I hadn't seen Haku for years since he helped me to get home. It had been easy to adjust to our lost time when my parents and I got to our new house, and I settled in quickly. But I was never exactly happy. I was never exactly satisfied. Often times when I was younger, I would always think that I saw Haku wherever I went. Once at the beach I even swam to the deepest area because I had thought for sure that I'd seen the shadow of Haku's dragon form going swimming under the surface.
But of course it was never him for real, and after so many years I felt it weighing heavily on me. Then one night, six years after I left the spirit world, I had the dream. I've remembered it in perfect detail even though I had it nearly four years ago. I was standing on the edge of a pristine river, and based on an old sign I identified it as his river. Suddenly out of nowhere that wonderful dragon swooped down from the clouds, and landed next me in his human form.
"Haku…what are you doing here?" I asked him, and his face fell as the wind swirled through his hair and mine.
"Chihiro. I know that you miss me, but you must move on. My business is not yet done in the spirit world, and I cannot return yet. Please believe me when I tell you that every time you called to me with your heart, I wanted to come to you, but I could not. I do not know when I will be able to return to your world, but I promise that when I do I will come straight for you. But until then, I want for you to move on with your life. Forget me, and one day, I will come for you." He shifted again, turning back into a dragon, and disappeared into the waters of the river.
The spray from his splash caught me as I tried to follow, but after a moment I found that he was really gone. I sat on the bank of the river for a long time, crying, before I woke up in bed.
On the next morning, I don't know why, but for some reason I couldn't stand it any longer. I walked away from my parent's home, and haven't moved back into there since then.
Now I'm walking down the street, with only the smallest of whispers reminding me of Haku in the back of my mind, and I can't wait. I push away the image of his face in my head, and focus on the task at hand. As soon as I had gotten a loan, I'd opened my own business, and it was surprisingly successful. By day I give river tours of the countryside, and at night I lead people on peaceful walks through an old nature preserve. Most of my customers are tourists, but some of them are regulars from around my neighborhood.
Recently my income had increased a lot thanks to the summer vacation season, and I had traded in my old tour boat for a newer one that could accommodate more passengers. I changed course, and started to walk down one of the less safe streets, on my way to the recreational sports store. The owner, who I had made friends with when we'd first moved in, was nice enough to special order the boat that I wanted. So now that the vacation season had ended, I had the profits to afford the boat, and with the check in hand I strolled cheerfully down the street.
I was less than a mile from my destination, when a strange shadow covered me from above, and compelled me to look up. As my eyes went skyward, I was shocked with the sight of a white dragon. But then I blinked, and the creature disappeared, leaving no traces of where it went.
Haku? I asked myself, but quickly stifled the hope that threatened to rise in my chest.
Returning my eyes to the path ahead of me, I started to walk again, and was surprised when a man stepped into my path. Before I could say a single word, he pulled a gun from his coat, and pointed it to my head. "Down the alley, now." He commanded, and motioned for me to walk. I did as he told me, and kept walking until he had me backed into a wall. I stared him down, and he spoke again. "Hand over any money that you have."
I nodded shakily, and reached into my purse to hand him my wallet. He grabbed it from my grasp, and tore it open, "Is this all?" He asked, glaring at me, and I couldn't do anything but stutter out a yes. His hand lifted into the air, and I could see that he intend to strike me in the head with his gun. I closed my eyes, and braced for the impact. I could hear his arm swoosh through the air.
Then I heard a louder sound of something flying through the air.
A loud crash rang through the alley, and when I cracked my eyes open, I could see my assailant lying on the ground unconscious and lying in a pile of trash.
My eyes left him, and strayed to the wall above me to my left, where I could see a white dragon looking down on me as it held onto the fire escape. It took a second for me to find my voice, "H-Haku?" I asked, and the creature descended to the ground. At first it refused to meet my eye, but when I stepped closer, our eyes met. I could immediately see who it was, and in that instant I flew forward, and grabbed him around the neck. "Haku!" I said excitedly.
Suddenly he was human again, and he held me in his arms. "I told you that I'd come back." He whispered into my ear with a smile.