Undying Love – Early Morning Reflections
Author's Note: Ooh… lookie! 'Tis Chapter 10! I'd love it if you could review my chapters. *grins* I'm trying to get at LEAST 50 reviews by perhaps… the end of the week. Reviews are ways to tell me that my readers want my stories to go on. I'll love ANY constructive and friendly criticism that will help me improve my writing, or any suggestions on developing the story! *jumps up and down* ^^ I'll try making my chapters a LOT longer now, and do note that both Chihiro and Haku's points of view will be displayed in the story… starting from the next couple of chapters. I'll do this often… by splitting the chapter, when I switch points of view. Often, when I do switch points of view… do note that it is as though, both points of view are being thought at the same time by different characters! Remember that… or else it may get a little confusing in the later chapters! Even though this writing style won't be used on this chapter, I'd thought I'd like to notify the readers… at LEAST one chapter ahead of time! Hope you like the chapter! And as usual… please read and review. Thanks, everyone! =D Oh… BTW, I introduced a new character to this chapter, who will also be a part of some of the next chapters as well! ^^
It has been exactly nine days since she had dreamt about, well… Haku. After that dream nine days ago, Chihiro had tried everything possible to occupy herself and forget about all of those weird dreams. As far as she was concerned… it had been six years since she seen him. It wasn't like he was going to appear in front of her, after all of these years, with welcoming arms. She needed to move on with her life, and to stop dwelling on things that she knew that would never come true. Giving herself too much hope just made it worse at the end, when she finally realized the horror of reality. He wasn't going to come… and waiting for him, for her entire life, wouldn't change a damn thing.
Besides, it's not like she needed Haku… right? Well, she did have a pretty decent life at school without him. After three years of staying at her new home, Chihiro had become the center of attention. She was, by far, the most popular girl in her school and town. Chihiro had things that girls could only dream about. She had the looks, the academics, the wealth, the friends, the attention, and so much more. So, why was she so troubled all this while? She had in mere terms, a perfect life… a life that girls her age would die to have.
And being the most popular and athletic girl in school, Chihiro had unlimited amounts of friends to go around. In the whole school, she was probably the most influential of the popular clique. Chihiro had been elected as the president of the school council… three years in a row. She was also the star player of the female soccer and track and field teams, and the all-powerful leader of the irresistible cheerleading squad. She was the girl that other not-so-popular girls would do anything to have a friendship with; anything to be in her almighty presence. And in her classes alone, she was, by far… the prettiest and most charming girl ever.
With her addictive charms and looks, Chihiro was any guy's dream girl… and a tough cookie to impress. No longer was that plump-faced and childish girl, but instead; a fine woman… adored by any guy. She was basically, the beautiful sight that guys glued their eyes onto. She was what created colorful and not-so-innocent thoughts into the minds of any male teenager. She was what created the sultry dreams for the guys in her school; the lady that guys would do anything just to date her. She was worshipped by both genders in different ways, and was seemingly as perfect… as perfection itself.
She sighed. But still, with all of these wonderful things, there always seemed to be something important… missing. Either that or maybe she was just being a little delusional again. Chihiro was always like that before a big and fancy dance at her school. Lately, more than ever… guys had been overflowing her answering machine and her locker, with messages and letters of affection.
She always dreaded the week before the dances. Guys would always start to swarm to her, like bees to their flowers, and ask her out to the dance. Why couldn't these people get it to their thick heads that she wasn't interested in dating them? Honestly… you'd think that the most popular girl in town was single for six whole years, that the guys might realize was what certainly the obvious. If she wanted to have a boyfriend to begin with, she could have gotten as many as a hundred boyfriends about three years ago. Besides… her heart was already reserved for a special someone… And when it was mandatory to have a date for the dance, everyone knew that she'd always have Koji as her date. Koji was the only one, other than Haku… that she was completely comfortable with all the time.
So, why did guys bother to ask her out… when they knew that Koji would already be her date? Chihiro honestly didn't see any logical reason for other guys to ask her out, nor did she know that answer to her own question. Then again, basically… about 75% of the guys at school didn't have any common sense to begin with. She sighed. That was her life… being pestered by brainless guys each day. Nice life, wasn't it?
And who was this Koji exactly? Ahh… yes, Koji was basically the most popular and charming guy in school… and the best-looking one too. Koji was the captain of the male basketball and soccer teams, and the fastest male runner in the school as well. He was basically spoiled, by all means, like Chihiro. Koji had received a good amount of attention from the students as school as well, and was respected by many for his leadership abilities. Girls would drool over him each day; by all means, he was the dream guy for any female teenager. Koji too, had lots of friends… and one of those friends was Chihiro.
Chihiro and Koji had met three years ago, when Chihiro moved to a new school to attend Grade 9. They met when they bumped into each other in the middle of the hallway. Since both of them were new students, and had most of the same classes together, they had helped each other when one was at a lost. Ever since then, Chihiro and Koji had become only best friends… or so what Chihiro thought.
Not to Chihiro's knowledge, Koji actually had an intense crush on Chihiro for a total of three years now. Though Koji was considered as Chihiro's best friend, he sure as hell wasn't blind. He had fallen hard for her, ever since his first meeting with her. She was so damn beautiful, and perfect in every way. Who wouldn't be naturally attracted to someone as wonderful as Chihiro? Koji tried to develop his relationship with Chihiro a little more, as time went by, by asking her out to simple things… like for ice cream or for a simple walk during the night. Of course, Chihiro was as innocent, yet, attractive… as girls come. She never realized the fact that Koji had secretly loved her more than just a best friend. But, Koji never bothered to really push Chihiro into a more intimate relationship with him, like dating… until she was prepared. He would never push Chihiro into a relationship that she wasn't prepared for… she had deserved so much more than being forced into something that she wasn't comfortable with.
She sighed. Chihiro's life was as tough as it got… and she knew that thinking about negative things wasn't going to make it any better. She should be happy with what she had… right? After all, she didn't have to worry about money or friends for that matter. And yet… somehow, she always found herself questioning herself and the way of life that she chose.
She sometimes wondered how her life would have been… if she had stayed in the Spirit World with Haku. Chihiro kept looking back at that day; the day that she had departed from the Spirit World… and her Haku. Would life have been better if she had stayed with Haku? Would he have brought the happiness that Chihiro needed in her life? Was he worth enough… to sacrifice her entire life that she had in the human world?
A ragged and discontent breath escaped her mouth, followed by a series of faint curses. Oh, why didn't she just stay in the Spirit World? She mentally cursed herself, and sometimes regretted her decision… the more she thought of him.
Soon, a striking realization hit her. If she had stayed in the Spirit World with Haku… what would have happened to her parents? After all, her parents were waiting for her in the human side of the river… what would have happened if she never came back to them? She realized how selfish she was becoming. It wouldn't have been fair to her parents if she had ended up abandoning them without even telling them why. Just the fact of abandoning them… for a guy she had only met a day or two ago, wasn't even just. Even though her parents sometimes didn't show it… she knew that they had loved her deeply. Even if she had loved Haku, Chihiro knew that there would be no possible way that she could abandon her own parents. Her parents had taken care of her for her entire life… and leaving them to worry wasn't what they deserved.
But, even if she wanted to return to the Spirit World now… she couldn't. Chihiro had spent days trying to find that tunnel that led back to the Spirit World. Those long days became weeks… those weeks became months, and those months became years… until she finally gave up. It was no use, as far as she was concerned. She tried every possible thing that she could think of, to try to get back to the Spirit World. She visited that forest; the same forest where her dad had driven into… which led to the discovery of that tunnel. Every time she visited that forest… she couldn't see any indication that there was even any tunnel before. It was like as though the tunnel didn't exist to begin with, like as if it just disappeared out of existence.
Chihiro combed her silky, brown hair and quickly wore her school uniform. She didn't have any more time to be thinking about this. She was going to be late for school for the second time that week… if she didn't stop drifting away in her thoughts once again. Time to face with the true problems of reality; she couldn't get back to the Spirit World and she couldn't have that magical life she had back there. This was the life she chose, and no one else made that decision for her. It was time to face her reality and move on with life; it was time to enjoy the life she had to its fullest.
Meanwhile, not to Chihiro's knowledge, a young man was also getting ready to go the same school she was attending. Little did she know that this young man was the lover that she had been waiting for all of those years… it was her Haku.