And thus ended Haku's first day at school. He couldn't say that he was exactly impressed by anything that had happened there. The teacher barely knew what she was talking about, the desk had a wobbly leg, the seat of the chair had a tendency to splinter, and the girls...

Haku head nodded forward as he fell asleep for the sixth time during the lesson. It was history, and the teacher was droning on about one of Japan's many wars. Usually, bloodshed, obscene torture, and mass genocide were extremely interesting albeit gruesome topics, but with the teacher's monotone voice and mechanical gestures, she might as well have been talking about finance reform.

Anyway, Haku righted himself yet again when he heard a small and quick sound, almost a sharp tap. Confused, he looked around the room until he came upon the hopeful and smitten face of a nameless girl who looked rather mousy. Still confused, it took him a while to figure out what she was gesturing, before he was surprised less than pleasantly.

On his desk, was a neatly folded piece of paper, with his name written in formal kanji. But that wasn't what got his attention. What got his attention was the little pink hearts liberally sprinkled all over the note.

He looked back to the mousy girl who's face was now splotchy and red from blushing. Absently he noted that when Chihiro blushed, a rosy hue spread over the apples of her cheeks. He was knocked from his reverie when he heard several more tapping sounds in his vicinity.

And when he looked down this time, his desk was covered in a multitude of love notes.

Haku massaged the bridge of his nose as he walked home slowly, Chihiro at his side. He shifted both of their bags on his shoulder, their weight unnoticeable even with all of the school books.

Chihiro had merrily waved him off when he offered to carry her home. While she no longer needed the crutches, there was still a slight limp in her gait and her stitches could split at the slightest provocation. Even though she hadn't taken up on his offer, that didn't mean that he couldn't stay by her side and worry, though he was silent about it.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, the sounds of the life around them more than making up for the lack of conversation. Other school children were making their way home, cars were zooming by, and the local businesses seemed to be coming to life.

Without out the sound of Chihiro's voice, Haku realized just how disgustingly noisy her world was.

The two of them arrived home long after school had ended. You see, the girls from the class were not to be deterred from their quest to know this mystery boy. It had gotten so bad at one point, that Chihiro had slipped her arm through Haku's, and she steered them towards a different and more hidden path. Haku was pleased to say the least; the fact that she had even displayed the slightest bit of jealousy was something to be happy about.

And so, when they did finally arrive home, Chihiro trudged up to her bedroom, leaving Haku to his own devices. Or rather Rin's devices.

"Hey there Ku-chan."

Haku swung around until he was facing the elder girl, who was fanning herself as she lounged on the loveseat. She arched one eyebrow at him, her expression neutral but... not. In fact, she looked downright disdainful.

He straightened his posture, and made sure his voice didn't betray anything he was thinking or feeling. "Good day Rin-san, is there anything you needed?"

Rin gave him a tight lipped smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Did you like school?"

Damn, she sounded caustic.

"It was fine." Hmm, he sounded guarded.

Anything else that Rin had to say was cut off as her cell phone rang, the sharp trill of Ready, Steady, Go filling the small livingroom. The teenage girl ran out as one of her friend's excited voice came out of the speaker loudly.

Haku looked after her as she ran, wondering if he should've remained as a dragon.

At dinner, the table was filled with talks of vacation getaways.

"So, my family who shall praise me for being the greatest dad in the world, how about we spend the summer at the lake, maybe rent out a house there?"

If Haku had been a little less reserved, he would've expressed his delight at the idea of a large body of water. Water has his element, was his home, was as necessary as air. Instead, Chihiro did it for him.

"That would be great! We could even rent a boat!"

Screw the boat, Haku thought to himself. Chihiro had once told him in the dead of night that his dragon form was simply beautiful, sleek and powerful while... what was the word she had used? Oh yes, cuddly.

"Can I lay out and get a tan, or must I join in all of the family activites?" Apparently, Rin wasn't as big on the idea as the rest of her family.

"Of course honey! I might even join you." Finally, Chihiro's mother spoke up.

"It's settled. We'll leave this weekend!"

Kagura: I'm sorry. For everything really. The delay, the less than impressive chapter... Yeah.