Written Rivers

Book 2: A Tie Amongst Rivers

Chapter 6: Toxic Hope

Rumi was with Makoto when she heard a scream echo through the Bathhouse in the late afternoon. She knew it all too well and so did Makoto. Makoto didn't hesitate to shift to his wolf form and Rumi instinctively climbing onto his back before he raised to find their friend.

They could hear Chihiro crying out for help as they skidded down the hall towards Haku's office, shoving past curious staff as they went. Makoto stopped in front of the door and Rumi scrambled off to allow him to shift back to his human form. He burst into the room and found a panicked Chihiro over an unconscious Haku.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held his face in her hands, crying for him to wake up. Her eyes flitted to them and her panic escalated. "I don't know wh- wha- what h-happened!" She stumbled. "We-we w-were just eating… a-and t-talking and he k-keeled over and h-he won't- won't wake up! He won't wake up!"

Rumi could see her physically shaking as she held onto Haku. She hadn't seen her friend's anxiety rise to this level in years. She was scared, terrified. What could have scared her this much? She slowly approached her friend, Makoto close behind her, even though she could tell he wanted to be by his master's side.

"Chi-chan…" She spoke softly. "It's going to be alright-"

"N-no it's not!" Chihiro bit back behind tears. "He-he's getting cold and he won't wake up! He won't wake up! I-I- I didn't get to tell him! I didn't tell him and- and- it may be too late! Oh gods! He w-won't wake up!"

"Chi-Chan. We're here to help."

Makoto tried to approach the two of them, but Chihiro screamed and gathered Haku into her lap. "Stay away from him!"

Makoto hesitated but froze, a small, barely audible, whimper sounding from the back of his throat.

Rumi tried again. "Chi-chan…" She got Chihiro's petrified attention. "That's why we're here. Remember? You called for help, and look, we came. Makoto needs to look at Haku… Will you let us?"

Chihiro faltered slightly in her panic as if she were caught between two life or death voices in her head and she was struggling to choose which one to listen to. The voice of logic seemed to breakthrough because she grimaced and nodded absently.

Makoto took this as his cue and approached them slowly, trying to keep Chihiro calm, Rumi not far behind. He carefully took Haku from Chihiro's arms and laid him flat on the ground, beginning to examine him.

Rumi took Chihiro's hands carefully, whispering to her what she was doing, guiding her away from where she sat. Chihiro struggled slightly but the familiar warmth and voice must have brought a small level of comfort because she ultimately leaned into Rumi's arms, mumbling and tears just streaming down her cheeks. She cradled her friend, shushing her and petting her hair as she cried. She could feel Chihiro shaking and heart race. She tried to keep her own breath even and heart rate steady to give Chihiro an anchor to match.

There was something Zeniba had said after Chihiro had left the room when they were at the cottage.

"Love is always tested. Fate can't help it. If she truly loves Haku, despite all she says, Fate will test it whether she believes her own words or not. True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does."

Was this a test? If it was, it was a rather cruel one.

Rumi let her gaze flicker to Makoto who was looking over Haku. He met her gaze and concern filled his eyes, a look she wasn't familiar with on his face. If he was able to give her that kind of look then it must have been bad. She whispered words of comfort as she continued to smooth over Chihiro's hair in calming motions. Rumi wouldn't let her feel her worry. Memories of their high school days fluttered into her mind, this closeness of calming the other down, Makoto laying close to them as they rocked. Who knew this would happen after all this time...

Makoto managed to get Haku onto his back and shifted into his wolf form, efficiently getting Haku onto his back without him falling.

"I will take him to his room and call for Zeniba." He said.

"Wait!" Chihiro suddenly scrambled out of Rumi's arms and grasped Haku's hand as Makoto began to head inside. "I wanna stay with him."

Makoto made eye contact with Rumi and nodded. With that, he started inside, Chihiro holding onto Haku's hand tight as they made their way to his futon where they lied him down carefully. They all looked amongst each other and toward Haku. Finally, Makoto spoke.

"Unfortunately, this is beyond me. I will go and consult Zeniba and then head to his river to see if there are any signs of tampering. It may not have even been the foot he ate."

Rumi nodded absently. She certainly didn't know what to do with a sick dragon, maybe a sick human, but not a sick dragon. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll let Rin know and watch over these two-"

"I'll keep an eye on Haku," Chihiro said aloud, her voice practically detached from her body.

Rumi grimaced but looked down at Chihiro's shaking hand, stilling clinging to Haku's as if some sort of lifeline. She nodded. "Okay. He'll be in good hands with you watching him."

Chihiro nodded herself, vacantly.

Rumi looked to Makoto with concern and he only replied with a sad look and shifted to his wolf form for his long journey ahead.

Makoto searched up and down the banks of the Kohaku River, looking for something that might have caused his master to take a sudden turn in health. Whatever it was, it was not the food poisoning that they were playing it off to be.

Why would someone want to poison Haku? Was it an old upset guest? Yubaba? Did someone think he was the next Seiryu? Was it to throw off the balance of the Holy Beasts if he really were Seiryu? An old war enemy?

There were too many questions and not enough time or resources to ask, answer, and fix them.

Hopefully, by now, Yuuka was on her way to the Bathhouse. Before he went to Haku's river he went to Zeniba's cottage to ask for her assistance. Zeniba ended up sending Yuuka in her steed, who then prepared to take off in her bird form with the necessary tools to the Bathhouse.

Now he was checking the river, up and down the banks, checking into his master's cave. Nothing. Even the river itself was of no use. It was also partially affected by its dragon counterparts illness. The waters were practically stagnant, algae beginning to form along the rocks that lined the river. The river itself was not even its energetic self, the only thing Makoto was able to make of it was mumbled feelings of bubbling groans.

Even the spirits that normally occupied the river shied away from the waters, a vacant look in their eyes that echoed the feeling of the river and Makoto's racing heart. He could not stay in the water too long. A stagnant river usually meant a dying river and a dead river was a poisonous one without a god to govern it, leaving it to be a poisonous void for the rest of eternity.

Makoto continued his search without any fruits. The river was not poisoned… So it had to be the food. But who would poison Haku within the Bathhouse? Was Yubaba's influence still there? Did she send someone to poison him? But why?

"Is Kohaku-Sama alright?"

Makoto turned to a small voice behind him. A young kappa spirit edged toward him. He repressed a grimace and nodded. "He will be alright, he is just unwell, he will be back to normal soon."

"I hope so." Another kappa spirit piped. "Before the fish go bad!"

"We don't even like fish?" The younger one said.

The older one scoffed. "It doesn't matter! All that matters is that Kohaku-Sama is well again. This better not turn into what happened fifteen years ago!"

Makoto frowned. He was referring to the time Haku lost his Human World counterpart. "It will not be. And I would watch the way you speak of Kohaku-Sama. He could have you leave for such insolence."

The younger kappa shied away but the older one looked at him unphased. "And who do ya think ya are, eh?" He crawled toward him, almost threateningly. "Ya come around here all high and mighty like ya own the place even though ya only been here about ten years! Nah! Ya haven't even been here that long! And on top of that, ya haven't even been here the last six! Off doing whatever ya do in that Human World." He said with disgust. "Just because ya found easy favor in Kohaku-Sama's eyes, don't think ya can go around bossing us around!"

An involuntary growl escaped Makoto's throat as anger bubbled up inside him. No matter where he went, they just would not accept him-

"Makoto-San."

The kappa spirits and Makoto looked to another spirit who had come to the scene. It was a ningyo, a water spirit with long black hair that had green algae laced through it, and dark luring eyes. She was dressed lightly in a light blue yukata, carrying a small box decorated with different shells. If he remembered correctly, she was the one who usually took responsibility for the water spirits within Haku's territory. She was one of the oldest spirts to take residence in his river.

"Masumi-San." Makoto bowed his head. "I apologize if we disturbed you."

"No worries, Makoto-San. This one just doesn't know when he's bitten off more than he can chew." Masumi smiled looking at the older kappa. "You are always welcome here no matter what they say. Kohaku-Sama chose to let you stay here for a reason, just as he did for everyone else in his territory. So don't let this old fool discourage you now, okay?"

Makoto let out a sigh and nodded. "Of course, Masumi-San." He looked at the box. "What is that? If you mind me asking?"

"Oh!" Masumi blushed and held out the box for him. "It's for Kohaku-Sama. I've only seen his river like this once before back in war times. It usually means he's been poisoned. So, I prepared some herbal medicines for him."

"Thank you, Masumi-San. Kohaku-Sama will surely appreciate it."

Masumi nodded a smile and placed the box in an oversize bag and slung it over his big head to rest around his neck. "Don't be a stranger now." She grinned. "And make sure to take care of that dragon of ours."

"Of course. I would not have it any other way." He glanced at the kappa and bowed. "Until next time." He turned to continue his search before heading back to the Bathhouse but stopped. "Please let me know if you see anything suspicious going on here. I would appreciate it."

"You betcha!" Masumi and the younger kappa pipped.

Yuuka's flight to the Bathhouse was more than exhausting. Makoto spontaneous arrival back at the cottage, not two days after they left, was alarming. What made it more alarming was the news of Haku fainting not earlier that day. Now, Yuuka found herself flying to the Bathhouse in Zeniba's steed with one of her aunt's shikigami. Zeniba found it would be a good opportunity to put to practice all she had learned so far since she started living with her.

It was early the following morning when she got to the Bathhouse. She soared directly into Haku's window, not wanting to fly all through the Bathhouse to get to his room. When she got there, she found Chihiro, Rumi and Rin huddled around Haku's futon, which was in an alcove in the wall of his room.

"Hey everyone." She panted as she shifted into her human form, practically stumbling into the room. "How is he doing?"

"He's… worse? Better?" Rin skepticized. "He started off super cold now he's heating up. I guess it's his dragon instincts fighting back but whatever is attacking him is stronger. What could do this?"

Yuuka felt a drop of sweat drip from her brow. Could she do this? A sudden urge to swallow the knot in her stomach came and she almost felt like throwing up. Zeniba must have been pretty confident in her to send her on her own, she had to prove herself to the old witch, who was the closest thing to a mother she ever had. She swallowed down the knot and approached the three who knelt beside the fallen dragon. Rin and Rumi seemed under control but with the dark circles under her eyes, Chihiro looked like death warmed over. It must have been tough on her.

"Well let's take a look then," Yuuka said, typing back her sleeves as the Bathhouse workers did. She started to examine Haku, taking samples, asking for the meal he had eaten, and making observations about his abnormal healing time in comparison to his normal healing abilities. The shikigami Zeniba had given her would nudge at her occasionally about checking something she'd missed, but never took on her aunt's form. Only watching.

Sometime while she was examining the dragon, Rin left the room to prepare for opening, leaving Yuuka alone with Rumi and Chihiro. She sighed and gently took Rumi by the elbow, pulling her away from Chihiro so they were out of earshot. The likely hood of Chihiro hearing though was low though since she was hardly even paying attention to either one of them.

Yuuka looked at Chihiro from across the room and whispered to Rumi, "I believe he was poisoned…"

"Poisoned?" Rumi hissed lowly. "I mean I could have guessed that but who would want to poison Haku?"

"Well judging his position and prompting to be Seiryu, he probably has some enemies. Not to mention anyone from his past from wars and what not." Yuuka replied. "He's a powerful dragon god, he's bound to have enemies that want him gone."

"But why now? He hasn't done anything as far as we know to earn this as of late. He doesn't even want to be Seiryu."

Yuuka shrugged. "Only he would know that. We should just be thankful they didn't swap the dinners on accident or else Chihiro would be very dead right now."

Rumi gave Chihiro a worried look.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. And so will Haku. After a few days rest, his body will have cleared out the toxins by itself with the help of the medicinal herbs I gave him. It seems as though his immune system processed the poison fast, so it took effect faster. But it also slowed down his healing after it had time to take effect. I would just watch him because he does have a fever." Yuuka tapped her chin. Rumi's question from earlier was valid though, why would anyone poison Haku? It almost had the same symptoms as food poisoning, it should have taken longer to take effect… Was it because it processed through his system too fast? A dragon's immune system works faster than the average being, whether spirit or human...

"Thanks, Yuuka." Rumi's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"Of course." She smiled. "What are friends for?" She paused and thought for a moment. "Let's not let anyone know he's been poisoned. Tell them he had a very bad case of food poisoning that only affects dragons or something. The staff around here aren't all that bright to begin with."

Wake up. Changed compress. Relit incense. Checked temperature. Prepped herbal medicines. Breakfast? Not hungry. Gave medicine. Watch. Just watch. Rumi. Conversation. Lied about breakfast. Rumi left. Changed compress. Watch. Lunch? Not hungry. Rin. Some more conversation. Rin left. Watch. Hunger? It's… there… Changed compress. Relit incense. Attempted to feed Haku. Attempted to talk to him… No response… Yuuka. Checked compress. Checked herbs. Conversation. Yuuka left. Rumi came in with dinner. She found out about breakfast. Rumi lectures about making sure to eat. Nodded to make her stop. Rumi sighed and left. Ate dinner. No flavor. Changed compress. Watch. Sleep… watch… sleep… changed compress… sleep… Wake up again.

Chihiro's days seemed rather dull after Haku's collapse. According to Yuuka, it was food poisoning but Chihiro hardly believed it even through the numb state of her mind. Her mind was just foggy. Numb. She found her thoughts just screaming all at once and it made it hard to think straight. All becoming white noise as she tried to claw her way back to reality.

But one thought screamed above the rest and it scared her half to death with the worry of unsaid words. She had words that she never said to Haku running at high speeds as anxiety told her that he was dying and he'd never wake up, while logic and reality told her he'd wake up any moment. He was going to be okay. He'd make it through this…

She breathed in deeply as she reached to change his compress again. His temperature had gone down considerably. When he first collapsed, his temperature dropped to the point that he was cold to the touch, but soon after it skyrocketed to temperatures beyond even the normal temperature even for a dragon. The past two days, she never left his side. She wanted to be there when he woke up. To tell him sorry. To tell him… well, she really wasn't sure, with how jumbled her brain was and the thing she wanted to say most… it wasn't possible…

Rumi, Rin, and Yuuka came in to help care for the dragon interchangeably, but Chihiro knew they were mostly there to check on her. To make sure she was eating and taking care of herself as well as Haku. She appreciated it in one aspect but if felt degrading all at once.

Now, Rumi was at her side once again. She had gotten in the habit of coming in to make sure she was eating properly, but Chihiro genuinely just wasn't hungry. Her appetite was just gone. But that didn't stop Rumi from trying.

If Rumi wasn't trying to convince her to eat, she was asking how she was handling the current situation or tell her how the Bathhouse was handling Haku not being there. Apparently, Haku had built enough of a respectable rapport with the staff that they were causing no trouble with him being gone. That was good, they could handle themselves now. Just what Haku would want.

There was a pause in the strained conversation. Rumi hadn't pressed her much about her feelings as she normally would have since Haku collapsed and Chihiro was grateful, because she really didn't want to talk about it. Especially after the talk at Zeniba's, she really avoided it. But now she felt the need to decompress, even it was just a little.

"Y'know Rumi-Chan." Chihiro let out a breathy laugh. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd taken me on a date with the way he set up dinner."

"What makes you think it wasn't?" Rumi asked. She was trying to act uninterested, but the way her body turned toward her at attention said otherwise.

"Because he's not the type." She said solemnly.

"You really are clueless." Rumi shook her head and put a hand over her eyes. "And it is getting aggravatingly annoying."

"What?"

"How can you be so obtuse?" Rumi snapped.

"I'm not." Chihiro snapped back.

"We both know that's not true. Even Ayame-San said she'd never seen him act this way. Maybe it's because he's never been in love before."

"Rumi. Just stop." Chihiro insisted.

"Then admit that you love him." She demanded.

"I don't though."

"Don't or won't?" Rumi glared.

"Won't? No, I can't- I mean don't." Her mind and words were fumbling again, too many thoughts screaming at once.

"Pick one Chihiro!" She yelled in a hushed whisper. "Why can't you just say it!"

"Because then it would make it real!" She yelled back. Angry tears slipped down her cheeks. There. Would that satisfy her friend?

"What? Make your feelings real?"Rumi frowned. "Chihiro they are already real. It's a matter of deciding to do something about them."

Chihiro said nothing.

Rumi let out a heavy sigh. "Chi-Chan. Remember that one time I had a crush on some stupid boy in elementary school?"

Chihiro nodded. "Yeah, he was the first boy you ever confessed to." Her voice was distant and almost detached from the conversation now but Rumi had caught her attention with the memory.

"You're the one that encouraged me to go tell him. You told me it was better that I went and told him or regret never knowing." Rumi paused and looked her in the eye. "Chi-Chan. I'm gonna tell you the same thing. I've watched you over the years, you've never gone out with anyone. I thought it was because of the bullying or the fact that you were looking for Mister Right or just trying to focus on school. But as Zeniba-San said, you feel unlovable. So now that Mister Right is literally right in front of you, and literally looking at you with eyes that see you as the only person in the world that matters, you refuse to see it!"

Chihiro flinched slightly at her words. She didn't know what to say. She looked down at her hands, her eyes flitting to Haku briefly in transit.

"Am I allowed to love him?"

The words fell from her lips before she caught them. She grimaced at her own cowardice and insecurity. She knew that she had the worst self-esteem and the most insecurities. She couldn't let go of anything for the life of her. To think she had been telling herself that she'd be able to let go of any of the Spirit World was a joke. She couldn't love anyone in this state, and no one could love her either.

"Chihiro we already went over this-"

"Did you see the mess I was when Haku fainted? I haven't had an attack in how long and I fell apart when he needed me to be calm and collected. Who would love someone like that?" Chihiro stressed, she could feel her heart rate start to pick up. She had to calm down but. "Look how easy it is for me to regress back into old habits. I… I…" She couldn't talk anymore and took that moment to try to control her breath again.

"That means you care, Chi-Chan."

Chihiro looked up at her, shocked. "But-"

"Would you have reacted so strongly if you didn't care? What if that was someone else? Like a client? You care that they won't be hurt as a fellow living being, but with Haku, you two are so close that it was almost like you're linked. Like you felt his pain." She took Chihiro's hand. "It's alright to feel this way. You just need to remember that you can be in control. This anxiety doesn't own you. It doesn't define who you are or who you will be. And I doubt that it's what Haku sees when he looks at you. Whether he returns your feelings or not."

Chihiro took a shaky breath and nodded, considering her words. Any tears that she'd shed she wiped away. She took another breath and smiled. "Thank you…"

Her friend smiled and pet her hair down. "Of course. Are you sure you don't you want anything to eat? I'm gonna go down to the mess hall." Rumi asked as she got up to leave.

"No, I'm fine for now. Thanks though."

Rumi turned to leave when Chihiro had another thought.

"Wait." She called after her.

Rumi stopped and looked at her from the hall.

"What about the Human World? And Oka-San and Otou-San? If, IF, I loved him and he loved me… where would that put you and me?"

Rumi smiled, gently. "We'll just have to wait and see… I hear fate works in funny ways."

With that she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Chihiro turned to Haku and watched his sleeping form. She gently brushed his hair out of his face. He looked so peaceful even if he was in pain. He hardly showed weakness even in his sleep.

Chihiro chuckled lightly at that and bent down close to his face and rested her forehead against Haku's, breathing in a sigh.

"What am I going to do with you, Haku?" She inhaled sharply. She had to say it. For herself and maybe, just maybe, one day for him. "I don't understand it… but I think I love you…"

There. She said it out loud. The river that saved her as a child, the boy that helped her when she got lost in the Spirit World, the man that gave her a second chance, the dragon that protected her; she loved him. Raijin and the others had made a habit to mock and make fun of their relationship but there seemed to be some truth behind their teasing that neither cared to admit.

That made her stop. Maybe the feelings weren't mutual. Maybe she was overthinking her own feelings, regardless of the conversation she had with the Swamp Bottom residents with Rumi just then. Maybe she was just mistaking worry and sisterly affections for love.

She looked at him again. But a sister wouldn't see him the way she did now. She wouldn't notice the tension in his jawline, or the broadness of his shoulders when he walked ahead of her. Would she notice how his eyes changed ever so slightly in hue depending on his mood? Or the way his body strode gracefully as he walked as if floating? Would she notice these things? Did she ever notice these things before? And when did she start noticing them?

She moved so her arms were crossed over the low elevated futon and her chin rested on her arms. His olive-alabaster skin was beautiful in the dull light of the fireplace.

"Dammit, Kohaku Nushi… you've stolen my heart…" She laid her head down, facing away from the dragon, and closed her eyes, succumbing to sleep.

/

Haku woke up with a dull pressure in his head. He pressed his hand to his forehead to find a wet cloth and attempted to blink away the pain. He slid the cloth off his head and tried to collect his bearings. The last thing he remembered was having dinner with Chihiro and the sudden feeling of nausea and then falling and hitting his head hard on something. He pressed gingerly at the sensitive spot of impact on the right side of his head. There was no swelling, but it was still sensitive and hurt with enough pressure. He was not healing as fast as he normally would with these kinds of injuries. It was a little jarring. What happened?

He glanced around his surroundings and found himself lying in his futon, the blinds open to moonlight as a gentle breeze came through an open window. He attempted to sit up, but a voice whispered a warning from across the room.

"I wouldn't sit up if I were you. You'll wake her." Rin said walking up to his bed.

Haku looked down and found Chihiro sleeping on the floor next to him, her upper body lying on the edge of his futon. He could not see her face but her brown tresses splayed across the covers, her shoulders rising and falling gently in her sleep. Seeing her there sent any pain away.

"How long has she been here?" Haku asked, looking up to Rin.

Rin shrugged. "She's been by your side since you collapsed. She's been sure to give you medicine and to change your compress."

He looked back down at Chihiro. "I see…" He smiled and began to lift his hand to pet her hair out of her face but caught himself before he did. He flinched slightly when Rin talked again.

"You should really be careful, Haku. Food poisoning? Really? Since when did you become so vulnerable?" Rin snarked, mockingly.

"Food poisoning…?" Haku murmured thoughtfully. "Is that what that was?"

"Yeah, it surprisingly took you a couple days to recover, which is unusual for a dragon. Chihiro ate the same thing and miraculously didn't get food poisoning. Judging how bad you got it, it would have been lethal for her. Must have been a real bad batch."

Haku quirked a brow. "Hrmm…" If it were just food poisoning, why was he affected so severely? He grimaced. Was it poison? He would have to look into it further later. He turned back to Rin. "Thank you, Rin. I hope my being away has not caused you too much trouble with the Bathhouse?"

"Do you doubt my ability to run the Bathhouse?" Rin gawked, putting her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I am completely capable of running this business on my own and the Bathhouse has been flourishing just fine the last few days without you!"

Haku gave a small chuckle. "Then thank you, Rin. I never doubted you for a moment."

Rin smirked. "Of course, you didn't. Who would?" She turned to leave, waving as she went. "I'll be taking my leave. I just came to check on you. I'll be back with food later." With that, she disappeared down the hallway and he could hear the door opening and closing behind her.

Haku's eyes fell back down to Chihiro, where the sudden urge to brush her hair out of her face came. She looked so peaceful, even though he was not able to see her face. She lay close enough that if he sat up he would be able to see the profile of her face. He carefully brought his body to an upright position, careful not to move or disturb her. When he found himself comfortable, he peered down at the young woman and simply observed her. From where he was, he could see her eyes fluttering lightly in a dream, her brows brought together somewhat in concern yet still looked peaceful. Her lips were parted slightly as they moved to her silent mumbling as she lay on her crossed arms. He never noticed just how much she had grown. She was not the child he had once met, she was a strong, capable woman now. Maybe she was right, maybe she could stay. Or at least now he was considering it a possibility, it was certainly not something that was set in stone. Yet at the same time…

His mind wandered as he watched her sleep, leaning back into the pillows that supported his back. He thought back to what happened over the last few days. He remembered having dinner with Chihiro and then watching the ground draw closer into his sight until he was met with darkness. He had awoken a few times to see Rin, Makoto and Chihiro come through. He remembered seeing Chihiro talk with Rumi before going under again. The last thing he saw was Chihiro watching Rumi leave and looking back to him and brushing hair out of his face.

"I don't understand it… but I think I love you…"

"…" Haku's eyes refocused on the young woman. He lifted his hand and smoothed gently over her head, the contact making any uneasiness go away. "I wonder…" Was it a dream? Then his lips twitched in a smile.

He was happy. Of course, he was happy, in fact, overjoyed as the thought of those words slowly became more real to him. If she really had said those words, Chihiro's feelings were then mutual to his own. The only problem was… was that she loved him.

It was not supposed to happen like this. He was happier than anything to have his feelings for Chihiro reciprocated. But that was not the plan. She was supposed to return to the Human World and live out her life there, away from him and the Spirit World. She was supposed to move on, allowing him the breathing room to move on as well. That whatever feelings he had for her would wash away with the waves of time.

She was not supposed to fall in love with him.

He leaned forward again, and his hand hovered over her head once more as she slept. He bit his lip and clenched his fist, covering his eyes with his arm as he sunk back into the pillows. A smile played on his lips. She loves me… He looked at her from underneath his arm.

Haku's smiled faded. Why couldn't he have this one thing? Was it asking too much of fate? Surely it would allow him to love who he so chose…

Sleep still plagued his mind and he decided to let sleep ease his mind and take over once again. Letting the worries and joys of this moment fade into the darkness of sleep.

A/N:

"What's this? What's this? There's magic in the air! What's this? What's this? I feel it everywhere!" It's a ship getting ready to set sail!

Ya'll don't know how long I've waited to fricking write this chapter! I've had it written down for almost a year now knowing that it will come to fruit! YA'LL. It's happening! I'm excited! Are you excited? You SHOULD be excited! (Y'know until I start breaking my readers' hearts, which I can neither confirm nor deny that it may or may not happen #nospoilers #evilrickriordanlaugh)

I legit didn't realize how long I made this chapter. Pretty proud. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Zeniba's quote: "True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does." Is by Torquato Tasso.

kappa are these water spirits that look like deformed ninja turtles and love eating cucumbers. I really don't know how else to describe them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And ningyo are fish-like spirits aka mermaids.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! And for those that do review, I thank you a bunches!

Thank you for the reviews from: picklesisadeadcat, RSBCS, Rosettaxfantasy, Kra, Turniptree, Sypherpol, chimera-writes, coolchick87 and Ai Star.

God bless! KawaChou