I Watched - II
by: Aika-chan
He sat silently, gazing deep into the water-like substance, though it was stickier.
His feet dangled from the small abiss, the lake's water under him swirling with light-balls. Anyone who looked would know what those were.
They were human souls.
Swirling, swirling...
Was his decision right in the end? Driving her mad enough to kill herself? ...he hated the choice. She could have lived on, without remembering everything, but... but... he couldn't decide that. That man - or whatever he had been - had looked... say, not evil, but not good either.
And yet, he had no choice but to obey. At the time, he had been bound to a promise, just like he was now--
At first, it felt like bliss. At first, sweet darkness met her. But, as she had once learned, everything - good or bad - has an end.
Just as suddenly as she had met darkness, she met the light of the sun shining in her face, while she lay on the ground of a lush green forest.
She moaned quietly, annoyed. She had done so much to get bliss, numbness and oblivion... and now she was stuck in a place that looked so much like her own... home? No.
Where she had lived previously.
She stood quietly, her vision still blurred from meeting light so suddenly, and she stumbled slightly, bracing herself on the bark of a tree before she met the ground face-first.
She looked around, her vision adjusting slowly as she took in the details around her.
The trees were tall, very tall. They were a beautiful green and there were animals she had never seen before wandering on some branches.
Just as she noticed those animals, she noticed something else. There were people - no, spirits wandering there too. So, she was dead. She just couldn't be back.
It was not possible, not an option--
She was back.
Her conclusion firmed when she raised her head and met someone that had helped her long ago. That spirit, a radish spirit.
She couldn't take it anymore. She broke down crying, sobbing, and the radish spirit lowered himself on the same ground she was sitting and tried to comfort her.
Hours later, the radish spirit was leading her somewhere else. She had politely asked him where to, but he just looked at her as if he was smiling, and did not answer.
Soon, too soon for her, they reached the edge of the forest.
The spirit nudged her to go out the forest.
She stopped and stared. There was something – something – telling her to go back, because she did not want to go there, there was something just waiting for her, she did not want to face it, not now, not never--
She was pushed with such force that she stumbled out.
And she saw him. He was sitting by the rocky edge of a lake, the water being low enough that he could let his feet dangle and it would not touch him.
His hair had long since past his waist, the black with a tone of green-tea pooling where he sat. She couldn't see his eyes, they were looking into the depths of the water, and his bangs shadowed them. He was wearing an outfit similar to the one years ago, but he now wore blue pants in the same style as before, his shirt was still the same, a bigger size, though. And he still wore a purple waistband.
She approached him carefully, purposely stepping on a branch to see what he would do.
He did not turn. He simply spoke.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Even if in a twisted way, you kept your promise, um?"
He sighed quietly.
"I'm sorry. It was the payment for something I asked long ago."
"Payment?"
"I couldn't survive without a 'home'. This person helped me. The payment was that I had to drive the one I loved most to insanity and then death."
"...the one you loved most?"
He stood and turned to face her. She could now see his hair passed his waist. His eyes were a jaded green, just like they'd always been.
"I won't ask for forgiveness... I'm just going to lead you. Where do you want to go?"
"...what do you mean?" she noticed he evaded her previous question.
He pointed to the lake he'd been looking.
"If you jump into this lake, you'll be reborn. Same soul, same person in a way, but no memories. If you walk away, you can live as a spirit here."
She nodded and looked thoughtfully at the lake.
"I think I'll jump."
She noticed his eyes saddening.
"...you know," she whispered to him as she approached the lake, "I doubt you could have driven me insane, if you were either by my side or if I didn't love you as much as I do."
Just before she passed him, she saw his eyes widen and shock spread over his features.
She smiled.
"I'll always wait." She whispered quietly. "And I'll always forgive, Haku."
With those words, she dived into the lake, into oblivion that was reincarnation.
Haku stared thoughtfully at the ground, just as Chihiro had stared at the lake. He knew what she meant. He smiled quietly to himself and turned to face the lake.
He didn't want to be guilty over driving Chihiro, his love, his life, to death.
And so, he followed her, diving into the lake.
Two souls that decided to be together, and no one could say otherwise.
Not even Fate herself.
In the lake, two shapeless lights brushed against eachother.
Owari...