiny bits and trying to set them on fire with her glare. Luckily for the paper and the house she did not have that power. Haku really did not feel like playing fire fighter today.

"What is the matter Tsukaimono? It isn't like you to rage so when she is present."

Koji's look of relief further underscored for the spirit just how bad things were. He had not looked so distressed in a very long time, and Haku had not been anxious for his human to wear that face again.

"Forgive me Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama. I was not aware of her presence. I am afraid I have terrible tidings, and beg purification after I say these things."

Kohaku sat down at the low lacquered table with Koji and Tsukaimono, gratefully accepting the cup of aromatic green tea that was passed to him by his loyal priest.

"As out ancestor Izanagi Mikoto was cleansed by my ancestors at Agihara of Odo in the rite of Misogi, so too must I grant cleansing to all who so humbly beseech me. Tsuni Tsukaimono, daughter of Tsuni Ni and faithful of Oinari, what is your message?"

The ancient words entered the pair into a rite as old as the ancestral kami themselves. The fox woman was reassured by the familiar ritual as it was one she enacted with the overseeing rice god often. Drawing sacred breath, she allowed the winds to blow through the fields of her words.

"My father will be transferring Ogino-san to Takemura for the construction of a strip mall. The community is going through a growth spurt apparently. Unfortunately, the construction will take a while, and Akio will most likely want to have his family with him."

"Is this finalized?"

"Akio will be alerted tomorrow."

The blow to the kami was palpable, waves of pain radiated from the wound his heart had just received, and it was not long before his river was singing of his loss to himself and the rest of nature. Truly, he had never expected to loose his favorite human in such a way. To death and old age was a loss he had expected, but never moving away.

"I see. Thank you for this information. Go and bathe in my waters when you are ready. I must go now."

The Ningen and Youkai watched the gawakami rise from his perch on the floor, flowing sedately out the door in his distant and cold manner. The glimmering light in his eye was gone, and as they watched him meld into his river both could only wonder how hard Chihiro would take the news if it had hit one so accustomed to loss so hard.

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"Chihiro, wasn't that the River Man, the one your mom says is not real?"

"Huh?"

Chihiro and Lily had settled at one of their favorite spots, dangling their feet into the chilly river from one of the numerous rocks strewn along the banks. The river had begun to have a sorrowful strain to the usual bubbling flow, and the laughter had been sucked dry. Even the trees had seemed to silence their rustling leaves, as if they too were puzzling out the river's new mood. She had been so engrossed in the change that she had even forgotten the onigiri in her hand, and had been startled by Lily's question.

"Was that the River Man you were with?"

"What makes you think that was the River Man?"

"That wasn't an answer. He looks like the guy in Ji-san's legends and in that book his has. You seemed to be at ease with him, and you are always looking for "Haku." So, is he or is he not? Tell me!"

Chihiro eyed her friend. Lily, despite being a budding artist, was down to earth and practical. She believed with her eyes, although she was a far sight more open to the mystical than Yuuko, Chihiro's own mother.

"If I said yes, what would you think?"

"I'd think I could finally rub it in your mother's face."

"You have to promise not to, or she'll start harping on you too."

Lily's full tips pouted, utterly dismayed that she still could not do anything to preserve her friend's sanity in Mrs. Ogino's mind.

"Fine. But I don't have to like it."

The two girls passed a little more time together, nibbling on the simple lunch that Chihiro had been given. The water tugged gently and possessively at their feet, and the trees began to sigh with the river.

"We sould go help Ji-san now Lily. I've got this terrible feeling that something big is changing."

"Me too Chi."

The girls wove their way back down the river, listening to the forest humming a melancholy psalm to itself. Something wasn't right, but they could only wait to find out what.