You Promised
Disclaimer: yeah yeah I don't own it.
Dear Haku,
It's been a decade now. 10 years. 120 months. 3650 days. I'm not a child anymore-not so innocent, so naïve as I was back then.
I still remember that day perfectly - that beautiful, sunny day where the clouds were chased away by the sun's glorious rays. My heart was beating fast, hair windswept as I ran across the grassy meadow. I remember how I stood there, torn between going home to my parents or staying in the spirit world to remain with you. But above all, I remember that you promised.
(Flashback)
"Will I ever see you again?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Now go, and whatever you do, don't look back!"
(End flashback)
I believed you! I really believed you. You were just so confident, so reassuring. And I admit, I wanted to believe you, I wanted to believe that it was true.
When I got home, I was still enthralled by my journey in the spirit world. At night I would stare up at my ceiling at those glow-in-the-dark stars I stuck up there. Your face would shine, greater than any of the faint green shapes in the background. I thought back to everything you said to me, trying to remember every last detail. When I closed my eyes I could recall the warmth of your embrace as you comforted me.
Being the energetic little girl I was, I made hundreds, thousands of plans for us to do when you came to me. Midnight strolls, going to the beach, sharing an ice cream sundae. I must have thought up hundreds, thousands of things for us to do together. I was so excited-I even drew pictures and made up stories. I shared with my friends tales about you, Yubaba, no face, and just about everyone else.
Pretty soon I was in middle school, and then high school. By that time I had grown up. I wouldn't call myself beautiful, but I was definitely pretty enough to ensure at least a couple offers of dates. But of course, I stubbornly held you to your promise. I mean, you were going to come back one day, and I didn't want to go out with anyone other than you. And while my friends thought this was cute and adorable, albeit a bit foolish (they thought I was crazy to turn down a cute date), my parents were getting pretty worried.
They sent me to a shrink, where I sat in a hard leather chair and tried to explain to an old, bald man how you made a promise that one day I was going to see you again. He was confused at first, but I quickly went on to explain how I crossed over to the spirit world. He was skeptical, and no doubt thought I'd fit better in a loony bin rather than a normal society. In the end, he sent me home with a diagnosis of- "a phase where the patient has been reading too many fantasy books."
Yeah, thanks Mr. Old-and-Ugly. That's reeaaalll helpful. But my parents seemed to accept this and went back to their normal everyday lives with one piece of advice "Go try reading some non fiction books, dear. I'm sure they're very interesting too."
And so things settled down for a while. I went to school, got a C on a test, you know, the usual. By that time I was in my junior of high school. Pretty much all my friends had boyfriends. Everyday I would see them hold hands and stare at each other with absolute love and adoration in their lives-like the ones I wanted to give you.
I was getting a little bit worried. Seven years had passed already and you still never showed up. Maybe you never will…? No. I squashed that fear into little tiny pieces and shoved it in a corner hidden deep in the back of my mind. I was appalled that I ever thought of that.
The year flew by and soon I was a senior. It wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Yeah, us seniors have all the power and all that, but then prom came. I dressed up extra nice that day, with a pretty ribbon in my hair and a flowing pink dress. I thought maybe this was the day, the day you would come and take me away to a magical kingdom where we'd live happily ever after.
I wish. No, instead I sat in the corner, sipping a drink as I watched enviously as my friends danced with their men, acting as if they were on cloud nine. I think that's the day when I first began really doubting you, you and your promise. Traitorous thoughts wiggled into my mind and I started thinking that maybe, maybe you never will come.
I went home that day depressed with an ache in my heart. That was the first time I felt this way; that was the day I started to change. When I went to college, I at least had something to concentrate on. I tried to keep from thinking about it, but of course it didn't always work.
One day, I was approached by a cute brunet that gave me a dazzling smile. I turned him down, clinging to my last hope of you fulfilling your promise. Three months, I told myself. Three months for you to come to me and give me my fairytale ending. After that…well I didn't want to think of what would happen after that
The three months came and went. On the last night I buried myself under the covers and cried. I cried because you hadn't come. I cried because I had been foolish enough to believe you. I cried because I felt so betrayed.
That was exactly one year ago. Now, today, I'm about to close that chapter of my life. That's why I'm writing this letter to you.
I started going out with this junior a couple weeks ago. He's definitely not you, but at least he's shown he can keep the promises he make-like the date I'm about to go on right now.
Well, I hope this letter finds you in good health. I had made a big mistake believing in your promise. Now I know better.
Yours truly,
Chihiro
Yup-the result of boredom and major procrastination. Anyway, please review!!