Spirited Away 2: Return to The Spirit World

Afraid to Love

Haku finally sat up. "I'm just trying to think of a way to make this better." He cried. "I don't want Chihiro to be mad at me."

Lin rolled her eyes. "Join the club."

Haku glared at her. He was in no mood for her attitude; he had bigger things to worry about. "This wouldn't be happening if you and Kamajii had kept your mouths shut." He growled.

Lin's eyes widened. "What? You're saying it's my fault your girlfriend is mad at you?"

Haku ignored the 'girlfriend' remark. "No, I'm also saying that it's Kamajii's fault too."

Lin growled in annoyance. "Well for your information, lover boy, if you hadn't gotten caught up in the moment, I wouldn't have had to go to Kamajii! Honestly, what were you thinking by merging your river with her?"

Haku was getting frustrated now. "It's none of your business what I do!"

Lin didn't back down. "It is when my friends are involved!" she shouted back, poking him in the chest. "I know you love her and just wanted to be close to her, but did you ever think of how it would affect her?"

Haku felt like he was missing something. "What are you talking about?"

Lin pulled her hair and cried out in her frustration. "You idiot! How can you not tell that she's head over heels in love with you?"

Haku's eyes narrowed. "Don't start that again. It's not funny."

"It's not a joke!" Lin shouted. "Don't you notice the way she looks at you?"

"Stop it!"

"Why?"

"Because she can't love me."

Lin cried out in frustration again. "Why not?"

Haku didn't have a ready answer, or at least not one he was willing to share. He turned away from Lin and said, "Just forget it. You wouldn't understand. Besides, she has to go back to the human world, so there can be nothing between us."

Lin was quiet for a moment. She was thinking about what she and Kamajii had been talking about after Chihiro walked in on their conversation.

"Maybe we shouldn't make her go back." She said.

Haku sighed. There was a great deal of sadness in that sigh. "Lin, we've talked about this, remember?"

Lin nodded, although her nod didn't matter since Haku wasn't facing her. "I do," she said. "But who are we to tell Chihiro how to live her life. She knows the risks of staying here; she knows what she's leaving behind in the human world, yet she's still wants to stay. Maybe we should let her."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"We just can't, ok!"

Getting tired of talking to Haku's back, Lin walked around to face him. "No, it's not ok! Why are you so dead set on sending her back?"

Haku turned away again. "You know why?"

Lin grabbed him and turned him around to face her again. "No, I don't. And don't give me that excuse of how it's not safe for her and how she's leaving her old life behind. There's another reason, and I want to know what it is. Now tell me!"

"Because it's too painful to have her here!" Haku shouted.

Lin was shocked by his outburst. Haku pulled away from her and began to leave. Slowly, what the river spirit had said began to click and Lin suddenly understood.

"Oh my..." she whispered. "That's it. You're afraid to love a human."

Haku stopped. His body language told Lin everything she needed to know.