DISCLAIMER: I do not own Spirited Away, it's Hayao Miyazaki's. I'm just a big fan so I wanted to make this fanfic. Ps: I only own the new characters. Hope you like it :)

Chapter 1: Bitter Black Tea

The sun set, fading its light in pink and orange at the horizon. It's almost night, it was time to the bathhouse to start its business. They turned on the lamps, the fume spread out from the funnel, maybe Kamaji had already turned on the boiler.

On the second floor from the top, Haku popped out from his room to the balcony. He threw his sight far to the horizon and let the breeze blew his hair and clothes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he opened them, they went to look at the spirit gate.
"Good evening, Chihiro. How are you?" he talked to himself. The grin on his face slowly dropped into a frown.

No, Kohaku. No matter how much you hope, she could not be here. You know it's for her best, he thought. Then he smiled, it was a bittersweet smile.

He dropped his eyes from the spirit gate to a cup of hot black tea in his hand and began to drown on pondering.

He was in his river when suddenly a pink little shoe fell upon him. A little girl jumped into him, to after her shoe of course. Yet she was a bad swimmer, she was almost drown. He never wanted to mess with any human, but this girl, he wouldn't let her drown. So he shifted her to the shore. Later he found out she was thanking him before her parents came to save her.

"Thank you, Kohaku River, you saved me. I want you to know my name, it's Chihiro," said the little girl.

He replied her with a smile, he was sure she could see him since he took his human child form. Just about time her parents came, he hastily shifted and disappeared into his river. It was the first time they meet each other, and since then he could never stop thinking about that little girl.

Several years later, humans began to do something to his river. They were not actually destroyed his river, but what they did was unpleasant. They built some apartments above his river, which was making him uncomfortable. So he get out from his river, looking for some place of peace and quiet. And he ended up at this place, from he was only a guest until he became Yubaba's apprentice.

Time flies as he lived here. That human girl showed up once again, accidentally stumbled to the spirit world from the spirit gate. Her parents made some trouble caused them turned into a pig by Yubaba. She cried for help and so he did help her. The human girl was older making her quite unrecognizable. But he felt a tug inside him, it's his dragon instinct. The dragon inside told him, she was that little girl he could never stop thinking of.

It has been nine years since he got his name back, nine years after she left the spirit world. It has been nine years and yet he could not fulfill his promise. He desperately wanted to meet her. No, he needed her. All these nine years suffering with his feelings grew into love for the human, but he could never get to her. Oh how bitter was his fate, just like the black tea he was starring down right now.

He sighed. "That's why black tea is the best, bitter all on me." He smiled then took a sip of it.

On the other side of the world, a little family were having dinner. The late thirties woman and the older husband with their one and only daughter. Yuuko cooked a chicken soup which was Chihiro's favorite food. Yuuko was sure her cooking was good because Akio told her so, but still they had no idea why their daughter was eating idly. With and empty look, Chihiro ate the soup sip by sip. After several moments of silence, Yuuko finally said something.

"How is it, dear? Do you like the soup?" asked Yuuko.

Chihiro taken aback as she snapped out from her thoughts. "Oh, um, yeah... I love it," she lied. Actually, it was tasteless on her tongue. She had no idea why she lost her appetite since the day she left the spirit world.

Yuuko sighed. Akio held her hand and smiled to calm her. They both knew something must have happened to their daughter since they moved to the city. Maybe she was still upset that they had to move and she missed her old town. Maybe puberty just hit her or something, or any other reason. But Chihiro never told them and they could never figure it out.

"So, how's school?" asked Akio changing the subject.

Chihiro sighed. "Well, I think it's fine though. Just as usual, lessons and unfriendly friends..." She didn't really mean it, but indeed she didn't really make any friends. She hated it here. She wanted to come back home, to the spirit world. There would be her real friends and also family.

Now Akio sighed. "Well, sweetheart, if there is any problem, you could always have tell us, okay?" he smiled and looked at her eyes deeply.

Chihiro smiled nervously but she nodded. "Right.. Umm, I guess I'll just go back to my room. I am full already," she stood up and took her cup of black tea in her hand, making her way to her room.

"Okay, dear. Good night, we love you," Yuuko smiled sofly.

Chihiro replied her. "Good night, mom and dad. I love you too," and finally she made her way to her room.

Chihiro took a deep breath as she sat by the window side. It had been nine years since she got back from the spirit world. She would always wanted to come back but she couldn't. The only reason she survived here was her parents. She had tried for thousand times to get through the spirit gate, but always zero resulted. There would only an empty meadow, nothing such an abandoned amusement park to be found. Was the spirit world only her wild imagination? No, it couldn't be. Her brain wouldn't capable to had such damn great imagination. It was real. It had to be real, she thought.

She looked up to the sky. The stars glittered up above. Somehow she knew if it's the human or spirit world, the sky must be the same, right?

"Hey, Haku. It's been a long time. Do you miss me like I miss you?" she spilled out her longing. As if Haku was there in front of her.

She sighed. She brought her feet to her chest, she wrapped her arms around it and hung her head. How was her to survive? She could never decrease her longing. Instead it was increasing by the day. For everyone in the spirit world, Lin, Kamaji, Bôh, Zeniba, even the old witch Yubaba. But most for Haku. All these lonely nine years had turned her feelings into love for the river spirit. His words always echoed in her head. He was sure they would meet again someday. She did either. But when? How long she had to remained in waiting? Oh, this couldn't get more bitter, she thought.

She took a sip of her black tea. She kept it in her mouth for a second then gulped it. "Only you can hit my tongue," she said starring down her tea. "You fit me. Bitter. Bitter but better," she smiled. It was a bittersweet smile.

hi readers~! how was it? it's my first time to write a fanfic, so you can blame me if maybe there are some mistakes in grammar. I am still learning English and try to explore my vocabularies . hehe, sorry.

For Haku and Chihiro, although they haven't meet each other again in nine years, they attracted to the same thing; bitter black tea. Do you think it makes sense? Tell me what's on your mind and review ;)