Chapter Text
The spring breeze playfully tugged at a few loose strands of hair, releasing them from the purple hair tie. She wore the same shirt as the day she left that world. The trees swayed around her as the girl walked towards her everyday spot on those cool stone steps bordered by a thick river of large stones. Her backpack softly thumped against her back as she gleefully hopped over the river of rocks and sat down.
After Chihiro finished her homework, she started doodling the little soot balls, Boh, and Kaonashi. Eventually, she started on Haku, but stopped once more with frustration building up inside of her. Chihiro could never get his eyes right, not even in his dragon form. She couldn't properly portray his scales or even his aqua mane. Irritated, she slammed the doodle book shut and started to wander further. It’s been 4 years since she’s been this deep into the abandoned theme park. She knew she shouldn't but continued anyway with her backpack hanging loosely in case she needed to run at sunset.
She leaned over the bridge, and before she knew it, hot tears sprung to her eyes. Chihiro wiped them away roughly bewildered by the sudden flood of emotions. It's been four years and not a single message, not even a scale left for her. The lack of contact was frustrating. Sometimes she wondered if leaving the park meant being forgotten too. Suddenly, she felt a cool breeze whip around her almost like a gentle hug. She thought of Haku and started to tear up again. On the railing, she lightly wrote in perfect kanji, "Haku" and then next to it "I miss you." Her tears lightly fell on it, and she was embarrassed by what she had done. She started to erase it, but another strong breeze whipped around her. Then, she noticed her tears weren't falling, even though she didn't stop crying. They were floating in midair as if a someone was holding them. Instinctively, she reached out to touch it, but her body jerked abruptly. She had no choice, but to sprint towards the entrance, barely making it before sunset.
A few days later...
Haku's POV
"Oi Haku, do me a favor and check the other town beyond the river because everyone's in a ruckus over there about some new spirit. It's not every day we get a new spirit so make sure it's not wreaking havoc. It would be bad for business," said Yubaba, curtly. Haku nodded slightly and leapt off the balcony already in his dragon form.
The cool spring air tickled his mane as he flew towards the town, partially shielded by the darkness of the night. One of the few pleasures in life were moments like these. Suddenly, his nose picked up a familiar scent. He dove lower to the ground and followed the fading scent to the bridge. The railing had a slightly salty smell with some kind of metal. His eyes spotted a neatly written kanji saying, "Haku, I miss you.” Haku remembered how he left it there as he silently watched her cry on the bridge. He caught the tears in his hands and hugged her, knowing that she would just feel the wind because she wasn't part of the spirit world. He quickly cleaned it before the treasured guests started to arrive, but the image burned into his mind. She was here looking for me. Purring softly with happiness, he flew towards the other side of the river.
As he landed, other spirits squealed with delight. "The dragon has come!" He hated the reverence they bestowed upon him. They didn’t know what kind of lowly deeds he’d had to do in order to stay alive. The fame was unnecessary in his eyes.
"Relax," muttered Haku. "I'm only here to assess the new spirit. Now, where is it?" His sharp jade-eyed glare intimidated everyone. In response, they all looked to the ground, all except one. A girl who smelt of bird.
She stepped forward, handing him a feather from her hair with a quick bow. He dismissed the gesture and asked again, "Where is it?" She started to walk, and he followed with a sense of unease. They walked to the outskirts of the town near a train station with 3 tunnels. A spirit kept fading—its form kept blurring and redefining itself. It sounded like a girl sobbing in despair. As he neared it, the spirit lifted its head. The sudden gesture hit Haku with such familiarity all he could do was stare. The form started to become clearer and clearer as his eyes widened in horror. The spirit curled up kneeling in a position he knew all too well. Why? WHY? WHY HER?! Haku's desperation nearly made him lose his composure.
The spirit spoke once it became clearer. “Help...me... Ha...ku..." Haku couldn’t hold his feelings inside himself. There was nothing to pressure him to maintain composure, not even the lowly bird spirit. His agonized roar scared off the rest of the lingering spirits. The deafening echo wasn’t even loud enough to express the anguish he felt.
The dragon boy couldn’t remember the last time he felt burning, angry tears well up in his eyes. He knelt down in front of the spirit. "Chihiro?" he whispered.