CHAPTER VI

-when you promise-

"So...how are you feeling?" said Chihiro as soon as she sat down on the grass.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you, of course" he responded, smling at her gaciously.

"You should be careful from now on. After all, you're a human now."

Kohaku's expression froze for a couple of seconds. He stayed there just looking at her, as if the time had stopped.

"...What? You don't mean that..." he muttered.

Chihiro smiled.

"Haku. That's what I used to call you. Or rather, that used to be your name back then. A fake name. Strong enough to bind you to that place for centuries" she explained.

Kohaku averted his eyes and looked at the ground. He was abviously battling with his mind.

"Kohaku..." she whispered and he looked back at her. It was the first time she had seen him look so troubled "I know. Don't worry, I know now. And even if you don't remember, I'll do everythting possible to remind you. You were right...so right about everything..." the look in her eyes had changed completely since the previous night.

They remained there in silence for a few moments, until Chihiro spotted her group near the building. They saw her and signaled her to come their way.

Kohaku smiled at her.

"Go, we can always talk later..."

"Uh, allright."

"And, hey!" he said before she left "I'm glad that my suspicions have turned true. At least now I know that I'm not what I seem to be..."

Chihiro didn't answer, she grinned and kept walking.

~/~

"Heeeey...I sense a litlle something here!" said Aiko with a teasing voice.

"Haha, yeah. Chihiro, is there something going on with the new guy?"

Both Aiko and Yuuki were sitting at the opposite side of the table, facing Chihiro with that typical scandalous expression.

"No. Your sense is just bad" she responded bluntly.

"But hey, you guys hang out almost all the time. I mean...it's normal. Nothing to be afraid of."

Chihiro stopped fiddling with her food and shot Aiko a murderous look.

"There's nothing, Aiko."

The girl seemed to be taken aback by Chihiro's sudden change of attitude. After that the conversation revolved around school subjects until the next period.

~/~

"I'm not even sure how to make your memories come back...But, it's so ironic. I mean, how did you even turn into a human...?

Chihiro was walking back and forth in Kohaku's room, as he sat on the bed, listening to her. After a while she sat down next to him and glanced out of the window.

"You probably don't remember it." she muttered "But...before parting ways you had promised that we'd meet again. If you hadn't come, I would just continue living my ordinary life. I would have never recalled what I experienced then. So...I promise I'll find a way to make your memories return. Because neither of us is allowed to live on without knowing..."

Chihiro wondered about the Spirit World. What might have happened? Why did Haku have a human form? What about the place itself? There were so many question marks...

"Chihiro" he whispered.

"Uh, yeah?" she turned her head quickly to face Kohaku, feeling the blood rushing up to her face.

"We'll make it through" his voice was low but his smiling face had a huge reassuring effect on her.

She stayed silent even when they heard the soft sound of a light rain. She stayed there, thinking about hundreads of things at a time, with Kohaku's hands wrapped around hers.

The highway, the forest, the tunnel...She was immensed in the desire to go to that place. It could even be the only way.