Dreamland

Chihiro stepped into the meadow with the gentle breeze as her guide. With every step she took, there were wild flowers and soft grass there to cushion her feet. The air smelled sweet; the aroma of roses and lilies drifted in the air lightly and the sweet fragrance tickled her nostrils. The girl felt her lips stretch into a smile as her gaze rested on the peach colored sky. Faint streaks of clouds were brushed into the distant horizon, and she spotted the vague outlines of birds soaring high up in the limitless sky.

She walked further, her legs carrying her towards a large oak tree that stood serenely by a calm river just a couple of meters away from her. Something told her he was there waiting.

She arrived at the roots of the tall tree, but to her dismay, there was no one around. Maybe he was somewhere else? She walked up to the river and looked down at her reflection in the crystal clear waters. There were little pebbles of varying colors lying at the bottom of the shallow river. A smile touched her lips at the sight of several little fish swimming past.

She stared at the little creatures in wonder for a while, until she heard some shuffling behind her and then she realized that her reflection wasn't alone anymore.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" the man asked in an amused tone.

She shrugged. "I had a feeling. It was pretty obvious though."

"You're the one who said you didn't like playing hide-and-seek."

"Yeah, I like it when you're not scaring the lights out of me all the time."

"But you know, I haven't heard you scream in a long while," he chuckled, moving closer to her. He snaked his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers. She made no move to turn around. She watched their reflections in the river and grinned when she saw his cheeky smile. "I missed you," he murmured.

"It's only been a day," she laughed. "And sorry, I've been a little more busy with homework lately. Finals are coming and I need to study."

"You still need your rest."

"I rest a lot more compared to my friends, you know," she pointed out. "But sometimes I wish I could have more time here... Time just seems to pass so quickly."

"I feel the same, but I understand. I guess it's just something we will have to live with for as long as I am unable to physically meet you again."

"You never told me why."

"It's a reason that I myself don't know."

"I see..."

"Well, what do you want to do today?"

"I don't have much time here. I set my alarm to wake me up in fifteen minutes because I still have work to do."

"But you'll be back tonight, yes?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I'll be back."

"Well then, I think our time is almost up. So I'll leave you with this before you leave." He let go of her and turned her around before leaning in and gently planting a tender kiss on her forehead. "Good luck with your duties. I'll see you soon."

"Don't miss me too much when I'm gone," she giggled.

And then, the world around her faded away.

Chihiro woke up with a start to the beeping of her alarm. Groggily, she reached an arm over and made a slip-shod attempt to turn it off by whacking it. After three misses, she managed to turn it off and she lay in bed for a moment more before swinging the covers off of her and standing up. She stretched a bit before heading to her study table. Stacks of notes were piled on it, along with her pens and highlighters strewn here and there in random corners.