Spirited Away: The Wait [ORIGINAL]

Awkward Encounters

     Chihiro inhaled the fresh morning breeze, stretching her arms and back. It certainly was a beautiful morning. Her clothes fluttered as she watched several young children playing in the field. Their laughter filled the air, harmoniously blending with the soft rustling of the tree leaves and chirping birds.

     It was rather interesting to see the boys and girls play together, especially since the game involved a lot of running.

     Where she was from, during her childhood, there was a big line drawn between the boys and the girls. If a teacher scattered some boys and girls in the classroom, they’d all automatically classify themselves by gender and stick as far away from each other as possible, not wanting to contract “cooties”.

     And few girls actually liked to play sports with the boys, so it was quite a refreshing sight to see. Things definitely were different in the Spirit Realm.

     Watching the children play and laugh together, her mind involuntarily drifted to the time at the bathhouse, recalling the times she and Haku had shared; his laughter, his smile, his stone-cold face, his kind eyes…

     Almost immediately she forced herself out of her reminisce.

     A frown had slipped onto her face subconsciously. It seemed the only thing that was left of Haku was that “Master Haku” stance of his.

     Chihiro sighed deeply. She had been doing that too often lately. It had been two days after the fight with Haku, and she had not seen him around, let alone spoken to him. Good riddance, she thought. She was still rather cross with him.

     Yet there was this little bit of disappointment in the back of her mind.

     Snap out of it, Chihiro. You’re still angry with him, an angry voice hissed in her head.

     Just then, she felt something knock lightly against her feet. She looked down and saw a large ball resting there. It looked to be as big as a basketball, only it had yellow stripes on its rubber white skin. She picked it up, feeling its weight. It was surprisingly light, despite its outer appearance.

     Upon hearing the sound of feet shuffling, Chihiro looked up to meet the curious gazes of some of the kids. Some of them looked confused, their mouths forming adorable ‘o’ shapes while others met her gaze shyly. Faint pink crept up their cheeks and she squealed internally, being the child-lover she was.

     They looked like such adorable little angels, she wished she could cuddle them all and get to know them better. Children were one of the best friends people could have, because of their innocence and transparency. And boy, did she have many of them back in the human world.

     Something twisted in her heart as she thought about them. How were they getting along with their treatment? Were they doing fine? Having not spoken to them for quite a while, she felt a sense of longing to be with them again.

     “Could you pass the ball to us, please?” a little boy with dark orange hair shyly requested. His hands were behind his back and two dimples appeared on his face as he grinned cutely at her.

     Her mind snapped back to reality and she smiled warmly, bending down and handing it to him, “Here you go.”

     He took it from her and beamed. Then suddenly a girl asked, “Would you like to play with us?”

      Chihiro flushed with surprise and some embarrassment and turned her attention to the beautiful, olive-skinned red-head. “But I don’t know how to play…”