The Wait 2.0: Fragments

It was dark. Too dark. The sky was a blanket of shadows covering the entire mass of land. The moon was nowhere in sight, and the tiny glows of lanterns from the little boats around offered no help to brighten the area. Panic welled up in the dragon as he flew around aimlessly, hoping to find something - anything indicative of the human's presence. The only thing he could depend on now was her scent, which would be far too faint by now after eating spirit food for the past two days.

Hopefully he would be able to find her somewhere onshore, safe and out of sight from other spirits. If she were to be spotted by some rogue spirits, only the gods could tell what would happen to her. Then again, it had been what, ten years since she left? Even if he saw her there was no guarantee that he would be able to recognize her. Humans changed quickly. Now she would be in her prime years, a young adult. She would have shed her child-like features by now and possess more womanly features. The way she walked, her voice, her manner of speaking would all be different.

A strange sadness filled him. He had not been able to witness her growing up into the woman she had become today. Surely she would have blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent woman from the brave little girl she used to be.

But, this was not the time to reminisce. He could do that after he found her. Haku groaned inwardly. He had no clue as to where she might have gone. Granted, the town wasn't very big, but if she happened to have wandered out to sea, then...

He paused for a bit. Perhaps there would be one place where she might have gone. That was the only place outside of the bathhouse that she knew of and he supposed it did possess some sentimental value, even though he largely doubted it. It was unlikely, but it was worth an attempt.

The dragon cut through the air, manoeuvring his way through the region which he knew at the back of his hand. He used to come here whenever he got punished by Yubaba when he first started out as her apprentice. Usually it entailed days without food, or stripping him of his magical abilities which made him vulnerable to physical abuse by the more senior and higher-ranking employees in the bathhouse. He would flee to this place, far enough that he wouldn't be able to see the accursed building, yet close enough so he could go even if he couldn't fly.

Soon, he arrived at the old train station; it was now just a sunken platform. At this time of night the train was not in service. He remembered this place as the sanctuary where he could cast aside all his fears and worries and even if just for a fleeting moment, lose himself in the beauty of the far horizon. It gave him hope that one day he would be able to leave this bathhouse and see for himself where that horizon led to.

Looking down, he scanned the area but to his disappointment, there was no sign of the woman. However, something vaguely intriguing that was floating on the surface of the waters caught his attention. In one swift motion he landed lightly on the rippling water's surface and changed into his human form. Reaching down, he picked up the strange little item to inspect it.

A pink shoe.

It was small, its strange design indicative of its owner as a human. Memories flooded his mind - the alarmed cry of a child in his river as she fell in with a splash, the annoyance of the little river spirits living in his river at yet another introduction of some kind of living garbage that some inconsiderate human had thrown in.

At that moment a new-found sense of panic filled him. His eyes darted back and forth, concentrating on finding the owner of this shoe. From the way things looked, she was probably somewhere in the water. If she were on any of the boats around here, he would have heard some kind of commotion by now.

But there was no sign of her directly beneath the surface from here. That was a good thing - probably - that is, if she hadn't drowned somewhere else. Even if she could swim, she would tire quickly, and the temperature of the water was far too cold for a human to withstand for long.

He gripped the slipper in his hand, bending it in his hold. It would be easier to trace her with this.

Hold on, I'm coming.

He returned to his dragon form before swiftly diving underwater. The cold water brushed against his hard, scaly body. Haku could not see anything; it was pitch-black beneath the surface. The moonlight and the lanterns above were barely enough to illuminate the first few sun in depth.

Unable to rely on his night vision in this vast area, he closed his eyes and focused on sensing disturbances in the water. River spirits living around here would greatly repel the presence of a human more than anything; he just needed to catch the slightest hint of such a disturbance and that would be more than enough to signal her position to him.

So the dragon stilled himself and waited as he focused every inch of his being on the river spirits. They were no stranger to him, seeing that he had stayed in the bathhouse for years. Being familiar with their behavioural patterns was proving now to be an excellent advantage - perhaps one of the only advantages that had come out of serving that cunning witch.

Right then, his ears twitched as he sensed a ripple in the stillness that surrounded him. Immediately his eyes flashed open and he bolted through the waters towards the source of the disturbance.

Please be alright.

It seemed as if too much time had passed before he finally arrived. His eyes widened when he came to a stop, recognizing the uncharacteristic restlessness of the river spirits. He could vaguely make out the silhouette of a limp body levitating in the middle of the waters. The river spirits around it were restlessly pushing against her body - the pressure they exerted on her fragile form proving even more perilous to her life.

The dragon emitted a sharp, threatening growl that stilled the river spirits around her.

It truly is...

There was no need to examine the body to know that he had found her. Without further hesitation he glided beneath her body and then swam upwards, hauling her up with him.

They emerged with a loud splash, and he waited till they were high up enough to avoid onlookers before assuming his human form and catching the unconscious woman firmly in his arms.

A miracle.


It was freezing cold. She couldn't breathe. As if the ocean had wrapped its claws around her neck and was squeezing tightly. Her lungs were screaming for air, and she attempted to move her limbs to swim upwards, but they were far too heavy to move.

It hurt. Pain coursed through her leg. Her head ached like someone had smashed it repeatedly with a brick. Her throat felt like it was on fire.

"Water..." she mumbled as she regained consciousness. "Water..."

"She's awake!" Chihiro heard some loud thumping on the floor which made her head hurt even more. With a groan, she tried to move, but every muscle in her body was unbelievably sore. Had she just run a marathon or something?

"Here," she heard someone who sounded like Lin say, and then there were arms around her to help her into a sitting position. They were warm, she thought to herself. Cool ceramic met her lips as Lin helped her drink it all, before laying her down on the futon again.

"What happened?" Chihiro wondered, finally registering that she was in the boiler room. It was quiet - probably morning by now? She craned her neck with some difficulty to see that Kamaji was asleep by his usual spot and the soot balls were nowhere to be found. Lin, on the other hand, looked positively furious as she returned to Chihiro's side.

"What happened?" Lin demanded, grabbing Chihiro's hand. "You almost died, that's what!" A small squeak escaped the woman as she was pulled into an abrupt hug. She had been expecting Lin to hit her - after all, she had failed to keep her promise to return early.

How had she gotten back here, anyway?

"You idiot, what if something happened to you?" Lin was shaking, and guilt racked Chihiro as she hugged the older spirit back. Lin must have been worried sick.

"I'm sorry," Chihiro said. "The sun was setting by the time I realized and when I tried to get back there were a couple of bathhouse employees out back so I had to take a detour by the ocean. But then I couldn't find my way back and by then it was dark and the boats were all out and there were spirits everywhere and-"

She stopped and winced when Lin accidentally knocked into her left thigh that had been bandaged.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot about that," the fox spirit said before pulling away and insisting that she lie back down. "That's a terrible wound you got there. Your leg was covered in blood when you came back. What happened?"

"I was spotted by some spirits on the boats," she admitted with a grimace, trying to ignore the painful sting in her leg now, "and then they tried to attack me. One of their arrows or hooks must have pierced me. They pulled it out again so I recall it really hurt."

With each word Lin seemed to be getting more upset. "And you've got a fever too," she cried, "this is all my fault! I should never have let you go out there alone! If only I had been more careful..."

"Lin, I was the one who insisted on going out on my own, this has nothing to do with you," Chihiro said, hushing the distraught woman. "You look so tired," she remarked, gesturing to Lin's dark eye circles. "Did you not sleep at all?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted to; you were so sick when Haku brought you back here."

Haku.

Chihiro's heart skipped a beat. "Did you just say... Haku brought me back? That Haku? The dragon? Kohaku?" She had never said his name so many times in one sentence before.

"You don't remember? Well, I guess you were unconscious at the time," Lin rationalized. "I would have gone out there to look for you but dragon boy insisted I stay here to do my work so he could play the big hero. Thank the gods he found you, I don't know what I would have done if he didn't bring you back safe and sound."

Chihiro looked around, scanning the boiler room. "He's not here," she said. "Where is he?"

"He went out to get some of your stuff back. Your bag and that weird sock thing you wear on your head all the time," Lin replied.

"It's not a sock; it's called a beanie." Chihiro frowned as she patted the thin mess of hair on her head. She felt some of it fall off like dead leaves on the trees in autumn, and resisted the urge to continue touching the thinning spot on her head. Oh, how she missed her beanie already.

"Sure thing. Anyway, I need to change the water," she said as she gestured to the basin of water. She removed the cloth resting on Chihiro's head and dropped it in the basin with a soft plop. "Stay here and rest up, I'll be back in a jiffy."

"Thanks, Lin," Chihiro called behind her with a smile. "You should get some rest soon."

"Not when you're looking like a leech spirit just sucked up the blood from your body."

"You're exaggerating, Lin. I'm alive and well, aren't I?"

"Not well, but very much alive, thank the gods." The sudden bass voice startled Chihiro and she jumped, looking towards the door where a man now stood.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

It can't be...

He was tall, almost as tall as the entrance. He had to bend down as he entered. His shoulder-length hair fluttered in the morning breeze, brushing against his very handsome face. It looked foreign to her, yet she swore she saw the face of a young boy she met long ago in his. He wore an amiable smile as he strode towards her, gleaming dark green eyes fixated on hers. Chihiro felt something catch in her throat, and barely registered the quick greeting that he exchanged with Lin before the fox spirit exited the room.

Am I dreaming?

He bent down next to her and reached out his hand. It wasn't for a handshake. Chihiro backed away slightly, unsure of what that incoming hand was for, but then it came to a rest against her forehead with a familiar tenderness.

"Your body temperature is extremely high. I already cast a mild healing spell on you so you should recover more quickly. Just stay here and rest until it gets better. How are you feeling?"

He smelled of fresh rain. Up close she had a clearer look at his face. He had certainly matured over the years, having shed his younger, more childish features. Now, before her, was a fully-grown man. She noted hints of facial hair on his upper lip, his sharper jaw line, his broader shoulders, and the toned muscle beneath the white tunic that he wore, matched with long turquoise pants.

Many things had changed, just as she had thought, but several things remained the same. His eyes still held the same kindness she found when she had been lost and alone, his big, calloused hands still as gentle as she remembered and his voice that flowed smoothly like a calm, mighty river. His shoulder-length hair was slightly tousled but otherwise was the same hairstyle as twelve years ago, and that brought a small smile to her lips. She had imagined so many hairstyle changes for him that she hadn't thought that perhaps he might have stuck to the same one.

Perhaps not everyone changed as quickly.

"Chihiro? Are you feeling alright?" The woman snapped out of her reverie and returned her attention to the now bemused man sitting in front of her.

He was waiting for her to answer him.

Her mouth went dry. She was supposed to answer him, wasn't she? But her tongue refused to budge. All she could do was stare helplessly into his eyes, as if still trying to convince herself that it was the man himself, that this wasn't just another dream of hers that would vanish the moment she reached out to touch him.

Just then, a fresh wave of pain hit her in the head and she winced, rubbing her temples with her thumbs to soothe the pain. "Does it hurt very much?" he asked, a crease appearing on his forehead in concern.

Biting down on her lip to keep from groaning, she managed a meek nod before lying back down. The leverage failed to ease the pain.

"Allow me." He reached over, placing a hand above her forehead. He began to mutter some words under his breath, which she couldn't quite catch. Was it Japanese? It didn't sound like English or any language that she could recognize... Then she felt a strange warmth radiating from his hand. It was a comforting kind of warmth, the kind you'd feel under the sun on a cold winter's day. Within seconds, some of the pain subsided.

"This should lessen some of the pain," he said, withdrawing his hand.

How nostalgic. It reminded her of the time when he gave her special onigiri that he had cast a spell on to make her get stronger quicker. Feeling slightly better now, Chihiro sat up again, feeling a little embarrassed to be lying down with him beside her. "Thanks," she muttered. She felt her body begin to heat up, though if it was because of the fever or the awkwardness she couldn't tell.

"Lin... she said you brought me back here?" she asked, finally mustering the courage to meet his eyes.

"Yes, I did," he replied. "I believe these belong to you?" He held up the bag that he had brought with him, a thick, navy blue beanie and her pink sneakers.

Both surprised and relieved, Chihiro hastily accepted the bag and rummaged through it to make sure that nothing had been lost. Thankfully most of her things were inside, save for two of her older brushes. Her sketch books were all intact, and so were some of her drawings, except that the watercolour paintings looked... distinctly more washed out than she remembered...

He must have noticed her rather glum expression, so he explained, "I took the liberty of drying your things since they all fell in the water... Did I miss anything?"

Chihiro shook her head, trying to ignore the gaping hole in her heart. All her precious drawings... It was a pity, but she was fortunate enough to even get her things back - she would just have to paint those again another time.

"No, it's fine, thank you for bringing these back," she smiled, closing her sketchbook and putting it away in the bag, not wanting to look at it for a while. At least, not until she got over her loss. She found her beanie dry, and happily she put it back on. It was her security blanket of sorts. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost my sketchbooks. They're really important to me."

"You're welcome," he replied, lifting the corners of his lips slightly.

"So..." she began, "How... How have you been, Haku?" Calling him by his name felt surreal; her heart was beating faster in thrill.

"I've been... fine," he replied vaguely. "How about you?"

"I've been... fine," she answered. A half-truth. "Kamaji mentioned that you opened a shelter and that you joined the Shu... Shugorei?"

"Ah, Kamaji... It's nothing much. I joined the Shugorei simply to earn a living and to hone my wizardry. And the shelter..." he trailed off suddenly, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Ah, right," he muttered hastily when he snapped out of his little daze. "It's now a home for homeless spirits like myself."

"Homeless?" she echoed. "You mean, because your river..?"

His lips curled faintly. "Yes."

"Well, it seems that you've been living well," she said with a small smile. "That's good."

"I could say the same for you. I caught a glimpse of your artworks earlier. I never knew you were so talented," he remarked.

"It's nothing," she exhaled in a little laugh. "It's just... something I picked up after leaving this place." Could he have seen the dragons that she had drawn? Hopefully not.

"I see."

The next few minutes passed in awkward silence, with Chihiro at a complete loss for words. Several conversation starters crossed her mind, but each time she opened her mouth to speak, her determination would somehow deflate and she in the end she would simply keep mum and wait for the man to hopefully say something. He didn't, however, seemingly content with just staring at the floor, deep in his thoughts.

For now, the best course of action seemed to be to simply keep quiet and stare at something else until one of them spoke up. It was silly; the atmosphere between them was the kind you'd expect of two complete strangers being forced to interact with each other. Weren't they closer than this? Or at the very least, they used to be.

Chihiro stole a glance at the man, who, though resembled his former, young self, seemed to have become more distant. While some distance was expected, given the twelve-year gap in their friendship, it felt like their conversation from before consisted of nothing but masks of politeness and courtesy; nothing like the carefree casual talk one could enjoy with friends. Haku seemed tense, uncomfortable and distracted; he was anything but happy to be here alone with her, it seemed.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man finally broke the silence.

"Something has been weighing on my mind for a while," he spoke, straightening up into a more business-like posture. "How did you come back?"

She looked up at him, not having expected the question.

"...I walked through the tunnel?" she replied hesitantly, unsure of the answer that he was looking for. He looked very, very confused and worried.

"You haven't been able to return through the Mirror for the past twelve years, I assume?" he prodded further.

"No," she answered, "the tunnel was always blocked by some kind of invisible wall, and it was only a few days back that I found the wall gone."

"That is strange..." he muttered, the frown etched on his face deepening. "The Mirror isn't suppose to open for almost another century... That's how it's always been."

Suddenly, he stood up. "I will need to investigate this further," he declared. "Stay here and rest up, and once you're feeling better you should go back to the human side. It's not safe to stay here for too long," he added.

Before Chihiro could say anything in reply, he was out the door with a gust of wind in his wake. The door quietly shut behind him, and the woman was left with a bunch of questions that she could not dwell on because it was then that Lin appeared with another basin of water and began fussing over her once again.

Before she fell asleep again later that evening, Chihiro's mind couldn't help but linger on what the man said earlier:

"The Mirror isn't suppose to open for almost another century... That's how it's always been."

If he knew that much twelve years ago, what did that make the promise that he made her before?

She must be over-thinking; it might be the fever. In any case, she had to get well soon so she could go home. This was already the third night she had been here, and while her mother not too strict with her, staying away from home for too long would only add to her stress.

But, once she left, would she get to come back and see them again?

"Sure we will."

A promise was a promise, but...

Chihiro closed her eyes, hiding in the darkness that she alone could see.

I hope this promise wasn't made to be broken.


A/N: 'Sun' is a traditional unit of measurement in Japan. 1 sun is approximately 3cm (metric).

Thanks for reading and for reviewing the previous chapter, I really appreciate every single review! (: I'll try to update as soon as I can yeah. Have a great day!