Disclaimer: I own no part of this story.

Prologue

"What!" screamed Yubaaba. Chihiro had left just one month ago and still the bathhouse wasn't back to working order. All the workers seemed to be still reeling from the chaos cause by Sen. The frogs gossiped endlessly and the girls were in a state of mourning the loss of their friend.

"I have my true name back. I have paid the rest of my debt. I am freed from your contract. You can no longer control me." A level-voiced Kohaku stated, fists clenched, as he stood in front of Yubaaba's desk, watching her stand up from where she was sitting, her hair falling out of its bun as her temper rose steadily.

Kohaku didn't even flinch. His eyes once filled with hate and cruelty now blazed with love and determination."I made Chihiro a promise," he continued with a steely resolve, "I won't break my promise to her, not now, not ever."

"I raised you to where you are now!" Yubaaba's voice boomed and her nostrils began to flare "How can you do this to me! You stumbled in tired, sick and afraid. I gave you a job! I gave you power! And this is how you repay me? Why you insolent-" Yubaaba stopped speaking suddenly.

Fire burned from her nose and her hair was more wild than before, whipping around her head as if caught up in some unseen windstorm. Kohaku stared at her, with such defiance it radiated off him in irritating waves making Yubaaba nauseous. She would make him pay for this. She would torture him until he begged for work again. Only then would she decide wether or not to forgive him his treachery.

"How dare he do this to me? After all that I've sacrificed, after all that I've done. All of this over a scrawny, smelly human" she mumbled under her breath, replacing things in her office that we're broken and overturned by her wrath with a wave of her hand."Why Haku," she spoke loud enough for him to hear, "I don't know how much you thought this through... after all she is just a human, but 'here' you have everything you could ever need," the sugary tone of her voice made it clear that she herself didn't believe the words she was choking out. She sat back down taming her hair.

"I have made up my mind," Kohaku said.

"Very well, you may leave." She proffered, and put her right hand over her eyes as if she could rub away the stress he was causing her. "Before you go Haku, will you do one last favor for me?"

Kohaku, already at the door turned to face the evil woman who stole his name and now claims to have made him better. "Yes, ma'am?"He gazed evenly at her, nothing she could make him do would be worse than the past.

"Will you take this for me?" Without waiting for an answer she threw a glowing object at him, no bigger than a coin. He didn't have time to react as the light grew blinding and engulfed him completely. Soon, the whole room shined with this hazy blue light for no more than a split second. Yubaaba looked at what was left of Haku and an evil laugh that seemed to start small grew until it was the only thing to be heard throughout the entire bathhouse. The workers stopped their chatting and the maids turned from their crying.

A slow chill ran through the bathhouse and everyone began to work as the horrific sound rose to a crescendo then faded. It seemed as though things at the bathhouse would be returning to normal. Not for the better.