Chapter 2

Limbs weak and head spinning, the naive brunette was carried up the endless stairs of her own apartment building and barely able to combat her collapsed state enough to open the door once they reached her home. Haku had slung her arm over his shoulders and guided her patiently through each step; feeling her body pulsating from panic in his arms and her frantic energy flowing right through her arms and into him. It was as if she were in a trance, for her eyes were milky and gaze was far off; somewhere deep in a dream land where he imagined all the memories she were reliving all at once. He finally convinced the dazed-off Chihiro to hand over her keys and fumbled through each one before finding the correct one and unlocking the door to her apartment. Chihiro's home was nothing like he had pictured it. It was practical and elegant, far more expensive and adult looking compared to her surroundings. He then finally started to realize that she was now in fact an adult, he had only known her as a foolish child and had only seen a glimpse into her grown self- just before he was forced to say goodbye.

Her dark eyes fluttered open slowly and though her head was now pounding with grief, Chihiro was happy to be staring into the eyes of her beloved friend Haku. "H-Haku," she breathed. The corners of her lips turned into a gentle smile and he returned it through draped over bangs that reached the tip of his nose. He was kneeling along side her as she laid in her bed, pajamas on and snugly tucked in underneath the sheets. Before Chihiro could mention it, Haku quickly reassured her, "I'm not interested in such things. I just didn't want you to be cold in your street clothes; you fell down into a puddle during your episode." The tension slowly subsided and Chihiro closed her eyes to fully digest everything that was going on. She never expected to see him again and though she didn't remember, every ounce of her being was missing him every day. Slowly her eyes began to fill with tears.

"You weren't meant to know just yet," Haku sighed, "I'm so sorry it had to go down that way." He was clearly avoiding eye contact but was forced to be drawn to her when she shot up in bed; her tears of sadness suddenly churning into tears of rage. "I've been alone. All this time," she cried in short puffs, "you could have been here. But you made me forget you. Forget you, and Lin, and Kamaji. You could have been here after what happened - you know, don't you? Don't you?" Her blood shot eyes were dead set on his. He quivered inside. "I don't know what you're speaking of," he lied. "I don't believe you," she cried harder. "I was all alone. After my father left, my mother was just so sad. But you know what she did. Don't you? Don't you make me say it." The bed vibrated slightly from the shaking of Chihiro's legs and with every bellowing cry she released, Haku could barely stand to take it any longer. "I can only imagine," he lied again. I wanted to come back, he yearned to reassure her, but it wasn't the right time. But for now, a shoulder to cry on as well as a punching bag was enough reassurance.

After she was calmed down and settled with a cup of tea, reality seemed to be truly setting in between the old friends. Chihiro went on and on about her teen years and entering her twenties, all stories that Haku knew already but would never say to her. When she had asked what he had been doing or where he had been, he simply said, "Here and there. Kind of floating, it is my nature after all." A river joke. "You're the same as I remember you," Chihiro said with a faint smile, "with longer hair, of course." She had the sudden urge in all ten fingertips to touch him but resisted. She wanted to run her fingers down that long hair and twirl it around like a baby would. She wondered if it felt like the fur that lined his scales that night. Those same fingers started trembling against the tea cup and she quickly put it down on her night side table, sucking in a deep breath through her nostrils. He even smelled the same. Her favorite smell. "I should get going. You need sleep after such a day," Haku said as he rose from her bedside. His eyes were tired. "Where will you go?" Chihiro said urgently. She didn't mean to come across so strong but there was no denying the panic painted across her face. Before she could speak again, he slowly lowered himself to her level and said in a soft voice close to her ear, "I'll be here when you wake up if that's what you want."

Just as he had promised, Haku was waiting patiently at the kitchen table when Chihiro left her room and prepared to begin her morning routine. Her heart jumped a bit at the sight of him, as if she were seeing him all over again, and he could see it written all over her. He simply smiled and nodded towards the tea waiting for her across from him. "Did you sleep here?" She said with a smile as she sat down. "No," Haku replied promptly. He clearly didn't care to continue on with the conversation and instead focused forward. "Do you need to work today?" There was a pause before their eyes met again. Chihiro smiled again, sheepishly this time, and said timidly, "Uh... no. I called out today." I don't know how long you'll be around, she wanted to tell him, and want to have all the time I can get. "I can do that now that I'm not working at a bathhouse," she chuckled. The joke didn't go over well, for Haku neither laughed nor smiled. He continued sipping his drink and she did the same. Silently.

"It's time for me to go," Haku finally said. He was already up from the table and heading for the door before Chihiro started babbling from behind him, "B-but I already called out of work, don't you want to stay- just a little while-?" She almost reached out and grabbed him again before remembering what had had happened last time. "You just came back!" She finally called. Haku's hand had just touched the door handle before his head bowed and he sighed, feeling himself melting within and yet standing as strong as a statue outside. "I shouldn't have come back." His bluntness struck her like a brick and she stopped in her tracks, physically clutching at her chest as if she were attempting to mend the hit. Her breath hitched but she managed to say, "But why? What have I done?" What she had done wasn't the matter, he knew that. Of course he knew that. "You were fine on your own," he said without turning around, "and we weren't meant to meet again. It's not natural for me to be here."

"Not natural?" Chihiro croaked. She felt her teeth baring down but before she could yell, she simmered herself down almost instantly and instead stayed in place and clenched her fists. "Not natural," Haku repeated. His tone was harsh. "It wasn't natural for you to be in my home and now I shouldn't be in yours." With his words, Chihiro slowly strode toward him with small steps. His hand was still on the knob but he was no longer turning it. "Maybe I wasn't meant to be there but things changed for the better," she said slowly, "but tell me. Why did you come back?" That had done it. Within a moments notice, his arm quickly drew back from the door and he spun on his heels in a speed she had never seen from him before. His eyes were wide and his face completely out of character as he cried out, "Maybe your memories can be erased but mine cannot. Twelve years of that haunting me every single day, the promise that we would meet again knowing very well it wasn't supposed to happen. I don't belong here. But I do... belong beside you. In whatever way. As your protector, your friend. Your-"

Before he could finish, Chihiro's lips were on his and the two childhood friends were met in a passionate kiss. His mouth was frozen in shock but slowly began to move in sync with hers, which were going back and forth between breath and additional kiss. Her arms were in a tight lock around his neck and she kissed him longer the last time, savoring the sweet scent and now taste that would also be her favorite. The memories were flooding back and now, it wasn't just that- it was the present and it was unbelievable. She could feel him fading but herself fading also, out of the human world she had come to know for so long and into a place that she had been so long before.