Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the movie!

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving guys! Okay, here's chapter 9!

Thank you to:

44thDreamMaster - Thanks 4 the review

phantome101 - Thanks for the review

-Catgirl-of-Bavaria- Thanks 4 the review

dark chocolate princess - thx 4 the review and I'm completely sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. School's been gettin' 2 me and I'm graduating this spring. So yeah, I'm having a busy year. and thx 4 being a faithful reader!

Priestess Kohana - Thanks for the review

Chapter IX: Teddy Bear

Haku held her until her eyes dried up and all that was heard in the room was her light sniffled and his voice whispering things of comfort in her ear. Chihiro was sitting on his lap, her legs parallel of the couch. Her arms were wrapped tight around his broad shoulders, her head on his shoulder. His arms were wrapped tight around her waist, holding her close. He had picked her up off of the piano bench and settled them both on the couch. Chihiro's sniffles finally came to a soft end, but Haku never let her go or loosened his grip.

"I'm sorry" she said softly in a broken voice. "You're shirt's wet."

"I know," he said back in a soft mummer. In truth, he hadn't noticed. The only thing he did notice was that soft pain in his heart when he watched her weep. The pain crushed his heart and made his blood pulse, something he had never experienced before.

Chihiro lifted her head from his shoulder and shook her head. "I'm not gonna let you wander around my house with a wet shirt," she said firmly. "Come on and help me blow out the candles and close the windows." Chihiro got up and he followed her lead.

A few minutes later Chihiro and Haku were walking down the stairs another floor. She took his hand and led him down a hallway past a few doors. Chihiro stopped about a minute later in front of a door and opened it. Inside was a plain looking bedroom that had a comfy feel to it. The room was large with a queen sized, four-poster bed pushed against a wall with a bed side table on each side. There were two windows facing east with two couches facing each other in front of it. A cherry wood table sat in between the two couches with a large white candle sitting on a small candle holder. The couch was black and welcoming.

The walls were painted a soft lavender color, complimenting the baby blue sheet, comforters, and pillow cases on the bed. A cherry wood dresser/drawers sat in front of the bed, against the opposite wall the bed leaned against. A small dresser with a mirror on top went next to it. There were two doors, one that lead to the bathroom, the other to a closet. The floor was covered with a plush pinkish/lavenders color.

Chihiro pulled him inside room. She stopped in front of the dresser/drawers and pulled open one of the drawers.

"Take off your shirt," Chihiro told him without looking up as she searched trough the drawer. He obliged, unbuttoning his shirt slowly. (a/n: drools :P)

Chihiro finally pulled out a large white T-shirt and handed it to him. He in turn handed her his shirt. She took the shirt away from him and watched him pull the shirt over his head and over his body. Haku saw her staring and smiled slightly.

He held his arms out and asked her in a teasing voice, "Should I do a spin?" Chihiro rolled her eyes and started out of the room. He ran out to catch her and threw and arm across her shoulders in a one-arm hug. A smile appeared on her face and Chihiro wrapped an arm around his waist. Suddenly Haku stopped and also stopped Chihiro from walking an farther. She turned to him with a questioning face.

"Seriously, should I do a spin?" Haku asked with a straight face. Her questioning face turned to one of disbelief. Chihiro shook her head, broke the embrace and began walking down the hall with an amused face, giggling lightly. Behind her, Haku smiled, sensing success in her smile. She turned around to face him with a soft smile.

"You coming or what?"Chihiro asked, tilting her head to one side. Haku walked forward in a confident stride and stopped suddenly again. He pivoted and walked back to his original stop. Her laughter rang loudly in the hallway behind him, making him smile. Haku turned around again to find Chihiro sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, laughing. He quickly walked to her and sat down next to her.

"You have a weird sense of humor, Haku," Chihiro said once she stopped laughing. She stood up and brushed off some imaginary dust on her skirt. Chihiro held out a hand, which Haku immediately took. She held onto his hand as she opened another door and went down two flights of stairs. Chihiro opened another door to a small room. On one side of the room held a washing machine for clothes and a dryer next to it. On the opposite wall were a small counter and two cabinets overhead.

"How many rooms does this house have?" Haku asked her, for a moment stunned.

"Not as big as your mansion, I'm sure of that," Chihiro said dryly, "but if you must know: 4 floors, including basement. The basement is converted to an entertainment room. You know the whole works, big plasma screen TV, huge speakers, couches, a mini bar, snack bar, a large coffee table, a dinning table that could be converted to a card table, and a few chairs.

"The main floor has the regular kitchen, living room, dining room, 1 bathroom, and my office. I just got my kitchen remodeled, so everything is new. It's also an eat-in kitchen. The living has a few couches, a coffee table, a Lazy Boy chair, and a TV. The dining is hardly used because I almost always eat in the kitchen or in the living room. I use the dining room for guests only since the table is really big and there are so many chairs. My office is on the other side of the house, opposite from the kitchen, dining and living.

"The third floor has all the bedrooms and there are five. The one we just went into was my room. The other 4 are guest rooms. My bedroom is the master's, but the other bedrooms are pretty big, don't worry about them. They all look like mine except the furniture might be arranged differently or maybe in different styles. Each bedroom has its own bathroom so no one has to share. There is also a sixth room, the library. The library contains 3 computers that anyone can use and, of course, books.

"The last floor all the way at the top was the music room or my studio," her eyes became soft before she continued, "and that's about it." Chihiro looked up to find Haku looking at her with an eye brow raised.

"You really know how to live it rich don't you?" Haku asked her. Chihiro shrugged.

"It's the only logically way to spend my money that's flowing into my bank account," she said while tossing his shirt with in the washing machine, "I have nothing else to do with it." Haku only chuckled and shook his head.

"So where are we now?" Haku asked her as he watched her toss some detergent in, too.

"Right now where in a small room next to the basement," Chihiro answered him, "There are two staircases in the whole house, both of them behind doors."

Haku whistled. "I never thought that this quiet neighborhood is so rich," he commented. Chihiro turned around to face him fully with a small smirk set on her face.

"You got that right," Chihiro said, smug, "Anyone who lives on this block is filthy rich or want to live in peace. We look out for each other and know each other's family. Let's say reporters found out where I live, one of my neighbors has three sons in the police department. My neighbor calls and our neighborhood is protected."

"You know some people then," Haku said, impressed.

"You can say that," Chihiro said back with a cute smirk on her face. Haku laughed at her childish antics and she soon joined him in the laughter. When the laughter died down, Chihiro glanced at the clock hanging above the machines. It was just about six p.m.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Chihiro turned to him. Haku raised an eye brow.

"Just as friends," she hastily added, "good friends." Haku thought about that for a moment.

"You're on," he said finally. Chihiro smiled at him.

"All right," she said, "let's go." Chihiro led him back up the stairs and up one flight of stairs. She stopped at the top of the staircase and opened the door in front of it. Chihiro held the door open for him. She shut the door after he came through. Chihiro then led him down the long, wide hallway and through a doorframe, into the kitchen. The doorframe was empty, with no door, but gave the impression of a door.

Chihiro flipped the switch next to the door frame and lights came on.

Just one look at the kitchen and you knew that it was new. The stainless steel refrigerator and marble counter tops are brand new and shining. The sink was stainless steel, too. There were plenty of cherry-wood cabinets and storage. Tucked in the eastern corner of the kitchen was a moderately sized table. The table was made out of dark wood and was rectangular shaped. It was coupled with the same type of wood the table was, with padded seating. Past the kitchen was the dining room.

The dining room was long and wide with a table that fit right in. The table was made out of polished mahogany wood that was long and wide. The table seated up to thirty people and was made out of the same type of wood. The kitchen and dining room was separated with a small step that was about three-inches high. A chandelier hung above the dining table.

Haku whistled lowly.

"You definitely did not describe the rooms correctly," he said. Chihiro shot him a nasty glance.

"I'm not a person who likes to gloat what I have," she said quietly. Haku raised an eyebrow.

"Really? If I could recall correctly, you were just smirking about your neighbor who has sons in the police department," Haku pointed out. Chihiro rolled her eyes.

"I was gloating for my neighbor," she said in a matter-of-fact voice, "besides, that is a good reason to gloat." Haku chuckled.

"I thought you promised me dinner?" Haku asked her in a teasing voice. Chihiro stuck her tongue at him, making Haku place a hand over his heart in mock pain. She giggled and made her way toward the stove with Haku right on her heels.

After Dinner

"That was the best stir fry I have ever tasted," Haku announced. Chihiro laughed and got up with her dished in her hand. Haku did the same and placed them in the dish washer.

"Well I do own a club," Chihiro said pointedly, "so I basically have to know how to cook." Haku nodded his head in agreement. "You want coffee?" Chihiro asked him.

"Sure," he said grandly, "why not?" She scoffed and started working on the coffee. About 15 minutes later, the couple found themselves in the basement, a.k.a. the entertainment room.

The room was converted to a homey room, but had a feel of a club. The whole room ran under all the floors, making a wide space. The room was divided into three places. Two walls were placed up and formed a 'T'.

On the club side was a dance floor made of black marble. A small DJ booth as set up on the corner of the room, facing the dance floor. Different colored lights were set up on the ceiling. The walls were soundproof and a glass door that was also soundproof connected the club to the main room.

In the main room was the big screen TV with big speakers. Couches were set up against the west, north, and east walls. A coffee table was set in between the couches. A mini snack bar and a mini bar was set up against the corner of the room. A stereo system was set up in the corner of the same wall as the mini bars. An open doorway led to the casual room.

The causal room held a dining table that could be converted to a card table and some chairs.

The two were sitting in the main room, while soft piano music played in the background. They sat on opposite couches, facing each other. Chihiro held her coffee in both hands while Haku took a sip and placed it on the coffee table. Tension ran high in the room. They both knew that they would have to talk about the attic and what happened there. She wanted to avoid it while he knew not push her. But he knew that it would be important for them to talk about it. In the end, he was the first on to break the silence.

"What happened?" Haku asked softly. Chihiro's eyes looked down at the cup in her hands, her eyes downcast, pain and sorrow in her eyes. She took a sip, with one hand she patted the seat next to her. He got, moved next to her, and sat down. A strand of hair from behind her ear fell lose and hid her face from his view. With a gentle hand and touch, Haku brushed it over her shoulder. He saw that she was fighting hard to keep the tears at bay. The silence stretched on, then broke by her quiet voice.

"My Aunt Bella wrote that piece," Chihiro said softly. "She was always full of life, able to produce music out of anything." She turned to him a said smile and his heart clenched when he saw how much pain she was. But he knew that she had to get it out before it consumed her and ate her whole. Then, her gaze shifted and seem to look beyond him.

"She played the piano and violin," Chihiro continued. "Aunt Bella tried to teach me both of them, but I never had the heart to play the violin. Even she understood that. So, instead, she brought a friend over with a guitar strapped on his back and I instantly fell in love with it. His name was Justin, her high school sweetheart, although not any more. They still remained friends throughout the years and he was like an uncle to me. He taught me how to play the guitar."

"She knew how to sing, too. In my eyes, she was perfect. Bella taught me the piano when I was around 5 and Justin taught me the guitar 3 years later. When I turned thirteen, Bella was only 26. She was like my big sister. This house belonged to her and so did club Poison."

Haku raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not joking," Chihiro continued. "All of this was hers. The designs were hers. Everything was hers. I loved her so much." She looked away and stared back at the cup. As he watched a tear fell from her eyes and hit her hand.

"She was just 33 when she died." Chihiro voice broke into a sob. "Justin was driving her home after the party for my 20th birthday. I celebrated at home with my parents, about 2 hours away from this house. It was about 2 in the mourning and both of them were tired, that I knew. My parents offered them a room, but they both refused, saying that they had work the next mourning and would arrive later if they stayed."

Tears steadily streamed down her cheeks. Haku took the cup away from her hands and placed the cup on the table. He held her hands in his. Chihiro turned her face to look him in the eye. His heart shattered as he watched her cry.

"Justin fell asleep at the wheel on the highway home. Apparently there was a police chase going on without them knowing. The guy was drunk driving and was on the wrong side of traffic. He slammed straight into them." Her tears fell harder now.

"I was told they died instantly," Chihiro said in a thick voice. "I was told that they didn't suffer. But I could've saved them. If I had only insisted that they stayed."

"But I let them go," She spat out the words hatefully. "I tried blaming Justin and the drunk driver for her death, but I j-just couldn't. It was my fault that I had that party and that it went late into the night. It's my fault and I wished I had died instead of them. I'm so sorry, Bella . . . Justin." Chihiro's voice broke down and Haku gathered her in his arms.

"There was nothing you could've done," he told her fiercely, "It was not your fault, you hear me?! It was not your fault that your aunt cared for you or that Justin cared for you. Do you think that they would want you to blame yourself for their death? I know that I wouldn't. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame yourself."

Haku rocked her and whispered over and over again for her not to blame herself and held her while she cried. A long time later, after her tears had dried and her hiccups had subsided, Chihiro pulled back.

"It seems like today was my day to embarrass myself," she joked weakly. Haku allowed himself a small smile. She leaned forward until her forehead leaned against his.

"Thank you," she whispered softly. Her hazel eyes looked deep into his.

"You're welcome," he whispered back. Then on impulse . . .

He kissed her.

TBC

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving guys! Please review!