Dreaming About You
"Kaasan, will you please tell me the story?"
Chihiro looked down at the small child, only about 6, pulling on her sleeve with pleading honey brown eyes. She bent down to the young girl's height, "How about you go to bed and I'll come up with some hot milk and tell you the story."
The little girl squealed with delight and ran up to her room, "Hurry Kaasan!"
Chihiro only smiled as her daughter, Izumi, ran around the corner to her room. It seemed only yesterday she had adopted her from China as a baby and now 6 years later they were comfortably settled in small cozy house in the countryside of Japan and Izumi was still pleasantly oblivious to the fact that she was adopted. But Chihiro knew one day that would all change and she would come home from school one day and ask why other kids have a 'otousan', but she would not worry about that now. Now she would just enjoy her child's innocence and the joy she brought her. Chihiro walked to the kitchen leaving her comfortable chair and placed her lab top on the table to pull out a tall glass from the cupboards and fill it with milk and leave it for 45 seconds in the microwave.
"Kaasan!" yelled Izumi from her room. "Are you coming yet?"
"Just a minute dear," replied Chihiro.
While waiting for the milk to warm up Chihiro returned to her lab top and quickly skimmed the paragraph she wrote for her new book. Ever since Chihiro started high school she found her passion for writing and in her first year of college she wrote her first book about her experience in the Spirit World, but of course she said the book was a whimsical product of her mind. The book was a hit and Chihiro's skills as a writer started to be recognized as she continued writing books.
The microwave beeped and she quickly turned her lab top off and retrieved the milk and brought it to her daughter's room.
"Story yet?" asked Izumi eagerly.
Chihiro smiled and shook her head, "Shouldn't you be in your pajamas young lady?"
The little girl hoped out of her bed and ran to her dresser and pulled out a little pink nightgown with pink trim and brought it to her mother. Chihiro took the gown from those little hands and with motherly tenderness undressed Izumi and pulled the pink garment over her head. Izumi looked up to her mother with a big smile.
"Here, come sit by the mirror," said Chihiro as she lead Izumi to the cushioned seat in front of a mirror that rested above a low dresser that had assorted brushes and hair accessories scattered across it. She picked up a brush and moved behind Izumi and brushed through her straight brunette hair.
Izumi sat still was itching to run into bed and hear the bedtime version of her mother's first book. It was her favourite ever since she was little; a young girl, a mysterious boy, a magical place, and an exciting tale of bravery, everything a good story needs. Sometime she would dream of going to such place…
Chihiro smoothed her daughter's hair as the brush combed through it. She looked into the large mirror in front of her and saw how fast life had went by. She was already a healthy 26-year-old success living the life. She remembered when she was 9 and she had her secret adventure. Her once skinny childish body now was a slim one of a woman's and face had a warm glow, but she retained her shortness. She still tied her chestnut hair, now long and wavy around her shoulders in the same purple hair elastic she got so long ago.
Deep inside she never for a moment forgot about the Spirit World or Haku…especially Haku. Every morning she get out of her bed and look to the wide window in her room and half hoped to see him standing their and she would run out to greet him and they would laugh about how old the other had gotten and raise Izumi together and…be happy.
"Ready?" asked Izumi to her mother's reflection.
"Ready," Chihiro confirmed.
Izumi hopped onto her bed and quickly got under the sheets as her mother took her seat in the cushioned chair next to her bed.
"Story! Story!"
"OK Izumi, OK."
Izumi quieted down and snuggled up to her pillow listening intently.
"Now, once upon a time there was a young girl…"
After Chihiro told the well-known story to Izumi, the young girl was already half asleep. Chihiro smiled and brought the covers up to Izumi's chin.
"And they all lived happily ever after right Kaasan?" asked Izumi wearily.
"Yes they did. Good night darling." Chihiro kissed Izumi atop the forehead.
"Night Kaasan."
Chihiro walked to they door and turned off the lights and left her daughter to dream happily. The house was quiet as she went to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. Looking around the house she noticed how it's little features reflected the bathhouse, reminding her never to forget.
Her eyes started to water and silent tears started to roll down her cheeks. 'He's not coming,' she thought. 'No! He has to come. He promised…'
She set the half filled kettle on the stove and wiped the tears from her face, "Haku…where are you? I can't keep doing this alone…" Chihiro stifled a sob and sighed to try and regain herself control. Every time she would think of him and how much time had passed since their parting, it was almost too much to bear. Sometimes, like she supposed her daughter did, she dreamed of the Spirit World. But her daughter never knew it was real, she never knew that her mother left her heart their with the mysterious boy.
Chihiro walked back to the living room and looked through the large window that framed a perfect picture of a moonlit field with little houses sprinkled across the land with a forest in the distance and a free running river that cut across the field."
'But no one from the past,' she thought. 'As usual.'
Chihiro sighed and plopped herself into a comfy couch and closed her eyes remembering a wide open sea, a cool clear sky, sailing through the wind like a cloud…
The kettle whistled and Chihiro got up and fixed herself the usual 9 o'clock green tea and brought it in a piping hot up back to the coffee table in the living room. Sighing as she loosened up and turned on her lab top hoping to finish up her second chapter when a soft knocking came from the door.
'Who on earth at this hour,' she thought as she, annoyed, left her work with tea in hand and opened the door and froze.
"Chihiro," said the voice.
She held her breath, it was a familiar voice that she refused to forget.
"…Haku…"
He was still her height and his jet-black hair still was perfectly straight and his smile…his smile was just the way she remembered it.
Chihiro was nearly breathless, he was still as she remembered him over twenty years ago and she was a grown woman.
He walked in and closed the door behind him, Chihiro still a little stiff from surprise.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked smiling.
But Chihiro could barely speak, "You're….still young."
Haku's smile vanished, "River spirits don't age when in Spirit World. But look at you, Chihiro. You've grown into a young woman."
"I've waited a long time."
Haku lowed his head, "I had, some trouble convincing Yubaba and having a spirit crossover is complicated."
Chihiro felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Things wouldn't be they way she expected, it was impossible. "Haku…"
Haku moved closer to her and took her hands in his, he was nearly level with her height. "Chihiro, I've never forgotten about you. Don't you think I would have brought back some magic for us to be young together again? Here,"
"No," she choked.
He looked up to her confused, "But Chihiro, this can make us young again and we could finally be happy together isn't that what you want? To be happy?"
'Happy…'
"Of course Haku. I've been waiting all this time but…Izumi…"
"Izumi?" he questioned.
"I adopted her a few years ago. I couldn't wait for you alone."
Haku took a moment to process what he heard. He and Chihiro couldn't be young together, it wasn't a option anymore. "Does she know?"
Chihiro tried to smile, "She knows a bedtime story."
Haku nodded and sighed, "Well then I'll just have to age myself a little."
"Haku, no. I can't ask you to give up some of your mortal life."
"Chihiro, we both know I came to your world only for you. I'll do what I have to so I can be with you."
At that Haku flung open the door and ran into the field. "Come on Chihiro!" he called back.
Chihiro stood at the door at first hesitant and then broke out into a run after Haku as they laughed running through the field. They stopped at the river and the laughing and dancing stopped.
"Haku…"
He smiled back at her and crouched down and put his head over the water and whispered something. Chihiro stood still as watched as the water raised up from the river and encompassed Haku. The winds picked up and seemed to carry a whisper with them and then there was a blinding light from the water cocoon and Chihiro had to look away. The water seemed to explode off of Haku and fell to the ground like rain. Chihiro looked back and saw a tall, handsome Haku standing before her. He features matured and his body was more muscular and brooder, but he still had his same hair.
Chihiro started to laugh in astonishment and excitement and flung her arms around Haku who laughed himself. Both started to shed tears of joy until a little voice was heard.
"Kaasan?"
Chihiro looked her right and saw Izumi standing there barefoot in her pink nightgown rubbing her eye.
Haku looked at Chihiro and Chihiro looked from him to Izumi and smiled. She went to her sleepy daughter's side and crouched down, "Izumi this is your Otousan. He's been away a long time but he's here now to take care of us."
Izumi moved closer to Haku and yanked on his sleeve to get him to lower to her level, "Are you the mysterious boy in Kaasan's story?"
Haku looked to Chihiro who only smiled.
"Izumi, well aren't you a pretty girl. Yes I was that boy and your Kaasan was that young girl a long time ago. But you must promise never to tell anyone."
Izumi nodded her head, "Otousan?"
Haku had a odd feeling being called that, but he could get used to it, "Yes?"
Izumi jumped up into his arms and hugged him, "I've dreamed about you every night."
Haku was at fist stiff at the sudden expression of emotion but slowly eased his arms around the little girl and smiled up at a beaming Chihiro…
A/N: Cute, no? I saw Spirited Away a long time ago and own the movie and always thought about how Haku and Chihiro should have ended up together at the end of it so I wrote this little one shot. Oh Kaasan is mother and Otousan is father in Japanese just so you know. Well don't forget to review, this is my first non-Ruouni Kenshin fic.