Undying Love – Of Cherry Blossoms and Gold Chains
Author's Notes: Heya. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I just finished all of my exams and summative projects, and my graduation is coming up. Anyways, I actually had most of this chapter written about a week ago, but I delayed this chapter's release, to make sure that this chapter would flow with the new ones coming up!
Sorry for the slow updates, again. I'm already 80% done on the next chapter, so I'll have that ready for everyone by somewhere between this coming Monday to Wednesday. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Read and review!
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The next morning…
"Osaka?" repeated Chihiro, confused. "What's Osaka? I've never heard of it before."
"Osaka is the ancient capital of the Spirit World…" a crisp and smooth, masculine voice replied confidently. "…quite a boring topic of conversation, too, I might add. Why would a pretty and lively lady, such as you, occupy yourself over an eight thousand-year-old city? There are many more interesting things that we could talk about instead." The seductive blonde wagged his eyebrows mischievously, a foolish, yet charming, grin plastered on his face.
However, flirting was definitely not on Chihiro's list of things to do today; Chihiro still felt so guilty for breaking up with Haku. She would have not broken up with Haku if she saw any other choice… but she just needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings for him lately. She didn't want to live in a fake relationship, if she wasn't true with her love for Haku. Everything was so confusing, especially when it came to that mysterious river spirit she had known for six years.
Often times, she would feel undeniable warmth coarse through her veins, just being in Haku's presence. Just seeing those bluish-green pearls stare at her… Chihiro would immediately feel heartstrings pull at the precious and fragile organ within her chest. There was no doubt that she felt something for Haku… something that was more than friendship. But… was this truly love… or something else? She needed to discover that on her own.
The current situation with Raisuke made her even worse; it reminded her of the time that Haku suggested that she was cheating on him, after seeing her and Raisuke together. Everything always had to go back to some memory of Haku. It seemed that even after she broke up with him, she could not get rid of the lingering feelings that had once made her instantly fall in love with the sincere river spirit. Those painful eyes… all she could remember were the look in Haku's eyes when she broke off with him; those memories were haunting her. She felt so guilty and dirty… as though being in Raisuke's presence was somehow betraying her trust with Haku.
Chihiro sighed to herself, before unconsciously increased her pace, heading off to the gardens on her own accord. She couldn't take that sickening feeling that she was somehow backstabbing her former lover, by hanging out with her none other than her ex's rival. Meanwhile… Raisuke had been startled by Chihiro's random change of movement, before noting that she had ditched him.
Soon enough, the young male had caught up with Chihiro. "Hey! What's with back there? What did I do wrong?" he inquired, forcing the young woman to make eye contact with him.
Bluntly, Chihiro answered… "Raisuke, I'm just not in the mood for your flirting today."
Raisuke frowned, and suddenly got the incredible urge to curse Haku to oblivion. 'Damn… what does she see in Haku, anyways? Goddamn bastard… he always gets in the way of things, even when he isn't here! I still don't get Hikaru… how the hell is she supposed to split up Chihiro and Haku at this rate, much less get Chihiro to fall for me? It's so sickeningly obvious that Chihiro has strong feelings for Haku.' thought the blonde, sourly. "Hey… didn't mean to get all offensive!" Raisuke put up his hands in surrender, before shrugging casually. "It was a joke! I didn't mean to get you all upset; sorry about that."
A few seconds later, Chihiro's eyes softened… and she sighed, before running her fingers through her smooth tresses. Maybe she was overreacting when she ditched Raisuke; was it really betraying Haku for spending time with Raisuke? After all, she did consider Raisuke an acquaintance, and Raisuke had not wronged her in any way. Besides, Yu-Baaba did assign Raisuke to give her a tour of the gardens today. Speculating quietly, Chihiro felt guilty for her earlier actions… it was pretty ruthless to leave him behind earlier, especially over a joke. "I should probably be the one apologizing, Raisuke…"
Immediately, Raisuke waved his hands in disagreement, and shook his head a few times. "No… I should be the one apologizing for my behavior. It was rude and uncalled for…" the river spirit said in his most considerate voice.
Chihiro sighed softly to herself; why did Raisuke have to be so kind and sincere all the time? It just made her feel guiltier about her previous actions… "Thanks a lot for being so considerate, Raisuke. It means a lot to me. Things just haven't been going good for me lately…"
Raisuke placed a hand on her shoulder, and pointed towards the bench nearby them. "Want to sit down and tell me about it?" asked Raisuke, flashing her one of his comforting smiles. "Trust me… you'll feel better after telling someone what's wrong… especially if it's me."
Chihiro debated on this, and then gave Raisuke a slight smile. To be honest, she felt a little better already; what she realized she needed was to tell someone about how she was feeling lately. Raisuke seemed to be the caring and considerate type; maybe he was the perfect person to talk to. Besides, the brunette couldn't talk to Rin or Kamajii; Chihiro knew that they were disappointed when she ended her romantic relationship with Haku. Soon enough, Chihiro seated herself next to Raisuke.
"So… what's been bothering you lately?" inquired the curious male.
"…" No response.
"Oh… come on. Would it hurt to tell me what's wrong? And don't pretend that nothing is wrong! There's something bothering you, and I'm not going to stop pestering you, until you tell me what's been eating at you."
She sighed at the stubbornness that Raisuke possessed. 'Maybe it would be better to talk to someone. Rin and Kamajii wouldn't understand me; I know they still dislike the fact that I broke up with Haku. Maybe talking with Raisuke is for the best.'Chihiro told herself.
"Promise me one thing… before I tell you…" Her hesitant chestnut eyes met his aqua-blue ones.
"What would that be?" asked Raisuke.
"Don't tell anyone about what we discuss right now, okay?"
Raisuke nodded. "Of course. You have my word… promise."
Chihiro took a huge breath, before starting… "Well, basically… you know about that incident between you and Haku, when I was there?"
"Yeah…" Raisuke exclaimed gruffly, silently seething at the memory, before putting on his best mask of genuine concern. "Why? What about it?"
"Ever since that incident… my relationship between Haku has been weakening. We were getting into more fights, and things just didn't seem the same anymore. I don't know… the love that we had before doesn't seem as strong anymore… I mean, I don't even know if I love him anymore, for goodness sakes! So we… we…" Chihiro closed her eyes; she couldn't bear to say the painful words. Until now, the heartbroken face of Haku was still etched into her mind.
Raisuke raised an eyebrow at this unexpected news. However, inside, he smirked … if he was right about his hunch… his darling Chihiro was as good as his. "What happened, Chihiro?" asked the blonde, lightly holding Chihiro's small hands… giving her assurance everything would be okay.
"…Haku, Haku and I… we… we broke up."
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Meanwhile…
"You two, stay here. I'll be informing the elders of our arrival."
Two river spirits, one male, while the other female, nodded in agreement. They both watched silently as their superior, Yu-Baaba, entered through the mahogany doors, before disappearing from their sights. Soon enough, the temporary silence had been broken by a single voice…
"So… what are we supposed to do now?" an impatient feminine voice asked, trying to spark a conversation between the river spirit before her.
"We wait." A simple two-word answer; Haku didn't feel like talking at the moment, especially with someone like her. He was related to Raisuke… and that was bad news all on its own. Haku knew it was wrong hold bitterness against Hikaru, due to her family bloodline… but the Usagi family could not simply be trusted after the family's dark past.
Beisdes, he was still preoccupied with yesterday's events… the break-up… Chihiro… the sealing of the doorway… Chihiro… the break-up… Chihiro… Haku sighed internally; the heartbreak that Chihiro had afflicted at him had not healed yet. The brunette he had known for years had still haunted his dreams, moreover so, after the halt to their short-lasting, romantic relationship. He felt like he was going to crack any second; he had suppressed all of his thoughts and feelings pertaining to Chihiro since yesterday.
He always had the natural talent of concealing his emotions, and it was certainly no exception during the meeting in Zeniiba's cottage. He was sure that Chihiro noticed the tenseness and awkwardness as they sat away from each other during last night's meeting. He closed his eyes; everything felt so different about Chihiro now. Her presence no longer held all that warmth it once had; he could tell that Chihiro was avoiding him. At this fact, it wounded his heart… he was seeing the undying love she once returned to him, parish before his eyes. It hurt so much…
"Haku? Haku… you there?" an irritated Hikaru exclaimed. She hated being ignored. She had been trying to get his attention for minutes now, and there was no sign of response until now…
'Oh well.' Hikaru thought. '…with his recent break-up with that whore, both of them will be emotionally unstable, no doubt. I can always use that to my advantage, of course. Haku will be mine, and he will only pay attention to me. I always get what I want, and this is no exception.'
"Sorry, Hikaru…" apologized Haku. "I was just a little… preoccupied… with some thoughts."
'So I noticed.' Hikaru exclaimed bitterly in her mind. "It's okay. I sometimes do that myself too!" she said in her most cheerful voice, wincing at the fake, angelic persona she had around Haku. It was sickening to her, especially for one such as Hikaru Usagi. She didn't want to be some tree-loving nun; she was the queen of seduction and lust, not some untainted innocence.
Haku nodded in understanding at her words, before closing his eyes again. Inside Hikaru's mind, wheels were turning… trying to think of a topic of conversation. She didn't like being blown off by Haku; she wanted this attractive river spirit to notice her. "Hey Haku…" called Hikaru, before Haku moved towards her.
"Is there something wrong?" he inquired curiously.
"Oh no… nothing wrong at all. I just wanted to show you something that you might be interested in. Have you ever seen a Flower Bracelet before?" At this question, Haku shook his head to indicate otherwise.
"You have one?" Haku asked, genuinely surprised. There weren't many Flower Bracelets left in the Spirit World, strictly because of the fact that Flower Bracelets were no longer being produced; the special flowers that were used on the bracelet were now extinct. Flower Bracelets were hundreds of years old… and highly prized for their beauty and rarity amongst females. They were, no doubt, one of the most beautiful and elegant of jewelry in the Spirit World.
"Two, actually. I'm wearing one right now, actually. Want to see it?" Haku nodded, before Hikaru immediately pulled up her right sleeve…
On her right wrist, there was a gold chain with alternating purple and white flowers bound to it. The gold chain shined brightly under the light above them, reflecting some of that light back into Haku's eyes, as he examined it. The purple and white flowers were in the shape of cherry blossoms, and each of these flowers had a small, pink diamond in the middle. As Haku stared at the bracelet some more, he also noted that the flowers would occasionally curl up, then spread out its petals, as if these flowers were alive and growing. An estimate, Haku guessed that there were around twenty of those flowers on that bracelet.
"Impressive, mm? I've got another one just like it, except the gold chain is decorated with alternating blue and silver, cherry blossoms…" she bragged. "All of the cherry blossoms on both of my Flower Bracelets have also been personalized with my own emblem, the three-headed snake." She slipped off her Flower Bracelet, and flipped one of the cherry blossoms over.
"Very impressive…" Haku replied truthfully, as he stared at Hikaru's serpent-like crest on the back of the cherry blossom. "Not even Yu-Baaba has one, and yet… you have two. I've heard that there are only roughly ten left in existence. Are they family heirlooms of some sort?"
"Mmm hmm. I guess you could say that, actual--" Before Hikaru was about to finish, a familiar voice interrupted the conversation.
"Haku! Hikaru! Stop that nonsense chit-chatting! We're heading out to the shrine ruins… now!" shouted Yu-Baaba in a reprimanding tone, as Haku and Hikaru both followed behind their superior.