Disclaimers Notice: Yes...n-n-no...maybe?

Authors Beginning Note: As a heads up, in this fic, Chihiro isn't schizophrenic. The other person she is arguing with is her doubts, so in truth, with herself.


When a Spirit Dies
"You called." Yubaaba smugly looked at her apprentice.

"Haku, your contract is finally up. You may take your leave to the human world or what ever trashy hole you can find." She said nastily through her almost nasally voice. Something felt wrong. She was...happy. Something was out of place.

"Than I shall take my leave now." Haku bowed curtly. He turned away to leave. To make his final exit, and finally be with her. It had been so long.

"I would hurry Haku." Haku turned and stared at Yubaaba.

"Why should it matter what pace I choose to take? You have no control over me."

"If you think so, then let it be you ungrateful whelp." She said nastily but with a smugness that set Haku at unease. Without speaking he turned away and left.


A small girl sat in her bedroom, seemingly glaring at the image before her in the mirror. Her brown hair let loose to fall to her waist. Her hands fidgeted with a purple hair band and her eyes brimmed with tears. A ritual she had come to doing, for the past year.

Why Kohaku. It's been nearly six years. Why haven't you come! Why? I've waited for so long. I dream of you. I miss you. And still you aren't here. Am I doing something wrong? Is it me? What must I do? Kohaku, please! Talk to me! Answer me! ANSWER ME!

"Answer me! Why! Why aren't you here! Where are you!" I stood up in a sudden burst of anger and confusion. I slowly began to pace as steaming hot tendrils of water burned my flesh and made it's own trail down my face.

"I've waited Kohaku. For 6 years. Six long agonizing years! Why aren't you here? I've been alone! Please! I'm lonely and scared. I can't move forward without you." People at school think I'm crazy, because I told them of what happened. But never once did I back down from telling the truth when asked. I didn't falter or stumble. Are you proud of me? I believed and I still do. Oh Kohaku.


A green dragon slowly rose above the sky and left its snaky trail in the spirited sky. His destination unfamiliar, yet it was guided by the aura of a girl. A human girl. The last one that would ever believe in him. And he cherished her.
-Give up. He's not real. It was just a dream. A silly dream.

That voice. It's always in my head. Always blocking my way. But what if it was just a dream. What if all of it...Rin...Kamajii...Granny...even...Kohaku...what if it were all...just a dream?


The dragon stumbled in his flight, even as he reached the portal to the human world.

"Chihiro." He whispered.


"No! It was real! All of it! Everything was real! Even Kohaku. He...he was real. I believe it. He promised. He promised he would come. He never said when. But he promised, so I believe in him."
With new strength he crossed over into the human world, for the first time in a very long time. Slowly, the dragon dissipated and left a boy of 15 to stand there. His green hair fluttered in the small breeze of the night. His eyes were brimming with joy.

"I'm coming Chihiro. I'll finally be able to keep my promise." He whispered before flying high into the sky, laughing out loud with joy. Something he had only done a few times.


-Then why...why would he wait so long.

"He said...he said...that he had to finish some things. He said, then he would come. He would come find me."

-Are you sure?

"Yes...I mean..."

-It's been 6 years.

"Yes, I know, but..."

-What proof do you have of this adventure?

"I...I...I have this hair band! Of course! I had never seen it before. How silly, I almost forgot about it without it holding my hair up." I said falsely convincing. Maybe...maybe that small voice...is right? That little other me voice. The one that's always been logic.


Kohaku grasped his heart, and slowly began to sink. Death seemed inevitable at this point, but he still moved on. A small determination was left within him.

"Chihiro. I have...to. I won't...I won't break my promise...I promised you Chihiro...I won't...let...you...down...please...trust me...believe in me...for a little longer at least..." He gasped as he saw the place he had been searching for and landed harshly upon the porch roof, the one that was level to a certain someone's bedroom window.


-Look at your life...it's miserable...all because of a stupid dream! You have no friends! Your family doesn't believe you! You cry every night like this! You're miserable Chihiro! How could you do this to yourself?

More tears flowed down my face as my thoughts whirled around negatively. They burn. They burn so much. I reach up a hand to touch them, the tears are hot like boiling water, and I have to pull my hand away.

"What...what do I have to do? I want to be happy. I want...what must I do?"

-Forget...

"Forget? But how?"

-Just say that you don't believe.

"Just say...that I don't..."


Kohaku began to choke as blood trickled down the cracks of his mouth, his energy wained and flickered, unsure, doubtful, tired. Like a candle about to be blown out.

"Chihiro...please...I'm here...Chihiro!" he gasped out, even in his pain.


-Shhh. Only say it if you mean it.

"Spirit World..."

-Your miserable life...

"Rin. Kamajii. Zeniiba..."

-Your family who thinks you are crazy. Who thinks you need mental help...

"The adventures. It wasn't so bad as soon as I got used to doing all of the work..."

-If you want to still believe, than believe. But you're tearing yourself up. Look at you, crying over something that could possibly not even exist.

I fell to the floor on my knees, my hands grasping my head.

I don't! No! It's...It hurts...no...all of it? Just a dream? But...


With the little energy he had, he pulld himself up to the window, his breath in ragged gasps, his body torn as if he had been fighting for his life...in a way...he was...but more or so, he was fighting for his love


"Kohaku. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. Kohaku."

-He doesn't exist. Even if he did, why would you want to believe in someone who waited so long to fulfill his promise? I shuddered and shook. Trembled and quaked.


His body shook with the exertion it took. The only thing that was able to moved his exasted body was his love for the girl.


"Than the promise?"

-Was never made, because he never existed. And if he existed, he broke his promise.

"He would never..."

-He didn't exist. He never did. Be free. Why do you do this? Just...for once be happy.

I chewed my lip as I trembled even more. Blood poured out of my lip as I accidentally bit too hard. It spilled and dripped. Splatters of it mixed with the tears on the carpet and my hands.

"I..."

-Go on. You can do it. You have the ability to. Set yourself free.

"Don't Believe..."


Kohaku looked into the glass and saw the tears and blood. Saw the trembling girl, and saw the words formed as her lips moved.


-What don't you believe in?

"Spirit World, or Rin, or..."


"No...Chihiro...CHIHIRO!" he yelled as he raised his hand to the window.

You can't do this to yourself Chihiro...it will hurt even more! Chihiro...believe! Please! I am here!


"....Kohaku."

Smash!

I jumped up and looked at the broken glass everywhere in my room.

The window...it broke! But...how?

I slipped on a pair of shoes and walked over to the sill to look and see if I could find any clue as to what had caused it. Instead, there was something else.

"It's...so pretty." I reached out and took one of the many sparkling things there. It looks like scales. Fish scales. Only...they're as big as my hand.

I reached out to collect the rest, but before I could, a sudden wind came up and took them into the sky, they glittered like water droplets.

I pulled in my arm and cringed as I felt a sharp pain probably cut it on the glass edge, but didn't bother to look. Instead I opened my hands that were tightly gripped around the shiny scale like thing. It glittered and glistened, like a pearl, only with colors of the sea.

"Chihiro!" I jumped as I swirled around and saw mom looking shocked and scared.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I was..." but I can't remember...what was I doing?

"Oh my...Honey! Call the ambulance! Quick!" She said calling down to dad while racing to me and taking my arm in her hands, looking at the blood dripping. I began to fall into darkness.


"Chihiro..." Came a soft voice. I slowly blinked my eyes open and looked into the room of darkness.

Huh...I'm...at the hospital? But how? Oh...my arm...I must have cut it really deep...then when I fainted...

"Chihiro..." I looked around the room. It was empty, except for the usual things you would find in a hospital room.

"Chihiro..."

"Who...whose there?" I asked and a figure appeared before me.

"Chihiro. I told you I would keep my promise." I looked at the boy who stood beside my bed.

Who is he? Why is he dressed so weird? Why is he se through?!How does he know me? And...

"What promise? Are you a ghost?" His face that looked happy a moment, fell completely.

"You...don't remember." He said with sad conviction.

"Remember what?" He shook his head.Tears seemed to fall down his cheeks as he smiled weakly and touched my cheek.

He's so familiar. Why? Do I know him? He's a ghost? How would I know a ghost?

"Go to sleep." He lulled and I found myself nearly sinking into darkness. I felt something in my hand disappear. I looked at where the scale had been and only saw a small drop of water, that quickly disappeared, and with it, and empty feeling inside. As if I had forgotten something important. As if I had forgotten where I had lost my heart.


Yubaaba cackled as she looked into the small bowl of water, her portal to see the happenings in the human world. She saw the death of Haku. The same death she had predicted would come.

"A humans mind is weak. Of course she forgot. Stupid girl." She even saw His last attempt to revive her memory.

"What a waste of energy. He could have come back here and lived forever. After all. Once a human fully declares their disbelief in this world, all remnants of it are gone in there mind." She watched on to see if there was anything else to see, but there was none. All she saw was a lost girl. A human girl who chose to forget her past. The one who caused the death of the one she loved.

"And when all humans forget a god, spirit, or deity, they die and exist in the human world no longer." She laughed a full evil laugh as she waved her hand, and the water became mere water.


Authors Ending Note: Tear...yes, full of angst, and no I don't really believe that Chihiro would fully forget Kohaku or any other thing of the sort, but she did for the purpose of this 1-shot. Maybe someday I'll make it into a full story, but not for a long while (or at least until I'm done with one of my other fics.)

Please review! Harsh Criticism is welcomed-but no flames unless you explain why you are flaming me!