Spirited Away: The Wait [ORIGINAL]

Green

     A few days after Chihiro recovered—and Haku stopped freaking out every single second over her condition—her boyfriend decided they would go to the park for a little walk. They had nothing much to do at her house, anyway, and having been cooped up in her bedroom for a few days already, Chihiro really wanted to get some fresh air.

     The small town park was rather small. The whole perimeter of it was only about 3km, and it mainly consisted of a lake, a playground for children, a running and cycling track as well as a greenhouse that housed many beautiful and well-kept flowers. Other than that, the park was very scenic, with the lush green bushes and trees all around and the little wild flowers all around in the soft, green grass. In the mornings, it looked even better because of the dew hanging off the leaves and petals, which made the whole park resemble a diamond garden.

     Chihiro had always loved going to the park; it was her favorite childhood hangout. After school, she often came here with her friends to play and spend time together. Subsequently, after dropping out because of her condition, she would come here to take a walk and have some time to herself frequently.

     Chihiro took a deep breath and relished the familiar scent of the plants. It had been a while since she came back to her secret hideout—if the park could be considered so. “This is a beautiful place,” Haku remarked, his eyes taking in the beauty of their surroundings. He took his time to admire and appreciate the very natural feel it had to it compared to many other places he had visited in the human world before. The dragon could sense the vitality of the spirits living in here and instantly took an immense liking to this place.

     “It’s my favorite hideout,” Chihiro replied with a thrilled grin. “It feels great to be back here!”

     “I can see why. Something about this place just draws you in.”

     “I know, right?” Chihiro was elated Haku could relate to her in that aspect. It wasn’t that surprising though; he was definitely one who could appreciate the elements of nature even more than her.

     “Would you do the honors of showing me around, then?” he smiled.

     She held out her arm like a gentleman would to a woman in response, and Haku took it teasingly. “This way, milady,” Chihiro laughed.

     “Lead the way, good sir.”

     Chihiro and Haku made the mistake of walking on the runner’s track at first, thinking that the park wouldn’t be too crowded. In the end, they nearly got knocked down and trampled on by a stampede of runners all running together in a herd. So they decided to walk on the grass, even though it was damp at that early hour.

     The first place they stopped at was the little lake. Chihiro knew Haku would appreciate the lake since he was a river guardian himself. And she was right. The second he laid his eyes on the water body, his face seemed to brighten up. His eyes sprung into life, and his lips parted unconsciously.

     Sparkling waters shone under the gentle rays of morning sun, and since the park was kept exceptionally clean, the water was of a light blue hue. There were some fishes and plants in the lake as well. The lily pads and koi swimming in the lake seemed to bring it all to life. Haku let go of Chihiro’s hand and took a few steps forward, entranced by the scene before him.

     “I take it that you like it,” Chihiro said, sidling up to him.

     “It’s…” There was a sad glint to Haku’s deep green eyes as he gazed at the lake with awe and what looked to be longing. “It reminds me of my river…”