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Chapter 4

Chihiro POV

Kohaku had magically changed his clothes to resemble something more modern. I had helped him a bit, as he didn't really know what to conjure up. He was now wearing a dark blue t-shirt with a white unbuttoned shirt over top, and some dark and loose jeans. I let him keep his sandals though. I didn't think his feet would be comfortable in sneakers or leather shoes when they were used to being in the free air all the time. Besides, it didn't clash with the outfit too much so it was fine. He put his shoulder length in a ponytail at the back of his head. Saying when he walked through town earlier, he had noticed the few men who had longer hair did this. I complimented his choice as it did look rather good on him.

We were currently walking towards my favorite café in town. It was small and cozy, and the owner and I always had nice and sweet conversations. I usually go there whenever I'm in need of a break.

"So Kohaku," I stepped in front of him and turned around, facing him and walked backwards so I could see his face while talking to him. "What sounds better? Strawberries, chocolate or vanilla?"

He looked a little sceptical at my legs. Probably worried I would fall. "I don't know. Which do you like better? And please call me Haku. All my friends do."

"He's considering me a friend already? How flattering." I smiled at him, honored by his comment. "Well Haku, I myself always have a hard time deciding. Of course there are many other flavors than those three, but since it's your first time.." I paused while maneuvering around a few people. "I thought we might go with the basics. So I'm thinking we can get a strawberry and a chocolate, both in cups and with spoons, that way you can taste both and choose whichever you like the best." I finished with a bright smile and a little whirl so I once again faced forward.

"That sounds like a good plan." He commented.

We soon reached the little café. Haku elegantly stepped up and opened the door for me. "My lady." He said with a little bow.

"Thank you." I stepped through the door. "Wow, what a gentleman I have with me." I gave him an admiring smile.

"Any man who doesn't treat a woman like a lady should be ashamed of himself." He said.

"True. It's unfortunate that not all men think like that." I turned in the direction of the counter and walked forward.

"Hello Yamada-san." I greeted the owner with a warm smile.

""Hello Ogino-san, it's good to see you. It's been so long since you were here last. I was beginning to worry." Yamada-san said in a warm greeting.

"I'm sorry, I've been really busy with the project recently." No need to worry him by saying that the real reason was due to assasins being after me, and Master Riku instructing me to stay inside the house where they couldn't get in because of the barrier he had erected.

"Oh that's quite alright, as long as you're safe dear." Then Yamada-san turned slightly and looked to Haku beside me. "And who is the fine young man you've brought with you? Are you on a date Ogino-san?" He said this last bit a little lower while leaning a bit towards me with a sly smirk.

I felt a little heat rise to my cheeks at his comment. "Oh no." I said with a sheepish grin. "This is my new friend Haku. I just learned from him that he has never tasted Ice cream before, so I thought I would educate him on one of the world's best kinds of desserts."

"You're right, that is something that needs to be rectified. So what will it be today my dear?"

"Two cups with spoons, one strawberry and one chocolate." I reached into my pocket for my wallet, but Yamada-san stopped me with a wave.

"No need to pay today Ogino-san. It is my honor to help in your endeavor to educate this young man. Besides, you come here so often I ought to give you store credit." He said with a brilliant smile.

"Oh but Yamada-san.." I started but he cut me off.

"No no Ogino-san. Today is my treat." Then he pushed our servings, that he had prepared while he talked, towards us and waved us off with a big smile. "Enjoy and have a nice day."

"Thank you so much Yamada-san." I said with a bow. Then I grabbed the two cups and turned to Haku. "Let's go outside and enjoy the nice weather." Heku agreed. He then thanked Yamada-san for his kindness and followed me outside, once again holding the door for me.

We sat down at a small picnic table that belonged to the café. I pushed the chocolate ice cream in front of Haku and told him to try it. He picked it up and scooped some onto his spoon. Then looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

I chuckled a little. "Go on. It's not going to hurt I promise."

…..

Haku POV

I scooped some of the brown creamy substance onto the spoon and looked at Chihiro with a raised eyebrow. It looked a little like cold mud in my opinion.

"Go on. It's not going to hurt I promise." She said with a chuckle. "What a lovely sound." I thought to myself.

Knowing that she would never make me eat it if it was gross, I trusted her and put the spoon in my mouth. My eyes widened a bit as the creamy and rich flavour of chocolate, dairy, sugar and a hint of vanilla spread in my mouth. It was cold, but not freezing. It was, to my surprise, very pleasant. I looked back up at Chihiro, who's full attention was on me, gaging my reaction. I could see that she was waiting for me to say something.

"Surprisingly pleasant. Creamy and rich. I can see why you like it." I said with a small smile.

Her own smile grew so her cheeks rounded in a very cute way. Then without saying a word, she pushed the other cup in front of me, and waited expectantly. I chuckled a little as I scooped up some of the strawberry flavoured ice cream, and this time I didn't hesitate in tasting it.

The taste of fresh and sweet strawberries filled my mouth and I instantly knew that I liked this one better. It tasted just like the sweet berries Zeniba grew in her garden. It even had the tangy taste that proved that no extra sugar had been added, giving the strawberries the forefront of the show alongside the cream.

Looking at Chihiro this time, I could tell she expected more than a quick comment. I relayed to her what I had just experienced, and she giggled sweetly.

"I thought you might like this one better. In my experience, though a lot of humans favor chocolate, many spirits who try this often favor the fresher kind with berries or fruit." She then reached over and took the chocolate ice cream, scooping some in her mouth and making a satisfied sound.

"Hhmmm… Yamada-san makes the best ice cream." She said taking another bite.

"I gather you come here often. Is it only for the ice cream, or is there another reason you like this place?" A thought had come to me inside when the owner had hinted if this was a date. Did Chihiro have someone like that in her life? Perhaps the fascination with the café was due to a waiter that worked here or a son of the owner. The dragon in me had gotten very jealous at the thought and it had taken a lot not to outwardly growl.

"Oh yes. While the Ice cream is absolutely amazing there are many things I like here."

The spoon stilled in my mouth as I waited for her answer.

"In the winter when my hands are freezing and my nose is red from the cold, there is nothing better than to come here and order a cup of tea to warm me up. Or when I'm sad or feeling down because I've had a bad day, Yamada-san makes me a bowl of ramen to comfort me. And just Yamada-san himself. He is always so nice and I just can't help but care about him. He's kind of like a sweet uncle who feeds me." She finished her sentence by taking a bite of ice cream and closing her eyes in delight.

Her answer calmed the beast in me, and I smiled warmly at her. The way she described this place, made it sound like a safe haven for her. Maybe that's exactly what it was.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while and finished off the frozen treats. While walking back to the house, she didn't say much. I could tell that the events from earlier, that had prompted this little outing, was starting to weigh on her mind again. I knew I had a small fortune hidden away. The only problem was, the only way to get to it was through my home, which I didn't have access to at the moment with the river still incomplete. I would have to find some other way to help her in this. There was no way I would stand idly by while she tackled this alone.

Hello again and thank you to whomever is reading this. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little bit of fluff, but not too much. Please R&R