Disclaimer: I do NOT own Spirited Away. If I did Chihiro would have never left Haku at the end. Sniffle.
Forever is a Long Time. OneShot.
It has been eight years. The purple hair tie rests in Chihiro's hands. She is now eighteen. It sparkles like magic and a single tear slides down her cheek.
"I'll never forget my friends. The bird, the baby, No Face, Rin, Kamajii, Granny, and especially not Haku." She told herself as she cradled the precious hairtie in her hands.
She had made a decision. On her eighteenth birthday she'd go back to that place. She vowed she would; ever since the realization of the tie in her hair.
Chihiro had grown to be a beautiful girl. Boys fell for her easily, but every boy she saw just made her miss Haku even more.
Chihiro never told anyone of the events that went on. Sometimes she wondered if it was just a dream. But how could it be? The hairtie told the whole story.
"But what if they don't remember me?" The girl asked herself with worry. But it was way too late to back out. The time had come, her eighteenth birthday was today.
Chihiro took a deep breath and stepped out her door. It would be a long walk, but it was worth every step. The wing blew Chihiro's long brown hair in her face. She tucked it behind her ear.
The hairtie remained in her hand still. With every step she took her heart missed a beat and she could barely breathe. Many emotions ran through her body. Nervousness, excitement, fear, hopefullness, ... love.
"I really am in love, aren't I?" Chihiro asked herself quietly. "Silly of me really." The girl gave off a tiny smirk.
Then, she noticed there wasn't much further to go. Her eyes wandered to the little spirit houses. They were covered in moss.
The emotions that she felt grew stronger as she saw the tunnel she was so scared of as a child.
"Oh... my gosh." She told herself in disbelief as she began to glide through it. The eighteen year old wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack at her age because her heart was beating too fast and too slow at he same time.
The purple hairtie was being clutched to her chest now. The sun was shining through the end of the tunnel. A smile crept on the girl's face. It was there. The same place her mother thought was wonderful to have a picnic.
Then, she saw the restaurants. Horrible, vivid images came back to her of her snorting parents. They gobbled the food up like pigs, so that's what they became.
Of course, things were different now. Chihiro noticed she'd forgotten where to go, because the last time she was here, she;d ran from being scared.
"That's what I did then, that's what I'll do now." And off she went.
Chihiro sprinted through the tiny roads surrounded by shops and restaurants of an abandoned theme park.
Suddenly, her body haulted abruptly and a gasp escaped from her mouth. "H-Haku?"
There he was, on the stairs where she had left him many years ago. He was now probably around twenty-one. The boy lifted his head up. A truly confused look was plastered on his face.
"It's...I'm..." Chihiro took a breath. Haku made no response. "It's Chihiro."
Haku blinked. Then his eyes got wide. "Chihiro?" He asked, unsure he heard correctly.
The girl fumbled up the stairs and knocked him over in a huge hug. "It's been forever." She told him blankly.
Chihiro still hadn't gotten off of him, since she knocked him down from the hug.
"Forever's... a long time..." He smiled smugly.
"So... how come...you're not out of this dump?" Chihiro asked Haku as she sat down beside his laying body.
"My river's filled up, remember? I couldn't leave. This place has become my home." Haku told her gently.
"Well... anything different?" She questioned him.
"Yubaba is gone. Kamajii is in charge now." Haku paused. "And I still go by Haku. Just because I really don't want to remember the river that's now filled up. But I still am, indeed, a river spirit."
"I know!" Chihiro grinned. "As it should be."
Haku smiled back at her. "I thought I'd never see you again." He looked away.
"But when I left you told me we WOULD see each other again!" Chihiro argued.
The purple hairtie was still in her hands.
"I hoped that." The river spirit looked back at her. "I wished that... more than anything. I knew the chances would be higher if I stayed here." The boy flashed her a soft smile.
Tears welled up in Chihiro's eyes. "Well, I'm back. And I'm staying."
"What? But you can't..." Haku stood up, a determined look in his eyes.
"Yes. I CAN."
"No. You CAN'T." Haku glared.
"And why not, hmm?" Chihiro asked.
"You don't belong with... spirits like us." Haku looked away.
Chihiro stood up and turned to look him in the eye. "You can't stop me. I'm eighteen now. I belong here now. I've made up my mind YEARS ago." The eighteen year old let more tears fall.
Haku looked at her in concern. "Why?"
"Because... I love you." Chihiro told him quietly.
Haku took her face in his hands and wiped her tears away gently. The boy pulled her into a hug and he rested his head next to her ear. "I love you too, Chihiro. I always have." He whispered.
Chihiro thought her heart had truly stopped. Forever was a long wait but it was better than never again. "I'm staying." She told him quietly. "I'm staying with you."
Haku hesitated to answer. He was thinking. They were still in a hug. "...Okay." he told her finally. Chihiro pulled away from him slowly.
Haku had changed so much. His hair was longer. His voice was a little deeper. He was taller, of course. Haku looked at the changes in Chihiro as well. She didn't look like a little girl anymore. She was beautiful. He noticed a dimple in her cheek when she had smiled at him. His heart had ached to see her for so long, he had forgotten she would be much more mature.
"You know what, Chihiro?" Haku asked getting closer to her.
"Mmhmm?" She mumbled. He could tell she was nervous. Even at eighteen, Chihiro was a kid at heart.
"Forever is a long time..." He put his hands around her waist and looked into her eyes. "But it's worth the wait when it comes to you." The river spirit whispered.
Chihiro's eyes brightened. She wished she had come back sooner. The next thing she knew, he was leaning in to kiss her. The feel of his lips on her's made her heart skip a beat.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as they kissed passionatly. This was her destiny and she was happy with it.
--Later That Night--
The purple hairtie was now in her hair. It glistened in the moonlight for it was now nighttime. Haku and Chihiro were leaning against a tree, her head on his shoulder.
They were in love. Nothing could seperate them. Chihiro found herself falling asleep on his shoulder. But all she could hope for was that when she woke up, it wouldn't all be a dream.
Chihiro didn't want to wait forever EVER again.
"I love you." Chihiro told him in a drowsy voice.
"I love you too, but I think you need to sleep. You've had a busy day." Haku suggested.
And Chihiro let herself fall into a deep sleep, under the stars, with the love of her life right beside her. The best sleep she'd have in ... forever.
Ahh yes. Cheesey and lame. I know. But gimmee feedback okay?!
--Broken Heart 525--
