A/N Sorry I took a while to update – I had midterms last week. And I'm warning you in advance that I probably won't update for at least a month after this chapter. Regardless, please continue to read and review. I promise I won't abandon this story.

"You'll have to tell me everything when you get back!" Lin insisted with a mouth full of food.

Chihiro sighed. "I'm not even sure I'm going."

The two girls were at a simple restaurant that existed without a name. A handful of spirits shared the area with them, more distracted by Lin's dining manners than by the presence of a human.

Lin was unashamedly scarfing down an assortment of meats, the savory juices dripping down her chin and onto her clothes. Chihiro picked tentatively at her own dish. If the food was as good as Lin made it out to be, then surely she would turn to a pig if she ate it.

"Why wouldn't you go?" Lin asked.

"I have work."

After they had made up, Haku asked Chihiro if she wanted to visit the remnants of his river. If she went, her steady progress of saving her parents would slow significantly. Besides, she doubted that Haku was only okay with the fact that his reason for coming into existence was gone forever. She herself was fairly miserable, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to see someone else feeling the same way.

Even so, she could not bring herself to completely turn down Haku's offer. She'd told him that she would think about it.

"That's all you ever do!" Lin slammed her fist down on the table, bringing more attention upon herself. "When was the last time you left the bathhouse?"

"Right now."

"Don't make me laugh. I had to nearly drag you here. You need to relax and have some fun for once!"

"I find work fun," Chihiro lied, though her throbbing back and shoulders countered her words.

"See? That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. There's no possible way that anybody can have even one ounce of fun working for that bitter, old witch. There must be something wrong with you."

Chihiro flinched. Yes, there were many things wrong with her. She couldn't even age.

"You have to go!" Lin continued. "All couples need to have a first date, and this can be yours and Haku's!"

"Not that again," Chihiro snapped. "Haku and I are just friends. I'm not going if doing so means more of your taunting."

Lin groaned. "You're impossible! I keep telling you that Haku's in love with you, yet you still doubt him!"

"Haku's never shown any display of affection more than friendship towards me. There's nothing to doubt about him."

"Because you're not looking into it enough."

Chihiro sighed frustratingly. "I've had enough of this."

A look of surprise flashed across Lin's face before slowly molding into that of understanding.

Chihiro gazed back warily.

"Sen..." Lin hesitated.

"Just say what you need to say, Lin."

"But I'm afraid of the answer." Lin waited for Chihiro to respond. When she didn't, Lin continued. "Is there somebody else?"

"What gibberish are you getting at this time?"

"Is there somebody else... that you love?"

How on earth did Lin arrive to a conclusion such as that? And why would Lin be afraid of the answer? It had nothing to do with her. Chihiro wanted to open her mouth and let loose the torrent of angry words that were surely spawning from her disbelief, yet her mind failed to piece anything coherent together. Lin was not stupid, but she had been acting so rather often.

"Lin – you – what -," Chihiro choked out.

Lin took Chihiro's strangled words and vibrant red blush as a confirmation. "It's alright. I should have known that you loved another man. It's only normal for you to fall in love with somebody of your own kind. But you're the one who will have to tell Haku. I'm not good with angsty dragons."

"Enough!" Chihiro shrieked, managing to attract the remaining eyes of the restaurant's population that weren't already looking their way. "I. Don't. Love. Anybody! Not Haku, and definitely not some human man. The way you can talk so nonchalantly about a relationship between Haku and I that is not and will never be a romance is so embarrassing! You have constantly tested my patience with your absurdities, and now you've finally reached the limit! Every conversation we have together results in my anger but never yours. You can stop your quest for love in my life because you won't find anything!"

Perhaps Lin should have been offended by Chihiro's short and angry rant that held Lin in high accusation. She had never known that Chihiro was capable of such an outburst, nor had she known that what had seemed like harmless teasing was practically draining the human of her sanity.

Lin was silent for a moment, chewing her food, contemplating her thoughts.

"I'm sorry for that just now, Lin."

Lin held up a silencing hand, still chewing. "Hush."

Chihiro sounded so sure of herself that Lin almost pitied her blindness. She would show Chihiro just how wrong she was and maybe be rewarded for doing so. In the end, everyone – Chihiro, Haku, and herself - would be happy, and Lin would be the one to thank.

Lin swallowed. "Okay, let's make a bet."

Chihiro looked up, her face reddened in shame for having screamed at her best friend. "What?"

"Let's make a bet," Lin repeated.

"No bets."

"Just hear me out. You go on Haku's little adventure and have some fun while I cover your shift."

"Lin, I can't-"

"If Haku kisses you by the end of the day, you have to pay me a week's worth of your salary."

Chihiro's face turned a shade darker as Lin's conditions registered in her head. She couldn't have cared less about paying up, but the thought of Haku kissing her felt strange. Almost unnatural.

She cleared her throat before answering. "What's with you and my relationship with Haku? You're starting to scare me, Lin."

"It's not that I'm so interested in your complicated romance. I just need more money, and this is the perfect opportunity to get some, since I know I'm going to win."

"Is that so?" Chihiro asked, irritated.

"Mm-hm."

"And what will I get if it turns out that mine and Haku's friendship is not exactly the birds and the bees that you've mistakingly viewed it as?"

Lin thought for a moment. Chihiro simply didn't seem like the type to play along if only money was involved. Lin would have to pick an appealing enough reward that even her thick-skinned friend couldn't help but gamble a little. In this case, it would have to affect Chihiro emotionally.

"I'll stop teasing you about Haku, seeing that it bothers you so much."

It was the perfect prize for Chihiro. The mere thought of being freed from Lin's embarrassing assumptions was enough to substantially improve Chihiro's mood. She would be able to get her work done with a fully coherent mind, as would she be able to talk to Haku without fear of a watching Lin, waiting to make yet another romance story out of a casual conversation.

Then there was the matter that she was in the Spirit World for her parents, not for a day trip. She was already taking a risk by eating out at the restaurant.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll have to decline," Chihiro told Lin.

Lin's eyes widened disbelievingly. "Why?"

"I already said that I have to work."

"And I already said that I would cover your shift."

Chihiro shook her head, refusing to be deterred from her final decision. "No."

"Why are you so intent on working? I'm just dying to know considering that's the only thing you ever do."

Was telling Lin everything worth the price of putting a stop once and for all to her goading questions? The price to be free of the bonds of her secrets? The price to finally be understood by people who loved her?

No, it most certainly wasn't worth it.

"I... I'm trying to work the same number of days as the first time I was here." It wasn't a lie, but it failed to satisfy both Lin and herself. It clearly highlighted the lack of information that was still kept as secrets.

"Look, I'm not going to question you further, since you did say that you couldn't tell me all the details." Lin shrugged. "But I still think that you should go on the trip with Haku."

"Thanks, Lin. But I am telling the truth when I say that I'm trying to work the same number of days."

"How many days was that?"

"Fourteen. So maybe after twelve more days I'll be able to have a solid social life."

"Just because you lived here for fourteen days doesn't mean that you worked here for fourteen days." Lin snickered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Lin bit into her steak, "that you had a good amount of free time."

"Free time...?"

Chihiro hadn't given free time much thought when calculating the amount of time needed to work. But Lin had a point - Chihiro had stayed in the Spirit World for fourteen days, but that didn't necessarily mean that she had worked for that long. Compared to the hours she was working now, her ten-year-old self seemed like a slacker. She had always been around Lin, Kamaji, or Haku, and the No-Face episode shed off a good duration from her work schedule. Her whole-day trip to Zeniba's took more than enough time to grant her a few hours off in the present

She soon found herself being consoled of her agitation.

"Lin, you're... absolutely right," Chihiro mused.

"When am I not?"

"When I win the bet." Chihiro leaned back, already confident in a victory. She would go on the trip. There was no way that Haku was going to kiss her.

Lin grinned at the sudden competitiveness in her friend's demeanor. "You might as well pay up now."

"Not a chance."

The two reached across the table to shake hands. The bet was officially on.

"And Lin?"

"Yeah?"

"I really am sorry for yelling at you. That was very uncalled for on my part."

Lin rolled her eyes. It was so typical for Chihiro to apologize for something that wasn't her fault.

xxxxx

"I don't know..." Chihiro said. "It's been a long time since I've done this..."

The girl stood beside a white dragon on the bridge. Her feet were planted on the ground, eyes staring intently at the dragon's back. It had been nineteen years since she had last flown with him, and he had grown significantly since. Though slender as he was, Haku's massive body took up the whole bridge. Surely a light-weight such as Chihiro would go unnoticed if she fell off.

Haku swiveled his head back to look at her. His eyes seemed to ask, "Are you coming or what?"

"Maybe we should do this a different day."

Haku growled softly in response.

"Besides," Chihiro continued, "it's pretty busy today. Even though Lin's working for me, I think I really should stay..."

Haku continued to stare at her.

Chihiro's cowardice was overwhelming, but she wouldn't dare show Haku how afraid she was. He had seen enough of her weakness. She would have to turn him down casually, no matter how much she wanted to go. She didn't even care that doing so would forfeit her chance of winning the bet.

"Yes, I have to stay. I just can't afford to miss work. I'm sorry for all but abandoning you now, but I really do appreciate the offer."

She turned rather abruptly on her heels and strode back towards the bathhouse, trying to convince herself that she was doing the safe thing – the right thing to do. It wouldn't help anybody if she died from a dragon crash.

Haku exhaled deeply, a sigh. It was plainly evident that she was only afraid of the ride. Furthermore, he doubted he would let her leave him, even if she was telling the truth of not wanting to go.

The end of the dragon's tail swished at the air, creating a large gust if wind that effectively knocked Chihiro from her feet. Before she could land or put her surprised thoughts together, Haku had caught her on the back of his neck. She instinctively grabbed a hold of the two horns on his head and held on tightly, her knuckles turning white.

After making sure the girl was secure, Haku effortlessly glided up in the air. Chihiro blanched as she watched the bathhouse become nothing more than a red speck underneath them. They drove straight through the clouds, surrounded by the vast deepness of the blue sky.

She pulled herself up closer to his head.

"Haku!" she complained in his ear.

Haku pulled his mouth back, revealing a grin.

Chihiro tucked her face in his thick blue-green mane, refusing to look at the open space below. But she could still hear the rush of wind crashing through her ears like ocean waves, and still feel the sun provide her with what little warmth that could salvage her from the high-altitude air.

After a few minutes of Haku's sure and steady way of flying, Chihiro opened one eye. Then the other. Chihiro might have mistaken the endless ocean beneath them as more sky had the sun not reflected diamonds across its surface. The height no longer intimidated her now that the surface of the earth was visible again. Every few miles, a small patch of green island would provide a relieving contrast from all the blue.

She was actually starting to enjoy the flight.

"Look!" Chihiro pointed down to one of the islands.

Rested on the island appeared to be a great, red teapot, its size comparable to a skyscraper. Chihiro could see every detail, from its defined curves and intricate patterns, even from her place on the back of a dragon. Billowing out of the teapot was thick, puffy white steam. It curled up the sky like reaching fingers, forming into irregular shapes upon finding refuge with the passing wind.

"Is it making clouds?" Chihiro asked in awe.

Haku nodded.

"Huh. There was more to evaporation than I initially thought." And more to the Spirit World as well.

Haku grinned again.

Sometime during the flight, the water intermingled with the land, and green began to dominate the surface below. Ever so slightly, Haku's direction shifted a fraction of an inch downward. Chihiro sensed the change, knowing that they were slowly approaching their destination. Her grip on his horns tightened, and she pressed herself closer into his mane.

Unbeknown to the other, the dragon and human were thrilled by the other's company. This would be the first time that they would spend some time together out of the bathhouse, where they could only speak to each other in subdued whispers and guarded eyes.

The unlikely duo sped to the ground, eager for what could potentially become of the trip.

A/N Yes, it's a short update after a long time. Yes, it's a very boring chapter. Yes, it's a poor ending. The next chapter will be more appealing. Maybe I'll revise this, but I'll probably be too lazy to do so. Thanks for reading!