Promise

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

Ogino Chihiro, or Sen as she insisted everyone call her, breathed in the summer air as she delicately dabbed her wooden paintbrush down the half-finished canvas. She retracted her utensil, dipping it into a neutral shade of aqua blue. She stroked the coarse cloth, staining it with a myriad of hues as she skillfully ran it down the side to finish off a dragon's mane.

As did the night before (and before that, and before that, and before that...), her mind drifted off to cherished memories of her childhood. Ones that she made sure to never forget.

"How did you know my name was Chihiro?"

"I have known you since you were very small."

She smiled at the thought of him; the hard-working river spirit who saved her from drowning. It had been almost six years since she last saw him, and he her. Her memories of him were always full of fondness and comfort.

"Will we meet again sometime?"

"Sure we will."

"Promise?"

"Promise... Now go, and don't look back..."

Her grin faded somewhat, but the warmth still stayed in her chest. She glanced up in mild surprise when she noticed that sometime between revisiting her thoughts of him, she had stopped painting. Trailing her fingers over the finished portrait, the slightest of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. While the memory of him always brought her true joy, she couldn't help but feel saddened that it was just that; memories.

She yearned to live in the present with him.

Sen gently placed the painting down on her mahogany desk, marveling the majestic creature that graced its once blank state. She traced the outline of its figure, wishing she could be right next to him.

"Haku..." She whispered, blinking away the salty liquid.

She shivered as the cold wind blew, her golden brown locks following its direction.

Taking off the special hairband her friends made her from her wrist, she gathered her hair into a high ponytail. Once done, she set her arms back down, wringing her hands together.

After she had left the Spirit World, her life went back to being somewhat normal; except she changed from that vulnerable little girl into a strong-willed woman. None of it would've been possible if her parents hadn't eaten food from the spirits' food stands and gotten turned into pigs.

Perhaps it was during one of these reflections that she had realized her non-platonic feelings for him.

In her heart, it was only him that she valued more than anything in the world. He coated her heart with unadulterated desire and hope. Her heart was his to keep. It didn't matter to her that she was human and he wasn't. Life had strange ways of bringing people together.

Although she, at rare moments of insecurity, wondered if she possibly imagined all that had transpired. If not, then why couldn't she see them again? See him again?

He had promised to her, didn't he? He had vowed that they would see each other again. He did. So... why?

She didn't expect to feel this way towards him. She didn't mean to fall. She tried to forget him; she honestly did. She did everything she could think of to forget the past and live a normal life. But how could she?

Even if you told her it was wrong, loving a spirit, she would do anything and everything to be with him.

Some times, she regretted leaving the Spirit World. Other times, she regretted leaving him. But what she regretted the most was the things she hadn't gotten the chance to do in the short time she stayed. She didn't regret meeting him, though. She didn't regret falling for him.

She loved him. So, so much.

So much that she'd rather be by his side as a friend, rather than not be with him at all.

When thinking of him, she never noticed her surroundings. She never noticed all the beautiful things life had to offer. She didn't notice how the stars twinkled, she didn't notice the bright light of the moon. She didn't notice the beauty of nature, the aroma of flowers. These things brought her no true joy. But he did. Morning, afternoon, night, he did.

For years, she thought what he meant by not looking back, was to not look back at him as she ran back to her parents and their car. But what he actually meant, she now realized, was to not look back into the past and the brief memories she had of him and the Spirit World. He wanted her to move on.

Even if she wasn't his person, he was the one for her. It was then that she decided that no matter where Fate decided to bring her, she would always keep his memory with her.

I'm sorry, Haku. I didn't get to keep my promise...

But then again, you didn't either.