Undying Love – Thinking About You…

Author's Note: Edited this whole chapter! As you can see, I've added a lot more details and changed the writing style a bit. In my opinion though, I think it's quite an improvement. LOLz. What do you think? Read and review!

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A young, handsome man walked into his small, yet, comfortable bedroom. His bedroom basically had a most simple layout, only having the necessities that were needed in any bedroom. From where he was standing, he could clearly see the shape of his small, sapphire-blue bed… which could only exactly serve for one person. On his bed, there was a thin white bed sheet covering the mattress, which was under a thick, plaid-designed blanket, also bearing the blue-white colors.

About half a meter from his bed, there was a simple, plain working desk and a wooden chair… which was only there for comfort, and simply for working purposes. Like the rest of his bedroom, the desk and chair also adapted the blue-white colors… which officially became the primary and prominent colors used throughout the whole bathhouse. Aside from these three things, there was a large, wooly rug on the center of room… and a medium-sized cabinet at the corner of the room. This bedroom was far from the fancy and complicated designs that were apparent in Yu-Baaba's bedroom.

Even though his living quarters were merely microscopic compared to Yu-Baaba's, he couldn't help but still feel satisfied with what he considered his home. The attractive male considered himself very lucky… for he never had to share his living quarters with the Yuna and Aogaeru, who were bothersome with their bickering and shrill voices. Not only that, he was also fortunate to have a bed for himself, since most of the workers had to sleep on the ground, only with a few sheets of cloth and a thin blanket.

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After a few more minutes…

Haku had stared around the room for some time, and couldn't help but to smirk softly. If anyone had entered his room right now, they would have to be blind and intellectually-challenged, not to see the obvious fact that the bedroom was an absolute mess. Rin would have a long talk with him if she ever found out that his room was in this state of disorganization and disaster. Not only that, he'd probably get a slap or two from her as well, not that he couldn't block these slaps himself… of course.

It had only been a week since Rin cleaned his room, which took her hours to clean… and a lot of messy work she happened to loathe. Ever since Yu-Baaba had assigned her another new job, which was to clean up all the bedrooms on the top floor, she had always been nagging him to keep his room as clean as possible. After all, Rin still had to clean the smaller tubs downstairs, on top of tidying every single living quarters. To say at the least… this wasn't an easy… or clean job, for the matter. It was no surprise that Rin had taken a most passionate loathing for her warty and sadistic boss, Yu-Baaba.

But, with his crammed and busy schedule, he didn't have time to be worrying about the state of his room. It was very uncharacteristic of Haku to be so disorganized, but he just didn't have any time to spare; Yu-Baaba was literally making him work like a cow. Lately, Yu-Baaba had been giving him more assignments than usual… since she wanted the bathhouse to be perfect for the Spring Blossoming Festival. This year, the Spring Blossoming Festival… which was one of the most important celebrations of the year, was being held at Yu-Baaba's bathhouse. To be chosen to host the Spring Blossoming Festival was certainly an honor, and Yu-Baaba had no intention of ruining the wonderful reputation that the bathhouse acquired over the years. And besides, he was also too occupied worrying about a special someone… a girl… his lover, Chihiro.

He took off his sweaty top and threw it on his chair as he made his way to his bed. Now lying on the bed in his relaxed position, stomach flat on the white sheets beneath him, he couldn't help but stare at the mystical, enchanting stars and the night sky. Oh, the things he'd do to make magnificent beauties like that, last forever. It was always the little things that Haku had enjoyed in life; like the pretty sunsets, feeling the soft wind blow across his face, flying through the sunny skies… and… Chihiro.

He sighed. For some reason, one way or another, he found himself always thinking about Chihiro. She was the being, the angel, and the lover that haunted, yet, somehow pleased him in his dreams. He couldn't help but to relax in a state of simple pleasure when thinking about her. To him, she seemed perfect in every way possible. Sure, the last time he had saw her was six years ago, but he did promise her that he would return… and he would keep his word, for her sake and his.

The warm and fuzzy memories he had of Chihiro always brought him a sense of warmth to his heart. She was his heart, his everything. Even after all of those long years passed by, he couldn't help but to still naturally love her. She wasn't the prettiest girl he met, not even the cutest. Yet, he always loved her like she was the only thing that was important in his world.

Even until now, Haku could clearly recall the faint scent of cinnamon that lingered on her body, her beautiful chestnut eyes, her childish complexion; these little details of Chihiro he held dear to his heart. He could remember the way she ate her food, the way she sat down, the way she smiled; everything about her seemed perfect in his eyes. If he knew that he would miss her this much after a few years passed, he would have spent all of his time with her in the past… memorizing everything that made her… well, just Chihiro. Haku chuckled to himself, amused with his Chihiro-obsession; he could even remember her clumsiness and stubbornness too!

Sometimes, when he remembered of his last moments with Chihiro… Haku would curse himself of that memory. He could still recall the faint, but comforting, warmth that remained on his hand… before he had released her small hand from his gentle grasp. He could still remember every detail of that moment… like the way her ponytail moved in the wind, as she sprinted her way to the gate between two worlds… never looking back at him. The whole moment seemed almost perfect… but Haku always asked himself: why did he not confess his love for Chihiro before she left?

A few years after her departure, Haku had taken utmost regret of the fact that she still didn't know of the feelings he held for her. Every time he visited that grassy and sacred place, he would picture that precious memory in his mind… and wonder why he never professed his affections for the wonderful girl. Sometimes, Haku would even wonder if things would have improved in his life… if he had just told her those three famous and important words. But then again… how would he know what love was at the time? After all, he had only been staying at the Spirit World for only a couple of years.

As time went by, Haku had matured into a young, attractive man. Though he had grown up into a fine and strong male, Haku still held his love for flying through the skies and running across the peaceful hills, letting out his peaceful spirit. Aside from this, Haku started setting himself higher standards and more demanding needs… needs of love and needs of her… his one, his Chihiro. Every single day that passed by, there wasn't a time that didn't think about Chihiro. He craved her touch, her voice, and everything else that made her, his love.

Six whole years had passed, and he still wasn't able to visit her, much to his disappointment and agony. He cursed fate and destiny; life was too cruel to him, even though he was a respectful, obedient, and hard-working worker at the bathhouse. Haku sighed at the thought, as he remembered that "luck" of his, when he asked Yu-Baaba for his own freedom. Right after Chihiro had left, he had asked, no… more like pleaded, for Yu-Baaba to release him from his contract.

He should have known better. Though Yu-Baaba had held some admiration and love for Haku, she wasn't the type to let go of potential workers so easily. After all, it wasn't everyday that you can find a river spirit like him, willing enough to work in a bathhouse. Most spirits of his class wouldn't even bother to take a job such as the one that Haku had, even if it was their last chance of survival. It took a lot for Haku to swallow his pride and ask for a job at the bathhouse, after he had lost his river in the human world.

So instead of spending the next six years with his beloved Chihiro, like in his dreams, he was at the bathhouse… working to the guidelines of Yu-Baaba's contract. The contract made and agreed upon by Yu-Baaba and himself… stated that he would no longer be bound to the Spirit World permanently; that he could travel to the human world freely and legally… but only after working for Yu-Baaba for six entire years. Though he was granted the freedom of passing through these two worlds, Haku would still have to work for the bathhouse… and for Yu-Baaba. But, the most important part of this contract was the fact that Haku would finally receive the rare item he needed to visit the Spirit World; the Amulet of Life.

The Amulet of Life was a rare artifact that was created thousands of years ago, well known by many spirits for its amazing and unique powers. Though the spirits do not know who exactly created these Amulets of Life, these magical artifacts were told and included in many of the well-known folktales… and all of the ancient scriptures. Well-educated historians, and those who have lived for what equaled to several human lifetimes knew of the Amulets' true powers. And through the word of mouth, young spirits were taught about these ancient scriptures… which include legends of the Spirit World's past. Though these legends have never been verified for its factuality, it had long become tradition for the elderly spirits to tell of these fascinating tales.

But… those who had special connections to the most powerful of magically-powered beings knew that the Amulets of Life existed. Because the Amulets of Life mainly used life magic as its source of power, the spells and enchantments that the artifacts were able to cast and offer were not used for destruction or violence. Therefore, the Amulet of Life was not being demanded by many… for it held no physical or destructive magic whatsoever. The Amulets of Life were merely artifacts to be collected or used for those that were studying life magic… or were accumulating rare or mysterious items.

Though it held no destructive powers, the magic that the Amulets of Life had were still remarkable in some eyes.
All of the Amulets of Life were exactly the same, each bearing the identical three special abilities: the spell for prolonged youth and beauty, the ability to cure most poisons and illnesses, and… the capability to transform into human form. Needless to say, the transformation into human form was a most peculiar ability… where most spirits had no interests for. But… this power did spark some controversies and theories amongst historians, who believed that the Amulets of Life might be in some way… related to humans.

But even with its unique and special magic, it took a lot of trouble and money to even acquire one. Unfortunately, it was well-known and confirmed that there were only three copies of the Amulet of Life made… which already had owners. One of these amulets belonged to the Usagi family, one of the most prominent and powerful families in the Spirit World. And surprisingly, the last two copies of the amulet belonged to none other than… Yu-Baaba, Haku's own boss.

However… the six years of work stated in Haku's agreement did not fully pay for the Amulet of Life, as Yu-Baaba soon pointed out to him before signing the contract. The contract only offered to loan out the Amulet of Life for these six years of harsh labor. Therefore, to fully earn the Amulet of Life, a separate contract was made… stating that Haku would earn the full rights and ownership of the amulet, only if he paid the other half of the amulet's price by ultra-rare, magical objects. Therefore, Haku also had to chip in even more extra work… just to attain other rare artifacts to trade for this amulet.

Spirits had the capabilities to travel to the human world, without turning into human form. However, it was a punishable law that spirits who revealed their true origins in the human world would be sentenced to life imprisonment or… death.  Nevertheless, not all spirits could legally travel to the human world… even in human form. In the past, many notorious spirits abused the use of transformation spells, and committed violent and sick acts against humans… just for the sake of satisfying their lack of amusement.

As a result, many of the Spirit World's authoritative leaders decided that a spirit needed special permission from the High Council, before he/she could travel to the human world. The High Council was a special elected group that dictated and formed laws and rules in the Spirit World, only when they thought these rules and laws were needed and top-priority. Ever since the arrival of his love, the High Council were deeply worried that other humans… who weren't as peaceful or considerate as Chihiro, would exploit the Spirit World… or worse, announce the existence of the Spirit World to other humans. Therefore, the High Council did everything in its power to stop the income of humans to the Spirit World… and vice versa. The High Council's believed that if spirits and humans came into as least contact as possible, peace amongst the two worlds could be maintained with much more ease.

However, in Haku's case… he didn't really need to worry about the High Council; he already got the permission he needed… ahead of time. Usually… getting permission from the High Council would take months… or even years. Luckily, for Haku, he knew some of the members of the High Council personally. Haku had been planning out the best and fastest ways to reach Chihiro for years now, and all he needed now was the Amulet of Life. Everything was almost set; he would almost be finally able to leave the Spirit World, in search of his love… his Chihiro.

Thankfully, it would only be two more days before he could finally enter the human world and rejoice with his loved one. He had been dreaming of reuniting with Chihiro for the last six years. In two days, Haku's once… fantastical dreams would finally come true. Before falling to sleep, the excited and optimistic male hoped that Chihiro would still remember him, and that somewhere in her heart... she still had a special place for him.