I know this was supposed to be on hiatus, but inspiration struck and I simply couldn't resist. I am sorry for any errors found in the text, but I hope you enjoy reading!

Problem Dreaming
Chapter Two: Dream Walking

Plot: After Haku witnesses Chihiro break down due to her longing for the Spirit World, he begins to visit her in her dreams to comfort her. Very few spirits possess the power of Dream Walking— so when a complication arises Haku and Chihiro must try to make the best of a surprising situation and figure out a way to be together in one world.

After falling face-first onto her bed, Chihiro had been planning to fall into a deep sleep with no dreams. So when the surroundings of darkness began to morph and change, her consciousness ignored all requests to not be disturbed and manifested her body into a familiar looking surrounding. The walls were a shade of grey that didn't convey gloominess but rather a quaint coziness. A fire place was roaring by the far wall, nipping the cold that seeped in slowly from the edges of the balcony doors.

The room was split into two halves by a wall with an open doorway and no door, one half being a bedroom with the fireplace and furniture the other being a study. Each section individually was enormous, making Chihiro think that the room belonged to royalty. Green drapes sparkled with an in sewn pattern of gold, accenting the carpet perfectly. No modern technology could be seen in either section, immediately making Chihiro think of the Spirit World, and the color scheme making her think of the dragon who consumed her thoughts.

Walking slowly, she drifted over to the ornate desk occupying the second section. Bookshelves lined all three walls reaching to the ceiling, containing all manners of books from history to how-to books. She took her time exploring the room, unaware that green eyes were watching her every move. Haku hadn't manifested his body yet, to give Chihiro time to explore his room and adjust to her surroundings. He didn't want to overload her mind and risk her waking up.

Chihiro sighed sadly as she realized the history books were about the Spirit World, but let a happy smile cross her face as she realized that this was as close as she had gotten to being there in ten years. She walked over to the door (which impressively matched the books shelves, desk, and side tables by the bed) and grabbed the handle. As he watched Chihiro open the door, he had to keep from laughing at the confused look on her face when nothing but darkness met her gaze. Brow furrowed, she walked back over to the large king-sized bed in the first section and flopped on it.

"Comfortable, isn't it?" Haku let his body appear, interested that he could change his clothes and appearance by will. Zeniba had said that he could control all aspects of the dream and she hadn't been lying. Chihiro sat up quickly, staring at him with a blank expression for a moment. Right as he began to think that his entrance was a bad idea and that she would wake, Chihiro bolted up and tackled Haku in a warm embrace.

"Even if it's just a dream I'm so happy to see you Haku! I've missed you and the Spirit World so much..." His own arms wrapped around her, pleasantly surprising him at how right it felt. He wanted to berate her immediately when he felt how malnourished she was, but decided he could save that for another time.

"I've missed you too, Chihiro. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out how to do this." Chihiro pulled away and wiped what Haku hoped were happy tears away from her eyes.

"How to do what?" Haku smiled at her curiosity— it was still the same as when she was a little girl. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the couch in front of the fire place. After they settled down on the couch, Chihiro with her legs crossed facing Haku and himself in a similar position, Haku began to explain his unique power.

"Some Spirits gain the ability to do what is called Dream Walking— the power to create a temporary realm in the space of the unconscious mind of the individual. I was lucky enough to have Kami bless me with this power, but only recently have I been able to fully control it. Zeniba was a large help to me, once I finally asked for help." Haku expected her to say something along the lines of amazing, but instead she berated him.

"You stubborn dragon! You could have contacted me a lot sooner if you would have taken your pride and shoved it somewhere else! All you had to do was ask Zeniba and you didn't until now?" Chihiro had to contain the giggles that wanted to escape at Haku's expense. His eyes were wide and he looked shocked. She uncrossed her legs and scooted closer to him, bumping him playfully with her shoulder.

"But since we're friends I'll forgive you. So what exactly is this?" Haku smiled, quickly recovering from her change of heart. This Chihiro was still as mouthy as her younger self, but she seemed more confident.

"It's just a dream. We'll both remember what occurred in the dream when we wake, but nothing physical will follow you back to the waking world. Such as if I were to force you to eat a good meal, it wouldn't affect your real body." She sheepishly smiled, rubbing an arm.

"I'll try to start eating more, okay?" Haku smiled and tried to contain his happiness when her head fell onto his shoulder. He dislodged the piece of fabric holding her hair up so that he could run his fingers through it. She hadn't appeared to have cut it since she was little, considering the impressive length it was. The strands felt soft and healthy in his hands, easing some of his worries about her since he knew that if her hair was healthy then she was getting enough nutrients.

"Thank you." For a while they sat on the couch talking about what had changed in ten years, sipping on the tea Haku had made appear from nowhere. When something permeated the air, changing the feel of everything, Chihiro sat up in alarm. She felt odd, like her body was going to fall at any moment but she was sitting stable on the couch.

"Its okay, your starting to wake up now. I'll see you again, Chihiro." Haku gently placed the purple tie in the palm of her hand, gently smiling in an attempt to calm her. She wanted to plead and beg not to leave but before she could open her mouth, everything around her dissolved.

Her eyes flew open with a start, but her body remained lying down. After examining her room and opening the door just to check, she affirmed that she was in the human world and her own room. She placed a hand to her head, trying to make sense of her dream.

"Did that really happen or have I finally went insane?" Her other hand flew to her stomach in shock, when it growled loudly. She hadn't actually felt such a hunger pang since, well when she was ten. She took a moment to think about how she actually felt physically, pleasantly surprised that the hanging cloud of depression that had been following her for some time had vanished. She felt renewed with energy, was actually wanting to eat, and was already thinking in a more positive manner.

Yuuko watched in shock as her oldest child bounced down the stairs with enthusiasm, and walked straight to the refrigerator taking out what she needed to make breakfast.

"You're in a good mood this morning, Chihiro." She smiled at her mother, shrugging her shoulders.

"I had a good night's sleep and an even better dream."

"Must have been some dream. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I got to see an old friend that I haven't talked to in a very long time." Yuuko kissed her daughter's cheek, taking out a pan to make bacon to go with Chihiro's eggs. Her daughter seemed to have gotten her appetite back, and the sadness that seemed to dominate her moods was lifted. She didn't press the subject anymore for the rest of the day, but Yuuko hoped that her daughter continued to have these dreams that made her so happy.

After eating a hearty breakfast, Chihiro took a bowl of leftovers and began her daily walk to the tiny houses along the path to the tunnel built to place offerings for the spirits. She whistled happily as she placed a good portion of food in each house, already feeling the atmosphere in the forest change into a happy, content state of being. The smile slipped off of her face as she walked closer to the entrance, hope tentatively filling her mind.

"I don't know if the dream I had last night was real, or just my mind finally going crazy, but maybe it was a sign the tunnel is open again..." She walked forward, one hand outstretched towards the looming darkness. A feeling off dread filled her causing her legs to carry her away from the entrance. She sighed, knowing it was a magic at work which regularly prevented humans from crossing over. Sighing again, Chihiro took her usual spot on the ground and rested her chin on her knees.

Now that the tunnel had rejected her for the umpteenth time, Chihiro began to wonder if she was losing her mind. If she didn't get the foreboding feeling every time she wet near the entrance, then she would almost think that she had imagined the Spirit World. She had had no signs that her time had been in fact real, except for the purple hairband that never left her person. The band had never stretched, faded, lost its elasticity, or broken.

Chihiro pulled the band from her hair, letting the long brunette locks fall around her face. She examined the fibers woven together, secretly pleased that the material shimmered gold when she looked at it. Her mother and sisters had seen the band plenty, but none of them could ever see the magical quality that she could. She wondered if Zeniba still had a link to the fabric, or if it had been severed upon Chihiro's arrival into the human world. She had no idea the effect that Spirit World magic could have in the human world, but she suspected that it wasn't much.

Haku had obviously been thinking about her since he took the time to learn the Dreaming Walking ability, even if the stubborn dragon waited ten years to ask Zeniba. Smiling at the thought of Haku on his knees begging the old witch, while she looked down with her arms crossed as if she were saying 'That's right, you beg to get the information you need and I'll enjoy every minute of it'. Quickly running her fingers through her hair and tying it back up, Chihiro stood up and began her journey back to her home.

She couldn't wait to sleep tonight in anticipation of possibly seeing Haku again, and cleaning her room for the first time in a while seemed like a good way to pass the time.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Are you sure you want to skip dinner sweetie? You spent a good few hours cleaning your room so you must be hungry." Chihiro could hear the concern in her mother's voice, but she could tell that her Mom wasn't extremely worried about a skipped meal.

"I'm sure Mom. I just feel like snuggling up in my blankets and going to dreamland." Yuuko smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead before leaving the room. Chihiro excitedly switched her lamp off and quickly cuddled down into her freshly washed comforter, closed her eyes, and waited for darkness to consume her.

A few weeks passed, and with no word from Haku she began to think the entire meeting had been a product of her imagination. Slowly her mood began to deteriorate again, and her appetite became nonexistent. For the sake of her parents she maintained the happy mood she had been in, but once in the forest or locked away in her room she let the smile slip and the despair take hold.

Eventually one night the room materialized again, but rather than explore as she had last time Chihiro remained standing in the same spot. She crossed her arms, eyes narrowed to a glare at the man standing before her.

"Chihiro, I'm sorry it's been a while. I had to—"

"I need to wake up. I can't handle another dream like this, my mind will tear itself apart." Haku looked confused, not understanding what she was going on about, until it clicked. She didn't think that their first meeting had been real, that it had merely been a product of her imagination.

"Chihiro, please listen to me. We really did meet in that dream. I've been busy taking care of something very important and using this much magic is—"

"Whatever." Haku was taken aback at her bluntness. She turned her back to him, muttering how it wasn't fair to get her hopes up and then ditch her in the real world. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she whirled around with a finger in his face.

"No! Do you have any idea what it's like to be miserable in a world you don't belong in, have someone you desperately missed wave it in your face, and then not show up for weeks? I thought I was going crazy, that my mind had finally snapped and decided to leave me behind. Couldn't you have sent me a message, something to let me know you wouldn't be able to contact me, and that you were okay?" Chihiro felt her eyes water and angrily wiped away the tears threatening to escape. She hated to cry in front of people.

"I sorry, it was wrong of me to worry you." When his arms encircled her body she didn't push him away, instead leaning into the warmth. As she cried, Haku ran his fingers through her hair, murmuring words in her ear. She didn't understand a word of it and decided it must be in a spirit world language, but the effect was soothing nonetheless.

Eventually her tears stopped, and Haku pulled back to look into her beautiful brown eyes. He took a minute to look at her face, admiring how much it had changed since she was a child. Her face had become a more narrowed shape, leaving the chubby cheeks of her childhood behind. Her eyes though— they still held the same magnificent sparkle despite the redness in them from crying. He felt a pang of guilt for not at least contacting her briefly to explain the situation, leaving her to draw her own conclusions.

It was easy to forget how different theirs lives were. When he would think about Chihiro, Haku always remembered how she lived during her time here in the spirit world. He never gave thought to the day-to-day activities of the human world. Did she have a job? Did she have friends? Was she still in school? He had no idea about her real life.

"I think I'm okay now, sorry for freaking out on you." Haku led them over to the same couch they had sat on the last visit, producing a cup of tea out of thin air for her. She accepted it gratefully, taking a sip.

"No, no. You were right, I should have contacted you and told you I would be busy for a little while. I promise next time I'll let you know." She smiled, leaning against his side. The warmth and feeling of his muscles made her sigh in happiness.

Haku had been attractive when they were children, but as an adult he definitely made her the top of her attractive men list. His hair remained the same, but his shoulders had broadened out and she knew if she felt under his clothing there would be hard muscles. Standing she only came to his chest, a far cry from the similar heights they were years ago.

"Last time I didn't really get to ask about you. How has your life been Chihiro?"

They talked for what seemed like forever. She told him about her siblings, how her schooling had went and then what her college years were like. He asked many questions, trying to learn as much as he could about her. Chihiro felt like her face would spilt in two she was smiling so much, and when the room around her began to distort she grabbed Haku's hand with desperation.

"Please promise me we can talk again soon. Or if we can't let me know so I can wait."

"Oh course. I'll see you soon Chihiro." The room faded to nothing, and then she opened her eyes to see her ceiling. For a moment she lied in bed, thinking how she couldn't wait to go to sleep again, but then jumped out of bed to get ready for the day. The busier she kept, the faster she would be able to see Haku again.