A.N. - Ok so I'm still working on the next chapters for my other stories, and I swear they're coming soon, but maybe not for a few weeks since I'm in the process of trying to move. In the meantime, this (as well as a one-shot, popped into my head. I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I must put a warning that this story will be a bit darker than the others I have currently, and also more mature (hence the rating). Looking forward to see whether anyone likes it, but I appreciate any constructive criticism as well. Enjoy!

Life Goes On

Six years. That's how long it had been since Chihiro had walked out of the tunnel which had changed her life forever. She was no longer a gangly little kid who was clumsy. She was sixteen, with long, curly brown hair that was always up in a braid or ponytail using her special hair tie Zeniba had given her, coffee colored eyes, and a small frame which held a decent hint of curves. After the "incident", as Chihiro liked to call it, things had gotten back to relatively normal in her life. She made new friends at school and she loved her new house. Her parents had no clue how close to being served as bacon they had come. Most of the time, Chihiro was fine with the way her life was. Then, there were other days, like today, where she would find herself on that road her father had gotten lost on, and stare into the tunnel, wondering if she went in, would it bring her to the spirit world again. When these days happened, she longed to see her friends. Rin, Kamaji, Zeniba, No-Face, Boh, Yu-Bird, and even Yubaba would be a welcome sight. But most of all, she wanted to see HIM again. Haku had been the first spirit to help her, her first true friend. By the end of her adventure though, she had fallen in love with him. She knew that if she had told her parents about this, that they would have said she was too young to fall in love. As the years passed, though, her feelings for the river spirit had only intensified. As a result, she had never been interested in any boys.

So today, when Asuno Surichi, the high school jock, had asked her out, she had turned him down politely and went to her spot by the tunnel. An hour later, she got hungry and walked down to the cafe where she worked with her friend, Torika. The business at that particular hour was slow, and Chihiro easily spotted her friend shoving glasses into the dishwasher. Torika was taller than Chihiro, and much curvier, with grey eyes and chestnut colored hair. She also had freckles and could tan without burning. Torika gave all the credit for this fact to her American-born father. Chihiro's spirits were lifted at the sight of her friend. "Hey, Tori!" She called.

"Hiro! What are you doing here on your day off?" Tori asked, ushering her friend to a booth.

"I have some juicy gossip for you."

"Since when have you cared about gossip?"

"Since it involves me."

"Oh, what happened?" Tori asked eagerly, sitting down across from Chihiro.

"Won't Moru be mad that you're sitting down on the job?"

"It's Wednesday, the slowest day of the week, so the boss isn't even here, you know that as well as I do. Now spill!"

"Fine, fine. Asuno asked me out after school."

"What?! Since when is that self-centered ass interested in nerdy girls like you?"

Chihiro laughed, replying, "I know, right?!"

"You didn't say yes, did you? Cause if you had, I might have to knock some sense back into you."

"Of course I didn't, I'm not an idiot! Besides, you know I'm in love with someone else."

"Someone else you haven't seen since you moved here."

"That doesn't matter, we made a promise to each other." Chihiro hadn't told her friend just what Haku was, exactly, only that he was a crush from her old town. It was a far easier thing to believe than the fact that he was the spirit of a river who could transform into a dragon.

"Hiro, you're spacing out again," Tori's voice broke Chihiro's reverie. Chihiro grinned sheepishly. "What if your lover boy doesn't feel the same way about you? Heck, what if he's forgotten about you?"

Chihiro shook her head, saying, "Until I know for sure, I'm not going to stop loving him. I know it's hard for you to understand. You have lots of guys you like who like you back, and why not, you're beautiful and smart."

"Please. You're beautiful and smart too, you know. There's a lot of guys who like you, better ones than Asuno, but I know you're not interested."

Chihiro merely shrugged. "All these human boys are interested in only one thing, and I want more than that."

"Human boys?"

Crap, she wasn't supposed to have said that. She laughed it off, waving her hand dismissively, saying "Well we women have got to be a form of higher intelligence!"

Tori cracked up. "Oh my God, Hiro, you're hilarious but isn't that the truth?" The girls chatted for a good while longer until Chihiro had to go home and cook dinner. This was Chihiro's life, a life she was used to, if not completely happy with. Little did she know that her life would be irrevocably changed again.