Wow! I got four reviews on the first chapter! Yay! Thanks Hopeful Wishes, kimi-chan, Usako-chan'07, and dbzgtfan2004 you guys are the best!

Please bare with me though, I'm not the best writer or speller, so if you see something wrong or somthing not really descriptive you'll know why. And I'm always open to ideas so feel free to say anything. I'm ok with flames too.

Disclaimer- Look at the first chapter, and you'll see that I own nothing.

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Chapter two: Bad news

Haku stood on the balcony that led from his room at the bathhouse, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over the horizon. The gentle wind blowing his shoulder length, mid-night black hair from his face, which had matured over the past six years. No longer did he have the face of a child, but that of a eighteen-year-old.

Haku sighed. His promise to Chihiro was taking longer to put into action than he had thought. Apparently Yu-baba had some fine print in his contract. It stated, if or when he found out his name, he could not leave until he had worked seven years after that. Only more one year, then this nightmare will be over, and he could hold his beloved Chihiro again.

He smiled as he thought about how she had grown. Her hair was longer, and her eyes brighter. She would be sixteen now, and in what humans called "highschool." Her image always seemed to haunt his dreams, but it was different then he remembered. What he saw in his dreams was a sad soul, desperate and longing. But he could only hope that was just a dream.

Haku turned his head slightly as he heard footsteps falling outside his door. He tensed as the footsteps became silent. "Please, oh please keep walking!" He always hated being disturbed.

--knock knock knock knock--

"Master Haku! We have situation downstairs that requires your attention." It was Tomo. He was still new to the bathhouse and thats why Haku didn't kill him for interrupting. Not that he was going anything really importent anyway, but if one frog thinks he could get away with it everyone would try. Then he would never get any peace.

--knock knock knock knock--

"Master Haku? Are you in there?" Smirking, Haku quitely jumped onto the railing, "I think I'm going to sit this one out." He jumped off before Tomo could knock again.

Tomo opened the door and peeked into the room. Seeing as Master Haku wasn't there he stepped in that walked over to the balcony doors to shut them. As he looked out, the only thing he could see was a small speck flying in the distance.

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Chihiro walked home from school that day with her head hanging low. Today had been, all in all, a bad day.

First she had been late for the bus and had had to walk to school. Of course, being late for the bus meant being late for first period, which meant detention. Then after failing her math quiz in fourth period she had to talk to her teacher about it, which made her late for lunch. Which meant having to eat on the grass outside. And if that wasn't enough already, it started to rain. Pouring rain.

Even as she walked home it was still raining. Her clothes were sopping wet, and her hair was still up in a ponytail, but it was dripping just the same.

Chihiro sighed as she once again turned her thoughts toward a feelings she had been having since her move here six years ago. It was the feeling of loss and impatience. Having never understood why she had these feelings, she simply told herself, "Stop it Chi! Your being paranoid."

When Chihiro approached her two-story blue house, she noted a police car sitting outside. A feeling of distress settled on her and her thoughts flew from her mind. Unknowingly, she quickened her pace until she was almost running, her steps making water splash around her legs.

She ran down the walkway and up the steps to the paint peeling white door. She cringed as the hinges squealed, announcing her presence. Dropping her backpack on the floor, Chihiro walked toward the sound of voices and quite sobs. There was an female officer sitting on the baige colored couch with her father. When she walked fully into the room, her father was shaking slightly and tears were funning down his face.

"Dad? What's going on?" At the sound of Chihiro's voice, her father's head shot up and he quickly wiped away his tears. "Chihiro? You're late." Chihiro hung her head and tapped the tip of her shoe on the hardwood floor.

"I'm sorry. I had detention." Wincing, Chirhiro braced herself for the yelling that she expected from her father. But there was nothing. After a few minutes, she finally got enough courage to look back up. But his tears had begun to flow again, and he ignored her for a moment.

The officer stood up and stuck her hand out to Chihiro. "Hello, Chihiro. My name is Officer Hiroshi." She offered Chihiro a small smile. "I'm afraid I've brought some bad news."

"What news?" Chihiro asked as she timidly shook Officer Hiroshi's hand, her smile faultered.(sp?)

"Well, as I'm sure you know, there has been alot of rain today." Officer Hiroshi paused for a moment, pondering something. "I wish she would just tell me what's going on already." Chihiro thought as she shifted from foot to foot. Then her father spoke up.

"Chihiro, your mother's dead." Shock. Pain. Dispair. Hopelessness. These emotions and more flashed through Chihiro's being like a bolt of lightning. "How can she be dead? I just saw her this morning." Chihiro took a step back as tears started to fill her eyes. "How?"

"She was driving home from the store, and some guy ran a red light and smashed in the front and driver's side of the car. She only lived a short time because she had so much brain damage." Chihiro slowly backed away from Officer Hiroshi.

"No... it can't be... I saw her... this morning... I didn't even..." As Chihiro turned, water drops and tears fell onto the floor. She ran out of the living room, up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door. Leaning against it, she slid to the floor and cried. She didn't even bother to answer her father's calls.

She didn't know how long she sat there with her head in her hands. An hour, maybe more. When she looked up, her bright and cheery painted walls greated her. Her eyes narrowed at the splashes of blue and green around her room. "I used to love these colors. But right now, I hate them." She stood up and walked toward her bed.

Chihiro ripped the white comforter off her bed and threw it to the floor in the middle of her room. She turned to her dresser and picked up all the picture frames with pictures of her and her mother in them. Carefully, she took the pictures out, before throwing the frames to the floor.

Chihiro looked at a little statue of a white and green dragon she had bought for some strange reason at a flee market. Normally, looking at it brought her peace. Now it only angered her further. She picked it up slowly before casting it to the floor. Now, Chihiro looked around at all the posters she had on her walls. One had a happy saying, one of was of her favorite pop band, and one was of a dragon. "Why do I have an infatuation with dragons?" Soon, all the posters were on the floor with, what was now, 'junk.' Next was the closet.

"I can't wear bright colors anymore." She thought to herself. "My appearance should reflect my heart." She pulled out every item of clothing that she judged unsuitable for mourning, and threw it away. Now, all that was left, was black, red, dark green, or dark blue.

Wrapping up all the things on the floor in her comforter, Chihiro dragged all the things she no longer wanted out of her room, down the stairs, and out the front door to the porch.

Smiling at a job well done, Chihiro dusted off her hands and walked back into the house, nearly bumping into her dad. "Chihiro," he asked hesitantly, "what are you doing?"

Chihiro stood up strait, and looked into her dad's eyes. "I'm doing what you always said I should do, Dad." She smiled a sad smile. "Growing up."

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As Haku flew through the air toward Zeni-ba's house, he had a feeling he'd never experianced before. "It feels like someone is trying to rip out my heart!" Haku gasped at the pain. Unable to contain his dragon form, he reverted back and started to fall from the sky.

Strangely, the only thought that ran through his mind was... "Chihiro!" Then he hit the ground and blacked out.

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Dude, I'm so mean. Could Chihiro's change have something to do with Haku's falling? I don't know... stay with me and find out!

If you think that Chihiro's sudden out look on life is werid, thats ok. I just wrote how I would have reacted in that situation.

Tomo means 'a twin', and Hiroshi means generous. Just in case you wanted to know.

Ideas! I love to hear them! So don't hold back. Until next time.

blackXheart