Don't Look Back – Chapter 23

From A Father To His Daughter

((Chihiro's POV))

I was sitting in my office while Haku was helping Kentoku get some of his strength back by training. I was enjoying my book when Amaya burst into my room.

"CHIHIRO!" she cried, looking around for me in a panic.

I jumped up and grabbed her hands, "What is it?" I asked, fearing that Kallisto had returned.

Instead, she gave me a huge grin. "You'll never guess what just happened to me!"

"I won't?" I sighed visibly, glad that we were safe for now.

"PERUN PROPOSED!" Amaya squealed, doing a little dance, twirling around.

I starred at her spinning form in mute shock. Perun… proposed? "When?" I asked weakly.

"This morning! Ah it was so perfect Chihiro…" she said dreamily, but stopped when she saw me looking at the floor. "Chi, are you okay?"

I nodded my head, still looking at the floor. I really was fine, I was just really shocked. Perun never showed that much affection toward Amaya in front of everyone. She tilted her head to the side and studied me for a few seconds before she came to stand in front of me.

Since she was shorter, all she had to do was tilt her head back to look at my bowed one. "Are you upset that Haku hasn't proposed?"

I jerked my head up in surprise. "No! Of course not!" I said quickly. Amaya hardened her gaze into a glare. She knew I was lying, and so did I. "All right… you caught me. I'm more jealous that you can call him your fiancé and I can't."

"I can assure you that will change soon." A masculine voice said from the door. I looked over Amaya's shoulder to spy none other than Perun. "No doubt she told you?"

"Did you hear?" I asked with a smile.

He smirked. "Actually I didn't. I was on my way up here to talk to you really quick."

I furrowed my brow, "About what?" I asked.

"This actually."

Amaya looked at her fiancé quizzically, "What about it?"

"Um… Amaya, do you think you could give me a moment alone with Chihiro?" he asked her, and she looked somewhat surprised. No doubt that I was.

"Uh, sure Perun…" she said, going out to wait in the hall.

"So… what couldn't she hear?" I asked my friend, slightly confused now.

He smiled. "It's not that she can't hear, it's just… hard to explain. I didn't want her spreading the news around I guess. Not that she would… but still."

"What news?"

"I know that you might be a little upset that Haku hasn't proposed yet, and I'm actually very surprised I beat him in this, really, I am." Perun said with a chuckle. "But, I know that he plans to do it soon."

"How do you know?"

"Let's just say I've spotted him looking at a certain ring…"

My hands flew to my mouth, "He has a ring!" I exclaimed.

Perun's eyes widened in fear, "Ssh! Not so loud! You're not supposed to know!"

"Well I figured that…" I told him, "But he has a ring… do you know when he's going to propose?"

"That I have absolutely no leads on. But don't worry Chihiro, he loves you. I have a gut feeling that he's going to propose when this is all over, but I'm not sure. I just proposed to Amaya now in case either of us didn't make it out of this alive."

"Perun!" I cried, looking at him in astonishment, "Don't talk like that!"

"I know… but both of us are fighting, and it's hard to watch someone else's back and your own. We both know that. Plus, I thought it would make Amaya feel better about having… um…"

"Sex before she weds?" I suggested, watching him turn red with faint amusement.

"Yeah… that." He said, looking at the ground. He shook his head slightly and looked back up at me. "I may not be able to help you much on this, but you could ask my father about it. I've discovered that he knows a lot about people by just watching them. He's the one that assured me that Amaya wouldn't say no-"

"You mean you weren't sure?" I asked with a laugh. He blushed and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "A blind spirit could tell you that she's totally all yours. But, I guess it's just the way men are."

"How are men exactly?" Haku asked, coming into the room.

I smiled brightly at him. "Nothing you need to worry over!"

He frowned at me. "Whenever you tell me that, I've learned to worry."

I laughed, and Perun joined in. "Haku, she's serious," he said, clapping his brother on the shoulder, "It's really nothing you should be worried about." And with that, he left my room to join Amaya.

Haku turned back to look at me. "Are you sure?"

I leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm positive. How was training?"

He shuffled from foot to foot, something I quickly learned that he did only when he was extremely nervous or about to bring something important up. "I was actually wondering… if you still wanted to learn how to use the sword."

My eyes widened. This certainly wasn't what I was expecting him to bring up. "You mean you'll teach me?"

His eyes lit up and he smiled down at me. "Sadly, I would love to teach you. But, I'm not exactly the best teacher for beginners. My father gladly pointed out that I don't have much patience. So, he'll be teaching you at first. You get along with him just fine, correct?"

I smiled at the thought of spending more time with my father-in-law-to-be. "Yeah, we get along just fine. When do I start?"

"Whenever he's ready I guess. I'm not sure if he went back up to his room or if he's still downstairs in the practice rooms. You might want to hurry and see."

I changed quickly and dashed down numerous flights of stairs to the practice rooms in the basement. This was where the warriors that we freed would train and freshen up, show our fighters a few new moves and vise versa. It was actually a fantastic system, and was working very effectively. I found Kentoku with a staff in hand, slowly moving through forms. His eyes were closed, and I knew that he was doing these from memory.

It was a pleasure to just watch him. It wasn't because I thought he looked handsome, but it was just the fact that it was… soothing to watch him. He was so light on his feet; he moved with an unmatched grace that could probably rival Haku's balance, and he moves like the water he is.

I took a few steps toward him, trying not to make a sound. Suddenly, Kentoku stopped moving and turned to face me. "Hello Chihiro. Come to practice?"

"Yes… sorry I disturbed you."

"It's quite all right. I knew that you were here since you entered the room."

"You did?" I asked, blinking my eyes a few times.

He smiled faintly. "Yes, I did. I also know that you were watching me."

I blushed, "Sorry…"

He waved it off. "Nothing is wrong with that. If I had known you were interested, I would have done something more entertaining." I smiled and decided not to say anything else. I was embarrassed enough I thought. He put the staff against the wall and came to stand a few feet in front of me. "So, Haku's finally you learn how to use a sword?"

"He is. He sent me down here because-"

"He has no patience, right?" I nodded and he smiled. "Good. I didn't think he would actually admit it."

"Admit it?"

"Haku is very proud. He hates admitting his faults. But he's also smart enough to know when he has to confess about things. This would be one of those times."

"How do you know about him not being the most patient person?"

"Oh I can tell. He is my son after all." Kentoku said, crossing his arms. "Besides, I'm the one that managed to break him and let you do this."

I smiled brightly up at him. "Really? Thank you so much!"

"Not a problem." He said, inclining his head to me. He gestured with his hand, and a sword appeared before me. "This is for you." He told me, and gestured again. This time, a belt and scabbard appeared at my waist. "Now, this is when you formally start training. The sword is nothing like a bow, so therefore I will teach you differently… very differently. If you liked my teaching style then, forget about it now. I'm probably going to be the last person you want to spend time with. You may even feel like running me through. But that's the best way to learn."

"It is? That doesn't exactly make much sense Kentoku."

"Good, because it's not." He told me seriously, going to go get his own sword on a rack. "Anger and frustration are good motivators. You may not think so now, but they are.

"When you're angry, you have the drive and want to do it right, just to prove whoever made you mad that you really can do it right. The end result it very nice and you feel extremely accomplished… not to mention you've gotten the person to respect you more. Frustration works the exact same way, believe it or not. But when you accomplish something you've been frustrated about, you feel better about yourself than you do when you've been angry."

"And how do you know all of this?"

"Because I've been trained once, long ago. Listen to me carefully Chihiro. In the next few days, you'll come to hate me. Don't object now, because you'll soon learn that I'm right. Now, I want to see you copy me…"

Oh was he right. By the end of the lesson, I wanted to punch something… really, really, really hard.

"Stop. That is enough." He said, sheathing his sword. I did the same, and began to stalk out of the room. But his voice stopped me. "Was I right Chihiro?"

I spun around to face him. "Can I please punch something?" I said in a level voice.

He threw his head back and laughed. "Now, now, you did well. Haku would be impressed. He told me why he didn't want you to learn how to use a sword."

Despite my anger, he had caught my attention. "Why is that?"

"Three reasons. One, it really isn't becoming for a lady, but I think you've shown us that you're not exactly normal. Two, he thought that you didn't have the determination and will do it. Once again, you've proved us wrong on that account. And third… he knew that he couldn't teach you, at least not at first."

I tilted my head to the side, my anger vanishing slowly. "Why?"

"He's not patient enough, and would eventually blow. You know that."

"Yes… but why is that a reason to not teach me?"

"Have you ever seen him truly mad?"

"No… why?"

Kentoku nodded, expecting that answer. "Neither have I. And by the stories I've heard, I don't want to. He's told me that he has a nasty temper. Coming from Haku… it has to be true, and his temper has to be horrendous. But the reason he didn't want to teach you was something I wouldn't expect him to say.

"He told me that he didn't want to teach you because he loved you too much. I know that doesn't make much sense, but hear me out. He knew that he didn't have the patience and would get angry beyond all reason over nothing. He knew that you would demand what was wrong with him, and that would anger him further. Then he would say things he didn't mean, and would instantly regret. But deep down he knew that there was no way you would listen to him after the things he told you. If he taught you, he knew it would break what you two beyond repair.

"He cares that much. I thought it was a little overwhelming at first… but then I saw his eyes after he was done explaining. I knew then that every word he said came from the heart. I trusted him on this account; he wasn't lying to me. He loves you; don't ever doubt that. If you ever doubt that he doesn't love you, then you must be blind.

"Every time I see him look at you, I see a degree of love that I've never seen nor felt. Every time he talks to you, his voice takes on a softer tone, a tone that he reserves just for you. Every time you're in the room, he's immediately more relaxed and tuned into anything you're doing. Every time you speak to him he treasures each word you say and treats your opinions about everyone else's. Every time he hears your name, his eyes brighten and his demeanor changes.

"It may not be your official title yet, but you are beyond worthy of it... my daughter."

((Kentoku's POV))

I think that's the longest speech I've ever given in my life. But it was special, and not just because it was long.

I meant what I said. Every single word.

And I think Chihiro knew I did.

She was starring the floor, and refused to look up at me. I saw a tear fall from her eye and flicker in the light before it hit the floor. I must be a sucker for crying women, but I didn't really care. I walked over and wrapped the young woman in an embrace. It wasn't like when I hugged Lavanya, or even Rin. I hugged her like a father would a daughter. She leaned into me and cried. I rubbed her back and let her cry. It was a lot to take in at once, and coming from me it probably had to mean more to her than if it came from Amaya or Rin.

Haku came in and saw us, or rather Chihiro crying. His eyes became fearful and he flew to her side. He put his hands on her shoulders, his voice laced with worry. "Chihiro… what's wrong?"

I handed her over to my eldest son, and he wrapped her in his arms and whispered soothing words in her ear. He looked up at me questioningly.

But I shook my head. "She's fine, honestly." With my job for the day done, I began to walk for the door. I only took about two steps before Chihiro stopped me.

"Kentoku."

I turned around to face her. "Yes Chihiro?"

"Thank you."

I nodded in response, and began my way to the door.

But she wasn't done. "And I don't hate you anymore."

I stopped walking and turned around her, a smile on my lips. I walked back over and kissed her gently on her brow. "That's good to hear. I might fix that tomorrow."

She laughed, "No, I really don't think you will."

I smiled again, "Perhaps. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Good day to the both of you." I told the both of them, walking away from the couple.

"Father… what did you say to her?" Haku called out to me, stopping me for the third time that day.

"Nothing." Chihiro told him, burying her head in his chest.

I smiled softly at my son. "It's truly nothing.

"Just wisdom from a father passed onto his daughter."

And with that, I left the both of them alone.

A/N: I think that this was my most favorite chapter to type so far. It really was... but the whole Chihiro learning how to use a sword wasn't planned, but you guys really didn't need to know that...

Okay, I REALLY need another character. My only requirement is that's she be a female. Let me know if you havea character for me, and I'll pick the one best for the position.

StrugglingArtist
Princess of the Wind
Kataan
Priestess Kohana
Lillix Vail
Ravenna's Soul
mistress of mist

And a special note to the following reviewers...

Giddyupgal - I'm actually a bright and happy person, and probably too much of it at times. I'm actually surprised that I've got some sad stuff in here, and even more surprised it didn't turn out half bad. ((lol)) And I'm glad that you liked Perun. It's funny, because I can see him doing that too... :)

Mushrambolover - I think they need to make a second Spirited Away, but I know that they won't. Maybe I should aspire to make one that follows this story line... ((lol)) Fat chance. But, I'm glad that you can see this. I like it when that happens, it means I must be doing something right...

And an even more important notice to the following revier...

Mistress of Kohaku - Well, if you want a lemon for Haku and Chihiro... go look somewhere else. You're not going to, and you will never, see it here. I'm just starting my freshman year in highschool next year, and I'm not the person to write something like that. I have nothing against lemons, I'll admit I've read a few... but I will NEVER write one. So, I hope I haven't turned you away from this story because I won't write one, but I'll say now that if you don't read this anymore because of that, it's your loss. I don't mean to come across as rude or mean... but I just really want to get my point across.

Everyone...

I tell you now, I will never write lemons for any fandom. If I do, it will not be for a VERY, VERY, VERY long time. I'm not against them, I'm just against writing them.

Thank you for the reviews everyone! Mwah! I luv you all:)

-Vincent's Angel of Chaos-