Forgotten
Author: NekoNemui
Rating: T
A/N: Updated version of Chapter 4. Hope you all like it.
Disclaimer: I don't know why Studio Ghibli refuses to admit that I am the rightful owner to 'Spirited Away'.. I mean, if we take a moment to look past all the 'who created what' stuff, you will very clearly see that I love Spirited Away more than them. Therefore they should just give it to me already, grrr.
Chihiro's head spun. The heat was too much to handle after a rough day at school. Plus she had no water to drink, so her throat felt like it was edged with sandpaper.
The brunette nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone buzzed in her pocket. After sighing in frustration at being so jumpy, she went to grab it out. The zip was slippery beneath her clammy grasp, so Chihiro had a bit of a hard time unzipping the damn thing. An icy cold rush went through her as sweat broke out on her forehead. She was seriously annoyed now.
At last, the zip came loose, and Chihiro pulled the phone out; flipping the lid angrily and holding the pink plastic to her ear.
"What?" She spat, coming across a little ruder than she had expected to sound.
"Chihiro. It's mum. Where are you?!"
"Muuuuuum." Chihiro whined, letting some of the tension in her body loose. "I'm going down to the river. It's really hot. I'll meet you after dance, I promise."
There was a small pause before the woman spoke again. ".. Well, alright then. I suppose that's okay. Be careful, though. There are a lot of creeps out there, so be sure to stay away from the renovating part of the river."
Chihiro rolled her eyes at her mother's over-protectiveness. Sometimes it was sweet to know the parent was worried, but at that moment, it was just damn annoying. She could handle herself. "Right. Well, bye then."
The brown eyed girl snapped the phone shut, not awaiting her mother's reply. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. It really was hot out. She looked behind her into the distance. Nobody was around.
Somewhat desperately, Chihiro dumped her schoolbag onto the dirt track and flung her T-shirt off. Then she peeled off her skirt and stuffed both items of clothing into her bag, leaving her in just her blue bikini. At last, she felt as if she could breathe again.
Chihiro slung the bag over her shoulder, the weight of it dragging her down once more. Almost instantly, sweat pooled beneath the straps, and her back began to feel damp. The rest of her bare skin burned under the heat of the sun.
Unfortunately, Chihiro had not thought terribly far ahead, and had left her small bottle of sunscreen at home by her dresser. Now she only had herself to blame for the fact that she was literally being cooked alive.
The heat made her feel crowded, even though she had as much space as a single person could get. Nature was her only company. The brunette's head throbbed, but she pushed on. She knew where she was going, and she really didn't want to go anywhere else. Her palms began to sweat from holding the bag straps so tightly; so she flung them out in front of her in attempt to air them out, stretching her tanned arms nicely in the process.
Then Chihiro experienced insanity.
Every tiny little bead of sweat covering her body began to rise. Soon enough, they surrounded her, simply floating as if gravity didn't even exist. Her eyes widened as she stared, jaw hanging open in the process. The more she stared, the wider her eyes became. Her mouth gaped open but no sound left her lips. The air had suddenly turned cold. Why was it cold? She glanced up at the sky, squinting as the sun glared down at her. The weather hadn't changed at all.
Her interest became suddenly latched onto a droplet perhaps ten centimetres from her left eye. It simply wobbled around in mid-air as if it were a tiny ball of jelly.
Chihiro's arms dropped to her sides in shock. The beads fell to the ground.
The heat returned.
Unable to command her unmoving body to walk, Chihiro simply stood and stared into oblivion. What.. had just happened? She looked down at where the droplets had fallen, not realising how stupid the movement was until she saw they had already dried out; leaving no evidence that they'd even been there at all. She had no idea if what she'd just seen was real or not, but she firmly told herself that it was the latter.
Just the heat. Just the heat.
"Chihiro.. is a spirit?"
Haku had listened to Zeniba's story not once doubting her words. But now, he was beginning to doubt himself for doing just that. The idea was so.. crazy. She was human! How could he not have known?
"She is. Well, half. I know because when she came to me all those years ago, I could feel it. The same presence of something greater that I'd felt when I was with Gray."
The sad smile from before re-appeared on Zeniba's face, and Haku found himself silently sympathizing with her; despite their history of not getting along. Her dark eyes shot up to meet his, and it seemed she immediately knew he was taking pity on her.
"Don't give me that look, you brat. I'm much tougher than I look, and you know it."
Haku had to agree with that one.
"So, if Chihiro's a half spirit, why did she begin to disappear when she came to our world? I've known the girl for a very long time – even before she entered the Spirit World – but she never showed any signs of being.. well, different."
"Ah." Zeniba nodded her head as if in deep thought. "Well, the only beings that are single-handedly powerful enough to open the Spirit Gate are the Gods themselves, or Eve's spiritual container. It's obvious that young Chihiro unknowingly opened that gate; and when she arrived she began to disappear because her human body was rejecting our environment. However, her soul remained stable – because that's the source of Eve's power. I hope you at least noticed that much, Kohaku Nushi."
A low growl escaped the back of Haku's throat as he glared daggers at the woman before him. "I wondered why she didn't spiritually fade away, and now I know." What did the old bag take him for, anyway?
There was a small silence before the raven spoke again. "What type of spirit is she?"
His blazing green eyes watched as Zeniba took in the question and shot him a small smirk. "Oh, I think you'll be very much pleased to hear this one, dragon."
Said dragon raised a delicate eyebrow. What was the witch talking about?
"Eve was 'born' or well, created, on the 26th of October, 4000BC. At least, that is the estimated time. It doesn't really matter though, because according to the Zodiac signs, late October is represented by the Scorpio. And the Scorpio is a water-element based sign."
Haku's eyebrows shot into his hairline. His eyes widened so far that they began to ache. Chihiro was a water spirit?
"Like me." He breathed, his eyes suddenly become fixated on the floor beneath him.
"Like you." Zeniba confirmed; her voice soft as though she thought Haku might break if she spoke too loudly.
The river spirit's head shot up; his eyes finding Zeniba's once again. "So when she came here, she unlocked her powers. Like a seal that had been removed, correct?" When the older woman nodded, he continued. "I see. So she has enough power to challenge a God coursing through her veins, and she probably won't ever realise it? And seeing as I .. made her forget.. the chances of that have pretty much been reduced to zero."
Zeniba seemed to be at a loss for words, so instead of talking, she clenched her jaw and simply nodded again.
Haku pursed his lips and glanced thoughtfully up at the ceiling as if he were thinking hard about something. "Can she ever become a full spirit?"
"No." Was Zeniba's curt reply. "She can't, because it would be defying the laws of the Spirit World. She belongs in the Human World. It's as simple as that."
There was a silence, except for a strange thumping noise. It took Haku almost a full minute to realise that the noise was his own heartbeat thudding loud in his own ears.
"Will I.. ever be able to see her again?" His hated how pathetic his voice sounded. How weak it made him feel.
Zeniba simply sighed, not looking the spirit boy in the eye. "I don't know, child."
The room was once again plunged into a state of noiselessness. This time, there was no tension to make it uncomfortable. It was a just.. silence.
"I think," Zeniba murmured, so softly she was barely audible, "that you should go to your river."
The raven haired spirit's head snapped up. What had she just said? His river?
"Why should I do that? I go there often enough already."
The elderly spirit shrugged. "The only things that connect spirits to the Human World are their spiritual connections to their elements. I've never had anything like that; I'm merely a witch spirit. But you," Zeniba raised a bony finger and jabbed it at Haku. "you do. You have the ability to become part of the Human World as part of nature. Every time you connect with your river, what do you feel? What is it you think about?"
"I.." Haku found himself at a complete loss for words. In all truth, he couldn't describe something like that. The feeling of the water as it encased his body; slowly engulfing him as he faded away to create one whole with the river. It wasn't something easily put into words. What did he think about?
What did he think about?
"I don't know, Zeniba." The raven said in a low voice. "It's hard to explain. But when I'm with my river, it's like I'm truly myself. It's like I can be free to do whatever I want, and nothing can stand in my way. I feel powerful; I feel energetic. I feel like nothing is impossible."
He knew he was rambling, but once he began to speak, he found it difficult to stop. Zeniba just nodded politely in all the right places, and listened as a good listener should.
"So.. you think I should connect with my river, in order to achieve.. what?" Haku asked, his emerald eyes boring into the woman before him.
"You just said it, didn't you, child?" Zeniba raised an eyebrow at Haku, like he was the most moronic creature that had ever lived. "Nothing is impossible."
Haku was extremely confused. What did Zeniba mean?
"I'm not understanding you. What do you think will happen? Sure, there's a spiritual link between me and my river, but there isn't one between me and Chihiro. Or any human, for that matter. What good will any of this do?"
"I don't know child, alright?!" Haku's eyes widened as Zeniba's tone seemed to snap. "I'm in the dark as much as you are. I don't know, I don't know! I'm trying to look as the situation differently. There must be a reason why I crossed into the Human World; and I know that it's something different to Gray's theory. There must have been a connection somewhere that linked me to him, but I don't know what it is."
Haku clenched his jaw as he stared at Zeniba. Was she really so passionate about finding Chihiro again?
"Why are you going to such lengths to help me?"
The witch's breath hitched, and it was her turn to stare at Haku. After some silence, the two seemed to be in a staring competition that had never been declared. Finally, Zeniba spoke.
"I'm just curious. Can't an old bat like myself get anything fun to do around here?"
"You're.. bored? That's it?" Haku's tone sounded very doubtful; he knew the witch was lying to him. He wasn't that stupid as to not see it.
"Don't put it so bluntly, brat. There might be a slight possibility of finishing what Gray and I started all those years ago, and I want to see it through. If someone else has a chance at the happiness that we never had, I want to see it happen."
Zeniba's eyes widened as she took in what she'd blurted out. "Not.. that I want you to be happy or anything."
Haku knew that the witch was only covering her slip-up, but he decided to let it slide, and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Thanks, Zeniba. I feel very cared for."
"Anytime, brat."
"So, getting back to the point." Haku continued, ignoring Zeniba's remark. "Okay, I'll go to my river, and let myself think it out. I think it's clear that we won't reach any conclusions like this, and it's been a long day for me and there's been.. a lot to take in."
Standing from the chair he'd been comfortably sitting in, Haku lifted himself into a standing position and stretched his slender arms above his head. Zeniba didn't protest, and stayed silent. The raven assumed that she felt the same way, too.
Turning back to glance at the witch over his shoulder, Haku spoke again. "Thanks for your.. cooperation and help in the matter."
Zeniba looked up at him, looking both tired and aggravated. "Yeah, yeah."
Haku frowned. "I mean it."
The elderly woman sighed. "I know, I know. Just go already, moron. If you discover anything, feel free to come back at any time."
With a final nod, Haku stalked over to the front door and exited through it, taking flight to the darkening sky once more.
Her journey had continued for another twenty minutes.
At long last, Chihiro's squinting eyes rested upon the tall river reeds surrounding the Kohaku River. She gathered some strength and ran to them, losing all her remaining breath in the process. Her hair was plastered to the sides of her face, and she could feel beads of sweat dripping down the strands that hung loose.
She didn't care.
Chihiro fled through the reeds, feeling their cooling touch on her bare limbs. Behind them, hidden from sight, was a small part of the Kohaku River in all its glory. The sunlight reflected off the water and dazzled beautifully against the cluster of reeds behind her.
Chihiro then realised she was standing on a small patch of clean sand. She wiggled her toes, burying them deep within the softness. Her eye caught on a large rock to her left, and she pulled her feet free to dump her bag on it.
A splash of water painted the sides of the reeds as the brunette plunged face-first into her heaven. Chihiro could feel the water taking her, sucking her into its depths; and she welcomed it. Once she had gotten used to the feeling of being submerged, she released her breath, allowing her body to sink even further down into the icy waters.
And she opened her eyes.
The river was fairly deep, but she could still see the sandbed beneath her; she guessed that was thanks to the natural clearness of the Kohaku waters. The sixteen year old tilted her chin up and gazed at the surface above. To her, it looked like a barrier between herself and the outside world, allowing it to let through only the sparkling light of the sun.
There was truly no better feeling than the one she was experiencing at that moment. It reminded her that even though stormy seas are rough on the outside, on the inside, there's always a place of silence. A place of peace. A completely different and opposite world just waiting to be found beneath the water's surface.
Chihiro grinned and twirled, spreading her limbs out as she disturbed the still waters that surrounded her. A few bubbles of air escaped from between her teeth, and she watched, intrigued, as they floated towards the light above.
She loved the feeling of being in water. To her there was nothing better.
The sudden need for air burned through her, becoming too great to ignore. She really wished she could've stay like that forever, but instead, she kicked her legs, propelling her lean body towards the world outside.
She broke to the surface, sucking air deeply into her needing lungs. Her heart raced in her chest from being strained for so long. After calming her breath down a little, she laid back, floating atop the water. Slowly, she ran her fingers through her hair, staring up at the blue sky above.
"I wonder what lies beyond that." She thought aloud. After all, why keep silent in a place like this? A place where nobody would hear her? It was like the Kohaku River was her thoughts. She could trust the water to keep her secrets.
Something tightened around her fingers; and an irritating pain she knew all too well rocked through her scalp.
"Aw, crap." She whined, trying to tug her fingers free. Knots.
The familiar sight of the tall river reeds surrounding the Kohaku River welcomed the raven haired boy. He pushed them aside carefully with both hands, as if he'd break them if he applied too much pressure. He knew what lay beyond; he'd done this routine a thousand times before.
The reeds gave way to reveal the river hidden within. His river. The water ahead glistened with a shimmering glow of blue. It was beautiful; it was breathtaking.
It was him.
Haku closed his eyes as he walked bare-foot across the water's surface; hovering over it as if he were weightless or the water was made of a solid.
From behind his closed eyelids, he could relax. Nobody could see him. He, on the other hand, could see everything. It was something the darkness gave him; the ability to sharpen his senses. Though his eyelids were closed, the boy could very clearly sense every single microscopic organism that surrounded him. A fly at ten o'clock, a mosquito at three. He could feel the spiritual energy rising from the water beneath him as the movement of tiny fish three metres below pushed the still waters slightly.
And suddenly he could feel something else. Something with an aura greater than he had ever felt before. In this state, he couldn't make out what it was, but all he knew was that it was close. Maybe even too close.
His blazing green eyes snapped open and glanced around at his surroundings. And there, directly behind him, perched on a rock was a ghostly looking girl in a bright blue bikini; brushing tangles out of her long brown hair with her long, slender fingers.
Even though she was facing away from him – appearing to be gazing out past the river reeds - Haku's breath hitched. His heart thudded too loudly in his ears. It was her; it could only be her.
It was Chihiro.
Chihiro's fingers tugged roughly at her hair. She huffed both impatiently and angrily when the tangles of hair refused to come loose.
'Stupid knots.. stupid, stupid, stupi-'
"Ow!" she cried softly; a sharp pain slicing through the skin on her head. She pulled her fingers away from her scalp gently and widened her eyes when she saw a huge clump of hair wound through her fingers. The brunette groaned irritably, regretting not packing her hair-brush. How had she forgotten so many things today?
Just as Chihiro went back to smoothing her hair out, she froze, a tingling feeling going up her spine and prickling the hairs on the back of her neck in an icy shiver. It was as if someone were watching her from a close distance. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Someone was here with her.
She spun her head around so fast she heard something in her neck crack. The sixteen year old wasn't sure if it was disappointment or relief that flooded her veins when she realised her senses had been wrong. Nobody was there.
But still, her hammering heart did not slow down. She knew someone was there, she could feel it; all the way down to her bones. Slowly, she stood from her perch on the rock, and crept towards the reeds – being as silent and stealthy as she humanly could.
Chihiro extended her arm and narrowed her eyes, resisting the natural instinct to run. Maybe this was why people always died in those horror movies. Maybe they were faced with an overwhelming desire to know what was hidden in the basement or the shadows; and it forced them to move closer without having to really force anything. Because it made you want to know.
In a quick motion that had her heart leap into her throat, Chihiro's hand swung through the tall greenery in front of her, revealing-
Nothing. Nothing besides the endless splash of sky and road of dirt that loomed ahead. There wasn't a single soul to be seen.
Her heart slowed, and eventually died back down to its regular pace. The brunette returned to her rock, feeling a cool breeze trail over her fair skin as she walked.
Chihiro flopped herself down, feeling the warmth from the stone seep into her muscles. If she hadn't been feeling so inwardly lost, she would have jumped up from the rock and claimed it to be too hot to sit on. But at that moment, she didn't care. She felt empty; like something was calling to her and she couldn't answer it. Like someone needed her.
Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Chihiro had lived feeling unneeded for so long now that it wouldn't be strange to think up a fantasy that was the opposite. Looking at the sky once again, Chihiro noticed how dark it had become so suddenly.
She realised too late that it was almost night already - she was going to be late for her dance class. The brunette sarcastically congratulated herself for her impressive ability to be late to everything as she hurriedly grabbed her skirt and top and ran past the reeds and into the early night.
Haku could only watch as Chihiro quickly gathered her things and ran from sight. Her movements had been so sudden that it had been plainly obvious that the girl was running late for something.
The raven could feel his lips curl up as a small grin spread cheekily across his face. Chihiro was still the same as she ever was.
He replayed her every movement in his mind; her slender legs, as they crept across the sand. Her lean arms, as they moved up and down in a constant motion as she removed tangles from her shiny brown hair. He stopped at his favourite part.
Chihiro's rich brown eyes, as she whirled around and looked him dead in the face. And it was at that moment that he'd stupidly whispered her name – called out to her when he shouldn't have. Haku realised she couldn't see him; though because she'd so accurately pinpointed his presence he began to wonder otherwise. Could she.. sense him?
Zeniba's legend was only becoming harder to doubt.
He'd found himself unable to move; he became entranced by her – the brown haired girl on the rock. The fact that she was so close yet so far away dawned on him as he watched her glance around the reeds. She really had no idea that she was supposedly the most powerful being alive.
Now, Haku stepped through the sand, not leaving any footprints or making any sound. Doing things like that were physical – something he was not. The raven walked through the reeds in which he had come, and simply stared at Chihiro's disappearing figure, unable to follow due to his spiritual bindings to his river.
A breeze glided through the air, but did not affect him in any way. Instead of ruffling his clothes and hair like it should have done, it simply passed through him as if he weren't even there. Well, technically he wasn't there, but at the same time, he was.
Suddenly, Haku felt a throb hack through his brain. His heart wrenched in his chest as he fell to his knees in shock. What was this feeling? It was almost as if he was being shoved back into the Spirit World by an unknown force. He glanced down at his body and widened his green eyes when he saw he was fading away.
What was going on? Haku was now using every bit of strength he had to keep himself connected to the river. He was not going to go back just yet. He needed to be here. Why was he being pushed away? Sure, it had happened before, but it had never been this extreme.
Just as Haku was reaching his energy limit, the unknown pressure vanished; leaving him breathless and confused as his body returned to normality.
Before he had time to think about the strange situation, the raven felt another presence. Somewhere close; he assumed downstream.
Haku stealthily crept back to the water's edge, and released his human form as he lowered himself into the dark stretch of river. He could feel his body vanishing as he submerged; drifting away to join the remainder of himself in the darkened depths of the Kohaku River.
When his body was fully engulfed by the water, he pushed his spiritual energy forward; causing a small wave to splash the sand as he pushed the tide. The river spirit was whirled speedily towards the direction of the disturbance. The moon naturally provided him with energy, so his journey lasted only moments.
Haku slowed down as he approached. He could now sense not one, but three human figures in the shallow waters to his right. He came to a full halt, pausing and listening when voices could be made out. He seemed to be catching the end of a conversation between them.
"- you scared?"
"No way. How much.." Haku drifted closer when the new voice became inaudible. "..pay me?" That was a girl who spoke. She seemed to be the only female in the little group.
"Aya, listen honey, how about you give this one to me on the house?" The voices were still faint, but Haku could just make them out with his well-trained hearing.
"Nope. I don't do this shit for free."
If Haku had been in his human form, he would have frowned at the girl's arrogant tone and blunt vulgarness. Instead he considered leaving the three alone; he was definitely not interested in what they were saying and was even less interested to know what they were planning. But, they were in his river, so he decided that sticking around was a right that he had.
If anything, the spirit boy knew that he was just avoiding thinking about Chihiro.
"Fine then. Fifty bucks." Fifty what? Haku didn't know what the man seemed to be offering. Was that their currency or something? He guessed so.
"Each." The girl named Aya declared.
There was a small pause; Haku assumed that the other two were considering their options. Finally one of them spoke. "Fine."
Haku was close enough now to see that the girl's features had broken into a sly grin; "Let's play a game." She whispered, eyeing the two in front of her with a seductive glint in her eyes. "Which one of you can take the most clothing off me in five seconds?"
The sound of splashing and ripping filled the air, and Haku focused his gaze elsewhere as the girl's flesh became exposed. A slight annoyance rushed through him. What were they doing in his river?
"What's this?" One of the males asked suddenly, distracting Haku from his inward fuming. He looked up, careful to avoid anything he shouldn't see. The man was stretching his fingers out to a gold necklace around the girl's neck.
"Oh, this? You know that Chihiro girl I was talking to before we left school?" The mention of Chihiro's name made Haku's hearing suddenly become sharper. He drifted even closer to the three; eager to know what they were going to say about the brunette that had left only minutes before.
One of the boys looked confused, like he didn't know what the girl was talking about. But the other raised both his eyebrows, seeming to have that knowledge. "Yeah, she's hot."
A sudden tension seemed to fill both the air and the waters surrounding the three people. Haku watched in somewhat amusement as the girl's left eye twitched in obvious discomfort.
"Whatever." It was clear now that she wasn't happy with the other's comment, but still continued to speak. "This is what I asked her for. I don't really know why; I just wanted it."
The two boys looked like they couldn't care less.
"But now," she said, a small smirk playing across her lips, "I don't want it anymore."
Before Haku could process the words, the girl had already plucked the necklace from around her neck; swinging her arm back and flinging it down into the deeper waters. "Now, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to the party."
Immediate rage filled the spirit boy's mind. Who dared to be so cruel to his Chihiro? With a burst of adrenaline, Haku pushed forward with all his strength. The water immediately followed his orders and formed a wave that came crashing down on the trio; sending them crashing out of the water and on to the bank, dripping wet and cold. A high-pitched squeal pierced the air.
Not bothering to watch them any longer, Haku pushed down and began frantically searching the riverbed for the golden necklace. Her golden necklace. It didn't take him long to find it, as the river was technically his true form.
Haku pulled the water, and let the tide carry him back to the spot where Chihiro had been earlier. Water spilled onto the riverbank and swirled unnaturally as Haku's human form was re-made. He could feel his spirit leaking into the body, leaving his river under the control of the moon once more.
Green eyes opened.
The raven stood facing the water directly. He stretched out his right hand and raised it into the air, pulling against an invisible force below the surface of the river. Slowly, a bubble of water broke through, with the gold necklace trapped inside. He bent his wrist and curled his fingers inward, as if beckoning the water to come closer.
When the water blob had hovered close enough, Haku blinked, and the bubble popped. The necklace fell to the ground. In one quick, smooth movement, Haku snatched it up, somewhat cradling it in both hands. This belonged to Chihiro; it meant a lot to him.
He became very interested in the necklace, and the beautiful carvings that made it so special. His eyes became fixated on the smooth surface as it sparkled with the reflection of the moonlight.
Too caught up in the beauty of the item, Haku failed to notice the cool breeze as it seeped through his clothes and tousled his raven black hair.
No comments today, really. What can I say? Instead of writing chapter 13, I re-wrote this. Took me almost two days - appreciate me, okay?
On to the next newly updated chapter ~!