Spirited Away: Haku Returns
Disclaimer: The character's in this story belong to the great Hayao Miyazaki, the plot and storyline are all that belong to me.
"Come on, Chihiro!"
Chihiro turned to face her friend, Megumi. "What?"
"I said come on, we're going to be late!" Megumi yelled and motioned for Chihiro to hurry up.
"Oh, right," Chihiro said quickly and sped up to walk next to her friend.
"What's up with you today anyway," Megumi asked. "You're not thinking about that dream boy of yours again, are you?"
Haku. "His name is Haku."
Megumi sighed and rolled her eyes. "When are you going to give it up already? He doesn't even exist, okay?"
Chihiro didn't say anything. But he does exist. I remember him. Soon they arrived at Konjou High School, where the two of them went to school. Chihiro sighed as they made there way to their classroom. It had been years since she had seen Haku, but she just couldn't get him out of her head.
At the door to the classroom the two friends parted ways and Megumi went to sit with her boyfriend Kenji. Chihiro sat in the desk closest to the door. When the teacher began to talk her mind drifted back to thoughts of Haku and Yubaba and what had happened all those years ago.
Pretty soon it was lunch time. When Megumi and Chihiro walked into the cafeteria Chihiro saw a large group gathered in a circle around someone that she couldn't quite see. "What's going on over there," she asked, looking at Megumi.
"I'm not sure, but I think they are all trying to get a seat with the new kid."
"What new kid?"
Megumi sighed loudly. "Honestly, Chihiro, you need to pay more attention."
Chihiro shrugged and took a bite of her dumpling. Megumi and Kenji began to chatter about things that they had done over the weekend and she barely listened, occasionally adding her opinion. Throughout lunch her eyes kept traveling over to the crowd surrounding the new kid. After school she headed straight for home so that she could get to work in her father's book shop. "I'll see you tomorrow," she called to Megumi, who waved goodbye.
"Hey, Chihiro," her father called to her. "We have a new worker, so I need you to show her the ropes, okay?"
"Sure," Chihiro yelled back and went inside the book shop. Behind the counter sat a pretty girl with short brown hair and violet eyes. "Hi," Chihiro said politely. "You must be the new worker, right?"
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that's me, my name is Asami. You must be Chihiro."
"Oh, so you already know who I am?" Chihiro smiled. "Here, let me show you how everything works." She began showing the girl how to use the cash register and where everything need to go.
Finally the girl snapped. "I already know how it works!"
Chihiro stepped back. "Oh. Okay then," she said and gave the girl a small smile. "I'll just… um.. Go put these books on their shelves, I suppose."
The girl rolled her eyes and sat back. Chihiro sighed and picked up a box of books and carried it to the back shelves. She began to slowly stack them in their correct places on the shelves. A few minutes later the bell on the door clanged. Chihiro peeked her head out from behind a shelf. She saw the back of a boy's head. The boy was talking to Asami. Asami's face was serious. "Look," Asami began, but when she saw that Chihiro was listening she lowered her voice and leaned in close to talk to the boy. Finally he nodded and left the shop.
Something about him is familiar. Chihiro shook her head to clear her thoughts and then heard Asami say, "That was my brother, Kohaku."
Chihiro's eyes widened. It can't be him… "Oh, how nice," Chihiro said quietly and went back to work. She didn't have time to be chasing those dreams again.
The next day at school Megumi was waiting outside for Chihiro. She looked upset, as though she had been crying. "Chihiro," she cried when she saw her. "Oh, Chihiro, it's horrible!"
"What is it," Chihiro asked, concerned. She had never seen her friend so upset the entire time she had known her.
"It's Kenji! He's moving to America," Megumi cried and tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"What," Chihiro cried, shocked. "When did he tell you that?"
"Last night on the phone," Megumi sobbed. "He's known about it for weeks, and he never told me," she sobbed, her face contorting with tears again. She buried her face in her hands.
Chihiro could barely believe it. That just didn't seem like something Kenji would do, and he definitely wouldn't do it to Megumi. She looked up from Megumi's tear stained face and saw Kenji at his locker. "I'll be right back," she said quietly to Megumi, who didn't even look up from her hands.
She made her way quickly over to Kenji. "Kenji," she said in a low voice. "Why didn't you tell us before?"
Kenji looked down, refusing to let his gaze meet hers. "I didn't know how to tell you."
Kenji was one of the first friends she had made when she moved here, and Chihiro knew that what he said couldn't be true. "What is really going on here," she demanded to know.
"My father is making me move to America and marry a girl that I have never even met who lives there," he said quietly. "I didn't say anything before because I knew I would have to explain that to Megumi, and I don't want that. I love her too much to want to hurt her that way," he said and his voice became strained.
Chihiro sighed. Now she understood what was going on. It was very much like him not to want to hurt anyone. Everything was beginning to make sense now. "Oh," was all she could manage. "When are you leaving," she finally asked.
"Tomorrow."
"So soon?" Her eyes traveled over to a sobbing Megumi. She knew it would nearly kill her to watch Kenji go without being able to say a final goodbye. "Does she know that?"
"I told her I was leaving tomorrow."
Chihiro took a deep breath. She knew that she should be worried about Megumi, but it would kill her to watch Kenji go as well. He was one of her very best friends. "Call me, okay," she said to try and make both of them feel a little better.
"Of course," he said with a smile.
That day at lunch the air was thick with sadness. Chihiro looked back and forth between her two friends, who were normally a very chatty couple. She sighed and looked away. Her eyes landed on a boy who looked oddly familiar to her. He had chin length black hair and dark eyes. Haku?
He looked up and caught her looking at him. For a second his eyes widened, but then he turned his head to finish the conversation he was having with the girl next to him. The girl, Chihiro noticed, was Asami. What is going on, she asked herself.
After school Chihiro went down to the book shop to find one of her personal favorite books. It was a book telling of the Kohaku River. She knew it was stupid, but she loved to read about it because it made her feel close to Haku again. She was happy to see that it was Kaoru's day to work. "Hi," she said and gave the girl a smile. "Have you seen that book on the Kohaku River I read every now and then?"
"Oh," Kaoru said and gave her a smile. "Someone bought it."
"What? Who," Chihiro cried, obviously upset.
Kaoru bit her lip. "I'm so sorry! Was it on hold or something? Was it yours?"
Chihiro wildly shook her head. "No, but…" She wanted to cry. The book had been sitting on a shelf for years and now someone wanted to buy it all of a sudden? "It's important for me to know! Who did you sell the book to?"
"That new girl… Asami, I think her name was.."
Asami? "Did she say why she wanted it?"
"I asked, but she just said for me to mind my own business."
Chihiro gave a groan. Just perfect.
Bright and early the next morning Chihiro woke up for her run. She needed to have the run out of the way before she went with Megumi to say goodbye to Kenji. She always ran on Saturday's to release the worries of her week. Somehow she didn't think that it would help this week. But instead of doubting her normal routine she pulled her hair up into its usual ponytail and slipped on a t-shirt and shorts.
Finally she was dressed. She went outside to the sidewalk and plugged her ears with the speakers of her I-pod. She closed her eyes and started to jog down the familiar sidewalk. Suddenly something bumped into her from behind and she flew forward, landing on her knees.
She let out a loud cry. "Ouch," she cried, rolling over onto her bottom and brushing off her knees.
"I'm so sorry," a voice said. "My sister was running, and she bumped into you, I'm sure Asami didn't mean to-" The voice stopped talking.
Chihiro looked up and found herself face to face with Haku. "H-haku," she whispered, unable to believe what she saw. "It really is you…"
"You two know each other?" This time it was Asami who spoke. Her short hair was behind her ears and her violet eyes were flashing curiously between the two of them.
Haku nodded. "We're old friends."
"Yeah," Chihiro agreed with a tiny smile.
"Well, old friends, we all have things we need to be doing, right? Come on, Haku, you two can talk later!"
Haku nodded. "Yeah, okay. See you around, Chihiro."
Chihiro nodded, not even able to speak. It really was Haku.
Finally the time came for her to go with Megumi to the airport to see Kenji off. He carried two suitcases. It was all he was taking with him. Megumi cried silently the entire time and Kenji and Chihiro made no attempt at conversation.
When it was finally time for Kenji to get on the plane he turned to the two of them. "I guess this is it," Chihiro said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"I guess you're right," Kenji said. He hugged her. "I'll call you, okay, Chihiro?" She nodded. "As often as I can," he added for good measure.
Then he enveloped Megumi into a hug. This caused her to burst into sobs, and she held him tight. "You can't go," she cried pitifully.
"I have to," he said, unshed tears in his eyes. "I love you. I'll call you too, okay?"
Megumi nodded and watched him turn and get on the plane. Then sobs shook her body as she tried not to cry.
The two girls walked side by side to Chihiro's house, neither of them saying a word. "I'll see you tomorrow, Megumi," Chihiro said when they arrived and hugged her friend who replied with a simple goodbye.
Megumi continued to walk in silence towards her house. Halfway there her tears began to fall again. Finally a sob broke out and it was like the sob had released a water fall. A hand touched her shoulder. "Are you okay," a boy's voice asked.
She looked up and made out the face of the new kid, Haku. "No," she answered honestly and explained everything to him. He looked genuinely concerned and talked with her about it. The conversation made her feel a lot better and he walked her home. When they arrived she gave him a quick hug and said, "See you around, Haku!"
He nodded. "See you," he said and walked away.
Megumi let out a small sigh and watched him walk away. Maybe everything will turn out okay after all.
Author's Note:
I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I decided to write it because I completely love this movie and I wanted to make sure Haku kept his promise to Chihiro that he would come back. It's no where near as good as anything that Hayao Miyazaki could write, but I hope you like it anyway. I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. Oh, and about my other stories, I'll update them soon too, I just haven't had a lot of time lately and this idea just would not leave me alone. Review please!