A/N: Well, sorry it took me so long to get around to this portion of the story. I had the flew the last few days and couldn't sit at the computer for extended periods of time. This little part isn't supposed to be too involved and is really just to be a quick set up for the next chapter. At any rate, I hope you enjoy. Thanks much.


Chapter Four: To the Mall

Haku waited by the contraption known as "the car" while waiting for Chihiro to finish dressing. He inspected the machine carefully, examining it curiously. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen.

"Poor humans..." he muttered "They don't know the joy of flying through the air."

It would be a joy he'd miss. Then again, soon he would be nothing--no consciousness to remember anything. Not even Chihiro. He sighed softly. The thought pained him through every inch of his body. However, his decision was worth it to him, no matter the outcome.

A soft touch fell to his shoulder causing him to jump slightly. He turned quickly.

"Hello, Chihiro. This car that you have is very...nice."

She shrugged slightly. He noted her face still appeared quite flushed. Haku smiled slightly and her face lit up redder that it already showed.

"Shall we get going?" he asked after a moment

"Y-yes! Let's go." She said, rushing over to the door to unlock it for Haku.

After he settled in, she quickly sat in the driver's seat, buckling her safety belt. Haku decided to do the same, though he did not know the purpose. He settled back into his seat as she started the car then pulled out onto the street.

"So, what exactly is a mall?" Haku said three minutes later, filling the void in conversation

"It's a place to shop for clothes, shoes, gifts, among other things." She answered without taking her eyes from the road "There's also other stuff to do. The mall has a food court and an arcade, things like that."

"Interesting."

"Well, I guess it can be. It's a fairly normal thing in the world."

A pause followed. Haku stared out the window of the car, watching homes and shops pass in a blur. In many ways, the car contraption reminded him of flying, just on the ground. They hit a bump in the road, causing him to hit his head on the ceiling. Obviously, this was not as smooth.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly

"It's alright." he murmured as he rubbed his head

She sighed deeply and turned to him briefly then back to the road. "So, this is my home. What's yours like?"

He wondered how long it would be until she asked questions. Haku brought his hand to his chin, squeezing it thoughtfully with two fingers.

"The days are quiet, but the nights are filled with spirits. Well, it was that way in the part I lived in. I worked for a woman known as Yubaba, a powerful and unkind witch that owned the most popular bathhouse for the rich and powerful spirits. I served as her apprentice, which caused me to not be very well received."

Chihiro nodded slightly. Her stomach tumbled wildly. This Haku honestly believed these things. She could tell by the tone in his voice. Only four days she reminded herself. Four days and Haku would be out of her life with his insane notions.

Another fifteen minutes passed and the pair reached the mall. Chihiro found the closest parking spot she could. When she finished parking, she turned to Haku in her seat.

"THIS is a mall." She said, playfully

He looked to her with a raised brow then to the expansive building. It wasn't tall like a few others they had passed on the way, but it seemed just as impressive. Young women flowed in and out of the doors, smiling and giggling. The one's leaving had packages in tow.

"Well, girls seem to like it, so it can't be that bad." He said with a curt smile.

Chihiro giggled at him. He felt flustered after hearing the musical laughter from her throat. Another small smile played on his lips as he watched her. She pressed a hand to her chest while her whole body laughed. Her shoulders shook gently, her eyes squinted making them seem like crescent moons, and her cheeks turned sweetly pink. Suddenly, something deep in him felt very alive. Warmth spread through him.

She noticed Haku staring. Her laughter tapered off slowly as self-consciousness got to her. She took her hand away from her chest and placed it on the door handle.

"Let's get going." She spoke as she opened the door

Haku's hand reached out and held hers closest to him. She felt a jolt all the way through her from each point of his finger tips. She looked to him, curiously.

"Chihiro..." he said softly, like he was struggling with words, "Chihiro...I...there's something..."

He noticeably swallowed hard. Haku gazed into her eyes, almost to her soul, she thought. She desperately wanted to know what he had to say, but for some reason, he couldn't speak. After stuttering a few more times, he sighed, releasing her delicate hand from his caress.

"Thank you, for this. I appreciate it very much." He said finally

Chihiro had a feeling that wasn't what he wanted to say. The disappointed look in his eye confirmed it. She gave him a nod as she unbuckled her safety belt.

"You're welcome, Haku."

She stepped out of the vehicle. Haku did the same and joined by her side. Together, the pair went into the mall.

Two hours into their mall adventure, Haku felt overwhelmed. Chihiro made him try on many things in many different stores...It was all becoming a haze. She bought him several pairs of something called "jeans," tee shirts, regular shirts, sweat pants among many other things.

Apparently, he'd embarrassed Chihiro when he was first told to try something on. He hadn't known that there were separate rooms for such things, so he began to undress in the middle of the isle. Chihiro's flailing arms and plaintive moan made his blunder worthwhile, though.

So, hours later, he continued to dress for her. He'd put on the clothing she picked, dress, showed her, then she'd either have a look of annoyance or approval. Her face lit up when she made a good choice. She seemed to enjoy it much more than he ever would. Clothes were clothes in his opinion. He felt very much like a dress-up doll. It made her happy, so that made him happy as well.

"This is much more than enough for a few days, Chihiro." He pointed out while they stood at the cashier counter

She pulled out a little card, which he later discovered was called a "credit card." She shrugged.

"You have to be prepared." She smiled at him, "Men never think ahead."

During the much needed break in shopping, Chihiro took him to the food court. His stomach rumbled as the smell of delicious foods touched his nose. He let Chihiro pick something out for him to eat, which she did graciously. She chose cheeseburgers, a food she informed him was "Western". When she brought the round disks of bread, meat, and cheese, Haku inspected his, wondering how to eat it. He looked to Chihiro who lifted the burger to her mouth with her hands. Haku mimicked her actions, taking a bite of the burger.

Chihiro watched him, closely. He made no expression.

"Do you like it?" She asked excitably

"It's...It's very different."

She giggled that wonderful giggle again, nearly making him forget about his meal. He sighed, trying to push back the response it caused him.

"Well, I hope you like it. Hm, after this we need to get you some shoes. Then we can head back to my house." She tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully, "Of course, I need to figure out how to tell my parents without them killing me."

She thought on it more, silently while they finished their meal. There had to be a way that her parents would overlook having a strange young man stay in the house. She needed a quick work of fiction.

Come on, Chihiro! You're a writer. Making up a story should be easy by now.

Then she smiled. A wonderful idea came to mind. It was so crazy, it might actually work. She stood up, a look of determination on her face. Haku looked at her with curiosity.

"We need to get you a suit and a tie, dress shoes, and maybe my smart glasses to really pull off the look." She said, biting her lip while grinning

"Alright." He asked, "What for?"

"Because for the next couple of days, my boss is coming to pay me a visit to make sure I'm working on my novel."

"He is?"

"Mhm!" she grabbed Haku's things as well as Haku himself and headed back to the stores, hand in hand

She took him to one of the few solely dedicated to men stores, which sold suits of all sorts. Chihiro looked through the racks, inspecting each closely before making a choice. When she found an appropriate one, she pulled it out and held the jacket portion up to Haku.

"That should be a good fit." She said more to herself than to him.

He just nodded. The shopping wore him down somewhat. The idea of changing once again made him feel tired.

"Don't worry, this will be it for today." She commented as though she read his mind

She handed him a silky white button shirt, a very attractive dark grey suit, and matching tie. He took them and headed into the dressing room. While he dressed, Chihiro picked out a pair of black dress shoes and a pair of sneakers. By the time she grabbed the shoes, Haku had finished dressing. He stepped from the booth to show the young woman. She stood up to him, smoothing out some of the wrinkles.

"That's very nice..." she said softly

She opened her purse and pulled out a small hair tie. Chihiro reached behind Haku, taking his hair into her hand, then made a small ponytail out of his shoulder length hair. Their eyes met just as she finished. Her arms were still around him, but not touching just as their bodies were. Bodies close that body heat trickled from one to the other though they still had a little distance. For a moment, she vaguely wondered what it would be like to press her lips to his. The thought left quickly, but not the flush on her cheeks.

"Well," she said quickly pulling back from him, "That will do nicely. Put these shoes on and I'll pay for this. You'll have to wear it home in order for this to work."

He did as told while she put the expenses on her credit card. When she finished, they once again gathered up the clothes and headed to the car.

'Well, boss, let's hope this works...'

EDS