When Chihiro got home she told her parents everything that had happened with her in the

Spirit World, and they actually believed her. They found out that they had only been gone for a few weeks.

The new house was still theirs and all their stuff was still there. Which was amazing because the movers had left the front door wide open. Apparently it was a really good neighborhood.

She had been back for a few months now, and made some new friends. She really missed Lin, Bo, Kamaji, No Face, and Zeniba (Granny). But she especially missed Haku. No matter what she will stand by her statement that of all her friends he will always be the best.

She enjoys looking on the internet and in books for pictures of the Kohaku River before the apartments were built. It helps her remember him and their times together.

Sometimes if she looked ever so closely she can see his face in the water. Sometimes he even appears in dragon form.

One day she awoke feeling that it was going to be a particularly lucky day for her. She got dressed, picked up her backpack, and went downstairs. On the way down she smelled her favorite breakfast cooking. (Rice and Dumplings.) When she finished eating her mother set a bowl of candy in front of her.

"Pick a piece, Chihiro," she said, smiling." Chihiro took a piece of heart shaped chocolate wrapped in colorful foil.

"Thank you, Mama," she said popping the delicious chocolate into her mouth.

She gave her mom and dad a hug and kiss and left for school.

"Wow," she whispered to herself as she walked. "My favorite food for breakfast and candy afterwards. And it's not even my birthday. What a great way to start the day!"

She got to school and the teacher said, "Chihiro, we're working on catching up on our notebooks, but you're done so you may work on a puzzle if you'd like." Puzzles are Chihiro's favorite activity. She liked the big ones with 1500 pieces.

"I just got a new 1500 piece puzzle Chihiro."

Chihiro looked at the puzzle boxes and there was a brand new one, still wrapped in plastic.

"Cool, I've done al the old ones," she said moving closer to pick it up.

She nearly dropped it when she saw the picture on the front of the box. It was an enormous white dragon. And it looked just like Haku. She opened the box and dumped out all of the pieces. She began as any good puzzle worker would. She separated the edge pieces from the middle pieces and put the frame together. Chihiro was only halfway done when the teacher said it was time for lunch and recess. Chihiro said she would eat the lunch she brought inside and finish her puzzle.

Fifteen minutes later Chihiro only had one empty space, but two pieces. They were exactly the same piece. She examined them both, then put one in the space. It fit, but she still wondered about there being doubles. She carefully reached out and pulled the piece gently from the table top. Chihiro was picky about her puzzles.

She compared the two pieces all over again to make absolutely sure they were the same. Chihiro flipped the other piece over and saw a tiny letter "H" on the back. The one she had just had in it didn't have that. She put the piece with the H on it in the puzzle and stepped back. As she did, the piece began to glow.

The glow spread through the whole puzzle and the piece with the H on it rose into the air. Chihiro was a bit scared but could not move. She stared as the final piece flew to her neck and turned into a choker necklace. Chihiro didn't quite understand what happaned but she went over to the mirror to look at her new accessory.

To her surprise, she saw a black velvet ribbon wrapped around her neck. Attached to it was a beautiful heart-shaped locket. She opened it and in it was a small picture of Haku.

"How did that happen?" she asked herself in wonder. As if answer to her question Haku appeared next to her.

Gasping, Chihiro took a step back. She stared at him for a moment, then leapt forward to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and they hugged for what seemed like a lifetime. When she finally did pull away there were tears of joy in her eyes.

"I told you you would see me again someday!" said Haku.

"I didn't think it would be this soon. Not that I'm complaining, though. I missed you so much," she said through her tears.

" I missed you too. That's why I made it so soon," he replied. "Whenever you want to see me just open the locket and run your finger over the picture three times. So if you're having a really bad day and need someone to talk to, I can be there. Or if you had a really spectacular day and want to tell me about it. Or if you just miss me, you can call me, anytime night or day and I'll come. And if I can't come right away I'll say so through the locket, and you'll know I'm busy, but not ignoring you, and will come over as soon as I can."

"But what if you want to see me?" Chihiro asked.

"Well, if I want to see you I'll make it warm up and glow, When you feel that happen just open it and tell me whether I can come or not," Haku said. He had thought of every thing. " By the way, um, everyone says hi. Or at least I'm pretty sure No Face did. He seemed excited when I said I was coming to see you. I think." Haku laughed. He could never tell what was going on with No Face.

"Anyway, I've got to go. Did I mention I'm in charge of the bath-house now? Last time I left for too long we ended up with a Stink Spirit."

Chihiro shuddered. She remembered her first and last encounter with a Stink Spirit. Except that one hadn't been a real one.

Haku knew what she was thinking and laughed at her. "If you thought that one was bad you should have stuck around for this one. We're still cleaning the place, a week and a half later. But before I go I can stop time for a while to take you for a ride." He turned into the elegant white dragon and went over to the open window. He cocked his head to one side as if to ask her if she was coming.

Chihiro ran over and climbed onto his back, right behind his shoulders. And they were off. Haku soared though the sky so gracefully, Chihiro almost forgot she wasn't in the Spirit World. He soon returned to the classroom and restarted time. As he prepared to leave Chihro spoke to him again.

"Haku,"

"Yes?"

"Couldn't you have made that puzzle any harder?"

Haku laughed, "Well I had to make sure you finished it in one day. I didn't want anyone else to do it for you. Make sense now?" She nodded in agreement.

"Haku?"

"Huh?"

Chihiro threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He laughed and hugged her back. "Remember you can call me any time you want, as often as you want. And if i don't hear from you for three days in a row, I'll call you."

"Thank you," she said, stopping the fresh flow of tears that had started. They hugged one more time, and after kissing each other on the cheek, and squeezing each other's hands Haku waved goodbye and vanished.

Chihiro sat back down and saw that the ordinary piece was back where it belonged. Chihiro finished the school day, but decided to wait awhile before she told her parents what had happened. When she finally did they were very happy for her. And Chihiro couldn't have been happier.