"… Don't look back…" Haku's words echoed through Chihiro's mind. How could she not look back? She wanted to ask why, but Chihiro kept her mouth shut and kept on walking to the tunnel, now reunited with her parents. The girl was happy to be with her mom and dad again, but right now the one person she wanted to be with was Haku the River Spirit. Chihiro liked his voice; it sounded like a smooth stream. Another thing to like about him was that Haku had always comforted her, even though he had deceived the two sorceress sisters. He had even saved her when she fell into his river. But now, with a heavy heart, they had parted.

--

"Up, this place won't clean itself you know!" shouted Yubaba in her grumpy tone.

"Llanea, just because you work for me now doesn't mean you can stop working! This isn't like your husband's ship! Uh, pirate spirits… Yira, stop your gabbin' and get to those bathtubs clean! That's right, you've got the big tub duty. Ulkin, stop flirting with the dancers, your father is ill and we need a cook! Everybody hurry up!"

Lin smirked as she watched all workers go labor. Yeah, she was a worker too, but over the years she had found a place where she could hide for extra minutes of snooze. She found it when Chihiro was around; pretty much anything could happen with Chihiro, especially in the Land of Spirits. But the stubborn ten-year-old girl was no longer in the place of magic, and she was also no longer ten. Five years had passed, and Chihiro had never visited. The spirit sighed. At night, Lin could sometimes hear Haku sob in his room, every now and then calling Chihiro's name, or else he called the human girl her job name, Sen. Deep in thought, the worker snapped upright when she heard a call.

"Lin, I know your there! Get out before I turn you into—"

"— Coal, I know."

Dragging her feet in stress, Lin went to work.

--

Should I go today? Chihiro thought. It's been so long…

"Hey, Chi, wanna go out tonight?" Zuzak interrupted. He was a boy who took Chihiro to his liking.

"For the last time, no!"

"Well you've got nothing to do!"

"Yes I do! In fact I'm going to go visit a friend tonight! A very, very special friend!" Well, Chihiro didn't know if she would go back at this particular night. She'd think about going back to the Spirit World almost every single night. Every single night for five years!

"You've said that each time I ask you." With that said, Zuzak left the brunette alone at the bus stop. Oh, why did high school have to be so complicated? The spirits probably didn't have to go to school. The entire time Chihiro was in the Land of Spirits all she saw them do was cook, eat, and work at Yubaba's bathhouse. Was there anything else they did? Being the guardians of their given element was one, but it didn't appear they did anything to guard it in particular.

Chihiro began to walk home. If she did go back, should she go when her parents were sleeping? This was Friday. Her parents wouldn't mind if she would be gone today and tomorrow. She could stay in the Land of Spirits for two days! But of course, how could Chihiro get excused from her parents? Well, she could say she was visiting a friend named Sen.

Technically, it was true. During her first stay at the bathhouse, Yubaba had taken away Chihiro's name and changed it to Sen to prevent her from returning to the human side of the river. Chihiro saw no effect in this; what would taking a person's name do? She had not become aware that she had forgotten her name until talking to Haku again. Would Chihiro forget her name again?

--

Once again, Haku slammed into the magical barrier that separated the human and Spirit world and received an electrical shock. Sen had gotten through the tunnel without a scratch; why couldn't a River Spirit do it? Even though he knew his efforts were pretty useless, Haku had done this for the past five years. The day that started those years was the day he quit being Yubaba's apprentice. Today he regretted that decision. When he was the witch's apprentice, Haku could of roamed about the Land of Spirits and the human world as much as he pleased. Sure, he discovered some amazing places while exploring the Land of Spirits, but the though of going to the human world never occurred to him then. Now that opportunity had vanished; his rank had lowered to a regular cleanup boy.

Well, not exactly regular. You see, before, the girls that worked at the bathhouse all saw Haku as a handsome and smooth kind of spirit; untouchable because of his higher rank. Now that his status had lowered, every worker girl except Lin and older workers had tried to win his affection. Many times had Haku have to use every hiding spot Lin had to offer. He supposed that was part of the reason why he missed Chihiro so much. When girls saw Chihiro being with Haku, they backed off, seeing they had no chance. Haku decided it was a lose-lose situation; no Chihiro, screaming girls, lower rank, constant hiding. Hmm, he thought, maybe it's more of a lose-lose-lose-lose situation! His face never showed any sorrow or emotion of these thought. Though never really self-conscious and always thinking about helping others, Haku valued his reputation of calmness very highly.

Before trying to rush in the tunnel again, Haku thought for a moment. Maybe he couldn't get through because he was in his dragon form. Quickly, he transformed so that he looked like a regular human boy. Thinking this time that walking in might help too; Haku tried his best to slow his pace. He took a nervous step into the tunnel. Hey, no shock! When he got half way through the tunnel, Haku felt a strange feeling coming from his feet. Oh no, he thought. First, smoke steamed from below his feet. Shortly after, a powerful shock wave surged through the River Spirit and threw him back to where he started. Haku slapped himself in the head and groaned. In that form he was only half spirit and half human!

I think it's time to go to Yubaba, Haku thought wincing in pain.

--

"Very good, No-Face, you a master at sewing!" Zubina said. "You were excellent at this when you first got here, bet your skills keep getting better and better!"

"Ah!" the "masked" creature replied. He pointed to the kettle above the dancing flames of the fireplace. The soup must be done about now. Zubina nodded and jerked a finger at some bowels and at the kettle. Immediately the bowls filled up with the soup as the contents of the kettle magically began to drain as if a plug was pulled. Trying hard not to look greedy, No-Face ate his food. It's how he has been eating since he left the bathhouse.

When Sen let him into the bathhouse, it had been the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. Many looked and No-Face and fled away from the scene. Also, people in the bathhouse gave him the big tub and gave him the biggest meal a spirit monster could ever have. It eventually drove No-Face raving mad and he began to have the want to devour anything. Luckily, Sen was human; humans didn't have the common ignorance of many spirits. She was stubborn, but willing to help stop what she started.

--