Somewhere Only We Know

Midnight Maiden

Disclaimer: This is derived from Spirited Away, and the song is Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Chihiro's eyebrows stitched together, a concentrated frown set on her lips. Between her fingers twirled a battered, but still sparkling, hair tie. She remembered the day it was made. It was the same night that he had looked into her eyes as they tumbled from the sky. She'd seen so far, known his soul as she knew her own. She remembered when she had left him, her hand slipping reluctantly from his. He'd promised her that they would meet again. She had given him his name, and he had given her his word.

She'd had to wait, but in the end, he'd kept it. Her mind traced back to that enchanting night. Two years had passed and she'd stopped expecting to see him around every corner, or whip around to see when she'd thought she heard his voice. Then one night, asleep in her bed she'd heard a noise at her window. When she'd opened her eyes, he was there outside, waiting to be let in. Her Haku. She'd thrust the window open as quickly as she could, and was swept up in arms she'd waited an eternity to know. Hands touched her face, her hair, her body. Heat ignited in her veins as the lips of the man she'd always loved touched hers for the first time.

Her mind returned to the present. Those intense moments were few and far between now. He felt so far from her, like some sort of intimate stranger. She needed to be distracted. Chihiro grabbed her keys and climbed into the car she'd recently received on her birthday. The drive led her exactly where she'd known it would, to the tunnel that led to the spirit world. Quickly she passed through it until she reached the clearing. She took off her shoes and walked across it, stopping at the liquid barrier that served to keep her from the spirit world. Sitting down, she felt a wave of tranquility pass through her. This was how she used to feel with Haku. Now she didn't know.

I walked across an empty land

I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

I felt the earth beneath my feet

Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

She stood up and started to walk again, no longer enjoying the likeness to Haku that the river provided. She'd waited for him for so long, and now she was waiting again. There was no way to get passed those steely eyes. That glimpse of his core that she'd received so long ago was all that she would ever get, and she knew it. Walking a little farther still, she reached the nearby forest. She couldn't shake the feeling that the trees around her were like spies to the spirits, watching her every move. She's rather be back in the realm of the spirits. There, he still was hers.

The wind blew around her, and the visions that accompanied her almost every night now flooded her conscious. The Spirit World had reunited her with her lost friend, and turned her into the productive person that she was today. It had transformed her from a spoiled and scared little girl, to a responsible young woman in love. She woke up every morning feeling like she'd just been there, and couldn't stand the fact that she wasn't. The human world had changed her dragon man. She just didn't know why.

I came across a fallen tree

I felt the branches of it looking at me

Is this the place we used to love?

Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing where have you gone

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

So if you have a minute why don't we go

Talk about it somewhere only we know?

This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go

Somewhere only we know?

Somewhere only we know?

Suddenly a warm and familiar body was next to hers. She looked sadly up at the man she loved, but didn't love her anymore. He noticed the look on her face and reached out to touch it. She grasped that hand and held it tightly.

"What's wrong Chihiro? You've been acting so strangely lately," Haku whispered to her. Maybe he was truly becoming a man, and losing his spirit self entirely. He'd never been this unperceptive.

She just walked, still holding his hand. He followed, though he must have been confused. She didn't stop until she reached the rocky path where he'd let her go the first time, the place where silent vows for eternity were exchanged. He lifted an eyebrow. Her finger traced it carefully. She couldn't face what she was going to say out loud. She just stared passed his shoulder, breathing.

"What is it Chihiro?"

She looked into his eyes and all of her desperation surfaced.

Oh simple thing where have you gone

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

So if you have a minute why don't we go

Talk about it somewhere only we know?

This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go

So why don't we go

"Why don't you love me anymore Haku!" She shouted, tears flowing from her eyes, as she stared into his harder. "Why!"

He moved closer to her, but she backed away. "Chihiro, I…"

"I can't wait for you forever! I need to know what's inside you Kohaku! I need to know that you care what's inside me!" She was hysterical now, the fear that he would walk away from her, rising up to her throat. Finally outdone by months of worry, she fell to the ground, hugging her knees and crying. Strong arms wrapped around her. More than anything she wanted to pull away from them, but she was just too tired.

Haku whispered gently into her ear, "I love you." He lifted her chin to examine her swollen eyes and puffy cheeks. "Because you are what is inside of me." Chihiro choked on her own tears.

"Then why do you turn away from me? Why are your eyes so cold?" She demanded softly.

He sighed sadly. "When someone has owned you, you never want to allow it to happen again. Constantly, I'm torn between my love for you, and my restless need to be completely free of any ties. Sometimes the struggle for independence wins." He watched her grimace at this, and continued assuredly, "but I always return to you."

She threw her arms around his neck, laughing. "Yes, yes you do!" She bit her lip, and looked up at him from under long lashes. "But you know Haku, I will always have to own you."

This time he smiled. "I know."