The skull-phone rang.

"Ma'am, Chihiro is back! And so is Haku!"

Yubaba's eyes widened, followed by a smirk on her face. Well now, long time no see, she thought. Ever since Chihiro left the spirit world, things quieted down, making her life in the bathhouse unbearably dull and somewhat meaningless. Nothing happened for the last seven years. When Chihiro was still here, she caused all sorts of trouble – but now Yubaba herself had to admit, that she missed all that trouble, and that puny little girl. As for Haku – his reappearance didn't make her as happy. The sort of trouble he caused could be a danger to her, but she knew that as long as he's with Chihiro, he wouldn't do anything stupid… or so she hoped.

"Ma'am?"

The foreman's voice woke her up from her contemplations. She was still holding the skull-phone in her hand. "I see. Send the girl up to me immediately. Alone, if you will."

"Right away, ma'am," responded the foreman, before hanging up.

She didn't want that dragon interfering – what she had to tell Chihiro was for her ears only. She had previously spoken with Zeniba, her sister, who filled her in with the details on Chihiro's mission. It was still a shock for Yubaba – when she first saw that girl, she would never suspect her of having a unique destiny, or even being of any importance to the spirit world at all. But it was time to face the fact that the world is full of surprises – and even a single person can change the course of events.

Which would mean that her first visit in the spirit world wasn't an accident, she thought, breathing out the smoke from her cigarette and chuckling.

"Chihiro! Chihiro! Is Chihiro here? Excuse me… Out of my way, you damn frogs…"

Lin was trying to push her way through the frogs, who were running to and fro, trying to get the bathhouse ready for the first customers. She stopped right in front of the foreman, who just finished talking on the phone. He glared at her, raising his eyebrows. "Eh?"

"Are the rumors true? Is Chihiro really back?" she asked, her eyes wide open from anticipation. All these years, she kept thinking about her friend, and what became of her. Chihiro must have grown up… Lin herself changed only a little – she was a bit taller and her hair was even longer than before, but that was it. Spirits aged differently than humans, and at a certain age, they stopped – but since many of them could use magic to change their appearance, not many spirits chose to look old.

"What? Yeah, her ferry is nearly there," answered the foreman, then frowned. "But I wouldn't bother her now, if I were you. Yubaba wants to see her immediately, and that was an order. Wait, where are you… Come back here! You're not allowed out of the bathhouse!"

But Lin was already off. After snatching a pair of geta, she ran across the bridge and through the town, maneuvering between the black, faceless spirits that filled the theme park, serving food in the restaurants and strolling along the streets. She could smell the delicious ramen, korokke, spring rolls, domburi and yakitori all throughout the town, and she felt her mouth water with hunger. The food wasn't for her, though – it was meant for the gods that visited the bathhouse. She ignored the smells and concentrated on getting to Chihiro. She wasn't supposed to leave the bathhouse while she was working, but… who cared? It would only take a few minutes, and she simply had to be the first to greet her friend after so many years.

The ferry was approaching the theme park, all decorated with lights and red paper lanterns. Most spirits that were traveling across the lake to the bathhouse, chose to stay inside the ferry – but Chihiro preferred to stand outside, simply for the sake of sightseeing. She finally felt at home, sighing with happiness at the beautiful, starry night. The cold air around her felt strangely comforting, as well as Haku's hand around her own. Chihiro looked at him, and his amazingly long, flowing hair. For a moment she wondered what shampoo is he using to obtain such shine and silkiness, and that thought caused her to giggle out loud. Haku looked at her questioningly, unaware of her contemplations.

"Here we are," he said, when the ferry finally hit the shore. All the doors in the ferry opened, and the spirits started to pour out. "Come on," said Haku, then took a firm hold of Chihiro's hand and quickly walked down from the ferry, and onto the stone steps that led into the theme park. "It's good to be back," he smiled, inhaling the fresh, evening air into his lungs. Chihiro nodded, looking around, when suddenly she heard someone calling out her name.

"Chihiro! Over here!"

And then she saw her… It was Lin! Still in her old, pink clothes, she hasn't changed much. She was now standing on top of the steps and waving her arm, smiling excitedly and nearly hopping in place. Chihiro laughed and ran forward, with one arm waving back, and the other dragging Haku after her. Once she reached Lin, she let go of Haku and jumped into Lin's embrace. Lin noticed that Chihiro was no longer the puny little girl that she used to be – they were even the same height. It didn't bother her, though – she was quite happy to have a friend to talk to about more serious and mature matters.

"How you have grown… I haven't seen you in ages! Come on, let's go to the bathhouse – I'm not even supposed to be here, so I better go back before they notice…" she said, and together they ran through the theme park, leaving Haku behind. He sighed, but didn't blame them – they haven't seen each other in a very long time, after all. He started to stroll towards the bathhouse too, though he didn't expect to get a warm welcome there. After all… he used to be Yubaba's apprentice, more feared than truly respected, and certainly disliked by some spirits, like Lin.

He looked up at the sky, then smiled slightly. He will let them have Chihiro for now, so she can greet all her old friends and talk with Yubaba, but afterwards, she will finally be able to spend some time with him. He looked around, and saw all the spirits from the ferry marching towards the bridge, where they were greeted as usual and showed into their rooms. Haku never liked crowds, but lost in thought and wishful thinking, he crossed the bridge and was greeted along with other guests. As he was walking, he noticed a bush of white camellias, growing near the entrance to the bathhouse. He walked up to it and touched one camellia with his hand, amazed how beautiful and fragile it was. It reminded him of Chihiro… and of her innocent, hopeful eyes.

He entered the bathhouse, feeling the familiar smell of Kamaji's herbal formula. Frog and slug spirits hurried around with their customers, showing them to their baths. He felt the steam on his face – it was pleasantly warm inside the bathhouse. Once he spotted the foreman, smiling and giving out bath tokens as always, he went up to him. The foreman glanced at him once, then his eyes widened when he realized that it was Haku himself standing before him.

"Master Haku…? My, the rumors are true! You're alive! We all thought you were dead after you left our world…!" he exclaimed. Haku greeted him with a nod. "I'm fine. Can you tell me where Chihiro went?"

The foreman nodded. "She went to see Yubaba a few minutes ago. I suspect she'll be there for a while… They have something important to discuss, so I heard."

Haku thanked him, then went over to a window and looked outside. It was a beautiful night, and the sky was clear – yet there was a strange feeling of unease inside him. He was worried for Chihiro – soon, she will have to face a threat, and follow a destiny that she didn't ask for. He swore to himself, that whatever happens, he will not lose her again, and will fight alongside her to the very last breath.

But for now, it didn't matter. The threat was still somewhat distant… and he still had time to spend with Chihiro.