Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ The Reign of the Elements ❯ Monotonous Life ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Monotonous Life

 

A/N: Hey, my name's Go-chan. Nice to meet everyone! I've never posted on any fanfic site so this is `technically' my first story but I've been writing for years now. I'm a little nervous because I've never posted any of my writing.

 

All right, this story is about Spirited Away, a sequel to the movie. It does have a Y rating but might upgrade to M nearing the end of the story. Emphasis on the `near the end' part. Reviews are appreciated and thank you for reading my story! ^_^

 

Disclaimer: All the characters, except the ones that I have created which are my property, are copyrighted to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. Please don't sue `cause I'm not getting any profit from this!

 

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“Chihiro-chan!” Yuki called from behind me. I turned to look and smiled wanly as my friend came racing down the steps of our high school.

 

The day was over, thank kami! I couldn't take another minute of teachers drilling us about college entrance exams and how the rest of our lives depended. I didn't have to worry about those exams anymore. Not since I passed the last one with flying colors.

 

“Chihiro-chan!” Yuki finally caught up to me at the bottom of the steps. People streamed by us running to get home. I wished to get home quick to if only Yuki would let me leave. She likes to talk way too much I swear. “So…where are you off to so quickly?!” Her mouth stretched into a kind-hearted smile.

 

“Home.” I said simply moving towards the parking lot where my beat up Toyota. Of course my parents would have to get me a car. We lived in the middle of the country! There were no fast subways like back in Tokyo, like back home…

 

“Why are you going home?” She frowned in disapproval, “it's Thursday!”

 

“Exactly, tomorrow is a school day.”

 

“But, you parents never care if you're home early or not!” Yuki argued as fiercely as a tiger. She looked like a bimbo what with all the uber Lolita stuff she puts on top of her uniform and the curls she painstakingly pulled her hair into just to come to school but beneath that was a really smart girl. If only she could dress a little more seriously then maybe everyone else would take her seriously.

 

“I care.” I sighed ant turned to look longingly at my car.

 

“But-”

 

“Look, Yuki-chan, I want to go home, I'm tired!” I whined, pleading for mercy. For a second, it seemed like she would keep trying to convince me to stay but…after that second, she just stared at me and shook her head.

 

“Fine, go home.” I turned to leave, inwardly doing a victory dance at having foiled her plans.

 

“How about tomorrow?” She asked as I hurried towards my car. My body froze as the mention of tomorrow hit my brain.

 

Tomorrow. The Anniversary.

 

“I've got plans.” I muttered, beginning to walk towards my car again.

 

“What plans?” She yelled.

 

“Something important!” This was the point were I made a break for it. Running as fast as I could, I got to my car and jumped in. A few seconds passed. Nothing happened. Sighing in relief I turned the car on and started to pull out of my space.

 

It only took a few seconds to get to the road. Now was the worst part. This was basically a test of patience. The road was jammed with students leaving school, all of them as impatient as me. There was only one remedy for the impatient ticks that coursed through my legs. Music! I smiled as I filled with the radio, praying that it would turn on today.

 

A soft melody whispered in through the speakers. Yes! Score! It worked! I sat back and let the calming music settle my fried nerves. With the calm, though, came something else: remembrance. I rubbed my eyes angrily as the traffic crept forward. Yuki just had to remind me of tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow. How I hated the thought of tomorrow. The anniversary of the day I left the spirit realm with my family. The day I last saw Haku. How long was it now? Seven, eight years ago? Far, far too long.

 

No. Those thoughts would stop right there! It only hurt to remember his face, his eyes, his smile…oh no! Stop right there, Chihiro! No more thinking about him and how he didn't—kuso! Kuso! Kuso! Kuso!

 

I slammed my hands against the wheel, not noticing that I hit the horn. A few heads swiveled in my direction, wide eyes staring at me.

 

Can the earth swallow me up now? I waved sheepishly and sunk into the chair as the drivers turned forward. Speaking of traffic, it was finally speeding up. Good, I needed to get out of this car and its semi silence. Quiet time never was good for me. It always made me think of Haku and his blue hair. Oh and did that hair look good when the wind blew through it…

 

Oh, kami…definitely the music. Yup, that had to go. I fiddled with the music until I found that played visual-kei. Pounding music came out of the speakers. Finally Haku was chased from the fore front of my mind into the recesses where he had to stay.

 

After passing the little patch of extreme traffic, the drive went pretty quick. Well, it was still pretty far from my high school to my house, almost thirty minutes. The scenery kept me entertained; it always did. The flowing grass, the clear blue sky; it looked so much like the spirit realm that it hurt. It hurt to live out here. I much prefer Tokyo with its skyscrapers and zero trees to this endless greenery. Much easier to forget Haku in that steel jungle than here where his very presence was in the air I breathed.

 

Looks like the music isn't going to help me today. I rubbed a hand over my head, brushing back my hair. It's all because of what day it is tomorrow! I hate tomorrow, really hate it from the deepest fibers of my being. Every time it comes around I end up in my room, crying by the end of the day.

 

The forest loomed before me, the leaves swinging in the breeze. I smiled at the place. So beautiful. If there were any place I could call home it would be that forest with its secrets. I remember that when I was younger, I used to promise that I would build myself a house in that forest by the little houses for the spirits so I could be close to the trees, so I could be close to Haku.

 

I don't promise that anymore.

 

Without a thought I took the main route up the hill to my blue house. There it stood, the last house on that hill, right before the forest started. That's where I lived. Whoop de doo.

 

I maneuvered into the garage expertly and shut the car off. Impeccable as usual I thought, as I stepped out of the Toyota. There was never any part of the house that was dirty or in disarray thanks to my mom and the cleaning lady. Well, at least she could say that the house was clean, that's about all she could say.

 

The house was quiet as I walked in through the garage door, kicking off my loafers and padding into the living room. My book bag was too heavy. It thudded to the floor like a bomb. Way too heavy. I rolled my shoulders and stretched, trying vainly to get the kinks out of my muscles. Any minute now…just give him two seconds and…

 

“Oneechan!” An excited voice chirped. A blurring flash of bright colors ran down the stairs before skittering to a stop in front of me. Big, huge black eyes stared at me brightly as he hopped from foot to foot.

 

The cutest little eight year old in the world clutched at his bear as he looked at me expectantly. I smiled and knelt down before him, messing up his hair.

 

“What's up, squirt?”

 

“Can you play hide-and-go-seek with me?” His whole face was pulled into a huge smile as he stared at me. I gulped and looked around the room, trying not to make eye contact with him.

 

“Um, sorry otouto but I have to do homework…” His entire face fell as I said this. I swallowed again as his little shoulders drooped. He asked me the same thing everyday and most of the times I played with him but today was just not a good day for playing. For anything really.

 

“Oh, okay oneechan.” He nodded and shuffled off to the kitchen. Sighing I got up and dragged my bag up the stairs. Boy could Ryuu work up a guilt trip! He was a manipulative one but I guess that comes from having parents like we do; he had to find some way to get their attention from their work.

 

My room was all the way at the far right corner of the second floor. To me, it was a sanctuary. Stepping inside felt like going back in time. It wasn't the design of the room that made me feel so at home, the lay out was pretty normal; my new western bed was pushed against a corner, touching the pastel green wall and my wooden furniture was dispersed evenly around my room. It wasn't even the pictures of Haku that stared down at me from the walls. Tens of them decorated my room, pictures of him from every angle and yet none of them were right.

 

It wasn't the inside that made my room so special; no, the magic was reserved for my balcony. It was small and only about a body length across but there, right in front of it, was the forest. This is where I slept when it was nice enough to be outside. I would grab a blanket and lay down on the wooden floor listening to the woods settle in for the night. The canopy of leaves lulled me to sleep as the stars twinkled and blinked, guardians of my sleep. It was one of the places where I felt Haku beside me.

 

“Chihiro!” My mother's yell was muffled by the door thank kami.

 

“Yes, mama?” I cried back.

 

“Have you started your homework?” Of course the only thing she could think about was keeping up my good grades. Heaven forbid that I waver a bit and lose my salutatorian place. So there was no `good afternoon' or `how was your day' for me. No. For me there was only homework and chores.

 

“Yes.” I yelled back as I walked back into the room and sunk down onto my computer chair, turned my laptop on, and started on my load of torture.

 

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“Now, where is that bathing suit?” I scrounged through my drawers searching for that simple one piece that I had. There, in the back of the drawer, was the sot after piece.

“Ah ha!” I yelled as I stripped and pulled the thing on. Now for the towel…where was it again? I sighed and plunged back into the drawers until my beach towel appeared.

 

Having all my stuff, I slunk out of my room and down the stairs. No one was down here. Good. My parents were so predictable. Dad would be in the study, glued to his computer and mom would be sitting in the TV room watching her soaps. Ryuu was the only unpredictable one but, knowing him, he'd probably be in his room, playing make believe.

 

That left the outside all to me just as I wanted it. I crept out the French doors to the patio. My eyes zoomed in on the pool and a stupid smile crept over my face. My brain went on Haku mode as I dropped the towel and ran full speed into the pool.

 

Splash and I was in! Water surrounded me, moving and flowing around me like a hug. Maybe it was crazy but the water always seemed to pull tighter around me when I was fully submerged with my eyes closed. It felt like an embrace.

 

Slowly, I let myself sink, releasing all the oxygen in my lungs. My feet touched the ground an instant later. This was a ritual for me and I knew the steps like I knew my heartbeat. My eyes drifted shut as blood slowed to my limbs.

 

And there it was: the feeling that someone had wrapped me up in his arms. The water turned into arms and fingers. It brushed my skin firmly, like it knew me. A whisper of breath caressed my ear. Did it say my name?

 

My mind was playing tricks on me. It had to be because that voice sounded like…no, don't even say it.

 

Even with all the practice I had over the past eight years I couldn't hold my breath for more than two minutes. Pushing my limits, I tried to stay under water for longer but my lungs just would not hold out. I broke the surface with a gasp, gulping down the blessed air and getting ready to go down again.

 

“You know I don't like it when you do that.” A voice startled me out of my preparations. I twitched and flailed in the water as I swiveled to look at the voice.

 

My mom stood there, stiff as metal, looking at me with placid eyes. She stood a ways away from the pool of course, wouldn't want to get that new Zara outfit wet! Oh no!

 

“Good evening, mama.” I muttered as I stepped out of the pool wet and shivering, cursing my mother without saying a word.

 

“Don't do that again, Chihiro.” She stared at me with hard eyes, trying to bully me into submitting.

 

“Yes mama.” I muttered. She nodded and looked at the pool again in disdain.

 

“Go shower and be down to dinner in a half hour.”

 

“I'm not hungry, mama.”

 

“Excuse me?” She looked at me with shocked eyes. Oh, was she surprised that I was defying her. If she only knew how many times a day I tuned her out.

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

“You will still eat dinner!” She snapped.

 

“I'm not hungry and I need to finish homework.”

 

“Then why were you in the pool?”

 

“I needed a break.” I said with a shrug. She didn't really know how to answer that. Shifting from side to side, she glanced up and down before settling on a point above my head.

 

“If you become anorexic, it's your problem.” Kami forbid that she might have to deal with a problem of mine.

 

“Yes mama,” and with that I swept up my towel, slipped inside, and up the stairs.

 

I took a quick shower and slipped into my PJs. The whole family was downstairs and they wouldn't come into my room for the rest of the night. Good. I didn't need anyone barging in. I walked into my room, still toweling my hair. If the weather held, the evening would be nice, good enough to sleep outside. My homework was done and I could go to sleep early, a rare treat for an honor roll student. So that's what I did; I grabbed my blanket and pillows and headed out to the balcony. Arranging the items to make the semblance of a bed was easy from how many times I did this. I slipped under the covers and looked out towards the forest.

 

Tomorrow would bring the Anniversary, the most painful day of the year.

 

I shut my eyes against the wave of memories and fell asleep to fitful dreams.

 

 

 

A/N: So, what did you think? I would very much appreciate constructive criticism, arigato gozaimasu! `Til next time!

 

~~ Go-chan