Written Rivers

Book 2: A Tie Amongst Rivers

Chapter 16: When the Heart Unlocks

Over the next week, Haku found peace and enjoyment for the first time in what seemed like a long time. He had not had such carefree moments since he didn't remember when. Spending time with Chihiro and just taking the time to relax left nothing to be desired. Nothing could ruin these small moments of holding hands, small glances, and walks.

It was a few days into their little vacation when Chihiro's proposal of finding a way home threw him off a little. He had thought they had come to an understanding that she would stay, that there would be no more talk of the Human World now that she was his mate. He should have known this would come back up.

Haku took a deep breath and tried to process her words slowly. "So you want to go back, just to clear things up, am I correct?"

Chihiro nodded. "I only want to make sure Oka-San and Oto-San are okay and at ease. I've been gone for a while and they have no clarity on whether I'm alive or not. I don't want them to go through the rest of their life not having the peace that I'm okay. I won't stay there, but I owe them that much."

The dragon let go of a breath he did not realize he was holding. It was honestly embarrassing that he thought that she would return to the Human World permanently after all they had been through. Where was this anxiety coming from?

But there was another problem.

Haku ran his fingers through his hair as they sat over breakfast and smiled up at her. "I do not see why not."

Chihiro smiled and was about to express her gratitude when he held up a hand to stop her.

"But," he started. "We have the issue with the gate still. I do not know if it will open or when it will."

She pouted and blew on a strand of hair that fell into her face. "Is that all now." She said sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, it is. However, I will see if I can go speak with Naoyuki-Sama about why the gates have remained closed." He reached across the table and took Chihiro's hand. "But no matter what, I will find a way to get you home to your parents."

"Thank you." Chihiro tilted her head affectionately but then bit her lip like she always did when thinking. "I've spoken to Naoyuki-Sama about that though. He said his power over the gates have weakened and that he doesn't have full control over them anymore. But that wouldn't make sense. If someone else is controlling the gate, who is preventing us from leaving? Are other spirits struggling to cross the gate?"

Haku sighed and sat back in his chair again. He had thought of that as well. It didn't make sense. None at all. There were plenty of spirits that were still using the gate to get around, the tengu and Ryujin for instance have had no trouble continuing their duties. Why was it only them and then a hand full of other minor spirits that couldn't go through the gate? This only caused more anxiety in Haku. Who was targeting them? They already had someone try to take his life. He wasn't even sure if they were after his own life that night, they could have been aiming for Chihiro and they still hadn't found the culprit. What if the real next Seiryu was holding them in the Spirit World and after their lives?

There was too much uncertainty in all that was happening, he was honestly scared for her. Now that she claimed residency in the Spirit World, if she stayed near him, he felt he could protect her but he also had to trust her…

"Haku…"

He glanced up, not realizing he had become distracted by his own thoughts. He looked up into Chihiro's concerned eyes, who still had his hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

"Talk to me, Haku. That's why I'm here."

Haku grimaced and smiled at her comforting gestures. "I am sorry. I was just contemplating all the variables. I trust you. But it's everyone else that I don't trust." He squeezed her hand gingerly, realizing how fragile and small it was in comparison to his own.

"Haku… have you been worrying about this all on your own?"

Haku let out a strained laugh. "Nothing gets past you, Kaiyo."

She simply shook her head with a small smile and waited for him to talk.

"You are right, we do not know who is doing this, and we are not the only ones experiencing the block but we will figure this out and you will get back home. I want you to see your family again and to put them at ease with you deciding to live here." He drew circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. "I know you will come back to me."

Chihiro smiled and leaned forward over the table, drawing close to his face. "Whatever made you think I wouldn't?" She laced her fingers into his and kissed him on the lips. "Just don't go find some river spirit and runoff with her."

Haku chuckled against her lips. "Never."

"Good." She leaned away and tapped his nose. "Cuz I'd never let you forget it."

They both laughed and Chihiro pushed him playfully away.

"But in all seriousness, Haku… Just like me, if things are weighing on you, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'm here and I'm your mate. Please don't let that be an empty promise, okay?"

Haku hummed and nodded. "I won't."

Calm seemed to ease over his mind and clarity that Chihiro really wasn't going anywhere. Tension and weight seemed to go off his shoulders at the realization that he actually hadn't allowed himself to feel. He could let go of that worry now and he was relieved.

The sound of something clicking into place was loud and clear to many of the spirits in the Bathhouse, even more so for Makoto.

He was laying next to Rumi in the late morning after closing when the sound of something like a bolt being thudded out of place echoed in his head. At first, he felt alarmed and slightly uncurled himself from the resting Rumi, who murmured incoherently in her sleep.

"Shh, my love." He cooed before looking cautiously around. "I will be back." He whispered as he kissed her forehead, receiving a few more murmurs in return.

Makoto got up, dressed, and headed downstairs. The Bathhouse was still quiet in the late morning, staff would be up and around soon prepping for the next shift but for now, it was simply quiet. He made his way out to the front of the Bathhouse and looked back at the building behind him. In the late morning, it stood tall compared to the buildings in the village across the bridge. Makoto shifted into his wolf form and continued across the bridge and through the village.

Makoto trotted along the roads in the town outside the Bathhouse. The sun warmed his fur as the transitioning of the seasons called for summer. June had begun and the summer solstice was coming up. They would have to try to go through the gates again at some point, especially if they wanted a chance of coming back during the solstice or one of the moon phases.

He somehow found himself at the clock tower. Something about it seemed to call out to him, especially after the noise he heard that morning. Was it possible the noise he heard was the sound of the gates opening? The old walls of the building creaked as a cool wind blew across the plains and surrounding forest. He walked inside and glanced around. The building looked no different from before, except for a little bit more wear and tear from the seasons.

Makoto stopped in front of the tunnels that led back to the Human World. The tunnel that led to Chihiro's home. It had been some time since the last time he tried to go through the tunnels. Was it time they tried again?

As if on cue, he felt a gentle wind pull him towards the tunnel. Makoto glanced back, then at the tunnel, and took a step towards the tunnel, soon finding himself walking through the tunnel. As he drew closer towards the light at the other end, he expected to walk out from where he walked in. But the smell of the forest soon reached his nose and he reached the end where he was met by a small statue with moss covering its entirety. The wall behind him where the tunnel was, was covered in vine upon vine, weaving into and around the tunnel but never covering the entrance. He was in the Human World.

Makoto shifted to his human form and looked around. He was in the Human World and he couldn't tell if it were his imagination or not. He touched the statue gingerly as if his hand would pass through once his hand drew near. The soft, wet feeling of moss met his hand and he retracted it almost immediately. It was real. What was so different from the many attempts before?

He ventured further into the forest that surrounded the tunnel until he found himself in the yard of the Ogino household. He stood rigid outside the blue house. He was really there. He could see Ogino Ichiyuko in the window of the living room. He staggered back a little when he saw her walk by the window, getting out of any line of sight.

A large grin spread across his face and he raked his hands through his unruly hair. "It's open." He laughed. "We can come back." He felt like running around like an excited pup. He had to go back and tell the others.

Makoto shifted to his dog form and wandered cautiously around the house. It would be a while before he could get back through the gate at dusk, so he decided to check on the Ogino family a bit more. It was the middle of the week and it did not make sense for Ichiyuko to be home, especially as a teacher. Chihiro's mother had taken up the job as one of the grade school teachers in town. Had Chihiro's disappearance caused her to break down and take a leave of absence?

He wandered around the house to find out what happened to Akio, hoping that he was not home too. When he came around the corner to the garage, the smell of fuel and oil-filled his sense of smell and found Akio's car sitting in its parking spot, hood up, and doors all open. He was home, much to his display.

Makoto subconsciously let out a small whine of sorrow and before he could catch himself, the sound of a wrench clanged onto the ground and a figure shot up from behind the car door. There stood Akio looking down on him before he could run or hide. He had been careless. The man stared down at him and within seconds, slammed the car door out of his way and knelt beside him.

"Makoto?" He asked hopefully, taking Makoto's face into his grease-covered hands. "Makoto is that you?" He then looked up and around, as if looking for his daughter to jump out of nowhere. When she didn't come, he looked back down at Makoto and scratched behind his ears. "If you're here, where's my baby girl? What happened to her? How did you find your way back here?"

Akio stood and walked around outside for a moment and called out to his wife, "Yuko! Yuko! Makoto's back!"

The sound of glass breaking came from the kitchen and Yuko came stumbling out of the front door. "Chihiro? Chihiro!" She searched around desperately until Akio stopped her and shook his head. When she realized the implication she frowned with tears in her eyes. "Then what are you doing? We need to go look for her! What if she's hurt or worse! Akio, we have to go search for her!"

"Yuko, we will but we need to calm down and assess what's going on. Why would Makoto come out of nowhere like this after so long? He could have been lost and just found his way home. Maybe he even knows where she and Rumi-Chan are."

Things were getting complicated. He didn't mean for them to see him, but this smell of gasoline had distracted him from being able to smell Akio. How was he going to get away and back to the Bathhouse without causing more harm to the Ogino's? And he couldn't very well lead them into the forest and into the Spirit World at this moment.

"C'mon, Makoto," Akio said, snapping his fingers. "Let's go inside and get you some food. Who knows the last time you ate."

At that, Makoto started feeling the hunger from the skipped breakfast.

"Anata, shouldn't we call the police to let them know that we found Makoto? Makoto was last known to be with the girls, what if that will help their investigation?"Yuko asked.

The mention of the police was another problem. The idea that Chihiro's parents had gotten the police involved was something that had slipped all of their minds. This made things even more complicated. He had to find a way to slip out of the house and return to the Spirit World before the end of the full moon later in the week. He was stuck in the Human World and he had no way of telling the others where he was. This was quite troublesome indeed.

"We'll let them know after I look around a bit," Akio replied, putting out a bowl of food that Makoto happily scarfed down. It definitely wasn't a Bathhouse meal. "I'll take Makoto with me and we'll see if he can help. After that, I'll call the investigator and let him know that we found Makoto."

Yuko didn't seem to like the reply. "Well you can go and look, I'll go ahead and call the investigator so he can come and help. I don't want this to go one any longer than it has." She went to find the phone and Akio let out a sigh, looking down at Makoto.

"It's you and me, buddy." He knelt down and scratched behind his ears. "Now where's my little girl?" He asked absently before he rose and led them back outside.

Makoto had been missing for two days when Haku and Chihiro returned to the Bathhouse. Rumi was honestly getting a little worried about what happened since the last time she saw him was when he left the other morning. When she told Haku, he said that he hadn't told Makoto to go anywhere but he may have gone to fetch low supplies. Rumi may have agreed, but it wasn't like Makoto to disappear like that without telling where he was going. Haku did think at one point that maybe he went to check the gates again, but his words strayed at the mention so they didn't go into it. He did make it sound like he would check, though, especially after getting confirmation of his absence from Rin.

While they waited for Haku to find out what was going on, Chihiro and Rumi returned to their room and Chihiro began making a bag of her things to take to Haku's room. Since they both were now on the road to matehood, they figured it was time they moved in with their respective mates.

Rumi had already begun her transition while Chihiro was away so she didn't have much else to do. It was going to be weird not rooming together anymore. They had spent the better part of the last ten years practically joined at the hip, half of which they roomed together. They would still be in the same building, but being in separate living spaces was going to be strange.

"Haku agreed to let us go back to the Human World to tie off any loose ends," Chihiro announced over a pile of clothes she was folding into a bag.

Rumi stopped snacking on a platter of fruit and looked up at Chihiro. "Wait, are you serious? What does this mean for us?"

"It means what it means. We go back to the Human World as soon as the gates open again and we get what we need and take care of any unfinished business." Chihiro replied matter-a-factly.

Rumi didn't think her point was really going through, then again, Chihiro didn't see the whole picture of her own circumstances. Apparently she had a child to worry about. Would it be safe to be crossing the gates while pregnant? Would they be taken to the looney bin when they got out there? How would Chihiro's parents think of her staying in the "Spirit World"? Not to mention marrying an at least a thousand-year-old dragon spirit? She doubted it would bode over well.

Rumi gingerly sipped at a cup of tea nearby. She would have to tell her friend sooner or later but she was scared. Scared that telling someone outside Makoto would make it terribly more real and she didn't know if she wanted it to be yet. Her? A mother? She just barely got her own life together, and that was putting it lightly. What was she supposed to do with a child, let alone a wolf-dog-spirit-human child?

She suddenly felt like the tea and small breakfast she ate was not settling well in her stomach.

Dammit.

She looked up at Chihiro and held up a finger before going to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Another reason why she wasn't completely on board with this motherhood thing yet. Her nerves snapped too easily.

"Rumi?" Chihiro came rushing into the bathroom behind her, holding back her hair. "Rumi-Chan is this the same bug from before I left a week ago?"

Before she could answer, Rumi had a dry heaving fit over the sink. She could feel Chihiro's hand rubbing circles on her back, soothing her and giving her an anchor to focus on.

"Rumi…" Her friend's voice was calm but she could hear the suspicion in it. "Are you not telling me something?"

Rumi's body finally got over its decision to ruin her life and she turned on the faucet to clean herself and the sink up. She did all of it quietly and without looking at her friend. She didn't want to make it real yet. She didn't want to face the future yet.

"I'm…" She finally spoke, her voice hoarse and hesitant. "I'm… I'm pregnant…"

"Rumi…" Chihiro audibly gasped.

Here it came. The gushing and the "congratulations!" She didn't want all that yet.

"Are you serious?" Chihiro managed to voice after a moment of ultimate shock.

"I got the wolf approval." She said with dry sarcasm.

"I'd like to say congrats and that I'm happy for you, but you don't look too happy about it?"

Rumi backed away from the sink and slid against the wall until she was sitting on the floor. "I don't know how I feel. I talked with Makoto about it but I'm still scared. I'm still uncertain. I still don't know if I want it to be real." She looked at Chihiro desperately. "Chihiro, it's all happening so fast, I don't know what to do." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Well... " Chihiro started. "Do you want the baby?"

"Yes? No?" Rumi questioned before burying her face in her knees. "I don't know? I know what Makoto wants but I don't know what I want. I'm barely recovering from my trip into the woods barely a month ago, how am I going to handle a little pup or child running around in a few months?"

"Rumi-Chan, Rumi-Chan." Chihiro shushed. "No one will blame you for being scared. Anyone would be scared in your situation. A lot has happened since we got here and no one would have suspected that you would fall in love with Makoto and get pregnant so suddenly."

"Chihiro… I honestly want to love this child, I know I should and I haven't met them yet, but I can't find it in me right now. Makoto loves this child already and I don't want to disappoint him. What if something happens and I mistreat them or can't help them the way they need it? What if something happens to me or even Makoto?" He was already missing right now!

"Rumi," Chihiro said firmly. "Nothing is going to happen to you two or the child. If you truly want this child, you will love this child no matter what once they come into this world. It's going to be hard and you're not going to know what happens next, it kinda comes with the territory of this thing called life. Take a deep breath, slow your thoughts, and take one thing at a time. You'll be making new memories and new decisions. Please look at the bright side of all this."

Rumi bit her lip, unsure where to go with the conversation.

Chihiro seemed to notice her inner turmoil because she decided to steer the conversation in another direction. "Since we have time to think critically about your future, I think we can distract ourselves with something else for now." She rose and went into the other room, where Rumi could hear her digging through her bag and drawers. She then emerged shortly after with a phone in hand.

Rumi frowned in confusion. "You know those don't work here."

"I know, I know." Chihiro laughed. "This is how we're going to prove our sanity."

Rumi's expression was deadpan. "Excuse me."

"No, no, no, no! Just hear me out!" She replied. "You know how my parents are? They'll take us in if we don't show some definitive proof that this place exists."

"Yes, but-"

"Well, I was thinking that we go around and take pictures with our phones and show them!"

Rumi just looked at her in complete disbelief. Her friend really was a simpleton.

"You really think they'll believe a photo? It could have been photoshopped or stolen off the internet."

It was Chihiro's turn to deadpan. "You and I both know neither of us can edit a photo for the life of us and they both know that from experience. So it's safe to say we didn't photoshop it. And this phone has time stamps on it and can tell you when a photo was created."

Rumi was running out of excuses. "Well, then, you do realize there's no way of charging those phones here right? How are you turning them on?" Her own phone was dead.

"I was smart and turned my phone off not long after arriving, knowing that it would be useless to have them on. Which in hindsight, was a brilliant move that you can't deny."

Rumi sighed and ran her hand over her face. This girl. "Okay, fine, you win. When do we start?" Hopefully, they wouldn't get pictures of vampires: non existent.

Chihiro laughed. "Tonight. I'll go around and take photos during work hours. But we can also go now and start taking photos of the buildings."

She only nodded in response. She couldn't win this one. But she was grateful for a much-needed distraction. She would have a lot to process over the next couple of months. In the meantime, it was good to run around and find some proof that they were indeed spirited away.

After running around the Bathhouse for a little while with the camera, Rumi stopped to sit on a balcony, feeling exhausted from chasing Chihiro around and helping the yuna where needed. She looked up at the sky to the full moon, then back down out towards the Clocktower. The wind blew through the trees surrounding the tower, looking like a wave going across the tree branches. Maybe… maybe Makoto did find a way out...

As if on cue, Rumi spotted a small white figure emerge from the tower. She sat up a bit more, squinting her eyes as if it would help her see farther away. As the figure drew closer she made out a shape like a large wolf. Her wolf. Makoto was back.

She grinned and ran inside to make her way down to the bottom floor of the Bathhouse. Finding every elevator full or unavailable, she paced herself down the stairs, finding herself winded at the bottom floor as she ran to the foyer. The foreman jumped at her sudden appearance but had no time to question as Rumi made her way outside, swerving around guests coming in.

Rumi stood at the end of the bridge under the big tree, where she gasped for air as she watched the giant wolf disappear into the crowd from the river entrance. Soon enough, her wolf shifted in front of her and swept her off her feet and into a warm hug, where he spun around as he held her.

"Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disappear." Makoto breathed in her hair.

Rumi clung to his neck, trying not to get emotional. "You idiot, just don't do it again," she mumbled as she buried her face into his neck. "Where were you?"

Makoto pulled away from her face and was grinning ear to ear, an unusual expression for the wolf. "They opened."

Rumi tilted her head. "Opened? What opened?"

"The gates," he said. "They opened. We can go to the Human World."

A/N:

"Well, with this Coronavirus, I thought I'd take the time to get back to writing. I've been somehow motivated and wanted to add some normalcy to the chaos as many writers have done for me. I can't guarantee consistency though, given the circumstances."

Now as much as I'd like to say I've been writing since this all started, I haven't. Writer's block, school, work, and anxiety/depression all kicked my butt at the same time on top of the virus, so my motivation to write was stifled even more on top of the three-month hiatus. I will tell you, there wasn't a day that went by when I didn't have this story in the back of my mind, trying to figure it out and how I would write out the following chapters. Even now I feel a bit unmotivated to write, but I'm going to push through and get on the other side of the block so I can at least finish this book.

And just so you know, you guys are always on my mind, cuz I know what it's like when an author drops a story that you loved. Reading recent reviews actually put a tear to my eye and jump-started my motivation. I really wish to finish this story so I hope you will be patient with me as you already have. I love you all and send my many thanks!

Meanwhile, Rumi's anxieties are all piling up again and she finally has to face them again. These poor kids. But good news! The gates are open!

(I'm also returning to the shorthand version of Chihiro's parents' name - Akio and Yuko. I honestly don't remember where I found the longer versions of their name and will go back and change the previous chapters later.)

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! And for those that do review, I thank you all the more!

Thank you for the reviews from: picklesisadeadcat, RSBCS, Rosettaxfantasy, Kra, Turniptree, Sypherpol, chimera-writes, lackadaises, coolchick87, CluelessPaige, AlexAngel14, MorbidVisionary, and Ai Star.
God bless! KawaChou