I promise.

That damned promise. Why do men always promise things they can't achieve? If she hadn't been a child she would have seen straight through her naivety to the truth: he wasn't coming back.

How could he? He was a spirit and she was a human. The one occasion that they had met had defied all odds. It was foolish to think she could defy them again.

It was only terrible misfortune that made her fall in love with him. How could you fall in love with someone at ten? Was it the delusion of a happily-ever-after? All of those cherished childhood stories had returned to stab her in the back.

Promise?

Promise.

What a lie. Had she been too distracted by his easy smile, his smoldering eyes, his familiar warmth, to truly appreciate the intricate disguise he wore? He was too good. Stringing her along, making her believe the impossible was possible: that two different entities could be together.

She had dared to defy logic and now she saw her flawed hopes for what they really were: a sham sewn together by the illusion of the first love of a girl for an impossible boy.

She glared at the river rushing beneath her. She stood still as stone as the wind blew her hair into wild disarray. She ignored it and allowed it glide along with the wind unhindered by the purple hair tie that hung around her wrist.

She finally lifted her merciless gaze to the forest around her. It had taken her months to find the surviving strain of the Kohaku River. Undisturbed by civilization, it flowed freely through the wilderness, weaving a careful ribbon through the trees. She had followed the length of it so often that she knew the path better than she knew her own home.

She remembered the many days she had passed sitting by the river reading, studying, singing, thinking. This place had carried her through her years of adolescence into adulthood.

Ten years. Was it possible to love someone that long without seeing them? Without hearing their voice? Chihiro shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts, of her weakness.

Crouching down, she removed her shoes and placed them on the damp, mossy bank. The river flowed deep here, easily coming up to her waist. She stripped off her pants and folded them carefully, placing them on top of her shoes.

Slowly, she slid into the piercingly cold water. The powerful push of the current against her back made her long to let go and surrender to the strength and confidence it carried; feelings she had craved for so long.

Instead, other feelings washed over her: fright, love, compassion, loneliness, hope, resentment. Every little suppressed memory returned with sudden force, bringing long-withheld tears to her eyes. She allowed them to trace down her cheeks and join the current. A little piece of herself that could return to Haku, but the only piece she would allow.

Promise?

She could forget.

Promise.

She couldn't stop loving him, but she could hold it in. For a last moment she allowed herself to revel in her memories.

"I promised."

The water lapped at her arms, creating the illusion of the pressure of hands holding her. The wind felt like a soft pulse of breath on her neck.

"You promised."

"I know."

Chihiro spun around, breaking free from the river's hold, from Haku's hold. Her resentment boiled as he reached out and firmly grasped her arms.

"No!" she screamed, ripping her arms away, only to have him recapture her with more force. "Let go of me!"

He wrapped his arms more securely around her, pressing her back into him as she continued to struggle. "I hate you! I hate you!" she spat viciously over and over until her shouts gave way to sobs and she continued her venomous chant in rasps.

Her body finally went limp in his arms as the last of her fury drained away. He turned her gently to face him, holding her chin in place so that she could not escape his gaze. His eyes burned into hers, daring her to pretend that this was another illusion.

"Haku…" she whispered. She hadn't said his name in so long. Warmth radiated from her lips as he gently captured them in his.

Promise?

Promise.

AN:)) I couldn't help but give it a happy end. It felt so incomplete without it. Anyways, I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing and what better way to start than with a nice little angsty HakuHiro fic?

Please leave a review! I would love some feedback. It's been a while.

Thanks!

X+X Livvy X+X