Was I hearing that correctly? Did he really say the Spirit World? He had to be joking. That kind of stuff only happened in movies. I took a moment and felt a shiver that ran through my spine and I wasn't sure whether that was from the cold or from what Haku had just told me.

"But I don't understand. How did I get here?" I asked.

"The gate must have opened at the time that you walked through the tunnel. No one knows why the gate opens, but occasionally, a human will slip in. It was a right place, right time, kind of moment." Haku says, shrugging.

Right place? Right time? How is any of this good? But I couldn't bring myself to be hysteric at this man. Something about him just made me want to comfort him, especially with the way he had reacted to the news of my grandmother. I take a deep breath to steady myself.

"What do I do now? Am I ever going home?" I asked, a little weakly.

"That's up to you. For now, I'll have to take you to the Bathhouse. You're drenched and you'll get a cold if you stay out here any longer. Tomorrow, you can decide if you want to stay a little longer or head home. But there's no guarantee with the gate. It can be very finicky." He said.

I nodded my head and he extended his hand towards me. I hesitated for just a moment before I slipped my hand into his. He held my hand firmly and then we're suddenly running extremely fast, the world blurring past me. Thankfully, whatever effects of alcohol that I would have been feeling had gone away long ago. Being scared can sober you up quickly. All too suddenly, we were coming to a stop before the red bridge again. Haku pulls me slightly behind him, shielding me from the many spirits around us and ahead of us.

"Master Haku! Welcome back." A spirit says and I can't see who said it.

There was a murmuring that went through the crowd as spirits began to notice that there was someone with Haku and I get the feeling that that isn't a normal thing. I cling to Haku's arm because that's the only thing I can do. Despite him being a perfect stranger, he was the only comfort I had and the only protection that I had. I could feel Haku glance down at me and then continue to stare straight ahead. I can hear Haku's name ripple through the crowd and then before I know it, we're across the bridge. Haku's arm is across my body and my face is half hidden by him. His hand cups my hip and he pushes me slightly more behind him.

"Master Haku, who is that?"

There were a million questions thrown at him and he simply held up a hand. The staff went silent and I peeked out the slightest bit. Some of the staff were frogs or toads and some of them were human looking. There was a young woman among the crowd. She had long, dark brown hair and she was leaning against the wall looking nonchalant, but there was something in her eye's that made me think that she had a big heart. Her eyes locked with mine and her face turned to one of shock. Haku noticed and pushed me all the way behind him. I clutched onto his shirt, wrinkling it in my hands. He kept his arm on me and raised the other one to prevent anyone from stepping forward.

"This is a human that stumbled through the gate." Haku says plainly.

"Chihiro!"

The voice was so full of love and hope and it spread through the crowd quickly. Haku silenced them, probably with a glare. I was too busy squeezing my eyes shut and clutching tighter onto Haku's back. Haku takes a breath and I can feel the attention of everyone directed at me and him. Maybe we should have taken a different path to the Bathhouse. I shiver, the cold thoroughly in my body by now. I would have to take a long bath to get the cold out of my body and hope that I didn't catch the flu.

"This is not the Chihiro that we know. This is her granddaughter that was named after her, but we shall know her as Hiro." Haku said in that calm tone.

"Well then what about the Chihiro we know?" Someone asked.

"She has passed on already."

The crowd fell silent and I could hear the sadness in the silence. They must have loved her very much. I think about the bedtime stories that my grandmother used to tell me about the Spirit World and realize that they were all true. They were stories about the time she spent here as a child and these were her friends. No wonder that they were so excited to see me, only to be bombarded with the fact that I was not my grandmother, the Chihiro that they loved and that she was in fact dead. I couldn't think of the pain that they must have been feeling.

I think about Haku and how he reacted, how sweetly he treated me from time to time when he didn't realize what he was doing and in that moment, I realize that he must have been my grandmother's first love. He must be in so much pain and yet he was helping me. I clutch tighter onto him.

"Everyone get back to work before Yubaba has our heads. I will answer any questions that you may have later tonight after we close." Haku said.

The crowd was quiet and began to disperse. I didn't want to see the look on the girl's face that had locked eyes with me. She must have been a close friend with my grandmother and it must be a shock to find out about her passing, let alone to see me whom looks just like her. Haku tugged on my shirt slightly and then pulled me out from behind him.

"You have to walk now. I'll take you to see Yubaba." He said quietly.

I nodded, not wanting to speak at the moment. Haku looked at me for a moment and then took my hand and began to lead me into the Bathhouse. I let him lead me through the Bathhouse, not entirely paying attention to where we were going. It took a few minutes and several elevators before we finally arrived at the floor we needed. The entire top floor was Yubaba's house and elegant didn't even begin to cover how grand and extravagant everything was. Even grand and extravagant weren't even close to describing the beauty that everything on the floor held. Haku lead me down a series of passage ways and doors. I wouldn't have been able to find the place if I had been on my own and I was grateful to have Haku by my side.

We arrived in a room that was used as an office. There was a large fireplace with a warm fire flickering in its hearth and I craved to be beside it and absorbing the heat from it. To the left was a desk that was adorned with scales, jewels, and many small bags of money. Behind the desk sat a short, enormous old woman that had to be a witch. There was no way that she wasn't. Haku stepped forward and bowed a little and she waved her hand to dismiss him. With a gentle push, Haku placed me before the witch. I bowed and then stood up as straight as I could.

"Chihiro, but from what I've heard, not the Chihiro that we all know." The witch said lighting a cigarette.

"No ma'am. Chihiro was my grandmother and I was named after her. You must be Yubaba, the witch that steals names." I said, remembering the stories my grandmother had told me.

Yubaba took a long drag of her cigarette and regarded me over a long, beak-like nose. She blew the smoke out of her nostrils and it almost filled the entire room before disappearing. I met her stare and continued to stand straight. There were a few more moments of silence before Yubaba finally spoke.

"I already know that Haku will want to take care of you and make sure that you are okay, but I can't just let you stay here for free while you are figuring out what to do. In fact, your grandmother managed to collect a lot of debt while she was here. I'll make a deal with you Chihiro, if you manage to pay off your grandmother's debt while you are here, then I will let you go without signing a contract. If you fail or try to run away, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself." Yubaba said.

To me, this interaction seemed really mild. From all the stories grandmother had told me, Yubaba always had someone under contract and was trying to control them. Maybe Yubaba had had a change of heart since meeting grandmother. I bowed and thanked her. I was still a bit numb from everything that had happened so I decided not to argue with her. I turned towards Haku and he was still staring at me. I wasn't sure what to do or say so I simply held out my hand. He took it without saying a word and began to lead me out of the office. When grandmother had stayed here, she had been with her friend in a room with about 15 other girls. But I was different. Even if I was just a human, they were treating me differently.

"Are you hungry?" Haku asked in that quiet voice of his.

"Not really." I replied, equally quiet.

"You should eat some food from our world. It will prevent you from feeling sick."

"Okay."

We travelled back to the elevator. Haku hadn't told me where we were going and I didn't want to ask. He didn't let go of my hand, even when we were just riding in the elevator. I still hadn't asked him about his relationship with my grandmother, but a part of me already knew. It was evident in the way he was acting with me. I didn't take back my hand. I had been heartbroken before, but I didn't know what it was like to lose a true love. Sure, I had broken up with boys and they had broken up with me, but it had never been serious.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly and Haku squeezed my hand for a moment.

"You have nothing to apologize for." He said coolly.

"Grandmother mentioned you before. She used to tell me bedtime stories and until now, I thought they were just stories. She told me about the time she went to see the witch in the swamp to save your life." I said.

Haku was silent.

"I've never had a true love before so I don't know the kind of pain you are feeling. But I'm sorry that you're in pain." I said.

"She was a human. It was going to happen eventually." He said in that same cold tone.

I was quiet. He didn't want to talk about it, but he also didn't let go of my hand. Haku took me off the elevator and towards a part of the Bathhouse I didn't know. Although, I didn't know the Bathhouse to begin with. The way he was leading me was away from all the baths and towards a more private part of the Bathhouse. After turning down a few hallways, we came to a door. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked it. Haku didn't have an entire floor to himself like Yubaba did, but it was a decent sized place. It was more than just a room which was more than the other staff had. We had entered the living room and the only objects in this room were a couch and an kotatsu.

Haku dropped my hand and shut the door behind us. After a glance at me, he continued into the rest of the apartment. There was a very small kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Haku led me into the bedroom and told me to wait there for him. After several minutes, he returned with a small bowl of rice and a uniform for me. He didn't meet my eyes as he put the clothes on the bed.

"After you eat, you can take a bath. That uniform is yours. I'll wake you up tomorrow for your shift." He said, still looking away.

"Haku…" I began.

After several moments, he finally looked at me.

"Yes Hiro?" He asked.

"Where will you sleep?" I asked, knowing that this was his place.

"I'll stay on the couch for now or go use a guest room at Yubaba's." He shrugged.

"Thank you for taking care of me." I said quietly.

We stared at each other for a few long moments and then he left without saying another word. I sat there in silence before eating the rice that Haku had brought for me. It wasn't much, but I also wasn't very hungry. After quickly finishing the rice, I brought the bowl into the kitchen and washed it before putting it in a strainer. I needed a warm bath desperately to get the chill out of my bones. I filled the water as high as I could without it spilling over in the tub and then just sat there with a cool towel on my head. I didn't allow myself to think about the events that had happened. I didn't want to. I knew I needed time to process everything, but I was too tired to accurately think about them. I soaked in the tub for a long time before finally getting out and drying off. I changed into the pink pants and blue halter shirt that was part of the uniform and was surprised by how comfortable they were.

Back in Haku's room, I gently brushed my long hair with my fingers. It was still damp, but I wanted to get the tangles out before going to bed. I was exhausted and so ready for sleep. Crawling into bed, I turned out the lights and let the darkness surround me. In the quiet, I could just make out the noises of someone in the room nearby. It had to be Haku in the living room. I listened a little harder and for a moment, I thought I could hear him softly crying. Before I could think too hard on it, I fell asleep and dreamt about captivating jade green eyes.