Spirited Away: Return to home

Young Love

It's been about a week since I made my way back into the spirit world and so far for the most part, everything is very well. It was easy working in the bathhouse, and I enjoyed taking care of the variety of customers coming in. I tried to be as friendly as I could and this earned me a lot of tips, finally putting me on Yubaba's good side. I was spending any free time that I could with Haku, and we have grown even closer.

However, he's been acting very strangely in the last few days and it's making me nervous. It almost feels like he's been hiding something, and I haven't seen him as much. I really hope that it wasn't something that I did. Maybe he did have a girlfriend. The thought sent my happy mood into a down casted one. It would crush me knowing he was in love with someone else.

I carried my dirty dishes down to the kitchen after lunch thinking about what could be going on with Haku lately. As I was walking back down the hallway suddenly Misa came walking around the corner. I waved at her and smiled but she gave me a nervous smile back and without stopping to talk she rushed down the hallway and disappeared.

I looked at the end of the hall suspiciously and I was really confused on what had just happened. Was she avoiding me? I hadn't forgotten the strange way she had been acting when Haku first got back to the bath house and I didn't like the assumptions that kept coming up in my head. A feeling of dread was clouding my mind and I had the feeling Misa might have a crush on Haku.

Haku's POV

This last week was everything I could have asked for and I finally made my decision to tell Chihiro how I really felt about her. I've been planning this all week and tonight was finally the night. Everything was set up and ready. I was pacing around my room when there was a knock at my bedroom door.

I walked over to the door and opened it and I was surprised to see that it was Chihiro's sister Misa. She smiles at me shy. "Could I maybe come in? I hope I'm not intruding but I really wanted to talk to you." I nodded politely and stepped aside so she could come in.

She walked over and sat down on a chair and played with her fingers nervously. I sat down across from her and looked at her expectantly to continue. I really hoped this was quick, because I needed to put some finishing touches on my plans.

"Listen.... I want to be honest and say that I really like you, and I feel a connection with you," she tells me quietly. I looked at her in utter shock. The only person I was interested in was Chihiro and I had only met Misa a few times. I had no idea where she got the idea that she had a chance with me.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times not sure how to tell her that I didn't see her the same way. She reached over and tried to grab my hand and I pulled away quickly before she could touch me. A flash of hurt crossed her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I don't see you in the way that you want me to. I'm in love with Chihiro and I always will be," I tell her gently. That just seemed to upset her more and she seemed to be getting angry. "She doesn't love you; she's only attached to you because you saved her life. That's all! We have a connection together and I want to be with you."

I felt a stab of hurt at what she said about Chihiro. I stood up quickly and walked to the door and opened it. "I really think you should leave. I am not interested in you and I will find out for myself how Chihiro feels about me," I tell her coldly.

Tears start welling up in her eyes and she dashes out of the room sobbing. I closed the door and rubbed my temples. That was not what I was expecting to happen. I started to doubt myself and I wondered if what she said was true, but I must find out for myself regardless if the truth will hurt me or not.

Chihiro's POV

I was sitting in the women's dorm talking to Lin when suddenly Misa burst through the door sobbing. We looked at her in surprise and she didn't seem to notice us as she ran past and laid down on her bedding. I jumped up and ran over to her shaking form. "Misa! What happened? Why are you crying?" I rub her shoulder gently trying to get her to look at me. "I don't want to see anyone! Just leave me alone!" I recoiled at her yelling and looked at Lin completely lost.

What could have possibly happened in the last 30 minutes for her to be so upset? I decided that it would probably be good to give her some space for the time being. Lin looked just as confused as I was so we both quietly left the room.

As we were walking down the stairs, I was surprised to see that Haku was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I thought that he looked slightly upset but once he saw me it faded, and he gave me a bright smile.

"I have a surprise for you, are you free right now to come with me?" I looked up at the stairs thinking about Misa once again but decided to worry about it later. I smile back and Lin gave me a little push and a mischievous smile.

I took the hand he offered, and he led me outside. "Close your eyes," he said whispering into my ear. I blushed lightly and closed my eyes as he continued to lead me.

He told me I could open my eyes and when I did, I gasped in surprise. What saw was stunning. We were in one of the bathhouse gardens, but there were little colorful orbs of light floating around the garden. There was a fountain with candles on around the ledge and a blanket laid out with a little wicker picnic basket. Tears welled up in my eyes and I turned around and pulled Haku into a hug. Nobody had ever done anything like this for me before.

"Is this all for me?" I mumbled into his shirt. "Yes, this is all for you. I convinced Yubaba to let you have the rest of your shift off," he says chuckling. "Thank you so much, it's beautiful," I tell him sincerely.

We walked over to the blanket and sat down, and we laughed, ate food, and talked about everything and nothing. I started to tell him about Misa's strange behavior, and he bit his lip and looked away for a second.

"I think I might be the reason that she's so upset right now," he tells me guiltily. "Did something happen," I asked confused. "She came to my room earlier and she confessed that she wanted to be with me," he says solemnly. My heart rate picked up and I started to feel anxious. "What did you say?"

"I told her that I wasn't interested in her and that I loved someone else." I breathed a slight sign of relief, but I was also hurt. Who was this other girl and why would he do all of this for me? "Who is it?" I looked away not wanting to hear his response but also desperately wanting to know.

He smiled sweetly at me and looks directly at me and says anxiously," I'm I love with you Chihiro." I gasp before a huge grin spreads across my face. I blush deeply and tell him, "That's good because I'm in love with you to." He quickly closes the distance and kisses me gently.

I kiss him back passionately. This was everything I ever wanted, and my life was starting to feel complete. For the rest of the night we continued to talk and look up at the stars until I finally drifted off into sleep tucked away in his arms.