I laid Chihiro softly in her sleeping place, careful to not disturb her. I smoothed the ends if her hair with my fingertips, soft to the touch. I grinned as I looked down at her. With her arms over her head and her mouth wide open, this was the most beautiful I've ever seen her. It was the true Chihiro, and I loved it, loved her. My Chihiro.
I looked at her. I was worried for her safety, but I wasn't scared. Not even close. I could take that Kao, even if it was the last thing I did.
Suddenly, there was a knock behind me. I turned around, startled.
"It's about time you two lovebirds got back!" Lin shouted. "Where have you been?"
I shushed her and waved my hands in the air, pointing to Chihiro.
"She's asleep," I whispered, making my way to the doorway. "Get off our backs for once, Lin."
Before Lin could open her big mouth, I heard Chihiro's voice.
"Haku?"
I went to her and sat by her side.
"Yes?" I asked. "What is it, my love?"
She stretched her arms and turned to her left side, tucking her hands under her head.
"Check to see if my phone's okay.." She murmured. "I'm pretty sure it's waterproof.."
Carefully, I slid my hand under the blanket and searched through her pocket, while also feeling her small thigh against my palm. I shuddered as I pulled her phone out. A bright light came up on the front, and I was surprised to see the picture of my face that she had taken during the dinner. {NOTE: That's the picture above.}
"It's perfectly fine," I replied, smiling and putting it down next to her.
She grinned in her sleep as she closed her eyes.
"Thank you," she said, yawning. "I'm going to go back to sleep now."
I bent over her and kissed her forehead.
"Sweet dreams," I whispered. "I love you, Chihiro."
She sighed before quickly falling back into a peaceful sleep.
I stood up and turned around, only to find a open-mouthed Lin still standing in the hallway.
"Did you guys have sex or something?" Lin joked. "You're acting differently from a few hours ago."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her.
"You're so typical," I said, walking past her.
"Oh, I just remembered something!" She exclaimed to me before I turned a corner. "A guest needs your assistance." She tossed me a bath token. "Here you go, just in case. Third floor, second room on your right."
I nodded to her.
Just like Lin told me, I took the elevator to the third floor and immediately turned right when I got off. The door to the second room was shut, so I had to knock.
"Hello?"
I didn't hear anything from the other side. I slowly slid open the door and walked into a dark space. The only light I had was from the hallway.
"Anyone here?" I called out.
Without warning, the door slammed behind me. The room suddenly became pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing. I heard my bath token clang on the floor, then footsteps.
I felt my wrist being seized, and I screamed out in pain as they were tied together by an unknown material that burned my skin. I was pushed to the floor.
"Don't fight anything off, or it will get worse," a voice threatened in the darkness.
A sharp blow went to the side of my head, and that's when I lost all sense of anything and everything. My last thoughts were of my darling Chihiro and the moment we had in the water.