Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
The next morning, Chihiro woke to the loud ringing of her alarm clock. She quickly slammed the snooze button and shoved off the blankets, attempting to ensure that she would not fall asleep.
The slight breeze coming from her open window was refreshing and she breathed in the morning air. Wait…open window. Chihiro froze, she didn't remember opening a window or leaving one open before she went to bed.
Turning slowly and getting out of bed, she looked around the room and, when finding nothing out of sort, slowly opened the door and crept into the connecting hallway and checking for intruders.
Relieved when she had checked every nook and cranny of her small apartment and hadn't found anything, she returned to her room to get dressed.
Chihiro opened the door to her closet and pulled out the clothes she would need for the day and proceeded to hurriedly put them on.
Crap! She thought, noticing the time and dashing out of the room, leaving the small note on the window sill unnoticed.
--
I officially hate Mondays… Chihiro complained to herself as she opened her door at six o'clock that same evening.
The flower shop had been bustling and since the owner/manager had not expected it to be a busy day, she had been the only one working for most of the rush.
Not only that, when she had finally managed to punch her time card out and leave the store for the lucky one after her, she had remembered that she didn't have any food in the house and was forced to go to the supermarket.
Now here she was, her arms aching from the heavy weight of groceries and her feet tired from the long walk.
I might as well get started. She resigned herself to putting away all of the groceries and making herself a sandwich before taking a nap.
--
"Why isn't she here?" Haku wondered out loud. Ryu flew above him, searching for any sign of the woman his master was looking for.
"Was she held up? Or does she not want to see me?" He paced back in forth through the grass. "Did something happen to her?"
Ryu landed on his shoulder and he reached up to stroke the bird's downy wings.
"Where are you, Chihiro?" He whispered, looking into the gate and again finding no one there.
--
Chihiro finished up her sandwich and walked into her room. Shivering when a gust of wind raked across the bare skin of her arms, she walked over to the window to close it.
What's this? She grabbed the small note on the window sill.
It's got my name written on it.
Curious she opened the letter and began to read.
--
"Should I give up, Ryu? We've been waiting here for two hours. Maybe we should give her a little while longer…?" Haku had stopped his nervous pacing and had instead taken to nervously blathering to the bird still perched on his shoulder.
--
Chihiro's eyes widened and the note fluttered to the floor.
Haku? Did you really send this? How?
No one else knew about what or who she had met while at the spirit bath…so that meant it had to be him.
Haku.
She smiled and picked the note back up. Clutching it to her, she checked the time.
Oh, no! This can't be happening.
It was already two hours passed the meeting time.
Grabbing and slipping on her shoes, she ran from the room and, grabbing her keys also, left the apartment.
--
"I'll give her fifteen more minutes, Ryu. If she's not here by then, I'll just have to accept that she's not coming…" Haku sighed, dejected. He seated himself onto the plush, green grass beneath him and stared at the tunnel leading out of this world and into his beloved's…
--
I'm almost there…I hope he didn't leave. Chihiro sighed to herself, her heart was racing and her legs were killing her, but she had to get there, she just had to.
Following the winding path, her breath caught when she neared the massive tunnel leading towards the spirit bath.
--
"Well, Ryu, time's up." Haku stood and turned, walking away.
--
No, wait! Chihiro saw the retreating figure and recognized some of the features. Haku!
Colliding with the taller male, they both tumbled to the ground, their breaths leaving them with a 'whoosh'.
"What-" Haku flipped over so that he was above his assailant and froze when he saw a slightly familiar face.
"Ch-Chihiro?" He managed to choke out. Nodding, she smiled.