A Tiny Puddle of Hope

NOTE: Has not been edited, completely raw.

It's been a while since she's heard his voice. She gently brushed against the ground. Chihiro gives off a sad smile, wistfully staring at the open field of endless trash. Mountains of useless objects lay, scarring the once-beautiful scenery that she had once rested at.

No one inhabits the land anymore, for the crumbling rubble will upon them. She winced. Chihiro can only imagine how the cries of injured people let out when that happened.

Immediately her hand went to the ribbon seeking comfort. Chiharu sighed, thankful for the soothing purr that the light pink fabric gave off. It had also lightly tightened around her wrist, cooing, Chihiro, you can do it.

It's been so long since she's remembered about the Other Side; blurred images would only occur if she relentlessly thought about it. The blanks in her memory often bothered her, yet there was always that voice, urging her to not rush it and not look back.

Chihiro hummed, tears forming at her eyes. She longed to know whose voice it belonged to. Now, with her memory returning to her, her heart beats loudly with the realization.

It was Haku, speaking to her.

The image of him was no longer shapeless; he had a formed. His emerald eyes would smile and chuckle at her being a klutz. And his voice, it silkily make its way to her mind.

She wished she could have stayed back with him and not crossing the river that had separated them for so long. Her chest pulled back, it hurt. She wished for his touch, to hold his hand once again, to lean on him and stare at the clouds; she longed for him.

But she couldn't, Chihiro had to handle it. She had to live on, without lingering thoughts about Haku and the Other Side. Chihiro wiped away her tears, and pulled out a vial. The contents swished back and forth, gleaming.

She dug her frail fingers into the ground forming a hole. It was small, but it'll do. Twisting off the cork, she poured the water into its new home. The puddle was small, but surely on, it would expand into the river that it once was.

Chihiro smiled and patted the dirt off her white dress with only a green stripe embedded into the design. She wanted to be clean when she meets him; however, she was growing tired.

Her eyes squinted around, finding only a single tree with slightly patched of grass nearby. She forced herself to walk to the vegetation. Chihiro then laid down and closed her eyes.

Slowly, the sun's light dimmed and the sound of the grass waved. The breeze turned cool, and caressed her skin, leaving a tingling feeling.

"Chihiro," she felt the corner of her lips twitch. She easily removed herself from the ground, and grinning at the sight of a teenage boy with fringed bangs. "You're back."

She nodded, "I'm back, Haku." Chihiro found herself grasping both his hands in an embrace, "It's good to see you again," the heat from his touch was no longer a dream, it radiated off his skin, her heart pounding, "after so long."

A small smile graced his face. "I'm glad as well, you lived a good life. You lived."

Chihiro softly laughed, "Of course I did! This is beginning to be like a scene from Titanic."

Haku titled his head to the side, puzzled, "What's a Titanic?" He furrowed his eyebrows and stared intently into her darkened amber ones.

She let go of one hand and gentle squeezed the other, "We have lots of catching up to do, I have so much to tell you, let's not waste any time…"

Finally, Haku had a real smile that reached his eyes, "Don't worry, we have plenty of it."

And thus, if one were to look carefully, two figures, a boy and a girl walked off in a distance, holding hands, smiling with one another.

Strangely enough, the little girl clad in a white shirt and pink shorts resembled the old lady lying under the tree and her relatives. The family had circled around the old lady, from her sons and daughters to her grandkids. But no one could bear to cry too much, for it seemed to them that the old lady had used her last breath to smile.

That was when, all her family members vowed to continue the small puddle in the Kohaku River.