Author's Note: I do own any of the Spirited Away characters, though owning Haku would be pretty nice…….. . Okay, well anyways, on with the fanfic ^-^!!

Spirited Away

The Flowing of Passion

Chapter 3

The Rain of Truth

The soft touch of cotton cuddled Chihiro's soft ivory skin. She sighed heavily as she let the ease of her pillow swallow her tears. A silent knock was heard on her door.

"Chihiro? You in there?" Her door opened, and her mother walked in. She looked surprised when she saw her daughter faced on the other side, and sprawled on her bed. She slumped onto Chihiro's bed, turning her around. Seeing Chihiro's tear-soaked pillow, she asked, "What?"

Chihiro lay silent, afraid of what she might say. Could she tell her mom what she was really thinking? Could she reveal that she was in love with the spirit of the river? Of course not…she'd be sent to some insane asylum and she wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

Huge tears streamed down her pale face, wetting her once dried cheeks. Her mother gazed into her daughter's eyes, her face itself full of bewilderment.

"M-mom…" Chihiro started turning away from her mother, "The guy I love…is gonna die." She bit her lip, and muttered the rest. "I haven't told him I love him yet mom…and I'm afraid of what may happen if I tell him. But I don't want him to go without knowing."

"You mean die as in he's sick, or die as in--"

"Die as in die." Chihiro interrupted, careful not to go on. "Oh, I am so confused! I don't know what I should do, and if I should do it. And I should, I don't even know how I'd say it!" she sunk her face into the pillow, lamenting

For what seemed like hours, a uneasy silence passed between them. They both stayed quiet, each with their own thoughts. At last, she mom stood up to leave.

"Go for it," she answered, "There's nothing worse to do, than to do nothing at all." With that, she left the room.

As much as she wanted another way out, she knew her mother was right. She had to tell Haku the way she felt..and soon.

The next few nights she stayed up thinking about Haku until the fifth night when she could wait no longer. She rolled out of bed as she slipped into a pair of dark boot cut jeans and a crimson top that hugged her body tightly. Noticing that it was about three in the morning, she started to hurry. She quickly brushed her hair, and just before she left, she grabbed the purple elastic and hung it on her wrist.

The summer night was colder than she expected, and while she walked, she regretted not bringing a jacket..she didn't even know how long she would stay out there. Would it take long?

The crisp light of the moon shone on the rocky path to the river. It shone into the crevices of the grass, as it revealed the beauty of nature. As Chihiro got closer, she saw that the light also had uncovered the deserted tractors and equipment that was used for the construction of the soon-to-be mall. With a grim frown, she ignored it and walked on.

She looked around, approaching the river more. She found a comfortable spot, and stopped and sunk to her knees. Tenseness crawled over her like a disease, spreading like sickness. She took a deep breath as she began to speak.

"H-Haku.." she stammered, her voice quivering. Without waiting for an answer, she began again. "Please listen to me…I-I don't have much time." She paused for a moment, not sure what she was waiting for. "If you didn't know..Haku, they are building a mall over this area…and," she hesitated, hearing her own voice break. "they are building it over you." Her eyes suddenly got misty, and tears lingered around her eyes. Like rain, they poured down onto her rosy cheeks, cold from the night air. "I came here tonight, to say goodbye. I don't know how long it is going to take, but I didn't want to leave you without getting a chance to say goodbye. And I didn't want to leave you..without coming clean." Brushing away her tears with the back of her hand, she cleared her throat. "Haku, I have a confession to make. I don't know how to say this but..ever since I met you in that world…I loved you. Whether it was friendly love or not, I can't say I still feel the exact same way. Through these years, my love has grown for you, and no matter what I do, I cannot think about anyone else I love as much as you. You have been there..always. Even when you don't talk, even when it's just a rustle in the water, I know you are there for me. I just…I didn't want let you go without you letting know my true feelings. And the truth is, I love you more than anything in the world, and if it were humanly possible, I'd want to be with you forever. Oooh, I hope you can hear this.."

Her tears swarmed out of her eyes, dripping into the river, faster than ever before. Her hands grasped onto grass as she let out a cry. She sobbed, her body arched over the river, like the little child she once was.

The morning light peeked out as the hour of 5 came to pass. The river was silent, it hadn't moved or said anything while Chihiro talked. Once Chihiro heard the faint sounds of the morning, she knew it was time to wrap it up. Taking the purple elastic off her wrist, she flung it into the lucid waters.

"I don't know how this will even help you," she muttered, looking at it as it sank into the depths. "But maybe it will. Thanks Haku, for listening. No matter what the outcome, I wish you the very best. Good luck." She stood up, brushing the strands of grass off her mud-stained jeans. She walked home sulkily, but happy in a way, since she had let it all go. At least now, she thought, my feelings aren't in secret. At least now…he knows. Hopefully, it is for the best.

Days passed, and Chihiro survived on not visiting the Haku river every morning. Days turned into months…months of hard labor for the establishment of the Heartfelt Market Mall. And as the days passed, Chihiro tried to keep on mind on task. She took on extra curricular activities after school, and spent more time with family and friends on the weekends.

Still…on the cold lonely nights her mind would wander back to the days of when she was with Haku. When she could tell him all her secrets, and never expect him to laugh at her. On the mornings where she could let herself free and say whatever she felt, knowing he was there. She missed those.

The crisp days of school eventually ended, and Chihiro had a full summer ahead of her. But it didn't seem anything was right anymore. She missed Haku even more when she lingered around the house, no where and no place to go. She stayed crouched up in her lonesome room, and thought meaningless thoughts. Her depression struck everyone when she stayed silent, and even with medication and therapy, nothing could change the circumstances she put herself in.

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The crickets sang in the night as Chihiro lay in bed. Another sleepless night. The pounding of the raindrops fell hard, and Chihiro could feel the wetness as it dripped from the ceiling. She stared at her ceiling, counting the drips as they fell one by one. One…two…three….

Suddenly Chihiro heard the faint sounds of movement. She sat up from her bed, looking around. She could hear creaks….from the hallway.

Oh my god..she thought, who could that be? She felt her heart pound faster and faster as she let her feet thud on the cold wooden floor. Slowly, she walked towards the door leading out of the room. She placed her hand on the knob of her door, her entire body shaking in fear. With a quick swing, she flung open the door and looked down the hallway.

Chihiro gasped as she saw what was before her. She stared at the figure as she whispered the words silently,

"It's you..…"

There, in front of her very own eyes, was Haku.

OKAY!! Now…that was pretty corny, but neh, it's the best I could think of. Give me some reviews on what you think. Chapter 4 will be the sum up chappie, and probably it'll be fairly short. Okay, hope you liked it.