Author's Note ~ Oh goodness, I am so sorry that this came out late! I had it all ready, I swear! It's just that my computer connection got zonked! AGAIN!!! Enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter Six ~ Recalling This And That

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Kohaku landed on the earth, still in his dragon form. Searching for Chihiro from the skies for seven hours non-stop was not a very nice task and even the thought of being reunited with Chihiro again couldn't stop him from feeling a little blue.

He simply couldn't find her.

Kohaku changed back into his human form resentfully. He was simply too tired to search anymore. Besides, it was definitely more dangerous flying here than in the spirit world. He had to avoid being seen and there were always some sort of flying contraptions ready to knock him over in mid- air. He mused about these as he put his feet into the river that was running beside him.

" Well, my boy, what do you think you're doing here, eh? "

Kohaku whipped around, eyes alert and surprised. He had landed in a thick and dense forest to make sure that nobody could see him.

But even now, before his eyes stood an old man that looked as if he'd seen ages of the world. His back was bent and his knees, shaky looking. And yet, this old man had a look about him, a look that showed confidence and wisdom merged together. His bright eyes held the special understanding look that Kamajii always had about him. He held a walking stick that supported his weight.

" Who are you? " Kohaku asked.

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Chihiro looked around Zeniiba's kitchen and quietly sipped her cup of coffee. Ching was doing the same thing. Hiromi was cautiously eyeing Zeniiba while pretending to be drinking her coffee, not wanting to seem rude.

If the situation had not been so tense, Chihiro would have found herself laughing out loud. But she had thoughts of her own hanging over her.

She had always thought that Ching seemed a bit aloof, perhaps like an enigma to her. Her actions and thoughts had never really been easy to read. That was probably why most people found her a little weird and that made them keep their distance. Chihiro and Hiromi never minded about this. They thought Ching to be one of the nicest people around, if not a little spaced out from the real world at times.

Chihiro's train of thoughts flew out of her head as Ching cleared her throat loudly.

From the corner of her eyes, Chihiro saw Zeniiba and Kaonashi looking at each other and then shrugging. Ching fidgeted with her long black braid and looked expectantly at Chihiro.

Fortunately, it was Hiromi who spoke up first. " I really, really want to know what's going on. Can somebody please tell me? "

Chihiro looked at Ching and grinned wryly. " You first. " She said.

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" Who are you? " Kohaku repeated, turning his back entirely to face the elderly man. He was quite sure he did not sound too nice but nor did he wish to sound as though he was in charge.

The old man merely laughed and sat down on a moss-covered boulder beside him. Whoever it was, it was clear that he did not feel in the least threatened by Kohaku who was sure that he had seen him change from a dragon to a plain boy in an outfit which dated back to the prehistoric days of cavemen.

" Sit. I am not going to harm you, nor am I going to expose your...other form to the rest of this world. But I do propose we have a talk. "

Kohaku eyes the older man warily but he sat down crossed legged in front of him. He was not entirely sure why, but something inside him told him that this old man was not someone who would harm him.

" Good. Now, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hoshino Koji and I am a seer. I see, hear and feel things that nobody else can. Can you see that cottage there? That one there through those wild rose bushes? That is my home. People come to me for fortune telling and for herbal remedies. " He said slowly.

Kohaku nodded and lowered his head, looking at the ground. He was unsure of what to say to this man.

" I won't ask about you for you wouldn't tell me anyway. But you will tell me in your own time. For now, you can live with me as my apprentice that is if you want to. You will contemplate about it for a while and I shall wait. But I am sure that you will accept my invitation anyway. " He said, smiling warmly at Kohaku.

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" Well, I figured by now all of you would have realized that I've been here before. " Ching started, grinning pathetically around at everybody.

" Yes. I think we all have figured that out. " Chihiro said. Hiromi nodded slowly beside her.

The three girls were now seated in a comfortably lit room. A fire blazed before them and they were all stretched out on the carpet, hugging cushions. Zeniiba had left to enable them to speak freely. Kaonashi had followed her, waving madly at the girls.

Ching nodded and inhaled deeply. " Well, as you both know, I moved here a year ago with my family. We took the wrong turn and I ended up...here, right in Yu-Baaba's clutches. Of course, she accepted me into the bathhouse. And I stayed there for a while. But my parents didn't survive Majou No Sekai..."

Chihiro felt a lump rising in her throat. She had been lucky to get her parents back but here, Ching had lost them right here. Now she truly understood why her friend lived with her three aunts and uncle.

" Ching...you don't have to tell us...if you don't want to. " Hiromi said, concerned. The warm-hearted girl put an arm around Ching and gave her a hug.

Ching smiled weakly but her face remained determined. " No, I want to tell you. It's been in the closet for far too long anyway. I need to open up. "

" Alright. Continue but if you feel like stopping, do. " Chihiro said.

Ching nodded. " Well, I was too late to save them. So I stayed longer. For a year, I worked under the close supervision of Yu-Baaba's apprentice, Haku and a worker in Aburaya, Rin. I presume you know them already, Chihiro? "

Chihiro nodded.

" They were extremely helpful, especially Rin. She was the only one who stood by my side after I found out about my parents...and Haku...he was really nice, like a big brother. Life went on for a while. One day, this goddess, the goddess of time came to the bathhouse. She was all in white and she was so beautiful. In a way, she reminded me of mother. So kind, so warm, so loving...Well, she seemed to take an instant liking to me. After her third visit, she adopted me as her daughter. From that day onwards, I called her my mother. She was my second mother. "

" But she had the gift to see into the past, present or future. And she could see my future. A future that would only come true in the real world. And she let me go. Just like that. At first, I refused to leave her. I fought against her will for the first time. But she convinced me that my true path lay away from the Aburaya, away from Majou No Sekai. And so I left. Well, the rest you know. I went to live with my aunts and uncle and come to school where we all go. That's all. " Ching finished, looking extremely white but relieved all the same.

Chihiro reached over and gave her a hug. It wasn't long before the Chinese girl started sobbing. Chihiro continued hugging her while Hiromi provided her with tissues from her pocket.

" It's okay to cry, Ching...It's not wrong. " Hiromi said.

" Yes, just let it all out. We're here for you. " Chihiro continued.

Ching continued sobbing but she had now buried her face in both her hands. " I ... I...promised...I promised myself I wouldn't cry..."

" Ching, it's okay...don't worry about it. Just let it all out. Let it all out and start a new day tomorrow. Life's too short to spend mourning. We have to move on sooner or later. I'm sure your parents would have wanted you to move on sooner. So cry all you want now. But tomorrow, the sun will shine out. And it will reflect your feelings. You will feel better tomorrow, I promise. " Hiromi said, embracing both Ching and Chihiro in a group hug.

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" So...this is your home? "

True to Hoshino's words, Kohaku had decided to stay as an apprentice. When he expressed so, the old man merely smiled and waved the way towards his home.

" Yes. It's not much, but at least it's a roof over our heads. "

Kohaku nodded and followed Hoshino through the door. Hoshino motioned him towards a small room at the North East corner of the room.

" This is your room. " He said.

" Thank you. " Kohaku said.

" You're welcome. Now, do you want to tell me why you're here? "

Kohaku sighed. He obviously couldn't avoid this issue for long anyway. " Well, there's this girl...Chihiro, who stumbled into my world..."

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" What about you, Chihiro? How did you come here? "

Half an hour had passed since Ching had told them her story. By now, she was acting nearly normal again although her red eyes gave her away. But she was smiling, rather weakly, but still, she was smiling. Hiromi was now eager to find out about Chihiro's past in Majou No Sekai.

Chihiro bit her lower lip and nodded. " You sure you want to hear about it? " She asked.

When she received two slight nods, she began speaking.

" I too got lost and discovered Majou No Sekai when my family was on the move. Mom and Dad accidentally ate the food meant for the gods and goddesses and Yu-Baaba turned them into pigs. Haku warned me to leave the place before the sun set but I didn't make it. Haku found me in a dark corner of town. He directed me to Kamajii where I met Rin. She brought me to Yu-Baaba and I worked there for a while. But then, on my first day of work, I saw Kaonashi and let him in. Little did I know that I was not supposed to. Soon, Kaonashi had taken the form of an Aogaeru. So that was a problem as he turned himself into a giant mass of black slime after a while. Meanwhile, Haku had stolen the Witches' Seal from Zeniiba. But Zeniiba had cursed the seal and Haku would die. Luckily, we got to Kamajii's boiler room where I gave Haku some of the Nigadango that the Kawa No Kami gave me. It took a while and some thrashing about with his tail on Haku's behalf for the seal to come out but it did after all. "

Hiromi looked puzzled. " But this Haku...is he a boy or a...thing with a tail? "

Chihiro and Ching both laughed out loud at the comment. Finally, Chihiro stopped giggling at the indignant look on Hiromi's face.

" Haku is actually a river god. He can change into a dragon or he can remain as a boy. " Ching explained.

" Oh..." Hiromi said. " Well, what happened after that, Chihiro? "

Chihiro threw two logs into the fire and continued. " I decided to return the seal to Zeniiba and ask for her help to cure Haku. He was still out cold. Kamajii gave me four train tickets to get here. I was all ready to leave when Rin burst into the boiler room, telling me that Yu-Baaba wanted to see me. According to her, Kaonashi had made a huge mess and had even swallowed two more of Aburaya's workers. Naturally, Yu-Baaba blamed me for her financial losses. But I managed to bring Kaonashi out of Aburaya and bring him here. Yu-Baaba's son, Bou and Yu-Bird came with me. Meanwhile, Haku came to under Kamajii's care and he made a deal with Yu-Baaba. He would bring Bou back should Yu-Baaba set my family and me free. Yu-Baaba agreed and Haku flew over here to bring me, Bou and Yu-Bird back. "

" As we were flying through the sky, I had a memory...I remembered something that had been locked away for some time. I had met Haku before...and I remembered when, how, and why we met. I told him his real name. And doing so, I set him free of Yu-Baaba's grasps. Afterward, when I was leaving, he told me that we would meet again. But I haven't seen him since. I miss him..." Chihiro said, turning slightly pink.

Ching laughed. " You have a thing for him! "

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Hoshino's laugh was friendly. It rang through the forest loud and clear, like the trills of a hummingbird. Finally, he stopped laughing and made a statement. " This Chihiro girl...you have a thing for her! "

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Sometimes, things happen at the same time in the world. At that exact moment, in two different worlds, two different people, two different souls said the exact same word. They both said the word, after some hesitation, " Yes. "

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Author's Note ~ Well, okay, thanks for those reviews, people! You have no idea how much I appreciate them! Remember to hit the review button and drop little ol' me a review for this chapter!

Ta!