Chapter 9: Of Spells and Sorcery

A/N: This chapter features a sexually suggestive scene and some alcohol. Personally, I think it's fairly tame, but you may not feel the same. You've been warned! Also, most of it is new. Sections lifted from the old chapter but mostly new. Enjoy!

Chihiro stared across the rim of her mug, warily eyeing the man that sat across from her. She shifted her elbows on the patio table. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and she removed one hand from her mug to tuck a stray strand behind her ear.

Haku sat with his hands around his mug, resting on the table. He gazed back at her, face unreadable, patiently waiting for an answer. She was still contemplating his request. She had already decided on the first point. She had some concerns about Keiko: It would be unusual but not overly suspicious if his visits increased in frequency, especially not if she lied and told Keiko that she was trying her hand at dating again. Though she did feel guilty at the prospect of deceiving the old woman.

He would need one week to complete the charms and spells he wanted to place upon her home, to protect her and Sen. While she had decided to agree to this, the second point of his request was troubling her. He wanted to stay with her during the week in which he would be enchanting her home. He claimed that the witch, who apparently had a rather large beef with her, would sense the charms being placed upon her home and attempt to stop it. He wanted to be there to protect her when that occurred. A week with Haku crashing on her couch... The idea was both tantalizing and terrifying. The prospect of managing her self-control, or seeming lack of it, around Haku was daunting, to say the least. He prefaced his request with a way out: he could keep an eye on her from a distance if she was not comfortable sharing her home with him. But she would be vulnerable; they both would.

She closed her eyes. Visions of giant black crows breaking through her windows, dive-bombing Sen's crib crossed her mind's eye. Despite her severe reservations, she was not willing to put Sen's life in danger. But how to explain this to Keiko? She could already see the woman's mischievously gleeful eyes.

Chihiro slowly lowered her mug and set it down on the table. She studied him a moment longer before sighing. "With regards to the first point of your request: yes," she said. Haku smiled warmly, relief visible on his face. Chihiro leaned back in her rickety wooden patio chair, diverting her eyes to stare at the lazily drifting clouds above. "With regards to the second..." she hesitated, contemplating the certainty of her answer. The giant black crows once more crossed her mind, and she resolved herself. "Yes. You can stay here."

The back door squeaked as Keiko pushed open the door and walked out with Sen in her arms, "Look who just woke up from their nap?" Sen's small hands were curled tightly, each holding a handful of Keiko's shirt, eyes half-open. Chihiro smiled, standing to take Sen from Keiko's arms.

"Hi, honey, did you sleep well?" Chihiro cooed. She extended her arms towards Keiko. Sen's tightly clenched hands let go of Keiko's shirt in exchange for Chihiro's, as she pulled Sen close and nuzzled her head with her nose. Keiko gave Haku a warm nod before turning to Chihiro and gave her a meaningful look, saying, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." With a discreet wink, she turned and headed back inside. Chihiro sat back down, grateful to have something with which to distract herself from the prospect of what she'd just agreed to.

Haku remained silent, and Chihiro was grateful for it. She had more than enough thoughts floating about in her head to keep her busy for hours. Sen was beginning to wake up, and take note of her surroundings. Her small brown eyes were fixated on Haku, who gazed back cheerily.

Sen started mumbling and lifted one arm to gesture at Haku. "Amma ama... agha ma schss..." she sputtered. Chihiro pulled herself from her thoughts to observe the exchange. Haku chuckled, and Chihiro smiled lightly.

"I think she likes you," she commented humorously.

Sen began to lean to the side of Chihiro's arm, attempting to wriggle free. She looked down at the child in her embrace, "Do you want to play, sweetie?" Sen continued to struggle against Chihiro's grip; She stood up from her seat and walked over to an enclosed playpen in the center of the small lawn and set Sen down inside, placing a few toys inside which had been tossed beyond the boundaries of the enclosure. Walking back to her chair, she noticed Haku studying at her with an admiring gaze. She cocked her head to the side as she sat down, "What?"

Haku chuckled lighly before responding. "You've really grown up," he commented. Chihiro smiled victoriously at his slip, suddenly feeling as though his week long visitation might not be so bad. She might finally get some real answers. "So I knew you when I was young?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Haku's smile disappeared. "I shouldn't have said that."

"That's not answering the question," she pressed.

Haku was silent for several moments before answering, "Yes."

She pondered his answer. Were they childhood friends? Neighbors before her parents moved?

"Chihiro?" He looked serious. She faced him, studying his weary expression.

"I know what you are thinking. I know how stubborn you are. While I am here... please do not ask me any questions. I know you want to, but I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I let something slip."

This took Chihiro off guard; not because he knew exactly what she'd just been thinking, but because he seemed genuinely distraught at the thought of unintentionally causing her harm. 'He... cares.' She thought dumbly. Chihiro felt her expression soften, as she quietly responded, "Ok."

Haku eyed her gratefully, "Thank you."

"So how does this work?"

It was dark out. Keiko had gone home several hours ago, and Sen was down for the night. A pillow rested atop neatly folded blankets on the far side of the couch; a makeshift bed for Haku. The coffee table had been pushed into the entryway, and Chihiro stood with Haku in the center of the living room.

Haku slowly sat down in the center of the room, in the space the coffee table previously occupied. He kneeled, hands on his knees, and turned his head to speak to Chihiro.

"You may experience some... unusual phenomenon." Chihiro knelt in front of him, curiosity and trepidation crossing her features. He continued, "Since my river's return, my strength has grown quickly and I've yet to gain full control of my abilities. Because of this, there is sometimes an... energy leak, when I perform spells. Humans can sometimes feel this excess energy, and it can manifest itself as a number of things: heightened perception, heightened emotions, an intense shivering sensation, or, though unlikely, levitation." She blinked at him.

"I may start floating?" She asked incredulously. Haku smiled humorously at her startled expression, and nodded, "Yes. I would recommend that you sit on the couch." Eying his amused expression, she lifted herself from the floor and took a seat upon the couch, resting her back against it. Closing her eyes, she mentally prepped herself for the possible side effects Haku had described.

"Are you ready?" Chihiro slowly opened her eyes, steeling herself.

"I'm ready."

Haku gently bowed his head, closed his eyes, and began muttering a series of unintelligible words and phrases as his hands gestured strange patterns before him. She gazed around the room; everything was as it should be. Nothing moved, or glowed, there were no strange noises. She mentally laughed at herself. 'I don't know what I was expecting...'

She continued to watch Haku as he chanted, pausing every so often to focus on making strange motions with his hands. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Magic was a lot less exciting than she'd thought it would be.

After several minutes passed, Haku's motions and chanting began to slow, and she noticed a faint aura emanating from him. The air around him rippled, as it does on hot asphalt in the summer time. She watched, transfixed, has his hands finally came to rest on his knees, his lips speaking silent words. She began to feel a tingling sensation, as if someone were running a slow finger up her spine. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she shivered. She tore her eyes away from him, startled by the sensation.

'It's alright... Haku said this would happen,' she assured herself, focusing on keeping her breathing steady. She looked back at the figure seated on the floor.

'He's so handsome...' she mused, tilting her head to gaze at his face, strong jaw clenched in concentration. Her eyes wandered down from his face, to rest upon his chest. He was breathing steadily, chest rising and falling rhythmically. She could see strong, well defined muscles ripple beneath his shirt. She felt her heartbeat picking up speed. Her mind was starting to feel foggy, and she was having trouble controlling where her thoughts wandered. Desires she hadn't known were present within her began rising to the surface.

Her breathing was unsteady, her heart continuing to beat erratically. She tilted her head, sliding her gaze from his chest, up then down his strong arms before resting on his hands. They lightly gripped his knees.

'He has such strong hands...' she thought with a lopsided smile, noting the veins running along them. She was suddenly seized by an urge to walk over and grab his hand, to lift it to her cheek like he had done in the glade earlier that day. The desire to feel him touch her was overwhelming. She felt her legs begin to shift beneath her, as if readying to walk across the room. She pushed hard on her legs, trying to keep them pinned beneath her. She attempted to keep her eyes focused on his hands, but her brain had other ideas. She guiltily felt her gaze move slowly from his hands, heading up his leg...

She shut her eyes, tight. Thoughts (thoughts she really shouldn't be having!) were swimming unbidden through her head. She took a deep, shaky breath, attempting in vain to control her out-of-control mind. Her heart was beating wildly. She longed for him. Longed to be held within those strong arms, to gaze into his bright eyes, to hear his liquid voice call her name...

"Chihiro?" Haku's worried voice was coming from directly in front of her. Every muscle in her body was in revolt, begging her to grab hold of him, pull him close and kiss him, taste him... It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to squeak out the words that next came from her lips, "Please... don't... come near... me..."

Without opening her eyes, she could tell Haku had stepped away. After several moments, she was able to tear her thoughts from him and focus on her breathing. 'In... out... in... out...' Her breathing started to slow, and heart heart rate was gradually returning to normal. Chihiro slowly loosed her vice-like grip on her legs. Now attempting to reclaim control of her wild and out of control emotions, she focused her mind on a mundane topic: Her grocery list. Mentally, she listed off everything she needed to get at the store: 'Milk... butter... eggs... rice... beef..." She repeated this list several times, feeling she was beginning to regain control of her thoughts. She tested her mental mastery by mustering up an image of Haku before her mind's eye. She certainly had many feelings rushing through her, but she could control them this time. She opened her eyes and blinked several times, being greeted by an image of Haku standing in the center of the room, eyeing her curiously. He looked tired.

"Are you alright, Chihiro?" She returned his gaze steadily, relieved to have regained her self control.

"Yeah... yeah I'm alright."

Haku smiled with relief. Chihiro eyed him warily. "Is it always going to be like that?" she asked. Haku looked thoughtful.

"I don't know. What did you experience?"

She hesitated. She was certainly not going to admit the truth. "The shivering, and... and the heightened perception," she lied. For a split second, Haku looked skeptical and she thought he was going to call her bluff, but the suspicious look disappeared as quickly as it had come and he shrugged.

"I can't say for sure. Though I do know that the fewer symptoms you experience, the smaller the energy leak." He offered her a comforting smile, but she did not feel particularly comforted. It was going to be a long week.

She grabbed the sake bottle and the two matching glasses, then walked into the living room where an old black and white film was playing quietly on her small TV; more background noise than anything else. She held up up the bottle and glasses at Haku's curious expression, and asked lightheartedly, "Do spirits drink?" She set the bottle and glasses on the coffee table as Haku chuckled at the pun.

"Yes, but the alcohol content in our beverages would put yours to shame," he joked. Chihiro paused.

"You know, I think that's the first joke I've heard from you," she laughed. She poured the clear liquid into each cup, sliding one across the table to Haku. Lifting her cup in sync with his, she reached her cup forward, making a small *clink* with Haku's.

"Cheers." Though she didn't let it show, what she had experienced while Haku was beginning his enchantments had unnerved her. Quite a lot. She was acting far more lighthearted than she felt, in an attempt to keep him from seeing exactly how disconcerted she felt. 'Besides,' she thought wearily, 'After the day I've had, I could use a little inebriation.'

Haku set his cup down as she poured herself a second. He turned curiously towards the TV as she finished it.

"What is this?" he asked, gesturing towards the television.

"The Neighbor's Wife and Mine," she answered, "The first successful talking film in the country. Won Best Film." Chihiro leaned back against the couch, staring unseeingly at the television set. "It's one of my favorite movies."

"What is it about?" he asked, turning towards her.

"It's about a playwright... he is working on a new script and is on a strict deadline, but keeps getting distracted by just about everything, including his own procrastination," she paused, "Though, when you summarize it, it doesn't sound as funny as it is."

Haku smiled, turning his attention back to the TV. A comfortable silence fell between them.

Chihiro could feel the alcohol beginning to take effect: her limbs felt tingly and her head was humming agreeably. Having seen the movie dozens of times, Chihiro instead turned her attention to the events of the day. Had she really just had the day she'd had? She smiled slightly. When she actually thought about it, it seemed like something out of a supernatural thriller. She started chuckling. Haku looked over at her.

"What's so funny?"

She laughed a little harder before responding. "Today has been..." she paused, laughing a bit more, "Today has been ridiculous. I was chased by devil crows, had spells cast on my house..." She smiled humorously, fiddling with the purple hair band wrapped around her wrist before looking up at Haku, "If you weren't sitting in my living room, I would have thought I'd dreamed it all up."

Haku laughed.

"Thank you, by the way, for saving me," She said quietly. Haku's expression softened. Chihiro met his gaze, smiling gratefully. Haku smiled in return, gazing at her a moment before saying, "You're welcome."

He leaned forward and poured himself another cup of sake, gesturing towards Chihiro's cup. She nodded, and Haku refilled her cup as well. She reached forward, picking the cup up in her hands, and slowly sipped the clear liquid.

Perhaps it was the sake, but Chihiro was feeling brave. She set her cup down, half empty, and looked over at Haku thoughtfully.

"I know you said not to ask any questions, but I think this one might be okay..." she began. Haku cocked his head curiously, nodding for her to continue.

She hesitated.

"Were... were we friends?"

Haku turned his head from her to stare at the TV, contemplating her question. Chihiro leaned forward on the coffee table, anxiously awaiting a response. Several moments passed before he answered.

"I can't speak for how you felt about me. I like to think you thought of me as a friend." He turned his head back to face her, gazing meaningfully into her eyes.

"I thought of you as a friend."

Chihiro blushed, and turned her face down to stare at the half empty cup in her hands. She felt a bit guilty. She had not been treating him like much of a friend, and she felt compelled to address what he had said.

"I... I'm sorry. I haven't been very friendly towards you. You saved my child, you saved me, I feel I owe you so much more than a simple thank you."

Haku smiled, and reached his hand forward to wrap around her own. She glanced at his hand atop hers before lifting her head to meet his intense gaze.

"You have already given me so much," he said tenderly.

*BANG BANG BANG*

Chihiro jumped at the suddenness of the loud noise. Someone was at the door. Cautiously and somewhat begrudgingly, she stood, Haku retracting his outstretched hand. She walked to the door and opened it.

As the door gently swung open, her jaw dropped and her mind flew into a panic. There stood Kai, sweaty and leaning heavily against the door frame.

And he was smashed.