|All These Things|-open-|

[Haku]

This time Haku felt his face grow warm with a light blush. Well, maybe it wasn't a light one, but he just hoped it was. This wasn't like the kiss on the cheek thing. The kiss on the cheek was more like showing graditude or simply showing how much he loved having her as a friend. It was nothing close to this kind of kiss. This one was different. Haku knew it meant more, he wasn't that dense. He had never known anyone in a relationship, nor had he ever been in one. So maybe he didn't know. But it sure felt different and made him feel butterflies in his stomache.
At first Haku just stood there not sure what to do. He wondered if he was just supposed to stand there or kiss back. But he finally just went along with his gut instinct and gently pressed his lips back against hers. It may have been the wrong thing to do, but it did feel nice. He was nervous, yes, but at the same time som kind of excitment whirled around inside of him.
Finally he pulled away from her and looked away since he could feel the warmth on his features. Then he felt something strange inside of him. It was hidden away behind all those happy warm thoughts. Some kind of fear inside of him. He didn't know what though and rather left it that way until it was really bothersome.

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

"I'm sorry that was my fault,it's just that....well it was what Ziniba said to me a year ago.When you stole her golden seal,the spell on it could only be broken by love...and I just thought and it was stupid I won't do it again".

Chihiro this time made her way around the statue,taking off in a run towards the path that would lead to the bath house.Right now she felt so many emotions rushing through her,guilt,stupidity,embarassment,and a array of many other things.

Reaching the edge of the field where the stairs led up,she darted up them and started her way up the winding path.But instead of going to the bath house,she found the spot behind the building where Haku first found her when she came here.Sitting down not caring if her uniform got dirty,she just stared at the ground.

"That was a dumb thing to do,but Ziniba said...."

Taking the hair tie out her friends made,her brown hair falling past her shoulders.She looked at the purple tie in her hand,it shimmered in the sunlight.

"She also said this would protect me....".

[Haku]

Haku tilted his head slightly when she said it was stupid. She thought it was stupid? Now Haku thought it was stupid for feeling it wasn't stupid. He was just kind of scared of it for some reason. Maybe he wasn't used to it. Emotions were still a certain thing he was trying to get used to.
When she ran up the steps Haku was a little too surprised to move. He just stood there completely confused by all of this. Why was this stuff so confussing anyways? It didn't seem fair to him. Not fair at all.
He turned his head and narrowed his eyes in thought. Choice one was to go after her and apologize for whatever he had done. And the second choice was just to simply leave. Before he could completely decide, he was already up the steps searching for her.
"Chihiro?" he only half yelled.
He walked a little further looking around for her. He was sure he could always some how sniff her out, but she didn't smell like human anymore, so it wasn't as easy as it was at first. She was probably the only person out here though.

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

Chihiro didn't bother to yell back,she just stayed put where she was.Closing her hand around the hair tie,she quickly put it back in her hair up with the ponytail.Emotions we're confusing for her since this had been her first kiss,but a human and a river spirit...it could never work even if they did love eachother.

Looking up at the sky she sighed,it was mid-afternoon now or close to night time she couldn't tell.Chihiro brought her knees up to her chest,her gaze fixed on the dirt which surrounded her but sleep was creeping over her body as she began to doze off.

Work had been so rough,she soon drifted off to sleep and lay on her side.Not the best place to sleep but hey if you we're tired,no better place then right here since she wasn't ready to go back to the bath house yet.

[Haku]

A frown finally crossed Haku's lips as he realized that she probably wanted to get away from him. He honestly wasn't sure why and couldn't think of a good reason at the moment, but was sure he could if he really tried.He suddenly felt guilty. Maybe he wasn't supposed to kiss back? Was it the wrong thing to do? But the thing was that he wanted to. But at the same time he didn't. Not once in his life had he met a spirit and a human who had lived happily ever after or whatever it was. It wasn't possible. That was what had scared him. He had those feelings for her, but it couldn't work. It wasn't even possible was it? For them to be together..
He made his way behind a building and then noticed her form. For a moment he just stood back quietly not sure if he should go over there or not. She probably didn't want anything to do with him at the moment. He leaned against the building and felt like sliding down it and curling up himself, but he refused to let himself do something like that.
"Chihiro?" he asked quietly.
He decided that if she didn't answer then he would leave. And if she did, well he might leave if she requested it. For some reason he wanted to now. He didn't really want to face this kind of thing right now. But he had to. He couldn't put it aside and worry about it later.

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

"Just a few more minutes mom,hmmm.....huh".

Opening her eyes she rolled over,remembering she was in the spirit world not the human world.Glancing up she noticed Haku standing there and sighed,but should she say anything about what happened or would there just be more disappointment.Chihiro could feel the tension,and of course she had to face facts.

"I don't know what came over me,i'm nothing but a human and your a spirit.How could it ever work out between the two of us,I know i'm still young but love is suppose to overcome all boundries."

Now sitting up she leaned back,her head against the wall and turned away from Haku.How could she face him,even look at him.

[Haku]

Haku bit his bottom lip and turned his head away. He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked back over at her. He couldn't just leave it here. He had to say what he needed to. What was that exactly? He wasn't even sure at the moment. He just hoped it would just come to him as he went.
"If you want, I can leave," he spoke softly.
He knew what it was like to have a lot of pressure on him and he knew she did as well. And he doubted she would want any more by urging her into a conversation. She could decide on her own. She was strong enough.
By the looks of it so far, she looked as if she would rather not want to see him right now. But he wanted to hear it from her first. He wasn't going to leave until she told him to.

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

"Don't leave me,stay....I don't want to be alone".

Chihiro rose from where she was sitting,now leaning against the wall beside Haku.She hooked her arm with his and held it,she didn't want to be alone.She wasn't angry at him or upset,just confused with all these emotions running through her all at once.

"I want you to stay with me,Haku......please".

She wasn't going to let go of his arm,unless he himself said for her to let go.Chihiro didn't want to keep him here if he really wanted to go,what she did was out of the blue and it was probably new to the both of them.A few small tears ran down her cheeks,falling off the tip of her chin and staining the ground below her feet.

[Haku]

Haku didn't say anything when she came over and stood next to him. The way she held onto him reminded him of when she first came to the bath house. But he quickly shook off those thoughts and looked at the ground. He had decided on what he wanted to say. Well, he didn't want to, but maybe it was best. He swallowed hard and ground his back teeth together nervously.
"Chihiro, maybe you should go back to the human world," he said quietly. "It might be best.."
He didn't want to say it, but it probably was best. Knowing that they couldn't be anything and being around her everyday would kill him. He couldn't do it. Maybe he was just doing it for himself. But he didn't know.

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

Letting go of his arm she looked down,Chihiro gave up her life in the human world to be with him and her friends.Now he wanted her to return there,stay there and forget about the spirit world all together.It cut her deep when he said that,but maybe he was right it would be better to just return and never look back at this place.

"Then if that's what you think i'll do it,I enjoyed being here while it lasted".

Chihiro could see he wouldn't even look at her,but Yu-baaba wouldn't exactly release her from this contract so easily.There was still something odd about this,why was the contract she signed glowing it just felt too wierd.

"I'll talk to Yu-baaba about it,but I get the feeling this time it won't be so easy to leave".

[Haku]

Haku's eyes stayed on the ground in front of him and for quite some time he simply stayed quiet. He felt that if he looked over at her now he would tell her to stay and that he was crazy for thinking that she should go. And he couldn't do that. It would probably just end up hurting them both in the end. He really didn't want that. He wanted to just forget and not feel the stupid pain he felt. He was going back on another promise, wasn't he? He didn't want to think about it. This was hard enough as it was.
He wanted to tell her to just leave now so he wouldn't have to say goodbye later. He could try and convince Yu-Baaba to let her leave after she left. But that didn't even make sense. Yu-Baaba couldn't harm her in the human world anyway, right?
"You can just leave," he simply stated. "I don't think she could get to you in the human world anyways."

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

"Do you want me to go Haku,is this what you really want".

Chihiro really didn't want to leave,she wanted to stay here and be with everyone.It was too hard to say goodbye again,the first time was easy since she just past a test and waved farewell.This time though it wouldn't be easy,and she really wanted to stay with Haku the most.

"Are you telling me to go,because if i'm here you wouldn't be able to look at me".

[Haku]

Haku kept his eyes away still feeling his stomach sink as she spoke her last sentence. It was only half true though. He couldn't help but want to look her way when she was around. It was a struggle not to. But then he didn't want to because he knew that he would never be anything more than her friend. And, yes, that was very selfish of him, but he didn't want to be miserable forever. Or at least until she passed on. Then he would be even more miserable.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly as he turned his head a little further away. "It's.. complicated."

[~*~Chihiro~*~]

"I already said i'm not leaving,no matter what you won't get rid of me so easily Haku".

Chihiro just felt like running away at that momment,but why run what good would it do her to just keep running.Human's had no rights to be in the spirit world anyways,isn't that what Yu-baaba said so maybe she would just go home and forget she ever layed eyes on this place.

"We made a promise though,that nothing would seperate us".

She could never go back on a promise,never has and never will.

[Haku]

"Chihiro, just forget about those promises," he mumbled looking in front of him. "You and I both know that you don't belong here anyway. It would never work."
Sure, he was being more than a little cold hearted right now, but he wanted to do what was best for both of them. He didn't want to live with sadness of having her around. He doubted he could take anymore of that. Maybe she could, but he knew humans didn't live as long as spirits. Not by a long shot. She would only have to go on so long with it, but him, he would have to live with it forever. Maybe she didn't quite understand that like he did. He knew very well of it. All he wanted to do now was get his mind off of this as quickly as possible to subside the pain. But he knew he couldn't.