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Chapter 5

Haku POV

When we got back to the house, Chihiro told me that she should get back to work and Ellie immediately took the chance to show me around the house. She showed me the kitchen where she told me to help myself at any time of the day, the dining room where they took all their meals, the livingroom where she and Chihiro apparently spent a lot of their free time, and the beautiful garden with a big lawn, tiny pond, splendid array of flowers and trees, as well as a patio where one can sit and enjoy the sunshine.

The house had four bedrooms all on the second floor, and after having shown me the one where I would be staying, pointed out who lived in which room. Five bathrooms, one in each room and one communal near the livingroom. Chihiro's office, where she currently was, was on the first floor, while Master Riku's was on the second floor next to his bedroom.

When the tour was over I thanked her gratefully, and she told me that she enjoyed it. She then went to the kitchen to make some tea, and brought it out to the living room shortly after. I found a book on one of the shelves that looked interesting and decided to sit and wait for Chihiro to finish her work. And though I was reading and the book indeed was interesting, I kept one ear constantly on Chihiro's office. Just in case.

…...

Chihiro POV

Being out with Haku really was a great distraction. It cleared my head of the initial shock of what Kasuto had told me. Plus it was great fun seeing his reaction to the ice cream. I think we're gonna get along just fine.

Now however my mind needed to get back to work. I've been toying with the idea of holding a fundraiser of some kind, I just need to find out which kind would be better. The funds I need will be used to pay the workers that aren't volunteers. After all, I need professionals to handle those big machines. If I don't have the sufficient funds they won't come to work, and digging the last part by hand would be near impossible. I have enough volunteers, but telling them that the work they signed up for just got 3x harder and longer if not more, would send a lot of them away.

I'm going to need to halt the work for a while until I get my new plans underway. I spent the next two hours fiddling with ideas, looking at budget reports and taking calls from some of the workers who just left the site of our current place with the restoration. They asked me to come out to look at the progress they've made since I was there last. They were very happy to hear that I would be able to go there tomorrow.

Since Master Riku had strictly told me to stay in the house, I had to tell my workers that I was sick and needed time to recover. They seemed happy that I was "Feeling better".

After the two hours I looked at the clock and noticed that it would soon be dinner time. Ellie had very strict rules when it came to the times we eat. And if we weren't there when the food was on the table, she would come in and drag us to the table. I quickly decided to get up and go wash up for dinner.

After washing up I went to sit in the livingroom where I found Haku reading a book. He looked up as I walked in.

"Hello." I greeted with a gentle smile.

"Good evening." He greeted me back also with a smile.

"What are you reading?" I asked as I sat down on the other end of the couch he was sitting on.

"Whisper of the heart by Shizuku Tsukishima. It's a rather lovely little story." He said, as he closed the book and turned slightly to look at me.

"Yes, I like that one very much too. I heard that she came up with the idea for the story when she found an old cat figurine in an antique shop. To think that someone could get that much inspiration out of something so simple… It must have been a nice cat statue."

"I would think so. Did you get all of your work done?" He placed the book on the small table in front of us.

"Not all of it, but a large chunk. I might have found the solution to our little financial problem from earlier."

"Already? That was quick. What do you have in mind?"

"I've been toying with the idea of a fundraiser event. I've wanted to throw a big celebration for a while now. So why not just do it a little early and ask people to support the cause? I'll invite all the people in town, get the word out that we're holding an event that'll make people come from further away too. Then I'll personally invite the people who have supported the cause over the years, the environmentalist groups I've worked with before and also some new ones, and I'll probably find some more people who I'll invite." I could clearly see the shock on his face that he had not expected me to involve so many people.

"What kind of event can hold that many people at once?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Before I could answer I heard a voice behind me.

"I'd like to know that too. Seems like quite the big event you're planning."

I turned to see Master Riku behind me.

"Good evening Master." I said with a nod of my head.

"Good evening sir." I heard Haku say beside me.

He nodded to us both before sitting down. "Now tell us dear. What is your plan?" He looked at me with a small twinkle in his eye, almost as if he already knew what I was planning. And he probably did. After all, I've been talking about hosting an event like this for a while now. But before I could answer, another voice joined the room.

"Dinner time everyone." Ellie's musical voice rang out in the room. "You can continue your conversation at the table. The food won't stay warm forever." She then smiled and walked to the dining room.

"We better do as she says." I say before standing up and going after her. I heard the two men behind me follow suit. We sit down and thank Ellie for the wonderful meal she put out for us. It didn't take long for Master Riku to ask me again to elaborate on my plans. I tell them how I plan to hold a festival in honor of the project.

"There will be game booths and food stalls. I'll call the local schools in the area to ask them if they would like to perform their yearly school productions at the event. I also know a few local musical groups who would probably like to come and play a few of their songs. And lots of other fun things. Of course the plans are a little rough at the moment, but I'm sure if I just pull the right strings, we can make this event a night to remember for everyone." I finished with a big arm gesture and huge grin. "So what do you guys think?"

Haku was the first to speak up. "Doesn't it cost a lot of money to hold an event like that? Aren't you afraid that you'll be spending more money than you're making?"

"That's a good point. Have you taken all the costs into consideration?" Said Master Riku.

"No, like I said, the plans are still rough." I answered. "But I've been going over the budget reports and list of favors I can still cash in."

"Favors?" Asked Haku.

"That's right." Piped in Ellie. "Chihiro has been going out of her way to help a lot of people. Both humans and spirits. And even though she never wants anything in return, they always tell her to come ask if she is in need of something."

"Well, I don't know how much out of my way I went." I continued. "But I'm sure if I ask very nicely, I have no doubt most of them would be willing to help us."

I was sure I looked a little smug, but I couldn't help it. I was so confident my plans would turn out great. Haku looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "Is that pride in his eyes? Or am I reading that wrong? No way, I must be reading him wrong." At least it wasn't a frown.

"I'm sure you could get your father to help you Chihiro." Said Master Riku.

"What?" I answered dumbfounded as my chopsticks stilled in midair. "Why would he do that? He never wants to get involved in the project and shoots me down every time I ask him."

"Well to my knowledge, you agreed to go on a date with the son of one of his business partners. I heard you myself when you told him, very exasperated might I add, that he would be owing you big time. Or am I mistaken?" He gave me a pointed look.

I had completely forgotten about the date next week. "Holy tuna! You're right, Master. I've been dreading it so much I hadn't thought about how it could benefit us."

"I'm confused." Said Haku. He had a slightly raised eyebrow and a small frown on his lips. I found that I didn't like it when he frowned. His smile is so much more handsome.

"My father works for a big news network. If I could get him to agree to help, he could be a great asset in advertising for the event. He has never helped before because he personally thinks the project is a waste of my time, and keeps insisting I "get a real job" as he says. But this time, he can't say no. He owes me." I explained and the confident smile that had disappeared when Master Riku had first asked, came back at full force.

…..

Haku POV

The beast in me was getting agitated, though I kept it from showing. I had a lot of experience in this area. But keeping my feelings from showing on my face was more difficult than I remembered. I tried telling myself that my feelings were only due to being protective of Chihiro. She was a very dear friend after all. However a small voice in the back of my mind, the dragon part of my mind, kept growling that it was jealousy over another male getting close to her. "Shut up! She is just a friend. I am here to ensure her safety and that's all I'm doing."

Even when repeating these words in my head, I couldn't stop the question from coming out. "So who is this guy you're going out with?" I managed to sound nonchalant, but the pace of my heartbeat had picked up a little.

Chihiro looked annoyed. Not at me it seemed. Otherwise I'm sure I would have been the recipient of that scowl on her face rather than her bowl of rice. I heard a small snicker coming from Ellie's direction and turned my head to look at her.

"Chihiro was in such a bad mood for days after her father had gotten her to agree. She kept muttering to herself about how she might get out of it. Now I suppose you don't have a choice in the matter, do you Chihiro?"

Chihiro's scowl deepened slightly. "His name is Steve Roberts. Him and his family are from America. That's not a bad thing, but growing up there and then coming to live in Japan was apparently the worst thing his parents could ever have done to him. Or so he says. I've met him a couple of times before, and even though he has lived here for the past eight years, he still doesn't seem to be able to respect our traditions and keeps talking about how he wants to move back to America." She said with a bitter tone.

"If he really wants to go so badly, why doesn't he? Isn't he an adult yet?" I asked.

"Yes he's 23." She answered. "He's a 23 year old man who can't hold a job for very long at a time. He's lazy, stuck up, arrogant and pretentious. He has an opinion on everything even if it doesn't concern him. He has no fashion sense. He talks like he's the president of a multimillion dollar company, but he has little to no money because he's too stupid to realize, that to hold a job and get a good position, you need to earn it." She finished with a small huff.

This statement effectively shut up the growling in my head. It was now very clear that she didn't like the guy. But now another question came to mind.

"If he's really that bad, how can your father think he is a good match for you? Shouldn't he as your father only set you up with men who he thinks are good potential son in laws? Someone who will treat you with respect and support you no matter what?"

"According to my father, that's exactly what he's doing. Like I said before, my father doesn't think much of my work, and wants to try and steer me down a different path. He thinks that Steve's attitude towards wanting to earn a lot of money and work for a big company, is what will change my mind. Steve's parents also believe that we would fit well together. They want to keep their son in Japan and think that if he finds a girlfriend, the likelihood of that happening is greater. Though in my opinion, if he stays it will be because he doesn't have the money to travel, not a girl." She paused for a moment before looking solemn and her hands slowly dropped to the table. "I really wish I didn't have to go on this date. I just know that the evening will be dreadful."

"At least Haku will be with you now and you don't have to go alone." Ellie added to the conversation. Both Chihiro and I looked at her a little sceptically. Chihiro was the first to speak.

"What?" She said in a small voice.

"Ellie is right Chihiro." Master Riku elaborated. "Kohaku is your guard now he will have to come with you."

"And how am I gonna explain that one to Steve? "Oh good evening Roberts-san, this is my bodyguard Kohaku. He'll be joining us this evening. I hope you don't mind." I don't think that will go over very well, do you?"

A sudden thought struck me and before I knew it, I had already voiced it. "I could just stay invisible the whole time."

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on me. "What?" I was a little confused.

"You can do that?" Chihiro asked with big eyes.

"Yes. Why is that so strange?" Lot's of spirits have the power to turn themselves invisible from human eyes. It can't be that big of a shock.

"For how long?" She asked with eagerness.

"For always. Why are you getting so excited?" My brows had furrowed now.

"Were you also able to do it after your river was filled in?"

"No but.."

"So then for how long? When did you notice that you could once again do it?"

"I think about a month ago. Now please tell me why you're asking."

Chihiro looked to her Master with a huge grin which he reciprocated with a smile and a nod. She then squealed happily, jumped up from her seat, rushed around the table and flung her arms around me hugging me tightly. "She's hugging me." My inner dragon purred in response. All too soon though she let me go and stood back a little. her eyes seemed a little watery, but the big smile was still in place.

"I'm sorry." She said while looking at my stunned face. "I'm just so happy. As you must know, it takes a lot of spiritual energy to turn invisible and knowing that your power is coming back to you is a huge relief. You see about a month ago we opened a small hole at the source. I told the workers that it was to see how the water would act and flow when going downhill so we could adjust accordingly. Which did actually help. But the water told me it could feel that while digging out the riverbed was returning some of your power, letting out some of the water would alert you to what's happening and perhaps give you more strength. Since it had been a whole month and when you arrived you told us you had been sent by the elders, I was so worried that it might not have worked but it did. I'm just so happy for you Haku."

Her eyes closed as a few tears of joy ran down her slightly flushed cheeks. "She's crying. For me. She's crying tears of happiness. For my sake." The affection I held for her in my heart had just grown exponentially. The image of her shedding tears of joy on my behalf, would forever be embedded in my mind. This moment was truly one for the treasure vault.

...

Hello again. I know what you're thinking. "Two chapters in a row after such a long wait. And this one is so much longer thand the others. What happened?"

Well dear friends, all I can say is that insperation had left me for a while, but is apparently now back and won't take no for an answer.

I really hope you liked this one. Please leave a review I really want to know how you all like the story. I know there are not many of you, but I truly treasure any and all who take the time to read my story. Bless you all and have a wonderful day where ever you are. 3