Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away or and of its characters, nor will I profit from this publication. Please don't sue me. Please don't sue me! L

Okay, this is the first story that I've published on the Internet; EVER! Please tell me what you think of it whether good or bad. Also, this is a one-shot, but I'm contemplating whether or not I'll make this multi-chaptered, so give me your input on that too.

Now, without further ado…

Reunion of Kindred Spirits

Six years, it was six years ago that she regained her freedom; and the freedom and humanity of her parents, as well. She had been so strong, despite her dangerous situation. She defeated Yubaba and left, , , and for those six years, I have watched over her.

I had been there during her times of great sorrow -- the death of her grandmother had been especially heart breaking for her – and through times of great happiness – the little ball of fur that she affectionately dubbed as Shinta.

Ayame, Kaede, and Mitsuko. . . the friends she met at school. The four of them together are certainly a mischievous bunch, with Mitsuko being particularly wild. I'm not quite fond of her, but as long as she keeps her happy, I'll let her be.

It wasn't a couple of years before they "discovered" boys. It was quite amusing to watch them interact with the boys they liked. Now, what was the term? A . . . crush? Yes. That was it. They would get red in the face and trip over their words. But not her. Though her cheeks would flush, her voice remained calm and confident.

Heh heh. I can still remember her first date. She was fourteen. Her womanly endowments had already been in development, and most of the boys noticed it. But this one boy, this Kenji, seemed different. He looked at her face, not to an area below her neck. It was hard, though, to tell which was more nervous; was it he, or was it she? But from then on, she allowed him to court her.

She is now sixteen – a woman by spirit standards but not by human standards. Yes , , , One might say that she, filled-out nicely. Her angelic face; her long, slender legs; and her . . . she is a great beauty.

Hmmm. The question on anyone's mind would be: Do I love her? Do I? The question is so simple, yet it's not. It's as simple as a yes or no, but there are things to take into consideration. Is it right to be in love with a human? Is this love or simply desire – lust? There are so many issues. My main concern is whether she'd love me in return. Yes . . . I do love her.

Tell me, can a human female, on the verge of adulthood, love a centuries-old spirit with the appearance of a child? Does she even remember me? If she does, and I change my form, would she love me the way I love her?

I don't like that look in his eyes, and I don't like the way he's looking at her. She doesn't seem to notice. As I've said before, he seems different. I guess his age, and perhaps the influence of his friends, changed him. Well, at least he's taking her home. The ritual goodbye kiss and the date is over.

Meeting with friends . . . perhaps I should follow him and see his true feelings for her. I will return. I'll be gone a few hours, but I will return to her. I must protect her from any harm.

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My suspicions were correct. He went on and on to his friends about how he was going to "score" with her, that it was only a matter of days. By this I assume that he plans to have sex with her soon. The little bastard. I'll have to watch him very closely from now on.

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Another day of school has come and gone, another afternoon of adventure for the quartette. Will they traverse the amusement park? Will they terrorize Mr. Yamamoto at the arcade? Or, like normal adolescent girls, cruise the mall? And it's off the amusement park!

Here is one thing where she's different than her friends. She's not afraid of any ride here. It could be the tallest and the fastest, and she'll still get on. Keade never liked the rides. That girl won't even get on that big wheel, whatever it's called. Her other friends won't ride either. Looks like she's riding al – damn! Kenji's here.

It's such a slow ride. How anyone, human or otherwise, can find this amusing is beyond me. It spins a little and stops; spins a little, stops to let other riders on. Once there are enough people in the seats, it starts the whole thing of stop and go over, this time letting people off. Good, it's over. They've been locking lips for long enough.

Well, it seems that they're finally ready to leave. Just my luck, she's going with the little whelp. A salacious look and signal to his friends. That's not good. She didn't see it, busy chatting with her friends. He's planning to take her tonight!

Into his automobile. He's driving now. She has no idea what he's planning. She thinks that he's taking her home. He appears to be heading toward . . . well, whaddaya know. He's driving to the entrance of a certain train station. Hm hm hm.

So she remembers. The expression on her face is evident of that. But now I see suspicion. And he's made his move. A good slap to the face should give him the message. The bastard is restraining her! No more! I must interfere!

I don't know when it was that I transformed, but I did. And as I held him in my jaws, she screamed. She screamed for me to spare him -- for me to release him. I did. He ran and left her. Left her to be eaten by the dragon.

We stared at each other. I turned to original self again. Still, she stared. For years I have waited for this moment. So much to tell her. But I couldn't speak. I could not utter a single syllable. She was the one to bread the silence.

"How long have you been watching me?" A very fair question, but not what I had envisioned all these years. She didn't call out my name and run to embrace me. She didn't cry on my shoulder.

"Ever since you left, Chihiro." Her eyes widened. I guess she hadn't expected that I'd watched her for that long. "I love you, Chihiro." Wide eyes again. She looked at me, her gaze scrutinizing. I have not changed. I am as I have always been. But I could change that. For her, I would.

I put my hands together and began a chant. After a lot of pain – I could actually hear my bones breaking and reforming – I literally grew up. It's such a strange feeling. Everything looks much smaller. I heard her gasp. She's surprised. I looked myself over a bit, just to make sure nothing went wrong. Hmm, not bad. As I touched my face, I could only wish for a mirror. "Ko-Kohaku?" she said in a quiet voice. I looked to her again. Her eyes were a pair of saucers. Finally, she said my name.

I walked the short distance to her slowly, cautiously. I didn't want to scare her. She stood her ground just like I knew she would. She was always so strong. "Do you have a mirror?" I asked. My voice didn't deepen very much.

She hesitated, as if unbelieving, before she pulled a compact from her pocket. She opened it, and I took it from her trembling hands. Did she fear me? Did I botch in my chanting and become some horrible troll of a man?

An overwhelming feeling of dread came over me as I raised the mirror to my face. I was ever so relieved when I saw a handsome face looking back at me. Well, I've never been one to toot my own horn, but I was pretty good-looking – by human standards, no less. I couldn't say that I looked different, because I didn't. I just looked . . . older. I could not help the smile that spread across my lips.

When my gaze returned to her face I saw that she had a bit of a blush. A feeling went through my stomach like butterflies on a spring day. I felt my face heat up and realized that I too was blushing. I looked away at once. But when I looked at her again, my embarrassment leaked out of me like I was some rusty pipe at the bath- house. She looked angry, and yet terribly sad; on the verge of tears. So I spoke. "Chihiro, I . . ."

"All this time, and you never once showed yourself or even spoke. I waited, but you were never there! Well, no, you were always there, but you never made your presence known to me! I felt so alone! And there were times when it felt like all of it was just a dream."

"Chihiro . . . " I said her name and she began to weep. I hated to see her cry. It felt worse knowing that I caused those tears. But she was not yet finished pouring out her heart. "Now that I think about it, you watching me for six years is kind of creepy. How do I know that you didn't watch me while I showered or undressed? You sound like a typical stalker to me."

My jaw dropped open right then. I was speechless. Me, a stalker?

I watched over her and protected her. I will not condemn myself for that. But guilt crept up on me as I recalled all the times that I watched her when it was inappropriate. I'd never felt so ashamed of myself as I did at that moment. I had no right.

My shame was too great. I could no longer look at her. I turned away from her and took deep, calming breaths. "I am so sorry. Chihiro. I never wanted to hurt you. I watched you without your knowledge to protect you, and because I wanted you to have a normal, human life. You mean so much to me, but I messed up. I didn't want you to see me. Not under these terms."

Yes, I messed up, and badly. If she wants me gone, I understand. I have no right to expect anything of her in return. All she had to do was give the word, and I would return to the bath- house.

After a few minutes, I heard her footsteps on the grassy ground, and I thought she was leaving. I was startled when I felt her wrap her arms around me from behind. As I turned my head to look at her, I saw that she was still crying. I turned to face her. Before I could say a word, she pressed her finger to my lips. I was more surprised when she smiled.

We said nothing as we looked into each other's eyes. I felt myself tilt my head as she leaned up towards me. She stopped when she was about an inch from my face, our noses barely touching. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to mine.

By God! The sensation of her lips moving against my own felt wonderful! My eyes shot open when I felt her tongue enter my mouth. She caressed my tongue with hers, and I couldn't help but moan as I did the same. She was so sweet. Heh, it must have been the candy she had at the amusement park. God, how I've dreamt of this!

I never wanted it to end, but we needed air. Even spirits need to breathe. We drew back and looked into each other's eyes again. Her face was flushed, and her swollen red lips were curved in a smile. Her eyes twinkled. I gave her a warm smile and embraced her to me, and she in turn held on tighter.

We stood like that for a while, taking comfort in each other's arm. Finally, I pried my hands off her and looked into her sweet face. "I'll walk you home," I said. She looked greatly disappointed. I felt my face grow hot as I realized why, "U-unless you want to fly," I stammered. Her face immediately brightened.

She held on to me tightly as we flew the short distance to her house. She wasn't afraid, as I knew, she was excited. I could tell that she missed this. Just like the old days.

We should have walked. The flight ended too soon. I guess I was just too embarrassed and needed to change the subject. Though, it was quite flattering. My doubts went flying (no pun intended) out the window. She does love me.

We touched down two streets from her house – it would be strange if Chihiro flew in with some stranger; someone might have a heart attack. We walked the rest of the way. Chihiro was by my side, holding my arm and leaning her head on my shoulder. I looked down at her and smiled.

We were soon standing on the sidewalk in front of her house. I walked her to the front door. As we gazed into each other's eyes we embraced. When it ended, she closed her eyes and leaned her face into mine. She lightly brushed my lips with hers before pressing them into a kiss. And I returned it.

When the kiss ended, she looked up at me smiling, a blush on her face. She opened the door and turned to get one last look at me before closing the door behind her.

The End

Well, what do you think? Please review and tell me. J