Don't Look Back – Chapter 5

Meeting A New Enemy

((Chihiro's POV))

I went back inside the bathhouse, trying to hide my grin. The afternoon flight with Haku had been amazing. We had talked a little more after that. The entire time I tried to get him to open up about what he knew about the Druids… but he would always neatly and subtly avoid the topic. I tried to focus on my work that I had to get done for Yubaba, but I couldn't focus. The Druids wouldn't leave my mind no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to talk to someone about it, seeing as I knew nothing about this group. I would have loved to ask Haku, but it seems that he doesn't care to tell me. Zeniba would probably do the same thing, and Yubaba would most likely ignore my questions all together. Kasumi seemed terribly shaken by their sudden appearance, so I don't think that it's wise to ask her. That leaves me with two people, Rin and Kamajii. Rin might know a few things, but Kamajii was my best bet at figuring out this mystery that no one wanted to tell me about.

I made my way down to the boiler room, only to discover that Rin was down there as well.

"Chihiro! It's good to see you again!" Rin cried, standing up to embrace me warmly.

Returning the hug, I laughed. "It's good to see you again too Rin."

She let me go and sighed. "I never see you anymore since you work up top now. You have to work on visiting me more, okay?"

I nodded, smiling faintly. "I'll try, promise."

Kamajii reached out an arm to hug me around my shoulders, never ceasing his work. "I'm glad that you could spare me a visit little one. But, I can tell that something is on your mind. Please, take a seat and tell old Kamajii about it."

I sat down on a nearby mat. "I was wondering if you would tell me more about the Druids. Everyone else seems hesitant to do so." I said slowly, arranging my skirts around me so they wouldn't wrinkle as I sat. At first, neither Rin or Kamajii spoke. He took a deep breath and began his explanation.

"The Druids are a group of select spirits that despise humans to no end. They ignore the fact that spirits need humans to live. You see, humans die, and become those shadows that you see on the train. Few humans become whole spirits, such as you and Rin. Yes, Rin was a human once, but that's a story for her to tell another time. Back to the Druids. Since they hate humans so, they've done many things to them. Enslaved them for eternity, or killed them even. Being killed sounds worse, but that's the better end of the deal."

Rin picked up the story, allowing Kamajii to focus fully on his work. "You know that humans can't live here for eternity, so the Druids had to make them spirits. This can only happen when a human dies, or when a human looks back while crossing the river. The Druids made up spells to force humans to die, and force their spirits to accept the magic of this world. More importantly, their magic. So, when the human becomes a spirit, they are reborn with the knowledge that the Druids are superior, and they must do everything that are told to do."

"They're basically servents…" I whispered, "Servants against their own will…"

"Exactly. It's not pretty. I suppose that no one wanted to tell you because they didn't know how you would react to the news. But, I believe that you should know." Kamajii explained, turning his head to look at me sadly.

I nodded, and left the boiler room without a word to either of them. I needed to think. Why couldn't Haku tell me this? Was he afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle it because I used to be a fragile, ten year old human? Well, he's got something else coming his way.

As I walked back to my office, I thought back on what Kamajii and Rin had told me. Why did Haku keep this from me when I'd been asking about it all afternoon, and more importantly, why did the Druids want him in the first place?

My thoughts were interrupted when I ran into Kasumi in the hallway.

"There you are!" she said, exasperated.

"Yes, here I am. Why are you looking for me?" I asked.

She smiled. "Haku asked you to have dinner with him."

"You didn't say yes for me, did you?" I questioned her, frowning.

Her smile slipped. "I'm sorry… I thought that it was okay."

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "It's all right, I'm just a little confused right now, that's all." I told her, the both of us walking back to my rooms.

"What are you confused about?"

I sighed. "I asked Haku to tell me more about the Druids all afternoon, and he avoided my questions. So, I went to go ask Kamajii and Rin about it. What they told me was disturbing, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle. I'm just confused about why Haku wouldn't tell me."

Kasumi shook her head. "I don't know either Chihiro, but knowing Haku, I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Speaking of knowing him, you knew him before I came along, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Wait, no! Not like that! No, no, no! Haku's like my older brother, I can't imagine myself seeing him, ever. I found him, barely alive on the steps a few hours after he lost his river because the humans built it in. I brought him to the bathhouse, got us both jobs, and nurtured him back to health. I understood his pain, seeing as I had lost my river a few months before."

I starred at her in amazement. "You had a river?"

She giggled, "Well, I wouldn't call it a river, more like a creek or stream. They don't last long, so I was expecting it."

"I'm sorry…"

"Eh, I'm over it. I've left and found my stream twice now. I could go look for it now that I know my name, but I give up. Being separated too many times begins to hurt."

"Now, Chihiro, put this on." Kasumi ordered, holding out a crimson gown.

I grimaced. "Do I have anything besides some shade of gold or red?"

She smiled, and went back to my wardrobe. "You have a sky blue one…"

"I still have that one? Oh, I love it!" I cried, dashing over to the wardrobe and ripping the dress off of the hanger. "I hope it still fits!"

Once I had gotten dressed, I let Kasumi mess with my hair. I believe that it's one of her favorite things to do. I think she loves my long hair… personally, I'm getting tired of taking care of it. She settled for leaving it down, parting it to the side, and clipping half of it back.

"There. You're going to knock Haku off his feet." She said happily, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

I laughed, "I need more than this to make him speechless."

Kasumi tapped her forefinger against her cheek thoughtfully. "Yes you do… here. I'm going to alter your dress a bit. Imagine what you want it to look like…"

I closed my eyes, and thought about the design of a dress that I envisioned as a ten year old girl. It would have never worked, considering I didn't have the right body for it, and I had no place to wear it. When I opened my eyes, I smiled at Kasumi's surprise.

I was wearing a deep jade green dress with a scoop neck that went dangerously low. The dress hung off my shoulders, and the sleeves were the same shade of the dress, only in a transparent silk. I knew that having divided riding skirts was a good idea, so I altered my dream dress a bit to include black slashes of extra material, allowing me to ride on Haku's back.

"Wow Chihrio… you look amazing." Kasumi breathed, "Haku isn't going to be speechless… he's going to be dumbstruck."

((Haku's POV))

I awaited Chihiro's arrival nervously in the lobby of the bathhouse. I had planned a riverside dinner for her, and I hoped that she would enjoy it. I heard someone coming into the room, and I looked eagerly toward the door. I frowned slightly when I saw Kasumi sneak through.

"Ssh! You never saw me, all right?" She whispered, striding over to me.

"Why did I never see you?" I whispered back, looking at her strangely.

"I just have to let you know that whatever Chihiro is wearing, it was completely her idea. I changed one of her dresses to what she wanted it to look like because she was sick of red and gold."

I smiled. "I can imagine that. You have no idea how much I would like to wear those colors."

Kasumi gave a slight grimace. "Right, so, anything she's wearing… it wasn't me." She said, and dashed out of the room. I looked at her retreating figure, completely bewildered.

"Haku? Is something wrong?" A soft voice asked me. I snapped my head around to face the speaker. I knew my mouth dropped open a few inches.

There stood Chihiro in the most beautiful gown I've ever seen. The colors of the dress complemented her skin tone wonderfully… wait, her colors!

JADE AND BLACK! My colors!

My heart swelled when I saw them on her. They looked so much better on her then they ever would on me. "Those colors… they suit you." I whispered to her, offering her my arm.

She looked at me for a while, and then blushed. I knew she just realized what she was implying by wearing them. Being my woman, mistress, mate, all of the above, or someone that I deeply loved and vice versa. "Haku… oh my, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean anything-"

"I know you meant well." I said softly, and her face fell. My heart plummeted to the floor; I knew that she didn't mean any harm. Then it hit me. She thinks I'm mad or upset about it! I'm far from that; I'm touched! I smiled warmly down at her, hoping that I would be able to fix this. "I'm actually honored that you would pick to wear my colors. I must say, you look stunning in them, better than me actually."

She jerked her head up to stare at me in shock. "But you wear your colors best!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I'm seeing the evidence that proves it wrong standing right in front of me. You look positively radiant."

She blushed. "You flatter me too much." She mumbled.

I chuckled, "I don't flatter you too much, I flatter you just the right amount." I told her, offering her my arm.

The flight to our dinner spot was wonderful, and the dinner that followed was amazing. When we finished eating, Chihiro spoke slowly.

"Haku… why wouldn't you tell me about the Druids?"

I paused with my glass halfway to my lips. I knew that she would ask, it was just a matter of time before she did. I set the glass down with a deep sigh. "I wanted to tell you, but-"

"You didn't think that I could handle it."

"No! No, that wasn't it at all! It was just…" I began, but I trailed off, trying to sort out what I was going to say.

But she took this as I didn't know what to say. She gracefully stood up and walked away.

"Chihiro! Wait!" I called after her, standing up. I followed her for a few minutes, realizing that she was moving pretty fast for someone that wasn't running. I heard a scream, and my heart rose to my throat. "Chihrio." I whispered. My fear grew to anger, and I flew close to the ground. If Chihrio was in danger… and whoever was threatening her… they were in some serious trouble.

"Let me go!" She screamed, struggling against her captor. I flew into the meadow, and landed on my feet. I shot out a stream of water from my hand, and it wrapped around Chihiro's upper body, startling her almost kidnapper. I pulled the stream of water back to me, her along with it. When she was close enough, I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me, wrapping an arm around her waist the other on her shoulder.

"Who are you?" I hissed, "And how dare you try to take her under my nose!"

"Forgive me for insulting you, oh mighty dragon." A voice drawled from the shadows. Chihiro's kidnapper stepped fully into the light, revealing half a face that I never wanted to see again. When I mean half a face, I was starring at someone who greatly resembled Kallisto. My fears were confirmed when the man introduced himself.

He had blonde hair paler than the mind could conceive pale to be, with ocean blue eyes that glittered maciously. He was medium height, and broad shouldered. His stance was relaxed and easy, but I know a fighting stance when I see one.

"You may recognize me, but my name is Phobos. I'm here under orders to kidnap you actually Haku, but I saw this beautiful maid… and I just couldn't resist. She was wearing your colors and everything. Did you find yourself a girl for the year?"

"You understand nothing." I spat, "Leave. You failed, tell your precious mother that you failed. Let's see how she takes that, having her own son admitting defeat!"

"Who said I was going back? I'm not leaving until I have one of you. But, seeing as I am far outmatched… I'll leave, for now. Don't worry, I might just take both of you next time. But… I think I might keep this lovely maiden for myself…"

"You, will not touch her, ever." I said angrily, holding Chihiro closer.

Phobos laughed, "Oh, are we getting territorial now, dragon? I hate to break it to you, she might not be yours for long."

"If you think you will ever have her, you will have to pry her from my cold, lifeless hands." I whispered fiercely, my words cutting through the night air.

Phobos inclined his head. "That can be arranged." He told me, and disappeared into the shadows. "But remember… one of you will be mine before I give up."

Once I heard no movement among the trees, I swung Chihiro onto my back and transformed. I flew fast and hard back to the bathhouse. When we landed on the bridge, she stood in my path, forcing me to stop.

"You are not taking another step until you explain things to me!" She told me sternly.

I closed my eyes and sighed, "Chihiro…"

"I mean it! Tell me now!"

I opened my eyes and looked at her softly. "All right." I whispered, and proceeded to tell her everything. Who my uncle was, who the main leaders of the Druids were, the whole deal. She didn't interrupt me once.

When I was done, she blinked. "That's it? That's what you didn't want to tell me? You've got to be kidding me."

I starred at her in disbelief. "It doesn't bother you that I'm related to members of the Druids?"

"No." she said, rolling her eyes. "It's not you that's one, so why should I be worried? I'll only become worried when you're captured, or worse." She said, her voice lowering itself to a whisper.

I grabbed her by the shoulders, "I'm not going to die in this, I promise. I'll be there to save you or just make sure that you're happy. I'm not going to leave you." I told her softly, but firmly.

She smiled up at me. "Thank you." She whispered. I smiled down at her, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. But, she moved her head up more by accident…

Our lips met. I felt fire rush up through my veins. I was startled sure, but it didn't last long. Chihiro didn't seem to mind. She slid her hands up to rest on my chest, and I pulled her closer. She wasn't fighting it, so I'll be damned if I started. One of my arms slipped down to wrap around her waist, and my free hand cradeled the back of her neck. My mind was screaming me to stop, that this was to fast. I listened, and I pulled away with a gasp.

"Chihiro, I'm sorry, I-"

She cut me off by pulling me back down to her. My heart swelled. Well, it's nice to know that I'm not going to be hurt for this. I felt Chihiro completely meld into me, and my insides flipped. Now I knew that if I didn't stop, things were going to get out of control way to fast for me to handle. I broke away again and rested my forehead against her hair.

"Chihiro…"

"It's okay, I didn't mind… if you didn't figure that out." She said, giggling.

"No, I shouldn't have done that, and-"

"Oh shut up. I told you it didn't matter to me… does it bother you?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. She lifted her head to look into my face. "Haku?" she asked softly, looking into my eyes. I could see some hurt and wariness in her gaze… I hated them there.

"I… I just wanted to admit it more… appropriately. This… this was unexpected."

"Haku, I've noticed that a lot of things in my life, and in yours, have been unexpected. I kind of expect unexpected things to happen. Now, I'm tired, so let's both sleep on this. We'll talk in the morning, or sometime soon. Don't put it off though, all right?"

I nodded, "I promise." I told her, and then grinned.

"What?"

I couldn't help it, I liked the fire that ran through my veins when I kissed her. I leaned down, and gently kissed her, slowly easing my lips over hers. Her hold on my shirt tightened. I slowly pulled away, and kissed her forehead like I originally planned to do.

"You have… have to quit doing that." She gasped out, smiling.

I smiled back down at her. "Is that an order?"

"I'm… I'm not sure." She told me honestly, and the both of us laughed under the starlit sky. If I only knew… if I only knew how long we still had together…

Chihiro... I'm so sorry...

A/N: This is the most reviews I have EVER gotten from people on any story that I have ever written. Thank you so much everyone! Did we like HakuxChihiro fluff? Yes? Good!

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-Vincent's Angel of Chaos-