You guys seriously have to give me reviews, if I don't know what you want me to do, then once I get a new chapter out some of you will complain that I didn't write about what you wanted me to. Ya know, if it weren't for you guys, Haku would have died in the last chapter and this one would be centered on Chihiro. Anyways, could I get at least one review on my Twitch story, pwease? Here's the fifth chapter, standard disclaimers apply.

The Imperfections We Weave

Chapter 5- A Decision Made

"What was that about?" Rin asked. She had tracked me down as I was walking aimlessly through the halls. Well, not really aimlessly; to think.

"I really don't know," I said softly. It was a while before I spoke again.

"He, Karu, said he wanted my soul," I explained, then continued in a hushed whisper. "Rin, he knows about Chihiro."

She looked at me, her eyebrows knit together.

"How could he, unless he was watching the Aburaya throughout that whole 'incident'," She said reassuringly.

"He's a telepath."

"Well, that explains it," Rin looked at me suspiciously. "Are you sure there wasn't anything else? Some of the slug spirits were eavesdropping and said there was yelling..."

"No, nothing else," I replied, shaking my head.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her about Karu's offer.

Scene

"Back again, I see," Karu commented, a tiny smile playing on his pale lips.

"Don't look so smug," I demanded, then looked down and stared at the floor. "And you're in my room, so it's you who's back."

Moments ticked by as I thought of what words I would say next, the feeling of his gaze on me hindering my thinking process.

"Why?" Karu looked at me strangely, and I answered his question before he had a chance to ask it.

"Why should I give you my soul, or…let you 'relieve' me, as you put it," I probed. What was the use of putting a sugar coating on the bitter truth?

He looked up at me, smiling his signature, shark-toothed grin.

"For one, those horrible dreams of yours. The one you care for so dearly pushing you away, telling you how they hate you when all you want is to comfort them and on the inside they're-"

"Stop!" I demanded. "I get it."

"-dead," He finished in a mumble. "What's the matter, dear Kohaku? Can't take it? Like I said…"

I jeered at him in a combination of annoyance and disgust.

"Secondly," He continued, unfazed. "You want to see her again, right? Be…happy?"

My eyes widened at that. "..Yes.."

Karu's eyebrows quirked upwards and his dark eyes held laughter.

"And lastly," A smile graced his elegant face. "You want me to go, don't you?"

"I-…,"I stopped, read the question mark in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to know…

And so did I.

Did I want Karu to leave? To end this game of cat and mouse that filled my days and gave them meaning? It was true, some part of me enjoyed it. I felt wanted. I felt needed. I felt important.

And I liked it.

But losing my soul, and just to get rid of him. Even if I did see Chihiro… This was all so confusing.

I tangled my hands in my hair and shut my eyes tightly.

'Just take it, take it now. Take it away..!'

I felt Karu's hand smoothing down my ruffled hair, and smelled the acetone in his freshly painted, black fingernails (A/N: he left the Spirit World and went to Wal-Mart to get it).

He sighed. "Is that really what you want?"

"I don't know what I want anymore," I retorted emotionlessly. How dare he explore my mind without my knowing! I hated him. I hate him.

"What a shame. I thought this would be so much more difficult," He whined.

Karu stood.

"Well… Do you accept?" He asked.

"..Yes..," I answered without even thinking. His voice was cold and bitter, like something I'd said had made him angry.

He threw down a straight razor that he'd been keeping in his cloak-like jacket (which disturbed me greatly) and it slid across the wooden floor with a scraping noise.

"Keep this with you. You might need it to… dull the pain throughout the soul transmuting process. Or at other times." He shot another smug grin in my direction and left the room.

And somewhere, miles and miles away, a woman who was still a girl on the inside heard someone she cared for deeply cry out to her for help.

Scene

How was it? Anybody out of character, any ideas, any mistakes? Give me reviews! I have an idea! Everybody put what they think is going to happen/should happen in their reviews!

And did anybody else cry at the last episode of Samurai Champloo?