And so it begins. cloud-1-3-5 sets foot into a new fandom.
This fic was written with absolutely no pre-thought at all. I just had an urge to write an epilogue of sorts, and this came out. There's also a little character analysis too. I hope you enjoy!
As the cheers round her rang out, Chihiro almost jumped for joy. Turning, waving goodbye to everyone she was leaving behind, she ran back across the bridge to the one person in that world who'd truly cared for her.
"Haku!" she cried in elation.
"Let's go!" he called back. Taking Chihiro by the hand, making a warm feeling spread through her, the two turned and ran, leaving their delighted co-workers behind them.
Running through the deserted stalls, Chihiro felt indescribable happiness within her. She was free! She'd see her parents again! And, best of all, she'd helped Haku. He could remember his real name now – and with that, he too could claim his freedom.
Chihiro and Haku both skidded to a halt at the top of the stone steps, Chihiro crying out in surprise as she saw all the water had disappeared, leaving her free to cross the fields and return to the world she knew.
"I have to stop here," Haku murmured, lightly tugging at Chihiro's hand so she'd face him. "You just have to find the same road you came in here by, but don't look back until you're out of here."
Chihiro faltered. It was only now that she realised Haku wouldn't be able to leave with her – that she'd have to leave the boy behind. "But… what about you, Haku?" For the first time in her relatively short life, she was truly torn – she could leave now, and return to what she knew, to those she loved… or she could stay here with Haku, the boy who'd looked out for her in a world alien to her. The boy she'd fallen for, even if she hadn't realised sooner.
Haku offered her a simple smile of assurance. "I'll go back to my world too," he answered, looking Chihiro intently in the eye. "I remember my real name now, I'll be fine."
Chihiro stubbornly held back a tear. "Will we meet again?"
"Yes, for sure!"
"Yes, for sure!"
Those words had rung in Chihiro's head every day since she'd left. She had done as she was told – had crossed that seemingly endless field, had found the gate, and not looked back. Despite her intense wish to – and, she recalled, she had very nearly cracked and turned – she hadn't looked back.
Now, she wondered if she should have. Would she have been able to get one last glimpse of the boy? Would Migihayami Kohakunushi – or Haku, as she had grown to love him – have been stood there, watching her? Would he have waved, have yelled a final goodbye, reaffirmed his promise?
Chihiro didn't know. She was glad that she'd fulfilled his instructions; that she hadn't defied him… but at the same time, she wished she could have seen him just once more.
Chihiro lay stretched out beside the Kohakugawa River, the river she had fallen into as a child. The river Haku had pulled her shoes from for her. She had been right when she'd told Haku that it had been built over, but she'd searched for it. She had searched old maps and new, looking for the river's source, and now she lay by it. Somehow it comforted her, made her feel that much closer to the boy she'd fallen for and lost. It was the one thing that still linked them. The past could never be erased.
"Kohaku…" she whispered softly as her fingers lazily trailed through the river by her side.
She hadn't forgotten the boy. No matter how many months had passed, she still remembered his face vividly. She remembered him in his dragon aspect, and remembered him as the boy he really was. Every day, she recalled the things he had done for her; the things he had said to her. She couldn't help it, really – she'd fallen head over heels for him.
With a soft sigh, Chihiro sat up, removing her hand from the cool water and leaning back on both arms, staring up at the sky. She missed him. She wished he was here now, but she didn't see how that could happen.
"Yes, for sure!" Even the sure things are too unreliable, it seemed. That was the one thing she had learned in that world – nothing could be believed. The seemingly innocent masked man, who had tuned into a monster and produced gold from nothing… was he really so evil? It had only been once he was inside the hotel that he'd changed. Once he'd been exposed to the greed of others, he grew greedy. As everyone else's desire to take his gold grew, his desire to take from them grew. His exposure to everyone else had corrupted him. When she'd led him to Zeniiba, he'd grown as kind as the old woman was.
Maybe that was why he wore the mask. He had no real identity of his own, instead changing himself to suit the others around him.
'How would he have behaved around Haku?' Chihiro wondered. Haku was so cold, on the exterior… but he'd grown so warm to her, so gentle and kind. How would the masked man have been around him?
Chihiro gave another sigh, and flopped back into the lush green grass, arms spread either side of her. Haku had been so kind to her. He'd protected her when she'd arrived, had told her to remember her name, had assured her she'd get to see her parents again… in fact, she was sure it was because of him that she had been able to.
"Yu-Baaba-Sama! You must do as you promised! Return Chihiro and her parents back to the human world!"
Chihiro gave a definite nod. It was Haku that had done this for her. So why was he able to get her out, but not get out himself? Chihiro's sigh was almost painful this time, as she closed her eyes and let her memories of Haku fall over her once again.
Eventually, Chihiro opened her eyes again and lazily glanced at her watch, observing the time. Pushing herself to her feet, Chihiro began to amble away from her resting place. Her parents would be back from their walk soon, ready to meet her at the bottom of the hill, and she didn't want to be late. They would doubtless have lots to tell her – about the flowers she missed, the birdsong she didn't hear, whatever idiotic accident had befallen her father during that walk – and it'd keep her mind from Haku, for at least a while. While she treasured the boy, thinking about him too much hurt. She yearned for him, and the longing grew painful sometimes. She hadn't told her parents about him – they couldn't even remember the world they'd been in – nor anyone else. Keeping the memories to herself was probably part of why it hurt… but who could she tell?
"Chihiro!" her mother's voice called distantly. "We're back!"
The girl broke into a run as she made her way down the hill, skipping down the rougher patches. Despite her mood, she always loved being with her parents – she treasured every moment with them, after she'd felt what it was like having them taken from her. The promise of the giggles in the car journey home perked her up at least slightly, and she was sure there'd be a wonderful meal waiting by the time they got back to their house.
Hugging her elders as she skidded to a stop, Chihiro hopped into the back of the car, clicking her seatbelt into place as her parents got in. "So what happened today?"
"It was funny," her father replied as he turned to lean an arm on the headrest of his seat, watching out the back window as he reversed the car. "We met a rather odd boy today."
"Oh, he was a strange one, wasn't he?" Chihiro's mother agreed. "The poor thing, he was so handsome, but he must have some sort of mental disorder. He was talking to himself, and asked us some of the strangest things!"
Chihiro tilted her head curiously. "He spoke to you?" she asked, her interest piqued.
"Yes," her father replied. "When we came across him, he was mumbling something about that river you're always visiting. Something to do with some shoes."
Chihiro's mother cut in. "Don't you remember how you lost your shoes in there before, honey?" she asked, addressing her daughter. "You fell in trying to get them out, didn't you?"
Chihiro pouted slightly. "I keep telling you, I don't remember that! You just always tell me about it, every week…"
Chihiro's father smiled. "We just thought it was odd that there should be something like that mentioned, that's all. I mean, it's only a loose link, but even so…"
"Hey," Chihiro's mother cut in again, speaking thoughtfully. "He'd be about Chihiro's age, wouldn't he?" She turned to her daughter and winked. "He really was handsome, you know… maybe he'll be there next time we come. You should come with us, so you can talk to him!"
"I thought you said he had a screw loose?"
"No honey," her father chided. "We said he seemed a bit odd. There is a difference, you know."
Chihiro's mother frowned thoughtfully. "What did he say his name was?"
"Migi," her husband replied. "And he was looking for a girl called Sen."
'Migi…' Chihiro mused, chewing on a lock of her hair. Where had she heard that name before?
"Chihiro! Thank you so much! I remember what my real name is now! It's Migihayami Kohaku!"
Chihiro jumped in her seat, gasping in shock. Sen had been her name in the other world!
"Mum! Dad!" she cried, grabbing their shoulders to get their attention. "We have to turn round! Please!"
Chihiro's mother laughed, although it sounded nervous. "Why do you want to go back, sweetheart? Dinner'll be ruined!"
"I don't care!" she cried, shaking their shoulders again, causing her father to curse as he jerked the steering wheel slightly. "We have to go back!"
"Chihiro!"
"Please!" she begged. "We have to!"
It was him. It had to be. Haku was there, waiting for her. It was too big a coincidence.
"Yes, for sure!"
"For sure!"
"Right."
Owari
Well, my first effort in another fandom... please review!